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Disease of 1,000 faces shows how science is tackling immunity's dark side
National

Disease of 1,000 faces shows how science is tackling immunity's dark side

  • By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer

It's one of medicine's biggest mysteries — why sometimes our immune system attacks our own bodies. Autoimmune diseases affect as many as 50 million Americans and millions more worldwide. They're hard to diagnose and treat, and they're on the rise. A Massachusetts woman's journey with one named lupus — called the disease of 1,000 faces for its baffling variety of symptoms — offers a snapshot of the burden. Now researchers are decoding the biology behind these debilitating diseases in hopes of eventually treating the causes, not just the symptoms.

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If you’ve had surgery, you know how quickly doctors have us rehabilitating repaired (fill-in the body part). Pet professionals have a similar …

Opinion

The baby boomer and the geriatric dog

  • By Barbara LaRaia
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I was thrilled yesterday when I arrived home to find that my dog got into the garbage and spread it over the kitchen floor. I started to repri…