The Truth About Autoimmune Disorders
Complex biomedical problems remain such, until profound insights are obtained that can separate irrelevant phenomena and identify commonalities and principles that govern their occurrence. This article attempts to organize the knowledge collected by scientists who have extensively studied autoimmune diseases (ADs) into a comprehensive overview of how the immune system turns against itself targeting distinct tissues in different conditions determined by the genetic predisposition of the host, its gender, environmental circumstances, and other co-factors that modify the outcomes of similar pathological processes.
Since the end of World War 2 we have seen a virtual explosion of autoimmune disease in this country with over 50 million Americans that have one or autoimmune disorders with over 75% of those affected being women. This epidemic of autoimmune diseases has been grown by fictitious viruses being proclaimed deadly pandemics by the medical monopoly who then saved the world with a lifesaving vaccine which was loaded with deadly adjuvants, one of the primary causes of autoimmune disease. We live in a sick, sick world. Nutrient depleted soil, processed foods, chemicals in food, water and air, and prescription medications, all contribute to the epidemic. When I first started my research into the cause of autoimmune diseases, I expected to find a simple explanation. But instead, I found a “mosaic” of autoimmune disease.
Research on autoimmune disease by its diverse nature involves many colorful little tiles. Each autoimmune disease is an element onto itself. It has its own color and texture conveyed by the clinical signs and symptoms and by its distinct biologic mechanisms. It was the genius of Yehuda Shoenfeld that assembled the tiles into a coherent picture of autoimmune disease in all its complexity. (1)
My purpose in this article is to create a complete picture of autoimmune disease, one tile at a time.
My research always starts with questions:
1. What are autoimmune disorders?
2. What are the causes of autoimmune disorders?
3. Why are there so many autoimmune disorders?
4. What can be done to reverse them?
1. What are Autoimmune Disorders?
Before we discuss autoimmune disorders, we need to first look at how are immune system is supposed to work.
Adaptive Immune System
We have two parts to our adaptive immune system. The cell-mediated immune system that responds, chemically and by sending white blood cells, to areas of the body that have been invaded by a foreign substance which could be a microbe, such as a virus, bacteria, or fungi, or a toxin, such as aluminum or mercury.
These invaders stimulate a response of the cell-mediated immune system, and it is the response that we call being sick. It is the elimination of the invader by an infection that equals sickness. (2)
The second part of our adaptive immune system is the humoral immune system characterized by antibodies that attach themselves to specific proteins (antigens), on the invader and either destroy them or mark them for destruction by other cells. With a virus, the cell-mediated immune system first clears the invader along with the dead, infected cells from our bodies. This usually takes 7-10 days.
Then, through the humoral immune system, antibodies form in response to an antigen unique to the virus. This usually takes six to eight weeks. If the child then ever encounters that virus again, the antibodies will quickly neutralize the virus before it has a chance to infect any cells. (2)
The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread throughout the body. There are many types of white blood cells, or leukocytes, that work to defend and protect the human body. To patrol the entire body, leukocytes travel by way of the circulatory system. (3)
Autoimmunity is a situation in which, for reasons unknown to most doctors, a person’s immune system has been activated to produce an excessive number of antibodies, which react not only to a targeted virus but also to the body’s own tissue.
The deliberate provocation of antibodies without prior cell-mediated activity produces an imbalance in our immune system and a state of excessive antibody production. This excessive antibody production defines autoimmune disease.
These antibodies start to react with one’s own tissues. This attack means that your humoral based antibody-based immune system recognizes your own tissue as foreign and directs an inflammatory response against your own tissue. It is as if the immune system thinks your thyroid (in Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease) or myelin sheath (in MS) or lung tissue (in Asthma) is an invading toxin or bacteria and attacks this tissue to eliminate it.
There are over 100 autoimmune diseases that affect the human body and brain with devastating effects. Why are so many people affected? Is there a single cause or are there multiple causes working together to cause this mayhem on humanity?
2. Causes of Autoimmune Disease
The factors that may lead to the development of a specific autoimmune disease in an individual are classified into four categories.
A. Heritable Traits
B. immune System Dysregulation
C. Hormonal Factors (estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, vitamin D)
D. Environmental Factors (4)
To develop an autoimmune disease, there needs to be an interplay or combination of these four categories of factors. For example, a single environmental trigger is unlikely to cause the development of autoimmunity in the absence of a genetic predisposition. The wide diversity of these factors may also explain the presence of a large and diverse group of over 100 autoimmune diseases. Additionally, the complexity and wide spectrum of possible interactions between susceptibility factors also explains why an individual may have more than one autoimmune disease. (5)
A. Heritable Traits
Genetic:
Autoimmune diseases occur in genetically predisposed individuals. This concept is now expanded by evidence of clusters of autoimmune diseases that occur in families. This is not to be construed to say that autoimmune diseases are genetic but that the gene can be passed from one generation to another and when acted on by the right environmental trigger, autoimmune disease (AD) can develop. Not only does a single AD show familial cluster, but also a familial aggregation of diverse ADs exists. This was brought to light by the evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis performed by Cárdenas-Roldán et al. Doctors should be aware that familial autoimmunity is a frequent event especially in specific disorders, such as autoimmune thyroid disease and systemic lupus erythematosus, suggesting a stronger shared genetic influence. (6)
For instance, some people are genetically predisposed to be able to clear aluminum from their bodies, but others are not. Those people who clear aluminum from their bodies less well are more susceptible to damage from a vaccine containing aluminum. This does not mean a disease is genetic. But it is more accurate to say that a disease is environmental with a genetic predisposition. But saying a disease is from an environmental cause would require us to do something about it.
Gut Flora
During pregnancy the baby swallows liquids in the uterus which transfer uterine and placental flora into the baby’s gut. So, the gut flora starts forming in the baby during pregnancy. Then, during the time of birth, when the baby goes through the birth canal of the mother it swallows mouthfuls of microbes which live in the mother’s vagina. Vaginal flora is quite rich and largely comes from the bowel of the woman. So, if the mother has abnormal gut flora, the flora in her vagina will also be abnormal and she will pass it to her baby at birth. The father also has a rich microbial flora in the groin, which comes out of his bowel, and he shares that flora with the mother on a regular basis. So, both parents pass their gut flora to the child now during natural childbirth through the microbiome in the mother’s birth canal. (11)
A child born through a caesarean section misses this important step. Studies have shown that the microbiome of babies delivered by caesarean section has lower microbial diversity which will compromise the child’s immune system.
Breastfed babies develop healthier gut flora than bottle-fed babies. The milk of a breastfeeding mother is alive with active immune cells, immunoglobulins, and probiotics.
So, some children are born with healthy immune systems. Others are not. For instance, if a grandmother has mild digestive problems because of an unhealthy change in the normal bacterial landscape of her intestines (gut dysbiosis). She passes moderately abnormal gut flora to her daughter. Then the grandmother decides not to breastfeed. As a result, her daughter suffers from allergies, migraines, and digestive problems. Then she takes birth control pills from the age of 18, which further damages her gut microbiome, not to mention the antibiotics she took along the way for various infections and a diet of fast foods. After 10 years of being on the pill she has children, to whom she passes her seriously abnormal gut microbiome. Her children develop digestive and immune problems. In many cases, the father of the child may not have a normal gut flora and naturally the father is a major contributor to a mother’s vaginal flora through regular sexual contact. In fact, there are rare cases when the mother did not show symptoms of gut dysbiosis, but the father did. (7)
Every one of us carries a unique mixture of microbes in the gut. Under the influence of drugs, alcohol, food, and other factors, this gut flora will be damaged and passed from generation to generation as a newborn child gets its gut flora from the mother. As the damage is passed through generations, it gets deeper and more severe.
B. Immune System Dysregulation
It is hard to overestimate the importance of our gut microbiome in the functioning of our immune system. It has been estimated that around 80–85% of our immune system is in the gut wall. Gut flora’s influence on the immune system reaches far beyond the gut itself. Research shows that when the gut flora is damaged, not only do the levels of IgA, lymphocytes macrophages, interferons, and cytokines, in the digestive system drop but the whole immune system in the body gets out of balance. This process makes the person immune-compromised. Something along these lines happens in the body when the gut flora is compromised. There are two major parts in the immune system. The cell-mediated immune system is characterized by the activity of the white blood cells. The function of the cell-mediated immune system is to respond, both chemically and by sending in white blood cells, to areas of the body that have been “invaded” by a foreign substance. The foreign substance could be a microbe, such as a virus, bacteria, or fungi, or it could be a toxin, such as aluminum or mercury. The second part of the immune system is the humoral immune system characterized by antibodies that attach themselves to specific proteins, or antigens, on the invader and either destroy them or mark them for destruction by other cells.
In a healthy immune system, the whole length of the digestive tract is coated with a bacterial layer that provides a natural barrier against invaders, undigested food, toxins, and parasites. Just like soil unprotected by grass becomes eroded, the gut wall suffers if its protective bacterial layer gets damaged. How do our indigenous bacteria protect the gut wall? They provide a physical barrier, they work against invasive pathogenic microbes by producing antibiotic-like substances, anti-fungals, anti-virals, including interferon, and surfactins, that dissolve membranes of viruses and bacteria. They engage the immune system to respond appropriately to invaders. In addition, by producing organic acids, the beneficial bacteria reduce pH near the wall of the gut to 4.0–5.0, making an uncomfortable acidic environment for growth and activity of bad microbes, which require more alkaline surroundings. (8)
The 46 trillion gut bacteria are estimated to be around 80–85% of our total immune system. A microscopic examination of a biopsy of the gut wall shows that in healthy individuals there is a thick bacterial band attached to gut mucosa, keeping it intact and healthy. (9)
When the gut microbiome is healthy and normal, the data coming from it keeps the immune system well-balanced and functioning normally. But, when the gut flora gets damaged, the immune system must act upon vastly different data. Data that brings disease and disorder. (10)
People with autoimmune disorders have a compromised immune system. When their immune status is tested, deficiencies in some immunoglobulins (antibodies) are found, while other immunoglobulins may be increased out of proportion. Deficiencies in various cells, enzymes and other parts of the immune system are common. It appears that the whole immune system of children and adults with autoimmune disease (AD) is out of whack. But the scariest thing that happens is that their immune system starts to produce antibodies attacking their own tissues, including the brain and the rest of the nervous system. It is an immune system deeply upset and out of control.
Autoimmunity is not only humoral imbalance, but innate immunity seems to have a major role. Several studies showed that the number of circulating natural killer cells can be frequently altered, for instance, in multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes mellitus, Sjögren’s syndrome, and myasthenia gravis. (12)
“The deliberate provocation of antibodies by vaccines without prior cell-mediated activity produces an imbalance in our immune system and a state of excessive antibody production. This excessive antibody production defines autoimmune disease. So, with millions of people suffering from autoimmune disease at a number unheard of before the introduction of mass vaccination programs, how can this connection be controversial?” (2)
Autoimmune diseases are characterized by qualitative and quantitative abnormalities in multiple components of innate and adaptive immunity. Among the cells of the immune system involved in the pathogenic autoimmune response, dendritic cells (DCs) are essential in the initiation and spread of inflammation. Dendritic cells (DCs) are stellar-shaped leukocytes derived from the bone marrow that reside in the tissues and are responsible for capturing antigens from the local environment (13).
Through their pattern recognition receptors, DCs become active when they detect pathogens and signs of tissue damage. Multiple studies have shown the presence of DCs in inflamed tissues of patients with autoimmune diseases and in most cases they are activated In addition, in subjects with autoimmune diseases, nonimmune cells synthesize chemokines that attract DCs, which capture antigens from the environment, present them to T lymphocytes, and secrete cytokines that polarize the cooperative immune response that has been shown to be important in multiple autoimmune diseases.
C. Hormonal Factors (Estrogen, Progesterone, Prolactin, Vitamin D)
Estrogen
Females are at a higher risk for developing an autoimmune disease. Sex hormones have a crucial role in this, with estrogens being potent stimulators of autoimmunity and androgens playing a protective role (15). Accumulating evidence further indicates that genetic, and environmental factors may also contribute to sex-related differences in the risk and clinical course of autoimmune disease. Pregnancy and postpartum periods are linked to autoimmune diseases, caused by immune, endocrine imbalances, which occur to suppress the immune system and increase tolerance by the immune system to paternal and fetal antigens. These conditions may exacerbate some autoimmune disease and make others better. (16) The impact of estrogens on the immune system is highly significant. Not only natural hormones but also endocrine disruptors, such as glyphosate, can act in conjunction with other factors to override immune tolerance to self-antigens.
Progesterone
Progesterone stimulates a switch from a predominantly proinflammatory to an anti-inflammatory immune response. Postpartum immune response together with the elevated levels of prolactin observed during lactation may explain exacerbations in RA patients (17).
There is evidence that the balance between estrogen and progesterone may account for the female prevalence and for the disease flares of lupus during pregnancy.
Prolactin
High levels of serum prolactin have been described in the history of several autoimmune diseases, both organ and non-organ specific. The interactions among prolactin, cytokines (small proteins that signal the immune system to do its job), antibodies, and organ involvement propose an active influence of prolactin on inflammatory and immune processes, acting as a link between the neuroendocrine and immune systems (19).
The role of Prolactin (PRL) goes well beyond the regulation of reproduction and lactation. PRL acts by binding PRL receptors (PRLR)which are widely available in different tissues. Confusion in the physical production of PRL and its receptors is associated with autoimmune diseases (AD)s and cardiovascular diseases. An excess of the pituitary secretion (PRL) has been found in several tissues of the immune system such as thymus, spleen, tonsil, and lymph nodes. PRLRs are expressed on monocytes, macrophages, T and mainly B cells and NK cells, granulocytes, and thymus epithelial cells. PRL decreases the death, of transitional B cells and may be important in the breakdown of B cell tolerance to self and the development of autoimmunity. PRL supports proliferation and survival of T cells in the development of ADs such as Graves’ disease and lupus.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been shown to be actively involved in the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. In this sense, vitamin D has been documented to be involved in several autoimmune disorders and its deficiency has been associated with the development and severity of multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus, and others. Nevertheless, low levels of vitamin D have often been reported in patients with different ADs, although it is still unclear if this finding is a cause or consequence of the disease. disease. Most of the published studies on vitamin D supplementation in AD’s have been inconclusive. However, this fact may be linked to measuring the metabolite 25(OH) D instead of the active form calcitriol.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and a steroid hormone that plays a central role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus levels and bone density. Vitamin D endocrine system regulates several genes (about 3% of the human genome) involved in cell differentiation, cell cycle control, and cell function and exerts non calcium / multiple effects on non-bone target tissues, such as immune and cardiovascular system, pancreatic endocrine cells, muscle, and adipose (fat) tissue. Several studies have suggested the role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention or treatment of various autoimmune diseases and improvement of glucose metabolism, muscle, and adipose tissue function (20)
Vitamin D is actively involved in the regulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses. Direct signaling by D3 occurs through its receptor, which is present in multiple cells of the immune system including activated T lymphocytes, B cells, circulating monocytes, neutrophils, and antigen presenting cells, such as macrophages and DCs. Active vitamin D3, is recognized by target tissues that possess the vitamin D receptor (VDR). This receptor is also expressed widely in the intestine, skin, bone, kidneys, pituitary, parathyroid, pancreatic beta cells, gonads, skeletal muscles, and in neurons and glial cells in the human brain. (21)
The Danish National Patient Register (median follow-up time 10.8 years) identified 525 cases of incident AD, and it found statistically significant inverse associations between vitamin D status and development of any AD and thyroid disease (22)
The evidence for a neurobiological effect of vitamin D came in 1991 when the regulatory effect of vitamin D3 on nerve growth factor was first reported. Studies have since shown that bioactive vitamin D may modulate the production of proteins that induce the survival, development and function of neurons, and neurotransmitters in the human brain. Different studies have analyzed the serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites in patients with MS. These studies showed that patients with MS had significantly lower vitamin D levels than controls. There are also two longitudinal studies based on D3 concentrations before the onset of MS. One of the studies used a nested case-control design (an existing predefined source population with known sample size) and comprised over 7 million individuals who served in the US military and had at least two serum samples stored in the US department of defense serum repository. The study concluded that serum concentration of D3, in healthy young white adults, is an important risk predictor for MS, independently from their birthplace and latitude of residence during childhood. The other study was a prospective study performed in nurses, where dietary vitamin D intake was assessed at baseline and updated every 4 years thereafter. During the follow-up, 173 cases of MS with onset of symptoms after baseline were confirmed. They concluded that women who took vitamin D (≥ 400 international units/ day) had a 40% lower risk of MS than women who did not use vitamin D. (23)
A meta-analysis from 2017 suggests that low serum D3 levels may be associated with comorbidities in psoriasis (PS) patients, including metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk. (24)
In patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, low vitamin D is associated with extra glandular manifestations, such as lymphoma or neuropathy. (25)
Vitamin D Supplementation.
Vitamin D supplementation guidelines indicate a maximum safe dose of 4000 IU cholecalciferol/ day for healthy adults. But no adverse effects were found with dosages of up to 50,000 IU cholecalciferol weekly for 12 weeks or 100,000 IU weekly for 1 month followed by 100,000 IU monthly for 5 months. Interestingly, the dose escalation regime used by Burton et al. (27-300)
Because of the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and people with an autoimmune disease, vitamin D supplementation should be considered a prospective candidate for the treatment of those populations. Besides, it is a relatively cheap compound, easy to administer, no need for a physician’s prescription, and has no known major side effects.
Environment
“For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from the moment of conception until death...These chemicals are now stored in the bodies of most human beings, regardless of age. They occur in the mother’s milk, and probably in the tissues of the unborn child.”
RACHEL CARSON. Silent Spring
This was written in 1962 before GMO’s, Glyphosate in the food water, air and most vaccines, gluten, 5G, and toxic chemicals in our nutrient deficient foods. The list goes on and on. Our planet is being poisoned. We are being poisoned and our children are being poisoned, born with compromised immune systems, filled with toxins and damaged DNA.
Vaccines
Live viruses, the primary antigens of vaccines, are capable of surviving and remaining latent within the host cells for years, without causing disease. They do this by attaching their own genetic material as an “episome" to the DNA of the host and can replicate with the chromosome with which it has become joined. RNA viruses are an example of an episome that can attach to the genome of a host cell and replicate along with it. This allows the host cell to continue its own normal functions for the most part but imposes on it additional instructions for the synthesis of viral proteins.
If the components of the immune system were designed help the organism identify "self" from "non self,” then latent viruses, autoimmune phenomena, and cancer would seem to represent different aspects of chronic immune failure. The immune system cannot recognize its own body’s cells. The presence of live viruses or other foreign antigens within the cells of the host provoke auto-immune responses because destroying the infected cells is now the only possible way that this constant challenge can be removed from the body. Some of the autoimmune diseases that have been attributed to this attack by the body’s own immune system are Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Type 1diabetes mellitus.
Guillain-Barre syndrome, Psoriasis, Lyme disease, Autism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgia Encephalomyelitis, Hashimoto’s, and many more. By the same token, we might say that the inability of the immune system to distinguish between harmful and harmless substances in the environment, allergies, is another aspect of chronic immune failure. (31)
The harm from viral vaccines may not be so much the viruses themselves as from the fact that they are cultured in animal tissues, and they become carriers of animal genetic material into the human genome.
The first recorded outbreak of myalgia encephalitis / chronic fatigue syndrome was among 198 doctors and nurses at the Los Angeles County Hospital in 1934–1935, following their injection with an experimental polio vaccine grown in mouse brain tissue. The 198 victims of the initial outbreak in Los Angeles in received a settlement of $6 million four years later.
Our gut lining is also home to a diversity of microbial life, forming a carpetlike inner lining of the gut, lying on top of the plump, healthy cells with healthy villi. When healthy the various layers work together to create health for the entire ecosystem. The intestinal villi provide tight junctions that prevent proteins, toxins and other molecules from gaining access to the bloodstream. Like the bricks they fit perfectly next to each other. When a cell is healthy, the cytoplasm is a gel, not liquid, and this is particularly relevant for our intestinal villi and microvilli, as they have such an important role to play in both absorption and interception. S When the structure and integrity of the cytoplasm are compromised, the cells shrink and lose their connection to one another and gaps start to appear between the cells. Through these gaps, large protein molecules escape that body must neutralize by the producing antibodies. These antibodies often cross-react with the body’s own tissue, and when they do, autoimmune disease will commence. In other words, the root of autoimmune disease can be found in the “leaking” gut. And the root of the leaking gut is the contraction of the cells because of unhealthy gel formation within these cells. The body must neutralize these large proteins by the production of antibodies. These antibodies often cross-react with the body’s own tissue, and when they do, autoimmune disease will begin.
What is it that interferes with this healthy gel formation? Cellular poisons including aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, and agricultural chemicals including glyphosate which are all found in modern vaccines. Shrunken distorted cells are the hallmark of celiac disease and autoimmune diseases. (2)
Contemporary research by has demonstrated that the brain and central nervous system bear the brunt of aluminum toxicity, regardless of whether the substance is ingested orally or injected in a vaccine. The damage can manifest in a wide variety of neuropathic states, ranging from learning disabilities, memory loss, impaired concentration, and speech deficits, seizures, confusion, anxiety, repetitive behaviors, and insomnia. Other studies have conclusively linked aluminum toxicity not only to Alzheimer’s disease, but also to other forms of dementia, as well as Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), multiple sclerosis, autism, and the other types of neurological impairment seen in children, children, encompassing the whole spectrum of brain damage and neurological diseases commonly encountered today. The exact mechanisms for these effects are complex. All the various toxicities of aluminum are mediated by a series of autoimmune mechanisms involving activation of macrophages, lymphocytes, and cytokines of the innate cellular system, and eventually of the antibody-producing plasma cells of the humoral system as well. (34)
Even more recently, the predilection of aluminum-containing vaccines for causing various forms of brain and central nervous system damage has been attributed in part to the remarkable ease with which nanoparticles of the aluminum adjuvants in vaccines are transported across the blood-brain barrier into the brain and cerebrospinal fluid. New evidence has emerged that also confirms that aluminum adjuvants can persist inside the human body for decades. (35)
The prolonged hyperactivation of the immune system and chronic inflammation triggered by aluminum adjuvants inside the human body are thought to be the principal factors underlying the toxicity of these compounds. One reason for this long retention is most likely its tight connection with the vaccine antigen or other contaminant DNA. Even dietary aluminum has been shown to accumulate in the CNS over time. (36)
Wheat
Regulating intestinal permeability is a fundamental function of the cells lining the fragile intestinal wall. Recent research has fingered wheat gliadin as a trigger of intestinal release of a protein called zonulin, a regulator of intestinal permeability. Zonulins have the peculiar effect of disassembling tight junctions of the normally secure barrier.
Intestines are not meant to be freely permeable. You already know that the human intestinal tract is home to all manner of strange things. Tomorrow when you make your morning visit to the toilet. Peek at the contents of the toilet at the wondrous transformation of yesterday’s dinner into the remainder you see discarded. But the process needs to be tightly regulated, allowing entry of only selected components of ingested foods and liquids into the bloodstream. So, what happens if various noxious compounds from the toilet mistakenly escape into the bloodstream? One of the undesirable effects is autoimmunity, the body’s immune response is “tricked” into activation and attacks normal organs such as the thyroid gland or joint tissue. This can lead to autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis. Regulating intestinal permeability is therefore a fundamental function of the cells lining the fragile intestinal wall. Recent research has fingered wheat gliadin as a trigger of intestinal release of a protein called zonulin, a regulator of intestinal permeability. Zonulins break down the tight junctions, the normally secure barrier between intestinal cells. When gliadin triggers zonulin release, intestinal tight junctions are disrupted, and unwanted proteins such as gliadin and other wheat protein fractions gain entry to the bloodstream. Immune-activating lymphocytes, such as T-cells, are then triggered to begin an inflammatory process against various “self” proteins, thus initiating wheat gluten– and gliadin-initiated conditions such as celiac disease, thyroid disease, joint diseases, and asthma.
Other factors that trigger zonulin and disrupt intestinal permeability include the infectious agents that cause cholera and dysentery. The difference, of course, is that you contract cholera or dysentery by ingesting feces-contaminated food or water; you contract diseases of wheat by eating some nicely packaged pretzels or chocolate cupcakes. (37)(38)
GMO’s/ Glyphosate
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, is the most heavily used chemical weed killer in food and agricultural production in human history, as a result of the widespread adoption of genetically modified crops now grown on more than 175 million acres in the United States and more than 440 million acres around the world.
New scientific evidence shows that probable harm to human health could begin at ultra-low levels of glyphosate. 0.1 parts per billions (ppb). Popular foods tested for glyphosate measured between 289.47 ppb and at levels as high as 1,125.3 ppb.
Testing and analysis performed by Anresco Laboratories, San Francisco, an FDA registered laboratory that has performed expert food safety testing since 1943, found that well-known products tested for glyphosate such as Original Cheerios, measured levels as high as 1,125.3 ppb. Other high levels of glyphosate were found in familiar products such as Oreos, Doritos, and Ritz Crackers, among 29 foods tested.
Glyphosate is also patented as an antibiotic or biocide, meaning that beyond its use as an herbicide to kill weeds it can have a significant harmful effect on humans and farm animals by killing beneficial microorganisms in the gut.
Glyphosate accumulates in major organs and bones. While Monsanto and U.S. regulatory agencies routinely claim that glyphosate is excreted quickly from the body, several studies in Europe have discovered higher levels of glyphosate residue found in cows raised in countries where GMO feed was allowed (Denmark) and significantly lower in areas considered “GM free” (Germany). So, consumers of GMO fed meat are getting a huge dose of Round Up than if you ate the feed yourself. (39)
Today the level of glyphosate-based herbicides usage by farmers is so high that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has found glyphosate in more than 75 percent of rain and rainwater samples across the Midwest. This means that when farmers spray Roundup on their crops, the chemicals not only run off into local rivers and streams, but glyphosate also evaporates into the air, into local cloud cover, where it can then rain on communities downwind even hundreds of miles from the original source. Overall, researchers at the USGS detected glyphosate in 60 to 100% of both the air and rainwater. (40)
Toxic effects of glyphosate and Roundup include the disruption of hormone systems and damage to beneficial gut bacteria, damage to DNA, developmental and reproductive toxicity, birth defects, cancer, and neurotoxicity.
One of the disturbing observations was that the glyphosate was accumulating: It was not being broken down by the cells. The glyphosate accumulates and remains in the body. It will continue to have its effects on these vital organs and tissues. (40)
The bacterial genes used in GM crops have been found to have significant impacts on the individuals ingesting GM crops including inflammation, arthritis, and lymphoma. (41)
“GMO crops can create anti-biotic resistant genes in our bodies, can confuse the immune system, can disrupt the immune system, can cause food allergies, and can cause autoimmune diseases.” (42)
The AAEM warns that various parts of the human body are being systematically ravaged by the consumption of GMO ‘food products.’ (42)
The toxins in the GMO crops, and the glyphosate sprayed on them and absorbed into them appear to be overwhelming and contaminating the liver itself. The liver and kidneys, detoxifying organs, are themselves being poisoned by GMO toxins. (42)
In other words, GMO’s and Glyphosate are unsafe on any plate
There are dozens of environmental toxins that affect the immune system but there are too many for this article. So, these toxins will be the topic of the next article, “Our Poisoned Planet.”
3. Why Are There So Many Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune diseases (ADs) have a complex progression which involves an interaction between the individual’s genetic predisposition, environmental, hormonal and immunological factors that lead to clinical forms with specific features. The genes involved in autoimmunity confer susceptibility or resistance to infections, increase the risk of developing an allergic or autoimmune reaction and often code for antibodies, cytokines, and surface antigens active in cell recognition. Variations in these genes cause dysfunctions in the immune system and underlie immunodeficiencies, ADs, allergies, and cancer. (43)
Several studies suggest the need of a genetic predisposition in the development of ADs.
The genetic contribution of ADs has been mainly evaluated by two approaches: the linkage studies in the past decades and, more recently, the association studies (44). Both types of studies have been able to link specific genes to different AD’s.
Genetic susceptibilities can partially explain the immune dysregulations that contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases. However, epigenetic regulations might provide a bridge between genetics and environment.
Accumulating evidence suggests the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in immune regulation and the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. Efforts have been made to examine how environmental triggers promote epigenetic changes and contribute to lupus, explore the interaction of epigenetic modifications, and investigate the relationship between transcription factors and epigenetics.
Vaccines can be considered an epigenetic trigger of most autoimmune diseases. Vaccines and their adjuvants totally change the environment of the body. They damage the villi and microvilli causing toxins to leak into the blood stream which the immune system must neutralize by the production of antibodies. These antibodies often cross-react with the body’s own tissue, and when they do, autoimmune disease will begin.
There is evidence that aluminum adjuvants can exist in the body and brain for decades and cause prolonged hyperactivation of the immune system and chronic inflammation.
Accumulating evidence further indicates that genetic, and environmental factors may also contribute to sex-related differences in the risk and clinical course of autoimmune disease. Pregnancy and postpartum periods are linked to autoimmune disorders.
The impact of estrogens on the immune system is highly significant. Not only natural hormones but also endocrine disruptors, such as glyphosate, can act in conjunction with other factors to override immune tolerance to self-antigens.
Prolactin supports proliferation and survival of T cells in the development of ADs such as Graves’ disease and lupus.
4. What can be done to reverse them?
Start the GAPs diet and when you do, your body will start removing toxins and healing the damage. It’s like peeling an onion, your body will heal those health conditions that are the most serious first. Juicing is a great way to help your body detox.
https://www.gapsdiet.com/
Avoid all grains, commercial dairy, starchy vegetables, processed carbohydrates, all processed vegetables, and refined sugars.
Supplements:
Therapeutic strength probiotic such as Garden Of Life, Raw Probiotics, Ultimate Care with 100 billion live bacteria and 34 strains of bacteria
Essential Fatty Acids Minami Nutrition Garden of Life Supercritical Omega-3 Fish Oil, 60 Soft Gels each, 850mg, 2 Pack
Cod Liver Oil Rosita Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil Soft gels They contain vitamins A & D
Digestive enzymes: Garden of Life Vegetarian Digestive Supplement - Omega Zyme Ultra Enzyme Blend for Digestion, Bloating, Gas, and IBS, 180 Capsules
Conclusions:
Autoimmune disorders are an epidemic in this country. The medical monopoly is in total denial about the causes of these 100+ disorders that affect over 50 million people. MDs are clueless when it comes to treating them because they aren’t taught the truth about vaccines and the immune system in medical schools.
Every one of us carries a unique mixture of microbes in the gut. If we use drugs, alcohol, eat junk food, and received damaged gut flora from our parents, then our gut flora will be damaged and passed from generation to generation as newborn children get their gut flora from their parents. As the damage is passed through generations, it gets deeper and more severe.
Accumulating evidence suggests the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in immune regulation and the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders.
Autoimmune Diseases will be the end of us all unless we can convince the powers that be to move away from their mass vaccination strategy and move to the individualized model of vaccination. There are four groups of people in which vaccination may represent an unacceptable risk of autoimmune phenomena. These groups include the individuals with prior post vaccination autoimmune phenomena; (2) persons with a medical history of autoimmunity; (3) individuals with a history of allergic reactions, especially vaccination-related reactions, and (4) individuals who have a family history of autoimmune diseases and presence of specific autoimmune disease markers such as elevated autoantibodies,
People who fit into any one of these four groups might want to think twice before being vaccinated and no government entity should ever force these people to be vaccinated.
Please pass this article along to anyone you know who has been afflicted by this horrible plague.
Any questions or if you would like more information, send me an email at sloomis56@outlook.com
The Truth is Out There,
Shawn Loomis
https://shawnloomis.substack.com
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