Autoimmune disease

Are You Sick of Feeling Sick? Naturally Heal Your Immune System

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autoimmuneDr. Kelly Neff – Autoimmune disease is caused by an overreaction of the body’s immune system. This happens when systemic inflammation triggers your body’s cells to attack themselves. Inflammation is usually understood as some combination of pain, swelling, redness and heat. It might be easy to observe on the outside of the body, but when it happens inside the body, we usually know something is wrong, but we are not quite sure what it is.

As many as 50 million people suffer from autoimmune disease, ranking it in the top 10 causes of death for women under the age of 65. There are more than 80 recognized types of autoimmune disease, including Celiac Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s, Graves Disease, and many more. Continue reading →

Are B-Cells To Blame For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

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Zen-Haven April 10 2013

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, is a perplexing disorder that may seem more like a voodoo hex than an illness. Patients might lie bedridden in dark rooms, in chronic pain, often with multiple neurological symptoms like muscle pain, sweating and dizziness.

Doctors have targeted various causes, from herpes viruses to retroviruses to depression. But a surprising new explanation suggests that the disorder is an autoimmune disease of the nervous system caused by overactive B-cells, which are normally responsible for churning out pathogen-killing antibodies.

In 2011, two Norwegian oncologists, Oystein Fluge and Olav Mella of Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, along with colleagues, studied 30 people diagnosed with chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS). Each received either a placebo or a highly specialized chemotherapy drug called rituximab, which rapidly and selectively depletes B-cells. After 12 months, 10 of 15 patients on the drug significantly improved; only two of 15 on the placebo improved.

This study marks just one more step in a growing body of research focusing on the role of B-cells in autoimmune disease. While they’re essential for helping the body fend off attacks, if something goes awry, B-cells can generate antibodies that attack healthy tissues.

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