Autoimmune Diseases?

[Betonarme]

I believe these are man-made Diseases(at least contributed heavily). As the Environment gets unnatural or should I say polluted, garbage, plastic, everything you know created in last 100 year by the man.

All this must have some consequences on the Human Body as a whole. Now the Science cannot answer the Question why the body fight with itself.

For instance, I believe there was not so much a Sugar consumption 100 years ago as today....We have today more Health issues related to Sugar consumption.

I'm sure there are issues related to junk food or processed food with all the chemicals you never know inside.

It's a kind of Interaction between man and Environment(Nature). We do harm(knowingly or not) and we get something back and have to find a solution for it.

It's like a kind of Race and it will never end I think....there will be always some health related trouble We & Science have to deal with.

What you think?

[Hidden]

Hello Betonarme.

I think a lot of diseases and also health issues have been around for centuries but enough was not known so there was never a label for them.

The plague wiped some of the population out centuries ago but that was back then and appears to have been eradicated.  I had the small pox vaccination as a child but it doesn't exist in the UK nowadays.  

I think in the changing world every century has its issues.

New drugs are not always good, thalidomide for one that was out in the 1960s for pregnant women here in the UK that caused babies to have deformities.  (I was fortunate there my mother was anti-medication in pregnancy as she said she was quite sick in early pregnancy but decided not to medicate as thalidomide was being prescribed...)

I do think that a lot of new health issues are linked to the environment but for me it is something that cannot be really dealt with unless almost everyone wanted to change and did implement them.  At the end of the day a lot of the changing world is all to do with money.

I don't know how I came to have PBC.  I don't use much in the way of chemicals round my home for cleaning (I am still almost full of my 3rd can of furniture polish in 33 years as I rarely use!), buy products least likely to do any harm, etc.  

I also think that certain vaccinations that we are 'conned' into having can do more harm than good.  I convinced myself some time ago that I developed PBC due to hepatitis vaccinations in a job in a medical environment.  All sorts of things could have set it all in motion but I resolved with myself some time ago (and I have been PBC diagnosed since late 2010 - started itching early 2010) I'd just deal with it now and can't go on wondering as all it does is create more mental thinking I do not really want now.  I want to get on with life, live it the best I can.

[Betonarme in reply to Hidden]

Hi Peridot,

thanks for your Thoughts. I agree with you on Vaccines and New Drugs.

One should always be cautious with something new. Vaccines are also controversial yet they seem to be the only Help against Viruses. As you say now some Vaccines are no more needed because the Virus has disappeared(with the help of Vaccines). But then, sometimes one is suspicious if some mass vaccinations are good for the people or for the Pharma companies. Human Body is very complex and since some time (1-2 years) I'm interested in Biology and Molecular Biology in particular and find it fascinating & amazing how something like this can happen. And what I learned is just a scratch on the Surface

You suspect your PBC to Hepatit-B Vaccine yet my Wife developed PBC two years ago and advised to get Hep-B vaccination

[Hidden in reply to Betonarme]

Hello again Betonarme.

I was offered flu vaccinations after being diagnosed with PBC but I've not had any though it is mentioned by my GP surgery annually.  I've never been prone to colds and can't recall having flu so to me maybe having this flu vaccine might just cause me to start encountering certain things associated with colds.

I think it was 2 years ago now that it was said that the flu vaccination strain used for that winter was absolutely useless.

At the end of the day with vaccines I do seem to think money outweighs the actual intentions of these.

I've not been advised to have any other vaccinations since developing PBC except this flu vaccine.  Hepatitis in the UK only tends to be administered if anyone is travelling overseas or in the medical environment it seems and I expect the odd few are requested by a doctor for certain other reasons.

[dianekjs]

The most prevalent theory of autoimmunity in medical research involves an environmental insult in a genetically predisposed individual. The saying is that genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger, and this makes a lot of sense. There is also lots of research on human adjuvants in the evolution of autoimmune disease, with a whole new disease category created a number of years ago known as ASIA, or autoimmune syndrome induced by adjuvant, which is one of the things I've been diagnosed with. Adjuvants are foreign substances known to incite an immune activation and include certain solvents, aluminum used in some vaccines, silicone and silica, and the list goes on. As our toxic loads accumulate from worsening environmental contamination, it seems inevitable that we will see a continued rise in autoimmune conditions. 

[Hidden in reply to dianekjs]

I think the trigger to PBC has to be something that everyone has encountered.  Not everyone will develop PBC as it is the same with various viruses that affect some, not others.

The only thing that I can think of is perhaps some chemical/compound that is in fillings for teeth as I think nearly all of us encounter having teeth cavities filled from time to time.  (I've never had more than fillings, the silver and the white, as yet no crowns or caps or whatever they are called, false tops or full artificial teeth.)  

Years ago I used to wonder about what man was doing to the world, our household rubbish (or junk) was one of my biggest concerns but unfortunately I cannot do anything about it and it is often a case things can take time to surface or be known more about.

I personally think of a lot of things as a 'dodo effect'.  Change something or introduce something and there is ultimately a knock-on effect elsewhere.

I resolved with myself to just get on with life as I could go on thinking but at the end of the day get nowhere so to me it isn't worth continuing thinking about.  I think I'd done enough since being diagnosed with PBC December 2010 about how I came about it and for me I've had to put it aside.

[dianekjs in reply to Hidden]

Hi Peridot, I think it's highly unlikely that there is one prevalent environmental trigger for PBC, although it sure would be nice if it were that simple. Unfortunately, autoimmunity just doesn't seem to work that way. While there is almost certainly a combination of genetics and environmental insults at play in each individual, the thinking among medical researchers is that it's an extremely complex one. There may be many contributors, and insults could be viral, bacterial, chemical, or a combination in a multi-layered effect that ultimately creates the perfect storm in a genetically susceptible person. A tipping point, if you will. I agree that it's not worth making yourself crazy trying to figure it all out and to live as positive and peaceful a life as possible. After all, the mind-body connection is also an important factor in health and healing. Take care.   

[Hils67]

I agree...our lives are so busy these days we end up eating convenience foods that are often processed foods full of unhealthy ingredients.  We're also peddled lots of misinformation...for instance gluten free products are often much higher in fat and sugar than ordinary equivalents.  Fruit smoothies are supposed to be healthy but they have so much sugar, albeit natural sugar, that they can upset our glucose levels.

Since being diagnosed I try and eat we'll balanced whole foods...I'm not a saint though, I have a busy life and still eat fish fingers and oven chips, the odd take away etc. But I really notice if I've not eaten healthily for a day or two, I get so lethargic and sluggish.

Having PBC has made me a bit more aware and discerning about my diet...I still love a bit of cake though 😉