Yet another autoimmune disease that seems to be in the neurological system but may be starting in the gut.

I'm beginning to believe that EVERYTHING has some origin in the gut.

Or at least that all these systems are interconnected.

Wow, amazing article, thank you for posting it!

80% of the human immune system is in the biome?!

Eighty percent of the human immune system resides in the gastrointestinal tract. Alongside it are the trillions of symbiotic bacteria, fungi and other single-celled organisms that make up our guts’ microbiomes. Normally everyone wins: The microorganisms benefit from a home and a steady food supply; we enjoy the essential assistance they provide in various metabolic and digestive functions. Our microbiomes also help calibrate our immune systems, so our bodies recognize which co-inhabitants should be there and which should not. Yet mounting evidence suggests that when our resident biota are out of balance, they contribute to numerous diseases, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, autism and, it appears, MS by inciting rogue immune activity that can spread throughout the body and brain.

Actually there are some scientists who are beginning to believe that the microbiome IS the immune system!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23833275

Whoa, the microbiome being the immune system both makes sense and is mind altering. 

"People who emigrate from non-Western countries, including India, where MS rates are low, consequently develop a high risk of disease in the U.S. One idea to explain this is that the biome may shift from an Indian biome to an American biome" 

Good thing when I migrated here I also took along my Indian biome - and didn't lose it :-)

Yes, now if only you can figure out how to transfer some of your biome to the rest of us! :)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fear-not-the-fecal-transplant/  - a shitty idea whose time has come!

Actually, not a bad idea at all. Especially if the microbiome IS the immune system.