*Dr. Smita Goel Homeopathy Clinic*
Your immune system is your body’s defense against infections and other harmful invaders. Without it, you would constantly get sick from germs such as bacteria or viruses.
Your immune system is made up of special cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect you.
The lymphatic system is a major part of the immune system. It's a network of lymph nodes and vessels. Lymphatic vessels are thin tubes that spread, like blood vessels, all over the body. They carry a clear fluid called lymph. Lymph contains tissue fluid, waste products, and immune system cells. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped clumps of immune system cells. They are connected by lymphatic vessels. They contain white blood cells that trap viruses, bacteria, and other invaders, including cancer cells.
White blood cells are the cells of the immune system. They are made in one of your lymph organs such as the spleen or thymus, and in the bone marrow.
When your immune system doesn't work the way it should, it is called an immune system disorder. You may:
• Be born with a weak immune system. This is called primary immune deficiency.
• Get a disease that weakens your immune system. This is called acquired immune deficiency.
• Have an immune system that is too active. This may happen with an allergic reaction.
• Have an immune system that turns against you. This is called autoimmune disease.
Immune system disorders
Here are some common examples:
• Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). This is an example of an immune deficiency that is present at birth. Children are in constant danger of infections from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This disorder is sometimes called “bubble boy disease.” In the 1970s, a boy had to live in a sterile environment inside a plastic bubble. Children with SCID are missing important white blood cells. This disease is deadly without treatment.
• Temporary acquired immune deficiencies. Your immune system can be weakened by certain medicines, for example. This can happen to people on chemotherapy or other medicines used to treat cancer. It can also happen to people after organ transplants who take medicine to prevent organ rejection. Also, infections such as the flu virus, mono (mononucleosis), and measles can weaken the immune system for a short time. Your immune system can also be weakened by smoking, alcohol, and poor nutrition.
• AIDS. HIV, which causes AIDS, is an acquired viral infection that destroys important white blood cells and weakens the immune system. People with HIV/AIDS can become seriously ill with infections that most people can fight off. These infections are called “opportunistic infections” because they take advantage of weak immune systems.
An overactive immune system
If you are born with certain genes, your immune system may react to substances in the environment that are normally harmless. These substances are called allergens. Having an allergic reaction is the most common example of an overactive immune system. Dust, mold, pollen, and foods are examples of allergens.
Some conditions caused by an overactive immune system are:
• Asthma. The response in your lungs can cause coughing, wheezing, and trouble breathing. Asthma can be triggered by common allergens like dust or pollen or by an irritant like tobacco smoke.
• Eczema. An allergen causes an itchy rash known as atopic dermatitis.
• Hay fever (allergic rhinitis). Sneezing, a runny nose, sniffling, and swelling of your nasal passages from indoor allergens such as dust and pets or outdoor allergens such as pollens or molds.
• Food allergy. Severe allergic reactions that are caused by foods.
Autoimmune disease
In autoimmune diseases, the body attacks normal, healthy tissues. Experts don't know why. It is likely a combination of a person’s genes and something in the environment that triggers those genes.
Three common autoimmune diseases are:
• Type 1 diabetes. The immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Insulin removes sugar from the blood to use as energy.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. This type of arthritis causes swelling and deformities of the joints. An auto-antibody called rheumatoid factor is in the blood of some people with rheumatoid arthritis.
• Lupus. This disease attacks body tissues, including the lungs, kidneys, and skin. Many types of auto-antibodies are found in the blood of people with lupus.
Experts don't know what causes autoimmune diseases. But many factors seem to be involved. If you have an immune system disorder, learn as much as you can about it. And work closely with your healthcare providers to manage it.
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*DR. SMITA GOEL HOMEOPATHY CLINIC*
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which our body’s use of food for production of energy is affected. Most of the food we eat is carbohydrates, and this is broken down by the digestive juices into a simple sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body. After digestion, the glucose passes into our bloodstream where it is available for body cells to use for growth and energy. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, facilitates the entry of glucose into our cells. When we eat, the pancreas is supposed to produce the right amount of insulin to move the glucose from our blood into our cells. In diabetics, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the body cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Due to this, glucose levels rise in the blood, floods into the urine and passes out of the body, making the body lose its main source of fuel.
In one national study on diabetes completed in 1989, about 2% of the 12,000 people surveyed in Indian villages were found to be diabetic, and more alarming observation was that half of them did not know that they had diabetes. This infers that there are at least 20 million diabetics in India, which is the highest ever reported number from anywhere in the world.
"…The overall incidence of diabetes was 20.2 per 1000 person years of follow up while the overall incidence of pre-diabetes was 13.1 per 1000 person years of follow up. These figures appear to be much higher than those published from the west showing once again the well-known increased susceptibility of Indians to diabetes…"…Incidence Data on Diabetes from India by Shashank R Joshi*
There are three types of diabetes. Type I - occurs when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin at all. Approximately 10 percent of people with diabetes, mostly children and young adults, have Type I diabetes. Type II - occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot use the insulin produced effectively. 90 percent of people with diabetes have Type II. Gestational - is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It affects 2 to 4 percent of all pregnancies with an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child. Type II diabetes is often preceded by a set of symptoms called Syndrome X, which leads to insulin resistance. Among the signs of Syndrome X are feeling tired after you eat and other times when you shouldn't, gaining weight and having trouble losing it, and having blood pressure and cholesterol levels creep up over time. Syndrome X can be reversed through proper diet and exercise.
Conventional medicine often uses insulin itself in the treatment of diabetes. This being just a replacement therapy, diabetes becomes a life-long disease as per general assumption. Homoeopathy can be used effectively in the treatment of diabetes and cure to disease. Some homeopathy medicines are used by us effectively in the treatment of all the stages of the diseases. Often, patients come to us already under insulin replacement. In such cases we advise the continuance of the replacement ahile starting them off on our medicines. After some months, when we see a consistent control over the blood sugar levels, we taper off the conventional replacement therapy. Complications of the disease can also be taken care of by symptomatic treatment.
Most diseases are surrounded by a number of myths. This stems basically from ignorance or lack of proper information. Similarly, diabetes too has given rise to a number of imaginary beliefs. It is imperative to debunk some of these widely prevailing myths and present the facts about this sweet killer.
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
Fact: There is no proof that sugar is the main cause behind diabetes. Diabetes is more related to family history, wrong eating habits and little or no physical activity.
Myth: Healthy foods don't raise blood sugar.
Fact: The fact is that all foods provide carbohydrates. And if there is enough insulin present in the body naturally or provided by injections, it will utilise the carbohydrates and consequently the blood sugar will not rise. However, if your body is producing less insulin or not utilising it sufficiently, then blood sugar is bound to rise even if you eat healthy foods.
Myth: Only medical treatment can control diabetes.
Fact: Diabetes is a disease that requires dietary intervention along with medical treatment. Medications are only a part of the cure. What is also needed is a healthy lifestyle behaviour that will allow the medication to work more effectively. This comes with a healthy, well balanced diet as well as a regular exercise routine.
Myth: Diabetics have to eat special foods.
Fact: Diabetics can eat the same food as non-diabetics, but in moderation.
Myth: No diet modification is required, if external insulin is being administered.
Fact: Insulin is not replacing a meal plan or involvement in any physical activity. Thus diet modification is needed, irrespective of whether insulin is being given or not.
Myth: Exercises are of no help in diabetes.
Fact: Exercise helps the pancreas to secrete more insulin, while at the same time, keeps the stress levels under control. Both these factors help to keep the blood sugar under control.
Myth: People with diabetes can eat any number of sugar free products
Fact: Sugar free does not mean calorie free. It is advisable to keep a check on the calorie product of the food, before consuming it. This way the total calorie intake can be kept under control and will further help in keeping a check on the blood sugar.
Myth : I don't have a family history of diabetes, so I won't get it.
Fact: Some people are born with a greater chance of developing diabetes than others. However, plenty of people diagnosed with the disease don't have a family history of diabetes. Your weight and lifestyle can be factors in whether you develop diabetes.
Myth: The strain and stress of everyday life is not related to diabetes.
Fact: The fact is that everyday stresses, as well as emotional and crisis situation can play a role in raising the blood sugar. Hence people with diabetes should take time out to relax and keep their stress levels under control.
A proper understanding of any disease means having a thorough knowledge about the disease, its causes and effects. That is why it is mandatory for all diabetics to be well informed and to be able to separate the myths from the facts.
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