Autoimmune Disorders Main Info Page

What Are Autoimmune Disorders?

Autoimmune disorders are inflammatory conditions in which antibodies, protein molecules produced by the body’s immune system, attack and destroy healthy body tissue. Doctors recognize more than 100 types of autoimmune disorders, including:

• Chronic Lyme disease
• Psoriasis
• Lupus
• Scleroderma

Women are twice as likely to develop an autoimmune illness. Estimates from the NIH and the Autoimmune Association are that 15 – 50 million Americans have an autoimmune disorder. Currently, no reliable tests are available to determine whether someone has an autoimmune disorder.

In a healthy individual, antibodies respond to and attack only alien substances, such as bacteria and viruses, or anything they view as an invader. In immune-compromised individuals, however, antibodies cannot distinguish between “alien” and “self,” and seem to target “self”, producing antibodies called auto-antibodies. This process is similar to “friendly fire” in a military battle, where soldiers inadvertently kill members of their own armies.

Auto-antibodies can be created in healthy bodies. When this happens, the body’s natural backup system attacks them as invaders, destroying or suppressing them.

Auto-immune disorders result when one or more of the following occurs:

• The immune system is triggered by a pathogen, chemical or other alien invader, creating  auto-antibodies that attack the “self”.
• Auto-antibodies are not destroyed or suppressed by the body’s backup system, resulting in an overabundance of them.
• Once the immune system begins to attack itself, the body finds it more and more difficult to differentiate between self and invader. As a result, additional triggers can cause the formation of more auto-antibodies, and a vicious cycle begins.
• As the number of auto-antibodies increases, significant inflammation causes organ and system damage, resulting in an autoimmune disorder diagnosis.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders as Autoimmune Disorders

Interestingly, research has linked auto-antibodies not just to physical disorders, but to a variety of learning and developmental disorders, such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and chronic mood ailments (see Sources & References, below). Learn more about autism as an autoimmune condition:

• [The Impact of Neuroimmune Alterations in Autism Spectrum Disorder.]
• [Systemic auto-antibodies in children with autism.]

Symptoms of Autoimmune Disorders

Symptoms of autoimmune disorders can range from very mild and vague to severe:

• Digestive problems
• Memory problems
• Swollen glands
• Yeast infections
• Sleep disturbances

What Your Doctor May Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders

Doctors generally explain that autoimmune disorders result when the immune system has turned itself on and gone into overdrive from an unknown trigger. Recommended treatment will be to suppress that mechanism by gathering information utilizing case histories, symptom checklists, physical exams, blood tests, radiography results and biopsies. Blood tests may include:

• Food sensitivities/allergies
• Hormone levels
• Organ function
• IgA antibodies

Doctors commonly believe that the causes of autoimmune disorders are largely unknown. For some of the specific disorders, they might blame genes, medications, chemicals, infections, and unknown triggers. For example:

• Chronic bronchitis: Caused by air pollutants, cold air, respiratory infections, pollen, animal dander, and dust mites
• Lupus: Caused by sunlight, infections, and medications
• Rheumatoid arthritis: Caused by genes, obesity, and unknown environmental triggers
• Colitis: Associated with medicines, chemicals, and infections
• Psoriasis: Genetic
• Autism: Caused by abnormalities in the brain

Treatments offered by doctors are usually limited to pharmaceutical management of symptoms, including pain and behavioral abnormalities. These include hormone replacement, corticosteroids, strong immune-suppressants, pain-suppressing medications, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, and injections.

Another Way to Think About Autoimmune Disorders

Those interested in addressing possible causes, not masking symptoms, believe that autoimmune disorders are not separate, unrelated conditions. Rather, they can occur when the body is overburdened by the cumulative effect of a toxic load from various sources. This cumulative load is called the total load.

One third of the cause is thought to be related to genes; two-thirds of the autoimmune factors come from the environment, diet, and lifestyle, all of which affect gut health and the diversity of the gut microbiome.

Symptoms occur when the body is overburdened. This overburdened condition is caused by a blend of:

• Nervous-system dysregulation due to modern living practices leaves individuals stuck in a constant state of fight-or-flight, stress and anxiety.
• Genetic susceptibility from a number of genes – the more you have, the more of a chance you’ll be vulnerable.
• Environmental triggers, including toxic exposures to heavy metals, mold, chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, silica, cigarette smoke and ultra-violet radiation.
• Dietary and lifestyle choices, including consumption of foods containing gluten, casein, too much sugar and sugar substitutes, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives; too little sleep; not enough exercise, and too little contact with nature and dirt.
• Infections from bacteria and viruses, which can be low level and chronic, such as Epstein-Barr, herpes, Candida, Lyme and strep that continuously challenge and activate the immune system.

The Role of PANS/PANDAS and Lyme Disease

A growing body of scientific research (see Sources & References, below) suggests that chronic infections and “stealth pathogens” may play an underrecognized role in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other microbes can sometimes persist in the body long after an initial infection, hiding within tissues, biofilms, cells, or the gut microbiome in ways that make them difficult for the immune system to fully eliminate.

Researchers have identified associations between autoimmune diseases and infectious agents such as Epstein-Barr virus, enteroviruses, Lyme-related infections, mycoplasma, streptococcal infections, and mycobacterial species. In some cases, the immune system may continue mounting an inflammatory response because it perceives an ongoing threat that has not been adequately resolved.

The Body Is Not Confused

At Documenting Hope, we believe the body is intelligent and adaptive, not “confused” or randomly attacking itself. From a systems-biology and total-load perspective, autoimmune activity may reflect the body’s attempt to protect itself and restore balance in the face of unresolved stressors, including persistent infections, microbiome disruption, environmental toxicants, chronic stress, nervous-system dysregulation, nutrient depletion, and inflammatory lifestyle factors.

When the body becomes overwhelmed by cumulative burdens, the immune system may remain chronically activated in an effort to clear threats it can no longer effectively resolve. This broader understanding shifts the conversation away from suppressing symptoms alone and toward identifying and addressing the underlying contributors that may be driving chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation in the first place. We invite you to explore diet and lifestyle modifications as well as therapies, supports and healing modalities that can bring the body back into balance.

Autoimmune Disorders Healing Checklist

Regulate the Nervous System

The body cannot heal if it is in a state of stress. Learn more here about the cell danger response theory; the article is in reference to autism, but you can apply the principles to other chronic health conditions as well. Learn more here about mind, body and spirit therapies that you can use to lower stress response. In addition, there are therapies such as pediatric neurologic chiropractic like that from PXDocs, as well as Brain Harmony, reflex integration and other neurodevelopmental therapies that can help to lower the body’s stress from a physiological standpoint.

Learn more here about how improving vagal tone helps to improve the body’s response to stress. Vagus-nerve stimulation can help with sleep dysregulation and lower feelings of stress and anxiety. Using a heart-rate variability (HRV) monitor can help you and your child determine what variables such as bedtime, diet composition, and stress are affecting the body’s stress response.

Heal the Gut

Terry Wahls MD healed herself from secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by changing her diet to a modified version of the Paleo/primal diet that she calls the Wahls Protocol, which can be used for any type of autoimmune disease. Dr. Wahls is also a research physician and has published over 20 peer-reviewed, medical-research studies about the benefits of a Paleo diet for those with autoimmune disorders, but especially those with MS.

In addition to the Paleo diet, there are other types of gut-healing diets such as the Gut And Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and the Body Ecology Diet (BED). All of these diets help to rebalance the microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract, which is host to 75-80% of the body’s immune system. Restoring microbial balance often results in the reduction of symptoms of autoimmune disorders as well as other chronic health conditions. You can view our autoimmune disorder success stories here.

Check for Chronic Infections

Lyme disease often presents as rheumatoid arthritis and potentially other autoimmune disorders. We recommend working with a PANS/PANDAS-knowledgeable or a Lyme-literate practitioner. Have a look through our directory to see if there is someone that fits your criteria. If there’s no one in your area, it’s worth inquiring to see if a practitioner offers telehealth consultations, even if that option isn’t listed in our directory. Mainstream physicians are typically not taught how to treat these conditions if they are chronic. Most will simply run a Western blot test for Lyme disease or a blood titer test for Antistreptolysin O (ASO), an antibody produced by the immune system in response to streptolysin O, a toxic enzyme (exotoxin) released by Group A Streptococcus bacteria, to check for PANDAS.

Both PANS/PANDAS and Lyme disease are clinical diagnoses, meaning that all tests could come back negative, but your child could still have the condition if qualifying symptoms are present. You can view our Lyme disease success stories here and our PANS/PANDAS (of which Lyme disease is a subset) success stories here.

Consider a Platelet Therapy

The body’s own platelets promote healing and aid in tissue repair. Platelet therapies such as IVIG (IntraVenous ImmunoGlobulin) therapy, PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) therapy, and TruDose™ therapy can be used for degenerative, autoimmune and neurological conditions. IVIG uses plasma from other people’s blood, can be expensive, and can also be a hit-or-miss opportunity. PRP and TruDose™ therapies use one’s own blood platelets that are then reinjected into a patient after a period of time. Watch our expert interview about TruDose™ to learn more.

Look into Potential Mold Exposure

Current scientific consensus does not confirm that mold directly causes autoimmune disorders, though evidence suggests it can act as a significant environmental trigger or exacerbating factor for susceptible individuals (see Sources & References, below). Mold and its byproducts, known as mycotoxins, can contribute to immune dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and the worsening of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and multiple sclerosis, particularly in those with genetic predispositions or pre-existing immune vulnerabilities. In addition, mold-related illnesses, such as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), share symptoms with autoimmune diseases such as fatigue, brain fog and joint pain, which can complicate diagnosis and management.

Other Items to Consider

Please review the lists in the blue box below to see if there are other diet, lifestyle and therapies to consider. Click on the small white circles at the bottom of the box to advance to the next subject.

About Beth Lambert

In 2009, Beth founded Documenting Hope and currently serves as Executive Director. Beth attended Oxford University, graduated from Williams College and holds a Masters Degree in American Studies from Fairfield University.

About Maria Rickert Hong CHHC

Prior to working on Wall Street, she was a marketing specialist for Halliburton in New Orleans, where she also received her MBA in Finance & Strategy from Tulane University.

She is the author of the bestselling book Almost Autism: Recovering Children from Sensory Processing Disorder and the co-author of Brain Under Attack: A Resource for Parents and Caregivers of Children with PANS, PANDAS, and Autoimmune Encephalitis. She is a co-author of Reversal of Autism Symptoms among Dizygotic Twins through a Personalized Lifestyle and Environmental Modification Approach: A Case Report and Review of the Literature, J. Pers. Med. 2024, 14(6), 641.

Maria is also a Certified Holistic Health Counselor. Her work can be found on DocumentingHope.com, Healing.DocumentingHope.com, Conference.DocumentingHope.com and MariaRickertHong.com

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