Welcome to another episode of the Health Made Simple Show. Tonight we are going to dive right into autoimmune disease. Autoimmune disease will be a relevant topic for the next 5 to 10 years. There are about 100 autoimmune diseases, but tonight I will talk about the top 5 that I think are the most clinically prevalent. 

As a disclaimer, Dr. Bart is not acting as your doctor tonight but will try to give you the best information that he can to help you improve your health. 

Autoimmune is a huge topic. Unfortunately, we do not know why autoimmune diseases appear. The prognosis is that it will get worse with time. Very often, we think an autoimmune problem is genetically based. Hopefully tonight, you will walk away with action steps. Although there is no cure for autoimmune diseases, I can tell you that you can get rid of the symptoms.

Watch the live show below:

Autoimmune Conditions

Autoimmune diseases appear when your immune system starts to attack you. It doesn’t need a pathogen to enter your body. What happens is that your immune system, your white blood cells start to attack your cells. Autoimmune conditions are tricky because they start with a wide range of symptoms. The average person goes to 6 to 10 doctors before they are diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.

I usually use a company called Standard Process to get my vitamins, herbs, and extracts. It was founded by Dr. Royal Lee back in the 1940s. He claimed that the body was entering a phase of autoimmunity where it was fighting itself and killing its own cells. They wanted to discredit him at the time and take his license. It was not until 1957, 20 years later, that they discovered a condition called autoimmune, where the body attacks itself. 

There are two common themes in every autoimmune disease: The first theme is that there is some level of interference between the mind and the body. The second theme is that there is some level of inflammation. Those two things are going to be our target: remove the interference, and reducing the inflammation. 

We might have a genetic code that makes us more vulnerable to autoimmune diseases. If our epigenetics and lifestyle are not serving us, it is more likely to develop. However, just because you have a gene does not automatically mean you will have the disease. 

There are four primary causes:

1. Bacterial and Viral Infections: We are looking at chronic conditions such as candida, stealth pathogens, and Lyme disease. Stealth pathogens take over the cell, interfering in the way the body functions. It overlaps the cell and takes over the DNA. Once the interference takes place, it can go anywhere in the body and downregulate that organ.

2. Drugs and Medication: Years of medications can create an interference that allows the body to break down. Antibiotics can destroy entire colonies of the microbiome. Antibiotics usually cause an inflammatory marker within the gut. Also, steroids essentially are shutting down the way the immune system works.

3. 90% of all immune diseases go down to the gut, specifically leaky gut: Processed food, medication, drugs, and other chemicals go to your liver and break down the microbiome. When this happens, your intestines don’t have anything to block the toxins and leak into parts of your body where they are not supposed to be. 

4. Toxins: You can’t avoid them, but you can be smart about it, especially through your diet. Heavy metals in your body cause chronic inflammation and are constantly engaging your immune system.  

Can you get tested for Epstein Barr? 

60 or 70% of Americans test positive for Epstein Barr antibodies. If this virus is not active but you test positive, this means you have been exposed, and have the autoimmune condition. If you test positive for antibodies, you are constantly stressed out, and have a poor diet, you can become vulnerable to the virus. 

Colitis, Chron’s, or Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome

These are very common conditions. They create inflammation anywhere in the intestinal tract. When you have ulcerative colitis, one of the first things you need to tackle is figuring out if you have a candida issue. If you have a Candida issue, it is necessary to cut sugar and carbohydrates in order to stop feeding the Candida. I also recommend not consuming raw food. Raw food is too tough on the intestines. Eat warm foods, blended foods, and slightly cooked foods that are more likely to create a healthy environment for the gut. I recommend pre and probiotics. If you don’t like taking pills, krauts, kimchi, and kombucha are fantastic. For the first 30 days, take supplements to get the candida under control. For Chron’s, I absolutely recommend intermittent fasting. Chrolofills Complex is fantastic for all kinds of colitis and ulcers. It soothes the intestinal lining, balances the PH, and reduces pain. 

Hashimoto’s

Hashimoto’s is a hypothyroid condition caused by an autoimmune situation where the body is attacking the thyroid gland, the thyroid cells, and the thyroid hormone. If you run a thyroid panel, you must test for antibodies as well, because the prevalence of Hashimoto’s with hypothyroidism is about 70%. If you’re diagnosed with Hashimoto’s it is recommended to go gluten-free pretty much forever. When gluten gets in the body, it triggers the white cells. The more gluten you get, the more downregulated your thyroid gland will be. 

Psoriasis

For psoriasis, I love intermittent fasting. We have also got to increase our fats and you need more essential fatty acids. We need a double layer of fatty acids in our skin or else it will break down. I recommend the Mediterranean or Paleo diet. Psoriasis also goes back to the liver. It could be a leaky gut issue. You need to stop eating gluten and dairy, and you need good sleep because the skin heals when you sleep. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis 

There is a food connection here. Bad foods get through the gut and float into an area where toxins circulate, which end up landing in the joints or bony tissues. The body attacks the area, and leads to joint issues. You must clean the gut, restore the microbiome, seal the leaky gut, and get the inflammation out of your body. 

Number 1: Get your diet right

You need to get rid of pro-inflammatory foods such as carbohydrates, sugar, high fructose corn syrups, alcohol, and gluten.

Number 2: Heal your intestinal wall

Number 3: Reduce or remove the toxins glyphosates, GMOs, and unnecessary medications. 

Number 4: Boost the immune system to remove interference. 

What’s Next?

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Medically reviewed and written by:

Dr. Bart Precourt

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