Where does it come from and what makes it better and worse?
What are the new treatments for these diseases?
How does integrative medicine fit in?
And more!
OUTLINE:
I. WHAT IS AI AND WHAT DISEASES ARE AI?
a. “Autoimmune diseases have registered an alarming increase worldwide since the end of the Second World War. This pandemic includes more than 80 autoimmune disorders and increases in both the incidence and prevalence of autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and type I diabetes [1, 2]. In the United States, it is far more commonly found in women and is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in female children and women of all age groups. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 23.5 million Americans have an autoimmune disease. In contrast, cancer affects 13 million Americans. Symptoms involve many medical specialties and can affect all body.” – Quote from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ad/2014/152428/#abstract
1. J.-F. Bach, “The effect of infections on susceptibility to autoimmune and allergic diseases,” The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 347, no. 12, pp. 911–920, 2002.
2. G. A. W. Rook and L. R. Brunet, “Microbes, immunoregulation, and the gut,” Gut, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 317–320, 2005.
b. While there are over 80 AI diseases the most statistically common https://www.healthline.com/health/autoimmune-disorders#common-autoimmune-diseases are:
1. Type 1 diabetes
2. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
3. Psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis
4. Multiple sclerosis
5. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
6. Inflammatory bowel disease
7. Addison’s disease
8. Graves’ disease
9. Sjögren’s syndrome
10. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
11. Myasthenia gravis
12. Autoimmune vasculitis
13. Pernicious anemia
14. Celiac disease
II. WHAT CAUSES AI?
a. Genetic / Constitutional?
i. Lupus affects more African-American and Hispanic people than Caucasians.
ii. Certain autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis and lupus, run in families. Not every family member will necessarily have the same disease, but they inherit a susceptibility to an autoimmune condition.
iii. women get autoimmune diseases at a rate of about 2 to 1 compared to men — 6.4 percent of women vs. 2.7 percent of men. Often the disease starts during a woman’s childbearing years (ages 15 to 44) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568997212000225?via%3Dihub
b. Genetics, diet, infections, and exposure to chemicals might be involved. https://www.healthline.com/health/autoimmune-disorders#causes
c. “The number of possible environmental triggers is vast and includes chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and molds.” https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ad/2014/152428/
d. What AGGRAVATES the immune system to flare AI?
i. Likely genetic or constitutional underpinning + epigenetic triggers:
1. Toxins (Mycotoxins / Chemicals / Metals)
2. Infections especially chronic and “Stealth” & Resistance factors
3. Endocrine Imbalance – [Chapter 12: Anaya JM Ed. Autoimmunity. From Bench to Bedside. preface, Francesco M. Marincola.-- Bogota: El Rosario University Press. School of de Medicine and Health Sciences, CREA. xiv, 856 pages: ill. (2013) ISBN: 978-958-738-376-8 (Digital)]
4. Diet and Lifestyle triggers (toward inflammation)
5. GI dysbiosis, infection
6. Allergy – Sensitivity
7. Neuro-emotional - 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.23.1.90 & https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00131
III. WHAT ARE THE NEW AND ‘STANDARD’ THERAPIES?
IV. WHAT ARE INTEGRATIVE APPROACHES?
a. Examples of autoimmune cases that “appear” in chronic illness then later “disappear with treatment”:
b. Targets of integrative therapies:
i. Toxins (Mycotoxins / Chemicals / Metals)
ii. Infections especially chronic and “Stealth” & Resistance factors
iii. Endocrine Imbalance
iv. Diet and Lifestyle triggers (toward inflammation)
v. GI dysbiosis, infection
vi. Allergy – Sensitivity
vii. Neuro-emotional
c. Common Targets (beyond treating the above):
i. Diet
ii. Constitutional treatments
iii. Vitamin D & K
iv. Nutritional and antioxidant status
v. Natural immunomodulators (Curcumin, Wormwood/Artemesia, etc etc)
vi. Low Dose Naltrexone