Mysteries Series: Autoimmune Disease
My son during his first (of many) auto-immune disease flare-up.
Autoimmune disease is one of the greatest mysteries in health and science. In modern times a variety of these diseases have been subjects of extensive research and experiments.
There are about 80 types of auto-immune diseases which are mostly difficult to diagnose based on symptoms. It’s highly possible to have more than one at the same time.
An autoimmune disease happens when your immune system, which fights diseases, would (for unknown reasons) start to treat your healthy cells as foreign. This leads to abnormal growth or changes in body function which could lead to many health problems.
The most common symptoms of an autoimmune disease (though it varies) are fatigue, fever and feeling very ill.
It affects mostly joints, muscles, skin, blood cells, blood vessels, connective tissues and sometimes the endocrine gland and kidneys.
To be able to come up with the right diagnosis there would be a series of blood tests, scans and sometimes a biopsy.
These diseases often run through the family (genetics). A number of ethnic groups are at a high-risk of developing these conditions.
The question is, how is autoimmune disease treated?
Autoimmune diseases are persistent conditions with no definite cure.
Usually fluctuating between remission (no symptoms) and flare-ups (with symptoms), treatments are only (to date) focused on symptom relief as a sure cure or medicine is still unknown.
Eating a balanced and healthy diet, rest and regular exercise can help, as well as vitamin supplements, decreasing stress and avoiding flare-ups’ triggers.
In most cases, pain, immunosuppressant and anti-inflammatory (steroids) medications are given. And in some cases there would be a need for hormone replacement therapy, blood transfusions and physical therapy.
Herbal, naturopathy and other alternative treatments have also been used for relief.
Overall, an autoimmune disease’s origins and achievable cure are still unknown to this day.- See more at: http://awinaway.com/2016/12/01/mysteries-series-auto-immune-disease/#sthash.t30mIXfj.dpuf
I am afraid that there is no simple answer.
The body's immune system is a hughely complex thing.
A lot of factors, ranging from genetic disposition, exposition to certain toxins (inkl those from certain funghi) to psychological stress may be involved.
Some consider even cancer a autoimmuneproblem, as maligne cells would normally be exterminated.
So, the disease should not be considered under its label of being autoimmune. There is no point comparing them to other diseases.
Yes it's true.