Have Autoimmune Disease? Here's What Could Be Wrong - Dr. Will Cole

Have Autoimmune Disease? Here’s What Could Be Wrong

by Dr. Will Cole

Autoimmune conditions have exploded to epidemic proportions over the last few decades, affecting an estimated 50 million Americans. To put that in perspective , there are around 14 million living Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. What was once a rarity is now commonplace.

Autoimmune conditions are showing no signs of stopping. People with one autoimmune condition are also at a greater risk of acquiring another. I see many people with what’s called poly-autoimmunity, which means they have multiple autoimmune conditions at the same time.

Today there are close to 100 recognized autoimmune diseases, and an additional 40 disease processes that have an autoimmune component. Autoimmune conditions can effect every system in the body, but the three that I see most frequently are:

Celiac disease

This condition is very difficult to diagnose, and many people don’t know why they are sick. This disease is known for its horrendous gastrointestinal symptoms, but did you know that around 80% of celiacs don’t have classic gastrointestinal symptoms? Many celiacs suffer from depression, largely due to a blunting of their serotonin receptors. Ninety-five percent of serotonin is made and stored in the gut, which is also known as the “second brain.”

Autoimmune thyroid disease

Research shows that about 90% of thyroid cases are autoimmune in nature, with Hashimoto’s disease the most common. Sadly, all low thyroid patients are treated the same, regardless of whether they have true primary hypothyroidism or an autoimmune disease. Everyone is given synthroid or levothyroxin, even if symptoms persist. Your labs will look more normal but if the immunological factors in the majority of thyroid patients are not addressed, it will be a short-lived success at best.

Autism

In 1970, 1 in 10,000 children were found to be autistic. In 1995 it was 1 in 500. In 2001 it became 1 in 250. Today, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed as autistic. The reality is, genetics does not explain the epidemic growth of autism and other conditions like it . Our genetics haven’t changed in the last 30 years. Better diagnosis may explain part of the astronomic increase of autism, but only marginally . In reality, the medical literature is beginning to recognize autism as an autoimmune reaction against the brain.

The Autoimmune Perfect Storm

Hopefully by now you realize that these are not just diseases of bad genes. So why is this all happening now? The multifaceted autoimmune puzzle may start with a genetic susceptibility, but we also have to look at three important epigenetic, or environmental factors:

1. Food intolerance

Our food supply has changed drastically in a relatively short period of time. Our genetics haven’t adapted to the onslaught of food changes. Our bodies function because of unique, complex biochemistry. The mismatch between our foods’ biochemistry and our own has greatly contributed to the rise of the autoimmune disease.

We eat far too many grains, and there’s a very strong link between grain and autoimmune conditions. Getting the proper food intolerance diagnostic labs done can be the first step for many to regain their health.

2. Toxins

The increase in environmental pollution, vaccinations, fluoridation, food additives, heavy metals, cosmetics and other toxic chemicals have had a negative impact on our collective health, especially with autoimmune conditions. A comprehensive health history and diagnostic testing from a functional medicine practitioner can uncover this often overlooked at factor in autoimmunity.

3. Gut stress

Your gut is home to around 80% of your immune system. It’s no surprise that just about every autoimmune condition has a gastrointestinal component. When there’s chronic stress or unresolved infections of the gastrointestinal system, it leaves the body susceptible to an autoimmune response. Increased permeability of the gut lining, commonly called leaky gut syndrome, allows undigested food particles and bacteria to circulate throughout the body. This breach of your body’s protective system causes your immune system to go in hyperdrive: the autoimmune response. Knowing the level and details of your gut health is a key insight to understanding autoimmune disease.

Making Sense Of It All

In summary, our health and our genetics are being compromised by this onslaught of these epigenetic triggers. The great news is that we are living in the age when the understanding of these diseases is at an all-time high. We can arrest the development of the damage. So what can be done? Stay tuned, because in my next article I’ll give you specific tools to reverse autoimmune conditions and regain your health.

original post a version of this article for MindBodyGreen.

Autoimmune Health

"It is estimated that 83% of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions." Dr. Will Cole

5 Diseases Doctors Often Get Wrong

5 Diseases Doctors Often Get Wrong - ABC News

When you experience strange pains, mysterious digestive issues, or other unexplained symptoms, you'd hope a trip to the doctor would solve your health woes. But sometimes, doctors have just as much trouble identifying certain disorders and conditions as their patients.

"A lot of symptoms are nonspecific and variable, depending on the person," says David Fleming, MD, president of the American College of Physicians and a professor of medicine at the University of Missouri. "On top of that, many diagnostic tests are expensive and aren't done routinely, and even then they don't always give us a black and white answer."

The following five conditions are notoriously difficult to pin down.

Continue Reading Story on ABC NEWS

10 Signs You Have an Autoimmune Disease and How to Reverse It

Amy Myers MD

amymyersmd.com/2013/04/19/10-signs-you-have-an-autoimmune-disease-and-how-to-reverse-it/

Autoimmune conditions affect over 50 million Americans, a large percentage of whom are women. In fact, I myself had an autoimmune diseases called Graves. Autoimmune diseases are considered a top 10 leading cause of death in women under the age of 65. They come in many different varieties, including rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and more, and can cause many different types of symptoms all over the body that range from mild to severe in nature. But what are they, what causes them, and how can they be treated?

What are autoimmune diseases?

Although there are many different types of autoimmune diseases and they can affect many different organs, at their core they are all similar in that they are an immune response caused by systemic inflammation that leads your body to attack itself. Your immune system has a very sophisticated system for keeping you safe that leads it to identify all of the foreign substances that enter your body or that you come into contact with. If your immune system deems anything dangerous, it will produce antibodies to ward off the harmful intruders.
Autoimmune diseases are born when your body is working hard to defend itself against something potentially dangerous, such as an allergen, a toxin, an infection, or even a food, and it fails to differentiate between the intruder and parts of your own body. Mistaking certain types of tissues for harmful substances, your body turns these antibodies against itself, wreaking havoc on your organs.

What causes autoimmune diseases?

There are many underlying factors that can cause people to develop an autoimmune condition. There certainly is an underlying genetic component. However, whether these genes get expressed or turned on is actually caused by a host of other factors, such as toxins from heavy metals like mercury or mycotoxins from molds, infections like Candida, Epstein-Barr and the herpes simplex virus, and most significantly, chronic inflammation tied to food sensitivities — particularly gluten intolerance. There is asignificant link between autoimmune diseases and gluten intolerance.

10 Signs You May Have an Autoimmune Disease

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, especially a combination of several of them, you may have an autoimmune disease.

1. Joint pain, muscle pain or weakness or a tremor
2. Weight loss, insomnia, heat intolerance or rapid heartbeat
3. Recurrent rashes or hives, sun-sensitivity, a butterfly-shaped rash across your nose and cheeks.
4. Difficulty concentrating or focusing
5. Feeling tired or fatigued, weight gain or cold intolerance
6. Hair loss or white patches on your skin or inside your mouth
7. Abdominal pain, blood or mucus in your stool, diarrhea or mouth ulcers
8. Dry eyes, mouth or skin
9. Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
10. Multiple miscarriages or blood clots



What should you do if you suspect you have an autoimmune disease?

If you suspect that you have an autoimmune disease, the most important steps to stopping and reversing your disease and symptoms are to identify and then to treat the underlying cause. Conventional doctors only treat the symptoms of autoimmune diseases; they don’t look to find the root cause. Often, they prescribe medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, or immunosuppressants. All of these treatments fail to address the underlying cause of the autoimmune condition in the first place and, while they may be effective in the short term, they are not a long-term solution. Treatments involving immunosuppressant drugs increase the risk of severe infections and cancer when taken for long periods of time.
Identifying which autoimmune disease is affecting you can be a difficult process. Symptoms may be vague, and autoimmune diseases can present themselves in so many different ways, affecting the thyroid, the brain, the skin, or other organs. Working closely with a functional medicine physician to review your family medical history, understanding your risk factors for infections, food sensitivities and toxins, as well as listening to you closely to discover how all of your symptoms are related is an essential part of getting well. A functional medicine physician will help to narrow down which labs they recommend in order to help find the root cause of your condition.


What is my approach to treating and reversing autoimmune diseases?

My approach to a patient who has a known or suspected autoimmune disease is to immediately place them on acomprehensive elimination diet to remove the top twelve inflammatory foods. I also recommend that they remove all grain and legumes from their diet if they think they can. Lectins in grains and legumes have been implicated in autoimmune diseases.
I order a comprehensive stool test to look at levels of good bacteria, check for infections and leaky gut. I then apply a functional medicine 4R approach to healing the gut. This is essential! More than 80% of your immune system is in your gut. If you have an autoimmune disease, then by definition you have a leaky gut that needs to be repaired, otherwise you won’t be able to reverse your condition.
I check blood levels for various antibodies and look for hidden or underlying infections.
After I’ve done all of this, if the symptoms have not completely resolved I look for hidden toxins like mercury and mycotoxins. If we find heavy metals, I often will place the patient on oral chelation treatment. If we find mycotoxins, I have the patient remediate their home.
I know from personal experience how overwhelming, confusing and scary a diagnosis of an autoimmune disease can be. I also know that conventional medicine only offers treatment of the symptoms, not a real solution to the disease.
I urge you to find a functional medicine physician in your area to help you get to the root cause of your illness and to help you reverse your disease. It can be done.

Courtesy of Dr. Amy Myers