Physicians realise that inflammation in the walls of arteries is probably the most important risk factor in cardiovascular disease, more important even than cholesterol levels. Inflammation is common to many other chronic and debilitating diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, asthma, acne, eczema, psoriasis, sinusitis, hayfever, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, etc. In fact, most conditions that are often treated with cortisone fall into this category.