Inflammation and The Autoimmune Connection

According to Inflammation and the Host Response to Injury, a large-scale collaborative research program supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakes its own tissues as foreign and mounts an inappropriate attack on the body. Overblown inflammation is a common thread in these chronic conditions. Examples include multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Crohn's disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

In the case of autoimmune diseases, overproduction of cytokines and chemokines leads to inflammation of a body tissue. For example, too many cytokines in the joints can lead to rheumatoid arthritis. This condition worsens when chemokines summon more and more destructive immune system components — cells such asmacrophages, neutrophils, and T cells — to the joint, amplifying the inflammatory response.

Science is now recognizing the connection between the GI tract (gut health) and the immune system. GI tract inflammation is a mark of how the gut is reacting to external and internal challenges including pollution, toxins, stress and food sensitivities.  Inflammation in the gut compromises the immune response and can lead to autoimmune diseases such as Fibromyalgia, Arthritis (inflammatory), Crohn's Disease, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, IBS and Ulcerative Colitis.

When we eat foods that we are sensitive to, it damages our gut lining.  This lining when healthy, is semi-permeable, not allowing any waste, toxins or partially digested foods from the intestines to leak out into the bloodstream.  When this lining is damaged, a condition known as leaky gut occurs triggering an autoimmune response and many uncomfortable symptoms including migraines, joint pain, digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, depression and skin disorders.

An unhealthy diet, overeating, food sensitivities, medications, stress and toxic overload all contribute to the condition of leaky gut.  Once you reach a point of leaky gut, a domino effect occurs, leading to systemic imbalance in the body that effects myriad aspects of your health that completely disrupts the body's systems including the nervous system, endocrine system, digestive and eliminatory systems, and metabolic systems.

Join me for a 6 week Autoimmune Series where we will be transitioning to an anti-inflammatory diet, reducing toxins, pinpointing food sensitivities and learning stress-management techniques.

​Click here for information and to register for the Autoimmune Series.