Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks healthy cells in the body for apparently no reason, or so it has seemed until now. But could it be that a foundation is laid and the door opened for autoimmune disease to enter? Could there be a cause that can be ascertained?
When disease comes upon us, the first thing to do is ascertain the cause. Sickness and disease are efforts of nature to free the system from conditions resulting from violating the laws or essentials of health. We have covered the Ten Essentials of Health in previous blog posts. Click here to review the Ten Essentials of Health.
Due to several factors, the rates of autoimmune diseases in developing countries tend to be lower compared to developed nations. For example, autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been shown to be significantly more common in North America and Europe. At the same time, lower rates are observed in regions like Africa and Asia. However, as developing countries undergo rapid industrialization, urbanization, and lifestyle changes, the incidence of these diseases has been increasing. This can help give us clues as to some contributing factors.
The lower incidence of autoimmune diseases in some parts of the world has been partially attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors such as diet, lifestyle, and exposure to environmental pollutants accompanying modernization. For example, the rates of diseases like Crohn’s disease and lupus are increasing in parts of Asia and Africa as these regions undergo rapid socioeconomic changes. (HCP Live)(Science and Education Publishing)(BMJ Open).
What is essential to know about diet, lifestyle, and pollutants to avoid or eliminate the autoimmune disease?
Dr. Michael Greger explains a famous 13-month randomized controlled trial. Patients were placed on a plant-based diet for rheumatoid arthritis and then compared to the control group, which made no dietary changes. The plant-based group was given a vegan diet for three and a half months and then switched to an egg-free lactovegetarian diet for the remainder of the study. The plant-based group experienced a reduction in morning stiffness within the first month and reduced the overall time they suffered joint stiffness by 50%. “Pain levels dropped from 5 out of 10 down to less than 3 out of 10. Disability levels dropped, and subjects reported feeling better; they had greater grip strength, fewer tender joints, less tenderness per joint, and less swelling. They also had a drop in inflammatory markers in their blood, such as sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and white blood cell count. As a bonus, they lost about 13 pounds and kept most of that weight off throughout the year.”
Why and how did eating more whole plants improve arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis, for example, is an autoimmune disease in which our body attacks the lining of our joints. Why would it do that? It appears to be a matter of friendly fire. Remember, sickness and disease are an effort of nature to free the system from conditions resulting from violating the Laws or Essentials of Health.
Researchers hypothesized that an infection and confusion within the body might trigger rheumatoid arthritis. A clue to where to start looking was the fact that women seem to get Rheumatoid arthritis three times more frequently than men. “What type of infection do women get more than men? Urinary tract infections (UTIs). So, researchers started testing the urine of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers and, lo and behold found a bacterium called Proteus mirabilis. Not enough to cause symptoms of a UTI, but enough to trigger an immune response. And indeed, there’s a molecule in the bacterium that looks an awful lot like one of the molecules in our joints.”
Anti-Proteus antibodies may inadvertently free the system from the invasion by confusing the molecules in our joint with the Proteus mirabilis and damaging our own joint tissues.
“Urinary tract infections originate from the fecal flora. The bacteria crawl up from the rectum into the bladder.”
However, by changing our diet from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet, we can change the bugs in our colons! Dr. Greger continues, “Some of the first studies published more than 20 years ago to fundamentally shift people’s gut flora were done using raw vegan diets, figuring that’s about as fundamental a shift from the standard Western diet as possible. Indeed, within days researchers could significantly change subjects’ gut flora. When researchers put rheumatoid arthritis sufferers on that kind of diet, they experienced relief, and the greatest improvements were linked to greatest changes in gut flora.”
By a simple shift in the diet to less meat and more plant, intestinal flora was changed, and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms were reduced. But that’s not all. Patients on the plant-based diet also showed a significant drop in anti-Proteus mirabilis antibodies compared to the control group, while antibody levels against other bugs remained the same.
The conclusion was that plant-based diets reduce urinary or gut levels of the bacteria and profoundly influence the composition of urine, including higher levels of lignans in their urine. “Up until now, it was thought that lignans only protected people from getting cancer, but we now know lignans can also have antimicrobial properties. Perhaps, they help clear Proteus mirabilis from the system. Either way, these data suggest a new type of therapy for the management of rheumatoid arthritis: anti-Proteus measures including plant-based diets.” (https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/the-best-diet-for-rheumatoid-arthritis/)
Imagine having your energy back, getting down on the floor to play with your grandkids, and reaching your feet to tie your shoes, all without pain. That can be possible with our Start a New YOU!® Program!
In our Start a New YOU!® Program, you will learn how to allow the body to easily digest food and clean up the intestinal tract so you can:
Detoxify, cleanse, and readily absorb nutrients again.
Relieve constipation, diarrhea, and nausea.
Significantly lower inflammation and pain
Experience inner body calming effects.
Improve stress management.
Promotes better blood flow to the brain, reducing brain fog.
It helps break food addictions and regulates appetite and taste perception.
Brings blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and inflammatory markers closer to normal.
Experience better quality sleep and renewed energy.
Establish the best health for your current situation.
Does that sound good?
Call us today at
to schedule a FREE INTERVIEW to Start a New YOU!®
Blue Skies,
Dana West, RDN, LD, DIPACLM
Comments