1 out of 2 Americans has an Autoimmune Disease and this number is rising at
an alarming rate

One of the functions of the immune system is to protect the body from invading microorganisms. Unfortunately, in certain cases, immune cells make a mistake and cause the death of the cells they are supposed to protect.

Autoimmune diseases are in effect due to a confused immune system. What causes this is still the subject of much debate but bacteria, viruses, toxins, vaccines and some drugs may play a role. There is also disagreement as to what exactly constitutes an autoimmune disease and what diseases actually have an autoimmune component. For example, at the turn of the twentieth century medical journals worldwide called Multiple Sclerosis "the fakers disease" because of its hard to quantify symptoms, and there are still today medical experts who proclaim that many of these diseases are only in the mind of the afflicted. So goes the controversy surrounding Autoimmune Disease.

If we use the simplest definition of Autoimmunity, where the body attacks its own tissue, than there are over 50 related diseases and over 50 million Americans who suffer. If an overactive immune system is considered the defining characteristic (including asthma and allergies), then there are over 60 related diseases and the number of Americans inflicted jumps to over 100 million.

Many doctors consider an Autoimmune disease to be any disease that involves a disordered immune system and the number who suffer encompasses nearly half of all Americans. This percentage is rising at an alarming rate. Whatever your personal description of the disease, it is clear that for some reason the immune system has become confused as to its role and the effects continue to wreak havoc.

The following table lists some of the known autoimmune diseases: