In order to appropriately and effectively resolve autoimmune conditions, we must understand what autoimmunity truly reflects, and the factual operation of the human immune system. Autoimmune patients cannot afford to have the mark missed in their treatment program, and practitioners cannot afford to be limited by incorrect understandings of orthodoxical, pharmaceutical-based immunology. Accordingly, let’s quickly take a look at the roles played by natural autoantibodies so that we can gain insight into the etiology of self tissue destruction.
Firstly, the immune system does not exist as simply a means for protecting the body against foreign threats, it is a body-wide conductor of our ontogeny – our growth, development, and maintenance [1]. There is an extensive yet underappreciated wisdom possessed by the human immune system, and its capacity to conduct healing of the body is immense when it is unhindered by synthetic and environmental factors. Some of that wisdom is realized and applied through what are termed natural autoantibodies. Natural autoantibodies differ from pathological autoantibodies in that their conjuring is wholly intentional and necessary, for their primary office is the averting of unwanted tissue destruction. The survival of some self-reactive immune cells and the isotype switching ability of B cells allows for the creation of natural autoantibody platoons (predominantly of the IgM and IgG classes) that regulate the body’s homeodynamics [2]. Homeodynamic stability is a more accurate concept versus homeostatic stability as it encompasses all of the complex and ongoing fluctuations from each of the body’s interwoven systems [3]. Most human natural autoantibodies are crafted by B1 cells [4]. It’s important to note that infants are much more susceptible to triggers of pathological autoimmunity because it can take over two years for significant levels of IgG natural autoantibodies to build up after birth [5]. The current CDC vaccination schedule recommends numerous vaccines before the age of two, and repeated vaccination can induce isotype switching in B1 cells that leads to the generation of confused and unchecked antibodies which target self antigens (i.e., pathological autoimmunity) [6]. Contrary to orthodoxical views, natural autoantibodies actually serve to protect against the development of pathological autoimmunity, through such means as helping to clear immune complexes, binding to microbial epitopes that resemble self epitopes, suppressing the making of proinflammatory cytokines, neutralizing pathogenic autoantibodies, and blocking the uncontrolled expansion of autoreactive clones [7] [8]. Additionally, natural autoantibodies help to clear metabolic waste from cells, remove old erythrocytes (red blood cells), thwart tumor formation, and defend against microbial infection by opsonizing or marking pathogens for elimination [9] [10] [11]. With all this in mind, we can generally view pathological autoimmunity as an overwhelming of the body’s efforts to restore equilibrium or at least mitigate disease manifestation in the face of continued tissue insults. While the conventional medicine approach to treating autoimmune disease focuses on turning off immune responses, natural medicine focuses on removing the factors responsible for tissue damage, and then assisting the immune system in doing the job it’s designed to do. This is why natural medicine is capable of correcting autoimmune disease, while conventional medicine is not. Now, unarguably the first step in remediating autoimmunity is optimizing the individual’s nutritional foundation. While honoring the individual’s metabolic, genetic, and environmental needs, beginning with the prescription of some kind of autoimmune paleo diet is often appropriate and beneficial. The short term or acute implementation of some version of an autoimmune paleo diet (does not need to be excessively or invalidly strict) can be greatly helpful for removing allergenic or immunogenic foods, correcting possible micronutrient (or macronutrient) deficiencies, and giving the epithelial lining of the small intestine a chance to reseal itself (with assistance). A whole foods-based, anti-inflammatory diet (which can be extracted from an autoimmune paleo template) can assist the body in the correction of autoimmune disease by offering an abundance of antioxidants and immune-modulating nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids; bolstering the phase II detoxification pathway of the liver; supplying plenty of microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs) or prebiotics for the reestablishment of a healthy intestinal microbiota; and facilitating the maintenance of a slightly alkaline pH within mitochondrial matrices [12] [13] [14] [15]. The use of an autoimmune paleo diet has been shown to be efficacious in a study involving fifteen subjects with inflammatory bowel disease, where 73% of the subjects achieved remission by week six [16]. Though this is not to say that autoimmune diets, whatever they may consist of, should be applied universally. Nutritional programming should always be tailored to the current and specialized needs of the individual. In conclusion, those with autoimmune disease deserve to have more than fragments of hope for the bettering of their ill-health. And with natural medicine, much more than hope can be offered. References:
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AuthorDenton Coleman is an Exercise Physiologist and Medical Researcher. Archives
October 2023
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