Disorders caused by an immune response against the body's own tissues. The Texas Institute of Functional Medicines (TIFM) treats this differently than most medical institutions by determining what is it that causes the body's immune system to attack its own healthy tissues.
When the immune system attacks any tissue, a cascade of inflammatory substances is released, such as cytokines and interleukins that can cause several disruptions in normal function, such as pain and swelling. The immune system's purpose it to protect us against potential harmful antigens.
TIFM works with several very progressive labs that can detect the anti-bodies produced which allows us to determine what the antigen is. Most of the time, we find it to be toxic heavy metals and pathogens such as bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasites that the body is producing antibodies to.
Auto-immune disease doesn't just happen. There is something that causes the body to attack itself, and a person may experience more than one auto-immune disorder at the same time. Genes are often passed down from relatives that can pre-dispose you to an auto-immune disease, but something has to trigger it. We have also found that mercury is a major factor, and the disease lessens or goes away after a patient is detoxed (and their diet and hormones are adjusted for good measure as well).
Instead of bombarding the body with a myriad of drugs (as is the accepted methodology of today), it makes more sense to us to find out what is causing the auto-immune disorder - through testing - and fix the actual cause, rather than just feed a patient full of drugs that will only dull the body into believe it is fixed!
Here is a list of auto-immune diseases that possibly have common underlying causes such as heavy metals and environmental toxins:
- Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
A form of encephalitis caused by an autoimmune reaction and typically occurring a few days or weeks after a viral infection or a vaccination.
- Addison's Disease
Often caused by autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex.
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
A chronic, painful, progressive inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting spine and sacroiliac joints, causing eventual fusion of the spine.
- Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS)
Affects the blood-clotting process. It causes blood clots to form in veins and/or arteries.
- Aplastic Anemia
Often caused by an autoimmune attack on the bone marrow.
- Autoimmune Hepatitis
A disorder wherein the liver is the target of the body's own immune system.
- Autoimmune Oophoritis
A disorder in which the immune system attacks the female reproductive organs.
- Celiac Disease
A disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the proximal portion of the small intestine caused by exposure to certain dietary gluten proteins.
- Crohn's Disease
A form of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. Major symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea. There is also evidence supporting the theory that Crohn's Disease is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis.
- Diabetes Mellitus Type 1
When it is characterized by a deficiency or absence of insulin production (Type I), is often the consequence of an autoimmune attack on the insulin-producing beta cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas.
- Gestational Pemphigoid
A pregnancy-related blistering condition where autoantibodies are directed against the skin.
- Goodpasture's Syndrome
A disease characterized by rapid destruction of the kidneys and haemorrhaging of the lungs through autoimmune reaction against an antigen found in both organs.
- Graves' Disease
The most common form of hyperthyroidism, and is caused by anti-thyroid antibodies that have the effect of stimulating (agonist) the thyroid into overproduction of thyroid hormone.
- Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
An acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system (i.e., not the brain and spinal column). It is also called acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, acute idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, acute idiopathic polyneuritis and Landry's ascending paralysis.
- Hashimoto's Disease
A common form of hypothyroidism, characterized by initial inflammation of the thyroid, and, later, dysfunction and goiter. There are several characteristic antibodies (e.g., anti-thyroglobulin).
- Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
An autoimmune disease where the body produces anti-platelet antibodies resulting in a low platelet count.
- Kawasaki's Disease
Often caused by an autoimmune attack on the arteries around the heart.
- Lupus Erythematosus
A chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disease wherein the immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue. This attack results in inflammation and brings about symptoms. This is a "Non-organ-specific" type of autoimmune disease.
- Multiple Sclerosis
A disorder of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) characterized by decreased nerve function due to myelin loss and secondary axonal damage.
- Myasthenia Gravis
A disorder of neuromuscular transmission leading to fluctuating weakness and fatigue. Weakness is caused by circulating antibodies that block (antagonist) acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction.
- Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS)
A neurological disorder that appears to the result of an autoimmune attack on the nervous system. Symptoms include opsoclonus, myoclonus, ataxia, intention tremor, dysphasia, dysarthria, mutism, hypotonia, lethargy, irritability or malaise. About half of all OMS cases occur in association with neuroblastoma.
- Optic Neuritis
An inflammation of the optic nerve that may cause a complete or partial loss of vision.
- Ord's Thyroiditis
A thyroiditis similar to Hashimoto's disease, except that the thyroid is reduced in size. In Europe, this form of thyroid inflammation is more common than Hashimoto's disease.
- Pemphigus
An autoimmune disorder that causes blistering and raw sores on skin and mucous membranes.
- Pernicious Anemia
An autoimmune disorder characterized by anemia due to malabsorption of vitamin B12.
- Polyarthritis
In dogs, it is an immune reaction severely affecting the joints. Although rare and of unknown cause it can render a dog immobile even at a very young age. Treatment includes cortisone-type drugs.
- Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
Appears to be an autoimmune disease that affects the biliary epithelial cells (BECs) of the small bile duct in the liver. Although the cause is yet to be determined, most of the patients (>90%) appear to have auto-mitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) against pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), an enzyme that is found in the mitochondria.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
An autoimmune disorder that causes the body's immune system to attack the bone joints.
- Sjögren's Syndrome
An autoimmune disorder in which immune cells attack and destroy the exocrine glands that produce tears and saliva.
- Takayasu's Arteritis
A disorder that results in the narrowing of the lumen of arteries.
- Temporal Arteritis
Also known as "Giant Cell Arteritis", it is an inflammation of blood vessels, most commonly the large and medium arteries of the head. Untreated, the disorder can lead to significant vision loss.
- Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
A disorder characterized by IgM attack against red blood cells.
- Wegener's Granulomatosis
A form of vasculitis that affects the lungs, kidneys and other organs.
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Allergies are different from auto-immune diseases. In allergies, the immune system reacts to an external substance that would normally be harmless. With auto-immune disorders, the immune system reacts to normal "self" body tissues.
Autoimmune disorders result in destruction of one or more types of body tissues, abnormal growth of an organ, or changes in organ function. The disorder may affect only one organ or tissue type or may affect multiple organs and tissues. Organs and tissues commonly affected by autoimmune disorders include blood components such as red blood cells, blood vessels, connective tissues, endocrine glands such as the thyroid or pancreas, muscles, joints, and skin.
We very often find that the tissue affected has a heavy metal, such as mercury, or a pathogen bound to it and the immune system is doing its normal job with a resulting disorder we feel is grossly misdiagnosed. This is because today's "immune system specialists" are not able to determine what the "foreign" body is, and often dismiss the importance of toxic heavy metals and pathogens as the underlying cause. They then simply attempt to shut the immune system down with today's modern arsenal of drugs.
For more information, a phone consultation or to setup an appointment, please contact our Patient Care Coordinator, Beverly Brown-Osborn by email or by calling 972-239-6317 x134. |
