When the Immune System Misfires

We all know what the immune system is supposed to do. It’s supposed to defend the body against harmful microbes, parasites and deviant cells (like cancer cells). But what happens when the immune system turns on the tissues of your own body and destroys them? That’s what’s happening in an autoimmune disorder.
Think of the immune system in an autoimmune disease as an army that has received confusing messages on who and where the enemy is. Acting on this critical misinformation, the commanding officers order an attack on what they think is the enemy, while in reality they are attacking their own troops and destroying them with what is called “friendly fire.”
Autoimmune disorders include problems like multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Grave’s disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis and Lou Gehrig’s disease. At one time, these diseases were rare, you seldom heard of many of them, but the incidence of autoimmune diseases has been increasing. The big question is why? And the bigger question is, what can we do to get the immune system working properly again.
The answer lies in understanding that the immune system isn’t attacking healthy tissue. It’s attacking tissue that has been weakened through poor nutrition and toxicity. Environmental pollution, particularly solvents and heavy metals, are major culprits in the rise of autoimmune diseases. Vaccines are also a big factor.
If you, or someone you love, has an autoimmune disorder you can’t afford to miss this month’s Herbal Hour. You’ll learn about the probable causes of a malfunctioning immune system and what you can do to correct it. Keep your immune system doing what it’s supposed to do, protect you, with the knowledge you’ll gain at this Herbal Hour.