Autoimmune Mysteries Revealed

author avatar Dr. Eric Berg 08/31/2023

Autoimmune diseases are brought about by a dysfunctional immune system. With such, the immune system attacks healthy cells, viewing them as foreign and harmful. It’s basically having an allergy to our own tissues. There are several types of autoimmune diseases, depending on the part that’s affected or attacked by our own antibodies.

The autoimmune disease in the thyroid is called Hashimoto’s. Our own antibodies kill off the thyroid, causing massive inflammation to the gland. Graves is when the immune system is attacking itself, a term we know as sarcoidosis. There’s inflammation in many parts of the body: the skin, lungs, eyes, etc. Multiple sclerosis or the MS is when our antibodies attack the nervous system. Lupus is attacking the connective tissue. Rheumatoid arthritis is when we have antibodies against our own joints. Cushing’s is when the antibodies attack the adrenal glands.

People who suffer from any of these diseases are asked when the condition started. They always say it happened after a stressful event. It could be loss of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, or severe trauma. Losses are more stressful than any physical trauma. With loss, people get stuck and grieve for years, so that’s more than enough to trigger this immune system disorder. Autoimmune diseases are nonetheless triggered by stress.

How do doctors treat this condition? The most common treatment is none other than cortisol or prednisone. These are adrenal hormones. With these two situations: stress and adrenal hormone treatment. Thus, stress severely damages the adrenal gland. Many organs control the immune system: the thymus gland, the spleen, the bone marrow, the gut, and the adrenal gland. Medical books tell us that the adrenal releases antibodies from the lymph nodes. If the adrenal glands are overworking, an overall decrease in the production of antibodies takes place. A dysfunctional adrenal loses the barriers to the immune system and it makes the body more susceptible.

Hence, we have the autoimmune disease mystery unraveled here. This condition is caused by a dysfunctional adrenal gland even though they affect the tissues. However, as in the case with Hashimoto’s, a lesser attention to the adrenals is given because they’re busy treating the thyroid. They fail to see the significance of stress, which actually causes the loss of control over the immune system. Stress, when accumulated over time, affects the immune system, breaking down the barriers, attacking both foreign bodies and healthy cells alike.

 

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