dear paula,
great question!
I continue asking this same question to many doctors -well known -and ordinary.

autoimmune: multiple sclerosis, well here's a the link -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...mmune_diseases

our dis ease -is caused by apoptosis- cellular suicide

Why Cells Commit Suicide?

Why do cells commit apoptosis?


There seem to be two major reasons.
First, apoptosis is one means by which a developing organism shapes its tissues and organs.
For instance, a human fetus has webbed hands and feet early on its development.
Later, apoptosis removes skin cells, revealing individual fingers and toes. A fetus's eyelids form an opening by the process of apoptosis.

During metamorphosis, tadpoles lose their tails through apoptosis.

In young children, apoptosis is involved in the processes that literally shape the connections between brain cells,

and in mature females, apoptosis of cells in the uterus causes the uterine lining to slough off at each menstrual cycle.

Cells may also commit suicide in times of distress.

then you have a very wordy Pubmed article link

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12666099&dopt=Abs tract

NINDS article
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_ev...proceeding.htm

I have no answers, just a whole lotta questions still!