YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER FOR LONGER
Stephen Lau
Stephen Lau
Autoimmune Disease
"In recent years, science has learned that the human immune system is much more complicated than we thought." Dr. Philip F. Incao, M.D.
The immune system is the most aggressive age eraser for you. Your immune system protects you from disease and infection. Unfortunately, your immune system may attack itself in the form of autoimmune disease, which can affect many parts of your body, including your nerves, muscles, endocrine system (controlling your body’s hormones and other chemicals), and digestive system.
Essentially, autoimmunity can affect almost any organ or body system. The exact type of autoimmune disease one may have depends on which body tissues are targeted by the immune system. For example, if the skin is targeted, skin rashes, blisters, or color changes may result; if the thyroid gland is affected, thyroid disorders may develop, such as extreme fatigue, sensitivity to cold, and muscle aches; if the joints are attacked, severe joint pain, stiffness, and loss of motor function may occur.
There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disease, including multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and myasthenia gravis, among many others.
Many of these diseases associated with autoimmunity are often chronic, requiring lifelong care and monitoring, and they tend to develop as aging continues.
Autoimmune disease risk factors
The gender factor
Autoimmune disease strikes women more than it strikes men, particularly women of working age and during their childbearing years.
The genetic factor
The genes you have inherited from your parents may predispose you to developing autoimmune disease.
The stress factor
Stress is a major factor triggering the onset of autoimmune disease, especially if you already have an over-stressed or a weakened immune system.
The virus factor
Viruses may also contribute to the development of an autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune disease symptoms
Autoimmune disease symptoms may vary according to the types of autoimmune disease. In addition, many autoimmune diseases do not show a clear pattern of disease symptoms. Furthermore, autoimmune disease symptoms may also come and go. For these reasons, it is sometimes difficult to diagnose the type of autoimmune disease. Diagnosis, however, can usually be made by using medical history (the genetic factor), physical examination (obvious signs of physical and muscular weaknesses), and medical tests (blood sample for autoimmunity antibodies)
Autoimmune disease treatments
Autoimmune disease treatments depend on the type of autoimmune disease and the severity of the autoimmune disease symptoms.
Since autoimmunity takes many forms, autoimmune disease treatments may require different specialists, for example:
The immune system is the most aggressive age eraser for you. Your immune system protects you from disease and infection. Unfortunately, your immune system may attack itself in the form of autoimmune disease, which can affect many parts of your body, including your nerves, muscles, endocrine system (controlling your body’s hormones and other chemicals), and digestive system.
Essentially, autoimmunity can affect almost any organ or body system. The exact type of autoimmune disease one may have depends on which body tissues are targeted by the immune system. For example, if the skin is targeted, skin rashes, blisters, or color changes may result; if the thyroid gland is affected, thyroid disorders may develop, such as extreme fatigue, sensitivity to cold, and muscle aches; if the joints are attacked, severe joint pain, stiffness, and loss of motor function may occur.
There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disease, including multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and myasthenia gravis, among many others.
Many of these diseases associated with autoimmunity are often chronic, requiring lifelong care and monitoring, and they tend to develop as aging continues.
Autoimmune disease risk factors
The gender factor
Autoimmune disease strikes women more than it strikes men, particularly women of working age and during their childbearing years.
The genetic factor
The genes you have inherited from your parents may predispose you to developing autoimmune disease.
The stress factor
Stress is a major factor triggering the onset of autoimmune disease, especially if you already have an over-stressed or a weakened immune system.
The virus factor
Viruses may also contribute to the development of an autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune disease symptoms
Autoimmune disease symptoms may vary according to the types of autoimmune disease. In addition, many autoimmune diseases do not show a clear pattern of disease symptoms. Furthermore, autoimmune disease symptoms may also come and go. For these reasons, it is sometimes difficult to diagnose the type of autoimmune disease. Diagnosis, however, can usually be made by using medical history (the genetic factor), physical examination (obvious signs of physical and muscular weaknesses), and medical tests (blood sample for autoimmunity antibodies)
Autoimmune disease treatments
Autoimmune disease treatments depend on the type of autoimmune disease and the severity of the autoimmune disease symptoms.
Since autoimmunity takes many forms, autoimmune disease treatments may require different specialists, for example:
| • | A dermatologist to treat alopecia areata, psoriasis (problems of skin, hair, and nails) |
| • | An endocrinologist to treat type 1 diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease (problems of glands and hormones) |
| • | A gastroenterologist to treat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (problems of digestive system) |
| • | A hematologist to treat pernicious anemia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (problems of blood) |
| • | A nephrologist to treat lupus (problems of kidneys) |
| • | A neurologist to treat multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis (problems of nerve) |
| • | A rheumatologist to treat lupus and scleroderma (problems of arthritis) |
Your immune system is your body’s most specialized defense mechanism to protect you from any foreign invaders, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. As such, it requires an intricate network of optimum functioning of many different cells in your body.
Conventional autoimmune disease treatments aimed at suppressing your immune system in order to prevent further destruction of self-tissues may limit some symptoms and, at best, even manage pain, but do not result in a permanent cure. Unfortunately, there are no miracle cures for autoimmune diseases.
As you age, your stress may increase with increased limitations on your life. In order to cope with daily living, you need to conquer your stress.
Conquering Stress helps you get back your life by overcoming stress, depression, and anxiety, without the use of drugs and medications. These ailments and disorders are commonly associated with aging
Boosting immunity
As you age, your immune system becomes weaker, as evidenced by the high incidence of influenza and pneumonia after age 25, not to mention among the elderly. Therefore, it is important to boost your immunity, closely related to your thymus (the commander-in-chief of fighters in your immune system against foreign invaders), with the 10 most important nutritional supplements:
Conventional autoimmune disease treatments aimed at suppressing your immune system in order to prevent further destruction of self-tissues may limit some symptoms and, at best, even manage pain, but do not result in a permanent cure. Unfortunately, there are no miracle cures for autoimmune diseases.
As you age, your stress may increase with increased limitations on your life. In order to cope with daily living, you need to conquer your stress.
Conquering Stress helps you get back your life by overcoming stress, depression, and anxiety, without the use of drugs and medications. These ailments and disorders are commonly associated with aging
Boosting immunity
As you age, your immune system becomes weaker, as evidenced by the high incidence of influenza and pneumonia after age 25, not to mention among the elderly. Therefore, it is important to boost your immunity, closely related to your thymus (the commander-in-chief of fighters in your immune system against foreign invaders), with the 10 most important nutritional supplements:
Generally, all medical treatments aim at:
| • | Relieving symptoms through the use of drugs |
| • | Preventing further damage to organs affected: e.g. insulin injections to regulate your blood sugar if you have type 1 diabetes mellitus; drugs to control your inflamed kidneys if you have lupus |
| • | Suppressing the immune system through immune-suppressing drugs |
| • | Vitamin A to prevent thymus shrinkage (5,000 IU daily dosage) |
| • | Vitamin B6 to maintain hormone levels and to prevent thymus shrinkage (50 mg daily dosage) |
| • | Vitamin C to regulate T-cell (white blood thymus cells) function (at least 1,000 mg daily dosage or up to bowel tolerance) |
| • | Vitamin E to increase infection resistance (400 0800 IU daily dosage) |
| • | Selenium to increase T-cell activity and antibody production for detoxification (100 mcg daily dosage) |
| • | Zinc to boost your thymus for maturing T-cells to fight invaders (15 mg daily dosage) |
| • | Coenzyme Q10 to increase energy production for cells’ activities |
| • | L-glutathione to regenerate immune cells in the immune system (200 mg daily dosage) |
| • | Magnesium to increase enzymatic reactions (100 mg daily dosage) |
| • | DHEA to control cortisol, the stress hormone (5 mg daily dosage) |
Protecting immune system
In addition to taking supplements to boost your immunity, you need to use diet, such as a natural thyroid diet, to protect your immune system.
Eat fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts daily.
Eat natural foods. Cooking, food processing, and freezing destroy some of the health-promoting nutrients in your foods.
Eat phytonutrients, which are plant nutrients. They include carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytosterols, among others.
In addition to taking supplements to boost your immunity, you need to use diet, such as a natural thyroid diet, to protect your immune system.
Eat fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts daily.
Eat natural foods. Cooking, food processing, and freezing destroy some of the health-promoting nutrients in your foods.
Eat phytonutrients, which are plant nutrients. They include carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytosterols, among others.
| • | Carotenoids Dark green, yellow, red, and orange vegetables and fruits are rich in carotenoids. They are potent antioxidants against free radicals and protect you against the following: bilberries, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, citrus fruits, ginkgo biloba, grapes, green tea, onions, peppers, and tangerines. |
| • | Pytosterols Phytosterols are plant fats (just like animal fats). Plant fats inhibit the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (pain-causing agents), and are therefore effective in controlling rheumatoid arthritis, one of the most debilitating and difficult-to-treat diseases today. Foods rich in phytosterols include the following: almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, barley, peas, and soybeans. |
Slowdown of immune system
As aging continues, the immune system becomes less effective. Given that the cells of the immune system destroy cancer cells, bacteria, and other foreign substances more slowly, the elderly are more susceptible to cancer, infections, pneumonia, and influenza, among others.
The immune system is the best defense against disease, and hence it is an anti-aging agent.
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
The content of this site cannot be copied or reproduced in any form without the author's permission.
As aging continues, the immune system becomes less effective. Given that the cells of the immune system destroy cancer cells, bacteria, and other foreign substances more slowly, the elderly are more susceptible to cancer, infections, pneumonia, and influenza, among others.
The immune system is the best defense against disease, and hence it is an anti-aging agent.
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
The content of this site cannot be copied or reproduced in any form without the author's permission.
Visit Stephen Lau's website: My Myasthenia Gravis - A Handbook on Holistic Approach to Autoimmune Diseases.
