Autoimmune diseases on the rise

 Autoimmune diseases are rising at what scientists call “epidemic” rates, affecting 50 million people in the U.S. (An auto-immune disease is one in which the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues.) Although there are plenty of theories about why this is so, nobody really knows what is causing the rise. Some of the most well-known of these diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Guillain-Barre syndrome, psoriasis, Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Myasthenia gravis, and vasculitis. 

You might be surprised to discover that you know many people with autoimmune diseases. When I started thinking about it, I could name several people dealing with it. For example, we have only a few neighbors in our rural area, but one has rheumatoid arthritis, and another has Hashimoto’s disease (the immune system attacks the thyroid gland).

Autoimmune diseases are often triggered by viruses or bacteria. For example, long-term exposure to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease can trigger chronic autoimmune disease, as happened with the writer Amy Tam (and many others). Tam writes, “I suffered joint pain, head and muscle aches, insomnia, a racing heart, a gagging sensitivity to smells, constant nausea and exhaustion, plunging blood sugar, seizures and an obsession with my unknown illness. Worst of all, I could not read a paragraph and recall what it said.” 

Autoimmune diseases affect twice as many women as men. Unsurprisingly, women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with mental illness or lack of self-care. More than 45 percent have been labeled hypochondriacs—especially those patients who complain of unrelenting fatigue, pain, and brain fog. Because those are the same symptoms of long haul Covid, people (mostly women) presenting with those symptoms are now being taken seriously.

Maybe most of us have an as-yet-undiagnosed autoimmune disease. Now I’m wondering if my actinic keratosis (scaly patches on my skin) is a case in point.  Just a thought.

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Irrigating your nose with a neti pot

I know a few people who use neti pots to wash out their nasal passages. The point is to wash out undesirable particles so they don’t collect in your sinus passages. In case you don’t know what a neti pot is, here’s a picture of someone using one. As you can see, to use one you fill the pot with salty water, then stick the spout up one nostril and let the water flow into your nose. (If you’re interested, check the internet for the proper way to use these devices).

I’ve never used one, and, until now, had no idea if the practice had any value. It turns out, it does. According to Dr. Zara Patel, an associate professor of otolaryngology at Stanford University School of Medicine, it has a “very, very high level of evidence, randomized controlled trial evidence, that shows that it does work and it does help.” 

Here’s why: when you inhale, the mucus in your nose traps viruses, bacteria, allergens, and pollutants from the air. Microscopic hairs in your nose sweep those trapped particles—with the mucus—into your throat. You swallow them and they enter your gut, where they’re largely neutralized.

Mostly, this filtering system works well, but for some people those particles cause congestion, pressure, and pain. Nasal irrigation keeps the junk from collecting in your sinus cavities. It also reduces seasonal or environmental allergy symptoms such as congestion, runny nose, itching and sneezing. (It doesn’t prevent Covid, though.)

The photo above is the most attractive-looking one I could find. It looks uncomfortable, but I guess you get used to it. 

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.

Squats for old people

Last week in my discussion about my arthritic knees, I mentioned that experts recommend doing squats to strengthen the muscles around the knees. They say that squats are “one of the most primal and critical fundamental movements necessary to improve sport performance, to reduce injury risk and to support lifelong physical activity.” Most importantly, the muscles involved in squats are those that keep you from falling. 

I also mentioned that I couldn’t do squats. Actually, I can do a modified version that mostly consists of not using my hands when getting up from a chair (or the toilet). Here’s how to do that type of squat (lifted verbatim from The New York Times:

Step 1: Find a chair or box high enough that, when you sit on it, your thighs are parallel with the ground. Keep your core tense and your chest up, with your back straight.

 

Step 2: Set it a few feet from a wall. The wall’s straight lines can help align your body.

 

Step 3:Stand facing the wall, chair behind you, feet about four inches from the wall. Place your hands on your hips or stretch them to the sides.

Step 4: Keep your heels glued to the ground. Bend your knees and slowly, through a count of five, lower yourself until your buttocks gently touch the box. Try not to actually sit. Rise from the box and straighten your legs through another count of five.

I don't actually do this regimen, but I believe it's a good one.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.

Bad knees

I have terrible arthritis in both knees—“bone on bone,” as they say. You can see the bone-on-bone part in the photo below (as pointed out in my poorly-drawn arrows).

The odd thing is that my knees don’t bother me much. Walking isn’t painful, so I’m not having those joints replaced—not yet, anyway.

In 2021 The New York Times reported that, contrary to popular belief, knee cartilage can repair itself. (But what if there’s no cartilage to repair?) Anyhow, according to the researchers, weight-bearing activities like running and walking “…squeeze the cartilage in the knee joint like a sponge, expelling waste and then drawing in a fresh supply of nutrient- and oxygen-rich fluid with each step. Instead of an inert shock-absorber doomed to get brittle and eventually fail with age, cartilage is a living tissue that adapts and thrives with regular use.”

The idea of my knees "thriving" at this point is pretty ludicrous. Still, I think it's important to strengthen the muscles that keep my knees stable and to stiffen the tendons and ligaments around the joint. To achieve this, the experts recommend 10 to 15 repetitions of squats and lunges. Are you kidding me?! There’s no way I could do squats and lunges. But maybe there’s an alternative based on another Times article titled “Stronger Muscles in 3 Seconds a Day.”

In a small study researchers found that test subjects who raised a weighted lever (a dumbbell would also work) then lowered it slowly once a day five times a week for one month increased their bicep strength by 12 percent! So here’s my idea: you lie in bed and flex the muscles around your knee by pushing down on the mattress with the back of your knee (leg straight) while pulling up on your thigh muscles. When I remember to do it, I do it about 20 times with each knee. It takes just a few seconds. I have no idea if it does any good, but it can’t hurt.

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.