LifeCare Chiropractic

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autoimmunity

Ascaris Lumbricoides Infections Evoke Polarized Cytokine Response – (11-09-00)

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Ascaris Lumbricoides Infections Evoke Polarized Cytokine Response

This is a very, very important article for two reasons. First, it brings to light to high numbers of parasites present in humans (some labs suggest numbers as high as 20% of their samples have parasites). And, it demonstrates an effect of these parasites on Th1/Th2 ratios, a very important balance between fighting off infections and autoimmunity. Some researchers believe that the parasites are able to cause our immune system to shift to Th2, which is not as effective at fighting off parasites.

J Infectious Diseases 2000;182:1207-1213 Ascaris lumbricoides infections in humans are associated with a highly polarized type 2 cytokine response. Dr. Philip J. Cooper of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and an international team of researchers explain that helminthic infections affect a large proportion of the population. As “experimental animal and human studies have demonstrated that concurrent helminthiases may modulate the immune responses to bystander antigens (e.g., vaccines),” the authors note the importance of knowing the “phenotype of the cellular response to A. lumbricoides.” They found that members of the infected group “both produce and express greater levels of the type 2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-5 than do uninfected endemic control subjects.” As the production of IL-10 and interferon-gamma was similar in the two groups, the “ratios of Th2 to Th1 cytokine frequencies were significantly elevated in the infected group.”

HEALTHY THYROID FUNCTION MAINTAINS LONG, HEALTHY LIFE – (01-09-06)

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Thyroid Hormone Concentrations, Disease, Physical Function, and Mortality in Elderly Men

I recall a study several years back that dealt with the oldest old and anti-thyroidal antibodies. Now, everyone has some degree of autoimmunity to our own tissues, and this reaction increases as we get older. In that particular study, the oldest old has less autoimmunity to their own thyroid.

This study again points to the importance of healthy thyroid function in maintaining long, healthy life. So the question arises, when someone starts to experience thyroid dysfunction in their 20s, and they are put on thyroid hormone without any type of evaluation into WHY they are having thyroid problems, are we depriving them of quality of life in their later years?

Read entire article here

HOW VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION HELPS DURING PREGNANCY? – (11-05-07)

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Vit D Intake During Pregnancy and Risk of Recurrent Wheeze in Children at 3 Years of Age

The rates of vit D deficiency in pregnant women and their newborn babies is unconscionably high. While immediate concerns like rickets jump to mind, of greater concern is how important Vit D is for health immune system balance.

The findings of this study further cement this importance and, extrapolated out, would have impacts on asthma, allergy and autoimmune risk years later. Supplementation of pregnant women with Vit D is very cheap, safe and easy. Individual dosages can be given in a one time dose a month or so before delivery. We need to move on this as a medical culture or this fear mongering of sun exposure is going to further drain our healthcare future.

Read entire article here

IMMUNE SYSTEM PROBLEMS VERY COMMON

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Autoimmunity is the term when our body attacks itself.  Some degree of this is actually normal in the human body.  It is when the immune system becomes, or worse, develops imbalanced that the amount of autoimmunity goes up.  Consider the common autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimotos / Graves thyroiditis or psoriasis.  There are many more.  Each of these can be diagnosed when a certain marker in the bloodstream gets too high.  NOT the fact that it is present, but the fact that it is elevated beyond “normal” levels. 

The problem is that, when all the autoimmune conditions known are lumped together, they actual become quite common.  1 in 31 people have some type of autoimmunity.  Were our immune systems really designed to go awry almost 3% of the times?  Hard to think that’s the case.

So what might be contributing?  This article suggests that our heavy environmental burden (some 80,000 chemicals are approved for use by the EPA) may play a role.  Most chemicals are released onto the American public with no safety studies beyond what the manufacturer states are “safe” levels of exposure.  Many times, these “safe” levels have nothing to do with health.  Rather, they are considered the “average” level of exposure that the typical American may have.  That does not leave me with a warm, comfortable feeling inside.

Again, the mantra is to lower your risk.  Avoid flame resistant mattresses manufactured after July 07 (at this time the flame resistant standard shot up to withstand a BLOW TORCH for 30 minutes–the amount of chemicals to achieve this is, as expected, very high).  Ask for an FR free one next time you buy.  You many need a doctor’s prescription.