The AutoImmune Epidemic
I checked the book, "The Autoimmune Epidemic," out from the library and have now expired my third renewal. Even though I have put sticky notes identifying key points and have loved the information, I have to keep it a few extra days to completely finish it.
Here are a few of the main points, kind of like the Cliff Notes of Autoimmune Disease Theories. All notes are taken verbatim from the text- author is Donna Nakazawa- with the exception of the parenthesis:
-Autoimmunity research will clearly establish the link between these exposures and autoimmunity and will begin to define how these exposures cause autoimmunity. We won't be able to eliminate autoimmunity in the future. Genetic predisposition and infectious triggers will always be with us. But the fight against autoimmunity needs to be fought on several levels: more extensive research, development of better therapies that more effectively treat these diseases, and action to decrease our environmental exposures.
-In a wide range of autoimmune diseases, the body's immune cells lose their ability to read the difference between your own healthy cells and the foreign bacteria or viruses- or other unrecognizable microscopic organisms from the environment around you- that enter your body. they don't stop at merely disabling these invading foreign agents, they go on to destroy the body's own healthy tissue in deadly rounds of friendly fire. The immune system goes on an erratic rampage, disabling the body itself. Antibodies that turn on one's own tissue are known as autoantibodies- antibodies meaning "fighter cells" and auto meaning "self."
- (To understand the invisible invaders, we explain T-cells). T-cells are the front line of defense against foreign antigens- they hunt for, and eradicate, harmful invaders (illnesses, bacteria, as well as environmental chemicals and toxins). Special markers, known as antigen receptors, which sit on the surface of the T cells, detect pieces of foreign antigens entering the body. Once a T-cell's antigen receptor finds an antigen has entered the body that it recognizes as foreign, the T cell (performs an)...interrogation. The T-cell starts multiplying, producing a posse in a rapid cellular population explosion.
In the case of autoimmune disease, however, T cells begin to function erratically. In a healthy immune system, regulatory T cells are able to make sure that other T cells never attack our own tissue. Part of their job is to ensure that T cells recognize our own body tissue as ourselves and never mistakenly attack "self." But in autoimmunity, T cells lose their "tolerance" to self. These self- reactive T cells stimulate other immune cells to produce autoantibodies that attach to the perfectly fine, healthy cells within our body- in any organ and tissue- and cause cells to die. Environmental toxins also appear to mess with normal internal signaling pathways, making it difficult for our immune cells to recognize what is foreign and what is self.
(Think about Hunter's vitiligo- his skin pigmentation is attacking itself and causing part of it to die
:(
-(Chemicals can trigger autoimmunity). One contaminant, trichloroethylene (TCE), a particularly troublesome chemical, is a pervasive environmental pollutant that has leached into groundwater through industrial runoff in cities and suburbs across the US. TCE is regularly detected in breastmilk, and 10 percent of Americans now have detectable levels of TCE in their blood, from exposure through drinking water as well as breathing it in from the air around us. The National Academy of Sciences released a detailed study of how worrisome our daily exposure to TCE actually is, warning that evidence is growing stronger that the chemical is causing a range of disturbing human health problems. ...TCE is not only a carcinogen but is also known to "damage the nervous and immune systems."
-(There are ) different autogen thresholds in us all. ...Many people possess a predisposing genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disease. For those who carry such subsets of genes, low doses of environmental toxicants are clearly a bigger deal then they might be for someone else. The dose at which a substance becomes dangerous differs for each individual, given his or her genetic makeup. Even those who have no genetic susceptibility to autoimmunity will find that their immune systems flail in the face of a high enough dose of a toxic compound. They may not get autoimmune disease, but another disease- perhaps cancer-will set in. But for those with genetic vulnerability to autoimmunity, even a small dose may trigger disease, creating a cellular mayhem in which the body begins to destroy its own blood, tissue, nerves, and organs. Twin studies show that autoimmune disease is roughly 30 percent genetic and 70% environmental. As one researcher put it, while genetics load the gun, it's environmental that pulls the trigger.
-Despite the fact that autoimmune disease is the number two chronic illness and, on average, slices fifteen years off of a patient's life, the level of autoimmune research funding is less than 2.2 % of the National Institutes of Health budget.
-(When this book was published in 2008,there were 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the US- and the EPA approves) an estimated 1700 more a year with very little screening. The FDA approves about 90% of these new compounds without restrictions.
-(The book goes into detail of "cluster problems" in different areas. In Buffalo, NY, many women were being diagnosed with lupus- young, healthy women. It turned out that a toxic waste site where kids ran and played (it had been made into a hill) also affected their water- and the residents were never notified according to public records.) LaShekia lived in an area with waste sites containing TCE, PCBs, and lead- all known or suspected antigens- her entire life. After fifteen years of her immune system's being taxed in a slow and continuous manner by the toxic agents that surrounded her, a seemingly harmless, common virus, Epstein-Barr, attacked. The point at which LaShekia's immune system could continue to maintain balance was suddenly breached, and her immune cells raced out of control. The role that viruses play in reaching this final point is also emerging as a critical factor in today's autoimmune crisis.
-(With illnesses, immune fighter cells recognize the viruses as bad, and they) send out a posse of antibodies that begin to bind with the intruders, often engulfing and destroying them. But in a less than healthy body- one compromised by genetic predisposition, a heavy burden of chemicals, stress, a processed food diet, or some combination thereof- the immune fighter cells and the antibodies they send forth begin to make costly mistakes. They may see a set of amino acids, or a bar code, in healthy body tissue that is very like those in the flu virus, and instead of recognizing that pattern as being similar yet distinctly different, they good, mistaking the sequence of amino acids in healthy body cells for those belonging to the infiltrating germ. They set out to obliterate all the cells and viruses that share the same sequences, just ot be sure they are getting the job done. When such a scenario occurs, autoimmune disease strikes.
-(A tiny section was devoted to vaccines and also autism...here is just a brief synopsis). The working hypothesis is that the aberrant antibodies (in children with autism) are actually raised against proteins in the fetal brain; indeed, researchers have found that autistic brains have chronic inflammation, a sign of immune activity. A number of scientists are...investigating whether autism might conceivably be attributed to the formation of autoantibodies against the central nervous system in genetically susceptible individuals.
-(The topic of thimerosal, an additive in vaccines, in autoimmunity was discussed). At the same time that we are "pricking up" the immune cells to be reactive by administering a vaccine, we are also introducing that foreign antigen in a bath of mercury. For some patients, this is a potential double whammy. (So instead of getting the mumps, we have some children getting autoimmune diseases). In correcting one problem, we may have been creating another.
-The Hygiene Hypothesis. (I have talked about this previously, being "too clean" for Hunter- I was used to caring for a NICU baby, so Everything was sterilized. I didn't give Hunter's immune system the chance to build up against common bacteria.) The too-clean theory is based on the argument that in the same century that we've seen a considerable rise in the prevalence of allergies and autoimmune disease, we've seen a dramatic decline in many previously common childhood infections such as rubella, mumps, measles, and diphtheria. That leads many scientists to argue that a lack of exposure to viruses and the swill of bacteria that most of our ancestors were exposed to living sans vaccines or modern hygiene means children's immune systems are no longer forced to build up the necessary immune defenses they need. In a world of well-vacuumed homes, scrubbed bathrooms and kitchens, and more time spent in minivans than mucking through woods, forests, and farmland, couple with massive vaccination campaigns that prevent full-fledged infection from many childhood diseases, children's immune systems are, in a sense, overprotected. ...In an underdrilled immune system may result in too few key immune cells becoming educated enough to know how to recognize and fight back against different attacks in an effective manner. Hence, the true culprit behind rising rates of autoimmune disease may be the fact that we simply don't have enough disease and germ-laden dirt challenging our immune systems as children. Because we've been so well vaccinated, our homes are kept largely free of dust, dirt, and disease, and we lather up with antibacterial soaps, our immune systems haven't had to do enough battle to become seasoned fighters. So when a foreign virus invades, our immune system overreacts, kick-starting a hyper-driven response, provoking everything from allergies to allergy-induced asthma to autoimmunity.
-Researchers increasingly believe that triggers behind today's rising rates of autoimmune disease may be similar to those behind skyrocketing rates of childhood allergies and allergy-induced asthma. Many investigators worry that such increases are further testament to the fact that the human immune system- especially a child's more vulnerable immune system- is becoming unable to differentiate properly between what is safe and what is foreign. (Think about the number of peanut free classrooms and epipens in the nurses office at every school!).
-The fact that autoimmunity and allergies are rising in tandem makes complete sense, since the mechanisms behind allergies and autoimmune disease are so similar; both are the result of an inappropriate overresponse, or hypersensitivity, of the immune system to something that the body doesn't recognize as safe. The similarity...is clearest in the autoimmune disease known as celiac disease in which the body perceives gluten as a foreign invader. In order to protect the body from the foreign substance in the digestive tract, the immune system produces antibodies that mistakenly attack the lining of the gut as well, resulting in autoimmune disease. Eliminate the allergen- gluten and wheat and other grains- and the autoimmune disease subsides.
-In allergies, the immune system reacts to an external substance that would normally be harmless. With autoimmune disorders, the immune system reacts to normal tissue in the body that would normally be seen as harmless. The difference is that in the case of allergies, the trigger is a known..stimulus (peanut butter, eggs, etc), whereas in most cases of autoimmunity (other than celiac disease) the causes can often only be ascertained after the disease strikes.
Loved this book. The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
Here are a few of the main points, kind of like the Cliff Notes of Autoimmune Disease Theories. All notes are taken verbatim from the text- author is Donna Nakazawa- with the exception of the parenthesis:
-Autoimmunity research will clearly establish the link between these exposures and autoimmunity and will begin to define how these exposures cause autoimmunity. We won't be able to eliminate autoimmunity in the future. Genetic predisposition and infectious triggers will always be with us. But the fight against autoimmunity needs to be fought on several levels: more extensive research, development of better therapies that more effectively treat these diseases, and action to decrease our environmental exposures.
-In a wide range of autoimmune diseases, the body's immune cells lose their ability to read the difference between your own healthy cells and the foreign bacteria or viruses- or other unrecognizable microscopic organisms from the environment around you- that enter your body. they don't stop at merely disabling these invading foreign agents, they go on to destroy the body's own healthy tissue in deadly rounds of friendly fire. The immune system goes on an erratic rampage, disabling the body itself. Antibodies that turn on one's own tissue are known as autoantibodies- antibodies meaning "fighter cells" and auto meaning "self."
- (To understand the invisible invaders, we explain T-cells). T-cells are the front line of defense against foreign antigens- they hunt for, and eradicate, harmful invaders (illnesses, bacteria, as well as environmental chemicals and toxins). Special markers, known as antigen receptors, which sit on the surface of the T cells, detect pieces of foreign antigens entering the body. Once a T-cell's antigen receptor finds an antigen has entered the body that it recognizes as foreign, the T cell (performs an)...interrogation. The T-cell starts multiplying, producing a posse in a rapid cellular population explosion.
In the case of autoimmune disease, however, T cells begin to function erratically. In a healthy immune system, regulatory T cells are able to make sure that other T cells never attack our own tissue. Part of their job is to ensure that T cells recognize our own body tissue as ourselves and never mistakenly attack "self." But in autoimmunity, T cells lose their "tolerance" to self. These self- reactive T cells stimulate other immune cells to produce autoantibodies that attach to the perfectly fine, healthy cells within our body- in any organ and tissue- and cause cells to die. Environmental toxins also appear to mess with normal internal signaling pathways, making it difficult for our immune cells to recognize what is foreign and what is self.
(Think about Hunter's vitiligo- his skin pigmentation is attacking itself and causing part of it to die
:(
-(Chemicals can trigger autoimmunity). One contaminant, trichloroethylene (TCE), a particularly troublesome chemical, is a pervasive environmental pollutant that has leached into groundwater through industrial runoff in cities and suburbs across the US. TCE is regularly detected in breastmilk, and 10 percent of Americans now have detectable levels of TCE in their blood, from exposure through drinking water as well as breathing it in from the air around us. The National Academy of Sciences released a detailed study of how worrisome our daily exposure to TCE actually is, warning that evidence is growing stronger that the chemical is causing a range of disturbing human health problems. ...TCE is not only a carcinogen but is also known to "damage the nervous and immune systems."
-(There are ) different autogen thresholds in us all. ...Many people possess a predisposing genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disease. For those who carry such subsets of genes, low doses of environmental toxicants are clearly a bigger deal then they might be for someone else. The dose at which a substance becomes dangerous differs for each individual, given his or her genetic makeup. Even those who have no genetic susceptibility to autoimmunity will find that their immune systems flail in the face of a high enough dose of a toxic compound. They may not get autoimmune disease, but another disease- perhaps cancer-will set in. But for those with genetic vulnerability to autoimmunity, even a small dose may trigger disease, creating a cellular mayhem in which the body begins to destroy its own blood, tissue, nerves, and organs. Twin studies show that autoimmune disease is roughly 30 percent genetic and 70% environmental. As one researcher put it, while genetics load the gun, it's environmental that pulls the trigger.
-Despite the fact that autoimmune disease is the number two chronic illness and, on average, slices fifteen years off of a patient's life, the level of autoimmune research funding is less than 2.2 % of the National Institutes of Health budget.
-(When this book was published in 2008,there were 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the US- and the EPA approves) an estimated 1700 more a year with very little screening. The FDA approves about 90% of these new compounds without restrictions.
-(The book goes into detail of "cluster problems" in different areas. In Buffalo, NY, many women were being diagnosed with lupus- young, healthy women. It turned out that a toxic waste site where kids ran and played (it had been made into a hill) also affected their water- and the residents were never notified according to public records.) LaShekia lived in an area with waste sites containing TCE, PCBs, and lead- all known or suspected antigens- her entire life. After fifteen years of her immune system's being taxed in a slow and continuous manner by the toxic agents that surrounded her, a seemingly harmless, common virus, Epstein-Barr, attacked. The point at which LaShekia's immune system could continue to maintain balance was suddenly breached, and her immune cells raced out of control. The role that viruses play in reaching this final point is also emerging as a critical factor in today's autoimmune crisis.
-(With illnesses, immune fighter cells recognize the viruses as bad, and they) send out a posse of antibodies that begin to bind with the intruders, often engulfing and destroying them. But in a less than healthy body- one compromised by genetic predisposition, a heavy burden of chemicals, stress, a processed food diet, or some combination thereof- the immune fighter cells and the antibodies they send forth begin to make costly mistakes. They may see a set of amino acids, or a bar code, in healthy body tissue that is very like those in the flu virus, and instead of recognizing that pattern as being similar yet distinctly different, they good, mistaking the sequence of amino acids in healthy body cells for those belonging to the infiltrating germ. They set out to obliterate all the cells and viruses that share the same sequences, just ot be sure they are getting the job done. When such a scenario occurs, autoimmune disease strikes.
-(A tiny section was devoted to vaccines and also autism...here is just a brief synopsis). The working hypothesis is that the aberrant antibodies (in children with autism) are actually raised against proteins in the fetal brain; indeed, researchers have found that autistic brains have chronic inflammation, a sign of immune activity. A number of scientists are...investigating whether autism might conceivably be attributed to the formation of autoantibodies against the central nervous system in genetically susceptible individuals.
-(The topic of thimerosal, an additive in vaccines, in autoimmunity was discussed). At the same time that we are "pricking up" the immune cells to be reactive by administering a vaccine, we are also introducing that foreign antigen in a bath of mercury. For some patients, this is a potential double whammy. (So instead of getting the mumps, we have some children getting autoimmune diseases). In correcting one problem, we may have been creating another.
-The Hygiene Hypothesis. (I have talked about this previously, being "too clean" for Hunter- I was used to caring for a NICU baby, so Everything was sterilized. I didn't give Hunter's immune system the chance to build up against common bacteria.) The too-clean theory is based on the argument that in the same century that we've seen a considerable rise in the prevalence of allergies and autoimmune disease, we've seen a dramatic decline in many previously common childhood infections such as rubella, mumps, measles, and diphtheria. That leads many scientists to argue that a lack of exposure to viruses and the swill of bacteria that most of our ancestors were exposed to living sans vaccines or modern hygiene means children's immune systems are no longer forced to build up the necessary immune defenses they need. In a world of well-vacuumed homes, scrubbed bathrooms and kitchens, and more time spent in minivans than mucking through woods, forests, and farmland, couple with massive vaccination campaigns that prevent full-fledged infection from many childhood diseases, children's immune systems are, in a sense, overprotected. ...In an underdrilled immune system may result in too few key immune cells becoming educated enough to know how to recognize and fight back against different attacks in an effective manner. Hence, the true culprit behind rising rates of autoimmune disease may be the fact that we simply don't have enough disease and germ-laden dirt challenging our immune systems as children. Because we've been so well vaccinated, our homes are kept largely free of dust, dirt, and disease, and we lather up with antibacterial soaps, our immune systems haven't had to do enough battle to become seasoned fighters. So when a foreign virus invades, our immune system overreacts, kick-starting a hyper-driven response, provoking everything from allergies to allergy-induced asthma to autoimmunity.
-Researchers increasingly believe that triggers behind today's rising rates of autoimmune disease may be similar to those behind skyrocketing rates of childhood allergies and allergy-induced asthma. Many investigators worry that such increases are further testament to the fact that the human immune system- especially a child's more vulnerable immune system- is becoming unable to differentiate properly between what is safe and what is foreign. (Think about the number of peanut free classrooms and epipens in the nurses office at every school!).
-The fact that autoimmunity and allergies are rising in tandem makes complete sense, since the mechanisms behind allergies and autoimmune disease are so similar; both are the result of an inappropriate overresponse, or hypersensitivity, of the immune system to something that the body doesn't recognize as safe. The similarity...is clearest in the autoimmune disease known as celiac disease in which the body perceives gluten as a foreign invader. In order to protect the body from the foreign substance in the digestive tract, the immune system produces antibodies that mistakenly attack the lining of the gut as well, resulting in autoimmune disease. Eliminate the allergen- gluten and wheat and other grains- and the autoimmune disease subsides.
-In allergies, the immune system reacts to an external substance that would normally be harmless. With autoimmune disorders, the immune system reacts to normal tissue in the body that would normally be seen as harmless. The difference is that in the case of allergies, the trigger is a known..stimulus (peanut butter, eggs, etc), whereas in most cases of autoimmunity (other than celiac disease) the causes can often only be ascertained after the disease strikes.
Loved this book. The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
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