An epidemic in auto-immune diseases

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Nakazawa: Lupus, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis are just a few of the more common types of autoimmune disease, but in fact there are nearly a hundred other known autoimmune diseases. One in 12 people -- and one in 9 women -- has an autoimmune disease. That's nearly 24 million Americans. Yet even though autoimmune diseases afflict more than double the number of people who have cancer, and a woman is 8 times more likely to have an autoimmune disease than breast cancer, 90 percent of Americans say they can't name a single autoimmune disease. That's because people just don't know that many painful and life-altering disorders that increasingly afflict so many of their friends and family members today are autoimmune in nature; the body's immune system, which is meant to protect us, is mistakenly attacking the body's own organs and systems.

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Read more here:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/ ... age=entire

Oliver

PS -

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Nakazawa: Most patients with an autoimmune disease go through terribly difficult times -- or flare-ups -- which can be quite serious. Getting through a downturn involves a combination of factors. If you know what can contribute to disease it's easier to know how you can help yourself. Months of grueling physical therapy, coupled with IVIG treatments, helped me recover each time I was paralyzed. I also have had to be vigilant about what goes into my body and avoid coming into contact with things that might overstimulate my immune system. Dietary factors, use of household cleaners, emotional stress -- these all have to be watched and managed. Also, we do a lot of hand washing in my home, especially when there are colds and flu going around, to minimize any viral hits to my immune system. Studies show that patients with an autoimmune disease also do better if they build a wellness plan that involves reducing stress hormones through a daily habit of meditation and whatever form of exercise they can tolerate. Studies show that autoimmune patients also do much better if they follow "the autoimmune diet," which means consuming foods that are anti-inflammatory. For example, most autoimmune specialists agree that patients should avoid wheat and gluten products and highly processed foods, which can be inflammatory or provoke the immune system to overreact. So one needs to work with a doctor who is open to treating you not just with drugs but also with dietary changes, including making sure you're receiving adequate amounts of the main supplements that have been shown in clinical studies to help autoimmune disease patients, such as omega fatty acids, Vitamin D, antioxidants, probiotics, and glucosamine.

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It is interesting to note that sucralose, the artificial sweetener that is marketed as being "just like sugar because it's made from sugar" consists of a sugar molecule which has had a chlorine atom put inside the molecule to make it "too large to absorb". When it was originally tested in newborn lab rats that were fed it exclusively, thymus gland defects resulted. Since feeding them other foods did not result in the same defect, it was decided it was safe.
Now I wonder how many people who feed this stuff to their kids (as marketed) know this little fact?
BTW, the thymus gland is part of the immune system, which is why I'm mentioning this.

I think making artificial foods is a very bad idea in and of itself...

Now they've "discovered" that the plastic they're using to make just about anything that holds liquids (water bottles) is toxic, and the US has banned their use to make baby bottles. Canada on the other hand, has banned it completely.
Maybe if we stop drinking our liquids from plastic a lot of this autoimmune stuff will go away- until the merchants start importing it surreptitiously from china.
*sigh*
Or else they dream up a new way of making us unhealthy.

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Originally Posted by AmbientSound

I think making artificial foods is a very bad idea in and of itself...

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Agreed. But so much more worthwhile from a business point of view... End of story. :lol:

Really - I liked for example this articles about food:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/76987/

We are nowadays eating "food" that does not rot! :shock: :?

Oliver