How to Deal with the Pain from An Autoimmune Disease
How to Deal with the Pain from An Autoimmune Disease
By guest blogger, Patrick Bailey
In the wake of the technological revolution in the field of health, science, and technology, some things still remain unclear, such as the cause of autoimmunity. Through the years, scientists are trying to find cures for this debilitating set of diseases but until now it is still vague. While the search for its causes and cures are still ongoing, scientists have found ways to manage its symptoms.
There are approximately 50 million Americans nowadays suffering from an autoimmune disease. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association reveals that only a small part of this population can name at last one autoimmune disease. It is now the eighth main concern of women. It also shortens eight years from the normal lifespan. Autoimmune diseases cost the US health care $120 billion annually greater than the burden caused by cancer, which is only $70 billion in a year.
Dr. Elliot Rosenstein, one of the pioneers of the Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases at Atlantic Health System’s Overlook Medical Center, said that autoimmune diseases are infamously hard to diagnose and there is no cure for them even if they are recognized.
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Dr. Elliot Rosenstein further says that patients diagnosed with the similar autoimmune disease do not present a similar set of signs and symptoms. Most of the patients suffer from dizziness, low-grade fevers, nausea, fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms are vague and can be caused by several medical conditions. Rosenstein adds that there is a tendency for these manifestations to overlap. To differentiate patients with lupus from patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be very hard.
What is an Autoimmune Disease?
Our body has an immune system that shields us from infections and diseases. However, if you have an autoimmune disease, this protection transforms as an enemy that assaults by mistake, the healthy cells in our body. This disease can upset various parts of our body. When the immune system becomes overactive, it harms its own tissues. When the immune system is suffering from a deficiency disease, the body becomes susceptible to infections because of its ability to combat invaders is reduced.
Usually, the immune system can differentiate between your own cells and foreign cells. However, when there is an autoimmune disease, it identifies other parts of the body like joints and other organs as foreign. When this happens, the immune system discharges proteins called auto-antibodies to attack the strong cells.
There are various examples of autoimmune diseases; this includes Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, and Multiple Sclerosis. Other types of autoimmune diseases are Psoriasis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Vasculitis, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, to name a few.
Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases
If the disease is diagnosed, there are various treatments that are usually administered to patients. The treatment aims to regulate the autoimmune process, lessen the symptoms, and as much as possible help the body to continuously fight the illness. The treatment includes taking several supplements to fill in the lacking substance that the body needs. These are vitamin B12, hormones for thyroid, and insulin. There are times that treatment requires a blood transfusion and physical therapy.
Some patients take medicines to alleviate the abnormal response of the immune system. These are immunosuppressive pills like non-steroidal medicines and steroids. Some disease uses Interleukin suppressants and TNF blockers. However, the majority of the patients use pain relievers to ease their suffering. While these are effective medicines, most of the time, these medications are only used for suppressing the pain and not directly targeting the cause of the illness.
Painkillers and prescription opiates, in the course of time, can also affect the body. Physicians prescribe aspirins and other anti-inflammatory medicines to ease the pain. But stronger immune suppressing pills have grave side effects that could result in more serious problems in the future. The most effective way to combat and treat an autoimmune disease is to know its underlying causes. Knowing the sources can easily heal your body. Here are several ways on how to deal with the pain from autoimmune disease without the painkillers
- Eat Nutritious and Healthy Anti-Inflammatory Food
Change and include anti-inflammatory foods in your diet. This includes taking in food rich in Omega-3, green leafy vegetables, and turmeric. Aside from these, avoid consuming foods that are high in sugar. Include at least nine servings of vegetables and fruits every day. You should also limit saturated fats to at least 10 percent daily. It is also recommended that you eat fish three times a week. You should also avoid eating refined sugars and processed foods. Several studies discovered that eating anti-inflammatory rich food will not only protect you from certain illnesses but will also help you lose weight, stabilize your blood sugar, and increase your metabolism.
- Repair the Gut
The easiest way to start repairing your gut includes consuming anti-inflammatory diet, eradicating gluten, and eating whole food. This is because the majority of the immune system heavily relies on the gut or digestive system. If this gets damaged, your immune system will be left unprotected to foreign opportunistic elements like bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. Your body will trigger your immune response and will aggravate your enteric nervous system. This will result in a wide array of problems such as mood disorders, allergy, autoimmunity, arthritis, and many more.
- Increase Physical Movement
Regular exercise is a natural anti-inflammatory. You do not necessarily need to enroll in a fitness gym or buy a treadmill to do this. Start by moving around more frequently and use your body more often. Exercise also allows you to sweat out toxins from your body and relieves you of stress
- Practice Relaxation
One of the main factors that aggravate the immune response of the body is stress. It is very important that you include several calming and deep relaxation techniques in your lifestyle to lessen anxiety and stress in your body. There are many ways to relax nowadays; this includes practicing Yoga and getting a massage.
- Get Enough Sleep
Irregular sleep, poor sleeping pattern, and lack of sleep can harm your metabolism. When this happens, you will have cravings for carbohydrates and sugar, which push you to eat more. To reverse inflammation and to achieve good health, getting enough sleep is essential.
Autoimmune diseases, like any other illnesses, can be remedied by a healthy lifestyle. Healthy living is not a trend but rather a way of life. This is the proper way that our lives should be lived. These natural steps suggested above are just simple and practical truths that most of us forget amidst living this busy life.
Thank you for reading. We appreciate all your comments.
Terry Ryan
D5 Creation