Category Archives: Diet and Exercise

Exploring importance of maintaining personal and family health in today’s society.

The Hidden Reasons: 10 Common Causes Of Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases will occur when the body’s own immune system will mistakenly attack its own healthy cells. There are various factors that can contribute to the onset of autoimmune diseases and cause a spectrum of disorders.

Understanding these factors can help individuals take steps towards managing their health and reducing the risk of autoimmune conditions.

Let’s explore the reasons for the onset of autoimmune diseases, and learn how it can affect you, your family, friends and neighbors. A little understanding and knowledge helps us learn to discuss, and manage such events in our lives, and others with a touch of empathy.

1. Genetics can awaken Autoimmune Disease

Existing genes can be stimulated and cause the development of autoimmune diseases. It can become ‘dominant‘ when both parents carry that disease in their DNA.

Human DNA can pass Autoimmune diseases

Individuals with a family history of autoimmune conditions are at a higher risk of developing similar conditions themselves and pass the genes onto their children.

2. Environmental Triggers

Exposure to certain environmental factors, such as infections, pollutants, and toxins, can trigger an autoimmune response in susceptible individuals. These triggers can vary widely and may include viral or bacterial infections, as well as exposure to specific chemicals or pollutants.


Pollutants travel by Winds and water

After all, wind and water can carry contaminants far and wide, pay attention to the direction of ‘flow’. Many know that water flows in the directions of least resistance.

We can’t forget agricultural farms that mass produce food stuffs use pesticides, and antibiotics on animals – we ingest when eating. Is their water source truly pollution – free?

3. Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal imbalances, particularly in women, have been linked to an increased risk of autoimmune diseases. Changing balances in hormone levels, such as occurs during pregnancy, hysterectomy surgery, or menopause, can affect the immune system and lead to the development of autoimmune diseases.

4. Chronic Stress

Chronic stress can have a detrimental effect on the immune system such as lowering your immunity response strength, and leading to increased inflammation and a higher susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

Managing stress through relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices may help reduce the risk of developing these conditions.

5. Diet and Gut Health

The gut is a region in the human body that hosts specific microscopic living organisms that help play crucial roles in regulating the immune system.

Imbalances in the gut flora, often influenced by diet and lifestyle factors, can contribute to immune imbalances and the development of autoimmune diseases. Talk with your Doctor or Dietician about a best diet for you or check at your local library.

6. Vitamin D Deficiency

Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases. Natural sources of Vitamin D are fish liver oil, Sardines, herring, salmon, tuna, liver, egg yolk, and livers of fish eating animals. This is the main reason why Vitamin D can be found added in milk and margarine.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble and may not be easily absorbed. It’s important that the body’s digestive system and absorption of fats, is normal.

Adequate exposure of your skin to sunlight, and supplements may help maintain optimal vitamin D levels and support your immune health.

7. Smoking

Smoking has been linked to an elevated risk of several autoimmune diseases. Certain pollutants such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as Benzo -a- pyrene are well-known DNA mutagen that can cause autoimmune diseases. Quitting smoking can significantly reduce the risk of developing these conditions.

8. Microbial Infections

Certain microbial infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus, have been implicated in triggering autoimmune responses. The body’s own proteins can get so altered by infection, or drug and chemical combination, including traumas (heart attack, burns, etc.) that the body no longer recognizes ‘self‘, the immune response attacks own cells as ‘foreign‘.

Understanding and addressing these infections may play a role in managing autoimmune diseases. Medical research is ongoing.

9. Medications and Treatments

Some medications and medical treatments, particularly those that modulate the immune system, can increase the risk of autoimmune diseases as a side effect.

A physician will put together a plan of treatment that must maintain a delicate balance between suppressing the acts of the autoimmune disorder, and simultaneously maintain the body’s ability to fight disease and germs.

It is important to discuss potential risks with healthcare providers when considering these treatments. It’s ok to ask questions.

10. Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a common feature of many autoimmune diseases. Classic symptoms are heat, redness, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Inflammatory response can be become active from an injury, destruction of tissues, and which strives to isolate, destroy, or dilute causative agents in the injured area.

Causative agents can be physical, chemical and biologic materials, including mechanical trauma, exposure to excess sunlight, x-rays, and radioactive materials, corrosive chemicals, extremes of heat and cold, and infectious microbes such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogenic microbes.

Addressing underlying inflammation through lifestyle modifications and targeted therapies may help manage the symptoms and progression of autoimmune conditions.

I have arthritis, and make a herbal tea with the recipe in the above photograph and using supplements are helpful too. I like the tea because it’s warm, and know it’s ‘working’ because my body feels like it’s ‘glowing’.

Pain is relieved within 20 minutes and will last few days. Cold and damp weather sets off my inflammation in my joints, and this tea relieves the pain for me. I recommend drinking it only about twice or three times a week.

Learning Awareness

By being aware of the reasons and causes of autoimmune diseases, people can learn to take steps to minimize their risks, and manage their overall health effectively with help from their physician and health teams.

Lab techs research human biology

We can also pay attention to levels of pollution, and contaminants in our environment both far, and nearby. After all, groundwater, snow, floods, and winds can help ‘move‘ these contaminants and increase our exposure to potential ‘mutagens‘. Climate change is here and intense storms are becoming ‘regular‘ events.

Working with your Physician and Medical Teams

Consulting with your healthcare providers, Physician or Immunologist for personalized guidance and support is important for those living with or at risk of autoimmune conditions. There are online forums you can join to learn more, and find support.

Keep in mind, you’re not alone, there are others with the same, similar or other type of autoimmune disease.

For now, do know that medical research is exploring drugs that act more specifically on the human body’s immune system. This due to the range of ‘hypersensitivity‘ symptoms exhibited in people with autoimmune diseases. Let’s send our Prayers out they find something that can help relieve the symptoms or cure the disease. Take care, stay strong, stay safe!

Learning in Motion

Further Learning Resources

Treating Human Autoimmunity: Current Practice and Future Prospects

Potential Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases Revealed in New Study PDF

New Dawn of Cellular Therapies in Autoimmune Diseases

Molecular Biology, Immunology & Disease
The University of Toronto Scarborough

I hope you found this article informative and gained some new insight. Please feel free to Share with others! Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form to make a Request about a topic of your own interest, or interested in sharing your own article related to categories on this site. I hope you visit again for more informative articles coming soon. Stay safe!

AIC| An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles at AIC|An Informal Cornr about business skills and development, health, science, technology, society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us.

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11 Facts about In Vitro Fertilisation

facts about in vitro fertisation

Infertility affects couples around the globe with the inability to produce their own genetic offspring.

Conception will depend on the health status, and production of healthy sperm by the Man, and healthy eggs by the Woman. Both sperm and egg must be able to meet, and ‘implantation‘ of a fertilized egg must be able to take place in the womb.

Natural abilities are sometimes amiss for couples. This inability to attain a pregnancy will cause great anxiety, anger, grief and helplessness. Luckily, health science and research have been developed to help couples with medically assisted reproduction.

Causes of Infertility

Factors that can affect conception to occur for males can be, low/no sperm, malformed sperm, short life sperm, spermatic tube blockage, undeveloped or damaged testes, from STD and/or trauma, or genetic disease.

Mutual immunological incompatibility (blood serum) may be suspect, exposure to pollutants is also another consideration, age, trauma, infections, medications, disease, reproductive organ malformations, high temperatures of male scrotal sac.

Women may face anovulation (failure to ovulate) due to stress, hormonal imbalance, tumor, cyst, ovary disorder, obstructed fallopian tubes, pelvic endometriosis, poor embryo implantation. It’s estimated that 40% of couples are affected with infertility cases.

conception meets
conception meets

Facts about In Vitro Fertilisation Treatment

The use of ‘in vitro fertilisation‘ techniques are one of the treatments offered to help. A few facts about this treatment are:

  1. Dr Edwards, Embryologist, develops human culture media for embryo fertilisation aka the ‘petri dish’ and partners with Dr. Steptoe, Gynecologist, who develops the method of using laparoscopy to implant embryos.
  2. Hostility and criticism was endured by both pioneers, from their peers, government, religious sectors as saying that IVF was creating ‘Frankenbabies’.
  3. Lesley Brown volunteers to undergo the IVF technique and succeeds in conception, declared officially pregnant.
  4. The birth is attended by government officials to document the baby is truly Lesley Brown’s child.
  5. July 1978, England, is the first to announce successful birth of a ‘test tube baby’ with no defects or abnormalities.
  6. IVF treatment availability comes with strict regulations such as specific age, diet, number of embryo transfers and weight next to differing costs.
  7. Medical tourism provides couples to opt for lower cost and regulations, of IVF treatment, in developing nations vs developed nations.
  8. Research today, is exploring how embryos attach to the lining of the womb when implanted thus possibly answering why the IVF cycle can prove unsuccessful.
  9. A high incidence of miscarriages with IVF treatment are common. Studies have shown miscarriages occur due to Aneuploidy, abnormal numbers of chromosomes.
  10. Stem cell research has succeeded in creation of viable offspring in animals but no reports of live human births from artificial gametes has been recorded yet.
  11. Research has shown that approximately 50% of Western men have decreased sperm counts.
artificial insemination procedure

Diagnostics help find Causes

Investigating the underlying causes of infertility are performed for both partners. This may require sensitive and specialized tests to determine if infertility is due to one or both partners.

Most specialists will require both partners to participate in a infertility study. Treatment for infertility are approached specifically with the results from each partner. Basic tests start with physical exams, endoscopy exams, laparoscopy exams, history of traumas, and family history of disease.

infertility diagnostic tests
infertility diagnostic tests

Alternatives to Infertility

Medical studies are on-going, and research never sleeps. A news story reported how a woman had a womb transplant and successful birth, there are Surrogate mothers, artificial insemination, and adoption.

It’s important to keep an open mind after all even science cannot cure infertility. It is a condition that nobody expects and blame is not on any one person. A child of one’s own genes is desirable, and children, all children, are deserving of our love and care.

New methods and discoveries will be, and have been found. One must keep their faith strong whether successful or unsuccessful.

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments or share with your Friends. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form and request a topic of your own interest for the next Post.

Learning in Action

Learning Resources

ABO Incompatibility in Newborns

Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatment PDF

Miscarriage

ACI| An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills, development, health, science, technology and society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us.

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Heart Lesson – Torsades de Pointes

heart issues torsades de pointes
heart waves arrythmia

A healthy heart as we know is a pump that delivers oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood for our bodies to survive.

Our hearts can contract up to 2.5 billion times during a person’s average life. We recognize the heart as one of the most major organs since without it, there’s no life.

Unfortunately, one can be born or acquire ailments that affect our heart, such as ‘Torsades de Pointes‘.

 Learning Heart Arrhythmia

Torsades de pointes refers to a dangerous arrhythmia of the heart. It’s usually not diagnosed or treated correctly, and still a somewhat, difficult condition to identify. Arrhythmias are viewed as a disorder in the normal rhythm and rate of the heartbeat.

Studies have revealed common characteristics of this condition for improved care and treatment depending on which variation exists. These variations refer to congenital or acquired torsades.

Types of Torsades + Heart Rates

Inherited Torsades is due to an inability for ‘ion channels‘ to correctly carry the electrical action/impulse of the heart and acquired version refers to drugs triggering Torsades due to ‘blocking‘ these ion currents. Ion channels describes the flow and rate of electrolytes, sodium and potassium in the heart.

Torsades in action has the heart in a state of ‘polymorphic ventricular tachycardia’. This refers to the heart rate increasing to 150 beats per minute (bpm) and up to 250 bpm. A normal heart rate is anywhere from 60 to 100 bpm.

Athletes can have lower heart rates than 60 bmp. This abnormal heart rate will ‘spontaneously‘ return to a normal beat but can recur and/or progress into ‘ventricular fibrillation ‘(VF) symptoms which can lead to death, if it persists. It is this ‘return to normal‘ action that has made identifying Torsades difficult.

LQTS heart beat wave patterns
LQTS heart beat wave patterns

Onset Signs and Symptoms

Medical research and studies have shown that people with Torsades have their beginnings with ‘fainting‘ due to a drop in blood pressure causing dizziness . Use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) have revealed a ‘long QT interval’ and another term, ‘Long QT Syndrome‘ (LQTS).

A recording of the heart rate may not reveal Torsades in action but definitely that ‘long QT’ or ‘short variant‘ characteristics of Torsades, help provide clues for physicians and health care professionals.

An ECG showing Torsades in action displays an illusion of a swirled rotation (like a ballet dancers’ pirhouette hence it’s name Pointes) on it’s electrical axis, a long and short RR – interval precedes the arrhythmia and follows a premature ventricular contraction (R-on-T PVC). Other symptoms reported are palpitations, rapid pulse, nausea, cold sweats, lightheadedness (short episode) and outright fainting.

Where Torsades gets Found

Torsades is usually found in people that are malnourished, chronic alcoholics, or with hypokalemia (abnormally low potassium), diarrhea, and/or hypomagnesemia (abnormally low magnesium), heart failure, left ventricular hypertrophy (enlarged left ventricle), bradycardia (slow heart rate), hypothermia and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

It is these symptoms and existing disorders that are critical for a physician or health care team to be aware and identify quickly especially before giving medications, known to trigger Torsades.

Torsades can be found in many age groups. When identified in children, it is congenital and may accompany disorders such as Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome, Romano-Ward syndrome and triggered by effects of stress, fear or physical exertion (usually prohibited from competitive sports), whearas in adult years, it is considered acquired.

Treatment and Outcomes

Electrolyte disorders are usually the cause of acquired Torsades and treatable with correcting the imbalance and/or removal of triggering medications.

Treatment for Torsades is available and it’s known there are six different variants of Torsades. Effective treatment will depend on identifying the specific ‘genotype‘ which identifies whether it’s  sodium or potassium channels that are affected.

A family physician may refer their client to a cardiologist, electrophysiologist, or geneticist. Again, failure to identify Torsades has been due to it’s ‘return to normal’ activities and complications of persistent ‘ventricular fibrillations‘ that arise.

Continuous Medical Research

 The existence of Torsades has been known for a few years, and further studies at the molecular and cellular levels have provided leaps forward in better care and treatment. The ‘prevalence‘ of Torsades in the general population is an unknown. Could this be a cause of death for the homeless, mentally or medically challenged people, that have occurred when getting tasered by police?

Learning in Motion

Further Learning Resources

 Drugs with Risk of Torsades de Pointes

 My Majors

 Living with Heart Rhythms

 I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and Share your friends and family. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form and Send me request on a topic of interest you have, or to say hello.

 All rights reserved by AIC|An Informal Cornr. Ginsense creates and posts articles about business development, micro business, health, science, technology and society.

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