Page 10 - Autoimmune diseases

body which can disrupt the normal type 1 and type

2 responses.

The bottom line message here is that stress and

exhaustion disrupt the normal coordinated function

of the immune system. To effectively manage an

autoimmune disease, stress must be kept low and

the body must be kept from becoming exhausted.

What this means is that you must get plenty of

good deep sleep at night and not push yourself too

hard during the day.

The Intestines

A large amount of your immune system can be

found in your gastrointestinal tract (Your stomach

and intestines). There is a very logical reason for

this. Food coming in has a lot of bacteria and other

microorganisms and your body needs to protect

you from them- hence a large army of immune

cells in the gastrointestinal tract.

To understand how the GI tract contributes to

autoimmune disease, you need to understand a little

better how your GI tract, specifically your small

intestine, works. After being broken down into very