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Autoimmunity – Finding the Root Cause

Health Issues 30/01/2015 11 min read

It has been called the disease of the 21st Century. It is estimated to be the number 3 cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and most certainly the rest of the world is not far behind. Research in the U.S. has shown that 1 out of 5 Americans suffer from an autoimmune condition. Worldwide hundreds of millions of people are affected. Let’s have a look at what this all means.

You probably know what type 1 Diabetes is. Or Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis. Maybe you have heard of Hashimoto’s, Sjogren’s, Ulcerative Colitis or Psoriasis. These are just a few of the long list of autoimmune diseases that we know about. There supposed to be 80 different kinds.

What all of these conditions have in common is that they are a type of autoimmune disease, which occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies the body’s own tissues as a “foreign invader” and starts to attack it, a process also known as molecular mimicry.

Despite the common occurrence of many of these conditions, a lot of people are either mis-diagnosed or diagnosed only when symptoms become dramatic, thereby missing out on an important window of opportunity to take preventative and corrective measures. If an autoimmune disease has been diagnosed many conventional medicine practitioners fail to recognize that the underlying issue is the immune system. While they prescribe medications to deal with symptoms and/or suppress the immune response, they don’t address the progressive destruction that continues to go on and neither do they look for root causes.

In the words of Dr. Mark Hyman, one of the leading functional medicine practitioners in the U.S.: “Autoimmune disease is an inflammatory disease and the question becomes not “how do I shut off inflammation” but “how do I find the root cause of inflammation; why is the immune system so pissed off?””

The other sad part is that a lot of people with autoimmune disease don’t realize the power and potential of food in managing their condition. Countless of people have successfully reversed their disease and ended up thriving with the help of the right diet- and lifestyle changes. Some have chosen to share their stories, hoping to help others in their battle.* Yet the majority of people doesn’t have the right information or doesn’t know how to make the necessary changes.

Science is continuously evolving and I think it is important to recognize that there still are a lot of unanswered questions with regards to autoimmune disease and the underlying processes and causes. What is very encouraging is the attention it is getting from the holistic and functional health community and the awareness they are helping to generate in order to provide people with information and options. **

In this article I am hoping to add to this awareness building process by shedding some light on autoimmune conditions and what you can do in terms of diet and lifestyle to help manage your situation. In functional medicine each type of autoimmune disease requires specifics in terms of dealing with symptoms and manifestations but at a foundational level they are all treated in the same way.

What is an Auto-immune disease?

When a virus or bacteria or food antigen enters the body an immune response is launched. The body attacks the “invader” and produces antibodies against it. Because the molecular structure of the antigen often resembles the molecular structure of the proteins found in the body’s own tissues there can be a case of mistaken identity where the immune system not only attacks the antigen but also its own tissue.

The difference between different kinds of autoimmune diseases is the specific tissue the immune system attacks. Take for example Hashimotos. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition which is estimated to be the underlying cause of 90% (!) of hypothyroid conditions yet it remains largely un-diagnosed by the modern medical system. In this particular autoimmune condition the immune system attacks and progressively destroys the thyroid gland.

Ulcerative Colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large intestine, causing potentially debilitating digestive symptoms. Rheumatoid Arthritis affects the joints and Vitiligo causes the skin to lose pigmentation. In type 1 Diabetes the beta cells of the pancreas are attacked and destroyed. And so on.

What are the factors that contribute to the development of autoimmune conditions?

Dr. Alessio Fasano *** is one of the world’s leading experts on autoimmune disease. He has published many research papers on the subject. What he and other experts have shown through their work is that there are 3 pre-conditions that need to be present for the development of autoimmune conditions:

1. A genetic predisposition

2. An environmental trigger (diet, stress, toxins, infections, etc.)

3. Leaky gut (also known as intestinal permeability)

Genetics is believed to contribute roughly 25% to the development of autoimmune conditions. The remaining 75% is attributed to leaky gut and the environmental triggers. The good news is that environmental factors such as diet, infections, toxins are to a certain extent controllable. Stress is manageable as well and it is certainly possible to heal a leaky gut.

There is therefore compelling evidence and information along with many success stories that adopting a holistic health approach, which addresses all these areas, can help in successfully managing autoimmune conditions.

In one of her talks Dr. Amy Myers, author of “The Autoimmune Solution” book, mentions that her biggest regret is having removed her thyroid gland at the advise of her doctors many years ago when she was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition Grave’s disease. After spending many subsequent years studying functional medicine and working with patients who had similar conditions she now realizes she could have managed her condition effectively through incorporating diet and lifestyle changes and without undergoing the drastic step of removing the thyroid gland.

Let’s have a look at each individual factor that should be addressed in a holistic approach to managing autoimmune conditions. Each of these can be a potential contributing factor, depending on the individual. Using the Functional Medicine or Functional Diagnostic Nutrition approach to seek out and identify your particular trigger or root cause will allow you to zoom in on what needs to be addressed.

Autoimmune Triggers

1. Diet

Food is an immensely powerful tool in the process of dealing with autoimmune conditions.

The focus in the diet should be on removing foods that cause inflammation and/or that have the potential of further damaging the lining of the digestive tract, especially considering the strong link that exists between autoimmune conditions and leaky gut

Gluten
Dairy
Grains
Legumes
Processed foods
Sugar
Refined foods
Alcohol and coffee

There are tests you can do that will identify sensitivities to gluten and dairy or many other foods. Whereas some food sensitivities depend on your particular situation the general consensus is that in case of autoimmunity gluten and dairy should strictly be avoided. Research has shown for example that there is an extremely high correlation (98%) between autoimmune thyroid conditions and gluten consumption.

For the other foods I recommend using an elimination diet or food sensitivity testing such as IgG Food Allergy Test / MRT test. This is important, especially when you are dealing with an autoimmune condition. Every time you eat a food that you are sensitive to this causes an inflammatory response in the body, which you want to avoid.

Processed foods, refined foods and sugar should be removed no matter what, as they contribute to inflammation in the body and don’t have a place in a healthy diet.

Depending on the type and severity of your condition you might need to additionally eliminate certain additional foods.

2. Toxins

This one is a slightly harder nut to crack. We are, unfortunately, continuously exposed to toxins in today’s world through things like pesticides, chemicals, and pollution. Some of these are impossible to remove but what we can do is take a good look at our immediate environment and clean up in the areas of personal care products, household-cleaning products, and by choosing organic food wherever possible. We can furthermore use high quality filters to make sure we drink clean water, use green plants to remove chemicals from the air, etc.

Additionally there are many ways to regularly detoxify your body: doing a regular detox, moving your body and inducing a healthy sweat, sauna, eliminating toxic foods (as covered above), drinking plenty of clean water, dry-skin brushing, using liver loving supplements and other liver cleansing techniques and keeping the digestive system flowing smoothly all help to remove unwanted toxins more efficiently.

It might be necessary to do some testing to check for heavy metal levels. A high level of mercury for example is a known autoimmune trigger. Certain types of larger fish such as tuna, swordfish are known to contain high levels of mercury and are therefore best avoided if you have high mercury levels. Metal tooth fillings also cause high mercury levels. There are ways and techniques to help the body safely eliminate mercury or other heavy metals.

3. Infections / Infestations

Bacterial infections or parasites are a possible root cause for autoimmune diseases as well. By running a detailed pathogen test you can find out if a certain bug or bacteria is contributing to your autoimmune condition. Since most people with autoimmune conditions have intestinal permeability (also known as leaky gut) chances are that your gut is an “efficient host” for bad bacteria and other bugs. It would therefore be important to take a closer look and treat accordingly.

4. Stress

Stress is an ugly thing. Mental/emotional stress can play havoc with your health and so can other “hidden” stressors. Toxins, infections, parasite infestations, poor diet, food sensitivities are all examples of hidden stressors. In the correct approach to identifying root causes these should be identified and eliminated.

As far as mental/emotional stress is concerned it is equally important to identify the stressors in your life and eliminate them where possible or adopt ways to help you deal with them better. Rest, relaxation, meditation, practices such as yoga, tai-chi, breathing exercises, gratitude practice etc. are all very helpful in managing and reducing stress levels.

Leaky Gut

The lining of the intestinal tract is covered with cells, which are tightly packed together so as to carefully let only nutrients enter into our bloodstream. The spaces between these cells are called “tight junctions” and in a leaky gut these tight junctions are not so tight anymore. Due to inflammation and various potential irritants (gluten being the most important one) the tight junctions loosen up and let through unwanted particles such as larger food molecules, bacteria, toxins etc. This causes an on-going immune reaction in the body as it is continuously working to get rid of the foreign invaders.

A leaky gut is one of the main contributing factors to an immune system gone haywire, leading to conditions such as autoimmune disease. Dr. Alessio Fasano has done extensive research into this link. Some of his papers are listed below this article.

Given the proven link between autoimmune disease and leaky gut I recommend proceeding with an elimination diet when you are dealing with an autoimmune condition and therefore most likely intestinal permeability. In the elimination diet you remove foods that contribute to inflammation and digestive distress.

Additionally there are some powerful foods and supplements that can help heal the gut such as aloe vera, slippery elm powder, l-glutamine, zinc, deglycerized liquorice, etc.

To sum it up

Maybe you are dealing with an autoimmune condition yourself or perhaps you know someone who is. The fact is that autoimmune diseases are on the rise and there are things you can do right away to either prevent or manage this.

Managing your diet and lifestyle and healing your gut are a great place to start.

If you are serious about getting this handled, get in touch here and let’s see if I can help.

Be well!