Autoimmune Disorders and What You Need to Know

Autoimmune disorder; we hear these words thrown around often these days. My own experience with autoimmune is this. When my youngest son, Dan, was about two to maybe four years old, he had what the doctors called weeping psoriasis. He had oozy yet dry, thick, painful patches of skin on his knees. We tried every cream under the sun, prescribed and over-the-counter, yet nothing worked. My daughter, Tara, was diagnosed with having a candida infection in her gut, which also caused her to have leaky gut. I, myself, was having extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, brain fog, body pain and muscle soreness, and a gluten intolerance and sensitivity that caused leaky gut and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Were you diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder? Do you think you might have an autoimmune disorder? Do you know what some of the autoimmune disorders are? Do you want to know what exactly an autoimmune disorder is and what triggers them? How did we clear up these symptoms and get well again? In this blog, I’m hoping to shed some light on this subject.

What is autoimmune and what does that mean?

Just as the name implies, it starts with our immune system. Our immune system is a complex networking of cells that defends our bodies from foreign invaders like bad bacteria, viruses, and germs. It can tell the difference between self and non-self, making antibodies, which are specialized cells called T-cells, that keep our immune system fighting against those invaders. When our immune system fails, it creates autoantibodies instead, which attack our normal cells by mistake. Our bodies literally attack itself. This type of damage is classified as an autoimmune disease and are quite common. There are over 100 types of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s, Graves, leaky gut syndrome, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, gluten intolerance, candida, and psoriasis to name a few. Though men can get autoimmune diseases too, women are more likely.

What are the causes of autoimmune diseases?

The causes are all very similar, despite the different types. They are all an immune response that is caused by systemic inflammation. Inflammation is what causes our bodies to attack itself and inflammation is the precursor to getting cancer.  What are some things that cause systemic inflammation? They can be the wrong foods such as sugar-filled sweets and candies; also, foods that our bodies turn into sugar like enriched white breads, crackers, and chips. Too many packaged and processed foods, as well as being exposed to allergens, toxins, or even infections. Autoimmune disorders can affect the skin, the thyroid, the brain, muscles and other organs. Though people can have a predisposition to having autoimmune conditions, its these factors that turn on these genes in the first place. In other words, our bodies are responding to the environment that we give them.

Signs and Symptoms noted with having an autoimmune disease.

This list is not exclusive. Check with your doctor if you are experiencing any of these conditions:

Feeling excessive fatigue or tiredness

Joint pain and/or muscle pain with weakness

Weight gain or weight loss, without much reason for it

Dry mouth, eyes, or skin

Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet

Insomnia

Heat or cold intolerance

Tremor

Rapid heartbeat

Brain fog or difficulty focusing

Hair loss

Hives or rashes

Abdominal pains, diarrhea or irregular bowel movements

How do you heal from autoimmune disorders naturally?

I write in my latest book, Changing the Generations: My Journey to Holistic Living, the importance of informed conventional care. Doctors will most certainly treat the symptoms of the autoimmune disorder with medications that may or may not help. Some of these medications may even be life-saving but may cause other conditions. Combining natural therapies and a holistic lifestyle will greatly help you to recover. The way I helped myself and my family to get better was by changing our outside environment and our body’s inside environment. (Pick up the book here to read more in depth.)

The very first thing I looked at, was the foods we were eating. We are a sugar-addicted family living in a sugar-addicted society. I had to start eliminating sugar. I know people don’t like to hear when I tell them to give up their sweet treats. I do personally understand the resistance. When I gave up sugars, for the first two weeks I literally suffered from withdrawals; migraines, joint pain, anxiety, and restlessness. I noticed a difference the way my health was with and without sugar. I stopped buying packaged foods and I bought real, organic, whole foods. We ate grass-fed meats with lots of fruits and veggies. Finally, we eliminated toxins and allergens as much as we could. This included products we used on our bodies, cleaners we used around the house, cooking utensils, etc. Slowly, our bodies began repairing. My daughter cured her candida infection in just one month. (This may take longer for others as her results were not typical. She did an extended fast for three weeks – no food – which eliminated any possible sugars from her diet. She drank pre-digested meal replacement drinks during this time, but sugar elimination is a must.) My son’s skin infections and weeping psoriasis cleared up. My leaky gut and chronic fatigue syndrome faded away and my hormones began to be more balanced.  

There are many physicians who will probably tell you that your autoimmune disorder cannot be healed, especially not by natural means. Looking to the cause of your autoimmunity and eliminating it will stop any further inflammation, and thus true healing will begin. Fix your gut with whole foods, exercise regularly, and start taking supplements. Use chemical-free products such as these here. Don’t forget to get plenty of sleep, as our bodies heal when we are at rest.

If you believe you have, or have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, there is hope. It’s not all in your head. I’m here if you have any questions or if you need a health coach. Being supported may be critical to your healing.