Autoimmune Disorders Articles

The real help for MS may be outside the medical model. Medical advances to deal with the condition hasn’t dramatically improved. The medical way is to focus is on high potency drugs. However, just like any of the other so called chronic conditions get ready for one drug after another. So the treatments of choice will be pharmaceuticals. For Multiple Scleroses this means profits for the pharmaceutical industry, and a suffering patient.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and often disabling condition, which attacks the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild or severe, and come or go. The current thinking is that MS is a chronic condition and the only thing a patient can do is find relief.

According to most sources multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are when the body’s immune systems which normally attacks substances foreign to the body such as bacteria mistakenly attacks normal tissue. In MS, the immune system is attacking components of the central nervous system such as the brain and spinal cord along with the optic nerves

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a medical mystery with a few theories on how it develops. It isn’t always easy to diagnose since symptoms can be very mild and transient.  To the medical community this condition like many others is in need of pharmaceuticals.

Medical Solutions

Treating MS follows the trend in managing chronic conditions by using a wide variety of medications to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms. When one medication stops working they look for another drug.

The strategy is to modify the course of the disease (slow it down) treat exacerbations (flare-ups) manage symptoms, improve function. These treatments are symptom control and this is what drives the advances in modern medicine.

The drugs such as Avonex®, Betaseron®, Copaxone®, Extavia®, Gilenya®, Rebif®, and Novatron® come with the hopes that they can reduce disease activity and progression.

The list of possible side effects: depression, anemia, liver abnormalities, allergic reaction, flu like symptoms, anxiety, palpitations, and even chest pains. Some are short lived side effects, and some aren’t common ones. The real problem is the longer you are on them and the more combinations you take the bigger the danger. The documented effectiveness of these drugs isn’t very strong.

Real Answers!

Studies shows that living closer to the equator reduces MS risk. This fits in with research that suggests vitamin D from sun exposure may be protective against MS.  Vitamin deficiencies  play a part in this condition. Just about every chronic condition, which develops comes from inside. The promise of science hasn’t been realized unless you think high dosage medicine is the answer to all health problems.

The one treatment in the medical and pharmaceutical models not used is diet. This has the most implications to both relieve and reverse most of the symptoms. There has been a lack of monitoring diet by the medical community, not just because of ignorance and arrogance, but because this condition can abate and relapse on its own. Most people have to see for themselves what the active ingredients in plant foods can do to. A healthy way of eating is the prototype for any treatment options.

Diet Control

Multiple sclerosis responds to both diet and an exercise programs. The relief from diet and different exercise programs has been chronicled. The appropriate testing comes from the patients who have not just slowed the disease, but reversed much of the condition. In 1948 a Dr. Roy Swank created the first known MS diet. This diet is high in vegetables, fruits and nuts while eliminating saturated fats. To understand this you need a bigger view of this condition. Just about all condition are an inside out occurrence. Specific needs aren’t being met for your body to function properly.

There are thousands of patients that went into remission, and had lesions that decreased in size. The type of exercise is usually light: incorporating yoga and stretching exercises. This helps muscles flexibility and will lessen the chance of becoming stiff or developing atrophy.

There are other diets that include gluten and casein free ones. Flavonoids seem to offer some help and so does food allergy testing.  The notion that dug safety is a safe bet is fading. The future outlook is going to show that one stop answers that come from pharmaceuticals will raise more concerns than answer any questions.

Most arthritis tips to feel better do not teach how to live better. Rheumatoid arthritis is debilitating, and not everyone can tolerate the medications. The joint damage makes it hard to overcome the discomfort. The stiffness, swollen joints, and pain can make this condition very unpleasant.

What Works

Arthritis is a condition that you can turn around with natural means. It is a condition that ends with itis, such as colitis, bursitis, bronchitis, diverticultis, nephritis, and osteoarthritis. There are others, but the picture is the same inflammation plays a role.

The side effects of many of the medications mean you need other methods. So the bottom line: diet and lifestyle predict both the onset and course of the condition. There is a connection to how you feel and what you foods you consume and your stress level. Stress control can help.

Weight Control

Weight control can help. Obesity is a way to exasperate the condition. Being overweight puts extra stress on joints, and that increases the wear and tear that breaks them down. Also, fat produces hormones and chemicals that increase inflammation. Inflammation is part of the arthritis picture.

Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids work to relieve pain caused by inflammation.  Most people aren’t aware that the omega-3 from green lipped mussels is known to relieve the pain, swelling, and stiffness from arthritis. This is one of the best Omega 3 for this condition. All omega-3 fatty acids can decrease symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis.

The best dietary sources are wild salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, rainbow trout, flaxseed, and walnuts.  

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Extra-virgin olive oil contains good monounsaturated fat, which is protected against inflammation because it contains antioxidants called polyphenols. This helps reduce inflammation.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants come from the diet. There is research that shows that some antioxidants may help prevent and relieve many of the symptoms.

Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin C, selenium, carotenes, and bioflavonoid. Spices have anti-inflammatory effects, especially ginger and turmeric.

Avoid tras fats and simple refined carbohydrates that are behind inflammatory responses.

The Nervous System

The central nervous system can profoundly influence rheumatoid arthritis. According to research the central nervous system controls physiologic responses, such as immunity and inflammation.

This is one of the reasons that Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care is successful at helping alleviate the pain and discomfort of this condition. When a misalignment occurs at the top of the neck it can interfere with the brain stem, which controls the nervous system.

All the above options are worth trying. The harsh side effects of standard medication have many patients looking to alternative solutions. Many people have gotten relief by turning to natural methods. Knowing yourself means finding what works for you.

Standard Medical Treatment

Standard medical treatment for Crohn’s disease includes drug therapy such as anti-inflammation drugs. Most patients are given drugs that contain mesalamine, to control inflammation. The possible side effects can be nausea, vomiting, heart burn, diarrhea, and headache.

Then there are Cortisone drugs and steroids know as corticosteiods. Prednisone is the common name of one of these drugs. When the disease is at its worst, Prednisone is often prescribed in a large dose. This is a drug with very serious side effects.

Next we move on to immune system suppressors. Wow, just what a person with a debilitating condition needs. The side effects are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, while it lowers immunity.

Also, antibiotics are used to treat bacterial over in the small intestines. One or more of these can be prescribed: ampicillin, sulfonamide, cephalosporin, and tetracycline.

Medication for diarrhea and abdominal pain may be necessary.

After all the medication two-thirds to three-quarters of patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery at some point. Surgery removes part of the intestine to help people with the symptoms. It is not a cure. Many times people have more than one operation, as inflammation tends to return to another area.

Some people need to have their entire colon removed. The operation is called a colostomy. This means that all wastes that exits the body will be collected in a pouch worn over the opening, near the beltline. The majority (not all) of patients can live a normal life.

Another Story

Study

A new study found that Vitamin D, which is found in supplements such as cod liver oil, counters the effect of Crohn’s disease. John White, an endocrinologist at the Research Institute of the McGill University and the Universite de Montreal who presented their findings about the inflammatory bowel disease in the latest Journal of Biological Chemistry.

“Our data suggests, for the first time, that D deficiency can contribute of Crohn’s disease,” states Dr. White a professor in McGill’s Department of Physiology, noting that people who live in northern countries, and receive less sunlight then is necessary for the formation of Vitamin D in the body, are more vulnerable to Crohn’s disease.

What is important to note is that Dr. White’s interest in vitamin D is that it mitigates cancer. All of his results point to vitamin D’s effect on the immune system. The body’s innate immune system is the body’s first line of defense against microbial invaders. In Crohn’s disease Dr. White stated “It’s a defect in innate immune handling of intestinal bacteria that leads to an inflammatory response that may lead to an autoimmune condition.”

Connecting the dots will tell you that if one natural nutrient helps it means that there are multiple benefits from a healthy diet. Most of these nutrients will exceed your expectations, offering you a compete array of what you need for sustainable good health.

Find out more about the other story, and the people who healed themselves, by using natural methods. We will continue this article with the websites and information that you need in our newsletter “The Healing zone.”

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