The China Study by Thomas Campbell

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THE CHINA STUDY

CHART 9.1: COMMON AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

(FROM 'MOST COMMON TO LEAST COMMON)

Graves' disease (Hyperthyroidism) 10. Sjogren's disease

Rheumatoid arthritis 1l. Myasthenia gravis

Thyroiditis (Hypothyroidism) 12. Polymyositis/dermatomyositis

Vitiligo 13. Addison's disease

Pernicious anemia 14. Scleroderma

Glomerulonephritis 15. Primary biliary cirrhosis

Multiple sclerosis 16. Uveitis

Type 1 diabetes 17. Chronic active hepatitis

Systemic lupus erythematosus

ethnic and geographic distribution."8 Autoimmune diseases in general
become more common the greater the distance from the equator. This
phenomenon has been known since 1922.9 MS, for example, is over a
hundred times more prevalent in the far north than at the equator. 10
Because of some of these common features, it is not too far-fetched
to think of the autoimmune diseases as one grand disease living in dif-
ferent places in the body and taking on different names. We refer in this
way to cancer, which is specifically named depending on what part of
the body it resides in.
All autoimmune diseases are the result of one group of mechanisms
gone awry, much like cancer. In this case, the mechanism is the immune
system mistakenly attacking cells in its own body. Whether it is the pan-
creas as in Type 1 diabetes, the myelin sheath as in MS or joint tissues
as in arthritis, all autoimmune diseases involve an immune system that
has revolted. It is an internal mutiny of the worst kind, one in which our
body becomes its own worst enemy.

IMMUNITY FROM INVADERS

The immune system is astonishingly complex. I often hear people
speaking about this system as if it were an identifiable organ like a lung.
Nothing could be further from the truth. It is a system, not an organ.
In essence, our immune system is like a military network designed to de-
fend against foreign invaders. The "soldiers" of this network are the white
blood cells, which are comprised of many different sub-groups, each having
its own mission. These sub-groups are analogous to a navy, army, air force
and marines, with each group of specialists doing highly specialized work.