Lupus and DHEA: A New Approach
Lupus is an autoimmune condition that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of the body. As with all autoimmune conditions, there is no “cure” necessarily, but it stems from imbalances in the body that can be adjusted, so remission from this condition is possible. Autoimmunity is when the body attacks its own tissue […]
Why Do I Feel So Good (Or Bad) During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy and Autoimmunity Many women with autoimmune diseases experience a lessening of symptoms during their pregnancy, only to relapse after the baby is born. Or, the opposite may happen, where autoimmune disease symptoms worsen during pregnancy. Maybe you have heard of this phenomenon or even experienced it yourself. As we continue to celebrate Mothers’ Day, […]
What is Sjögren’s Syndrome?
April is Sjögren’s awareness month, so we thought it would be a great time to shed some light on it. Sjögren’s (pronounced show-grens) syndrome is a common autoimmune condition where moisture-secreting glands are attacked. This usually happens first in the eyes and mouth, so dry eyes and mouth are the most common symptoms. Other symptoms […]
A Hair-Owing Dilemma
Baldness is the name given to the most common type of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, genetically caused hair loss. Male pattern baldness typically occurs on the top and front of the head. Female pattern baldness occurs on the top, usually widening at the part. Genetics and stress can exacerbate hair loss, but too often our […]
The Many Faces of Raynaud’s Phenomenon
Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition that can occur on its own (known as primary Raynaud’s), or it can be a sign of an underlying autoimmune condition (known as secondary Raynaud’s). It is estimated to affect an average of 6.5% of all people (8-10% of women and 3-5% of men) and tends to start showing up […]
Autoimmunity and the Earth
The idea that humans are separate from the natural world is a new one. Humans and nature evolved together, developing and perfecting symbiotic (mutually-beneficial) relationships over 6 million years. Has our recent separation led to an increase in health issues, particularly autoimmunity? The environment around us affects the environment within us, including our microbiome (the […]
Autoimmunity Is Rising- Have You Been Tested?
What are Antinuclear Antibodies? Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are antibodies (proteins that our body creates to fight infections) that are made to attack our own body, or “autoantibodies”. The prefix ‘auto-’ means ‘self’. So, autoantibodies are antibodies against the self, and an autoimmune disease occurs when someone’s immune system is attacking their body using autoantibodies. Examples […]
In with Black Cumin Seed Oil, Out with Inflammation
Also known as black caraway and referenced in many scriptural texts, black cumin is a flowering plant found throughout Southwest Asia, parts of the Mediterranean and Africa. This magical oil has a long history of use in diverse culinary and medicinal traditions. Black seed oil is extracted from N. sativa seeds, and has been used […]
HORMONES 101 Part 2: Estrogen Dominance
In Part 1 of this series we covered cortisol, progesterone, and their relationship. Though the vast majority of hormones are made of protein, both of these are steroid hormones made of cholesterol. Estrogen is another steroid hormone. It is the main female sex hormone, but it also plays an important role in male bodies. Estrogen: […]
Can Olive Oil Help Multiple Sclerosis Patients?
T-Regulatory Cells T-regulatory (Treg) cells are the police force of our immune system. As their name suggests, Treg cells regulate our body’s immune response by suppressing it when it isn’t needed. They are extremely important in preventing autoimmunity, which occurs when the immune system attacks the body’s own cells. FOXP3 is a protein of the […]