Autoimmunity

4 million people in the UK suffer from autoimmune disease – about 6% of the population.  Over 80 autoimmune diseases have been identified: some affect only one tissue or organ, while others affect multiple sites of the body.  Autoimmune diseases include type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, as well autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Grave’s Disease) as well as coeliac disease.  However, this figure doesn’t include those people who are struggling for a diagnosis, but are still suffering.  Of all of those with autoimmune disease, 75% are women in their child-bearing years.

Most autoimmune diseases have very long-term effects on health, placing a large burden on the NHS as well resulting in chronic ill-health and disability.  Current treatment aims to minimise symptoms and is mostly not curative.  The drugs used to minimise symptoms and make autoimmune diseases “more manageable” often have serious side-effects and long-term consequences to health.

So, what is autoimmunity?

In health, we have an active immune system to protect us from attack and keep us well.  When everything is going well, our immune systems protect us from foreign invaders, injury and infection through a complex communication system between our cells and the chemical signals they produce.  This communication system is complex and specific, issuing very clear instructions, so the difference between your body and a foreign invader is very clear.  However, in some people this communication system breaks down, so the immune response becomes flawed in some way, resulting in an inappropriate immune response to your body’s own tissues / organs.  Either the immune system can’t distinguish the body’s tissues from foreign cells and begins to attack itself, or it’s unable to regulate the intensity of the immune response. Regardless, the result is damage to the body’s tissues and the development of an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune conditions develop as a result of 3 things:

  • Genetic predisposition – if you have a family history of autoimmune disease, it is more likely that you will suffer as well – you can’t change your genetics.
  • Increased intestinal permeability (otherwise known as “leaky gut”) – this can develop over a period of months of years.
  • Specific autoimmune triggers – food sensitivities, nutrient depletions, toxin exposures, chronic infections, a poor stress response.  Some triggers can also lead to increased intestinal permeability.

Thankfully we can actually reduce / mitigate the risks for getting autoimmunity or the consequences of an autoimmune condition by addressing factors that increase intestinal permeability as well as tackling the triggers for autoimmunity through diet and lifestyle interventions.

What’s common with autoimmune disease is that triggers contribute to your body developing something called “a lack of self-tolerance.” This is when the body is no longer able to recognise its own tissue as part of itself, but instead starts viewing its tissue as a foreign invader.

Treatment of autoimmune disease

Modern medicine is split into specialities that are divided on what part of the body disease occurs. There’s no specialty that focuses on autoimmunity; instead, an autoimmune disease is treated by the medical specialty that covers the particular anatomical part involved. So, dermatologists typically treat dermatological autoimmune diseases and gastroenterologists treat inflammatory bowel disease. But autoimmune diseases aren’t always neat and precisely limited to one body part or system.

One aspect of autoimmunity is that if a person is diagnosed with one autoimmune disease they are more likely to develop a second, so if you have type-1 diabetes you are more likely to develop coeliac disease or pernicious anaemia.

How can nutritional Therapy help?

Eating a great diet that is comprised of real, unprocessed foods is a great start, but some people have problems with their digestion and wellbeing despite of a relatively good diet.

I work with patients who have a variety of autoimmune conditions, for which allopathic (standard Western medicine) doesn’t have a complete solution.  I work alongside your medical treatment programme.  So if you are suffering from any of the following conditions, or a less common autoimmune disorder I believe nutritional and lifestyle interventions can make all the difference to your day-today health and wellbeing.

  • Grave’s disease, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Inflammatory bowel disease / IBD (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, microcytic or lymphocytic colitis)
  • Lupus (Systemic lupus erythematosus)
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Sjögren’s Syndrome

My approach is to understand the root-cause issue to enable us to use a personal, individualised approach to healing.  This will involve exploring your medical / health history in depth, reviewing your current diet, and what you have tried before and developing a road map going forward with a personalised plan of action involving changes to your diet and lifestyle.

I may recommend further testing to better understand what is going on, and to enable me to make specific recommendations for appropriate supplements.

These tests may include simple, at home tests or in-depth functional testing.

I offer appointment packages which gives you the support that you need to your goals.

Please call me to discuss further – I offer a free 20-minute discovery call to help you understand how nutritional therapy make the difference to you – to help you achieve true well-being and vitality.