What Causes Autoimmune Disease?

It's amazing just how many different types of autoimmune diseases there are in the medical books. The conventional medical community claims they are unaware of the cause of the body suddenly turning on itself. Doctors who take a more natural approach believe otherwise.

Here are the type 5 causes of autoimmune disease.

1. Poor Diet

Poor diet is one of the leading causes of all disease, including autoimmune disease. The Standard American Diet is also responsible for the rising obesity rate, the epidemic of cancer, and the startling array of mental and emotional disorders millions of people suffer from.

Fast food, processed food, microwavable meals, soda, candy, etc. offer little-to-no nutritional value and are chock full of chemicals, preservatives, additives, and synthetic sweeteners your body doesn't recognize. As long as you continue to ingest these foods, your immune system works overtime to fight them off and protect you.

An overworked immune system eventually exhausts itself and begins to malfunction. This is when autoimmune disease such as crohn's disease, psoriasis, and diabetes begin to take shape in your body.

If you want to stave off autoimmune disease, a whole-food diet is best. Eat as many organic vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, meat, fish, and dairy as possible. Become a label-reader and avoid eating foods if you can't pronounce their ingredients.

2. Sedentary Lifestyle

Lack of exercise is another common contributor to the development of many autoimmune disorders. A sedentary lifestyle causes poor circulation, contributes to inflammation, and weakens the immune system. Diabetes, arthritis, and thyroid disease are most commonly associated with lack of exercise.

You don't have to be a bodybuilder to get the exercise your body needs to stay healthy. Just 30 minutes three times per week of cardio and strength training is enough to start with.

3. Food/Environmental Allergies

We live in a toxic world. Think for a minute about all of the chemical products you're exposed to each day. Shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, make-up, laundry detergent, carpet cleaner, air fresheners, cleaning products, etc. all contain a host of allergens and neurotoxins that are virtually guaranteed to shorten your lifespan and contribute to autoimmune disease.

Food allergies are another serious problem. Aside from the fact that much of our food is now genetically modified, gluten intolerance affects nearly 1 in every 100 people. Gluten intolerance is characterized by the inability to digest the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Continued ingestion of this protein causes chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, brain fog, muscle aches, thyroid imbalance, and diabetes.

The easiest way to avoid autoimmune disorders caused by food and environmental allergies is to eliminate as many of the toxins from your life as possible. This means switching to organic cleaning products, make-up, and toiletries, and testing yourself for gluten intolerance. Eliminate all sources of gluten from your diet for a period of one month. Reintroduce these foods on the 31st day en masse to test for a reaction. If you're unable to digest this protein, you'll know.

4. Stress

Stress is a killer. It is the number one reason people visit the doctor for everything from a headache to a heart attack. Our bodies are designed to produce chemicals to protect us in life and death situations.

However, when stress is chronic and unrelieved, the glands responsible for producing these chemicals became overtaxed and begin to malfunction. Adrenal fatigue is a real and serious condition that affects millions of people and can lead to the development of autoimmune disease.

Even if you're the burn-the-candle-at-both ends type, you owe it to your health to find time to relax. Even just twenty minutes of sitting quietly in a darkened room and doing deep breathing exercises is enough to slow your heart rate, boost your immune system, and prevent the development of serious illness.

5. Lack of Sleep

Sleep is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Unfortunately, most people do not get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night. A lot of us are up tossing and turning from emotional stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise. Chronic sleep deprivation causes a boost in the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol, which can lead to obesity, mood swings, neurological distress, and autoimmune disease.

If insomnia is a problem for you, try adding some chelated magnesium to your daily supplement regimen. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body and millions of people are deficient in it. You can also improve your quality of sleep by darkening your room, using earplugs to block out noise, and kicking your pets out of bed.

You don't have to be among the millions of people struggling everyday with chronic pain, anxiety, and digestive problems. Just a few small steps in a more healthful direction can truly work miracles. Get started today.

Jaime A. Heidel is a professional freelance writer with a passion for natural health. Her website, I Told You I Was Sick.com, is dedicated to helping people suffering from mystery symptoms find natural ways to heal.

By Jaime A. Heidel

Vitamin D deficiency may cause weight gain

Older women who don't get enough vitamin D may be slightly heavier than those who do.

A Kaiser Permanente study, published online in the recent issue of the Journal of Women's Health, looked at more than 4,600 women aged 65 and older for a four and one-half year period. Researchers found women with low levels of vitamin D in their blood gained about two pounds more than those with adequate levels of the vitamin.

So what's the big deal, you ask?

"This is one of the first studies to show that women with low levels of vitamin D gain more weight, and although it was only two pounds, over time that can add up," said study author Dr. Erin LeBlanc, an endocrinologist and researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.

Called the "sunshine vitamin" because most of us get it from the sun, vitamin D helps maintain our bones and muscles, and keeps our central nervous system in check. But if you take too much it could be toxic, causing nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite.

Although the sun's rays are the primary source, vitamin D can also be found in milk products, fatty fish and fortified items such as cereals and juices. But even with all these sources, prior research has found that women, especially older women, aren't getting enough.

In the Kaiser study, researchers found almost 80% of participants had insufficient levels of vitamin D. Because the vitamin's main source is sunlight, the investigators say those women lacking vitamin D may not spend enough time outdoors. They may also have a poor diet.

LeBlanc points out that this study was conducted among older women who, for the most part, were not trying to lose weight - though some of them did so as a natural result of aging. About 60% of the women in the study remained at a stable weight during the study period, 27% lost more than 5% of their body weight, and 12% gained more than 5% of their body weight.

"Our study only shows an association between insufficient levels of vitamin D and weight gain, we would need to do more studies before recommending the supplements to keep people from gaining weight," LeBlanc said. "Since there are so many conflicting recommendations about taking vitamin D for any reason, it's best if patients get advice from their own health care provider."