Autoimmune News / May 2003 / Autoimmune Disease News -- Graves', Hashimoto's, Thyroid, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Scleroderma, Psoriasis, Sarcoidosis, Adrenal Problems, Raynaud's Phenomenon, Hair Loss, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Other Conditions

Author: Mary J. Shomon
ISBN number: 0060938196
List price: $14.95 (US dollars)
Published by: HarperCollins, HarperResource
Buy the Book: At local bookstores everywhere

ORDER NOW
Online: at Amazon.com, Iherb.com,
and others
Phone Orders: Call Iherb.com toll-free at 888-792-0028

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Contact Mary Shomon, Author, Editor

Visit Mary Shomon's
Thyroid-Info.com site for thyroid information

If you have a suspected or diagnosed thyroid problem, order Living
Well With
Hypothyroidism, the bestseller in its 16th printing

Welcome to the fourth issue of The Autoimmune Report, my news and information report on autoimmune disease. This newsletter is copyrighted by Mary Shomon, and cannot be legally reproduced without permission. Feel free, however, to forward a single copy to someone who might be interested in reading the newsletter or subscribing to it in the future.

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If you have any problems subbing or unsubbing, email me at autoimmune@thyroid-info.com and I'll personally handle it for you) To contribute information, thoughts or ideas for the newsletter, write to me, the editor, Mary Shomon personally, at autoimmune@thyroid-info.com.

ON THE WEB: My Autoimmune Disease home page is located at http://www.autoimmunebook.com. I also run patient information sites on thyroid disease site at http://www.thyroid-info.com and http://thyroid.about.com.

SEND NEWS! If you see something autoimmune-related in the news or on the web, please feel free to let me know, send me a note, or forward the URL to me if it's on the web. My email is autoimmune@thyroid-info.com regular mail is P.O. Box 565, Palm Harbor, FL 34682, fax is: 425-977-1175.

GET THE BOOK: LIVING WELL WITH AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE: Published October 2002! For more information, see http://www.autoimmunebook.com.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND HIGH BIRTH WEIGHT LINKED

A study out of Sweden reported on in the May 17, 2003 issue of the British Medical Journal, found that babies weighing more than 9 pounds were three times more likely to go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those of average weight (i.e., 6.6 pounds). Breast-fed babies were also less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as adults.

A NEW MECHANISM THAT TRIGGERS AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

In animal studies, researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered a new mechanism that may trigger autoimmune disease in newborn babies. The research is published in the May issue of the Journal of Immunology.

The researchers found that certain antibodies in female mice attached to an antigen in the cells of their babies. That process then stimulated a response by T-cells, which attacked the ovaries of the baby mice. Eighty to 90 percent of the baby mice had ovarian destruction or inflammation in the study, an indication of autoimmune disease.

Usually, T-cells help direct and control the immune response and are important in the destruction of invaders in the body such as viruses, bacteria and cancer. T-cells also are required for optimum production of antibodies. But under abnormal conditions, the same T-cells can turn on the body's own cells and cause autoimmune disease.

"The findings were unexpected," said Kenneth S. K. Tung, a professor of pathology and microbiology at U.Va. "This suggests that autoimmune disease, in addition to a genetic influence, also has an environmental and non-genetic influence. It is really a new paradigm, a new way of thinking about autoimmune disease."

Tung and his colleagues also found that there is a time window in which exposure to the mother's antibody is critical for development of autoimmune disease. Mice exposed to the maternal antibody did not develop autoimmune disease after the first five days of life. Tung believes that's because special cells that control the action of T cells weren't functioning in the early days of life.

Mice transfer antibodies to their offspring through milk. In humans, the transfer of antibodies from mother to baby happens through the placenta during pregnancy, Tung says.

Autoimmune disease occurs when the normal tolerance of the body to its own cells disappears and healthy cells are attacked. Diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis are types of autoimmune disease.

Source: University of Virginia Health System, April 2003

NUTRITION FOR DRY EYES

Researchers in Boston report that eating more of the omega-3 oils found in flaxseed and fish can help prevent and relieve the dry-eye symptoms experienced by some 15 million Americans.

The study, presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology involved 32,470 women who participated in the Women's Health Study at Harvard Medical School.

Omega-3's help dry eye by suppressing redness and inflammation of the eyelids, known as blepharitis, and improving eyelid oil gland function and tear production, according to Jeffrey P. Gilbard, M.D., one of the investigators in the study.

"The good news is you don't need to eat tuna fish every day to get dry-eye relief," said Dr. Gilbard. Instead he recommends omega-3 supplements.

NOTE FROM MARY: Some omega-3 supplements you might consider trying for dry eyes (and these also help with dry skin, dry hair, and hair loss) include:

Atkins Essential Oil -- 120 softgels, a combination of Omega 3 and 6 oils
Eskimo-3, Enzymatic Therapy -- 105 Softgels -- an omega-3 fish oil
Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend -- A combination omega-3 and omega-6 oil from flax, sunflower, and sesame seed oils

NOTE: Dry eyes are an autoimmune disease "super-symptom," and one of the primary symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome. For more information on "super-symptoms," see: Autoimmune Super-Symptoms

Also, see my detailed Autoimmune Disease Risks/Symptoms Checklist

Sjogren's Syndrome is just one of the many autoimmune diseases discussed at length, including information on conventional and holistic approaches to diagnosis and treatment, in Living Well With Autoimmune Disease. For more information, see http://www.autoimmunebook.com, or order from Amazon.com now

(Source: NAPSI)

STUDY CONCLUDES TEA HELPS FIGHT INFECTION

Researchers reporting on in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have found that tea can increases the body's immune defense against infection and protect against disease. Coffee does not appear to have similar protective effects. The L-theanine in tea apparently has the ability to active the immune system to attack invading bacteria, viruses and fungi, and the research found that the blood of tea drinkers responded five times faster to germs than the blood of coffee drinkers. This confirms that five cups of tea a day can make the body's disease defenses more effective.

Black and green teas seem to be the effective teas here -- herbal teas do not contain l-theanine.

One of my favorite teas? "Om Tea," by Tazo Teas. It's an organic blended green and black teas, that also has a touch of sweetness. You can get it at specialty tea stores, health food stores, Trader Joe's, and online at Iherb.

I also really like British Breakfast, from The Republic of Tea. This is a hearty black tea, and is particularly good if you like to put a bit of milk or cream in your tea, which I do like in the afternoons. Again, Republic of Tea British Breakfast is available at specialty tea stores, health food stores, and online at Iherb.

CANCER DRUG HELPS LUPUS

Lupus patients now have a new treatment option. High doses of chemotherapy drugs over a four-day period have been found to be more effective than lower doses over long periods of time. The theory behind this treatment is to attack the lupus particularly strongly, once, wipe out the dysfunctional immune system, and then restart the immune system again, functioning normally. Some studies have shown that after two-and-a half years, nearly half of the patients participating in a particular study are lupus-free. For more information on this study and approach, contact:

The Johns Hopkins Lupus Center
1830 East Monument Street, Suite 7500
Baltimore, MD 21287

THE THYROID/FIBROMYALGIA CONNECTION

A significant percentage of the estimated 20 million people with hypothyroidism are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Besides similar symptoms, just what is the connection between these two misunderstood conditions? If you're hypothyroid and in pain, could it be fibromyalgia? Find out the latest thoughts on this important connection.

Find out more now.

ADRENAL FATIGUE/ADRENAL EXHAUSTION

Adrenal fatigue may be the reason that you don't feel well, despite your thyroid treatment. If you are continuing to experience fatigue, low energy, poor stamina, and little resistance to stress and infection, you may be adrenally exhausted. Find out the signs and symptoms, and the treatments.

Get the facts now.

THYROID AUTOIMMUNITY, HYPOTHYROIDISM, INFERTILITY AND PREGNANCY

Researchers have found that there is a very definite connection between thyroid autoimmunity, hypothyroidism and infertility, as well as abnormalities during pregnancy. Among the findings, thyroid autoimmunity can affect fertility, miscarriage rates, and complications, even when thyroid function is normal. (Read the full story in the print newsletter). ).

Source: Poppe K, et. al. "Thyroid autoimmunity and hypothyroidism before and during pregnancy," Hum Reprod Update 2003 Mar-Apr;9(2):149-61

GENE VARIATION RAISES RISK OF DIABETES, THYROID PROBLEMS

British researchers have found that variations in a gene called the CTLA-4 gene can increase the risk of developing early-onset type 1 diabetes, Grave's disease, and autoimmune hypothyroidism. About half of the population has this genetic variation -- which allows the immune to then turn on itself and the autoimmune disorders to develop. The hope is that this discovery will aid researchers in identifying therapies down the road, or help identify those at higher risk of these conditions.

SHARE YOUR THYROID & WEIGHT LOSS STORIES FOR MY NEW BOOK!

Sorry for the delayed newsletter. I was just finishing up my new book, "Living Well With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia," which is coming out early in 2004, and worked like a crazy woman all throughout April until I delivered my manuscript in mid-May.

Now, I'm hard at work on the NEXT book!! Which is where you come in!!

Were you a skinny-mini until your thyroid headed south, and then you couldn't stop gaining weight? Have you found losing weight with a thyroid problem one of the most difficult challenges you've ever faced? Does your doctor tell you that thyroid disease only causes a few pounds of weight gain -- but you know better? Have you finally figured out what works for you to lose weight with your thyroid problem? Did you manage to maintain a healthy weight, despite your thyroid diagnosis? Have you found an approach, program or product that helps you effectively lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight.

Here is your chance to tell YOUR story, share your experience, and tell it like it REALLY is, instead of how the doctors IMAGINE it to be. For my new book on thyroid, diet, and nutrition, I would LOVE to hear your stories about weight gain, weight loss, diet, and exercise. What works, what doesn't? What helps, what doesn't?

How does it make you FEEL? Have weight gain wreaked havoc on your self-image, your sex life, your energy? Share your thoughts with me now.

You won't be identified by name (unless you specifically ask to be), and I'll change any specifically identifying information, so all your contributions are anonymous. You can share your important ideas and make them public, without compromising your own privacy.

Are you a practitioner, trainer, or alternative health expert who has ideas and approaches that work specifically for weight loss for thyroid patients and other people with metabolic dysfunctions? I'd love to hear from you too, with your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. (Just an FYI, if you are representing any multi-level marketed weight loss supplements, I've already heard from so many people many times about these various products and companies, that I don't really need any more stories on those products at this point, but thanks!)

Send all contributions to me at: dietbook@thyroid-info.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL LANGUAGE: SIMPLE IS BETTER

Imagine you are at the doctor's office. After your exam, your doctor says you have "diabetic neuropathy," "hypertension" or "coronary disease." How do you react? Do you know what this means?

What if, instead, your doctor says you have "nerve problems," "high blood pressure," or "heart disease?" You may recognize these terms, but do you know how they will affect your health? Do you know how to treat them? Do you understand what changes you have to make in your life?

If your health care visits leave you with more questions than answers, you are not alone. Most people want health information that is written in plain language, and easy to understand and use. Medical words are hard for many people to understand-no matter how much education they have. Tell your doctors, nurses and pharmacists when you do not understand the information they give you. It may help you learn how to better take care of yourself and your family.

You may not be able to change the way your health care providers talk. But you can take steps to help you get the answers you need:

1. Don't be shy-ask questions. Make a list of questions to bring with you to your doctor so you do not forget to ask them. The Partnership for Clear Health Communication-a team of national health care groups-has set up the "Ask Me 3" program. "Ask Me 3" suggests three simple but important questions people can ask their health care providers:

What is my main problem?
What do I need to do?
Why is it important for me to do this?

If you think of more questions after your visit, write them down. Call the doctor's office when you return to your home or job to get answers to your questions.

2. Bring a family member or friend. This person may be able to help you take notes and hear the provider's instructions-in case you miss something.

3. Speak up. Tell your health care provider if you do not understand the information he or she has given you. Ask him or her to repeat the instructions until you know what you need to do.

4. Repeat instructions. After the health care provider gives you instructions, repeat them back to him or her. Make sure you've got them right.

5. Ask for more information. If your provider says you have a health problem, ask for extra information-such as a hotline number or brochure. It may help you figure out what is happening to you and how to treat it.

Work closely with your health care providers. They can advise you on ways to lead a healthy, active life. Try to understand all your medical information. This way you can be a more active partner in decisions about your and your family's health.

Source: NAPSI

HOW TO LIVE WELL WITH AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE -- STARTING TODAY!

If you have a family history of autoimmune disease, a diagnosed condition yourself, or mysterious symptoms, you need my recently published "Living Well With Autoimmune Disease: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know." The book, which was published in October of 2002, is a complete guide to understanding the more than 80 mysterious and often difficult-to-pinpoint autoimmune disorders -- and finding the conventional and alternative keys to diagnosis, treatment, recovery...and even prevention or cure. Book sales are strong, and since publication, the book has been featured in Woman’s Day, Publisher’s Weekly, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association’s newsletter, numerous radio programs, and many other media outlets.

An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from the conditions, with symptoms ranging from fatigue to joint pains to depression, to numb hands and feet, to heart palpitations. These are all signs that the immune system has turned upon itself, causing autoimmune conditions such as thyroid disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and irritable bowel disease. All too frequently, these symptoms are overlooked or misdiagnosed for years!

Once diagnosed, doctors may prescribe pain relievers, hormones, or immunosuppressants to treat the symptoms, but when a patient asks about the cause, the life-long health implications, or how to heal such conditions, doctors simply shrug their shoulders.

Living Well With Autoimmune Disease is the first book that to recognize that these conditions are closely related, not standalone, and frequently stem from toxic exposures and underlying dysfunctions that may be treatable using nutritional and alternative approaches to complement traditional treatments.
The book features:

Many first-person accounts from autoimmune disease patients
Recommendations and treatment suggestions from some of the nation's leading practitioners
A detailed Risk Factors and Symptoms Checklist that you can take to your practitioner to aid in diagnosis
Information on the latest innovative conventional and alternative treatments for autoimmune conditions
The optimal diet to prevent, heal -- and sometimes even, cure -- autoimmune disease
A detailed Resources section featuring patient support groups, hotlines, websites, practitioners and more to help you in your effort to live well
A look at the future of autoimmune disease diagnosis and treatment "Publisher's Weekly" wrote about the book: "...those with autoimmune illnesses are being shortchanged by the medical establishment...this informative self-help manual is badly needed...Shomon's guide is designed to empower patients to participate in their own care..."

This is the second book in my "Living Well..." series published by Harper Collins. My first book in the series, Living Well With Hypothyroidism, is a bestseller now in a 16th printing with over 100,000 copies sold.

Living Well With Autoimmune Disease has a website, www.autoimmunebook.com, which features a chapter of the book, as well as the table of contents, and reviews, including Publisher's Weekly, Amazon.com, and reviews from some of the nation's leading integrative medicine practitioners and authors.

ORDER LIVING WELL WITH AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

The book is available at local and online bookstores everywhere, and the list price is $14.95

Online

Order now online at Iherb.com for Iherb's special price of $10.00, plus shipping

Order online at Amazon.com, for $10.47, plus shipping

Phone Orders

Call Iherb.com toll-free at 888-792-0028

MERCOLA'S NO-GRAIN DIET IS AVAILABLE -- WITH FREE E-COOKBOOK

Dr. Joseph Mercola's first major book, The No-Grain Diet, has hit the bookshelves, and is already proving to be popular with readers, including thyroid patients. I've read the book, and it is an excellent addition to any thyroid or autoimmune patient's library of health books! It has excellent information that can help you determine the best way you should eat to optimize your metabolism, feel your best, and lose weight. The book is already an Amazon.com bestseller, and has become a huge success across America.

Dr. Mercola is running a special No-Grain Diet contest, offering some incredible prizes. You can help spread his vision to change the medical paradigm in the process -- and get a complimentary copy of a new e-cookbook loaded with healthy recipes! Just visit the No-Grain Diet home page to find out more about the contest and how to participate.

ARE YOU READY to try the No-Grain Diet? Order a copy now from Amazon.com, and pay only $17.47, which is a $7.48 -- 30% -- savings off the cover price of $24.95.

SAVE MORE & FREE SHIPPING! And if you want to save even more money, and deal a one-two punch to the forces that are preventing you from feeling and living well, then add in a copy of my latest book, Living Well With Autoimmune Disease: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know, Order Now! for only $10.47, a $4.48 -- 30% -- savings off the cover price of $14.95. You'll get both books, AND free shipping from Amazon.com!

NOTES FROM MARY

I know you're going to think I'm losing my mind. Because I truly can't explain how or why the technique I'm going to tell you about works. Frankly, when I first read about the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) at Dr. Joseph Mercola's website, I thought he'd lost HIS mind! Tapping on the head and face points on the body to change emotions, or even health issues? It sounded ridiculous...

But I'd heard from a few people who had good experiences with EFT, and so I decided it was worthwhile to at least review the concept of EFT. I figured I could look into it, quickly determine that it was worthless, and move on to something else. Instead, I ended up becoming more interested...

EFT was created and pioneered by Gary Craig over a decade ago. It's based on the same general concepts that acupuncture and acupressure rely on -- that energy that flows through the body and regulates our health can be channeled and directed to places where it is most needed, physical AND emotional. As a fan of acupuncture, I figured I couldn't totally dismiss the idea, but it sounded pretty wacky, to be honest.

The way Dr. Mercola and other practitioners describe it, EFT is a sort of a psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, tapping with the fingertips is used to input energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest, while at the same time you think about your specific problem - whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, a craving, pain, etc. -- and you voice positive affirmations. This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation is meant to clear the "short-circuit" - the emotional block -- from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance.

All right, sounds a little bit far out there...but again, I wasn't going to completely write it off until I had a bit more information.

So I had an opportunity to review Dr. Mercola's DVD course on EFT. After watching for about an hour, I was still convinced that it was fairly nuts. But I'd watched him walk through the technique several times on the DVD, and try it on various volunteers that were taped at one of his in-person seminars, and decided that before I spent any more time viewing, I would try the EFT technique myself.

My objective? To treat an incredibly annoying eye tic that had been plaguing me for months. This irritating tic in my left eye started almost as soon as I woke up in the morning, and there it went, tic tic twitch twitch, all day long until I went to sleep. Nothing seemed to help it, and I was seriously thinking about going in to my doctor to have a shot of Botox put into it to calm down the muscle, as it was causing headaches and eye strain. As I watched the DVD, the eye was twitching and tic-ing away -- quite irritatingly.

So after watching for about an hour, I had mastered the tapping spots for EFT, and figured out an affirmation that fit with my eye tic problem, and followed the process, which took less than a minute. I stopped. I waited for the tic to start back up. No tic. I waited for a few minutes, full expecting the tic to pick back up. No tic. I went back to watching the DVD, fully expecting that once I diverted my attention from the tic, it would come right back. I watched for another hour, and no tic. Three months later, it still hasn't come back.

A few weeks later when some heart palpitations were bothering me (I have mitral valve prolapse) I again thought about the EFT technique. I'd taken a beta blocker, and done some relaxation exercise, and nothing was helping. I tried EFT, and within minutes, my palpitations were gone. I've now also used the EFT to also successfully deal with a craving for chocolate, and for stress. I've used it on my husband, and child, for assorted ailments and stressors. And it worked every time.

And guess what -- my eye tic STILL hasn't returned since that first attempt at EFT.

You can learn how to do EFT simply by reading the free manual at Dr. Mercola's site, you don't need to watch the DVDs or videos, as I did.

But if you want to really delve into it more fully, the DVD or videos really can take you to the next level and get the 5 Video Tape Set, or 5 Disc Digitally-Enhanced DVD Set, for only $97.00 plus $10 shipping and handling.

Order the 5 Video Set or the 5 DVD Set

You also have a one-year, no questions asked, money-back guarantee from Dr. Mercola himself, so it's a no-risk situation.

I know some of you are going to write to me and tell me I'm definitely headed for Looney-Land ;-) -- and as I did, you are going to think that on first glance, EFT sounds pretty crazy. But seriously, I would feel as if I was doing a disservice if I didn't share information about something that really worked -- even if it sounds a bit off!

Live well,

-- Mary

The Autoimmune Report is published monthly by Mary Shomon. Please invite your friends to subscribe! Send them a copy with your recommendation. The Autoimmune Report is copyright 1997-2006 by Mary Shomon.

Web: http://www.autoimmunebook.com
Email: news@thyroid-info.com
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Fax: 425-977-1175

The Autoimmune Report, "Living Well With Autoimmune Disease" and this website are © Copyright Mary Shomon, 1997-2006. All rights reserved. Mary Shomon, Editor/Webmaster
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