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So it finally happened. The doctor has finally given you a diagnosis. After years of fatigue, pain, brain fog and an overall bad feeling you finally have an answer. You have an autoimmune disease.
Maybe it’s multiple sclerosis (MS), celiac disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or another condition.
And now you know what’s wrong. You searched for this diagnosis for a long time, and it seems that everything will finally be okay.
However, a diagnosis doesn’t just mean answers. It also means an available treatment plan. Or does it?
Increasing incidence of autoimmune diseases
Today nearly one in ten people has some autoimmune disease and one in six has felt unwell for many years because of constant fatigue or pain. However, the symptoms of these diseases are not severe enough to be diagnosed.
Overall this means that approximately one in four people has immune system cells in their body that attack their own tissues and cause organ damage.
Research still hasn’t revealed the exact cause of the increasing incidence of autoimmune diseases, and today there are more than 140 different diagnoses that fall into this category. This number increases every year.
Doctors usually explain that the immune system attacks the body’s own cells because it mistakes them for invaders. Although it’s not clear why this happens, the result is gradual damage to organs (for example the kidneys, heart or brain) and tissues (such as joints and skin).
Treatment of autoimmune diseases and their side effects
After the diagnosis your doctor will usually offer treatment that includes immunosuppressive drugs. These drugs prevent the immune system from attacking the body, but they do not cure the disease.
Early drugs for autoimmune diseases were weak poisons that prevented rapid proliferation of immune cells. Today there are more effective drugs on the market that block specific phases of the immune response. The price of these drugs ranges from $1,000 to $45,000 for a monthly course, which many people cannot afford.
Side effects of these drugs can include fatigue, mouth pain, heart arrhythmia or life-threatening infections. Thus treatment often does not take into account the broader factors that can affect your health.
What doctors probably won’t tell you
Doctors often don’t tell you about the hundreds of studies that confirm autoimmune diseases are the result of a complex interaction between genetic factors and the environment. While genetics can slightly increase the risk of autoimmunity, the main factor is lifestyle.
It’s estimated that 70 to 95% of the risk of developing an autoimmune disease is determined by how you live: what you eat, how you move, which toxins you inhale, and what stress you experience.
These findings could be crucial if you want to change your health. Drugs usually don’t address the causes of the disease, such as toxins, pesticides and chemicals that can affect your immune system.
How to prevent and treat autoimmune diseases
Your health depends on an optimal environment for your cells. To improve health and vitality, you should:
- Consume a nutrient-rich diet (ideally organic) and avoid allergens.
- Reduce exposure to toxic substances.
- Detoxify the body.
- Exercise regularly and actively use your muscles.
- Control stress hormone levels.
- Build and maintain quality interpersonal relationships.
Following these steps is the most effective way to alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. By changing lifestyle we can remove up to 95% of the causes of these diseases and thus improve overall health.
