Autoimmunity
Autoimmunity occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks the body. This can affect literally any part of the body. Most of these conditions are pretty rare, but a few places in the body are more commonly attacked by the immune system. We often do not understand why that might be. Research into cross-reactivity with different bacteria is leading us to believe that overgrowth of certain bacteria in the intestines can lead to autoimmunity of certain tissues; more on that later.
The conventional treatment for most of these conditions is steroids to inhibit the immune system and thereby slow the destruction of that tissue by the immune system. However, steroids have many long-term problems, but most importantly, they do not address the root cause of the condition. Steroids work to slow the immune system’s attack on the tissue, but the question is, “Why is the immune system attacking your body.”
Where Does the Immune System Go Wrong?
The immune system typically works remarkably well; people who have lost their specific immune system (B and T lymphocytes) have to be kept in a bubble so they are exposed to a minimum amount of bacteria and viruses.
- Sometimes a foreign antigen (piece of bacteria or even food) can be very similar to a part of your own body. When antibodies target the foreign bacteria that is invading (see #7 above), they may also target your own cells for destruction. This is called cross-reactivity. This is what we think may be happening when certain bacteria become overgrown in the intestines as mentioned at the beginning of this page.
- Food antigens getting into the system can also cause cross-reactivity. This happens most often with gluten (in some of our most common grains). Gluten is not necessarily the problem here, the gastrointestinal tract is not breaking down the gluten properly so it is getting into the blood before being broken down properly. Other foods can cause similar problems including casein from dairy, soy proteins, corn, and nuts. When the digestive system is not working properly, almost any food can be causing problems in the body.
- Regulatory T-cells may not be stopping the immune reaction. This seems to happen when there is a lot of inflammation in the body or when there are certain nutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin D.
What Can We Do About It?
There is a lot involved when working with autoimmune conditions. As always, following a healthy lifestyle and diet is of utmost importance.
- Vitamin D is very important here. Get out in the sun as much as possible throughout the year especially in the winter. Do not get burned in the summer, but getting slightly red (with no pain, peeling, or blistering) is very helpful to build up natural levels of vitamin D.
- You may also supplement vitamin D3 preferably in the form of cod liver oil with vitamin D. Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil with Vitamin D is available at health food stores.
- Eliminate food sensitivities. People often know which foods aggravate them. Eliminate those foods from the diet completely while improving digestive health.
- Reduce overgrowth of bacteria (dysbiosis) in the digestive system. The best way to do this is not to use antibiotics, but to use probiotics and starve the bacteria by decreasing the amount of carbohydrates and sugars in the diet.
- Many herbs and nutrients are known to improve the functioning of the immune system. This is a complex subject requiring more knowledge of herbalogy than can be explained here.
