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Studies Show Connection Between Environmental Pollutants and Lupus   Lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks its own healthy cells, is a crippling condition for some and affects millions of Americans each year. For those who knowingly have the disease, many have reported worsening symptoms within days of being around smog in crowded cities. In a recent study conducted in Montreal, Canada, it was shown that being around increased airborne pollution and particles had a direct correlation with severity of the disease among lupus patients. Background on Lupus Lupus is a chronic condition that causes swelling and inflammation in the joints, and can also affect many organs in the body. The disease affects primarily women of childbearing age, although some other populations also are affected. The way lupus works is complicated—it is believed to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The affected person’s genes make them prone to the disorder, an...

Air Quality Issues Recently Discovered in Dorm Rooms Recently, alarmingly high levels of toxic flame retardants have been found during testing of the air quality in college dorm rooms. These harmful chemicals could potentially impact the health of the young students who reside in them. The risk posed by these chemicals range from cancer to hormonal disruption, and more. Many enviromentalist debate on what is the best air purifier for dorm room s as one side is focused on  the irmportance of particualte removal, while the other side argues the importance of removing VOCs and enviromental exposures. Among the chemicals found were two flame retardants that have either been largely eliminated from modern products, or completely banned. One, DecaBDE, has seen its manufacturing almost completely halted since 2013 when it began to be phased out of the industry due to its known side effects in lab rats. It is labeled as a possible carcinogen and was found in higher concentrations during ...

Top Triggers of Autoimmune Disease Autoimmune diseases, in which the body attacks its own tissues and cells, are becoming more and more prevalent. Over 50 million Americans have some type of autoimmune disease. As an attempt to combat these conditions, many patients are resorting to medications that merely mask symptoms. Hiding symptoms rather than trying to get to the root cause of the disease only prolongs suffering in the long run. Many autoimmune diseases, whether they be Crohn’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, or others, share common underlying problems that cause them. Find out what are the main triggers of autoimmune disease , and how to start eliminating them in order to get yours under control. Please note that there are other triggers that may affect particular autoimmune diseases and cause flare ups, but these are the most prevalent across the board. #1. Gluten Gluten is the protein found in grain products like wheat, oats, barley, and rye. It seems to be a fa...

For most people, our immune systems know the difference between our body’s cells and foreign substances and know to only attack those that pose a danger to our body. For some, however, our bodies don’t know the difference and may attack perfectly healthy tissue, resulting in an autoimmune disease. Although the cause of why exactly autoimmune diseases may occur is unknown, we do know that there is a connection between the way our bodies handle allergens and autoimmune disease responses. Questions remain, however, what is the Connection Between Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases What is an Autoimmune Disease? An autoimmune disease is a disorder in which the human body treats certain healthy tissues as if they were a threat. Our immune systems are designed to recognize substances according to the antigens they present. Antigens are molecules specific to those substances that our body can “read.” The majority of our bodies know the difference between its own antigens and those that come f...