Top 10 Causes of Autoimmune Disease

1. Gluten Intolerance – I know this may be in the “DUH” category for many educated autoimmune disease sufferers but what most doctors don’t know is that it is not just Celiac disease that can cause the activation of pro-inflammatory genes.   Dr. Aristo Vojdani over at Cyrex labs changed the game forever when he released their panel #3, which includes 24 antibodies that your body may produce against gluten, wheat, wheat germ, etc.  If you are going to get screened for gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, please be thorough (and no, insurance doesn’t cover it)!
2. Low diversity of your microbiome (gut bugs) – Research is now indicating a clear connection with intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and a poor gut bacterial environment.  The fewer the species and poorer the diversity the greater the chance the gut barrier will break down allowing the flood of materials into the blood stream and subsequent systemic inflammatory response leading to autoimmunity.  The bottom line, if you have taken antibiotics (I mean just once!) your body is potentially at risk here!
3. Hormone deficiencies – Vitamin D, estrogen, testosterone all help to regulate the gut and have powerful immune suppressing and regulating impacts. Anytime there is a large swing in these hormones (puberty, menopause, pregnancies, chronic stress) the chance for developing an autoimmune condition dramatically increases!
4. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or Candidiasis – Infections play a major role in almost every autoimmune condition known to man.  Rheumatoid arthritis research has found that as much as 40% of these people or more have bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel!  Interestingly, the severity of the overgrowth correlates directly with the severity of musculoskeletal inflammation, pain and tissue damage!  I find about a 90% rate of infections in my practice, whether it be parasites, virus, yeast or bacterial overgrowth.
5. Mycotoxins – These are toxic substances produced by mold species.  Mold can be tested for (and there are numerous ways to do this) but only urine testing can assess if you have been exposed to the toxic component of Mycotoxins.  Mycotoxins and mold have been shown to induce autoimmune disease.
6. Persistent Organic Pollutants – Chemicals like DDT, PCBs and now common plastics like BPA and BPH are linked to autoimmune diseases.  Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) are intimately connected to plastics and anyone with thyroid disease should be careful to minimize exposure!
7. Chronic stress and adrenal fatigue – Stress causes hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to be released from the adrenal glands.  You must have these hormones in order to survive but chronic stress changes our microbiome and thins the mucous barrier separating the external to internal world in our gut!
8. MTHFR mutations (AKA Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) – This genetic marker codes for detoxification ability and can be tested through any conventional lab.  The MTHFR gene allows us to detoxify toxins such as lead and mercury and the more mutations you have the more requirements you will have for B6, B12 and folic acid so that you can continue to detoxify!  Hashimoto’s hypothyroid, Celiac, Rheumatoid, Multiple Sclerosis, Colitis and many other conditions correlate to the level of dysfunction in these genes!
9. Depleted Glutathione – Glutathione is the powerhouse detoxifying molecule in our body.  It is recycled if we consume a diverse and abundant diet – but depleted as our body becomes more toxic or if we have alterations to GSTP1 or GSTM1 genes that code for glutathione.  Taking supplementation can dramatically raise these levels and reduce the severity of symptoms!
10. Head trauma – We know that people playing contact sports can develop severe problems later in life.  Research is now confirming that the brain is a target of attack with traumatic brain injury or repetitive concussions.  Gene testing of APOe can indicate if you are at higher risk of manifesting brain disease after head injury and increases the seriousness of attaining a full recovery!