Suspect exposure to Glycol Ether (especially 2-butoxyethanol) for causing 'the flu' *  and many autoimmune health issues thereafter  (CFIDS, CFS, FM)

What are the glycol ethers?  *  *

Glycol: any of a class of organic chemicals characterized by having separate two hydroxyl (-OH) groups, contribute to high water solubility, hygroscopicity and reactivity with many organic compounds, on usually linear and aliphatic carbon chain. The general formula is CnH2n(OH)2 or (CH2)n(OH)2

http://www.valdezlink.com/re/vets/aglycolether.htm

 

Many Things are AUTOIMMUNE  *

How many autoimmune things can a person have?

  About 95% of all patients with scleroderma have a condition called Raynaud's phenomenon as their first symptom. In Raynaud's disease, the blood vessels of the fingers and/or toes (the digits) react abnormally to cold
Question - What about Raynaud's syndrome? "Raynaud's syndrome, first described in 1862 by the French physician Maurice Raynaud, has no known cause or cure. The syndrome is a condition in which small arteries, most commonly in the fingers and toes, spasm and cause the skin to turn pale or a patchy red to blue.

It is associated with problems with the nerves supplying muscles; pulmonary hypertension, which raises the blood pressure in the vessels of the lungs; diseases of the arteries, such as Buerger's disease and atherosclerosis (in people over 60); and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic inflammation and swelling of tissue in the joints), systemic lupus erythematosus (a chronic inflammation of the skin and organ systems), and scleroderma. Raynaud's syndrome can also be caused by hypothyroidism, whether isolated or affiliated with scleroderma."   Source www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-128.shtml#desc Q&As

National Institutes of Health

Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee

Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan pdf   83 pgs

The 2005 Congressional Briefing on Autoimmune Disease will be held on March 16, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 124 of the Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC

AARDA American Autoimmune Related Diseases Assoc.

 

Your immune system is not functioning?   *

 I'm glad you brought this topic forward

I have these possible helps   -   Glyconutrients?

 
I believe the root cause of many ailments in CFS, CFIDS & "gulf war syndrome" is autoimmune ... the immune system first attacks the red blood cells and if the doctors look closely at the red blood cells they should find them immature & many times trace blood in urine from autoimmune hemolytic anemia
 
I read the link that About.com has on IBD and found that even some colon problems are autoimmune in nature.
 
 
You comment on autoimmune thyroid, etc
 
This does not surprise me at all
 
Many may be harmed from 2-butoxyethanol which would do all of these things, for several groups of people.
 
It often tricks the blood info & comes on the scene acting like the flu. 

It is really a chemical poisoning, 

if it is this chemical's exposure.

 

Affects many glands & multiple kinds of tumors, too (it is a pesticide, in some odd sort of way) 

8598.4 in reply to 8598.1 

 

 

I've been giving this more thought, and I found that there are a lot more things that are autoimmune than one might imagine.

Does this list of autoimmune ailments surprise you? www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/causes.htm

What if the primary harm is to the immune system?  What if the real problem with the chemical's harm I've studied is an autoimmune problem ... for almost everything?  First toward the red blood cells, which would be autoimmune hemolytic anemia.  It hide's out - I suspect it to be the fatigue doctors are looking for in CFS, CFIDS, 'gulf war syndrome'

I do know that 2-butoxyethanol causes hemolytic anemia, per the literature on the chemical.  It is a common exposure that does have an assortment of symptoms much like you identify.  I suspect the red blood cell damage it causes is autoimmune.  If so, it is there from the beginning of the fatigue setting in and it lasts.

If you need a specialist, what kind would you need? Maybe ask to be referred to an immunologist  (or hematologist)
Immune system can aim at red blood cells, joints, colon, liver, kidneys, nervous system, etc  It may be almost entirely an autoimmune issue.
Fatigue?  Immune system is working overtime to prematurely destroy the red blood cells.  With this chemical overexposure, fatigue is autoimmune hemolytic anemia

Red blood cells & all immune cells are made in the bone marrow

1-22-05

My thoughts - also shared here - Margaret Diann 

'Dear Maggie' or 'Mother Margaret'

http://forums.about.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=ab-chronicfatig&msg=8598.6

There is a chemical that causes most of the CFS, 'CFIDS' and 'gulf war syndrome' (which happens to other military & civilians alike)

Which causes the following in Central Nervous System damage:

short term memory loss
Difficulty concentrating
Extreme irritability
Sleeplessness
CNS Depression
Suicidal Tendencies

It is this chemical

Have you checked into mirtazapine? In a very low dose, it can help with depression; but also help with sleep.  It is supposed to help someone who used it, told me so, anyway.  See what your doctor thinks

Do you remember what you were doing when 'the fatigue' hit?  Often it would be like the flu, but it is not the flu

 

 Thick blood & autoimmune issues

I have heard a couple of comments from people elsewhere that they have thick, dark blood.

One lady shared with me that she was diagnosed with Immune System Activated Coagulopathy, a thickening of the blood caused by the immune system.

I suspect the fatigue the doctors might find if they looked more at the immune system and the red blood cells, is AIHA

And recently about autoimmune thyroid (hashimotos thyroiditis) and Pyoderma Gangrenosum, rare auto immune disorder.

On this link,

http://www.aloeride.co.uk/IBD.html sponsored by About.com - they talk about an 'autoimmune' aspect to one of the 'leaky gut' syndromes
 
This woman shared something with me I have never heard of before:   "It seems my t-cells and b-cells are passing through the blood brain barrier giving them access to the nervous system.  the point is to avoid offending foods.  That sounds a little simple but I am watching my diet carefully and doing good." 
 
SO - could this autoimmune situation be affecting the Central Nervous System, too:  short term memory loss, difficulty concentrating, sleeplessness, extreme irritability, depression, suicidal tendencies?
 

I'm gathering some info on the immune system, and would like to know what other autoimmune diagnosis you have received.   

 
This was something I saved done by a man researching the immune system for his own (& others' benefit)

e-mail

Researchers have recently begun exploring the possibility that many well-known diseases have an immune component. Endocrine diseases like hypothyroidism or diabetes mellitus may be caused by immune rejection of hormone-producing cells. Kerratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS or "dry eye") due to the shut-down of tear production responds to the antirejection drug cyclosporine. Chronic active hepatitis (liver disease) may also have an immune basis.

 

2-buoxyethanol's primary exposure is through the eyes - that could cause 'dry eye' because this chemical causes eyes to burn and hurt and it also dries out things - most especially eyes 

MSDS info will say it 'defats the skin'

 

The 2005 Congressional Briefing on Autoimmune Disease will be held on March 16, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 124 of the Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC

How to tell if what you have is 'autoimmune?' *

a new medication that seems very promising for CNS depression ... and taken in low doses, it helps with sleep.  The man who told me about it said he went from maybe 2 hours a night (if that) to 6-7 hours

This is what he shared with me ... along with a couple of comments from others

Check with your doctor

I suspect the regular sleep that you are looking for can be helped by this. 

On the other hand, the fatigue you talk about, per definition, that no rest helps with ... is another thing.  But regular sleep is still needful!

Understanding the Immune System  pdf    65 pages

A Soldier's Intro to Immunology

6-8-05

Some things 2-butoxyethanol can do   -   And helps to find its harm

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The autoimmune causing chemical that I am aware of is in many cleaning products.
AVOID 2-butoxyethanol
http://www.valdezlink.com/re/health/lotsofways.htm
& consider glycobiology for help

Exposure looks like the flu... or sniffles with diarrhea
Do you recall a serious flu?
What were you doing then?

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