AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

In Blog by Amanda Chong

The human body is very complex and can be divided into 10 main systems as follows:

  1. Cardiovascular / Circulatory System: Circulates blood around the body via the heart, arteries and veins, delivering oxygen and nutrients to organs and cells, while carrying their waste products away.
  2. Digestive System: Processes that provide nutrients via the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and intestines. Eliminates waste from the body.
  3. Endocrine System: Provides communications within the body using hormones.
  4. Exocrine System: Skin, hair, nails, and sweat glands.
  5. Immune System: The system comprising a network of lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph. Defends the body against disease-causing agents.
  6. Muscular / Skeletal System: Enables the body to move using muscles. Bones support the body and its organs.
  7. Nervous System: Collects and processes information from the senses via nerves and the brain and tells the muscles to contract to cause physical actions.
  8. Urinary System: The system where the kidneys filter blood.
  9. Reproductive System: The sex organs required for the production of offspring.
  10. Respiratory System: The lungs and the trachea that bring air into the body.

Each system of the body works synergistically to sustain life as we know it. Although all of them are important, one of the systems above can wreak havoc by attacking the other systems causing a host of health problems. Can you guess which system? If you answered ‘The Immune System’, then you are absolutely correct.

The immune system – protector of the body.

The task of the immune system is to identify those things that belong in the body and those that are foreign or harmful, and then destroy the foreign material. The immune system is unlike other body systems, in that it is not a group of physical structures but a system of complex interactions involving many different organs, structures, and substances. Ideally, all of these components work together to protect the body against infections and diseases.

Marvelous as it is, the immune system can work as it should only if it is cared for properly. This means getting all the right nutrients and providing the right environment, plus avoiding those things that tend to lower immunity.

Many elements of the environment we live in today compromise our immune system’s defensive capabilities. The chemicals in the household cleaners we use; the overuse of antibiotics and other drugs; the antibiotics, pesticides and additives present in the foods we eat; and our exposure to environmental pollutants; all place a strain on the immune system. Another factor that adversely affects the immune system is stress. Stress results in a sequence of events that suppresses the normal activity of white blood cells and places undue demands on the endocrine system, as well as depleting the body of needed nutrients. The result is impaired healing abilities and lowered defence against infection.

While inadequate immunity predisposes one to infectious illnesses of all types, it is also possible to become ill when your immune system is unable to tell the difference between self and non-self. When this happens, the body makes autoantibodies that attack normal cells by mistake. At the same time, special cells called regulatory T-cells fail to do their job of keeping the immune system in line. The result is a misguided attack on your own body. This causes the damage known as autoimmune disease. The body parts that are affected depend on the type of autoimmune disease. It can also cause abnormal organ growth and changes in organ functions.

How do I find out if I have an autoimmune disease?

Getting a diagnosis can be a tedious and stressful process. There are more than 80 known types of autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, etc. Although each autoimmune disease is unique, many of them share similar symptoms. Many symptoms of autoimmune diseases are the same for other types of health problems too. These make it hard for doctors to find out if you really have an autoimmune disease, and which one it might be. It’s also possible to have more than one at the same time.

Because there are so many different types of autoimmune disease, the symptoms vary. However, common symptoms are fatigue, fever, and general malaise (feeling ill). Symptoms worsen during flare-ups and lessen during remission.

Autoimmune diseases affect the other systems in the body. The most common organs and tissues affected are:

  • Joints
  • Muscles
  • Skin
  • Red blood cells
  • Blood vessels
  • Connective tissues
  • Endocrine glands

How are autoimmune diseases treated?

Sadly, from a medical point of view, autoimmune diseases are chronic conditions that have no cure. Medical treatment can only do the following:

  • Relieve symptoms. Drugs are prescribed to relieve mild or severe symptoms, like pain, swelling, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, fatigue, or rashes. While for others, it may involve surgery.
  • Suppress the immune system. Some drugs can suppress immune system activities and control the disease processes. For instance, Corticosteroids are used to control inflammation in people with lupus. Medicines used to suppress inflammation include chemotherapy given at lower doses than for cancer treatment.

However, taking drugs to relieve symptoms and suppress the immune system will take its toll on the body. Sooner or later, secondary health issues will occur due to the side effects of the drugs.

5 steps to reverse autoimmune diseases naturally:

  1. Avoid gluten. It is best to avoid gluten. This protein, which is found in wheat, spelt, rye and barley, is linked to many autoimmune diseases. In order to find the intolerance level for gluten, remove gluten from your diet for 60 days, and then reintroduce it.
  2. Go on a customised Nutritional Programme. Ultimately, we would encourage people with autoimmune diseases to go on our Nutritional Programme which comprises of the Detoxification & Rejuvenation Programme (DRP) and the NewLifeTM Health Building Programme (NHBP) together with an individualised list of supplements for a certain duration of time. This Nutritional Programme will help to rebuild the body and restore health to the immune system. It is a complete regime aimed at eliminating wastes, toxins and poisons from your body while rebuilding and restoring nutritional, hormonal and metabolic balance. It puts your body in a position to self-heal, self-repair, and self-rejuvenate, giving your body a new start.
  3. Avoid additional sodium. Too much sodium in the diet may aggravate and increase the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, the modern diet overloads the body with sodium whilst depleting potassium, and eventually opening the door to acute and chronic diseases. Health experts recommend an intake of at least 5 times more potassium than sodium. To reconstruct healthy cells, we must replenish potassium levels in the body. Supplementing with natural, specially formulated potassium such as K-Salt is the perfect antidote for poor health.
  4. Manage stress. Stress has been noted as one of the causes in the development of autoimmune disease. Unfortunately, not only does stress cause disease, but the disease itself also causes significant stress, creating a vicious cycle.
  5. Do coffee enemas regularly. Substances in coffee promote the activity of the Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) enzyme by up to 700%. GST is an anti-oxidant that helps to prevent free radical damage and oxidative stress within the body. In addition, other substances in coffee dilate blood vessels and counter inflammation of the gut. NewLifeTM’s Enema Coffee is grown on the NewLifeTM Organic Coffee Farm located in Sabah. The farm is certified organic by the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture.  Each individual tree-ripened bean is handpicked, then dried, roasted, ground, and packed by hand. A low heat, light roast helps retain high levels of caffeine, palmitic acids, antioxidants and other nutrients in order to maximise the health benefits of the coffee enema.

Note: If you have any questions with regards to nutrition and health, please email Leon Tan. His email address is leon@newlife.com.my.