Understanding Autoimmune Disease
Your immune system defends the body against disease and infections. If the immune system malfunctions, it can attack your body's healthy cells. These attacks on healthy cells can affect any part of your body.
Table of Contents
1. What is an autoimmune disease?
Let's understand some facts and break down some myths surrounding autoimmune disease!
What is an autoimmune disease?
A loss of tolerance to self.
How does it work in the body?
Immunity is natural. It becomes a disease when the immune response becomes dysregulated and progresses to pathogenic due to continuous triggers.
Can it be reversed?
The body is programmed to heal itself.
According to the NIH "the causes of many autoimmune diseases remain unknown, a person’s genes in combination with infections and other environmental exposures are likely to play a significant role in disease development. Treatments are available for many autoimmune diseases, but cures have yet to be discovered."
Autoimmune Disease: 5 Top Myths
Here are the top 5 myths surrounding autoimmune disease I hear as a Functional Medicine Practitioner.
Myth 1. The body is weak and vulnerable: a body is prone to developing the disease at any moment.
Myth 2. The immune system attacks the body for no reason: Autoimmune disease develops because the immune system gets confused and starts attacking our own body.
Myth 3. Autoimmune diseases are unique and isolated: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the brain; Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a disease of the joints; Psoriasis is a disease of the skin.
Myth 4. Immunosuppressive drugs reverse autoimmune conditions.
Myth 5. Immunosuppressive drugs should not be used.
Many autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Watch the full episode to hear Melissa explain the autoimmune disease, hear her story on how she healed, and hear how she uses a functional medicine approach to support clients on their path to recovery.
