Some Advice For Sufferer’s of Auto Immune Disease

Some Advice For Sufferer’s of Auto Immune Disease

In my last blog, I talked about ‘Hypothyroidism’, or under active thyroid and how many sufferers were going undiagnosed because of incomplete pathology testing – eg: Using the pathology marker TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, as the sole indicator for diagnosing thyroid disease.

I also touched on how Hypothyroidism is often accompanied by the auto immune component – Hashimoto’s or Graves Disease.  So just to recap, put simply – an auto immune disease is a condition where the immune system has lost the ability to detect self from non self and so forms anti bodies against its own healthy organs and tissue, mounting an attack on its self.

In the case of Hashimoto’s and Graves Disease, these auto immune (AI) conditions affect the thyroid gland.  The difference between Graves and Hashimoto’s, apart from having weird names, is Graves disease is the AI condition that can be present with an OVER active thyroid and Hashimoto’s is the AI condition that can accompany an UNDER active thyroid condition.

Some of the more common forms of auto immune diseases include, Lupus or SLE, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chrohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, Sjogren’s Syndrome  – this is the AI disease, tennis champion Venus Williams was recently diagnosed with and Endometriosis is now considered to be an auto immune condition.

The main point of difference between one AI disease and another, stems from which organ/s or system is targeted.   For example,

• Hashimoto’s and Graves disease affect the thyroid gland
• Rhuematoid Arthritis and Lupus predominantly affect the joints and in the case of Lupus, the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys and liver  can also be affected.
• Multiple Sclerosis attacks the body’s central nervous system.
• Ulcerative Colitis and Chrohn’s Disease predominantly affect the large intestine or colon
• Sjogren’s Syndrome predominantly affects the salivary glands and tear ducts
• Endometriosis generally affects the female reproductive system but in extremely rare cases can actually grow anywhere within the body.
• Juvenile / Type 1 Diabetes  – this is different to non insulin dependent diabetes type 2 which is dietary induced

Although there are up to 80 known AI conditions affecting different organs and systems, the common dominator between ALL AI diseases is the attack the immune system mounts upon itself.

Autoimmune diseases are on the rise, with the incidence now reportedly affecting 1 in 5 people, including a doubling in the rate of Multiple Sclerosis in the last ten years.  Scientists have recently discovered a possible link between certain AI diseases and viral infection from CMV – Cyto Megalo Virus.  Infection from bacteria, yeast and other viruses such as EBV – better known as Glandular Fever, have also been linked to development of AI diseases.

More recently vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in the development AI conditions because of its immune regulating action.  We now know vitamin D enhances our immunity against cancer, but science has also discovered vitamin D prevents the immune system from developing auto reactive cells – cells that act against their own tissue.  You may recall I wrote a post on the worldwide epidemic of vitamin D deficiency a few months ago. “Are You Lacking A Little Ray Of Sunshine In Your Life?”

Exposure to toxic levels of certain chemicals such as mercury, plastic contaminants  – BPA found in plastic water bottles, pesticides, even hair dye can also trigger certain AI diseases such as Lupus.

Chronically disrupted gut flora colonies within our gastrointestinal tract have also been linked to an increased risk for AI disorders, because of the critical role these bacteria play in regulating our immune responses.  You can read more about the implications of disrupted gut flora in one of my previous posts Why True Beauty Starts On The Inside

Perhaps one of the  most undisputed triggers for AI diseases is STRESS.   Yep, it seems stress is behind everything bad now days.  In my previous post Does Burn Out Really Exist I wrote about the silent epidemic ‘Adrenal Exhaustion Syndrome’ – a condition that develops literally when the body is exposed to prolonged periods of stress.  It is also the condition that can precede the onset of an AI condition and infection.

The current conventional medicine approach to treating and managing AI diseases is through the  prescription of corticosteroid or immunosuppressant drugs  – used to quickly suppress the immune system against attacking itself, causing further damage to the relevant organ.  This may sound like a perfect solution, until you dig a little deeper and learn that these steroidal based medications – such as Prednisone,  cause monumental damage to the lining of the intestinal wall  as well  as possible liver and kidney damage and increase the risk of developing cancer, not to mention, reduce the adrenal glands production of cortisol, with long term use.

It’s a little like the use of chemotherapy drugs to fight cancer,  in that the chemo drugs not only attack the cancer cells, but also the healthy cells, leaving the patient’s immune system vulnerable to infection because of their weakened  immune defences, post chemotherapy.

Natural Alternatives To Treating AI Conditions

So what choices do we have when it comes to treatment options for AI disease?  There is no doubt that left untreated, the impact of some AI disease’s can be extremely debilitating, but on the other hand, the pharmaceutical medications that provide quick and effective relief from symptoms, can also contribute to exacerbating the underlying cause, in addition to inducing subsequent negative side effects

So the effectiveness of introducing natural or nutritional medicine treatment options, is dependent upon which AI disease you have, how far down the line you are with it,   what pharmaceutical drugs you are taking and indeed for how long, because many of the drugs used to treat AI diseases have side effects associated with long term use, that can be as unpleasant as the AI disease itself.  In these cases, natural treatment options for AI disease just have a harder time taking effect, but it is by means futile or ineffective, you just need to allow more time and use stronger doses of nutritional medicine, under the guidance of an experienced health care practitioner.  But none the less it is never too late to introduce natural or nutritional medicine to treating AI conditions.   I myself recovered from two forms of auto immune disease – Lupus and Hashimoto’s using nutritional medicine approaches and I continue to manage the Hashimoto’s with the following:

Diet

No doubt the real key to treating an AI condition is to get in early!!  I cannot stress this enough, and if anyone tells you there is no link to diet and its impact on AI conditions……..well…..run!!  Haven’t they heard of YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT as well as WHAT YOU DIGEST?

So yes, as you have probably gathered, FOOD plays a MAJOR role in influencing the either the progression or the  stabilisation of an AI condition, just as it does with ALL illnesses and diseases.  This is because food impacts on our immune system – it has the power to weaken our immune system by triggering an inflammatory immune response or alternatively alkalise our system, thereby reducing inflammation.  Considering AI conditions have an inflammatory basis to them, it makes perfect sense then to eliminate all inflammatory causing foods, this includes foods that heat the body such as chilly, garlic, onions and chocolate.

The fastest and most effective way to stamp out the raging fire that burns within the body of an auto immune sufferer, is to ALKALISE YOUR SYSTEM.

You can find out the best way to do this in my booklet; Begin A Healthy Life In 28 Days

but in short ……The BIG NO’s NO’s when it comes to food & Auto immune:

• SUGAR
• Artificial preservatives and additives and yes this includes ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS OF ANY KIND – READ YOUR LABELS PLEASE
• Gluten
• Coffee
• Alcohol
• Cow’s Dairy
• and did I mention sugar?
• Soy
• Red Meat – at least until your acute symptoms are under control and then a little slow cooked – 8 hrs in a crock pot will not harm you so much

and other acid forming foods.  I’ve got a comprehensive rundown on this – all 60 pages, in my booklet – Begin A Healthy Life In 28 Days

But aside from fixing your food, you will need to fix your gut to fix your immune system and then you will need to fix your head……your ‘stress’ head, because I’m yet to meet a person with auto immune who is not a ‘stress head’ and that’s aside from the reason their body is sick.

So fixing your adrenals / central nervous system function, simultaneously with your guts or digestive function, followed by replenishing all those nutrients your body will have run dangerously low on such as vitamin D, B12, iodine, Vitamin C, Selenium, Magnesium and probiotics, is the first step in the right direction towards balancing your immune system.

Exercise

When it comes to exercise – ‘LESS IS MORE’ needs to become your new mantra.  I tell all my patients when they are in the acute stages of an AI disease to ‘down the dumb bells, get off the tread mill and stay as far away from that spin room as possible’, because when there ain’t no petrol in the car, it ain’t going nowhere, and forcing it to drive will only wear the engine out more.

About the only exercise I recommend when in the acute stages of an AI disease, or ANY chronic illness for that matter, (and that includes ‘burn out’ or adrenal exhaustion syndrome) is walking or restorative yoga  – and this does not include hot yoga or power walking.  Gentle hatha style yoga or walking at a pace that allows you to stop and smell the roses will speed up your recovery compared to trying to push your body to perform out of guilt or a sense of laziness.

Practice being ‘present’ while you walk or do yoga as opposed to having a rambling conversation in your head, as this can act as a form of meditation, helping to regulate healthy cortisol function over time and reduce stress levels.

As far as “how long you should exercise for”, listening to your body vs your mind is the safest way to gauge your limitations.  If you feel tired after your walk, you have gone too far, as exercising for the right amount of time should leave you feeling energised, not asleep on the couch.

As your body starts to recover, you can introduce other forms of resistance exercise including pilates and weights.  A word about swimming, I suggest avoiding lapping in chlorinated pools, especially if indoors as the exposure to the chlorine certainly won’t help your recovery.  Use an ocean or salt water pool.

Personally I am a fan of water running, ether in waste deep water, or with a flotation belt on so your feet cannot touch the bottom as this really works the whole body, but it is not  advisable until your adrenals  are well and truly recovered.

Meditation

Meditation can be seen as exercise for the mind.   When your body is ill, there really is little choice but to give this tried and proven practice of the East ago.

Meditation can be viewed in one respect as sitting cross legged on your tush with your eyes closed, hands planted gently on your knees as you think “nothing”.  But let me tell you from someone who has battled with mastering the art of thinking nothing, that at first thinking is about all you will do, lot’s and lots of thinking.  Mainly because that’s been part of the problem all along, too much thinking of too many thoughts that serve you absolutely no positive purpose, it’s part of the reason you got sick in the first place.  So now it’s time to learn to “un-think” and empty your mind of all thoughts!  But don’t worry, it’s not as hard as you think…..did I just say think?

The best place to start is with your breath.  Focusing on your breath will take your mind away from your thoughts, so start with slowing down your breathing to a relaxed pace, taking time to breath in, holding for  a few seconds, then breathing the breath out slowly.  But because I am not an expert on meditation, I am going to recommend you consult an expert on this, but you can start with even purchasing a good meditation CD. and then building up to attending a meditation course.

Just remember to surrender all expectations that you may have around meditation, because there really are no rules when it comes to meditating, it’s as simple as staying present with the breath, even if it does take you the rest of your life to master this, at least you will be on your way.

Sleep

Sleep is the body’s time to repair and renew cells. When the body is ill, it will need more sleep to repair and renew.  The worst thing we can do is deprive our body of sleep when it needs it.  Because the body is smarter than the mind, it accumulates a ‘sleep debt’,  a little like when you borrow money from the bank.  Your bank manager may agree to lend you the extra cash, but if you don’t repay it, then the ramifications are not so fun.  Same goes with the body, borrow adrenalin to use in place of real energy dollars, from your energy bank and you will need to make time to repay it, otherwise the body’s ‘bank manager will come a calling, hence you may fall ill.  Illness may be viewed in one way as the body’s way of forcing you to slow down and take stock, if you failed to heed the early warning signs.  Most people I treat for chronic illness, tell me in hindsight they can see the build up to getting sick, sometimes years prior to the event.

So finally, a little word of advice I give all AI sufferers……..just remember trying to control your illness will only lead to it controlling you, especially when the thyroid is involved, because the underlying emotional connection to thyroid imbalances is about control.  Try to adopt a gentler approach to everything that you do, especially yourself.

Remember these 5 little things when it comes to healing from any chronic illness………

• TIME                                     for the body and mind to heal
• PATIENCE                         with your body
• COMMMITTMENT             to your body & health
• FOCUS                                     on your healing
• LOVE                                     for yourself & that includes your body

For more information on recovering from AI conditions you can visit my website www.sallyjoseph.com.au or purchase my booklet Begin A Healthy Life In 28 Days

Til my next post , stay healthy and happy

Sally x

© All Rights Reserved Sally Joseph 2011