The Rise Of Autoimmune Diseases

Hi, welcome to another Health Bunker post. Autoimmune Diseases will be a series of articles over the coming year, there are just far too many things to talk about on this subject for just one article. From a personal point of view, Lyme disease although not an autoimmune disease itself does and can cause autoimmune conditions.

According to the National Institute of Health, there are more than 80 types of autoimmune disease. But how do people develop autoimmunity? There are numerous reasons why people develop autoimmune diseases but are they the same reasons that our medical establishment is telling us?

Autoimmune conditions are at ‘pandemic’ not epidemic proportions. When looked at as a whole, not in their different individual diseases; Autoimmune Diseases affect about 4m in the UK (1/16 people) and over 20 million Americans.

In a report a couple of years ago the main 3 autoimmune conditions alone, Type 1 Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), cost the British taxpayer more than £13bn per year. Make no mistake about it these terrible and too often deadly autoimmune diseases are on the increase.

Here are the things we will cover today;

What Is Autoimmune Disease?

What Are The Most Common Autoimmune Diseases?

What Is Causing The Rise In Autoimmune Diseases?

Common Autoimmune Disease Symptoms

Early symptoms of many of the autoimmune diseases are;

Fatigue
Achy Muscles
Swelling and Redness
Low-grade Fever
Trouble Concentrating
Numbness and Tingling in hands and feet
Hair Loss
Skin Rashes
Inflammation in different areas
Food Allergies and Intolerances

What Is Autoimmune Disease?

Autoimmune disease happens when your immune system attacks and destroys you, kind of like a ‘biological civil war’. Normal functions become the enemy and they trigger an immune response by producing ‘antibodies’, that instead of fighting infections decided to attack the body’s own tissues.

Standard treatments for autoimmune diseases, attempt to reduce immune system activity. Obviously, for someone suffering from serious infections (Lyme Disease), this could have dire consequences, opening you up to more infections and disease.

Our Immune system is there to protect us but with autoimmunity it reacts differently, it goes rogue for apparently no reason (although I will list what my personal thoughts are). This apparent rogue activity causes inflammation. Inflammation flares up and down our body, inducing muscle weakness etc.

What Are The Most Common Autoimmune Diseases?

We will cover a few that will be continued in another article. This list shows some of the most common types of autoimmune diseases, and example treatments with side effects available on the NHS.

Lupus

Systemic Lupus (erythematosus), this is the most common form.

Cutaneous Lupus (erythematosus), this only affects the skin and causes many types of rashes and lesions.

Drug-Induced Lupus (erythematosus), a side effect caused by certain prescription drugs.

Neonatal Lupus, not a true form of lupus. It affects infants of women who have lupus and is caused by antibodies from the mother that affect the child in the womb.

Common/General Lupus Symptoms in both men and women are;

Extreme Fatigue
Headaches
Painful Swollen Joints
Fever
Anaemia
Swelling/Inflammation (hands, feet, legs, and around eyes)
Pain in the chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
Butterfly Shaped rash across the cheeks and nose.
Sun/Light Sensitivity
Abnormal Blood Clotting
Fingers Turning White and Blue (Raynaud’s Phenomenon)
Mouth and Nose Ulcers

Lupus is often called ‘the great imitator’ because symptoms are like other diseases.

Example of Conventional Treatments

Non-Prescription Drugs

Over the counter painkillers, and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs.

Prescription Drugs

Corticosteroids, Antimalarials, Immunosuppressants (Immune Modulators), Chemotherapy Drugs, and Anticoagulants.

They offer a short term fix, but they come with a list of similar and other unwanted side effects if used for an extended period.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

In the UK more than 100,000 suffer from MS. Multiple Sclerosis affects your brain and spinal cord. The coating that protects our nerves (myelin) is damaged. This causes a variety of symptoms. MS affects 3 times more women than men.

MS General Symptoms;

Fatigue
Numbness and Tingling
Muscle Spasms, stiffness and weakness
Mobility Problems
Pain
Problems thinking learning and planning
Depression and Anxiety
Bladder Problems
Sexual Problems
Bowel Problems
Speech Difficulties

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

RA is a form of arthritis. It causes pain and swelling, stiffness and loss of function in joints. Any joint can be affected and women more than men get rheumatoid arthritis. RA can affect the lungs and eyes as well as joints.

Treatments include drugs (anti-inflammatories, pain killers), operations and lifestyle changes.

Types of Rheumatoid Arthritis;

Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis; these patients have antibodies in their blood called ‘anti-citrullinated protein antibodies’ (anti-CCPs). Which attack the body and produce symptoms of RA.

Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis; These patients do not test positive for ‘anti-citrullinated protein antibodies’ (anti-CCPs). But still, have Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Associated Conditions

Researchers are finding that sufferers have other chronic autoimmune diseases or conditions.

Ankylosing Spondylitis
Sjogren’s Syndrome
Psoriasis
Felty’s Syndrome
Lupus
Anaemia
Lyme Disease

Example Treatments

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can relieve pain and reduce inflammation but long term side effects are; Stomach Pain and heartburn, Stomach Ulcers, headaches and dizziness, ringing in the ears, Allergic reactions, wheezing, rahes, throat swelling, a tendency to bleed more, liver and kidney problems, high blood pressure.
Corticosteroid medications, to reduce inflammation and joint pain. Side effects are; Osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, weight gain, thinning skin, bruising easier, vulnerability to infections, cataracts and glaucoma,
Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs), these drugs work to suppress the immune system. Side effects are stomach upsets, liver problems and blood disorders.

The Genetic Paradigm

Can we get autoimmune disease from our parents DNA, or does it run in families? I’m not going to go into great detail here but just because we are predisposed with a certain genetic weakness or fault does not mean we are predetermined to get that disease.

Something or things in the modern world we live in are unlocking these ‘DNA Timebombs’, that alter our genetic makeup within our own lifetime. This is not evolution it is live ‘gene editing’ or ‘EPIGENETICS’. It is the only thing that explains the boom in all diseases, not just autoimmune conditions.

Most of the articles we have produced inform or warn us of modern technology, medical, scientific and chemical advancements since the end of WW2.

The link to these advancements and these conditions is quite clear to me. If you can see through the mass media rubbish, you’ll see that these modern illnesses plaguing our lives didn’t exist or were not around in the % of the population that we see today.

Epigenetics Definition;

‘The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself’.

Health Bunker

Looking through all the different autoimmune diseases (between 80-100 different ones). One thing becomes very apparent.

Modern Medicine does not know why people contract any of the autoimmune diseases.

They know what they are and all the relative symptoms but not why. They know how to treat with drugs or operations. Not once did I read about changing diets for detoxing heavy metals or parasites.

What amazes me with most of these serious diseases, the common denominator is the same. Why? And the illnesses they cause are all very similar. Why?

As I keep mentioning, if modern life is causing the explosion in ill health then we need to look at everything in modern life, from the time modern life began (post WW2). Sounds reasonable to me.

Oh apart from everything we do now would have to stop like; the environmental factors, no more 70,000 industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals (including vaccines), Microwave technology (WiFi, 5G etc), Bad food etc. Well, you get my drift.

I know this will never happen, but there it is. These modern products change our genetic structure opening the door for modern disease. Simple.

Eat Well. Be Well.

Dom and Nic
Health Bunker
It’s Your Life. Own it!

*Disclaimer – Please note, we are not Doctors or trained medical professionals. We are not giving medical advice. Check with your Doctor or health practitioner before trying anything.

References

NIH
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/autoimmune-diseases
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/autoimmune/index.cfm

Immunology.org
https://www.immunology.org/news/report-reveals-the-rising-rates-autoimmune-conditions
https://www.immunology.org/sites/default/files/connect-immune-research-are-you-autoimmune-report.pdf

Life Works
https://www.lifeworkswellnesscenter.com/autoimmune-disease/lyme-disease-an-auto-immune-disease.html

European Parliament
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/133620/ENVI%202017-09%20WS%20Autoimmune%20diseases%20%20PE%20614.174%20(Publication).pdf

myasthenia gravis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myasthenia_gravis

graves disease
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graves%27_disease

What is Epigenetics thyroid hormones
https://www.whatisepigenetics.com/fundamentals/

lupus.org
https://www.lupus.org/resources/common-symptoms-of-lupus

NHS weight loss
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/
https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-services/bristol-avon-multiple-sclerosis-centre-brams/facts-figures-ms
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lupus/