autoimmune disorders

Vegetarian Times, July, 2001 by Trisha Blanchet

Always tired, achy and depressed? It's probably not all in your head

It starts with exhaustion. You've been getting plenty of sleep and eating well, yet you're still too wiped out to perform everyday tasks. You may start to notice pain in your joints and muscles and perhaps a general malaise and inexplicable weight gain or loss. You visit doctor after doctor, but none can find anything physically wrong with you--some even suggest the symptoms are all in your head. Embarrassed, you stop seeking help and suffer in silence.

This scenario is all too familiar to millions of American women. And for a large number of them, it has a devastating twist: Their pain and fatigue were not only real, but the early warning signs of a serious disease. But because the symptoms were so general and vague, they were misdiagnosed--or not diagnosed at all. That's the tragedy of autoimmune disorders, which affect some 50 million Americans (70 percent of whom are women). The disorders, which include lupus, multiple sclerosis and scleroderma, share so many early symptoms with less serious conditions, like the flu, that even the most thorough doctors often miss their onset.

There are more than 100 recognized autoimmune disorders, all of which bear the distinction of being "friendly fire" conditions. "Your immune system, which is meant to protect you against viruses, bacteria and other toxins, for some reason starts attacking the body instead of defending it," explains Virginia Ladd, president and founder of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) in East Detroit, Mich. Autoimmune diseases typically strike women in their childbearing years; in fact, these disorders are the leading cause of death in women under age 65. And the number of cases is either on the rise or, as Ladd explains, "It could be that they are just being diagnosed more often, now that there's more awareness of them."

Though no epidemiological studies have been conducted to confirm an increase in cases, doctors such as Robert Lahita, M.D., Ph.D., of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, agree that more people are contracting these diseases. "We're seeing more juvenile diabetes, ovarian failure and endometriosis, all of which are manifestations of autoimmune disease," says Lahita, who has been researching the subject for 25 years. And for patients and healers alike, the trend is alarming.

Autoimmune disorders tend to cluster in families, suggesting a genetic origin. But researchers still don't know why the immune system turns on itself or why the phenomenon happens predominantly to women. "This is a major cause of chronic illness," Ladd says. "Yet there is not enough research being conducted to find out why."

Lupus

With some autoimmune disorders, like Graves' disease, which affects the thyroid gland, and type 1 diabetes, which affects the pancreas, only one part of the body is affected by the misfirings of the immune system. But for the estimated 350,000 Americans who suffer from lupus (80 to 90 percent female), the entire body may come under attack.

"Diagnosis is never easy with lupus," says Noel Rose, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "It's a multisystem disease, and many different tissues are affected." Rose, who has re,searched autoimmunity throughout his 50-year career, explains that early symptoms can include joint and muscle pain, a skin rash (especially on the face), and a persistent low-grade fever. "It starts out very nondescript, but as it progresses, you start to see things like kidney disease," he says. With lupus, there are about 30 symptoms, such as skin rash, joint pain, seizures, chest pain and blood in the urine.

Because the body's own immune system is causing the damage, doctors usually try to suppress the immune response using steroids, antimetabolites (drugs that slow the metabolism) and, for acute cases, chemotherapy. But, Rose adds, while suppressing the immune system may slow down the disease's progression, it also makes it harder for the body to fight off colds and infections. Lupus is considered fatal, yet in recent years the prognosis has improved. The 10-year survival rate is now greater than 85 percent, though for patients in whom the brain, heart, lungs and kidney are significantly affected, the outlook is the most grim.

Most doctors and alternative medicine practitioners agree that lupus patients will always need immune-suppressive treatments. But for the chronic pain that frequently accompanies the disease, healers recommend acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine, massage, hypnosis and biofeedback. Some believe that herbs help too. In his book Coping with Lupus (Avery, 2001), Robert H. Phillips, Ph.D., says that the anti-inflammatory properties of black currant oil, ginger, feverfew and turmeric may ease pain and enhance overall health. "Other herbs, such as echinacea, should be avoided because they boost the effectiveness of the immune system," Phillips explains--just the opposite of what lupus patients need.