What Triggers Autoimmune Diseases and Why Are They Different from Other Diseases
Introduction:
What triggers autoimmune diseases? Autoimmune diseases can be triggered by a variety of things. Each person is different and what has triggered an autoimmune disease in one person will not be the same as another person even if two people have the same diagnosis. This is one reason why autoimmune diseases are so tricky to diagnose and why they are so tricky to heal. There isn’t one solution for each condition, nor is there one trigger for each person. Keep reading to learn more about what triggers autoimmune diseases and how they are different from other diseases.
The Common Triggers
The most common triggers for an autoimmune condition are: toxins, a virus, stress, environmental factors, food sensitivities, gut health and emotional pain and trauma. While it is possible to get an autoimmune condition from something else, these triggers cause more than 90% of autoimmune diseases.
Toxins are everywhere and even if you are aware of these and you do everything you can to reduce and eliminate them, you will still end up with toxin exposure. In the United States we have a lot of toxic chemicals in our water supply, cleaning products, skin care and more that are banned in other countries. Most of these toxins have never been tested for safety.
I personally have mercury poisoning from old cavity fillings as one of the root causes of my Hashimoto’s. I had to go see a biological dentist to get them removed safely. If you think you have tried everything, look into what is in your mouth. You should also research the deodorant you are using, your skin care products, your water and in short anything that you are putting on your body, in your body, and around your body, in your home etc.
Most air fresheners, candles and room sprays are also quite toxic. You then need to detox and there are varying ways to do this depending on how severe your toxic exposure is.
Viruses are everywhere.
In fact, virtually everyone has at least some kind of virus in their body at any given time. We also get sick with viruses and recover without a problem from many of these. However, some common viruses that can trigger an autoimmune disease include: Epstein Bar (also known as Mono), Lyme disease and Covid-19. If you never fully recover from these then you can continue to have autoimmune challenges whether you are aware of it or not. In order to heal your autoimmune condition, you must heal any viruses you have as well. If your mother had one of these viruses when she was pregnant with you, it can also get passed on and you can be born with an autoimmune disease.
Stress when it isn’t controlled can rage out of control and cause or make worse autoimmune diseases. This is one of the lesser known causes and you usually need to already have another trigger or already have an autoimmune condition in order for stress to be a factor. However, if you don’t get your stress under control, you will continue to struggle.
Environmental factors include things like pesticides, water, and other things that we can’t totally control but you can limit them by doing things like buying organic, using a water filter, thoroughly washing your fruits and vegetables. You can also do your part of be consciously aware of these and to limit them to the best of your ability.
Food sensitivities are different from allergies. They don’t trigger an allergic reaction but they do cause gut inflammation and digestive issues and can cause autoimmune conditions or make them harder to recover from. Most people will need to give up gluten, corn, dairy and sugar at the minimum and other grains, lectins and night shade vegetables (peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes) can cause challenges for some people.
You may not need to give up all these foods forever but you will likely need to do an elimination diet to figure out what is bothering you. Over time you may be able to eat some of these in moderation and you can consider seeing a NAET practitioner to help. This is a strategy offered by a lot of acupuncturists and chiropractors to help reduce and in some cases eliminate food sensitivities and allergies.
Gut Health
If you have an autoimmune disease then you have gut health issues. They go together 100% of the time. Work on improving it by changing your diet, taking probiotics and eating more probiotic and pre-biotic foods.
Emotional pain and trauma
If you experience a big shock, abuse, divorce, a job loss or death then you can develop an autoimmune condition as a result of this emotional pain and trauma. Depending upon what happened, you may need therapy, counseling, change careers, move, or other big moves.
However, autoimmune conditions and emotional pain and trauma are so deeply connected in nearly everyone that it is a must that you change your life and figure out how to move forward. Even if your initial trigger was something else, you probably have emotional trauma as well.
So how are autoimmune diseases different from other diseases?
In short, autoimmune diseases occur when your body’s tissues attack itself. Depending upon the condition, that determines the autoimmune condition you have. For example, Hashimoto’s and Graves are thyroid issues, lupus is related to the skin and so on. However, an autoimmune condition is also an immune system condition. Whereas with other diseases your body is not attacking itself and the immune system isn’t the main cause of disease.
AnnaLaura Brown is a blogger, podcaster and coach. Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2018, she launched her podcast Autoimmune Rehab in 2023 to help people learn from others by sharing stories of autoimmune healing.
Connect with her and learn more at http://annalaurabrown.com