Diet Autoimmune Disease Link

Diet Autoimmune Disease Link
It is no longer debatable that a good diet is the most relevant basis of good health. You are as healthy as a good diet. That simple, and yet that complicated.

A good diet is simply the provision of the entire variety of nutrients needed by the body to function optimally. This is what we call a balanced diet. Balance here does not mean that all nutrients be of an equal measure, since some are needed in more quantities than others, but in sufficient varying quantities as required by the body. In most cases, such nutrients are to be found in whole foods that are free from any chemical contaminants. The variety of nutrients needed include carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Such a good diet functions in strengthening and not stimulating your immune system. It enables your body's organs to execute their intended functions at optimal efficiency. We are guilty of a crime. A crime we have perpetrated into our own bodies. Consider this.

Over the last six to seven decades, we have staffed the environment with chemicals to worrying levels. Industrial revolution has seen to it we eat processed foods with a million and one food additives, preservatives and other chemicals, we eat grains, fruits and vegetables that have been grown using insecticides, pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals. The meat we eat is full of hormones, steroids and other chemicals. On top of that, we have specialized in fast foods, junk foods and simple sugars. That is when we are not eating genetically modified foods, carrying elements that are foreign to our bodies.

The net result is that we have majored our lifestyle in diets that lack the crucial life sustaining nutrients. We are literally starving when it comes to nutrients. We eat chemicals, chemicals, foods without any nutritional elements, adore concentrated poisonous fats and simple sugars, hate exercises and then stress our bodies to the overdrive with crazy work schedules and demands.

As a due payment for our wantonness, our immune systems have crushed. We have dysfunctional immune systems that are stimulated by the millions of foreign elements and substances in our diet instead of strengthened by nutrients. The chemicals like chlorine then come in and weaken or rather cripple, any remaining immune mechanisms. We are left with zero efficiency when it comes to immunity and thus the genesis of autoimmune diseases development.

So that you appreciate the importance of a good diet, consider this. For a patient with autoimmune diseases, if he or she were to maintain a good diet consistently, it will take only a few months to regain her immune systems efficiency. This will mean avoiding any processed foods, eating organic meat products, having regular fresh fruits and vegetable, eating wholesome grains and whole meal food products and avoiding fats and simple sugars. If this is then complimented by a good exercise routine, the immunity will bounce back with a bang.

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
The thyroid is a tiny, brownish gland weighing less than a pound and is located beneath the skin and muscles at the front of everyone's neck, right at the spot where a bow tie would rest. It is located on the left and right halves, known as lobes. As tiny as it is though, this gland has an enormous job of manufacturing hormones that help control growth and metabolism. For this to take place, the thyroid requires a chemical element known as iodine derived from the food and water we consume.

That said, autoimmune thyroid disease is a health condition that occurs when the body's immune system starts attacking the thyroid cells. As a result, the disease will lessen, or completely destroy the ability of the thyroid to function normally. Keep in mind that thyroid hormones are also responsible for how most organs in the body function hence if the thyroid isn't operating as it would, several parts of the body will be affected.

There are different types of autoimmune thyroid disease, some which develop as a result of the thyroid itself functioning such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, postpartum thyroiditis to mention but a few. The other category of thyroid disease occurs as a result of complications with the structure of the thyroid gland, examples being thyroid cancer, thyroid nodules, and goiter. As such, as varied as are the two categories of autoimmune thyroid disease, the treatment will also vary depending on the cause of the disease.

Some of the signs and symptoms of autoimmune thyroid disease include:- Insomnia, Irritability, Nervousness, Heat sensitivity, Unexplained weight loss, Increased perspiration, Fine hair, Thinning hair, Brittle hair, Warm skin, Thinning of your skin, Lighter menstrual flow in case of women, Eye changes, Muscular weakness, Weak leg muscles, Decreased menstruation, Hand tremors, Rapid heart beat, Shaky hands, and Eye changes. These are the symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism, while the symptoms for hypothyroidism include: - Depression, Cold sensitivity, Vague symptoms, Sluggishness, Thyroid deficiency, Forgetfulness, Constipation, Weight gain, Increased menstrual flow, Dry skin, and Dry hair.

Like any other autoimmune disease, thyroid mostly affects women, especially those who are in their child-bearing years. The defect that makes people susceptible to develop autoimmune thyroid disease is yet to be identified. However, there are mechanisms that have already been proposed such as a tissue-specific defect in suppressor T-cell activity, an idiotype/anti-idiotype reaction, as well as a genetically programmed appearance of a thyroid-specific antigen.