Inflammation occurs in response to various cellular stress including infection, irradiation, or chemical or physical injury. It helps us counteract infection, clear out necrotic cells, remove damaging chemicals, and initiate tissue repair. Keeping a delicate balance of inflammation response by eliminating harmful stimulus, while still maintaining self-tolerance to avoid host diseases, is critical for the body's heath. Insufficient or chronic inflammation could lead to progressive destruction to the organism. Many diseases have been demonstrated to associate with acute or chronic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, depression, Kawasaki disease, and even cancer. However, treatment options for inflammatory diseases have been limited to anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., acetaminophen) or steroid hormones. Meanwhile, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) provides natural and effective protection for those who suffer from inflammatory diseases.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles on complementary and alternative therapies for controlling inflammatory diseases. Manuscripts based on in vitro tests and animal studies as well as human studies can be submitted to this special issue.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Studies on the use of any method of CAM for treating inflammatory diseases
• Studies investigating mechanisms involved in the application of CAM for inflammatory diseases
• Novel methodologies and technologies with potential application for inflammatory diseases
• Reviews on CAM for treatment of inflammatory diseases