Fighting Inflammation

- Introductory
Associated Schools

More than 90 lessons give you the benefit of Harvard Medical School's expertise on inflammation and how it can affect your entire body. Sections are organized as follows:
Getting Started: Discover the basics of inflammation and how your immune system comes into play. Featured slideshow: "Inflammation: Friend or Foe—or Both?"
When Good Inflammation Goes Bad: Learn how and when inflammation becomes problematical—in sometimes serious ways.
When Good Inflammation Goes Bad: Learn how and when inflammation becomes problematical—in sometimes serious ways.
Inflammation and Allergic Responses: Find out how eczema, asthma, and other allergic responses cause inflammation.
Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease: Key lessons include an explanation of how your body fights itself when inflammation is triggered.
Pain. Redness. Heat. Swelling. At some point, you’ve experienced these symptoms of inflammation, thanks to a sprained ankle, paper cut, or insect bite. Despite the discomfort it brings, inflammation is an essential survival mechanism. It helps your body fight off hostile microbes and repairs tissues damaged by injury. But inflammation also has a harmful side involved in a number of diseases.
Harvard Medical School experts simplify this complex topic in our self-paced interactive course. You'll discover the good and bad of the inflammatory reaction—and more important, you'll discover strategies to lower your risk of potentially harmful chronic inflammation.
Each section is followed by a quiz designed to help you review important material.
It features lively interactive pages, photo features, detailed illustrations, videos, charts, and additional features to help you understand the perils of “bad” inflammation and how to proactively protect your health.