Moodle at CCNM

Autoimmune diseases are the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized world, surpassed only by cancer and heart disease. According to Fred Miller, director of the Environmental Autoimmunity Group at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, autoimmune diseases are now recognized as among the leading causes of death for young and middle-aged women in the United States. What more, prevalence rates for some of these illnesses are rising for what Miller says must largely be environmental reasons.

Neuroinflammation is found in all persons with chronic neurologic diseases as well as those with traumatic brain injury. Glial cell activation results in neuroinflammation, which often manifests in a case history with one or all of the following: cognitive decline, mood disorder, pain. All of these manifestations show up regularly in every clinical practice and have proven to be quite difficult to completely resolve. One of the reasons for this lack of resolution could be due to failure to recognize and specifically treat neuroinflammation. This presentation will review the mechanisms by which glial cell activation occurs. All of the common causes of glial activation will be covered including endotoxicity, traumatic brain injury, oxidative stress and environmental pollutants. The pivotal role of glutathione in preventing neuroinflammation from becoming chronic will also be presented.

Neuroinflammation is present undetected in many of our patients resulting in cognitive decline, mood disorder, chronic pain and a variety of chronic neurologic diseases. Even though neuroinflammation causes a great deal of morbidity, surprisingly there are a vast number of naturopathic modalities that have proven exceptionally effective at preventing and reversing neuroinflammation. This presentation will go through many of the the common causes of neuroinflammation to show the steps that can be take to reverse this process. Emphasis will be placed on proper glutathione repletion, dietary components, nutrients, and botanical agents. The important role of hormone in preventing and reversing neuroinflammation will be discussed. Lifestyle steps, including exercise, yoga and meditation have also proven useful in preventing and reducing neuroinflammation.