MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'autoimmune disease'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:59:46 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182094&cid=t_101877_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fhow-dry-i-am-day-to-day-life-with-sjogrens-syndrome%2F Many of us who live with autoimmune diseases wonder how many different ones we can have. Sometimes they seem to be piling up on us in a world in which one usually has one disease, we can have several. There are times they “bleed” into each other like sand art when the tide rises and life can become very confusing. There is something about we mere mortals that drives us on to find a name for our suffering. Usually, we know something is wrong long before we get a label from a doctor. It often involves seeing many physicians and hearing their guesses as to what we have wrong with us. Each of them cannot know everything but the good ones do know what to do about it when they don’t know; they send you to a specialist. We keep the appointments because, secretly, we need to know our sym... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182094 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:42:14 +0100 5182094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592394&cid=t_101877_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-new-treatment-for-lupus%2F2011.03.15 Lupus, an autoimmune disease, [recently] turned up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It cropped up, also, on the first page of the New York Times business section, and elsewhere. Scientific American published a nice online review just now. The reason is that the FDA has approved a new monoclonal antibody for treatment of this condition. The drug belimumab (Benlysta), targets a molecule called BlyS (B-lymphocyte Stimulator). The newspapers uniformly emphasize that this drug marks some sort of triumph for Human Genome Sciences, a biotech company that first reported on BlyS in the journal Science way back in 1999. BlyS triggers B cells to produce antibodies that in patients with lupus tend to bind and destroy their own cells’ needed machinery, causing various joint, lung... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592394 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:00:36 +0100 4592394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565902&cid=t_101877_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fniche-science-and-targeted-medicines-vs-magic-bullets%2F2011.03.09 Maybe you read the other day in The New York Times that the pharmaceutical industry has a problem. Big blockbuster drugs like Lipitor are going off patent and the industry leaders don’t have new blockbusters showing promise to replace them. So the big companies search for little companies with new discoveries and they consider buying them. Industry observers think the days of $5 billion-a-year drugs to lower cholesterol or control diabetes may be past for awhile, and the companies will have smaller hits with new compounds for autoimmune conditions and cancer. When I saw my oncologist for a checkup yesterday — the news was good — we chatted about the article and the trend toward “niche science.” We welcomed it. We didn’t think — from our perspective — the wor... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565902 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:30:58 +0100 4565902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742248&cid=t_101877_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatient-stories-about-hair-loss%2F2010.07.10 The New York Times has a series called “Patient Voices” which gives insights from the patients with the disease, physical and emotional changes in their lives, and accommodations made. The most recent series is on patients with alopecia (hair loss). “The Voices of Alopecia” by Tara Parker-Pope (July 6, 2010): This week, Patient Voices explores alopecia, an autoimmune disease that leads to a few bald patches to the loss of every hair on a person’s body. To hear what it’s like to live with alopecia, listen to the Patient Voices audio slideshow that features adults, children and their parents who are coping with the condition. Listen to these seven people tell what it’s like to live with alopecia: - Matt Kelly, 43, lost his hair at age 38 over a 6 week time... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742248 Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3742248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3435109&cid=t_101877_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FXU8sRQXm6ks%2F         Lupus, also known as lupus erythematosus, is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that occurs mostly in women.  A healthy immune system is one that can protect you from germs and illness.  It makes antibodies which are special chemicals that fight off infection.  With a disease like lupus, the immune system gets confused and begins attacking the healthy cells in your body.  It does this by making autoantibodies, which are antibodies that attack the body’s normal cells.  Lupus produces widely varying symptoms, although joint pain is reported by most patients and skin lesions are common.  Lupus can cause short periods of symptoms alternating with healthy periods, or can progress into a life-threatening disorder affecting the heart, kidneys and other organs.  Peopl... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3435109 Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:59:36 +0100 3435109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267074&cid=t_101877_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fcartilage-and-its-role-in-my-life%2F For many of you who read this blog and also lead a life of chronic pain, the “bad guy” in your life is called bone. Many of you have suffered injuries of the spine or other bones. Others have contacted diseases of the bones in one of the many forms of rheumatoid disease. They are all different in their approach, advance and insult to the body. For all of us it is important to remember that the human body is a wonder of connections of many types of substances as bones, nerves, ligaments and cartilage all move as one because of that connection. This makes it a bit tricky to diagnose and I believe that’s why physicians so often rely on lab work. It’s difficult for doctor’s to know and actually impossible for them to see within us…X-ray vision is not available for doctor’s unless... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267074 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:48:21 +0100 3267074 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172176&cid=t_101877_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FeRIMicFz4UA%2Fpatients-for-a-moment-down-and-dirty Sifting through the emotional, administrative, and financial trauma of dealing with illness, being sick ultimately all comes back to the body.  So for this installment of Patients for A Moment, we asked that bloggers submit posts about the down and dirty physical world of their disease. Ever pulled a serious MacGyver providing your own home healthcare with saline solution and a turkey baster?  Duncan Cross has and writes about it in on the Duncan Cross post Duncan 1, Hospital 0. “I guess if I had a choice, I’d rather wake up next to some ugly guy that I don’t remember meeting – not that, that has ever happened to me before – because it’s really bad when the party you don’t want to wake up next to is yourself…”  Need I say more about Leslie Rott’s post The Ultimate Co... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172176 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:33:42 +0100 3172176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044947&cid=t_101877_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fdiabetes-around-the-world.html Living in the United States, we are often stuck in a bubble of US-centric news.  This is true for diabetes as much as any other topic. But as World Diabetes Day attests to, diabetes is hardly just an American thing. In reality, there’s much more going on in the global diabetes research arena than you [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044947 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0100 3044947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934905&cid=t_101877_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fwayback-wednesday-seven-things-worse-than-the-diabetes.html On an overnight trip to Dallas two weeks ago, I broke out in some rather ugly hives — again! My lips poofed up like I’d been slammed with a hockey puck, and my right eye went all ape-like. This lasted for several days.  It was that damn gluten allergy again, I must assume, although for [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934905 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:52 +0100 2934905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862087&cid=t_101877_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2009%2F10%2Fendogenous-retroviruses.html are genetic elements representing the result of retrovirus infections and integration of the proviruses into the germline of vertebrates including humans. Retroviruses use the enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) to transcribe their RNA genome into cDNA and incorporate it into the cellular genome. Infections of germ cells result in the presence of these viruses in the genome all cells of the organism and transmission of these sequneces to the offspring. Only some endogenous retroviruses are replication competent and produce infectious particles; most are defective. Although the role of endogenous retroviruses during tumour development and autoimmune diseases is still unclear, sufficient evidence has accumulated indicating that retroviruses play an important role in physiological processes. E... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862087 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:54:00 +0100 2862087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834387&cid=t_101877_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fi_yQInvwMsY%2F This latest FDA approval would bring relief to more than 7.5 million Americans who suffer from a chronic skin disorder called PSORIASIS, which look like red, thick, scaly patches on the skin. Psoriatic patches, which are usually itchy and painful, are inflamed areas where excessive layers of cells had built up on the skin. And now, after extensive and extended testing, the FDA has approved ustekinumab (Stelara) for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. (See amazing before-and-after photos!) Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease, which means a faulty immune system mistakenly attacks the skin and joints, treating the body like an invader and releasing chemicals that otherwise fight infections and foreign substances. As bad as it already looks, psoriasis affects more than the skin. The dis... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834387 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:56:00 +0100 2834387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832296&cid=t_101877_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-why-me%2F I am not, as the title of this blog posting may lead you to believe, wallowing in the fact that I have MS today.  Not feeling sorry for myself, not throwing a pity party, not even bemoaning, just wondering…seriously, why me?! Research seems to be coming out at an increasing pace of late.  Research that is telling us more and more about multiple sclerosis, the disease itself, the aggravating events and anecdotal evidence of some causative factors.  Still I find myself asking “why me?”! I’m a man with a disease which is diagnosed three times more frequently in women. I never had a bout of mononucleosis in my youth (and don’t show evidence in blood work that I was ever exposed/infected without knowing) I’ve never had a major trauma to the head or neck. I’ve never smoked cigar... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832296 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:31:17 +0100 2832296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796693&cid=t_101877_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fanother-diagnosis-in-the-family-lyme-disease.html Up until now it’s been all about me and my #$%@ chronic illness. That wasn’t so bad, for me. Far tougher is the realization that someone you love — someone who’s been the rock of your existence — may not be so invincible after all. Although nothing truly catastrophic has happened, a little [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796693 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:52:33 +0100 2796693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2641369&cid=t_101877_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautoimmune-disease.html As a medical physician for over 50 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects and let you, the reader, come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary that results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Let me know how we are doing. Your constructive comments are always appreciated. Click the RSS post button on the upper right hand corner if you would like to receive by email our future medical blogs.Visit http;//www.americanacupuncture.com/ for more detailed information on healing.DO YOU HAVE AN AUTOIMMUNE... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2641369 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:26:00 +0100 2641369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561515&cid=t_101877_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fwayback-wednesday-free-gifts-with-diabetes.html I’m taking a cue from my buddy Scott Johnson and other bloggers, and enjoying a look back at what I was on about here a few years ago, via the WayBack Machine.  Here’s what DiabetesMine roughly looked like back in 2005. Wow! In the process, I stumbled on the following post, from April 2005, that [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561515 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:48 +0100 2561515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2512255&cid=t_101877_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fimportance-of-diet-in-crohns-disease%2F In the last blog, we touched on the subject of diet, but I want to go a little further with it this week.  What to eat and what not to eat is a really frustrating aspect of Crohn’s disease.  What we could really use is a manual that would tell us what foods to avoid instead of having to do the trial and error method that we all have to currently do.  There is no manual that is handed out once you obtain your diagnosis of Crohn’s disease that states: ‘if you eat this you will feel bad so avoid it at all costs’.  No, instead, they pretty much don’t tell you anything.  I think that the doctors purposely avoid the topic of diet because it is so different from patient to patient that there really isn’t a specific diet for Crohn’s disease that they can point you to.  But ther... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2512255 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:29:40 +0100 2512255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1865775&cid=t_101877_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fsteroids-friend-or-foe%2F Once again, I find myself on the old “downalator.” Reducing my dose of prednisone is not my favorite thing to do. I’ve done it many times in the last 20 years, and it never gets any easier. It’s really a good thing. It just doesn’t feel like it. As usual I will share with you what I and my family have experienced because that’s the view from here. It helps a little that I’m a nurse, gave birth to a nurse and married to a nurse. All of that helps with the jargon and offers a basic understanding of this whole business. Living with autoimmune disease is a very complicated business. As many of you have found, you need all the help you can get. My oldest sister suffered terribly from psoriatic arthritis. Many years ago, when she was first diagnosed, she... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865775 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:13:59 +0100 1865775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1242441&cid=t_101877_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fpractical-can-be-delicious-on-the-anti-inflammatory-diet%2F When it comes right down to living, it is one thing to read or hear advice but it is another thing to apply it to our everyday lives. When our hunger pangs “hit the road” it’s just so much easier to revert to eating the way we were brought up. Change is difficult, especially if you’re in pain, depressed and are dealing with a whole “plateful” of problems already. Today I would like to share a few easy, practical ideas for a healthy diet for those of us who suffer from autoimmune disease which may cause inflammation in joints, skin and major organs. We all need to be practical about the real world we live in. Some of us are the family cooks and have to please spouses and/or children. There are no specific recipes which will eliminate arthritis, just some basic rules or guideline... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1242441 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:46:27 +0100 1242441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1027079&cid=t_101877_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F11%2F14%2Fworld-diabetes-day-no-child-should-die-of-diabetes.html by Pat SalberToday is the first ever UN-observed World Diabetes Day led by the International Diabetes Federation. It was established as a result of a resolution passed last December by the General Assembly of the UN. The idea behind the Day is to increase visibility of diabetes world-wide.  Hopefully this will lead to better funding, more research, public education, and other resources being applied to the condition.The focus of this year’s World Diabetes Day campaign is diabetes in children and adolescents. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic disease of childhood. Children and teens can develop Type 1 diabetes – an autoimmune disorder in which the insulin producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed – or they can develop Type 2 diabetes – a condit... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1027079 Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:51:25 +0100 1027079 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1003636&cid=t_101877_122_f&fid=35055&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsarasotaneurology.com%2F2007%2F11%2F05%2Fmyasthenia-gravis-a-rare-muscle-weakness-disorder%2F Myasthenia gravis is a rare disorder of muscle weakness. Many confuse this with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system disorder affecting the insulation (myelin) on nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. In contrast myasthenia gravis is a muscle disease where transmission of electrical impulses to the muscle fail. This results in the muscle not contracting fully, resulting in weakness. This condition can selectively affect the eye muscles, muscles of the head and neck or be generalized affecting all muscle, including the diaphragm. If the diaphragm is involved, patients can have varying degrees of breathing problems, including respiratory failure. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the standard model of a neurological autoimmune disorder. In autoimmune diseases, the b... Sarasota Neurology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1003636 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:12:57 +0100 1003636 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=998687&cid=t_101877_134_f&fid=35137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdiabetesupdate.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fgood-germs-bad-germs.html No, this is not a pun on the title of Gary Taubes' new book. It's the name of a completely different book which should be of great interest to anyone whose diabetes is autoimmune in origin.Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by Jessica Snyder Sachs, is an up-to-date summary of what we know about how bacteria interact with humans. It's a fascinating story, because after a lifetime of "fighting germs" it seems that scientists are coming to learn that the interaction between bacteria and our bodies is far more complex than was ever realized and we have to work with germs and make alliances with "good germs" in order to survive. Why this relates to diabetes is that the book starts out with several chapters that explore in greater detail than I've seen elsewhere, the... Diabetes Update blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=998687 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:49:00 +0100 998687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=682744&cid=t_101877_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F06%2F20%2Fdiamyd-clinical-trial-speed-bump%2F Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Drugs, Research, Opinion, ProductsCircumstances of confusion invalidated a Diamyd clinical trial to protect insulin-producing cells in diabetes patients. This confusion amounts to a speed bump, but Diamyd intends to press on. The company admitted hat the Phase II clinical trial of its gene therapy had been botched following a mix up over which patients received the drug and which got placebo. Diamyd is a vaccine based on GAD65, a major factor for diabetes due to an autoimmune reaction. The company designed the vaccine to reduce the need of insulin injections and prevent the destruction of beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Also, by protecting these cells, it may allow them to regenerate in a non-autoimmune environment, and possibly set the stag... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=682744 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 682744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623318&cid=t_101877_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F5%2F17%2Fgod-illuminated-how-immunity-works.html .Antibodies are an important defense mechanism against all kinds of foreign invaders, be it bacteria, viruses, or toxins. Without this defense we couldn’t survive very long. Remember the ‘bubble boy’? He was a kid who had a genetic defect that deprived him of antibody protection. He had to spend his life in a sterile plastic bubble in order to survive.How do antibodies do it?We are endowed from birth with a library of antibodies that are structurally designed to recognize and bind to these foreign invaders; each antibody recognizes a specific molecule of organism, or something structurally very close to it. This raises several obvious questions:How can the antibody recognize a certain organism from birth, not having seen this organism before? The answer is that the repert... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623318 Fri, 18 May 2007 01:34:15 +0100 623318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478738&cid=t_101877_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F03%2F17%2Fa-clue-to-the-rise-in-type-1-diabetes%2F Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Lifestyle, Research, Daily News, OpinionThousands of pre-school age children are being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as new figures show a dramatic rise over the past 20 years. Between 1985 and 2004, the study conducted by Bristol University, has seen an increase in cases of type 1 diabetes in children under the age of 5 five times the previous average. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body fails to produce insulin or makes only a little. One of the theories leading to the rise in type 1 diabetes is due to infants being exposed to exorbitantly clean households. The researchers found that incidence in all children under 15 had doubled. But the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children under the age of five went from .2 cases per 1,000 to... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478738 Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100 478738