Arthritis,Lupus, Allergies, Multiple Sclerosis, and on and on

A lot of people have been asking me about different problems which could all be lumped into the classification of Autoimmune Diseases. This is a big umbrella term that the medical profession seems to use when they are not sure of just what is going on in the body. All they ARE sure about is that the body seems to be turning against itself or is not repairing itself the right way. OK I know that this is not the Wikipedia answer, but more of a biased comment.

The thing is......most people don't care about the definition of arthritis or multiple sclerosis or lupus....they just want to get better and start feeling great. Dr Jamie Gallant had something interesting to say about this. I have never heard of this before he told me about it. Here is a short answer he wrote for me:

Do You Have Immune Confusion?

Many chronic illnesses today can be coined as “autoimmune diseases”. These illnesses can affect many different parts of the body including the joints, gut, lungs and kidneys. Why do these illnesses occur? There are many theories about the potential causes of autoimmune disorders including genetic predisposition, exposure to infectious agents and suboptimal liver and digestive function. No matter what the cause the common scenario involves inflammatory damage of various body tissues where medical treatment entails use of prednisone or other anti-inflammatory medications. These drugs, although life saving in many cases, are known for their side effects so it is wise to limit use when possible. During treatment we often use nutritional, herbal and homeopathic remedies for the management of inflammation in order to reduce the need for medication while concurrently decreasing the immune system stress by restricting foods to which you are sensitive. Detoxification is a useful tool to reduce the toxic burden contributing to the immune dysfunction. Anyone who is interested in how detoxification and digestive health affect chronic disease would do well to read, “Eating Alive” by Dr Jonn Matsen ND.

The critical aspect of treatment of autoimmune disease is nervous system confusion that typically results from long term toxicity and stress. The nervous system can be thought of as a “bio-computer” that is constantly making billions of decisions every second in an attempt to maintain balance (homeostasis). Unfortunately, the nervous system can get confused and make decisions based on faulty data. Autoimmune diseases generally exhibit these errors in judgment often confusing body tissues with infectious agents, toxins or even ingested food. One of the most successful treatments for most autoimmune disease is various forms of energetic medicine. Energetic medicine can be thought of as a way of communicating with the body’s nervous system to correct these informational errors leading to disease. A favorite modality of mine is NMT (Neuromodulation technique) which uses muscle testing and questions phrased by the practitioner to see where information faults exist in the body’s nervous system. Interestingly, the body’s subconscious has a pretty good idea about what is going on and we can exploit that information via muscle testing. Many autoimmune conditions respond very favorably to this technique when in the hands of an experienced practioner. For more information see the NMT website at http://www.nmt.md .

No matter what the condition, it is always wise to do whatever you can to improve your general health and well being. Healthy diet, exercise, and positive mindset go a long way to improve the prognosis of any patient. Most autoimmune patients can improve their illness through healthy lifestyle choices and general health support through their local Naturopathic Doctor!

OK....now let me add a comment. There are doctors and there are doctors. Dr Jamie Gallant is always on the lookout for things that work. I have had the experience where some Doctors ( naturopathic, homeopathic, allopathic, etc etc) are more fixed to their own agenda and belief system than to a practical answer to their patients problems. And also just because the doc has some certificate on the wall, it doesn't mean that they are expert in that technique. Many healing techniques take skill and aptitude. This is why many healers only use certain techniques. They chose the things that resonate with them. And it is my belief that the patient would do well to do the same. Well, that is my two cents worth. What do you think? Feel free to add your comments.

Oh Yes I almost forgot. Here is a link to the book Dr. Gallant mentioned:

Colin