Autoimmune Disease: How To Stop Your Body From Attacking Itself

The incidence of autoimmune disease has tripled in the last few decades. 24 million Americans are now affected. In fact, it affects more women than heart disease and breast cancer combined.

But autoimmune disease isn't just one condition ...

You're probably familiar with the most common autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, type-1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and psoriasis. But there are many more autoimmune diseases that affect the nervous system, joints and muscles, skin, endocrine gland, and heart.

Simply put, autoimmune diseases are conditions where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues rather than a foreign molecule like bacteria. This happens when something confuses the immune system. Increasingly, that "something" appears to be the enormous load of environmental toxins to which we are all exposed.

The groundbreaking book, The Autoimmune Epidemic, by Donna Jackson Nakazawa is a breath-taking piece of investigative journalism that seeks the real causes for this epidemic. Her desire to find answers was fueled by her own struggle with autoimmune disease.

Donna lays out very clearly a radical, but unfortunately very true, picture of what's happening. But she also provides clear solutions for changes in diet, supplements, and our environment that can help people deal with and even reverse autoimmune diseases.

Donna calls the environmental toxins that are, in part, driving the autoimmune epidemic "autogens" -- foreign compounds that create an "auto" reaction, a reaction against the self. The fact is, these toxins may be the most important cause of autoimmune diseases.

In today's blog I will review how these toxins influence your health and lead to autoimmune diseases, share some of what Donna explains in her book, and provide 9 tips to help you address autoimmune disease.

Environmental Toxins: The Leading Cause of Autoimmune Disease

We are exposed to astounding amounts of pollution. Over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced into our society since 1900, and only 550 have been tested for safety. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 2.5 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released yearly by large industrial facilities. And 6 million pounds of mercury are poured into our air every year.

In fact, a recent government survey - "The National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals" issued in July 2005 -- found an average of 148 chemicals in our bodies. And those were only the ones for which they tested. (i)

It gets worse ...

The Environmental Working Group examined the umbilical cord blood of children just as they emerged from the womb. They found 287 industrial chemicals, including pesticides, phthalates, dioxins, flame-retardants, Teflon, and toxic metals like mercury. And this was before these infants even entered the world!

That's not to mention the toxins found in our foods and other chemicals typically found in the home, like certain cleaning agents or pest control products - all of which add to the total toxic load on our bodies.

One wonders what all of this poison is doing to our children ...

In his foreword to The Autoimmune Epidemic, Dr. Douglas Kerr, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says that "there is no doubt that autoimmune diseases are on the rise and our increasing environmental exposure to toxins and chemicals is fueling the risk. The research is sound. The conclusions, unassailable."

That environmental toxins are a major cause of autoimmune disease is clear. Yet conventional medicine doesn't take that into account when treating autoimmune conditions.

Instead, it tries to shut down the immune response with powerful medications including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil and Aleve, steroids like prednisone, anti-cancer drugs like methotrexate, and new drugs like Enbrel and Remicade that block the effects of a powerful inflammatory molecule called TNF alpha.

But those new drugs shut down your immune system so powerfully that they increase your risk of cancer or life-threatening infections. And they have frequent and serious side effects and often give only partial relief. These drugs may be lifesaving for some in the short run -- but in the long run they do NOTHING to deal with the causes.

There's a better way.

I have successfully treated hundreds of patients with autoimmune diseases by addressing the underlying causes, including toxins, infections, allergens, poor diet, and stress. The roadmap of functional medicine takes us right to the root of the problem.

I have even seen the results of using functional medicine to treat autoimmune disease in myself, in my wife, and in my patients.

Using Functional Medicine to Heal from Autoimmune Disease

Years ago, I had chronic fatigue syndrome. This condition has autoimmune features and my blood tests clearly showed that my body was attacking itself. Getting rid of my mercury poisoning reversed my chronic fatigue and autoimmune problems.

Similarly, my wife developed debilitating autoimmunity with joint pain and fatigue. Getting rid of the heavy metals in her body with an intensive detoxification program cured her, too.

And this has been true of so many of my patients.

For each one, I have to find all the causes -- toxins, allergens, infections, poor diet, and stress -- and deal with all of them while adding back the things the body needs to function optimally, like whole, clean food, nutrients, exercise, stress management, clean water and oxygen, community, connection, and meaning. When I do this, the results are amazing.

One of my patients had crippling psoriasis and related arthritis. She was 42 and couldn't walk up and down stairs, get into a bathtub without help, or properly care for her children. Yet just nine months after we started treatment -- including eliminating gluten and other food allergens, removing her heavy metals, and balancing her immune system -- she walked back in my office, not only 30 pounds lighter (remember, being inflamed makes you fat), but completely free of pain and psoriasis.

She's not alone.

Another man suffered for years with the bloody diarrhea and pain of ulcerative colitis. Dietary changes and various kinds of digestive support helped but he never got better -- until we removed the toxins and mercury from his body.

And a recent patient with debilitating fatigue and scars on her brain from multiple sclerosis got nearly complete relief of her symptoms after she had the mercury fillings removed from her teeth and went on a comprehensive detoxification program. When she repeated her MRI, all of the scars from the MS were gone!

So there are ways you can address autoimmune disease if you or someone you love is suffering. Here is what I recommend.

9 Tips for Addressing Autoimmune Disease

• Read The Autoimmune Epidemic. This book will tell you why we have this problem, and how to fix it.

• Find a functional medicine doctor who can help you address autoimmunity.

• Get tested for mercury and other heavy metals.

• Get tested for celiac disease (an autoimmune reaction to wheat and other gluten-containing grains), which causes over 60 autoimmune diseases. And consider eliminating other inflammatory foods from your diet such as dairy, eggs, corn and animal fats for a few weeks to see if it makes a different your symptoms.

• Take immune-balancing nutrients and supplements, including vitamin D, essential fats (like EPA/DHA and GLA), and probiotics.

• Practice deep relaxation daily through yoga, meditation, biofeedback, or anything that reverses the stress response.

• Practice the precautionary principle, which says that we should avoid anything with the potential for harm. In the US, something has to be proven harmful before it is taken off the market. In Europe, something has to be proven safe before it is allowed on the market. This is also known as "better safe than sorry."

• Learn how to boost your body's own detoxification system.

By addressing the root causes of autoimmune disease, you can start feeling better and getting well today.

Now I'd like to hear from you ...

Have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease?

How have conventional treatments worked for you?

Do you plan to try any of the lifestyle approaches mentioned here?

Please let me know your thoughts by adding a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

References

(i) Centers for Disease Control. 2005. National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/

Mark Hyman, M.D. practicing physician and founder of The UltraWellness Center is a pioneer in functional medicine. Dr. Hyman is now sharing the 7 ways to tap into your body's natural ability to heal itself. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on Youtube and become a fan on Facebook.

Follow Mark Hyman, MD on Twitter: www.twitter.com/markhymanmd

Comments

[bigorangefish]

I don't believe Dr. Hyman is right to recommend eating meats or animal products. Scientific studies
have proven that eating animal products causes heart disease, cancer and diabetes. It doesn't matter if the animal product is organic or not, they are still terrible for your health.

[sanang]

I was dxed with Hashimotos 8 years ago, took me about 5 years in adjusting meds every 8 to 12 weeks to finally feel good. I take 88 mg. Synthroid and for the past year have been feeling good, for the first time in a long time. I'm wondering if stress played a part in Hashi? At that time I was under a lot of stress, quit taking synthetic hormones and stated consuming soy products on a daily basis , first thing I knew I had Hashi's. Went for soy because of the plant estrogens, thought that would help with hot flashes since I quit synthetic hormones. I've learned most Hashi people cannot tolerate soy products..

[SonyaTerri]

Thousands of MS patients, worldwide, are using Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) to ease symptoms and arrest the progression of MS. This is a generic drug which is cheap and the Pharm Companies will not fund testing on it. It has almost no side-effects and has been used successfully by MSers and those with other autoimmune illnesses for six to seven years. I am in my 7th week of taking 1.5mg of LDN for CFS/Fibromyalgia. I have had Eosinophilia Myalgia Symdrome (EMS) since 1989, so I have been pretty much fully disabled for 20 years. The last six weeks have been the best six weeks I have had in 20 years. My pain is down by 75%, overall. When I wake up, I actually feel rested. My breathing also has improved. LDN may not help everyone with CFS/Fibromyalgia, but Stanford University has just completed a second study on LDN, for this purpose. I sincerely hope that you will look at the LDN studies that exist (for MS (Italy), Chron's (Penn Univ), Parkinson's, Lupus etc.) I hope the you will do an article on this drug, so that more studies can be funded. Please see the recently published book "The Promise of LDN". I hope that this inexpensive, PATIENT-DRIVEN SOLUTION will not be ignored. It can save lives and decrease suffering for those with a host of auto-immune illnesses. LDN can also help drive down healthcare costs as it is inexpensive and it works!

[tamrakat]

Really usefull tips for people, like me, who have autoimmune disease. I have fibromyalgia, CFIDS, IBS, weight loss, endometriosis, anxiety disorder and depression. Untill recently, my life was *extremely* difficult, and I felt hopeless I would ever regain my health.
In June 2009 I joined a clinical trial at Stanford using Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) 4.5 mg. Naltrexone was first FDA approved in the mid-80s at 300 mg/day for drug and alcohol addiction. Dr. Bernard Bihari noticed at lower doses (1.5 to 4.5 mg) naltrexone does something entirely different. It increases the body's endorphin levels, which are on average 50% lower in people with autoimmune & neurological diseases. The immune system NEEDS endorphins!
For more than 30 yrs people have been using LDN successfully to treat diseases caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The LDN community has grown to over 100,000 worldwide. Their is a grassroots movement to spread awareness of this inexpensive, non-toxic and, best of all, very effective drug. More and more MDs are seeing their patients get well after years of chronic illness. More and more patients are demanding LDN prescriptions from their doctors.
I agree with this article, but would add LDN to my "getting well" regimen. Google "LDN Stanford", then google "Low Dose Naltrexone". Clinical trials that I know of have been done at Stanford, UCSF and Penn State. Stanford is now trying to get LDN FDA approved as a front line treatment for fibromyalgia.
Tamra in Gilroy

[tamrakat]

Really usefull tips for people who have autoimmune disease. I have fibromyalgia, CFIDS, IBS, weight loss, endometriosis, anxiety disorder and depression. Untill recently, my life was *extremely* difficult, and I felt hopeless I would ever regain my health.
In June 2009 I joined a clinical trial at Stanford using Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) 4.5 mg. Naltrexone was first FDA approved in the mid-80s at 300 mg/day for drug and alcohol addiction. Dr. Bernard Bihari noticed at lower doses (1.5 to 4.5 mg) naltrexone does something entirely different. It increases the body's endorphin levels, which are on average 50% lower in people with autoimmune & neurological diseases. The immune system NEEDS endorphins!
For more than 30 yrs people have been using LDN successfully to treat diseases caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The LDN community has grown to over 100,000 worldwide. Their is a grassroots movement to spread awareness of this inexpensive, non-toxic and, best of all, very effective drug. More and more MDs are seeing their patients get well after years of chronic illness. More and more patients are demanding LDN prescriptions from their doctors.
I agree with this article, but would add LDN to my "getting well" regimen. Google "LDN Stanford", then google "Low Dose Naltrexone" and see for yourself. Clinical trials that I know of have been done at Stanford, UCSF and Penn State. Stanford is now trying to get LDN FDA approved as a front line treatment for fibromyalgia.
Tamra in Gilroy

[JayneLC]

Firstly I'd like to congratulate you on a well written article. I agree, the increase of all autoimmune diseases are happening at an alarming rate. One thing that has come to light is those who are being prescribed all sorts of medication for their autoimmune diseases is causing them cancer later in life, and if not them, then their children! How can this be?? One drug that I am taking for my ulcerative colitis is Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). It is non toxic, proving extremely effective to all with autoimmune diseases, some cancers, HIV/Aids where 100,000 people are using this around the world. Awareness of this out of patent drug is growing by the day but the question I have to ask, is, why isn't this being offered as front line treatment ie 'first do no harm' to people by the medical profession? Surely, that's what all Drs are first taught. I would encourage all who read this to research Low Dose Naltrexone, it is proving to be the next best thing to penicillin!

[thenana]

any help for suffers of erythema nodosa?

[seattle music]

When I was 18 I moved from Louisiana to Oregon.

In Oregon I was introduced to some researchers who were testing hair for heavy metals (one of the ways that our bodies try to excrete heavy metals from the body is through our hair.)

I agreed to be a test subject and allowed their clinical staff to take some of my hair for analysis.

When I came back for the results, the researchers very excited to meet me and ask me about my background. I had off-the-charts higher heavy metals in my hair sample than anyone else they had tested in their entire study. I can still remember their solum expressions when I told them that I was from South Louisiana, home of all those belching petrochemical plants - also known as "Cancer Alley".

That was 35 years ago.

It's been shown over and over again that exposure to all these environmental toxins is dangerous. It causes everything from learning disabilities in children to leukemia to severe birth defects. It's probably part of the reason why my brother died from kidney cancer, and both my grand-nephew and his paternal aunt were diagnosed with leukemia.

We know, but we do very little about it. I know I feel overwhelmed. With the rich, powerful and unscrupulous doing everything they can to gut our environmental laws and keep raking in the money hand-over-fist with utter disregard to our health and safety, what can one woman do?

[Kenshin]

any word about how Microban affects our immune system? it's called Triclosan as well, it's in lots of hand soaps and cosmetics, used for its bacteria-killing properties (I think it operates by messing around with enzymes, not something i really want in my body.)

it's so wrong that a product like that is not tested and regulated by the FDA simply b/c it's not a food or drug, but used topically and cosmetically. but tests show it ends up in your body (logically really, if u just used it on a eating/cooking surface or on your hands right before eating.)

i've stopped using products with Triclosan since i developed a horrible rash on my feet from my old floor cleaner--they started putting Triclosan in it. it also is making sense to me as i started to develop random rashes after washing my hands (why would u get rashes after u wash up?) in a public restroom.

Microban is the name of the product when they put it in plastics (there are other names too), to supposedly keep them from generating mildew and mold. IT IS USED IN CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS. This year, i've seen it in kids' scissors, and young children's toys.

Besides the obvious concern about the safety of this substance in our children's toys etc, as a parent, i'm concerned that this false security we have in chemicals to destroy germs actually makes things worse.

[FeistyandOpinionated]

I have MS, and I really get annoyed at the people who push the natural ways of treating the disease at me. I don't disagree that environmental factors have a role in diseases. Look at all the young kids being diagnosed with a peanut allergy. When I was in school, we were lucky if there was one kid in our class with asthma.
Regardless, the DMDs to treat MS have been PROVEN TO WORK. I doubt that removing mercury from my body is going to cure me of this disease. If that were the case, then my doctor would do it with all his patients, and we'd all be cured.
Kidding aside, people that SELL NATURAL WAYS of treating things are trying to earn a living, and I regard those people as such. I respect everyone's right to treating their illness the way they want to treat it, but I disrespect the people who tell me that I'm doing a disservice to myself by taking a pharmaceutical drug.
I had a friend who tried to push Shaklee on me. He told me it would cure my MS. He is no longer my friend. Sadly, most of the people that push these products don't have a disease or wonder if they're going to be able to wake up the next day and walk.

[Julka]

Thank you for your insight. It has given me confidence that there are some MDs that go beyond textbooks and drug therapy to treat symptoms and actually try to find the cause of the myriad of symptoms that have yet to be categorized in contemporary medicine.
I am an RN with symptoms of joint pain, occasional muscle pain, systemic swelling due to a compromised lymphatic system, fatigue and hypothyroidism for the last 7 years. The medical community lost interest early on once lymphoma was ruled out. I have found that I can control but not cure the problem by taking ASA and eating an antiinflammatory diet.
I had given up on doctors for this condition until my family practice MD referred me to a functional medicine MD who I'm seeing next week. I now have more confidence that this will not be just another dead end and I can finaaly get well again.

[EsriRose]

Did I not put the link in?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy

[danaherbert]

This is an excellent link, thank you!
I had my mercury fillings removed due to lymphocyte proliferation testing done in 2002 that indicated severe allergy to mercury, and my positive ANA titer became negative soon after. My severe Raynaud's phenomenon (very red and dry hands), which had been present since I was 15 years old, disappeared.
I have always believed that mercury was linked to cancer, and I believe that histiocytic bone lymphoma in the jawbone (which is sometimes not visible on dental x-ray, can mimic chronic infection, and is very difficult to get a proper biopsy of because it cannot be decalcified or submitted in formalin) may be another major cause of CFS. Histiocytic variety is a very slow growing cancer with a very good prognosis and is helped by vitamin. Nickel can also cause or exacerbate.

[danaherbert]

. . . . helped by vitamin D.
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/43/12_Part_1/5862

[danaherbert]

Raynaud's phenomenon can be caused by exposure to mercury:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_phenomenon
My autoimmune disease was Mixed Connective Tissue Disease.
I also have histiocyctic lymphoma in my jawbone now, which is a connective tissue lymphoma.

[EsriRose]

An extensive overview on the controversy over amalgam (containing mercury) fillings. Read it all and make up your own mind.

[jennifer s]

I highly recommend Dr. Hyman's "Ultrasimple Diet" book. If you can't afford testing, you can simply try an elimination diet for a week or two to see if your symptoms improve. This book gives very detailed instructions on the best way to go about this. I think elimination diets are ultimately more effective than tests anyhow--the test for celiac often turns up false positives/­negatives.
-Jennifer Schonborn, Holistic Nutrition Counselor
http://www.jenniferschonborn.com

[roooth]

Ummm, I hate to be a downer, but, for the uninsured, any idea what it costs to get any of these tests he refers to?

How much to get tested for heavy metals or celiac disease?

What will a work-up by a functional medicine doctor who can help you address autoimmunity run? Thousands?

It ain't cheap.

In fact, it's so expensive that it is not even a consideration for most people.

Let's keep it real, shall we?

[bigorangefish]

I don't think you really need the tests. Eating plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, is what every person should do and that should take care of many illnesses - and it's supposedly how you 'detox' anyways, because it restores the health of your body's natural detoxification system - the kidneys, etc... having your metal fillings isn't a bad idea either. My dentist told me that I didn't have to have my metal fillings replaced several years ago, but now he no longer uses metal fillings......so without saying so, the dental community is changing to non-metal/mercury fillings.