When one of these invaders tries to break into the body, the body's first line of defence is the skin and mucous membranes.

The skin and mucous membranes house macrophages (white cells of the tissues) and antibodies. The macrophages job is to digest the antigens while the antibodies trap the antigens that got away. If the antigens break through these barriers, the body reacts by producing lymphocytes (B and T-cells) programmed to attack and kill the antigen.

In general terms, when antibodies are directed against the body's own cells, or when B and T-cells attack and destroy their own body's cells and not foreign antigens, an autoimmune disorder can result.

Autoimmune disorders are diseases caused by the body producing an inappropriate immune response against its own tissues.

Sometimes the immune system will cease to recognize one or more of the body’s normal constituents as "self” and will create autoantibodies – antibodies that attack its own cells, tissues, and/or organs. This causes inflammation and damage and leads to autoimmune disorders.

Autoimmune disorders fall into two general types:

those that damage many organs (systemic autoimmune diseases) :
and
those where only a single organ or tissue is directly damaged by the autoimmune process (localized).

There are around 80 different autoimmune disorders ranging in severity from mild to disabling, depending on which system of the body is under attack and to what degree.

Some of the most common types of autoimmune disorders include:

•    Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (pancreas islets)
•    Rheumatoid Arthritis (joints; less commonly lung, skin)
•    Lupus (skin, joints, kidneys, heart, brain, red blood cells)
•    Scleroderma (skin, intestine, less commonly lung)
•    Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves Disease (thyroid)
•    Sjogren’s syndrome (salivary glands, tear glands, joints)
•    Multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome (brain)
•    Coeliac Disease, Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis (GI tract)
•    Goodpasture’s syndrome (lungs, kidneys)
•    Wegener’s granulomatosis (sinuses, lungs, kidneys)
•    Addison’s disease (adrenal)

The exact causes of autoimmune disorders are not known. The risk factors seem to include:

Genetics
A predisposition to autoimmune disorders seems to run in families. However, family members can be affected by different disorders; for example, one person may have diabetes, while another has rheumatoid arthritis. It seems that genetic susceptibility alone is not enough to trigger an autoimmune reaction, and other factors must contribute.

Environmental factors
A family's susceptibility to autoimmune disorders may be linked to common environmental factors, perhaps working in conjunction with genetic factors.

Gender
Around three quarters of people with autoimmune disorders are women.

Sex hormones
Autoimmune disorders tend to strike during the childbearing years. Some disorders seem to be affected, for better or worse, by major hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.

Infection
Some disorders seem to be triggered or worsened by particular infections.

Conclusion
There is currently no cure for autoimmune disorders, although in rare cases they may disappear on their own.

Treatment of autoimmune disorders is tailored to the individual and may change over time. The goal is to relieve symptoms, minimize organ and tissue damage, and preserve organ function.

Transfer Factor Classic has been known to assist people with auto-immune diseases.

For more information please contact me.