If your body feels achy, stiff, swollen, or unusually sensitive—even on ordinary days—you’re not imagining it. What doesn’t help is assuming pain is simply “part of getting older” or something you just have to tolerate. Many everyday aches are connected to inflammation. Inflammation is your body’s natural defense system. In the short term, it helps you heal. But when it stays elevated for too long, it can quietly contribute to joint pain, fatigue, stiffness, brain fog, and on