Autoimmune Disease
Roughly about 10 million people suffer from autoimmune diseases or effects from these diseases. The root cause of these is difficult to uncover; however, there is some research that shows there’s a compound effect of both genetic predisposition and exposure to environmental factors or infections.
If a person is genetically more predisposed or more likely to develop an autoimmune disease and then is exposed to things such as infections, toxins, chemicals, or stress, these autoimmune diseases can be turned on essentially.
What happens in an autoimmune disease is your immune system accidentally identifies your body as a foreign invader and attacks it. So if you’re autoimmune, this process can then cause more of a chronic inflammatory picture, which then leads to damage of different organs that release hormones in your body.
Other factors to consider, of course, are hormonal imbalances, as well as the fact that women are more likely to develop these diseases than men. There are also certain medications that can turn on these autoimmune diseases, toxic metals, poor insulin and glucose control, toxins, adrenal fatigue related to chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, pesticides, and mold exposure.
The significance of speaking on autoimmune disorders can relate back to the principles of addressing the root cause of health in an individual. The goal in managing autoimmune diseases primarily is to find the trigger and address the autoimmune attack. By removing the trigger, such as mold exposure, the patient then has the ability to start healing.
There are multiple approaches to doing this. Usually, this starts with some more in-depth testing and a thorough history taken by a provider. Some different ways that these autoimmune diseases can be addressed usually depend on the root cause of the problem. Modalities such as hormone balancing, gut balancing, gut health, and balancing your nutrition are important.
A customized care plan might include medications to help, more natural medications to help un-confuse the immune system and stop it from attacking itself. There are other modalities such as ***secretomes or regenerative factors*** that can also help to address autoimmune disorders and their attack on the body.
Sarah, DNP, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC
Reference:
Murray, M. (2024, March 28). A major health crisis: The alarming rise of autoimmune disease. National Health Council.
