Definition - "Autoimmune diseases are illnesses and conditions that result from an overactive immune response to substances, tissues, and organs, normally present in the body. The immune system attacks its own cells due to the system mistaking part of the body as a pathogen."
The list of autoimmune diseases, more than 100 of them to date, reads like an encyclopedia of modern illnesses. By far, the largest category of diseases under study by scientists, medical professionals and organizations (like the Center for Disease Control - CDC, and the National Institute of Health - NIH), specific autoimmune diseases are named, based upon the organ or tissue being attacked by the body's natural defenses.
Included in the list of autoimmune diseases, "autoimmune inner ear disease," also known as Meniers Disease, antibodies/immune cells attack the inner ear leading to hearing loss and vertigo. In "autoimmune multiple sclerosis," the immune system attacks the protective coating, myelin, around the nerves affecting the brain and spinal cord and causing muscle weakness, loss of coordination, and vision and speech difficulties.
"Autoimmune fibromyalgia" is probably the most widely known of the list of autoimmune diseases, in which muscle and tendon tissues are under attack by the immune system. This gives rise to a variety of symptoms including body tenderness, painful trigger points, extreme fatigue and a variety of other conditions which include insomnia, anxiety, headaches, hypersensitivity to sounds, lights, temperature, etc.
The treatment of different autoimmune diseases varies, but steroids, anti-inflamatory drugs, and immunosuppressant's, are widely used to treat the list of autoimmune diseases. New treatments and medications are being developed all the time. If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, working one-on-one with a specialist in the treatment of your disease, and self-education about your specific illness, will help you to cope.
The self-education part of managing your disease is vital to your ability to overcome the symptoms. Many foods are catalysts in the list of autoimmune diseases.... meaning, they trigger an autoimmune response in the body. Avoiding allergens and autoimmune triggers requires some research and record-keeping on your part, although your doctor may be able to give you a list of foods and medications to avoid.
In the case of these chronic autoimmune illnesses, inflammation of the body's tissues is caused at lease in part, by the lack of proper blood flow to the affected tissues. This makes it easier for the immune system to attack those tissues because they're already weakened. The entire list of autoimmune diseases and their symptoms can be treated naturally and effectively by improvements to your overall health. In some cases, like autoimmune fibromyalgia and autoimmune chronic fatigue syndrome, nutritional benefits can include symptom control. Improving your diet by including a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants is one way you can manage your disease and your life. For more information on natural treatments of diseases like fibromyalgia, you can contact me now by clicking on one of the links below.
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