Avoiding “Cognitive Traps” – Common Misunderstandings A...

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Avoiding “Cognitive Traps” – Common Misunderstandings About Immune Tolerance Induction

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A popular science sharing session on immunity was held in the harbor square. Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Dr. Schett explained knowledge about immune tolerance induction therapy to the harbor residents together. After the sharing session, many residents gathered around to ask questions. Popeye found that everyone had many misunderstandings about this treatment. So he decided to specifically clarify these common “cognitive traps” for everyone, so they could correctly understand this treatment method.

“The first common misunderstanding everyone is concerned about is that immune tolerance induction therapy can ‘cure’ autoimmune diseases,” Popeye said, holding a microphone, his tone gentle but firm. “Let me tell you a story. Old John, a harbor fisherman, has had rheumatoid arthritis for five years. After hearing about immune tolerance induction therapy, he stopped taking his medicine without permission, thinking it was a one-time fix. As a result, his illness relapsed, his joint pain worsened—worse than before.”

He paused, continuing: “The causes of autoimmune diseases are very complex, related to genetics, environment, immunity, and other factors. Just like harbor security—you need to patrol and guard every day; it can’t be done once and for all. The core of immune tolerance induction therapy is to control the illness, relieve symptoms, and reduce recurrence—not to cure it. Just like I need to eat spinach every day to maintain my strength, patients also need regular rechecks, adjust their plans according to their condition. Some people even need long-term maintenance treatment to avoid recurrence.”

“The second misunderstanding is that this treatment has no side effects,” Popeye continued. “Some residents heard that this treatment is ‘safe’ and tried it blindly. After experiencing slight gastrointestinal discomfort, they panicked excessively and even gave up treatment. Here, I want to emphasize: any treatment has side effects—immune tolerance induction therapy is no exception. Oral antigens may cause nausea and bloating; subcutaneous injections may cause local swelling; cell therapy may cause temporary fever. But these side effects are far milder than traditional immunosuppressants, and most are temporary. They’ll ease as the treatment progresses—no need to worry too much.”

Dr. Schett added: “We understand everyone’s concern about side effects, but please rest assured. Before treatment, we’ll conduct a comprehensive examination for everyone, develop a personalized treatment plan according to their physical condition, and try to minimize side effects. During treatment, we’ll also closely monitor everyone’s physical reactions, adjust the plan in time, and ensure everyone’s safety.”

“The third misunderstanding is that this treatment is suitable for all patients,” Popeye said. “Auntie, Olive Oyl’s neighbor, has systemic lupus erythematosus with unclear antigens, but she insisted on immune tolerance induction therapy. As a result, the treatment effect was not good, and her illness was delayed. Here, I want to remind everyone: this treatment is only suitable for patients with clear antigens and stable conditions—like rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, etc. For patients with severe illness, severely damaged organs, or unclear antigens, we need to control the illness first, then evaluate whether it’s suitable. Blind treatment will only delay the illness.”

“The fourth misunderstanding is that this treatment can replace other treatments,” Popeye continued. “Some patients think that as long as they receive immune tolerance induction therapy, they don’t need to take anti-inflammatory drugs or do rehabilitation training. As a result, their symptoms relieve slowly, or even worsen. In fact, immune tolerance induction therapy often needs to be combined with other methods. For example, patients with rheumatoid arthritis need to take a small amount of anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain; patients with multiple sclerosis need to combine rehabilitation training to restore nerve function. Blindly stopping medicine will affect the treatment effect.”

Episode 13: Avoiding “Cognitive Traps” – Common Misunderstandings About Immune Tolerance Induction A popular science sharing session on immunity was held in the harbor square. Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Dr. Schett explained knowledge about immune tolerance induction therapy to the harbor residents together. After the sharing session, many residents gathered around to ask questions. Popeye found that everyone had many misunderstandings about this treatment. So he decided to specifically clarify these common “cognitive traps” for everyone, so they could correctly understand this treatment method. “The first common misunderstanding everyone is concerned about is that immune tolerance induction therapy can ‘cure’ autoimmune diseases,” Popeye said, holding a microphone, his tone gentle but firm. “Let me tell you a story. Old John, a harbor fisherman, has had rheumatoid arthritis for five years. After hearing about immune tolerance induction therapy, he stopped taking his medicine without permission, thinking it was a one-time fix. As a result, his illness relapsed, his joint pain worsened—worse than before.” He paused, continuing: “The causes of autoimmune diseases are very complex, related to genetics, environment, immunity, and other factors. Just like harbor security—you need to patrol and guard every day; it can’t be done once and for all. The core of immune tolerance induction therapy is to control the illness, relieve symptoms, and reduce recurrence—not to cure it. Just like I need to eat spinach every day to maintain my strength, patients also need regular rechecks, adjust their plans according to their condition. Some people even need long-term maintenance treatment to avoid recurrence.” “The second misunderstanding is that this treatment has no side effects,” Popeye continued. “Some residents heard that this treatment is ‘safe’ and tried it blindly. After experiencing slight gastrointestinal discomfort, they panicked excessively and even gave up treatment. Here, I want to emphasize: any treatment has side effects—immune tolerance induction therapy is no exception. Oral antigens may cause nausea and bloating; subcutaneous injections may cause local swelling; cell therapy may cause temporary fever. But these side effects are far milder than traditional immunosuppressants, and most are temporary. They’ll ease as the treatment progresses—no need to worry too much.” Dr. Schett added: “We understand everyone’s concern about side effects, but please rest assured. Before treatment, we’ll conduct a comprehensive examination for everyone, develop a personalized treatment plan according to their physical condition, and try to minimize side effects. During treatment, we’ll also closely monitor everyone’s physical reactions, adjust the plan in time, and ensure everyone’s safety.” “The third misunderstanding is that this treatment is suitable for all patients,” Popeye said. “Auntie, Olive Oyl’s neighbor, has systemic lupus erythematosus with unclear antigens, but she insisted on immune tolerance induction therapy. As a result, the treatment effect was not good, and her illness was delayed. Here, I want to remind everyone: this treatment is only suitable for patients with clear antigens and stable conditions—like rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, etc. For patients with severe illness, severely damaged organs, or unclear antigens, we need to control the illness first, then evaluate whether it’s suitable. Blind treatment will only delay the illness.” “The fourth misunderstanding is that this treatment can replace other treatments,” Popeye continued. “Some patients think that as long as they receive immune tolerance induction therapy, they don’t need to take anti-inflammatory drugs or do rehabilitation training. As a result, their symptoms relieve slowly, or even worsen. In fact, immune tolerance induction therapy often needs to be combined with other methods. For example, patients with rheumatoid arthritis need to take a small amount of anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain; patients with multiple sclerosis need to combine rehabilitation training to restore nerve function. Blindly stopping medicine will affect the treatment effect.” Bluto also added: “Yeah! Just like when I had a seafood allergy—I not only needed to ‘train’ my immune patrol but also apply ointment to relieve itching to get better faster. Treating diseases also requires a combination of methods to achieve the best results.” Popeye summed up: “Only by correctly understanding the treatment method can we better cooperate with treatment and recover health. Many people have fallen into these misunderstandings. I hope everyone can learn from them, trust science, follow the doctor’s advice, and choose the most suitable treatment method. Next episode, we’ll walk into the lab to see the specific research and development process of immune tolerance induction therapy, understand the efforts behind the scientists, and feel the power of science.” Autoimmune diseases simply mean that the immune system cannot tell the difference between "its own body" and "foreign invaders", mistakenly attacking its own tissues — a condition also known as "self-reactivity". Overall, around 9% of people develop such diseases, and the prevalence is significantly higher in females than in males. The misguided attacks by the immune system may target specific organs: for example, attacking the brain causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and attacking hair follicles in the scalp leads to alopecia areata (AA). It can also affect multiple systems throughout the body, as in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Genetic makeup is currently considered a major factor that increases susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. However, it is now clear that the actual onset of the disease results from the combined effects of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Nevertheless, identifying disease-causing genes alone is not enough to guide effective treatments, and close attention must also be paid to environmental factors linked to autoimmunity. Epidemiological data show that many environmental factors are associated with multiple sclerosis, lupus and alopecia areata, including vitamin D deficiency, obesity, previous viral infections, and lifestyle habits such as smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption. Touil H, Mounts K and De Jager PL (2023) Differential impact of environmental factors on systemic and localized autoimmunity. Front. Immunol. 14:1147447. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1147447

Bluto also added: “Yeah! Just like when I had a seafood allergy—I not only needed to ‘train’ my immune patrol but also apply ointment to relieve itching to get better faster. Treating diseases also requires a combination of methods to achieve the best results.”

Popeye summed up: “Only by correctly understanding the treatment method can we better cooperate with treatment and recover health. Many people have fallen into these misunderstandings. I hope everyone can learn from them, trust science, follow the doctor’s advice, and choose the most suitable treatment method. Next episode, we’ll walk into the lab to see the specific research and development process of immune tolerance induction therapy, understand the efforts behind the scientists, and feel the power of science.”

Science behind

Impact of environmental factors in autoimmune diseases 

Autoimmune diseases simply mean that the immune system cannot tell the difference between "its own body" and "foreign invaders", mistakenly attacking its own tissues — a condition also known as "self-reactivity". Overall, around 9% of people develop such diseases, and the prevalence is significantly higher in females than in males. The misguided attacks by the immune system may target specific organs: for example, attacking the brain causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and attacking hair follicles in the scalp leads to alopecia areata (AA). It can also affect multiple systems throughout the body, as in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Genetic makeup is currently considered a major factor that increases susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. However, it is now clear that the actual onset of the disease results from the combined effects of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Nevertheless, identifying disease-causing genes alone is not enough to guide effective treatments, and close attention must also be paid to environmental factors linked to autoimmunity. Epidemiological data show that many environmental factors are associated with multiple sclerosis, lupus and alopecia areata, including vitamin D deficiency, obesity, previous viral infections, and lifestyle habits such as smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption. Touil H, Mounts K and De Jager PL (2023) Differential impact of environmental factors on systemic and localized autoimmunity. Front. Immunol. 14:1147447. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1147447

Autoimmune diseases simply mean that the immune system cannot tell the difference between "its own body" and "foreign invaders", mistakenly attacking its own tissues — a condition also known as "self-reactivity".

Overall, around 9% of people develop such diseases, and the prevalence is significantly higher in females than in males.

The misguided attacks by the immune system may target specific organs: for example, attacking the brain causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and attacking hair follicles in the scalp leads to alopecia areata (AA). It can also affect multiple systems throughout the body, as in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Genetic makeup is currently considered a major factor that increases susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. However, it is now clear that the actual onset of the disease results from the combined effects of genetic predisposition and environmental factors.

Nevertheless, identifying disease-causing genes alone is not enough to guide effective treatments, and close attention must also be paid to environmental factors linked to autoimmunity.

Epidemiological data show that many environmental factors are associated with multiple sclerosis, lupus and alopecia areata, including vitamin D deficiency, obesity, previous viral infections, and lifestyle habits such as smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption.

Touil H, Mounts K and De Jager PL (2023) Differential impact of environmental factors on systemic and localized autoimmunity. Front. Immunol. 14:1147447. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1147447