Why Can't We Get Rid Of Autoimmune Diseases?

[chrissy]

if something happens to "turn on" celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases------why can't we turn them back off? it just seems that if our bodies are so good (ideally) at healing themselves we should be able to heal from an autoimmune disease. i know that MS can go into remission because my grandfather had it and his went into remission. lupus can also do that and probably others as well, but not celiac or diabetes. my sister has an autoimmune disease called primary schlerosing cholingitis and it will eventually destroy her liver and she will need a transplant----if one of the other problems connected with her disease doesn't kill her. i just keep thinking that if something starts these things, something should be able to stop them.

[Jestgar]

You can stop Celiac damage by not eating gluten. If we knew what caused or limited the other diseases we could stop those too. Does MS spontaneously go into remission, or do we unknowingly change something that no longer activates it? If you moved to a small island that had only fish and local fruits to eat wouldn't your Celiac be in remission even though you weren't consciously doing anything to change it?

[Nantzie]

No answers, but I've wondered about this too. Maybe it's just something science hasn't figured yet.

Nancy

[mommida]

Wouldn't we have to have doctors to correctly diagnose celiac disease first?

L.

[Nantzie]

Wouldn't we have to have doctors to correctly diagnose celiac disease first?

L.

ROFLMAO!!!

Nancy

[lorka150]

if something happens to "turn on" celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases------why can't we turn them back off? it just seems that if our bodies are so good (ideally) at healing themselves we should be able to heal from an autoimmune disease. i know that MS can go into remission because my grandfather had it and his went into remission. lupus can also do that and probably others as well, but not celiac or diabetes. my sister has an autoimmune disease called primary schlerosing cholingitis and it will eventually destroy her liver and she will need a transplant----if one of the other problems connected with her disease doesn't kill her. i just keep thinking that if something starts these things, something should be able to stop them.

There are four types of MS: one is Relapsing Remitting, and there are periods where you have attacks, 'heal', and then the process goes on again. After having that for awhile (the timeline is at about 30 years right now), it often changes to Progressive, and speeds downhill.

[2kids4me]

if something happens to "turn on" celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases------why can't we turn them back off? it just seems that if our bodies are so good (ideally) at healing themselves we should be able to heal from an autoimmune disease.

Most of the problem is that researchers know that immune disease is caused by the body making antibodies to "self" something it doesnt normallly do. They havent found the "on button" much less who/what is sneaking in and flipppin the darn switch

When they find the on button, then they have to find the off switch, no doubt hidden better than the on button

There are some diseases that seem to have a dimmer switch (like relapsing remitting forms of immune illness)..and someone keeps playing with the switch there ......

Top it off with - there are over 60 autoimmune diseases - each with different underlying genetic flaws at diiferent points on chromosomes AND some poeple with these "flaws" dont ever develop the disease while others will... that elusive trigger again.

The system that's involved in healing the body is also the system that is behind the immune mediated diseases.

[Helena]

Interesting question. I don't know, but I would guess that it is the same reason why for instance if we have chicken pox once we generally won't get it again. Once the immune system recognizes something as pathogenic, it continues to do so.

[flagbabyds]

Some people say that it goes into remission when you are in need to reproduce in your teens and early twenties but then it comes back, all this time you have the disease and it is diong damage to your intestines but your body does not show symptoms,

not sure if this is true, but i feel no incline to test it, i am 16 now and i still get symptoms and such.

that's all i have ever heard about it.