A Weak Immune System in Autoimmune Disease
Evidence in Crohn's Disease Alludes to why LDN Works
By Elaine Moore
In a 2006 Medline Report, researchers noted that Crohn's disease seems to be related to a weak immune system rather than an overactive one.
In 2002, in my book Autoimmune Diseases and Their Environmental Triggers I described the immune system as being characteristically weak in autoimmune diseases. This weakness, which has been long recognized in alternative medicine circles, causes white blood cells to respond inappropriately, over-reacting to the body's own programs.
Understanding the Mechanism
This view is common in Eastern Medicine and has been confirmed by laboratory tests numerous times. The fact that this new report doesn't seem to understand that a strong immune system and a hyperactive immune system are not the same thing makes the lack of progress in the field of autoimmune disease disheartening.
The immune system, when working as it should, is strong and capable of defending the body against foreign organisms. When it is weak, cellular activity is erratic, and the body's own proteins are recognized as if they were foreign invaders. Immunomodulators are substances such as German chamomile and plant sterols that help strengthen weak immune systems and calm down immune systems that are too robust.
Why LDN is Effective in MS and Other Autoimmune Disorders
Low dose naltrexone works to modulate the immune system and help the body heal itself. By increasing the production of endorphins, which act as neurotransmitters, modulating immune function, low dose naltrexone helps the body return to a state of homeostasis and heal itself.
Rather than being overactive, the immune system cells in autoimmune disease are weak and ineffective. This causes them to act erratically, targeting proteins such as cell components that they would normally recognize as benign. By strengthening, not stimulating, the immune system, its cells can regain their normal functions of defending the body against infectious agents and toxins and halting abnormal cell growth. ♦
© 18 May 2008 Copyrighted by Elaine Moore