Intro - Starla

[Guest guest]

Hi Barbara (and all). Thank you for welcoming me. You asked me to

tell you about myself. I suppose that should include why I'm here.

I signed up for the mailing list because I want to learn about the

different APs and any other helpful information that goes along with

them -- acidophilus etc. Needless to say, I think I'll learn most by

listening to & learning from the people using them! I have read the

Scleroderma book and part of the New Arth. Breakthrough. Not because I

suffer from either tho'.

For the past 2+ yrs, I've been a faithful member of a listserv for

people with autoimmune alopecia areata. One of my sons has areata

universalis -- lost all his body hair at the age of 9 y/o due to an

" errant " immune system attack. All means all - not even an eyelash to

keep dust out of eyes. Before areata struck, he developed autoimm.

vitiligo (loss of skin pigment). The good news there is that it's

stayed focal and hasn't spread.

In addition, I have a daughter dx with MS during the past year.

(Really enjoyed that Chicago Sun-Times article, whoever sent it.) My

maternal grandmother suffered from RA until her death. My mother has

adult-onset diabetes (she's 72), osteoarthritis (w/one knee replacement

so far), and in my not always humble opinion the beginning signs of RA

in her hands, which I would like to address in a different message to

the group.

During my time on the areata listserv I've come to realize that far

more people than would be expected also have other " coincidental "

autoimm. labeled diseases. RA, scleroderma, MS, thyroid...., vitiligo,

psoriasis, juvenile RA, lupus, Sjogren's, FMS, CFIDS, atopy, etc etc

etc.

Simply put, I believe the " germ theory " is relevant for most, if not

all, autoimm. diseases. I even question it for areata. One parent on

the areata list started their little girl (8 y/o) on an AP because they

had read Arth. Breakthrough. She *had* areata totalis (no scalp hair)

and had lost her brows and lashes. She had complete regrowth after

3-mos. Another friend of mine (woman with universalis) was put on

Zithromax for Lyme symptoms. In about 6-wks time, her hair started

regrowing, and she hadn't had *any* for 17 yrs straight.

So, in a nutshell, I'm here to listen and learn about APs in general.

Thanks for listening. I hope it's OK that I'm here. Long-winded

intro.

Starla