By Dr. Darren Schmidt
When your immune system attacks your own tissues, that is called autoimmunity, or an autoimmune condition. It could be that just one type of tissue is attacked. For example, when the immune system attacks skin, you get a rash. When it attacks joints, you get arthritis. When it attacks the brain, you get Alzheimer's, etc.
It's important to know where the immune system is. Eighty percent of the immune system is in the abdomen. If you want to correct a defunct or confused immune system, you have to correct the organs and systems in the abdomen. They are the intestines, the Lymphatic’s (sewer system) and the friendly bacteria.
The cause of autoimmunity is a dysfunction of the organs in the abdomen resulting in the immune system attacking the body or parts of the body.
What bad things can happen to the intestines that need to be corrected? It can become leaky, letting large, undigested food pass into the body. This is called leaky gut. The immune system will attack these large proteins because they look like foreign invaders. These foreign invaders also look like your body's own tissues, thus the immune system attacks your body. Hence: autoimmunity. The intestines can also become poor at eliminating waste, which leads to a toxic body.
What bad things happen to the lymphatic system that needs to be corrected? It can become sluggish. The movement of lymphatic fluid can slow and stagnate. The white blood cells of the immune system are in the lymph nodes, and if fluid transfer is compromised, new lymph fluid doesn't get cleaned and old lymph fluid stays around.
What bad things happen to the friendly bacteria that need to be corrected? You can have an overgrowth of bad bacteria or yeast. This is called "dysbiosis," and it causes symptoms like bloating, and it sucks!
If you have any of these problems going on, the immune system can get confused and start attacking your own tissues.
Specifically, the mechanism is this: consume bad food- damage the intestines- intestines leak large proteins- immune system attacks large proteins- immune system attacks similar large proteins that are your tissues- inflammation of the tissues caused by the attack- inflammation causes pain and decrease of function of the organs- symptoms appear- doctors gives you a disease name based on your symptoms. At this point you have two routes to follow.
- Take immune suppressing medications. "Immunosuppressants" can save your life but they don't repair your body. Steroids are an example.
- Fix your immune system.
How do you fix your immune system? You have to fix the different parts of the abdomen.
You fix the intestines by not eating bad food (especially gluten, which acts like glue), only eating good food and taking supplements that have intestine IN THEM. Yes, you need to eat intestine. Yummy!
You fix the lymphatic system by only eating good food. Then you take supplements that increase the motion of fluid in the body. There are many on the market for the lymphatic system. You can go to your favorite health food store and ask or go online. It's always best to see a well-qualified health improvement specialist.
You fix the good bacteria by eating fermented vegetables and avoiding bad foods. Then take a good probiotic. I have experience with over 100 different brands of probiotics. My experience is 90 percent of them don't work. Even if there is a good one, does it work for your body? It may or may not.
Is it possible to repair autoimmunity with no nutritional supplements and herbs? YES. The supplements are supplemental to an already good diet. If the diet is not good, then supplements and herbs are a waste of money. That's why we always work on food choices with every patient for weeks or months — however long it takes to match your diet to your DNA.
Results. When you successfully correct autoimmunity, many problems go away. Arthritis responds very well. Rashes, frequent colds, digestive problems, and connective tissue problems respond too. These are just a few examples.
Come into our office for intelligent care of your health.
Darren Schmidt has been in practice since 1997. He is a chiropractor who specializes in nutrition. He has specialized training as an advanced trained practitioner and teacher of Nutrition Response Testing. In 2000, he opened The Nutritional Healing Center in Ann Arbor, which is located at 3610 W. Liberty Road, 48103. For more information visit, www.thenutritionalhealingcenter.comor call (734) 302-7575.
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