Did Your Immune System Sell You Out, Causing Autoimmune Disease? Let Me Help You To Understand

‣ Genetics, there is often, but not always, a genetic setup, you have certain genes for certain diseases.  Just because you HAVE a gene, does not mean that gene will ever be expressed.
‣ Epigenetic exposures are generally required to trigger the expression of the autoimmune disease process.  Some epigenetic exposures common in Hashimotos are: Diet, medications, hormone imbalances, environmental chemicals, microbiota, viruses, inflammation, stress, and trauma.
‣ Cross-reactivity (of foods or other environmental exposures) and/or molecular mimicry (of an infectious agent, like a bacteria or virus) Numerous genetic mutations (called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) and combinations of SNPs (called haplotypes) have been linked with various autoimmune diseases. These gene mutations alone, however, will not create autoimmunity. The co-occurrence of autoimmune disease in identical twins is only 12-67% (L. Wang, FS Wang, Gershwin, 2015), indicating the roles of environmental factors and other epigenetic factors.

Because of this, the second leg of the autoimmune “stool” is epigenetic exposures. Exposures that change the expression of our genes, or “activate” our genes, include:
‣ Diet
‣ Physical activity
‣ Medications
‣ Aging
‣ Sleep
‣ Environmental chemicals
‣ Hormonal imbalances
‣ Trauma
‣ In utero environment
Light exposure
‣ Microbiota
‣ Viruses
‣ Stress
‣ Smoking
‣ Lack of oxygen
‣ Inflammation
​
Cross-reactivity/Molecular mimicry, the third leg of the stool is cross-reactivity and/or molecular mimicry.  “Molecular mimicry” An unexpected cross-reaction of the antibodies with autologous components may occur. This process is in fact at the basis of the progression of autoimmune diseases and is called molecular mimicry. In the gut, inflammatory pathologies that are related to dysbiosis associated with various factors, such as genetic factors and food, cause alterations of the immune system characterized in IBD and CD (9, 10, 14). Those enteric eco-events induce systemic inflammatory responses, leading to the systemic manifestations of IBD and/or CD, affecting remote organs including the thyroid (10, 14).”  (Gut-thyroid axis and celiac disease; Aaron Lerner, Patricia Jeremias, and Torsten Matthias, May 2017)
 
Some Rather Frightening Autoimmune Disease Facts:

•  Autoimmune disease affects an estimated 50 million Americans or 20% of the population. (As compared to 12 million with cancer and 25 million with heart disease).
• Autoimmune disease affects more women than men, about 75% are female.
• There are over 100 confirmed autoimmune diseases, with many more diseases suspected of being autoimmune
• Autoimmune disease is increasing steadily.
• Autoimmune disease is only partly genetics, running in families.
• If you have one autoimmune disease, you are at a greater risk for others.
• Autoimmune disease is difficult to diagnose in the beginning because the early symptoms can be so vague that they are dismissed.
• About 45% of those with autoimmune disease are labeled as hypochondriacs in their early stages of the illness.
• On average, it takes 4-6 years and 5 doctors to get a diagnosis
• There is currently no medical specialty solely devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune disease.
• Traditional medicine only manages autoimmune disease with symptom management and offers no cure.
• About 100 billion dollars is spent annually to treat autoimmune disease.
• There is evidence, including medical trials, that are gathering information that show managing autoimmune disease with dietary and lifestyle modifications help.

The reason that once you have one autoimmune disease, that you are at risk of developing others, is the lack of healing and SEALING the gut.  This step has to happen in order to stop the leaking of proteins that trigger an adaptive immune response.

How to Build Resilience:
Anyone who has read my story, knows the story of the Endocrinologist that told me I had to learn to live with my disease and the symptoms that go with it, that I made a conscious effort at that time to build resilience, to be more positive.  That alone recharged me enough to dive into research and find a doctor to at the very least, prescribe thyroid hormones that would work to relieve my symptoms.

Autoimmune disease is NOT at all simple.  Many people experience a huge range of emotional reactions to being diagnosed.  Some think it is not a big deal and do nothing (often regretting that later, that was me!)
 
Resilience is a group of six skills that allow you the ability to withstand stress and calamity.  This includes the discomforts and stresses of a life changing autoimmune disease diagnosis.  Resiliency is a group of skills that can be learned, and executed on a daily basis, then it becomes a habit, a good habit to survive with!

Six Skills of Resiliency

1. Support a positive self-image
   Have confidence in your abilities and strengths, viewing yourself as a survivor instead of a victim of autoimmune disease.
2. Control emotions and impulses
   Don’t overreact!  Although any crisis may feel overwhelming, take the time to stay within yourself, look within yourself and then react in a calm and measured manner.  This is much more effective than flipping out.
3. Seize the things in your control
   It is in your control if you can change it.  You cannot change other people, places, or things.  Actively problem solve the things in your control, and if they are NOT in your control, they are not yours to problem solve, let them go.  Pursue resources that are helpful to you.
4. Begin using healthy versus harmful coping skills
   Make sure you laugh daily!  Exercise, meditate, pray, consider professional therapy if you feel that would help you.  It is important to do these healthy expressions verses turning to harmful things like abusing alcohol or drugs.
5. Gift yourself close relationships
   Give time to develop and maintain close relationships.  Support systems are needed to be able to ask for help and to give help when it is needed.  Giving help is very therapeutic when you can do it!
6. Find positive meaning in life events
   All of life is not positive.  You CAN reframe negative situations to see both their value and their positive effects that they have had on you.

Please do not allow your diagnosis to discourage you or make you feel less.  Instead, incorporate resilience into how you view everything in your life.  Baby steps will be needed for some (That was me!).  I literally made myself write down everything good in my day at bedtime every night.  In the beginning, I only listed my morning cup of coffee, how good it tasted and the hope it gave me for beginning the day.  Eventually, I filled pages of good in my day.  THIS is what moved me towards wellness, living, and being content.  You can do this too!