Turns out, my mother was right about so many things! She and my father were ahead of their time in many ways. We regularly ventured out into the woods for my father’s kayaking expeditions. We also hiked in the mountains, swam in the summers, and spent a good deal of time in nature. We learned the names of plants and trees. We knew which ones were edible, which ones were poisonous, and which ones would give you the runs if you made the branches into hot dog or marshmallow skewers. We dissected fish to see what they had eaten (I thought this was especially fascinating).
My parents made dandelion wine with friends and pickled large crocks of cucumbers. We hunted for mushrooms in the dank woods and sat in sunny fields braiding dandelions into beautiful adornment. One of my brothers was particularly inclined to eat dirt, and mom said it was good for him. Like I said, she was right about many things.
After a series of lectures about essential oils, I am now in the midst of another intensive course, this one dealing with autoimmune disease. It is astounding to learn that 150 years ago, autoimmune disease affected one in 10,000 people. Today, the numbers are 1 in 250, but may be as high as 1 in 4! This phenomenon is prevalent in western countries and most acute in the last 30 years. Autoimmune diseases run the gamut from rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, and lupus to multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and many other inflammatory diseases. Autoimmune disorders occur when the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells.
It seems so strange to me that my body would turn on itself! The concept seems so odd; I think that if I think good thoughts about myself, surely my body will also want to follow suit. What I have come to understand is that, because of certain factors (and conditions that may not have existed generations before), antibodies – the internal warfare charged with protecting our bodies – recognize foreign substances as in need of attack, and when things get out of balance, end up going crazy and attacking parts of our body that are actually vital. This overreaction of the immune system goes to war against what are really healthy cells. The job of immune cells is to maintain balance and repair damage to our cell structure. With autoimmune disease, the antibodies get out of whack and overreact. This is a very simplistic explanation, but the impact of the growing prevalence of autoimmune diseases makes it a concern to almost all of us.
There are a lot of names and classifications for a lot of disorders. Autoimmunity has many. Traditional medicine purposes to treat symptoms. Names are assigned and drugs are prescribed. Conventional treatments (drugs) are intended to minimize symptoms. They do not identify or address the core issues. There is a very sick irony to the conventional medical treatment. Applying immune suppressing drugs may do more damage to the person by masking the body’s alarms and actually increasing the potential for new disease and greater illness while reducing the body’s ability to heal itself. That’s why drugs require significant packaging space to disclose negative side effects and risks.
The good news is that by addressing core issues, the disease can likely be eradicated. A whole host of factors are involved with autoimmune disease and vary person to person. However, the core issues that are repeatedly identified are: Nutritional deficiency, sleep deprivation, stress, and environmental toxins.
Years before problems begin presenting themselves, stuff is happening. Before a diagnosis is rendered, there are lifestyle changes that can prevent autoimmune disorders from progressing into full-blown disease. Consistently rising to the top of the equation for a path to rebalancing the physical health of our body is the health of the gut.
Fatigue, low energy, gastrointestinal discomfort, food cravings, sleep problems, and skin reactions may all be indications of an imbalance in your gut. Without diagnosis of autoimmunity, you may be able to divert its eventuality by focusing on improving the health of your gut. Basic starting points begin with:
- Eliminating processed foods and sugar. Gluten is also a common contributor to inflammation.
- Increasing plant foods. Add color. Specifically beneficial foods include cabbage, Brussel sprouts, celery, bananas, onions, garlic, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumber, nuts, sweet potatoes, apples.
- Fermented foods such as non-dairy yogurt and sauerkraut.
Antibiotics play a key role in throwing the gut out of balance by killing or inhibiting bacteria, including the “good” bacteria that is critically important to our health. Though dirt is not on the above list, in my brother’s case, eating the dirt may have been healthy for his gut! Who knows, maybe he even got an earthworm or two in the process.