What could make a happy-go-lucky child develop symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) seemingly overnight or start throwing temper tantrums and banging his head when he gets frustrated? What could make another child instantly develop an aversion to food so strong she vomits at the sight of it? What would explain a straight-A student suddenly developing a learning disability or difficulty with their handwriting? Tragically, more and more parents are asking these questions as their children, teens, and even some young adults suddenly develop neuropsychiatric illnesses that have no clear connection to a cause. And these parents are rarely getting any clear answers or effective treatment options from their primary care physicians. Frequently, parents are advised to seek psychiatric care for their children, which often leads to medication that fails to treat the underlying medical issues and causes other health issues. Fortunately for these children and their parents, there are possible […]
Autoimmune Disease
Does it feel like no one can figure out what is wrong with you? Have you tried medications, but nothing really makes you feel better? Does it seem like every time you get one problem under control, a new problem begins? Autoimmune disease is quietly killing our country. Doctors have said for decades that heart disease is the number one cause of death, followed by cancer and autoimmune diseases. Yet a paradigm shift is taking place. Science now shows that atherosclerosis and cancer have autoimmune components in their early stages. Atherosclerosis, which was previously considered a fat-storage disease of the blood vessel wall, is now recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease. And what is the only system of the body that addresses inflammation? Your immune system! With this insight, we now believe autoimmune conditions are the primary mechanism behind getting sick and dying. Therefore, autoimmune disease is now the number
If you’ve ever wondered what triggers an autoimmune disease, you’re not alone. This question has been a mystery since the discovery of autoimmunity. Normally, our immune system protects our bodies against infection. But with autoimmune disease, that same faithful system malfunctions and attacks healthy cells. The exact mechanism that gives rise to an autoimmune disease still puzzles medical minds. However, evidence suggests that the cause can often be traced to a genetic susceptibility triggered by one or more environmental factors. These can include chronic stress, poor diet, gut dysbiosis, infections, environmental toxins, as well as other stressors. Recent research points to various infectious agents (viruses and bacteria) as being major triggers for several autoimmune diseases, including the following: Autoimmune Disease Infectious Agent Guillain-Barré syndrome Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, Campylobacter (bacteria) Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (hypothyroidism) Epstein-Barr virus Lupus Epstein-Barr virus Lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi (bacteria) and Borrelia mayonii (bacteria) Multiple sclerosis (MS) Epstein-Barr