What causes autoimmune diseases? - Pernicious Anaemi...

Pernicious Anaemia Society

31,954 members23,094 posts

What causes autoimmune diseases?

Frank77 profile image
15 Replies

youtube.com/watch?v=PpZhLQX...

I don't often post Youtube videos but I was much impressed by this lecture by Dr Peter Osborne and felt the need to share it. This is quite a long lecture (1 hour 50 mins) by an expert in autoimmune diseases who has rather unconventional views on the subject. He begins by stating that typically if you have one such disease you are statistically likely to acquire another six in your lifetime! Rather a depressing scenario for someone like me who has PA. But it doesn't need to be that way, and there are many things one can do to reduce the risk. Essentially Osborne's view is that autoimmune diseases are quite a modern phenomenon - he gives fascinating statistics showing how their numbers exploded in the 20th century, mainly for lifestyle reasons. He then outlines quite methodically what we can do help ourselves. In particular, he focuses on: food quality, water quality, gluten, leaky gut, infections, antibiotics, nutrition, excessive hygiene (what daily showers do the immune system!), vaccines, stress etc etc. As a non expert I found it fascinating, and a radically different message to the one I have heard from conventional doctors over the years. I would be interested to hear the views of others on this forum.

Written by
Frank77 profile image
Frank77
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
15 Replies
Narwhal10 profile image
Narwhal10

Thanks Frank77,

Being female also has been shown from research due to XX chromosome. There’s a familial pattern, so genetic and then there’s the trigger. Doctors generally do not think of environment actually, meaning environment like soil, mountains, water quality, food quality.

I looked into one ‘trigger’ which was a huge plane crash. It was into a block of flats in Amsterdam. People who lived in the vicinity were going to doctors complaining of gastrointestinal symptoms, pain, insomnia and lethargy. Over two thirds had an identifiable bacterial infection. Whilst others had Gulf War Syndrome type illness or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome type illness.

As investigations of the crash continued, the plane was found not to be carrying any harmful substances. The Boeing 747’s tail, however, contained depleted uranium. It weighed 282 kilograms. So, those people had been poisoned. It is a ‘Public Health’ issue.

It would be interesting to know if doctors do consider this when taking a Good Medical History. This type of environmental ‘trigger’ can indeed, cause Autoimmune Diseases.

Milliners used to use mercury and the old saying goes, ‘As Mad as Hatters’. I have a collection of hats. I bought a new one yesterday as I have ‘severe cold intolerance’ and can never be bothered to do my hair. 😘

Frank77 profile image
Frank77 in reply to Narwhal10

fascinating.. thank you so much, Narwhal10

Jason_h123 profile image
Jason_h123 in reply to Narwhal10

Very interesting points Narwhal and has given me something else to think about a bit more. If only I didn’t have brain fog !!!

The environment issue seems quite pertinent to myself as I was diagnosed a few years ago in my late 40s, and male, not really fitting the normal model.

Spent 12 years in the forces, served in the first Gulf war, had all of the jabs etc.

Additionally I travel quite a lot now to some countries that are not often visited yet the GPS have never asked these questions , nor pursued this line of inquiry when it’s been offered as additional information.

Narwhal10 profile image
Narwhal10 in reply to Jason_h123

Hi Jason_h123,:

Thank you for your 12 year service. I am sorry to read about your brain fog. However, because you have served your country, the NHS has an obligation to look after you and your family a bit more readily. It is known as the NHS Covenant. The link is for NHS England but applicable to Wales, Scotland.

england.nhs.uk/contact-us/p...

Please tell your GP about your service because of my first reply, (exposure to chemicals) and also, people who travel are prone to ‘Traveller’s Diahorrea’. They can actually have particularly nasty bug like Campylobacter. Some needing hospitalisation. This can be another ‘trigger’ for autoimmune diseases.

I have met one Veteran from WWII. At one point, he had been posted in Aden. He was hospitalised because of a particular strain of gastrointestinal bacteria and weighed 6 stone as a consequence. He regained weight and strength. However, even in his 80’s, he reported, My gut had never been the same. The veteran still had the mischievous glint in his eye and had a fun filled life. We had plenty of banter.

🐳

Jillymo profile image
Jillymo

This artical might be of interest to some......

Scientists hail autoimmune disease therapy breakthrough This article is more than 1 year old. Study finds CAR T-cell treatment sends lupus into remission, raising hopes it could be used to treat diseases such as multiple sclerosis

Ian Sample Science editor

Five people with severe autoimmune disease have become the first in the world to receive a groundbreaking therapy that uses genetically altered cells to drive the illness into remission.

The four women and one man, aged 18 to 24, received transfusions of modified immune cells to treat severe lupus, an autoimmune disease that can cause life-threatening damage to the heart, lungs, brain and kidneys.

The treatment drove the disease into remission in all five patients, who have now been off lupus medication for between three and 17 months. Doctors say the apparent success raises hopes for tackling other autoimmune conditions such a rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus, develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs. The causes are not well understood, but researchers believe it may be triggered by viral infections, particular medicines, and changes in the body around puberty and the menopause.

The condition affects about one in 1,000 people, and far more women than men. It is hard to diagnose because the symptoms often flare up and settle down, and overlap with those of several other diseases. While mild in many people, lupus can cause extreme tiredness, organ damage and pain in the joints and muscles. One of the most common signs is a distinctive skin rash over the nose and cheeks.

Global spread of autoimmune disease blamed on western diet

Read more

Doctors in Germany treated five severely ill patients with CAR T-cell therapy after other treatments failed to improve their symptoms. The approach has proved successful at combating certain cancers since it was first used in a leukaemia patient in 2015. CAR T-cell therapy involves collecting the patient’s T-cells – a key component of the immune system – and modifying them so that they attack new targets, such as cancer cells, when infused back into the body.

In the latest work, doctors took T-cells from the lupus patients and modified them so that, on re-infusion, they attacked the patients’ B cells. In lupus, B cells churn out autoantibodies, which instead of defending the body against invading pathogens, attack healthy tissues instead.

According to the study in Nature Medicine, the therapy in effect wiped out the patients’ aberrant B cells and dramatically improved their condition. The disease affected multiple organs in all five patients, but after the therapy severe symptoms including arthritis, fatigue, fibrosis of the heart valves, and lung inflammation all cleared up.

Blood tests on the patients showed that their B cells recovered about four months after the treatment, but they no longer produced aberrant antibodies and the patients remained disease-free. Writing in the journal, the authors speculate that the therapy led to a “rebooting of the immune system”.

“We are very excited about these results,” said Prof Georg Schett, a rheumatologist who led the work at Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg. “Several other autoimmune diseases which are dependent on B cells and show autoantibodies may respond to this treatment. These include rheumatoid arthritis, myositis and systemic sclerosis. But also diseases like multiple sclerosis may be very responsive to CAR T-cell treatment.”

Schett’s team was keen to ensure the therapy did not impair the patients’ immune systems and leave them at greater risk of infection. To test this, they assessed the patients’ responses to multiple vaccines, including measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis B, tetanus and diphtheria, before and after the therapy. The patients’ immune responses were not substantially different after the treatment, suggesting that it primarily targeted the wayward autoantibody-making cells.

“This is an excellent study which promises to extend the scope of CAR T-cell therapy, which has thus far seen its major impact in the treatment of blood cancers, to autoimmune diseases like lupus which are in some patients poorly controlled with other medicines,” said Dr Rahul Roychoudhuri, who studies immune system regulation in inflammation and cancer at the University of Cambridge. “I am very excited at the prospects for this form of living therapy in indications beyond cancer.”

How I wish somebody would reboot my immune system !

Is it modern day life style, stress, genetics , t-cells ? ? ? ? Your guess is as good as mine. It seems medical science hasn't as yet discovered the cause.

I had my blood spun for 18 months by students in Oxford in the hope itwould show the cause - it proved to be a waste of time ! 🤔

Technoid profile image
Technoid in reply to Jillymo

"Blood tests on the patients showed that their B cells recovered about four months after the treatment, but they no longer produced aberrant antibodies and the patients remained disease-free. Writing in the journal, the authors speculate that the therapy led to a “rebooting of the immune system”."

Very interesting JillyMo! I would think this should in theory be possible for the PA-related antibodies too.

Jillymo profile image
Jillymo in reply to Technoid

More research is needed but nevertheless interesting but costly !

I would have loved to have taken part in research carried out in Cambridge but I wasn't well enough to take part. If I could have helped to find a cure my suffering wouldn't have been in vain.

I have always wanted the following to be carried out on myself and my son..........

Plasmapheresis is a procedure using a machine to remove harmful antibodies in plasma and replace them with good plasma or a plasma substitute. Intravenous immunoglobulin is a highly concentrated injection of antibodies pooled from many healthy donors that temporarily changes the way the immune system operates.

Frank77 profile image
Frank77 in reply to Jillymo

Most interesting… Thank you Jillymo

Wheat profile image
Wheat

Thank you for posting this video.

It endorses many things I had been saying about every day pollutants, and so much more.

It is long but everyone should watch this.

I want and need to know more. I just don't know how we can change the system that has evolved, given that financial greed is key, and secrecy.. Some changes require extra expenditure, not possible for all.

Thank you!

Frank77 profile image
Frank77 in reply to Wheat

Hello Wheat. Thank you for that. Yes I do agree that anyone who suffers from any autoimmune disease should see this video. I have struggled with PA for years and my salvation has been this PA forum, not any of the normal, conventional and ( sadly) useless doctors I have seen in several countries. This video, for the first time for me, actually brings together certain themes, vague ideas that I have had for a long time. For me it was a kind of epiphany, and I say that as a quite a cynical type who is naturally suspicious of these self promoting US doctors on youtube. But based on my own experience it makes sense. Especially the advice on how to prevent further autoimmune diseases occurring if one already has one .. or more.

Cobalt1312 profile image
Cobalt1312 in reply to Wheat

Wheat, have you heard of The Patient Revolution?

I subscribe to their newsletter. I am hopeful they will help bring about desperately needed change in the health care realm.

If you have a moment to spare, check them out - I think it would be amazing if within this organization we could get a pernicious anemia representative to channel the concerns of our community.

patientrevolution.org/

Wheat profile image
Wheat in reply to Cobalt1312

Cobalt, no I haven't heard of them. I will certainly look at the link you provided, thank you.

Technoid profile image
Technoid in reply to Cobalt1312

interesting initiative, thanks

Cobalt1312 profile image
Cobalt1312

Frank77 thanks for posting this, and thanks for your dedicated service to your country! Have you ever heard of Dr. Terry Wahls?

She is an M.D. in the U.S. who progressed to more severe multiple sclerosis and was in an electric wheelchair for two years when she essentially gave up on conventional western medicine and drugs because her MS was so advanced she couldn't even qualify for drug trial studies.

In desperation she turned to more wholistic, integrative medicine and she made what most people would call a miraculous recovery. She now bikes up to 20 miles a day, over a decade after being diagnosed with MS. She no longer needs a wheelchair and can walk unassisted. She has many of the same views as this Dr. Osbourne you mentioned. She views diet, stress, environment and life style choices as the key to both developing and coping with autoimmune disease.

Like Dr. Osbourne she asserts that most people who develop one autoimmune disease will go onto develop another one every 5-10 years, unless they alter their lives. If you're ever interested, I highly recommend her book "The Wahls Protocol." I try my best to use principles from it, though I don't follow her diet plan strictly.

Best to you in your journey!!

Technoid profile image
Technoid in reply to Cobalt1312

An alternative perspective:

"Dr’s Drake and Wahls paint a picture of reality that is at drastic odds with the evidence. It seems clear that their ideology comes first. They downplay the effectiveness of current medical treatment, emphasize the side effects, and elevate nutrition to a magical stature that is not based on a lick of published evidence.

If you could really cure MS with diet alone, it would be easy to demonstrate this in a clinical trial. Drake and Wahls know this, so they have to also endorse (even if just implied) crazy conspiracy theories about Big Pharma, the medical system, and greedy or just pathologically incurious doctors.

They act as if they (and those who agree with them) are the only ones who actually care about their patients and want to help them. It’s an insulting and self-serving narrative that seems designed to sell books, and provide a convenient excuse for the complete lack of evidence to back up their ideology.

In reality, it is a very cynical and uncaring world view. If you truly care about your patients you will want to engage in due diligence, to make sure that your advice is the best you can give, rather than substituting your personal philosophy for careful evidence"

theness.com/neurologicablog...

You may also like...

Having Other Autoimmune Diseases.

Graves’ disease, Ord's thyroiditis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative and/or colitis, celiac/coeliac...

4 Autoimmune diseases and fed up

ambulance, the room span around and my heart was beating etc.  I didn't go to hospital.  Doctor...

symptoms of several autoimmun diseases, how to differ them……?

continueing EOD since. Just having another autoimmun disease diagnosed; primary biliary...

Other Autoimmune diseases and PA

think many GP's really understand the effects the disease has on us) However the last few months I...

Vitamin D3 and autoimmune diseases

read, http://goop.com/can-vitamin-d3-heal-autoimmune-diseases/?mbid=social_facebook xx