WHAT IS AUTO-IMMUNE?
A well functioning immune system has adequate amounts of circulating antibodies produced by the white blood cells, being the body’s first line of defence and a major indicator of health. This in-built mechanism enables the body to recognize, identify, remember, attack and destroy harmful substances known as antigens, which include bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites toxins, cancer cells and blood or tissues from another person or specie. Its white blood cells produce antibodies with the slightest threat of damage to the normal cells.
On the contrary, a defective immune system wreaks havoc throughout the host by directing its antibodies against its own healthy tissues as well, causing prolonged inflammation and subsequent tissue destruction. Since the immune system has gone into 'overdrive' so why should we give it more ammunition? Not really, this is an indication of the immune system not functioning properly too.
SAME AS ALLERGY?
An allergy is an inappropriate response or trigger by the immune system to a substance that is usually harmless such as mold, dust and pollen, certain foods, chemicals and drugs causing many disorders, including asthma and hay fever.
In allergies, the immune system reacts to an EXTERNAL substance that it normally would ignore. With autoimmune disorders, the immune system is hypersensitive and over-reacts to INTERNAL body tissues that it would normally ignore.
RELATED DISEASES
An autoimmune disorder may affect one or more organ or tissue types, including:
- Blood vessels
- Connective tissues
- Endocrine glands eg. the thyroid or pancreas
- Joints
- Muscles
- Red blood cells
- Skin
Other critical illness such as Crohn’s disease (on small intestine), ulcerative colitis (on large intestine), multiple sclerosis, lupus and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are tough to diagnose and treat.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms depend on the disease and location of the abnormal immune response that often include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- General ill-feeling
+ Lifestyle
It was found that healthy elderly have very low levels of auto-antibodies in their hormonal glands – eg. thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamus. The probable reason is environmental exposure to foreign substances associated with unhealthy lifestyle such as intake of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, drugs, sugar, poor dieting and inadequate sleep. All these resultant toxins introduced into the body tax the immune system heavily leading to a compromised immune system.
For instance, we consume sugar of all forms (glucose, fructose and sucrose) freely without realising how damaging it can be in reducing the potency of the white cells in combating biological agents. In a weak form, a sugar molecule is attached to the protein readily, causing it to glycate. The heavy accumulation of these glycated proteins in the body is unrecognisable by the immune system which sees them as altered proteins having different structure and function. Treating these substances as alien, the immune system therefore develops antibodies against them. Based on this premise, the possibility of becoming allergic to oneself, with the associated autoimmunity and inflammation, increases as one accumulates these damaged glycated proteins.
It is estimated that after 2 hours of ingesting sugar, the immune function drops by about 50%!!
+ Hormonal factors
It is likely that hormones play a vital role as majority of sufferers are women though a few such as Type 1 diabetes, ankylosing spondylitis and autoimmune myocarditis are actually more common in men. A prime suspect is chemicals involved in personal-care products (eg. lotion, perfume and sunscreen) commonly used by women with most deemed endocrine disrupters.
+ Genetics
Clinical and epidemiologic evidence as well as data from experimental animals demonstrate that a tendency to develop autoimmune disease is inherited. This tendency may be large or small depending on the disease but, in general, close relatives are more likely to develop the same or a related autoimmune disease.
+ Environmental factors
Even if one does not indulge in unhealthy choices, there is no escape from free radicals generated by heavy metals and environmental pollution such as pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, industrial wastes, cigarette smoke and automobile exhaust present in our air, water and food. There are now more than 80,000 chemicals found in consumer products whereby the toxins can alter the structure of our DNA, which can prompt the immune system to see the mutated tissue as a foreign substance and attack. A well-known metal - mercury can trigger autoimmunity by ramping up the production of lymphocytes.
+ Infections
Infections can be followed by an autoimmune disease in a few instances such as rheumatic fever followed by a streptococcal infection and Guillain-Barre`syndrome caused by chlamydia. A great deal of circumstantial evidence suggests that viruses may play a role in initiating some autoimmune diseases.
+ Drug medication
Overuse of antibiotics is prevalent today and may weaken the immune system in dealing with infectious agents. Often medications like steroids are prescribed for long periods in the treatment of disorders such as arthritis and asthma that can tax on the immunity gradually.
As auto-immune diseases continue for the lifetime of the patient, continual or intermittent care is required whilst definitive cures are not available yet. Often the drugs used for treating these diseases are quite expensive and have unfortunate side effects.
PREVENTION/TREATMENT
The purposes should be directed to:
- Reduce symptoms
- Control the autoimmune process
- Maintain the body’s ability to fight disease
A functioning immune system has adequate amounts of circulating antibodies produced by the white blood cells, being the body’s first line of defence and a major indicator of health.
* Have a good nutritional foundation
Is essential to provide right nutrients over a prolonged period to alleviate or reverse a compromised immune system and to assist with reducing the impact of fully developed autoimmune diseases. Adopting the right diet approach is a pre-requisite to proper health status. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the functioning of the immune system and a poor diet increases the susceptibility to infection and exacerbate autoimmune diseases. Also, infections increase the demand for nutrients to help fight infection and repair the damage to tissues. Note that a single nutrient deficiency can compromise the immune system. An example is lack of Vitamin B12 or iodine can cause thyroid disorder.
+ Studies reported that those patients who developed rheumatoid arthritis or lupus showed lower serum concentrations of vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin A in their blood. These antioxidants are a broad group of compounds station outside the cells to protect against oxidative damage caused by the normal aging process or daily exposure to pollutants and toxic substances, and destroy or neutralize free radicals. Another important water-soluble antioxidant - Vitamin C has an ability to scavenge both reactive oxygen and nitrogen radicals.
Many fruits and vegetables contain all the above potent antioxidants as well as green tea extract, grape seed-skin extract, coenzyme Q10 and selenium.
+ Supplementation with omega-3 essential fatty acids from fish can alleviate many symptoms of auto-immune disease through their anti-inflammatory activity.
+ High protein diets are damaging as residues of protein metabolism can cause irritation, especially in people prone to allergy and autoimmunity. Foods of animal origin (including dairy products) frequently contain residues of antibiotics and steroid hormones that irritate and weaken the immunity system.
- For inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system over-reacts to an offending agent such as bacteria or protein found in food (eg. gluten). The immune cells attack the lining of the intestines, causing inflammation that leads to symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.
- Medical experts explained that in the last 20 years as Asian populations switched to diets high in refined sugar, animal protein and fat, such unhealthy diet changes the mix of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, and thus paves he way for developing allergies such as eczema and asthma.
- Though fibre intake is important in our diet, those suffering from inflammatory bowel disease have to avoid hard-to-digest foods if their inflammation is active. Larger stools formed may have difficulty passing through the intestine. Exclude dairy products, oily food and caffeine that stimulate the contraction of the intestines.
- Intestinal permeability is often disrupted by health conditions caused by auto-immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, pancreatic dysfunction and food allergies. Events such as aging, stress, medications and alcohol consumption also alter permeability.
- Poor intestinal absorption of nutrients and peristalsis movement are not conducive for the survival of beneficial bacterial flora. Instead, it provides an ideal environment for the breeding of abnormal bacteria and the byproducts they produce, leading to the absorption of toxic substances into the bloodstream.
- To correct the problem, bacterial balance must be restored through the use of supplemental probiotics and prebiotics that feed the under-produced friendly bacteria. Adding fibre, fruit and vegetables to the diet also help.
* Manage Stress
- Prolonged stress is a major contributory risk factor in developing all kinds of disease. It can trigger a chain of biological actions that ultimately suppresses the normal function of the white blood cells and stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, as well as depleting important nutrients from the body. The result is impaired healing ability and lowered defence against infection.
- In fact, researchers attributed stress to the occurrence of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) as there is a connection between the brain and the gut. When one is too stressed up, the gut may react by over-contracting, causing diarrhoea or contracting too little, causing constipation.
* Control the emotions
Lack of proper rest and sleep, depression and emotional disturbance contribute to immune dysfunction. Balance the mind and emotions is vital and that is why many people are finding relief in activities such as yoga, deep breathing, musical participation, positive affirmations, meditation and religion.
* Protect the liver
- The herb milk thistle and its components silymarin and silibinin have two therapeutic mechanisms: they alter the structure of the outer cell membrane to prevent penetration of liver poison into the interior of the cell, and stimulate the action of increased synthesis of protein, much needed for regeneration of the liver cells.
LAB TEST
Erythrocyte (mean red blood cells) sedimentation rate or ESR is a test conducted to measure how fast the red blood cells with sediment sink when they are put in a column of blood. This is a non-specific marker for inflammation and with more inflammation, the human body produces more proteins which can make these red blood cells stick to each other closely and sink faster. It occurs in other situations like infections, anemia, pregnancy or cancer.
In the case of autoimmune disorder, it is often used as a measure of the severity of the inflammation. More checks have to be performed on other organs for evidence of the inflammation and prevent their further damage.
More comments
Proper immune function is an intricate balancing act. An inadequate immunity opens one to all types of illness whilst a strong immune response can also result in various disorders.
The basic conclusion is that when the immune system is faulty, it can overexpress, resulting in either a hyper-immune response causing autoimmune disease or a hypo-immune response leading to uncontrollable infection.
Do not take autoimmune diseases lightly and ignore recurring symptoms till too late. Early treatment can help patients to lead a normal life. Strengthening the immune system with nutritional supplements and by making the necessary healthy lifestyle changes can reduce the impact of autoimmune disorders.
Like in most if not all cases, disease does not have to take over if a patient is able to control his condition and achieve remission if done properly.
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