Autoimmune Disease

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[Used with permission From Fatigued to Fantastic by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD]

In addition to new infections arriving on the scene (COVID, AIDS, swine flu, Lyme disease, and a host of others), we are also seeing a rising epidemic of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune illness occurs when part of the person’s own body is mistaken for an outside invader, and it is attacked by its own immune system. There are literally hundreds of autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis—and they are becoming markedly more common.

Is It Lupus, or Really Fibromyalgia?

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, is an autoimmune illness where the body’s immune system confuses our body with an outside invader and attacks itself. It can be mild, or severe and life-threatening.

A key problem is that lupus, and many other autoimmune illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome, cause a secondary fibromyalgia in about 30 percent of cases, which is most often missed. Many if not most of the symptoms may then be caused by the secondary fibromyalgia and do not respond to the standard autoimmune medications, so the doctor gives higher and higher doses of prednisone and other toxic treatments.

So how can you tell? If you have widespread pain and fatigue, and also insomnia, you likely have a secondary fibromyalgia that should be treated with S.H.I.N.E.®

In addition, for those with lupus, several studies have shown that 200 milligrams a day (a large dose for women) of DHEA improves outcomes in lupus. Though this high a dose may cause acne or darkening of facial hair in other women, for reasons we don’t yet understand, this was uncommon in women with lupus in the studies.

Why the Autoimmune Epidemic?

It is important to step back and once again look at some of the root causes. Especially, why are so many people’s immune systems becoming overwhelmed? In addition to sleep deprivation and nutritional deficiencies (especially zinc and vitamin D) contributing to immune dysfunction, there are several other major underlying factors that are becoming very common in the population as a whole:

1. Severe dysbiosis (unhealthy gut infections) caused by antibiotics, excess sugar intake, and acid blockers.
2. Incomplete digestion of proteins caused by the rapidly increasing and chronic use of acid-blocker medication, combined with the routine destruction of the enzymes present in food during food processing to prolong shelf life. These enzymes are what digest food completely, and deficiencies result in incompletely digested proteins.
3. Increased gut membrane permeability, often called leaky gut, allowing dramatic increases in absorption of these partially digested proteins, which, as discussed earlier, are treated by your immune system as outside invaders, triggering food sensitivities and stressing our immune systems.

This trio of modern-day gut changes not only contributes to a marked increase in food allergies, and likely autoimmune disease, but can also overwhelm and exhaust the immune system. Why? If you consider that the total body burden of many infections may be measured in under 1 milligram, and that people may eat upward of 100,000 milligrams of protein a day, the concern is raised that even modest decreases in protein digestion, and the absorption of a small percent of partially digested amino acid chains, may increase the immune system’s work dramatically.

Our Modern Digestive Disaster

Unfortunately, food processors learned that by destroying the digestive enzymes in food they could prolong the food’s shelf life. This is because the enzymes in the food cause the food to ripen. The same enzymes, however, are necessary for you to properly digest your food. So the food looks good on the shelf, but it is difficult to digest, causing indigestion.

Instead of treating the poor digestion by giving people digestive enzymes, physicians turn off stomach acid—the other major factor needed for digestion. This is like going to your physician saying that you have a flat tire and having them shoot out the other tires to restore balance. Not a good idea.

So if you have indigestion, take some plant-based digestive enzymes with your meals (e.g., CompleteGest®) and improve stomach acidity.

To again put this in perspective and help you understand the stress that poor digestion puts on your immune system, consider this thought: It would take over twenty thousand trillion viruses to equal the weight of the amount of protein in a hamburger. You really want to improve your digestion, so that your stomach digests the burger. And everything else you eat. Otherwise, the partially digested proteins will have to be eliminated by your immune system, sometimes exhausting and overwhelming it, and triggering food sensitivities.

To give an idea of the impact of these food sensitivities, a published study (Integrative Medicine, October 2011) which I ran and which was funded by my foundation, showed that twenty-three out of thirty children with autism were able to return to regular schools after one year of food allergy desensitization treatments with NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique) versus zero out of thirty in the untreated control group. Interestingly, many researchers in the field are seeing overlaps in the pathophysiology of autism and fibromyalgia.

Another Major Cause of Autoimmune Disease

We now have over eight-five thousand chemicals added to our environment that were not there one hundred years ago. To get a chemical approved as a medication, it has to go through a safety evaluation process that costs over $400 million. On the other hand, if you want to throw the chemical wildly into the environment, it is okay to do so without much real safety testing.

An example gaining more attention is bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic and metal food containers. More than one hundred studies are showing that it can be very toxic and, like DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), acts as a hormone disrupter. Those of you old enough to remember DDT may also remember that it nearly drove our national symbol, the bald eagle, to extinction before it was outlawed. I suspect the universe has a sense of humor and sent us this metaphor as a warning. Which, because it affects financial interests, we have of course ignored. Though BPA has been banned in Canada, it is still allowed to be used in the United States.

Meanwhile, numerous chemicals can wreak havoc on our hormonal systems as well.

It is likely that this chemical load is one more major contributing factor that can result in the immune system confusing its own body’s parts with outside invaders. It is neither possible nor recommended that all chemicals be avoided. Rather, simply trim back your overall exposure using common sense. For those with severe autoimmune illness, I recommend an excellent book called The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa.

Mind-Body Issues

I would also note that our immune system is sensitive to whether we feel safe or under threat. The current mantra for some in the media seems to be “Fear and Divisiveness Sells.” This feeling of not being safe triggers chronic immune overactivity, which can blindly lash out at our own bodies. I think it is no coincidence that we are also seeing a rise in autoimmune illness, with this being one of several factors.

So, this fear mongering likely contributes to autoimmune problems as well.

My recommendation? When what you are paying attention to in the media leaves you feeling badly, turn it off. Doing so will not leave you uninformed. But simply less misinformed. As well as being much healthier and happier 🙂

Supporting Your Immune System

Fortunately, our bodies (including our immune systems) are built with a remarkable ability to adapt, especially if they are given a bit of help. Let’s start with a few key things that are critical in helping your immune function.

1. Take a good multivitamin with zinc, such as the Energy Revitalization Drink Mix. Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for immune function.
2. Cut back excess sugar. The amount of sugar in a 12-ounce can of soda will suppress immune function by 30 percent for three hours.
3. Get adequate sleep.
4. Optimize adrenal function.
5. Improve digestion with a plant-based digestive enzyme like CompleteGest.
6. Tune out and turn off “news” and social media reporting that leaves you angry or
   afraid.
7. Balance inflammation with a supplement called Curamin®
   
8. Decrease discomfort and overall immune overactivity with PEA and LDN.

All of these take a major load off your immune system, so it can get back to its real job of getting rid of the bad guys.