Auto immune stuff.

[zipitydoo]

i read this today and just thought I would share as it put things so well and made a lot of sense.

Facts about Autoimmune Disease

by Glenn Ellis

NNPA Columnist

The immune system provides protection against a variety of potentially damaging substances that can invade the body.

These substances include disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. The body's ability to resist these invaders is called immunity.

A key feature of the immune system is its ability to destroy foreign invaders while leaving the body's own healthy tissues alone. Sometimes, however, the immune system attacks and damages these healthy tissues. This reaction is called an autoimmune response or autoimmunity.

All autoimmune diseases share much in common. They all have similar underlying causes and conditions.

Let's start with a brief description of the symptoms common to autoimmune diseases. Then I will attempt to explain in as comprehensive and understandable a way as possible, the various possible causes of them, the vast number of problems that develop in your body when you have them, and what to consider in deciding how to combat them.

The following symptoms are common in many, if not all, autoimmune diseases.

· Fatigue: It’s not a good fatigue, from working hard, but an anxious, uncomfortable fatigue related to lack of sleep. Or a disruption of the energy production mechanism in cells, either from lack of oxygen, increased toxicity, infections or a malfunction of the cells.

· Sleep Disturbance: About 80 to percent of affected people may wake up three or four times a night or in some cases don’t wake up, but in the morning you still feel like a truck ran over you.

· Short Term Memory Loss: Because of the low thyroid and heart complications typical in autoimmune diseases, there is a decrease in blood flow to the left lobe of the brain causing an oxygen deficiency in the brain. This can lead to the memory loss and forgetfulness that is common in autoimmune diseases.

· Emotional Liability: Someone may cry more easily, be more anxious and fearful. This is caused by the illness, and is not a psychological reaction!

· Depression: As with the emotional symptoms, the hypothalamus is involved. This is not clinical depression, but literally has a physical cause that is sometimes experienced as a deep depression right in the heart.

· Low Thyroid Function. About 85% of people affected have this symptom, but only about 10% of the time does it show up on a typical thyroid test. About 10% have excessive hair loss.

· Gastrointestinal Problems: About 75% have this symptom. It can be anything from gas, bloating, cramps, diarrhea or constipation to hiatal hernia, irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s Disease

· Swollen Glands, Chemical Sensitivity, Headaches: Allergies often develop, usually after 3 to 5 years. Eyes can be light sensitive for 6 months or longer. Dry eyes can develop. About 20% experience a very uncomfortable disequilibrium of vertigo, almost an out of body feeling that can be most disconcerting.

· Pain and Fibromyalgia: Often diagnosed as a separate illness, fibromyalgia is basically a symptom that can occur with any autoimmune disease. If you have it, you’ve got pain. Often in the neck and in shoulder muscles extending down the back. Can be in the joints and muscles also.

· Candida Yeast Infections: These are very common. Check your tongue. If it has a white coating, you have it. Women may get vaginal yeast infections caused by candida overgrowth. A candida infection on its own can cause a number of autoimmune type symptoms. Sinus infections often are caused by candida.

· Tingling hands. Ringing ears. Cold toes. Cold fingers. Metallic taste in mouth. Caused by poor circulation and who knows what.

· Overdoing: You overexercise or overwork when you are feeling good, and then feel worse for days afterward. This can cause serious problems. In healthy people the body shuts down when the anaerobic threshold is reached as a lot of pain is experienced. This warning does not occur if you have an autoimmune disease. Instead, the body continues to exercise and experiences no pain as the lactic acid builds up, and the body ends up re-circulating carbon dioxide. This is not a healthy thing to have happen to you. It is important not to push too hard when you start recovering, or this will set you back and wipe you out.

· Fluttering Heart. Panic Attacks. Rapid Heartbeat. Mitral Valve Prolapse. Usually blood pressure is low, though it can get high later on. The heart underpumps blood because it is getting incorrect messages from the autonomous nervous system. The body’s feedback loop picks this up and over-reacts.

And you get these symptoms. If you have autoimmune illness, it is not likely you have all these symptoms. However, you will have many of them to one degree or another.

There are many different autoimmune diseases, and they can each affect the body in different ways. For example, the autoimmune reaction is directed against the brain in multiple sclerosis and the intestines in Crohn's disease.

In other autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), affected tissues and organs may vary among individuals with the same disease.

One person with lupus may have affected skin and joints whereas another may have affected skin, kidney, and lungs. Ultimately, damage to certain tissues by the immune system may be permanent, as with destruction of insulin-producing cells of the pancreas in Type 1 Diabetes. As a group, however, autoimmune diseases afflict millions of Americans.

Remember, I’m not a doctor. I jut sound like one.

TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF AND LVE THE BEST LIFE POSSIBLE!

Glenn Ellis, author of Which Doctor?, is a syndicated health columnist and radio commentator who lectures around the country on health issues relevant to the African-American community.

E-mail me at [e-mail]

For good health information, visit: glennellis.com

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Interesting information, thanks!

[Beanie]

Thanks Zipitydoo! This makes a lot of sense x

[kosy2]

Thanks so much. This is great infiormation and wondering if it some how could be pined to the top of this site so that any newbie could read it straight away. As time goes by some of the best post seem to get buired by the newer post.

[Helmary]

Again thanks for the information. I very much agree with kosy2 that it would be very helpful for newbies. The more information the better.

[debmar]

My goodness... I can certainly identify with most of these symptoms. For along time I was told by Dr's that my hormones were the culprit for many of the things I was experiencing.. The autoimmune illness's can appear like so many other diseases that ( I think ) in most cases...it overwhelms the Doctor leading to wrong diagnosis. I am so appreciative to all that posts info!!! You may never know how helpful it can be to the readers !

[Tumbleweed41]

Zipitydoo - Thank you so much for posting that. I copy/pasted so that I could print it off and show my husband - and other interested parties. -

Thanks again

GA

[Magnolia]

Thankyou for all the information, I am far behind everyone else in knowing about this disease. I have just started reading Melissa Palmer's book.

[Jtxx]

It's great to share information with each other. Makes us all feel that we are not going crazy when the doctors say that some symptoms are not related to the condition! X

[cowren]

Very intresting article pity this person isn't a consultant !!

I think the main issue with the health professionals is they have targets to meet in seeing patients and its easy for them to say its not related to your vondition and pass you along to the next waiting list !!

God forbid you suggest that it might be linked to PBC !!