Autoimmune diseases

Our bodies have an immune system that protects us from diseases and infection. But if  you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks itself by mistake, and you can get sick. Autoimmune disease can affect many parts of our body like nerves, connective tissues, muscles, endocrine system (system that directs our body's hormones and other chemicals) and digestive system. Most of autoimmune diseases occur in women and most often during their childbearing years. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Learning the symptoms of some of the more common autoimmune diseases helps you to recognize the signs if you get one. But some autoimmune diseases share similar symptoms. This makes it hard for doctors to find out if you really have one of these diseases and which one it might be.

Some common Autoimmune Diseases

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus : Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus is a condition of chronic inflammation caused by an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system. One of the mechanisms that the immune system uses to fight infections is the production of antibodies. Patients with lupus produce abnormal antibodies in their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign infectious agents. Because the antibodies and accompanying cells of inflammation involve tissues anywhere in the body, lupus has the potential to affect a variety of areas of the body. Sometimes lupus causes disease of skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, joints and/or nervous system. When only the skin is involved, the condition is called discoid lupus. When internal organs are involved, condition is called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Rheumatoid arthritis : Rheumatoid arthritis (often called RA) is a chronic (long-standing) disease that damages joints of body. The damage is caused by inflammation, a normal response by the body's immune system to “assaults” such as infections, wounds and foreign objects.The inflammation in joints causes pain, stiffness and swelling and many other symptoms. The inflammation often affects other organs and systems of the body. If inflammation is not slowed or stopped, it damages the affected joints and other tissues.

Multiple sclerosis : Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic potentially debilitating disease that affects central nervous system, made up of the brain and spinal cord. It is probably an autoimmune disease. In MS, certain cells in the immune system attack nerves, causing a breakdown in fatty sheath that surrounds and insulates a nerve cell. The breakdown occurs mostly in brain and spinal cord. Once the fatty sheath starts to go, messages traveling to and from brain are blocked. A message from brain to “shake a leg,” for instance, may simply dead-end while it's still in brain, never reaching muscles in leg that could perform the task.

Role of Noni in Autoimmune Diseases

Role of Divine Noni in prevention of autoantibodies formation in SLE : Studying genes for the diseases, a series of proteins present in blood play an important part in immune system.  Protein complement acts as a backup for antibodies, helping them destroy foreign substances that invade the body. If there is decrease in complement, the body is less able to fight or destroy foreign substances. If these substances are not removed from body, immune system may become overactive and begins to make autoantibodies. Divine Noni contains all major nutrients and micronutrients including 17 of total 20 amino acids. It contains all essential amino acids. Divine Noni helps and enhances the process of protein synthesis. Compliments which are a series of proteins, if decreased in number in the blood, can be raised by influencing gene expression through a balanced nutrition rich with all major nutrients and essential micronutrients and that can only be obtained from Divine Noni. It contains many phytochemicals including lots of micronutrients, essential for our body. It acts as an immune modulator. Divine Noni helps in all autoimmune diseases by its property of immune modulating and SLE is one among them. Xeronine, the alkaloid of Noni helps to modulate any protein molecule of its improper configuration to normal molecular configuration to carry its normal activity. If the complement proteins are in an inactive form due to improper molecular configuration, xeronine helps to activate those by its unique property.  Noni is rich in glyconutrient and contains all essential fatty acids.

Today, the modern diet is totally deficient in glyconutrient. The glyconutrient to the diet significantly improves the lupus symptoms. Divine Noni is rich with glyconutrient. It is very helpful to improve the SLE condition.

The principal omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA are found in fish oil. They can also be derived from alpha-linoleic acid found in Divine Noni. These fatty acids build healthy cell membranes and improve membrane stability and have exhibited powerful immuno-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. A number of studies have examined the role of these fatty acids in people and animals with lupus with generally positive results.

Antioxidant property of Divine Noni helping in SLE

A low level of antioxidants is associated with SLE. Antioxidants are valuable for their ability to reduce free-radical damage. Dietary intake of antioxidants is decreased in people with SLE. Those with lupus exhibit significantly reduced levels of internally produced antioxidants like glutathione and superoxide dismutase. Divine Noni modifies synthesis of those antioxidant hormones in our body and fulfills the antioxidant requirement of our body.

Vitamin E : Vitamin E stabilizes membranes of lysosomes of immune cells that contain destructive enzymes used to fight intruders. When membranes are unstable, these enzymes cause damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Vitamin E prevents the onset of autoimmune attacks by stabilizing membranes of lysosomes. The symptoms of mice with lupus that were treated with vitamin E greatly improved. The mice lived longer, immune cell activity was normalized, anti-DNA antibodies were reduced and kidney function improved. Divine Noni contains all anti oxidant vitamins including vitamin E in abundant quantity.

Selenium : Selenium is a potent antioxidant that enhances cell repair. Fifty patients with lupus who had low glutathione levels were treated with selenium and vitamin E. The addition of these nutrients increased glutathione levels in 8 weeks. Selenium stimulates vitamin E in its role of immune and antioxidant regulation. Divine Noni contains all trace minerals including selenium and thus acts as a potent antioxidant.

Role of Noni in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Noni and pain : Noni is a selective COX-2 inhibitor. There are several other ways in which Noni alleviates the undesirable symptoms of arthritis. Pain is the number one complaint with arthritis. Researchers found that indeed Noni was a selective inhibitor of COX-2 enzyme. In addition, the Noni did no damage to the COX1 enzyme. When scientists compared the Noni COX2 inhibition ratio of prescription arthritis medications, they found that Noni compared “very favorably” to the prescription medications. Noni exhibited none of the negative side effects that the prescription medications cause. Researchers compared the Noni COX2 inhibition ratio to the COX2 inhibition ratio of NSAIDs. In this category, Noni far out-performed the over-the-counter medications. Again, Noni did not exhibit any of the negative side effects associated with NSAIDs.

Role of Scopoletin present in Noni in arthritis and inflammation

Another reason for Noni's pain fighting qualities stems from several of its constituents. Noni contains Scopoletin, which has anti inflammatory effects. Scopoletin is needed in the body for smooth joint movement. It also produces anti-histamine effects. A laboratory in France conducted a study that showed mice, given a liquid form of Noni, increased pain tolerance as reflected by their reaction time to a hot plate. The researchers concluded that Noni helped the mice better deal with pain from hot plate.

Role of Oxidative stress in patient with multiple sclerosis

It is well known that cells brain and nervous system are prone to oxidative damage because of their relatively low content of antioxidants, especially enzymatic ones and of the high levels of both membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and iron easily released from injured cells.

Accumulating data indicate that oxidative stress (OS) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to oxidative stress, generated in excess primarily by macrophages, are implicated as mediators of demyelination and axonal damage in both MS and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), its animal model. ROS damages cardinal cellular components like lipids, proteins and nucleic acids (e. g., RNA, DNA), resulting in cell death by necrosis or apoptosis. In addition, weakened cellular antioxidant defense systems in the central nervous system (CNS) in MS, and its vulnerability to ROS effects may increase damage. The blood of patients with MS shows signs of a significant oxidative stress. The possibility of counteracting it by antioxidant administration plus an appropriate diet might represent a promising way of inhibiting progression of the disease. Divine Noni is an effective powerful antioxidant which contains all vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and lots of phytonutrients.

Antioxidant property of Noni

Endogenous antioxidants and role of Noni: Our body has evolved with endogenous defense mechanisms to protect against free radical induced cell damage. Glutathione peroxidase, catalase and Superoxide dismutases are three primary antioxidant enzymes in our body, which involved in direct elimination of free radicals or reactive oxygen species from our body. They require micronutrients like selenium, iron, copper, zinc and manganese as cofactors for their formation and optimum catalytic and effective antioxidant activity. Noni contains all the trace minerals that help for optimum catalytic activity of those three important antioxidant enzymes for an effective antioxidant defense mechanism.

Glutathione, ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, bilirubin, selenium, dihydrolipoic acid, melatonin and uric acid as a whole play a homoeostatic or protective role against ROS. Noni contains all the above phytochemicals and vitamins in abundant quantity. Glutathione (GSH) is the most significant component which directly quenches Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) such as lipid peroxides and plays major role in xenobiotic metabolism. Glutathione is a tripeptide made up of amino acids gamma-glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine. Noni contains all those glutathione making amino acids in abundant number. Thus Noni increases the body's glutathione level. Noni stimulates more melatonin secretion from pineal body. It also maintains ascorbate (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), in their reduced form which also exert an antioxidant effect by quenching free radicals.

Exogenous antioxidants : Contribution from Noni

A number of other dietary antioxidants known as phytonutrients or phytochemicals are being increasingly appreciated for their antioxidant activity. One example is flavonoids which are a group of polyphenolic compounds. Noni contains 150 and above phytochemicals including all flavonoids. Noni is rich in many flavonoids. Due to inefficiency of our endogenous defense systems and high exposure to adverse environmental factors like cigarette smoke, air pollutants and UV radiation, the ROS are produced in excess and therefore increasing amounts of antioxidants present in Noni will be needed for diminishing cumulative effect of oxidative damage over an individual's life span.

The various antioxidant and neuroprotective ingredients present in Divine Noni can be considered as pathogenic treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Recommended Dosage

Divine Noni Concentrate

5ml morning and 5ml evening for 3 days. Then

10ml morning and 10ml evening for next 3 days. Then

15ml morning and 15ml evening for next 8 months.