Today, 1 in 12 suffer from an autoimmune disease in the United States. It represents one of the fastest growing group of chronic disease in modern time. The immune system is closely linked to mental health, endocrine function, cardiovascular health and growth and repair. Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks their own body. The body loses the ability to differentiate self from non-self. Some potential factors that have been shown to increase the body’s susceptibility to autoimmunity include: dysbiosis, heavy metals, chronic infections, environmental toxins, mineral and vitamin deficiencies, neuro endocrine disruptors, among others.
The approach to any autoimmune disease is individualized due to the multiple causes for immune system dysregulation. The overall goal is to identify and remove the factor that is causing the immune system to become upregulated. Oftentimes there are multiple factors, which is why a systems biology based approach is necessary.
- Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sjogren’s Syndrome