10 Signs You Have An Autoimmune Disease + How To Reverse It

10 Signs You Have An Autoimmune Disease + How To Reverse It

by Dr. Amy Myers April 18, 2013 11:56 AM

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 a significant 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 a comprehensive 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.

If you can't find a local functional medicine physician, check out our course taught by functional medicine expert Dr. Terry Wahls: Food Fundamentals: Eating To Optimize Your Physical & Mental Well-Being. Check out a sneak preview here!

5 Symptoms of a Weakened Immune System

5 Symptoms of a Weakened Immune System

Your immune system is the mechanism that your body uses to defend itself from viruses, bacteria, and many types of diseases. Sometimes, it tends to get weak: a poor diet, stress, or some kind of illness can all prevent it from performing its basic functions.

How to Know if Your Immune System is Weak

Your immune system is your defense, your “immune response” to certain external agents that can come inside of you and harm you. It is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect your body. You definitely know it, these protective cells are what are called leukocytes or white blood cells. They are in charge of attacking those organisms that causes sicknesses. These cells are found in the thymus, spleen, and bone marrow. They are called “lymphatic organs”.

If for whatever reason you have a lowered level of leukocytes at any given moment, you will not be able to take on those external elements that make you sick. So it is important that you are aware of certain kinds of signals so that your doctor can immediately determine the origin of this weakness and you can take it on. So, let’s take a look at the signs of a weakened immune system. 

1. Fatigue

It is very is true that fatigue can have a lot of causes. But when they are continuous, when you wake up in the morning for example and feel exhausted, when you end up tired from the smallest things, when the difference in temperature causes you to get depressed or nausea, etc… This are all symptoms to keep in mind.

2. Frequent Infections

Urinary tract infections, stomach problems, inflamed and red gums, experiencing diarrhea often are examples that your immune system is not handling the external agents that come in your body like it should. It is not producing the proper response and it cannot defend you against certain viruses or bacteria.

3. Flu, Colds, Sore Throat

How many colds do you tend to catch? One every month? Does your throat always hurt? Do you suddenly catch the flu? You should see your doctor so they can do a test on your levels of white blood cells. Your immune system may not be defending itself like it should.

4. Allergies

Some people experience allergic reactions more often than others. They cannot respond to certain pollen, dust, and environmental agents that impact your skin or mucus, and that immediately affect health. If that is the case for you, it is possible that you have a weak immune system.

5. Injuries that Take Long to Heal

Learn How to Strengthen Your Immune System

1. Take Care of Your Diet

We all know it. A good diet is a synonymous with good health. But sometimes we only get that when we are already experiencing a problem, when we are already sick. It is necessary to have varied and balanced nutrition at all times, which is rich in fruit, vegetables, and lean protein, and low in excess sugar, fats, and alcohol. Citrus fruits are always excellent health, so don’t forget to eat oranges, mandarins, papaya, grapes, tomatoes, etc.

2. Get Enough Sleep

Get a restful and repairing sleep. This is essential for keeping your immune system strong and for letting yourself recover energy and perform essential functions. Insomnia and concerns, the things that make you wait up constantly, are enemies of your health.

3. Hygiene and Cleanliness

We also know this, but sometimes it gets by us. Washing your hands before eating, before handling food, after touching animals, after getting home from outside or work… It is also important to take care of the cleanliness of your food. Wash the vegetables that you are going to cook well. Submerge them in water and get rid of any remnants. This is all essential for protecting your immune system.

4. Handle Stress Well

Stress is not only an emotion. If it turns chronic, it can cause serious problems. Toxins accumulate in your body, weaken your immune system, make you sick… So keep it in mind. Establish priorities, learn to love yourself, find time for yourself and do things you like to do.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

An autoimmune disease develops when your immune system, which defends your body against disease, decides your healthy cells are foreign. As a result, your immune system attacks healthy cells. Depending on the type, an autoimmune disease can affect one or many different types of body tissue.

What are the symptoms of an overactive immune system?

Autoimmune diseases, sometimes called inflammatory diseases, are also caused by an overactive immune system that is out-of-balance. For example, when the immune system attacks the body's joints, the result is rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

What is an immune system disorder?

Immune system disorders cause abnormally low activity or over activity of the immune system. In cases of immune system over activity, the body attacks and damages its own tissues (autoimmune diseases). Immune deficiency diseases decrease the body's ability to fight invaders, causing vulnerability to infections

What Are Autoimmune Disorders? - WEBMED

What Are Autoimmune Disorders?

Immune system disorders cause abnormally low activity or over activity of the immune system. In cases of immune system over activity, the body attacks and damages its own tissues (autoimmune diseases). Immune deficiency diseases decrease the body's ability to fight invaders, causing vulnerability to infections.

In response to an unknown trigger, the immune system may begin producing antibodies that instead of fighting infections, attack the body's own tissues. 

Treatment for autoimmune diseases generally focuses on reducing immune system activity. 

Examples of autoimmune diseases include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis. The immune system produces antibodies that attach to the linings of joints. Immune system cells then attack the joints, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain. If untreated, rheumatoid arthritis causes gradually causes permanent joint damage. Treatments for rheumatoid arthritis can include various oral or injectable medications that reduce immune system over activity.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). People with lupus develop autoimmune antibodies that can attach to tissues throughout the body. The joints, lungs, blood cells, nerves, and kidneys are commonly affected in lupus. Treatment often requires daily oral prednisone, a steroid that reduces immune system function.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The immune system attacks the lining of the intestines, causing episodes of diarrhea, rectal bleeding, urgent bowel movements, abdominal pain, fever, and weight loss. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two major forms of IBD. Oral and injected immune-suppressing medicines can treat IBD.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS). The immune system attacks nerve cells, causing symptoms that can include pain, blindness, weakness, poor coordination, and muscle spasms. Various medicines that suppress the immune system can be used to treat multiple sclerosis.
• Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Immune system antibodies attack and destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. By young adulthood, people with type 1 diabetes require insulin injections to survive.
• Guillain-Barre syndrome. The immune system attacks the nerves controlling muscles in the legs and sometimes the arms and upper body. Weakness results, which can sometimes be severe. Filtering the blood with a procedure called plasmapheresis is the main treatment for Guillain-Barre syndrome.
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Similar to Guillian-Barre, the immune system also attacks the nerves in CIDP, but symptoms last much longer. About 30% of patients can become confined to a wheelchair if not diagnosed and treated early. Treatment for CIDP and GBS are essentially the same.
• Psoriasis. In psoriasis, overactive immune system blood cells called T-cells collect in the skin. The immune system activity stimulates skin cells to reproduce rapidly, producing silvery, scaly plaques on the skin.
• Graves' disease. The immune system produces antibodies that stimulate the thyroid gland to release excess amounts of thyroid hormone into the blood (hyperthyroidism). Symptoms of Graves' disease can include bulging eyes as well as weight loss, nervousness, irritability, rapid heart rate, weakness, and brittle hair. Destruction or removal of the thyroid gland, using medicines or surgery, is usually required to treat Graves' disease.
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Antibodies produced by the immune system attack the thyroid gland, slowly destroying the cells that produce thyroid hormone. Low levels of thyroid hormone develop (hypothyroidism), usually over months to years. Symptoms include fatigue, constipation, weight gain, depression, dry skin, and sensitivity to cold. Taking a daily oral synthetic thyroid hormone pill restores normal body functions.
• Myasthenia gravis. Antibodies bind to nerves and make them unable to stimulate muscles properly. Weakness that gets worse with activity is the main symptom of myasthenia gravis. Mestinon (pyridostigmine) is the main medicine used to treat myasthenia gravis.
• Vasculitis. The immune system attacks and damages blood vessels in this group of autoimmune diseases. Vasculitis can affect any organ, so symptoms vary widely and can occur almost anywhere in the body. Treatment includes reducing immune system activity, usually with prednisone or another corticosteroid.

WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Jennifer Robinson, MD on August 07, 2016

Autoimmune Disorders

Autoimmune disorders

Summary

• An autoimmune disorder occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly attacks their own body.
• There are around 80 different autoimmune disorders ranging in severity from mild to disabling, depending on which system of the body is under attack and to what degree.
• There is generally no cure, but the symptoms of autoimmune disorders can be managed.

The immune system is a collection of special cells and chemicals that fight infection-causing agents such as bacteria and viruses. 

An autoimmune disorder occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly attacks their own body tissues.

Autoimmune disorders are broadly grouped into two categories – 'organ-specific' means one organ is affected, while in 'non-organ-specific' disorders, multiple organs or body systems may be affected.

There are around 80 different autoimmune disorders ranging in severity from mild to disabling, depending on which system of the body is under attack and to what degree. For unknown reasons, women are more susceptible than men, particularly during their childbearing years. It is thought that sex hormones may be at least partly responsible. There is generally no cure, but the symptoms of autoimmune disorders can be managed.

Types of autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune disorders can affect nearly every organ and system of the body. Some autoimmune disorders include:

• Diabetes (Type I) – affects the pancreas. Symptoms include thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and an increased susceptibility to infection.
• Graves' disease – affects the thyroid gland. Symptoms include weight loss, elevated heart rate, anxiety and diarrhoea.
• Inflammatory bowel disease – includes ulcerative colitis and possibly, Crohn's disease. Symptoms include diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
• Multiple sclerosis – affects the nervous system. Depending on which part of the nervous system is affected, symptoms can include numbness, paralysis and vision impairment.
• Psoriasis – affects the skin. Features include the development of thick, reddened skin scales.
• Rheumatoid arthritis – affects the joints. Symptoms include swollen and deformed joints. The eyes, lungs and heart may also be targeted.
• Scleroderma – affects the skin and other structures, causing the formation of scar tissue. Features include thickening of the skin, skin ulcers and stiff joints.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus – affects connective tissue and can strike any organ system of the body. Symptoms include joint inflammation, fever, weight loss and a characteristic facial rash.

Immune system malfunction

Immune system cells called T lymphocytes (T cells) use special receptors on their surfaces to identify foreign microbes, such as bacteria and viruses. Usually, T cells that react to the tissues of the body are destroyed by the thymus, an organ of the immune system located behind the breastbone. The 'self-attacking' T cells that escape destruction may be activated by a trigger. The exact triggers are unknown, but viral infections and hormones are among the suspects. The rogue T cells then instruct B lymphocytes (B cells) to make antibodies against the particular tissue, organ or system. Such antibodies are called 'autoantibodies'. 

Risk factors for autoimmune disorders

The exact causes of autoimmune disorders are not known. The risk factors seem to include:

• genetics – a predisposition to autoimmune disorders seems to run in families. However, family members can be affected by different disorders; for example, one person may have diabetes, while another has rheumatoid arthritis. It seems that genetic susceptibility alone is not enough to trigger an autoimmune reaction, and other factors must contribute.
• environmental factors – a family's susceptibility to autoimmune disorders may be linked to common environmental factors, perhaps working in conjunction with genetic factors.
• gender – around three quarters of people with autoimmune disorders are women.
• sex hormones – autoimmune disorders tend to strike during the childbearing years. Some disorders seem to be affected, for better or worse, by major hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.
• infection – some disorders seem to be triggered or worsened by particular infections.

Diagnosis of autoimmune disorders

It can be hard to diagnose an autoimmune disorder, especially in its earlier stages and if multiple organs or systems are involved. Depending on the disorder, diagnosis methods may include:

• physical examination
• medical history
• blood tests, including those to detect autoantibodies
• biopsy
• x-rays.

Treatment for autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune disorders in general cannot be cured, but the condition can be controlled in many cases. Historically, treatments include:

• anti-inflammatory drugs – to reduce inflammation and pain
• corticosteroids – to reduce inflammation. They are sometimes used to treat an acute flare of symptoms
• pain-killing medication – such as paracetamol and codeine
• immunosuppressant drugs – to inhibit the activity of the immune system
• physical therapy – to encourage mobility
• treatment for the deficiency – for example, insulin injections in the case of diabetes
• surgery – for example, to treat bowel blockage in the case of Crohn's disease
• high dose immunosuppression – the use of immune system suppressing drugs (in the doses needed to treat cancer or to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs) have been tried recently, with promising results. Particularly when intervention is early, the chance of a cure with some of these conditions seems possible.

Where to get help

• Your doctor

Things to remember

• An autoimmune disorder occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly attacks their own body.
• There are around 80 different autoimmune disorders ranging in severity from mild to disabling, depending on which system of the body is under attack and to what degree.
• There is generally no cure, but the symptoms of autoimmune disorders can be managed.