I'm not sure your explanation was any easier to grok for people, how about this: Inflammation is what the body uses to clean out disease and heal itself. The

I'm not sure your explanation was any easier to grok for people, how about this: Inflammation is what the body uses to clean out disease and heal itself. The individual mechanisms used to do this could be considered analogous (but very different from) a short antibiotics regimen. In the short term or localised to one area it is beneficial. But at a systemic always on level there are negative side effects where these systems begin to overwhelm/damage healthy functions/cells.