Auto-Immune Disease – What Causes It?

Auto-immune (AI) disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks your own body tissues.  It can be localised, meaning only affecting certain parts of the body, like Hashimoto’s Disease which affects the Thyroid; or it can be systemic, which affects multiple organs or body systems, like SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus).

Examples of Autoimmune diseases include;

Your body doesn’t just start attacking its own organs and body systems overnight, a variety of factors are usually involved to create the ‘perfect storm’ for an AI disease to occur.

Underlying factors that may trigger an Auto-immune disease include:

• Genetics
• Toxicity
• Hormonal changes
• Stress
• Food sensitivities
• Viral/Bacterial infections
• Poor Gut Health
• Inflammation

There is no one trigger or cellular pathway that causes AI disease, it involves a combination of the above factors for AI disease to develop.  So in order to manage symptoms and slow the progression, we must identify and treat the underlying factors that contributed to AI disease in the first instance.

When I see patients with AI disease I use various forms of testing including, blood tests, live blood analysis, inflammation markers, hormone testing, hormone testing, hair tissue mineral analysis analysis and/or stool testing to investigate what underlying issues may be at play.  Then we use dietary changes, probiotics, herbal medicine, and nutritional supplements to address underlying factors, improve overall health, provide symptom relief and support for the specific organ or system that is affected.

So if you are suffering from an auto-Immune disease, book an appointment and take it one step further by starting to address the underlying factors that contributed to it!

By Lauren Reid

B.H.Sc (Naturopathy),  Adv. Dip Naturopathy, Cert. Fert; M.A.N.T.A.

Naturopathic Medicine
Practitioner

Lauren is a highly professional Naturopath who treats a variety of conditions including , auto-immune disease, adrenal fatigue, digestive issues, mood issues and hormonal imbalances.