Pt. III - When the good "cops" go bad. What are the triggers?

This is a complex system and it is a miracle that it usually works so well. However it can go wrong when the immune response identifies its own cells as the enemy and starts attacking them. Once this starts, it often persists. There is often a genetic tendency toward this autoimmunity and also one or more triggers that initiate the reaction. I think of it as a bit like a harried mother who has many children acting out and finally one spilled milk sends her over the edge shouting and spanking everyone! These autoimmune reactions cause inflammation which increases risk of heart disease and all kinds of tissue degeneration - and especially  destroys the tissues it is reacting against. The immune cells use inflammation as part of their defense system but this increases free radicals and depletes the body’s antioxidants.

The result of the immune imbalance are many:  Chronic Immune & Inflammatory Disorders: “itis”

• Atopic syndrome/eczema

• Rheumatologic: autoimmune disorders

• Gastroenterologic: IBD, gluten intolerance

• Cardiovascular disease: atherosclerosis

• Neurodegenerative disease: PD, AD, MS, ALS

• Cancer

• Endocrinologic: diabetes, thyroiditis

• Periodontal disease

• Psychiatric disorders: ADHD, autism, schizophrenia,

dysthymia

So can an autoimmune disease be improved or stopped? Yes, absolutely. We have seen this in many patients! If you can identify and remove the triggers, the immune system may calm down. The triggers are usually one or more of the following list. We can’t always find these triggers, some may be viruses or organisms we can’t identify, but reducing these factors will usually help a lot.

1. Diet, Lifestyle
   
   
2. Infection, Dysbiosis
   
   
3. Nutritional immunomodulation
   
   
4. Mitochondrial dysfunction causing inflammation
   
   
5. Psychoneuroimmunology- stress and emotions
   
   
6. Hormone imbalance
   
   
7. Xenobiotic immunotoxicity
   
   
8. Genetics -- which we can’t modify at present.....
   
   

Next time I will discuss each of these factors, how we can tell if this is a factor, how they cause problems and how to change them.