The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire in a World Out of Balance--and the Cutting-Edge Science that Promises Hope (No Series) (44 page)

In one fascinating study, investigators at the Cleveland Clinic:
Seidner DL et al. An oral supplement enriched with fish oil, soluble fiber, and antioxidants for corticosteroid sparing in ulcerative colitis: A randomized, controlled trial. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2005 Apr;3(4):358–69.

Other research shows that higher dietary intake of omega-3:
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and islet autoimmunity in children at increased risk for type-1 diabetes. Norris, J. JAMA Sept 2007;298(12):1420–1428.

A striking body of data shows:
Munger KL et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis. JAMA 2006 Dec 20;296(23):2832–8.

Other studies show that vitamin D:
Cantorna MT. Vitamin D and its role in immunology: Multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 2006 Sep;92(1):60–4. Epub 2006 Feb 28.

There is growing evidence that vitamin D:
Mullin GE, Dobs A. Vitamin D and its role in cancer and immunity: A prescription for sunlight. Nutr Clin Pract 2007 Jun;22(3):305–22. Mullin GE. Inflammatory bowel disease mucosal biopsies have specialized lymphokine mRNA profiles. Inflamm Bowel Dis 1996;2(Spring): 16–26.

One provocative investigation:
Willer CJ et al. Timing of birth and risk of multiple sclerosis: Population based study. BMJ 2005 Jan 15;330(7483):120. Epub 2004 Dec 7.

NIH researchers found that curcumin:
Funk JL et al. Turmeric extracts containing curcuminoids prevent experimental rheumatoid arthritis. J Nat Prod 2006 Mar;69(3):351–5.

Other investigations show that two grams of curcumin:
Hanai H et al. Curcumin maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis: Randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2006 Dec;4(12):1502–6. Epub 2006 Nov 13.

In one set of tests using blood samples:
Beeton C et al. Kv1.3 channels are a therapeutic target for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006 Nov 14;103(46)17414–19. Epub 2006 Nov 6.

Ironically, many of the same factors:
Ibid.

therapy with the probiotic
Lactobacillus reuteri: Pena JA et al. Probiotic
Lactobacillus
spp. diminish
Helicobacter hepaticus
–induced inflammatory bowel disease in interleukin-10-deficient mice. Infect Immun 2005 Feb;73(2):912–20.

a recent paper published in the
American Journal of Gastroenterology: Bibiloni R et al. VSL#3 probiotic-mixture induces remission in patients with active ulcerative colitis. Am J Gastroenterol 2005 Jul;100(7):1539–46.

Using nontraditional, ancient medical information:
Buenz EJ et al. Searching historical herbal texts for potential new drugs. BMJ 2006 Dec 23;333(7582):1314–15.

At other institutions around the country:
Ahmed S et al. Regulation of interleukin-1beta-induced chemokine production and matrix metalloproteinase 2 activation by epigallocatechin-3-gallate in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. Arthritis Rheum 2006 Aug;54(8):2393–401. Authors of this study recently presented further research on April 29, 2007, at the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting in Washington, D.C.

If you are concerned about a particular nutrient:
http://ods.od.nih.gov (accessed May 28, 2007).

You can also download the USDA’s free nutrient database software:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12354500 (accessed May 28, 2007).

Even stressful events that happened in our childhood:
Danese A et al. Childhood maltreatment predicts adult inflammation in a life-course study. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007 Jan 23;104(4):1319–24. Epub 2007 Jan 17.

those who had suffered more serious, negative life events:
Lantz PM et al. Stress, life events, and socioeconomic disparities in health: Results from the Americans’ Changing Lives Study. J Health Soc Behav 2005 Sep;46(3):274–88.

Stressful events are associated with an increased risk:
Buljevac D et al. Self-reported stressful life events and exacerbations in multiple sclerosis: Prospective study. BMJ 2003 Sep 20;327(7416):646.

periods of high stress are linked to the onset:
Gio-Fitman J. The role of psychological stress in rheumatoid arthritis. Medsurg Nurs 1996 Dec;5(6):422–6. Straub RH, Harle P. [Stress, hormones, and neuronal signals in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis. The negative impact on chronic inflammation.] Med Klin (Munich) 2005 Dec 15;100(12):794–803.

One startling study bears this out all too starkly:
Li J et al. The risk of multiple sclerosis in bereaved parents: A nationwide cohort study in Denmark. Neurology 2004 Mar 9;62(5):726–9.

Stress hormones and chemicals travel to the immune system:
Eskandari F et al. Neural immune pathways and their connection to inflammatory diseases. Arthritis Res Ther 2003;5(6):251–65. Gold SM et al. The role of stress-response systems for the pathogenesis and progression of MS. Trends Immunol 2005 Dec;26(12):644–52.

This increases the likelihood that the immune system:
Viswanathan K, Dhabhar FS. Stress-induced enhancement of leukocyte trafficking into sites of surgery or immune activation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 Apr 19;102(16):5808–13.

One research study found that those experiencing chronic stress:
Ranjit N et al. Psychosocial factors and inflammation in the multiethnic study of atherosclerosis. Arch Intern Med 2007 Jan 22;167(2):174–81.

But those who experience chronic physical illness:
Lucas RE. Long-term disability is associated with lasting changes in subjective well-being: Evidence from two nationally representative longitudinal studies. J Pers Soc Psychol 2007 Apr;92(4):717–30.

Some nuns were in their nineties:
For more on the Nun Study, see http://www.mc.uky.edu/nunnet/faq.htm (accessed May 28, 2007). Or see Danner DD et al. Positive emotions in early life and longevity: findings from the nun study. J Pers Soc Psychol 2001 May;80(5):804–13.

By staying primarily at a low baseline:
Parker-Pope T. The secrets of successful aging. Wall Street Journal, 2006 Jun 20;R1,R3.

areas of the brain that have to do with sensory processing:
Lazar SW et al. Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport 2005 Nov 28;16(17):1893–7.

Did winning an Oscar:
Redelmeier DA, Singh SM. Survival in Academy Award–winning actors and actresses. Ann Intern Med 2001 May 15;134(10):955–62.

Likewise, exercise can stimulate injured neurons:
Molteni R et al. Voluntary exercise increases axonal regeneration from sensory neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004 Jun 1;101(22):8473–8.

Other reports show that children with type 1 diabetes:
Herbst A et al. Effects of regular physical activity on control of glycemia in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2006 Jun;160(6):573–7.

exercise can improve muscle strength:
Rietberg MB et al. Exercise therapy for multiple sclerosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005 Jan 25;(1):CD003980.

Each day an average of five new chemicals:
Seventeen hundred new chemicals are put on the market each year, which averages to about five newly approved chemicals a day.

These domestic emissions:
Halpern S, McKibben B. The enemy within: The air in our cities can be less toxic than the carcinogens, hormone disrupters, and neurotoxins in household cleaners. House & Garden, 2006 Oct;741.

Other states may soon encourage similar changes:
Fischler MS. A safe house? New York Times, 2007 Feb 15. Available from http:// www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/garden/15clean.html?ei=5088&en=5feb7ca43ebbOa32&ex=1329195600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print (accessed July 18 2007).

Instead, look for organic products:
Naturally Rockford: Four tips for finding safe, organic alternatives. Rock River Times, 2007 Mar 21. Available from http://www.rockrivertimes.com/index.pl?Cmd=viewstory&cat=6&id=15979 (accessed July 18 2007).

Viruses left on surfaces:
EurekAlert! UVA researchers find that hotel guests with colds can leave their germs behind after checkout. Press release, 2006 Sept 29. Shared at the forty-sixth annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, September 29, San Francisco, CA. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006–09/uovh-urf092806.php (accessed May 28, 2007).

The average American washes his or her hands:
Hitti M. America’s clean-hands grade sullied. WebMD Medical News, 2006 Sep 22. Available from http://www.webmd.com/news/20060922/americas-clean-hands-grade-sullied (accessed May 28, 2007).

APPENDIX

Autoimmune and Related Diseases:
This list was compiled with the help of Ahmet Hoke, MD, PhD, Director, Neuromuscular Division, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

T
his book exists because of the help of three key people in my life. My agent and friend, Elizabeth Kaplan, who once again pushed me to report and write about what I live and then held my hand all along the way when the living got tough. My dear friend Stephanie von Hirschberg, who, lucky me, just happens to be a brilliant editor, and who helped cajole, shape, and edit every page into what you see before you now. Without her, this book would be but a pale rendition of what you hold in your hands. And my husband, Zenji, who has always been there through the hellish ups and downs of my health challenges and by being there has made all the difference. I am also indebted to my editors at Touchstone—Trish Todd, who first recognized the importance of this project, and Trish Grader, who saw it through—both of whom did much to make this project a reality. I also want to thank Doris Cooper for sharing her vision for this project at its inception.

In the beginning of reporting this book I met with several researchers who, although they are not profiled between these covers, played a central role in shaping this project: Kenneth Olden, PhD, ScD, then director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Frederick Miller, MD, PhD, chief of the Environmental Autoimmunity Group at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and Glinda Cooper, PhD, and Dori Germolec PhD, epidemiologists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, all spent time with me at their National Institutes of Health offices to help point me in the right direction. I am also particularly indebted to the following scientists and physicians whose names you will find in these pages: DeLisa Fairweather, Denise Faustman, Kathleen Gilbert, John Harley, Ahmet Hoke, Douglas Kerr, Gerard Mullin, Michele Petri, Mike Pollard, Noel Rose, Hal Scofield, and Allen Silverstone. These researchers spent precious hours helping me to understand their research and ensuring that my translation of their work into lay reader terms did not impinge upon the science. I’m grateful for having had what I liken to a two-year course in Immunology 101 at the hands of some of the brightest scientific minds of our time, and any mistakes I have made with their subject matter are purely my own. It is only right that I doubly thank Ahmet Hoke and Gerard Mullin, both of whom, as my physicians, have played a paramount role in helping me to achieve stability with the autoimmune conditions I face. I would also like to thank Dr. Savely Yurkovsky for his help.

My gratitude also goes to Virginia Ladd for her help throughout this project, to Joyce Miller, for tracking down elusive studies, to Dayna Meyers for her stellar research assistance, and to Priscilla Hart and Shannon Brownlee for their comments on the first chapters of this book when it was in an early draft form. A special thanks to the people of Buffalo, who opened their hearts, doors, and files to help me to piece together the history of the lupus cluster in their area, especially Judith Anderson, LaShekia Chatman, Carlos Crespo, Rhonda Lee Dixon, Joe Gardella, Betty Jean Grant, Laurene Tumiel-Berhalter and Julien Turell.

Finally, there was a long period of time in my life when I couldn’t do much for myself, physically, due to my own autoimmune crisis, and there were a few amazing women who came each and every day to help me through. Tracy Greenfield, Stephanie von Hirschberg, Sarah Judd, Kimberly Minear, and Valerie Rogers, there are not enough words to thank you for being here every day for me—and for my children.