What is autoimmune disease?

Autoimmune disease occurs when the body loses part of it’s ability to differentiate between “self” and “other.”

The complex network of cells and proteins that make up our immune system is an invaluable ally. Foreign invaders that would do us harm, such as viruses, are subject to intense assault by immune cells to keep us safe.

Sometimes, however, this powerful defensive armory turns against us. Immune attack against healthy tissues, known as autoimmunity, is thought to play a part in more than 100 different diseases, including type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and lupus. One in five people, more than 50 million Americans, suffer from some form of autoimmune disease, and women are much more likely to be affected than men.

Autoimmune diseases can be mild, such as atopic dermatitis or dry eyes, or they can be severe, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriasis.

Due to our “clean” Western environment, we have successfully controlled some diseases, but in doing so, we have lost the ability to fight autoimmune “triggers” and may have opened the door to an increase in autoimmune disease.

Western Medicine has not been able to find a cure for autoimmune disease. Typically, the only treatment has been trying to identify the “triggers” and having patients avoid them. But many autoimmune diseases do not have a “trigger” that can be identified, controlled, or avoided. Recently, there has been an increase in medications offered to treat autoimmune disease but, if they work, they only control or partially control symptoms. They do not cure and they often come with dangerous side effects.

Acupuncture works by calming the body’s immune system and reversing the body’s sensitivity to the “trigger.” Acupuncture reverses or stabilizes the progression of autoimmune disease for the majority of patients.