Inflammation is the body's repair crew. It brings blood, immune cells, and chemical signals to a site of injury or infection. Useful in the short term, damaging when it lingers. Anti-inflammatory drugs turn down that response, and they come in two very different families.

Steroidal anti-inflammatories, or corticosteroids, mimic cortisol. They are powerful and fast, used for asthma flares, severe allergies, and autoimmune conditions. Long-term use brings weight gain, bone loss, high blood sugar, and immune suppression. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the NSAIDs, are milder and available over the counter. Ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin block COX enzymes and reduce prostaglandins, easing pain, fever, and swelling. They can irritate the stomach and, in high doses, stress the kidneys.

Choosing between them comes down to the situation:

• Acute injury. An NSAID, short-term, often enough.
• Autoimmune flare. Corticosteroids, tapered as soon as possible.
• Chronic arthritis. An NSAID or a disease-modifying drug, depending on severity.
• Asthma or severe allergy. Inhaled or oral corticosteroids.

Newer biologics target specific inflammatory molecules like TNF or interleukin-6. They cost far more than a bottle of ibuprofen but spare patients the broad suppression of older drugs.