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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015
Voetberg concert Sunday
at Florence Events Center
J OEL F UHRMAN , MD
Treating autoimmune conditions naturally
Autoimmune diseases affect
23.5 million Americans, and
that number is rising.
Autoimmune diseases are
one of the top ten leading caus-
es of death for women under
the age of 64.1 In autoimmune
diseases, the body undergoes
an inappropriate immune
response that causes excessive
inflammation that becomes
destructive to the body.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflam-
matory skin condition-the most
prevalent autoimmune disease
in the U.S. affecting about 7.5
million Americans; and it is
much more than a cosmetic
concern. Depending on the
severity of psoriasis, it can also
cause skin cracking and bleed-
ing, pain, and a significant dis-
ruption of quality of life.
In addition, psoriasis is asso-
ciated with increased cardio-
vascular risk. Even mild cases
of psoriasis may increase the
risk of heart attack by up to 29
percent. The chronic inflamma-
tion characteristic of psoriasis
(and other autoimmune dis-
eases such as rheumatoid
arthritis and lupus) puts
patients at risk.
In addition to cardiovascular
disease, psoriasis patients are
also more likely to suffer from
insulin resistance, depression,
cancer, osteoporosis, and liver
disease-also likely due to
chronic inflammation.
Nutritional
intervention
should always be tried first,
before powerful and potentially
dangerous drugs are pre-
scribed. Conventional treat-
ments for autoimmune diseases
suppress the immune system to
halt the body’s immune attack
on itself.
However, this makes the
body more susceptible to infec-
tions and even cancers — one
study found that autoimmune
patients with the greatest expo-
sure to immunosuppressive
drugs had an almost 5-fold
increase in cancer risk.
The FDA has issued warn-
ings on certain drugs used to
treat autoimmune diseases
because of increased cancer
risk. Mild to moderate psoriasis
can often be treated with topi-
cal medications only-these are
safer than systemic medica-
tions, but still have significant
side effects such as skin thin-
ning, pigmentation changes,
bruising easily, stretch marks,
redness, and acne.
They also may stop working
over time.
Nutrition is a powerful and
safe tool for preventing and
treating autoimmune diseases.
Although there is a genetic
component, autoimmune dis-
ease is also influenced by what
we eat. For example, those
with a high intake of green veg-
etables, carrots, tomatoes, and
fresh fruits are less likely to
develop psoriasis.
Oxidative stress, which can
be lessened by these antioxi-
dant-rich foods, is thought to
contribute to skin inflammation
in psoriasis. Furthermore, pso-
riasis symptoms have been
shown to improve using dietary
methods in several scientific
studies.
I have been recommending a
high-nutrient (Nutritarian) diet
combined with selected supple-
ments and when needed, and
episodic fasting to help the
body to calm inflammation and
remove cellular toxins. High
nutrient plant foods supply
substances
that
support
immune system function,
allowing the body to have
proper defenses against infec-
tions and cancers.
Supervised water fasting is
another important component
to autoimmune treatment-I
have documented the contribu-
tion of fasting to remission of
autoimmune disease in pub-
lished case reports. The only
side effects of nutritional treat-
ment are positive ones-protec-
tive effects against heart dis-
ease, diabetes, and cancers.
This health promoting proto-
col longevity as it normalizes
immune function.
Natural methods can help
you calm the inflammation in
your body and reduce or even
eliminate your need for med-
ications. I urge everyone with
an autoimmune disease to try
these natural methods before
resigning themselves to a life
of dangerous medications and
progressively worsening dis-
ease:
1) High-nutrient, vegetable-
based diet rich in greens;
2) Fresh vegetable juices;
3) Fish oil or plant-based
EPA and DHA supplements;
4) Probiotic supplement;
5) Avoidance of salt, wheat,
and oils;
6) Assuring no micronutri-
ent deficiencies are present.
Using these methods, many
of my patients who once suf-
fered from autoimmune dis-
eases have now recovered and
are free of illness as well as the
toxic side effects of the drugs.
Some of people with these
recoveries have written me, but
I have never actually met them.
All they did was read one of
my books and follow the proto-
cols detailed online.
Dr. Fuhrman is a New York
Times best-selling author and
board certified family physician
specializing in lifestyle and nutri-
tional medicine.
Visit his website at Dr
Fuhrman.com, or submit questions
and comments to news questions
@drfuhrman.com.
Poet, writer to host writing workshop at library
Poet and fiction writer, Lisa
C. Taylor, will conduct a free
workshop at the Siuslaw Public
Library on March 17, begin-
ning at noon.
The theme of the workshop,
Death Riding Shotgun: How
Awareness of Our Mortality
Impacts Our Writing, includes
a discussion of poems that deal
with mortality as well as an
exploration of writing poems
about death from different
viewpoints.
Taylor will wind up the
workshop inspiring the audi-
ence by reading from her poet-
ic writings.
Taylor has been nominated
for the prestigious Pushcart
Prize and has also received
many awards for her poetry
and fiction writing. Her writ-
ings have been published in the
United States and Ireland and
include four poetry collections.
The most recent collection,
Necessary Silence, was pub-
lished in 2013.
A collection of her short fic-
tion works, “Growing a New
COURTESY PHOTO
Poet, author Lisa C. Taylor
speaks at Nichols College,
where she teaches creative
writing.
Tail,” will be published in late
summer 2015.
Together with being a prolif-
ic writer, she also shares her
love of the craft by teaching
creative writing at Nichols
College
and
Eastern
Connecticut State University,
and conducting creative writ-
ing workshops.
Taylor has received much
praise for her ability to capture
meaningful bits of our human-
ness in her poetry, including
this comment from Baron
Wormser, a poet and former
Poet Laureate of Maine: “At
the core of her poetry resides
an honesty of awe and a bitter-
sweet awareness of how little
we know and how much we
care.”
This workshop is free and
will be held in the Bromley
Room at the main branch of the
Siuslaw Public Library from
noon to 2 p.m.
Anyone who writes poetry
or wants to explore his or her
muse will certainly want to
take advantage of this opportu-
nity to discuss, read and write
with this internationally pub-
lished author.
“I am looking forward to
meeting the writing enthusiasts
in Florence and nearby,” said
Taylor.
Attendees are asked to bring
their own writing devices amd
materials, or electronic device
to record their own eloquent
and creative words.
For more information about
the workshop and reading, visit
the Siuslaw Public Library, call
541-997-3132 or visit www.
siuslawlibrary.org.
SEAcoast Entertainment
Association will present the
Voetberg Family Band on
Sunday, March 15, for a 2 p.m.
show at the Florence Events
Center.
The Voetbergs virtually
define “family entertainment.”
These eight siblings, ages
15 to 25, dazzle audiences
with musical skills beyond
their years, including many
musical styles on a variety of
instruments.
The
internationally
acclaimed Voetberg Family
Band brings clean, wholesome
family fun to Florence. Tickets
are $30 for adults, $10 for
children under 18.
A family package of two
adult and two child’s tickets is
available for $60.
To purchase, visit www.
SEAcoastEA.org, the Florence
Events Center box office, or
call 541-997-1994.
Shorewood Luck-o-the-Irish
Senior Game Night
Tuesday, March 17th
Gaming 3-7pm
FREE DINNER 4 to 6pm
Call for Reservations 541-997-8202
$25 FREE Chips per player
BINGO • BASEBALL TOSS
Roulette • Charades “21”
Redeem winning chips for prizes or
donation to Van Fan cancer support
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