The Ins & Outs of Autoimmune Diseases

Did you know that 20 million people have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease? And that 3/4 of them are women?

In this edition of Healthy Steps, with Dr. Ginger, the good doctor discusses autoimmune diseases, as well as ways to address the symptoms.

What happens with an autoimmune disease (AI) is that the immune system mistakenly attacks and starts destroying healthy body tissue.

This can strike anywhere: organ function, blood vessel connective tissue, pancreas and thyroid, skin, hair, red blood cells.

The body basically is attacking itself.

Some of the most well-known AI diseases include Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Celiac disease, Lupus, and even types of Meningitis.

Symptoms vary based on what area of the body is attacked, but generally symptoms include severe fatigue, fever and body aches and pains.

AI diseases have an emotional and psychological portion to them, and are often brought on or triggered by a life event.

Treatment includes use of steroids, immune-suppressant drugs and chemo in certain instances. However, treatment should focus not on the physical, but also the emotional and mental.

Proper nutrition is also very important to address autoimmune diseases effectively. Traditional Chinese Medicine often uses foods as medicine to address the symptoms and core causes of varying autoimmune diseases.

Don't miss this very important segment with Dr. Ginger.