What Are Autoimmune Diseases & How They Affect Us

Autoimmune diseases affect 23.5 million Americans, nearly 80 percent of whom are women.

Our immune system is a diverse and multifunctioning system in our body. It works to defend our body from outside and inside invaders each day. Unfortunately, sometimes your immune system can attack your cells, leading to an inflammatory response and the beginning of what we like to call an autoimmune disease. They are becoming increasingly common due to our dietary choices, environment, personal care products, etc. In today's article, I will share what an autoimmune disease is and how you can prevent developing one.

What Are Autoimmune Diseases?

Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system cannot distinguish between harmful and good bacteria. When our body cannot identify what is bad and good, it begins to attack the good cells leading to an inflammatory response. There are over 80 different autoimmune diseases, but the most common are s follows;

● Rheumatoid Arthritis- an autoimmune condition that attacks the joints

● Thyroid conditions include Graves (Hyperthyroidism), an overactive thyroid, and Hoshimotos (Hypothyroidism), an underactive thyroid.

● Lupus- a condition that damages joints, skin, and organs

● Psoriasis- a condition affected by the insulin hormone causing scaly patches of skin

● Psoriatic Arthritis- an additional condition that affects people with psoriasis.

Different forms of stress affect our immune system, and sometimes depending on our environment, the food we eat, how much we sleep, and our emotional state all dictate how we will respond to stress. When our body is already struggling to stay healthy, in the first place, it puts us at risk for autoimmune conditions. They do not have an exact reason for why autoimmune diseases occur, but I have seen a commonality in all of the results through research. The accumulation of stress o the body creates these autoimmune diseases because our body can handle so much before it breaks.

What Causes Autoimmune Diseases?

There are not any known causes of autoimmune disease, but there are factors that put you at risk. Some of the risk factors are as follows;

● Smoking- the toxic ingredients in cigarettes stress your immune system increasing your chances of an autoimmune condition.

● Obesity- Being overweight or obese strains your body's ability to function normally, which also puts your immune system in a stressed state.

● Genetics- Some autoimmune conditions run in families so they can be genetic.

● Infections- Any severe, external, or internal disease requires work by the immune system to heal it, and if it is bad enough, it can put you at risk for an autoimmune condition.

● Environmental toxins- what we breathe and drink significantly affect our immune system, and in many cases, it can be one of the main culprits in autoimmune conditions.

● Stress (mental and physical)- When stressed from work and life, it causes our body expends energy and uses hormones that help fight off sickness, which can exhaust your immune system, putting you at risk for disease and autoimmune conditions.

How can you tell if you have an autoimmune condition?

Even though there is a wide variety of different autoimmune conditions, they often share the same symptoms. Therefore, if you feel any of the following, check with your doctor about autoimmune diseases.

● Constant fatigue- If you feel all day long you are struggling to stay awake or to keep it together without regular caffeine or stimulants.

● Joint pain and swelling- If you have joint pain each day that ever seems to subside, I recommend getting tested for Arthritis.

● Skin problems- If you struggle with bouts of eczema, patches of red skin, acne, or any other skin-related symptoms. It could be internal, so checking with your doctor would be good.

● Digestive pain/issues- if you struggle with bloating, constipation, or cramping after consuming food.

● Fever

● Swollen glands

All of these symptoms can mean different things, but the difference is they need to seem out of the ordinary. For example, if you are bloated every day after you eat pasta, then you are just gluten intolerant and do not have an autoimmune condition. It is when you feel the symptom constantly, usually combined with a skin reaction and some pain.

What Can You Do to Prevent/ Naturally Treat Autoimmune Diseases?

When it comes to preventing autoimmune diseases or sicknesses, it takes more than just exercise and nutrition. Autoimmune diseases are unpredictable and, due to the overwhelming stress, can cause a genetic mutation in the body, which leads to an autoimmune disease. Ensure you care for your mind, body, and environment. All play a part in preventing infections. Here are some of the top things your body needs to treat/prevent autoimmune conditions.

Eliminate to prevent flare-ups: Autoimmune diseases react to physical or mental stress in the body. Whether from lack of sleep, consuming too much sugar, gluten, or processed foods, it can create a stress response, sending your body into an inflammatory reaction and flaring up the disease. Make sure you eliminate the following, foods are essential;

Gluten- found in pasta, cookies, pastries, bread, and processed foods can bring on many inflammatory responses, especially in the digestive system. People that struggle with Hashimoto's, SIBO, Arthritis, or psoriasis will experience a flare-up and other complications from foods that contain gluten.

Ultra-processed foods: We all know the harmful ingredients in processed foods, but the way they affect autoimmune conditions is on another level. Most processed foods contain hidden sugars, gluten, food coloring, preservatives, seed oils, and more that cause inflammation in all body areas, including the brain. Which will cause a flare-up regardless of which condition it is. Eliminating processed foods is necessary for autoimmune disease.

Bad dairy: Bad dairy is pasteurized, sugar-filled, processed, poorly formulated milk. When a cow is treated like a piece of property and not like an actual animal, it causes the cow to become depressed, stressed, and sick, along with what some farmers feed their cows and inject them with. This affects the cow's milk and meat, making it inflammatory when we consume it. Replacing your dairy with grass-fed/pasture-raised will decrease the chances of having a flare-up from dairy.

Alcohol/Smoking: Of course, this is a recommendation; consuming toxic chemicals each day increases the risk of a flare-up or even developing a worse condition. Smoking stimulates the lymphatic system and puts you at risk for lung cancer over time. Alcohol drains your liver enzymes necessary for filtering toxins and proper digestion. Diminishing those puts you at risk for flare-ups and worse.

Exercise Just enough, But Not Too Much: When we exercise, we strengthen our immune system, but if we train too hard, we can destroy it, making it easier for us to get sick. If we train too hard, it can cause an autoimmune flare-up. Exercising 2-4 days a week for 20-30 minutes at a time is recommended for the best results.

Consume Nutrient Dense Foods- food is nature's best medicine. It is what our body calls for each day to help heal, strengthen, and prevent diseases from ever happening. Some of the best foods and herbs to include in an autoimmune diet are listed below;

Cruciferous Vegetables: foods such as broccoli, Swiss chard, kale, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus. These foods contain cellular protecting nutrients such as flavonols, polyphenols, and other nutrients our cells need to function. I recommend having a couple of servings of these foods a week.

Fatty acids: Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for hormone balance and heart and brain function and ease the pain or symptoms of an autoimmune condition. Some foods include salmon, trout, sardines, chia, and flax seeds. Fat helps our body secret the correct hormones to help heal our body and mind.

Antioxidants: All colorful fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which help clean up cellular damage and protect our cells from further damage. Some amazing foods containing antioxidants are blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pomegranates, cherries, beets, colorful bell peppers, and purple cabbage. These foods contain deep dark antitoxins and can be very healing, especially for an autoimmune condition.

Adaptogenic herbs: These herbs help your body to fight off stress. Some great seasonings to include in your daily diet are ashwagandha, holy basil, Rhodiola, Siberian ginseng, licorice root, and cordyceps. All these herbs contain nutrients that help your body fight off oxidative stress and build strength against stress. These foods can be beneficial not only in a flare-up but also in preventing one. Before taking, any herbs, ask your doctor if they will interact with your medications.

Build Self-Awareness: This is the most important step of them all when it comes to autoimmune diseases. Because your body constantly communicates with you through signs and symptoms, it is our job to figure out what it is saying to us. Practicing mindfulness and creating a good relationship with your mind and body can help prevent conditions from occurring and give you power over your decisions. The best place to start building self-awareness is by asking yourself self-questions regarding how you feel and then processing them in a journal. It doesn't have to be very specific; it can just be how you are feeling today, and instead of saying just "good," sit there with yourself and tell the truth about how you think and communicate what's going on inside your head and life. By doing this, you become more honest with how you feel, and over time, you build self-awareness around symptoms and signs that your body puts out there. I recommend spending 10-15 minutes daily on building self-awareness for the best results.

Autoimmune conditions are a scary thing to think about. If you struggle with one, I am very sorry, and I hope that some of these tips give you a way to help heal yourself. It all starts on the inside, and we have to be willing to listen to it for us to be able to save it. You are not alone out there, and so many people are struggling with health conditions. So if you need help find a health coach, functional medicine doctor, or someone well-versed in dealing with autoimmune conditions so you can get the support necessary.