What is Autoimmune Disease? Part I
Autoimmune disease is best described as an allergy to oneself. The body actually becomes allergic to its own tissue. When human tissue enters the blood stream, the immune system believes that the tissue is a “foreign protein” and creates an antibody to destroy and eliminate it.
This tissue enters one’s blood stream from some traumatic event. The “trauma” not only includes injuries such as slips and falls, but also trauma caused by overwork, infection, injurious chemicals in our environment and foods, heart attacks, ulcers, smoking, trauma to your mouth and other organ and glandular systems. When your body attacks its own tissue, you are the victim.” As your immune system is directed to protect you from this “foreign protein,” your own body is broken down. The result of this autoimmune reaction can be any number of conditions depending on which tissue is being attacked.
When antibodies to viruses cross-react with uninfected host cells this is called molecular mimicry. There are sequence similarities between microbial and human proteins.
The common factor in all autoimmune disorders is inflammation. Inflammation is the bodies attempt to heal. When you take an anti-inflammatory – you STOP the healing process in its tracks. The body does not heal.
Autoimmune reactions can be the cause of many common conditions. Low energy, impaired health and lack of vitality may be the result of your immune system spending its energy protecting YOU from YOU when it fact it does need to.
Do you or a loved one suffer chronic fatigue?
YOU MAY HAVE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT!
Let’s summarize and consider some examples of how autoimmune disease occurs:
1. Your own injured tissue, due to some type of trauma, infection, or stress from overwork, enters your bloodstream.
2. Your immune system believes this is “foreign protein” and creates an immune reaction to protect you.
3. Your own tissue is broken down from the attack.
4. The function of that tissue to your whole body is then impaired.
5. Your health suffers with resulting fatigue, pain and disability.
Autoimmune disease examples:
When firefighters, smokers or anyone in a polluted environment breathes smoke or chemicals, lung tissue may be damaged and enter the blood stream – the result is reduced health of the lungs and lung diseases can begin – chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic allergies.
Injured people whose muscles and ligament tissue enters the blood stream - the result can be conditions such as fibromyalgia, muscle pains and joint problems.
Any gland or organ which suffers injury, overwork or infection may release damaged tissue into the blood stream which will similarly cause the development of an autoimmune reaction to that tissue. Diseases relating to that organ or gland can set in.
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Common autoimmune conditions:
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis ADEM
Addison’s Disease
Alopecia Areata
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS)
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease
Bullous Pemphigoid
Celiac Disease
Chagas Disease
Crohn’s Disease
Dermatomyositis
Type I Diabetes
Endometriosis
Goodpasteur’s Syndrome
Grave’s Disease
Gullian-Barre Syndrome
Hashimoto’s Disease
Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Kawasaki Disease
IgA Nephropathy
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Interstitial Cystitis
Lupus Erythematosus
Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
Morphea
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Myasthenia Gravis
Narcolepsy
Neuromyotonia
Pemphigus Vulgaris
Pernicious Anemia
Psoriasis
Psoriatic Arthritis
Polymyositis
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
Rheumatic Arthritis (RA)
Schizophrenia
Scleroderma
Sjogren’s Syndrome
Stiff Person Syndrome
Temporal Arteritis
Ulcerative Colitis
Vasculitis
Vitiligo
Wegener’s Granulomatosis
Tune in next week to hear how we treat autoimmune conditions with herbs, nutrients, and these most powerful healing factors called Protomorphogens or PMG’s. This is where the real healing begins. If your medical doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, naturopathic doctor or other practitioner has not discussed PMG’s a primary component for your autoimmune disorder then ask them about it. Be proactive in your care. After all if you wear your body out, where are you going to live?
Wellness is a choice not a chance. Be well.
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