Immune Problems

It seems autoimmune problems are on the increase. They are caused by the "humoral immunity" part of the immune system attacking it's own body cells.  Autoimmune problems include the majority of thyroid disease, colitis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory arthritis such as rheumantoid or lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and many other problems. Low or dysfunctional immunity also leads to chronic infections since we contact many pathogens in everyday life, but are usually able to eliminate them. This includes (in my opinion) Lyme disease, and certainly chronic yeast infection, parasites, and many antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  In addition, in recent years most chronic disease such as heart disease, has been found to stem from chronic inflammation. Most inflammation in the body is generated by the immune system.

Many new drugs have come out in the last few years to treat various autoimmune problems. They all suppress the immune system and differ from the old standby cortisone in that they are more specific in the way they suppress it. This is why they all have cancer as a possible side effect - since cancer cells occur in all of us and we depend on our immune system to find and kill abnormal cells.

Is there a natural way to help your immune system regain balance and effectiveness? Yes! The functional medicine approach can often improve these conditions, sometimes dramatically.  Next time I will cover the basics of normal immune function so that you can evaluate how your system is working for yourself.  In the following post, I will explain how the functional medicine approach works.  In my fourth post, which will probably be the last in this immune system series, I will talk about a few cases where I have applied that approach and talk about the results my patients and I have achieved.  Until next time!