Common symptoms: Tese vary widely, but may include achy muscles, fatigue, recurring low-grade fever, joint pain and swelling, skin problems, abdominal pain and swelling, hair loss, swollen glands and tingling in hands and feet.


New research: Eating significantly fewer foods containing the amino acid methionine, found at high levels in meat, fish, dairy and eggs, could slow the onset and progression of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis in high-risk individuals, reports a study in Cell Metabolism.


Medical advance: Evidence is mounting that low doses of naltrexone, a substance-abuse treatment drug, can treat conditions like lupus, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis by normalizing the immune system and relieving pain with few side effects. “It costs only about 70 cents a day, is made by compounding pharmacists and is remarkably beneficial for a host of autoimmune conditions,” says Teitelbaum.


of heart health, lower LDL levels and lost two pounds compared to those eating meat.


Medical advance: To successfully fix a floppy mitral valve that’s hampering blood flow in the heart, doctors can guide a catheter up a patient’s leg vein and staple the troubled parts of the valve with a tiny clip, a safer and less invasive procedure than open-heart surgery.


Preventive strategies: Eating nuts several times a week lowers by 30 to 50 percent the risk of heart attacks, sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular disease, four large cohort studies have shown. Older women with high fitness levels have one quarter the risk of dying from heart disease as women that are out of shape, report Spanish researchers.


Autoimmune Diseases The prevalence of autoimmune diseases has grown by one half in two decades, even as medications and targeted therapies have kept more patients active and out of wheelchairs. “Where it used to be the norm for many physicians to consider women with some autoimmune illnesses to be neurotic, that approach is now being recognized as being abusive and unacceptable. This is a critical step towards recovery,” says chronic fatigue expert Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! About 80 percent of the 23 million Americans that suffer


from debilitating autoimmune diseases are women, and those conditions tend to develop during childbearing years. Te eighth-leading cause of death among women, these illnesses shorten lifespan by an average of eight years. Te 80-plus diseases, including fibromyalgia, lupus, celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, are linked to genetics, environmental triggers, some medications, obesity, injuries and stress.


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Preventive strategy: To fight inflammation, take a daily turmeric or curcumin supplement that includes piperine (black pepper) for better absorption. A University of Houston meta- study in Nutrients found that curcumin supplements improved symptoms in 14 osteoarthritis, two ulcerative colitis and eight Type 2 diabetes studies.


Hormonal Imbalances Te past 20 years has seen significant improvements in the studies and treatments of female hormonal issues. “Tere are now treatment options that allow women to transition into menopause, options for prevention of osteoporosis and momentous changes in fertility,” says Stephanie Seitz, a naturopathic family physician in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the same time, she adds, “I have seen environmental toxins rising in my female population. I see young girls coming in with polycystic ovary syndrome, early menarche and painful menstrual cramping; women having trouble getting pregnant for unknown reasons; the rise of fibroids, premature ovarian insufficiency and endometriosis.” Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers, regulating


processes ranging from hunger to blood pressure to mood and playing a key role in reproduction. Tey have come under assault from endocrine disrupters, thousands of largely unregulated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, abbreviated PFAS. Tese “forever chemicals” are found in everything from plastics to cushions to canned foods, and are in the blood of 98 percent of Americans. Studies have linked them to girls experiencing puberty one year earlier than 40 years ago; to rising cases of infertility, miscarriages and low birth weight; to menopause occurring two to four years earlier; and to obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and breast cancer.


Common symptoms: Because hormones regulate all of the body’s processes, symptoms of imbalance run the gamut and may include fatigue, weakness, erratic menstrual cycles and weight gain or loss.


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