What is Autoimmunity?

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Probably the most common description of autoimmune disease is that it

is a condition that occurs when the " body attacks itself " . This

definition doesn't even begin to encompass what autoimmunity really

is. This disease is much more than inflammation caused by

body " attacking itself " .

A more accurate definition of autoimmunity is that it is a modern

disease created by greed. The fact is that an autoimmune condition

doesn't just " happen " to you. It is both passively and actively

created by your lifestyle and the greedy practices of food

manufacturers, who lace your meals with toxins. You eat, drink, and

expose your way to immune dysfunction. With little exception,

everything you put into your mouth, your surroundings, and even the

air you breathe is either making you healthier or sicker.

How much control can you actually have over immune dysfunction? Let's

consider " the sunburn analogy " .

When was the last time that you had a sunburn? At that time, did you

consider your sunburn a terrible disease over which you had no

control? Of course not! Most likely you accepted the sunburn as a

natural consequence to prolonged sun exposure. Although painful, the

burn was not a mysterious malady of unknown origin, but your body

doing exactly what it was designed to do under those particular

circumstances. I am sure you realize that the answer to not walking

through life with red, irritated, or blistered skin is protecting

yourself from the sun's damaging rays. Keep your skin in a safe

environment and you will avoid the pain that a sunburn brings.

Autoimmunity is a lot like a sunburn. It is also a natural

consequence brought about by certain conditions in the environment.

Only in this case, I am referring to the internal environment of the

body. The often painful result is the immune system turning against

the body's own tissue. Controlling those circumstances is more

complicated than simply avoiding prolonged sun exposure, but the

individual can control them. The goal is to change the internal

environment and by doing so, avoid the pain caused by the immune

system turning against the body.

What you may or may not realize is that autoimmunity occurs naturally

in everyone to some degree. However, cells that are capable of

attacking the body's own tissue are kept under control by the body in

an ideal environment. Genetics can also play a role in whether or not

the body is likely to attack itself.

Just as your genetic make up can cause greater susceptibility to

burning in the sun, your genes can make you more susceptible to

autoimmunity. However, genetics do not guarantee that you will

develop any type of what the world calls autoimmune disease.

According to the researchers at the University of Utah, genetics

aren't everything. In the case of identical twins, when one twin

develops MS, there is only a 30% chance of the other (genetically

identical) twin also being diagnosed with the disease. A separate

study showed the incidence of lupus between identical twins even

lower at 24%. With Rheumatoid Arthritis, there is a 1 in 4 chance.

Why does one twin get sick and not the other the majority of the

time? It is the same as one redheaded, fair-skinned twin who went out

in the sun and got a sunburn, while the other avoided sun exposure

and did not get burned. The answer is the environment. The twins with

MS, lupus, and arthritis had allowed an internal environment that was

conducive to autoimmunity.

According to immunologist, Dr. Stoff, there are five key things

that damage the body's internal environment (terrain). They are:

1. poor eating habits and nutrition

2. man-made toxins in our environment

3. disease causing organisms and the toxins they produce

4. trauma on the immune system from things like x-ray radiation and

cross country flights

5. stress

The immune system, like most of the body, requires balance to

function properly. T-helper 1 (Th1) cells and T-helper 2 cells (Th2)

help regulate the body's response to foreign invaders. Th1 uses white

blood cells to go after viruses and cancer cells. Th2 immune cells

use antibodies to go after bacteria. Normally, the body strikes a

balance by switching back and forth between Th1 and Th2. In a person

with an autoimmune disorder, one dominates and suppresses the other.

Trans fats, mercury and other heavy metals, sugar and processed

foods, alcohol, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and stress are part

of a modern lifestyle that can disrupt the Th1/Th2 balance.

Th1 dominance in women is associated with autoimmunity and recurrent

miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy. Additionally,

children in the autism spectrum tend to be Th1 dominant. Besides

autoimmunity, Th2 dominance is characterized by a tendency toward

allergies, frequent colds and viral infections, and cancer.

Both Th1 and Th2 cells make a protein substance known as cytokines.

Cytokines cause inflammation. This inflammation should be a temporary

response to injury or infection. Cytokines are a necessary part of

our immunity. It is the overproduction (too many) of certain small

cytokine molecules that leads to the invasion and inflammation of an

organ or body system.

In the brain, cytokines can cause behavioral changes. They can either

prompt or worsen depression, anxiety, or anorexia. They may cause a

person to become withdrawn. Cytokines create fatigue and interfere

with sleep patterns. They are one thing responsible for what has been

termed " brain fog. "

Autoimmune conditions are named or categorized according to where in

the body cytokines are being overproduced and how the disease

manifests itself. For example, an overproduction of these cytokines

in the joints causing pain and swelling is called Rheumatoid

Arthritis (RA). It may go by different names and occur in different

places in the body, but ultimately, autoimmunity is one disease with

many different

faces.

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