Dedicated to a dear person to my heart hoping this info could help her find a cure or at least some relief.....
What is auto immune disease?
- An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders.
- In patients with an autoimmune disorder, the immune system can't tell the difference between healthy body tissue and antigens. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues. This response is a hypersensitivity reaction similar to the response in allergic conditions.
- Autoimmune diseases are among the ten leading causes of death among women in all age groups up to 65, Moreover, these diseases represent the fourth largest cause of disability among women in the United States
Types of autoimmune disease
Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Scleroderma, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthrits and Psoriasis, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease, diabetes 1 and the list goes on.
Causes of autoimmune disease
Toxicity
The number one problem with our environment and health currently is increasing toxicity. Everything from our agricultural, industrial, and even medical industries is based on new-to -nature synthetic chemicals which by definition are man-made molecular creations and viewed as unnatural and toxic to our bodies.
Many are carcinogens, mutagens, and neuro-endocrine disruptors. Thus we experience damage to our DNA, hormone production, and an ever increasing number of potentially cancerous cells.
At the same time, both the resulting hormonal imbalance, toxic excesses mixed with our significant nutritional deficiencies creates an immune system that is very underpowered and often confused.
Leaky gut
is a condition where your intestines become permeable and larger particles are able to enter the bloodstream. Our body then sees that those particles are foreign and attacks them while attacking regular healthy cells at the same time and compromising the immune system. This leaky gut situation also causes digestive and intestinal problems. Candida overgrowth, Celiac disease, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Inflammable bowel disease (IBS), allergies, malabsorption and loads of other autoimmune diseases are all associated to a leaky gut.
Toxins which should naturally be repelled and eliminated leak through small openings in the lining of the intestines into the bloodstream. Leaky Gut syndrome can cause food allergies because of the release of toxins from the gut which promotes inflammation and is associated with poor absorption of nutrients leading to some nutritional deficiencies.
Some causes of Leaky Gut Syndrome are:
Prescription antibiotics use
Alcohol and caffeine consumption
Chemicals in processed foods (dyes, preservatives, peroxidized fats)
Enzyme deficiencies (e.g. celiac disease, lactase deficiency causing lactose intolerance)
NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen
Prescription corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone)
High refined carbohydrate diet (sugary foods, soft drinks and white bread)
Prescription hormones
Role of Inflammation
A hot topic on the autoimmune disease front is the role that chronic inflammation—present in many autoimmune diseases—plays in its development. In rheumatoid arthritis, the damage to tissues is caused by an inflammatory reaction to the presence of antigens. Which brings to mind the old “chicken and the egg” question: Which comes first, inflammation or autoimmunity? “In rheumatoid arthritis, is it caused by inflammation and autoimmune disease comes secondarily, or is it caused by autoimmunity? The evidence is unclear,” says Noel R
Scientists Officially Link Processed Foods To Autoimmune Disease
'This study is the first to indicate that excess refined and processed salt may be one of the environmental factors driving the increased incidence of autoimmune diseases,' they said.
Scientists from Yale University and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany have finished their research that proves the sodium content in processed foods and fast food are a contributing factor to autoimmune diseases. It was discovered that exposing these cells in a lab to a table salt solution made them act more 'aggressive.' The cells are called T helper cells. These cells activate and help cells fighting pathogens like bacteria and viruses. They also play a huge role in battling infections.
Refined, processed and bleached salts are the problem. Salt is critical to our health and is the most readily available nonmetallic mineral in the world. Our bodies are not designed to processed refined sodium chloride since it has no nutritional value. However, when a salt is filled with dozens of minerals such as in rose-coloured crystals of Himalayan rock salt or the grey texture of Celtic salt, our bodies benefit tremendously for their incorporation into our diet.
The dangers of steroids
- Rheumatologists commonly prescribe immunosuppressive drugs for patients with autoimmune diseases. These drugs decrease the immune response by damaging the immune system itself. When the immune system is suppressed, the body is much more susceptible to other infections and cannot repair damaged tissue.
- Cytotoxic (toxic to cells) and chemotherapeutic agents are the active part of immunosuppressive drugs, and this treatment is similar to undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. These cytotoxic agents are potentially dangerous - for example, the FDA has issued a warning for Remicide, a drug commonly used to treat autoimmune disorders, linking it with an increased risk of lymphoma, leukopenia, and opportunistic infections with fatal outcomes.2
- Immunosuppressive drugs greatly increase cancer risk.
Control your auto immune condition and reduce your need for harmful medications
1- Power of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in autoimmune disease also have attracted the attention of researchers. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly those from fish oil—EPA and DHA according to a 2002 review published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The anti-inflammatory properties might make them useful in the management of autoimmune diseases; In a May 2010 review published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, researchers reported that meta- and mega-analyses of randomized, controlled trials indicate reduction in tender joints and decreased use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with fish oil supplementation in long-standing rheumatoid arthritis.
2- Anti-Inflammatory Eating
One approach dietitians can support is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant eating strategy aimed at decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress and promoting a healthy immune balance. We know that inflammation goes hand in hand with autoimmune disease.
3- Probiotics and restoring your gut flora
Disruption of the intestinal ecosystem has been linked with many diseases, including autoimmune disorders; Animal and some human studies have shown that probiotic cultures can enhance levels of immunoreactive cells, regulate immune factors, modulate immune dysregulation, and promote gut barrier function and anti-inflammatory responses.
January 2010 pilot study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a probiotic treatment resulted in improvement in pain and self-assessed disability in 45 adults with rheumatoid arthritis.
June 2006 review published in Postgraduate Medical Journal, Chinese researchers reported that preliminary studies suggest probiotics may be of benefit for colitis and inflammatory bowel disease because they may balance aberrant enteric microflora and reinforce the intestinal defense system.
4- reduce your refined salt intake
Refined, processed and bleached salts are the problem. Salt is critical to our health and is the most readily available nonmetallic mineral in the world. Our bodies are not designed to processed refined sodium chloride since it has no nutritional value. However, when a salt is filled with dozens of minerals such as in rose-coloured crystals of Himalayan rock salt or the grey texture of Celtic salt, our bodies benefit tremendously for their incorporation into our diet
5- Diets that can help heal the gut and improve autoimmune condition
1-The autoimmune gut repair diet
The goal of this program is remove immune triggers from your diet that promote inflammation and yeast overgrowth in the gut, and intestinal permeability. By calming inflammation in the gut, you will be able to better calm inflammation throughout the body and brain, including autoimmune flare-ups.
2-The gaps diet
THE NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM
1. Diet
2. Supplementation
3. Detoxification and Life-style Changes
It removed all allergens and adds in food that promote gut healing like stock and fermented food, and supplements with probiotics to help heal your gut.
3- Dr. sears anti inflammatory diet
The Zone is not some mystical place or some clever marketing terms. It is a real physiological state in your body where the hormones that control silent inflammation are maintined in a zone that is not too high, but not too low. This requires treating food as if it were a drug to be taken at the right dose and at the right time
Combines food that reduce inflammation with high dosage of fish oil
Based on research findings, it is worthwhile for anyone with any of these conditions to work with a qualified health professional who can design gut-healing program to treat dysbiosis and promote gut health restoration, which follows the “5 R” Approach of Functional Medicine:
“Remove” pathogens and allergens.
“Replace” digestive secretions.
“Reinoculate” the GI tract with condition-specific beneficial bacteria.
“Repair” the lining of the GI tract with special gut-healing nutrients.
“Rebalance” with lifestyle choices which promote a healthy GI tract and function (i.e., adequate sleep and exercise, etc.).
People with food allergies and intolerances should go through the Introduction Diet in order to heal and seal their gut lining. The reason for allergies and food intolerances is so-called "leaky gut" when the gut lining is damaged by abnormal micro flora. Foods do not get the chance to be digested properly before they get absorbed through this damaged wall and cause the immune system to react to it.
Doctors that can help you implement these strategies can be :
1- Functional medicine :
addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century
2- Naturopathic Doctor
Naturopathic physicians combine the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science. Steeped in traditional healing methods, principles and practices, naturopathic medicine focuses on holistic, proactive prevention and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. By using protocols that minimize the risk of harm, naturopathic physicians help facilitate the body’s inherent ability to restore and maintain optimal health. It is the naturopathic physician’s role to identify and remove barriers to good health by helping to create a healing internal and external environment.
3- Holistic Medicine
Holistic medicine is the art and science of healing that addresses care of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. The practice of holistic medicine integrates conventional and complementary therapies to promote optimal health, and prevent and treat disease by addressing contributing factors. Holistic healthcare practitioners strive to meet the patient with grace, kindness, acceptance, and spirit without condition, as love is life’s most powerful healer.
