“Science has reliably proven that environmental pollutants, chemicals, and toxins can trigger autoimmunity.”
And it is also the premise of the book The Autoimmune Epidemic that chemicals are a major factor in autoimmunity. In fact, there is a section of the book titled “Understanding How Chemicals Trigger Autoimmunity”.
Blog Talk Radio has an episode where Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride was interviewed. She developed the GAPS diet and wrote Gut and Psychology Syndrome. This diets helps to correct the gut flora. Since people with autoimmunity has compromised gut flora, this diet may help.
“majority of the patient’s diet should consist of fresh meats (hormone-free/grass fed if possible), animal fats, fish, shellfish, organic farm-fresh eggs (if well tolerated), fermented foods, and vegetables”
and
“85% of everything your patient eats daily should be made out of meats, fish, eggs, fermented dairy and vegetables (some well-cooked, some fermented and some raw). … Homemade meat stock, soups, stews and natural fats are not optional – they should be your patient’s staples.”
Recommended to combine vegetables with meats. Vegetables can be in combination of raw, cooked, and fermented. Bone broth or meat stock are highly recommended
While there is no cure, Dr. Terry Wahls reversed her autoimmune multiple sclerosis — going from wheelchair to biking. How did she do it? The answer may surprise you. A big part of what she does is via food. She tells her story and the food prescription in her TED Talk…
This food plan is what we all can strive for whether we have autoimmune or not. She also does clinicial trials on her methodology on second degree progression MS patients.
The title of her TED Talk is “Minding Your Mitochrondria”. Those who are familiar with longevity research will know that one aspects of living long and healthy is to keep your mitochrondria healthy. And many diseaeses involve sick mitochrondria.
The sub-title of her book mentions Paleo Principles. Many other people have found relief in following a Paleo diet, which excludes grain, dairy, and leguemes. This automatically excludes gluten. I believe that anyone with an autoimmune condition should avoid gluten. Many should avoid dairy as well.
The food prescribed in her TED Talk consists of eating 9 cups of vegetables a day — the more variety the better. Have a lot of color (fruits and berries) for antioxidant. Eat sulfur rich vegetables. Eat clean organic free-range grass-fed meats and organ meats if possible. Seafood and seaweed.
Why sulfur-rich vegetables (such as onions, aspargus, garlic, brocolic, eggs, etc) is because the sulfur atom is needed for the body to make the gluthatione molecule which is the master anti-oxidant and detoxification molecule in our body.
Jack Kruse believes that EMF causes leaky gut and that EMF is the source of autoimmunity. While the Paleo community believes that autoimmunity is caused by the food we eat. Both may have good points. A leaky gut is a pre-requiste for having autoimmune conditions. When a there is a leaky gut, certain foods we eat can trigger an autoimmune response. A person with no leaky gut (in other words a perfectly healthy gut) — good luck finding such a person in this world in this day and age — can eat all foods and not have any autoimmune triggers.
But what causes an leaky gut in the first place. While some say gluten does by triggering zonulin which makes gut more leaky, and another possible cause is hidden bacterial infections. [reference]
Dr. Jack Kruse seem to believe that EMF radiation is the primary cause of autoimmune conditions/diseases. From his blog, “Sun and Earth’s magnetic field controls all calcium and magnesium homeostasis” and an altered field from EMFs affects “Calcium concentration in lymphocytes, especially thymus cells (T cells)”. And he writes, “Autoimmunity is directly tied to an alteration of the electromagnetic field that our cells live in.”
He does concede that “Foods exacerbate the condition but they do not cause it.”
He also because EMF dehydrates at the cellular level. You can hear him explain these in this podcast.
“Calcium efflux causes cellular signaling to break down. For example, loss of calcium in the pineal gland causes circadian cycle disruption. Environmental fluoride exposure and exposure to artificial light also causes this phenomena. “
Dr. Axe on YouTube talks about how to heal autoimmune, and on his website writes about how to heal leaky gut. They go hand in hand, because healing leaky gut is one of the first steps for healing autoimmune.
First remove the things that causes inflammation and leaky gut such as sugar, hydrogenated oil, omega-6, gluten, and casein.
Then add more cooked vegetables to your diet. For autoimmune, too much raw may not be such a good thing because they are harder to digest. And some fruit, wild-caught meat and salmon (for omega-3).
He is a big fan of bone broth. While authentically bone broth either store bought or made on your own is preferred, he does suggest Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth protein powder if you can not make bone broth on your own (in this other YouTube video).
And he said that coconut oil is one of your go-to cooking oil.
“there is clear evidence that exposure to EMFs produced by radiotelevision broadcasting stations, radars, or electricity induces changes (within the physiological range) in number and percentage of circulating immune cells as well as in the immune response.”
The effect of EMF on the body appears to be similar to that of stress.
Dr. Tom O’Bryan suggests using the Pong Radiation protective case which reduces radiation from your cell phone. The nice thing about it is that your phone still works.
“Vaccines and Autoimmunity” is a book written by Yehuda Shoenfeld, professor and autoimmunity researcher. It explores how adjuvants (such a mercury and aluminum) in vaccines can induce autoimmunity in genetic or autoimmune prone individuals. There is even a name for this — Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA).
People should not be eating GMO foods, especially those with autoimmunity. Watch Jeffrey Smithf talk in GMO Ticking Time Bomb …
where he explains how GMO soy and corn has genes that were inadvertently turned on that produces more allergens than non-GMO soy and corn. Furthermore, these GMOs makes digestion of protein slower.
We know that many autoimmune people have allergenic reactions to certain foods and some have sub-optimal digestion of proteins. GMOs damages the intestinal tract, including possibly causing leaking gut.
If you want to avoid GMO, avoid corn and soy (unless they are certified organic) and products derived from them (high fructose corn syrup, soy lecthin etc). Get organic meats so that the animals are not eating GMO feed.
Avoid GMO sugar beets and sugar in general. Use raw organic honey from local farm instead. Avoid aspartame as well as all artificial sweetener.
Papaya may also be GMO. Just get organic.
Avoid canola oil and cotton oil. Livestocks feeding on GMO cotton has seen to die.
Avoid dairy which can contain growth hormones.
Zuccinni and yellow squash should also be brought organic.
Here is a reference…
Next Dr. Edward explains how to detox GMOs with some products here…
I’m not saying pesticides on food is good, but between avoiding GMOs and avoiding pesticides, I would say avoiding GMOs would be a higher priority. There was a study where one group of mice was feed GMO potatoe, another group feed potato with pesticide but no GMO, and third group organic potatoes. The mice eating the GMO potatoes died, while all the other lived.
Most people with autoimmune issue have food sensitivities. In fact, it may be that having a food sensitivity for a long time and continue to eat that food may be one of the reason why autoimmune develops in the first place.
But what causes food sensitivity? In short, it is damage to the gut causing increased intestinal permeability, also known as “leaky gut”.
Low stomach acid and lack of digestive enzymes can cause one not to break down food properly. And partially un-digested food particles can passed into the bloodstream via the leaky gut, thereby triggering the immune reaction.
But what causes leaky gut?
Patrick Holford writes in New Optimum Nutrition Bible…
“There are several possible reasons why a person become food allergic. Among these are lack of digestive enzymes, leaky gut, frequent exposure to foods containing irritant chemicals, immune deficiency leading to hypersensitivity of the immune system, microorganism imbalance in the gut leading to leaky gut syndrome, and no doubt many more.”
Gluten and GMOs are damaging to the gut and can cause leaky gut.
that chemicals are a major factor in autoimmunity. In fact, there is a section of the book titled “Understanding How Chemicals Trigger Autoimmunity”.
