Diet and autoimmune diseases: how does one affect the others?

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What are foods that one should avoid if one has an autoimmune disease such as arthritis, lupus or fibromyalgia?

What foods should be eaten to reduce symptoms of body pains and general fatigue?
I have Fibromyalgia,chronic epstein barr,arthritis,and dercums disease. I tried lyrica and some other medicines but none have helped...one dr had me on such a high dose of lyrica that I had to remind myself to swallow or I would be drooling...NO good. Dietary is the way to go ...I know if you are like me you want to feel better RIGHT away but that doesn't happen...have you tried all natural or the five or less ingredients diet(meaning almost anything with 5 or less ingredients are easier on your digestion and liver which is affected in many auto immune dieseases)rhumatologists and a few other drs have told me to try to follow atkins diet orsomething close to it like mediterean or even south beach ...because carbohydrates increase inflamation and that means more pain basically...even if you don't need to lose weight you can still follow a version of the atkins just using carbs according to how you feel(and if you have the money try to stay organic with everything because your system does not need to have to process chemicals to make you feel worse again)...BUT definitely run this by your dr first ok.feel better and sorry you have an autoimmune disease.  (+ info)

Ladies with autoimmune diseases, are you afraid of passing on the wrong immunity genes to your baby?

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I have celiac disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the latter discovered during pregnancy, and I'm somewhat worried that my baby may inherit either them or just a background for some more autoimmune problems. Would you feel guilty if your child did inherit any 'bad gene' from you?
Oh yes, terrified! I have 4 autoimmune diseases and have a 7 year old son. Thankfully, I only had one or two when I had him. So far, he's doing well and only has odd allergies (I believe it's related).

Hormones affect AI diseases. Pregnancy can actually stop AI symptoms.

Yes, I'd feel guilty, but there's so much that we don't know... I wish you luck.  (+ info)

Can you have more than one autoimmune diseases at the same time?

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I have been having a real hard time getting diagnosed by my doctors. This is the 4th doctor I see in a year. He said I have fibromaialgia with additional symptoms of Lupus (rash,hair loss ANA positive 80) and sacroilical and neck issues that could indicate Ankyliosing spindolitis. He ws really great and set a bunch of blood tests and MRI to reconfirm the outcome of the x-ray of my sacroiliac joint.I guess we will se once the results come. However I do wonder if it is even possible to have three diseases at the same time. Does anyone know?
Yes, it is possible. It sounds like you do have Lupus, I know that there are many many doctors out there that think its sooo uncommon for someone to have it, I'm telling you I know it exists! If you have it there are many things that you can do to make life easier on yourself! :)

It is possible for you to hav emore than one at the same time, my mother has Lupus, Diabeties, cardiomyopothy, and did have pulminary hypertension, but that has gotten much better.

There are a lot of support groups especially ont he net for lupus, you should research them.

Best of luck to you! Remember, no matter what the result is, you can over come it, you will be fine, and you will press forward.  (+ info)

Are autoimmune diseases more common in men than women?

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Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia gravis, Graves' Disease, Type 1 Diabetes mellitus, SLE, and Rheumatoid Arthrits. I am not talking about AIDS statistics, AIDS is not an autoimmune disease.
Statically ,they are more common in women, but more and more men are being diagnosed. Though I am female and have several, my father and son both have one autoimmune disease .http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autoimmunediseases.html
There are a bit over 100 of these diseases.  (+ info)

What sets off the autoimmune gene that per my doctor can cause different diseases and many forms?

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I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, my brother has Psorisis and I have a sister with Diabetes. My dad had gout, is this where the gene originated from and what sets this gene off? I was in an accident and was diagnosed not long after with RA.
It is still under investigation. Although, scientists have found an unexpected genetic link among three common autoimmune diseases: "psoriasis", "rheumatoid arthritis" and systemic lupus erythematosus.

The findings, being reported recently in the journal Nature Genetics, have no immediate practical effect. But by identifying a cellular path through which the three diseases are touched off, they may help biologists design new treatments.

Psoriasis affects 2 percent of Americans; rheumatoid arthritis, up to 1 percent; and systemic lupus -- which attacks the joints and can cause severe inflammation -- one-twentieth of 1 percent.

The link among the three diseases involves a PROTEIN that helps the thymus GLAND train cells of the immune system. Autoimmune diseases are caused when such cells mistakenly attack the body's own tissues.

The protein, Runx-1, controls the activity of various genes by binding to a nearby site on the DNA of the chromosomes. Last year, scientists at the University of Uppsala in Sweden reported that many patients with systemic lupus had an altered Runx-1 binding site on Chromosome 2, meaning that the Runx-1 protein could not properly control the gene next to the binding site.  (+ info)

How do you deal with the extreme fatigue that goes along with autoimmune diseases like lupus and RA?

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It's getting kinda old. I just want some energy and caffiene isn't giving me its usual kick.
In the long run, caffeine will only make the fatigue worse as you stress your body by putting it through a roller coaster of ups and downs.

Learn to conserve your energy. Instead of washing a whole sink full of dishes, wash dishes for 5 minutes and then rest for 5 or 10. Instead of cleaning a whole room, clean one corner then rest. Pushing yourself makes the fatigue worse in the long run. Break up tasks into smaller tasks and take frequent breaks.

Rest when you are tired. This is hard to do if you are working, but when you are not at work you can do it.

Lower your standards. You don't have to be super person. You have an autoimmune disease that causes profound fatigue. If someone you loved had this disease, would expect THEM to soldier on? Love yourself as much as you love that person.

Do not do for others what they are perfectly capable of doing for themselves.

Remember no one is indispensable. You or I could fall of the face of the earth today and the world will keep on turning.

Prioritize. What's more important, making sure there are no dust bunnies under your furniture or having enough energy to spend time with your family and friends?

Get some exercise everyday. I know, you have no energy and it hurts. Can you take a 5 minute walk each day? If you can't go out, can you walk in place indoord for 5 minutes? Exercise reduces pain and fatigue. You have nothing to lose by trying. Maybe tomorrow you can do 6 minutes. Set reasonable goals that you know you can achieve.

Avoid caffeine. In the long run it makes the fatigue worse and takes a toll on your heart, something people with inflammatory autoimmune disease don't need since we are more prone to cardiovascular events.

Eat a healthy and balanced diet, high in fresh or frozen fruits and veggies and low fat protein. Candy, cake, chips, pop tarts, honey buns, sugary cereal, etc. don't give your body the elements that turn into long and sustained energy. They cause a spike in blood sugar follwed by a crash where you feel even worse.

Laugh. Watch funny movies, read funny books. Laughter improves immune function.

Do hobbies that give you pleasure but don't require a huge output in energy.

And always be gentle with yourself. You may not be able to change what has happened to you but you can change your reaction to it.  (+ info)

Why does the body attack itself in autoimmune diseases?

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And if it’s possible - How come it doesn’t happen most of the time?
I am no expert, but its my understanding that the body has cells that attack "bad" cells. This is your immune system. A problem occurs if the body cannot tell which are the baddies and which are the goodies and it ends up attacking good cells as well.  (+ info)

What is the difference between AutoImmune diseases and AIDS?

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Autoimmune diseases are genetically found in you, you don't "catch" an autoimmune disease. Personally I have a thyroid problem (autoimmune gland in your throat), and an adrenal problem (yet another gland). You have an autoimmune system in your body, and if there are serious problems with any parts of it then you most likely have an autoimmune disorder or have damaged them yourself. AIDS is a disease that you develop from HIV that you "catch".  (+ info)

What are some cool autoimmune diseases?

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I have to do a school project about an auto immune disease and I don't want to bore the class.
Again, "cool" is probably subjective but I have tried to get some interesting ones:
- Cold agglutinin disease: it's a type of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia which means you make antibodies that damage your red blood cells. The antibody, immunoglobulin M (IgM) binds strongest at low temperatures e.g. 4°C, so the disease is worse in cold weather.
- Type I diabetes mellitus might be interesting because it is fairly common. It results from your body reacting to a virus and accidentally destroying the beta cells of the pancreas that make insulin.  (+ info)

can me and my husband conceive a child even if both of us have autoimmune diseases?

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i have lupus and he has colitis. I have done some reasearch on his medication and it doesn't say anything about infertility. But i have heard that it could be diffucult to concieve. Is that true?
Conception isn't usually a problem with Lupus patients however, carrying a baby to term can be. Many of the medications you take for your Lupus are very harmful to a developing fetus. The only medication used to treat Lupus that directly causes infertility is Cytoxan.

One major issue is whether or not you've been checked for APS or Antiphospholipid Syndrome. This is a disease that over 50% of Lupus patients have but only 25% of them are actually tested for it. APS is a blood clotting disease which can cause blood clots to form causing an embolism, heart attack or stroke. It is a DEADLY disease. It has been linked to death during childbirth.

You must get tested for this disease. It is a simple blood test but unfortunately many doctors never test for it due to lack of education. Demand this test before you decide to get pregnant. If you have it then you should really consider alternatives to becoming pregnant, such as surogacy or adoption.

The last problem with Lupus is the higher incidence of Miscarriage. This can be caused by APS as well. All pregnancies with Lupus will be considered high risk and you must consult with a specialist OB/GYN BEFORE you get pregnant.

All Lupus pregnancies should be planned. You should make sure to time the pregnancy during a long remission period as you may be able to change your medications during this time.

Please make sure to consult your doctor before making any decisions on pregnancy.

Oh and by the way, the person above me who said that you should consider the baby getting your disease, less than 3% of babies born to mothers with Lupus actually get the disease. It isn't considered a 'genetic' disease. It is believed that both genes and environmental factors contribute to Lupus.

Good Luck to you  (+ info)

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