Who is at risk for getting autoimmune diseases? Women tend to be affected more often by autoimmune disorders; nearly 79% of autoimmune disease patients in the USA are women.These diseases can affect connective tissue in your body (the tissue which binds together body tissues and organs).Autoimmune disorders are diseases caused by the body producing an inappropriate immune response against its own tissues. Autoimmune disorders fall into two general types: those that damage many organs (systemic autoimmune diseases) and those where only a single organ or tissue is directly damaged by the autoimmune process (localized).

Autoimmune diseases: A group of disorders in which the primary cause is the anti inflammatory reaction caused by the bodies own immune system attacking tissues. Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster in families and in individuals (a person with one autoimmune disease is more likely to get another), which indicates that common mechanisms are involved in disease susceptibility. Autoimmunity is not contagious, but the genes a child inherits from parents can influence whether a child will develop autoimmune conditions. In autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, pernicious anemia, myasthenia gravis, and Hashimoto’s disease, specific cells uncontrollably attack the body’s own tissues. Approximately 75 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in women, most frequently during the childbearing years and do not spread to other people like infections. Women have fatigue, stiffness and weakness when suffering from a autoimmune disease. There is a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases is seen in winter months as people stay indoors and the air is dry, stale & exposure to viruses indoor.

Autoimmune diseases are workable in day to day activities to make you feel better. First, eat a healthy diet. Give your immune system a boost and be as healthy as you can be! The list of nutrients that you need for a healthy immune system is long. The body is made up largely of proteins, so its health depends upon its freedom from damage (as through oxidation or glycation) and upon its timely removal as part of normal protein turnover. Always consult your own doctor if you are in any way concerned about your health.

Your body’s immune system protects you from disease and infection. One of the ways your immune system rebuilds itself is through sleeping and is a great way you can help both your body and mind. Rest allows your body tissues and joints the time they need to repair. The immune system is the body’s most specialized defense mechanism. In a healthy body, circulating antibodies attack and destroy pathogenic invaders. The goals of treatment are to reduce symptoms and control the autoimmune process while maintaining the body’s ability to fight disease. Most patients need supplements to replenish a hormone or vitamin that the body is lacking. The body’s antioxidant system and other lines of defense cannot completely protect proteins. Nature’s second line of defense is the body’s system for repairing or removing damaged proteins. While some protein repair mechanisms exist, it is difficult for the body to repair most protein damage. It can be compared to a piece of metal rusting and results from the action of damaging molecules known as free radicals that are a natural byproduct of the body’s metabolism.

It has also been suggested that the slight exchange of cells between mothers and their children during pregnancy may induce autoimmunity. Overexposure to pesticides and toxins may also induce autoimmunity. Your immune system can be boosted by changes made in eating and exercise routines.

Diets high in fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, brown rice, low-fat dairy products, fish and poultry are recommended. Nutrition and nutritional status can have profound effects on immune functions, resistance to infection and autoimmunity in humans. Alternative treatments including natural medicine and nutritional therapy have been shown to have an impact on the activity of the disease. As patients with scleroderma sometimes develop gastrointestinal problems and are needed intravenous nutrition of long duration, they should be paid attention to lack of trace elements that can be a cause of hematologic complications.

What we come back to is that we need to take care of our health in every way possible. Anybody can take supplements whether you are sick or not. Good nutrition is a necessity for every human being on this earth!