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May 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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An autoimmune disease
develops when the immune
system, which defends the body
against disease, decides healthy
cells are foreign.
What’s the Connection
Between Allergies and the
Autoimmune System?
By Dr. Tom Miller, Staff Writer
An allergy may occur when the
immune system reacts to something such as pollen, pet dander or
a variety of foods. An autoimmune
disease develops when the immune
system, which defends the body
against disease, decides healthy
cells are foreign. As a result, the
immune system attacks those cells.
Depending on its type, an autoimmune disease can affect one or
many different types of body tissue.
Some allergies are on the rise
in Western countries. Food allergies more than tripled in the
United States over the past decade.
Developed countries are also seeing an increase in autoimmune and
allergic diseases.
An autoimmune disease that is
often mistaken for an allergy is
psoriasis. Psoriasis presents with
patches of scaly, red or white skin
called plaques. Some people confuse psoriasis for allergies before
they visit the doctor because both
An
autoimmune
disease that
is often
mistaken for
an allergy is
psoriasis.
conditions can cause itchy, red
skin. Patients sometimes believe
they have an allergy because they
have a rash, itchy skin, a skin fungus, an infection or skin bumps
when in fact they have psoriasis.
Stress is an important factor to consider if the condition
is psoriasis. Stressful life events
(Miller 2010) can compromise
the immune system and may be
partly to blame when the disease
first appears and when it flares.
The meta-analysis also revealed
that people who are older or who
have chronic disease or disorders
are more prone to stress-related
immune changes. Kiecolt-Glaser
and Glaser (2002) found psychological depression due to stressful
life events and age can result in
a compromised immune system.
When someone experiences stressful life events, these stressors can
alter the effective functioning of
the immune system, and that stress
can cause psoriasis. Internal stressors also affect psoriasis.
Before trying to self-treat, it
is important to accurately diagnose any reaction your body
shows when it is stressed, such
as migraine headaches or skin
irritation. An integrated health
approach involves a visit to your
prima