Cancer and Autoimmunity

Cancer and Autoimmunity are Intertwined
By Heidi Whitaker

Both cancer and autoimmune disease are a failure of the immune system to function properly. What you may not realize is that they are actually two manifestations of the same problem. In this sense, they have the same cause. Contrary to popular belief, the cause of this failure in the immune system is no great mystery. In fact, it is a problem that we have created by modern living.

The immune system, like most of the body, requires balance to function properly. T-helper 1 (Th1) cells and T-helper 2 cells (Th2) help regulate the body’s response to foreign invaders. Th1 uses white blood cells to go after viruses and cancer cells. Th2 immune cells use antibodies to go after bacteria. Normally, the body strikes a balance by switching back and forth between Th1 and Th2. In a person with an autoimmune disorder, one dominates and suppresses the other. Trans fats, mercury and other heavy metals, sugar and processed foods, alcohol, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and stress are part of a modern lifestyle that can disrupt the Th1/Th2 balance.

Th1 dominance in women is associated with autoimmunity and recurrent miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy. Additionally, children in the autism spectrum tend to be Th1 dominant. Besides autoimmunity, Th2 dominance is characterized by a tendency toward allergies, frequent colds and viral infections, and cancer.

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease. An advocate for alternative health solutions, she co-founded http://www.healthydivas.com, a resource center for those autoimmune sufferers looking for real answers outside of what conventional medicine can provide.

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