Autoimmunity – The Consequences of Chronic Inflammation

They’re some of the most widespread and misunderstood diseases known:  Autoimmune disorders affect some 30 million American women, representing their fourth leading cause of disability and one of their top 10 causes of death!  Yet, these disorders baffle the medical community.  Autoimmune disease affects the immune system, which normally protects us and keeps us healthy.  But with an autoimmune disease, the system does just the opposite—it attacks healthy tissue and organs, mistaking them for invaders.

“Autoimmune disease” is actually an umbrella term referring to more than 100 chronic conditions, from well-researched diseases such as lupus and Type 2 diabetes, to more obscure disorders such as Raynaud’s Phenomenon.  The disorders can attack almost any organ or body system and strike certain ethnic groups more than others.  Lupus, for instance, affects women of African American, Native American, Asian and Hispanic descent more than Caucasians.

What we do know for certain is that inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of autoimmune disease.

Inflammation is our immune system’s response to an infection, irritation or injury.  It’s a common occurrence—we see it whenever we twist an ankle and it swells up, or when a popcorn kernel gets stuck in our gums making the area sore and “inflamed.”  What’s happening in these instances is that immune cells have been called to the site through the blood stream.  The area becomes warm and red due to the increased blood flow.  Inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system against injury and disease; without it our wounds and infections would never heal.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is a disease that happens when the immune system goes into overdrive and, instead of protecting our body’s tissues, it starts to slowly kill them.  That’s how rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia and other autoimmune conditions develop, and researchers are beginning to see a connection between inflammation and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and even aging.

The cause of chronic inflammation often can be linked to our individual sensitivities to toxins, chemicals, foods and even certain emotions.  Over the years, these sensitivities become more and more apparent.  With the natural (but major!) hormonal transition during our perimenopausal and menopausal years, our inflammatory responses are magnified until many women find it difficult to tolerate things they’ve been indulging in for decades.  They start noticing new symptoms such as allergies, acid reflux, digestive disorders and PMS.

Western medicine is very efficient at minimizing inflammation’s symptoms.  Supermarket shelves display hundreds of over-the-counter remedies that provide temporary relief, because they’re masking signals that your body is on red alert!

In acute situations, these remedies are valuable.  But treating symptoms without addressing the underlying cause is modern medicine’s weakness.

For centuries, older medical systems understood the connection between inflammation and chronic disease, and how to prevent and treat it naturally.  That connection respects the body holistically, as a total, organic being, rather than as a list of individual symptoms.  We at Vibrant Way view the body in that same way:  We look at lifestyle behaviors you can control, such as nutrition, exercise and reducing stress.  We empower women to listen to their bodies and call upon their own healing intuition.  Paying attention to one’s body is the most important step towards vibrant health!

The Women’s Empowerment Program is a great place to start!


Healing Inflammation Naturally

For thousands of years in cultures all over the world, food has been recognized and used not only for nutrition, but also for its medicinal properties.  In the West, however, we’re just beginning to understand the true relationship between food and our well-being.

Just as chicken soup truly makes us feel better when we have a cold, researchers are learning how certain foods can enhance our health or diminish it.  For those managing an autoimmune disorder, good nutrition is key in tempering inflammation and avoiding flare-ups.

At Vibrant Way, we believe that eating the right foods for your body is the most important step to better health!  For women with autoimmune disorders, an anti-inflammatory diet is perhaps the most effective way to be proactive in managing your inflammation symptoms.

Starting today, make these food staples in your diet:

• Organic fruits and vegetables – Think color when you shop for food!  The more color in your produce, the stronger its antioxidant content and the more it will help eliminate free radicals in your body—those culprits that produce inflammation in the first place!  Create meals around brightly colored fruits and veggies.  You’ll be boosting your fiber intake too—always a good thing!


• Wild fish – For lean protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, choose wild-caught Pacific or Alaskan salmon, Alaska longline cod and Pacific halibut, along with small fish such as sardines, herring and anchovies.  Avoid farm-raised fish unless they’re organic.

And avoid these:

• Inflammatory foods – Steer clear of excess sugar (especially white sugar and high fructose corn syrup), refined flour products, gluten, soda (especially diet sodas), fried foods, partially hydrogenated fats (found in margarine, chips, baked goods and fast foods), saturated fats (meat fats, lard), alcohol, caffeine and red meats from corn-fed, antibiotic and hormone-laden animals.

Take Essential Supplements

Once you begin to change your diet, power your path to health with the right supplements:

• Daily multi – Look for a multivitamin that contains exceptional levels of folic acid or folate, the B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin D, all of which help contain inflammation.  Our Women’s Empowerment Formula contains many times the recommended daily allowance!


• Bioflavonoids – Found naturally in many plant-based foods, bioflavonoids are superfoods that help protect against free radical damage that can lead to cancer, temper inflammation and build immunity against certain allergens.  Make sure your bioflavonoids include quercetin, epicatechin and OPC (oligomeric proanthocyanidins), which also reduce inflammation.  These three bioflavonoids are found in grapeseed extract and are part of our Women’s Empowerment Formula!


• Essential fatty acids, or EFAs – Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have different benefits.  Between them they lower harmful triglycerides, reducing the risk of heart attack and strokes in people with known cardiovascular disease, and lower blood pressure and help to slow hardening of the arteries.

The Essential Fatty Acid Complex in our Women’s Empowerment Formula is concentrated marine fish oil, providing 1,000 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids daily, and it’s free of mercury and other contaminants.

If you’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, talk to your clinician about adding a gamma linoleic acid (GLA) supplement to your daily routine as well.  A dietary Omega-6, GLA has been shown to aid diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

You also can add EFAs to your diet by snacking on walnuts or sprinkling ground flaxseed onto yogurt or cereal.

• Herbal remedies – Turmeric, a mustard-colored herb, is gaining support from Western doctors for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.  Ginger, licorice, bromelain, echinacea, witch hazel and white willow are also anti-inflammatories—but talk to your doctor or clinician before using any herbal remedy, because many interact with prescription medications or other supplements.  If you’d rather apply a skin cream, arnica Montana and German chamomile are two that may help ease inflammation.

Take It Slow!

Sometimes, when we’re not feeling well, we want to make a drastic lifestyle change.  Try to resist making all of your nutritional and supplement changes at once; if you stretch out the process you’ll be able to track which foods and supplements are having a positive effect and taming your inflammation.  Trying one or two strategies will keep the changes manageable.  Try recording your changes and feelings in a daily journal—it will keep your new program in the front of your mind, and help you learn what your body needs in order to heal.

If you have chronic inflammation, or your symptoms are moderate to severe, we suggest that you work with an integrative health or medical professional who can devise a comprehensive treatment plan for your specific condition and lifestyle.

Your Body’s Natural Ability to Heal

An autoimmune diagnosis may leave you feeling discouraged. You may ask yourself “Why me?” We encourage you to reframe the situation and look at it as wake up call to action! You can use it as the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at your environment, your emotional state, the foods you eat and your lifestyle choices. Then you can take the necessary steps to improve your health and well-being. Who knows, you may even become an example to others around you and help them to heal or prevent dis-ease in their lives.


Here are a variety of ways to enhance your body’s natural ability to heal:

• Exercise – The benefits of exercise are innumerable. From building our heart muscles, biceps or self-esteem, exercise is a surefire way to improve our overall health and kick our body’s natural anti-inflammatory response into high gear. If the idea of putting in long hours at the gym prevents you from going in the first place - start out slowly, gradually working up to 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. Exercise has an almost magical way of reducing stress levels, we suggest choosing an exercise that incorporates deep breathing like yoga or pilates.


• Relax – Most of us scramble through our days dashing from point A to point B with hardly a moment’s rest. But chronic stress has been shown to raise cortisol levels, which can cause inflammation. Find time each day to engage in an activity that relaxes you. Meditation, talking to a friend, playing with your kids, walking in nature, or reading a book are just a few ways to introduce more relaxation into your life.


• Uncover Hidden Emotions – We already know that stress is a major trigger for most of us with autoimmune disease. In fact, chronic stress is indicated in almost all forms of disease from autoimmune disorders, to cancer and heart disease. I encourage you take the time to uncover emotions or situations that may be causing stress in your life - the results may surprise you. Unresolved childhood traumas, unhealthy relationships and unfulfilling career choices can be devastating to your health. Facing difficult emotions and situations isn’t always easy, but there’s no reason to go at it alone. Now is the perfect time to talk to a counselor, life coach, pastor, or shaman to discover if emotions are contributing to your illness.
  
  One wonderful resource for uncovering the emotional roots of disease is a book called; You can Heal Your Life, by Louse Hay. www.louisehay.com


• Sleep – Many of us underestimate the healing powers of sleep. Studies show that most westerners are severely sleep deprived. I can just hear my entrepreneurial brother saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Unfortunately that’s a tune many of us sing these days.  But getting enough sleep is just as important to our health as eating the right foods and taking essential supplements.  We suggest getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you find yourself tossing and turning or wide awake at 3 am, take a closer look at what you consume throughout the day. Sugar, alcohol and caffeine are major sleep disruptors for most of us. We suggest keeping a sleep journal for a month to help you determine what’s keeping you from a restful slumber.
  
  A few ways to make your night’s rest more comfortable is to invest in quality sheets and a comfortable mattress and pillow. Avoid placing sleep interrupters into your bedroom like the television, your computer or cell phone. Make your bedroom a sacred space for peace, relaxation and sound sleep.


• Avoid Stimulants – As mentioned above, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and sugar are stimulants that offset the body’s natural ability to heal. We’re not suggesting that you go cold turkey (which can cause undue stress on your body) but rather that you cut back on these substances over time.  You might try a two week stimulant-free fast and notice how you feel. Note: Nicotine can be one of the most difficult addictions to break – but it can be done! We recommend exploring the different options with your health care provider.


• Go Green – Sift through your household cleaning products and eliminate anything with harsh chemicals. Studies have shown that chemical irritants trigger many autoimmune diseases. Replace detergents, soaps and cleansers with non-toxic versions (there are so many to choose from) or make your own. Vinegar and water works wonders!


• Use Natural Cosmetics – Take a close look at what you put on your body in the form of soaps, shampoos, lotions and cosmetics. Many of these contain toxic chemicals, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and carcinogens that you are absorbing through your skin every day! There are many books to read on the subject of toxic cosmetics such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, by Kim Erickson.  The bottom line is this: if you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t be putting it on your skin.

Here is a list of the top ten worst offenders:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) / Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Mineral Oil (yes, mineral oil)
• Synthetic Fragrance
• Phthalates
• Imidazolidinyl Urea and DMDM Hydantoin
• Triclosan
• DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine)
• FD & C Color Pigments
• Propylene Glycol (PG)
• Isopropyl Alcohol

We have found that often the most expensive products on the market contain the most chemicals. You’ll see that not only will you feel better when you make healthier choices in cosmetics, but you’ll save money too!

• Air Quality – Consider investing in an air filter or air purifier, especially if you are prone to allergies.


• Water Quality – Purchase a reverse osmosis system for your household drinking water.


• Healthy Work Place – If you are concerned about the safety of your work environment, talk to your supervisor or the head of your company’s maintenance department to determine how safe your workplace is and ways to make it safer.


• Detoxify – Fasts and cleanses are immensely popular these days but they can be depleting for someone with an autoimmune disease. We suggest that you gently detoxify your body by eliminating inflammatory foods, chemicals and stimulants and incorporating whole foods into your daily diet. These habits will enhance your body’s natural healing and anti-inflammatory capacities.
  
  Once you’ve mastered the basics of the healing diet, you may want to try a detox program. Click here to read more about our Women’s Empowerment Detox Program.


• Reduce Pain Naturally – The more we understand what the body needs to heal - the less reliant we are on prescription medications and stimulants to bring us relief. At Vibrant Way we support using pain-reducing drugs from time to time to ease the symptoms of flare-ups, however we also enthusiastically support investigating alternative modalities for treating your pain. Acupuncture, massage, mind-body therapies and hydrotherapy have all been found to be successful in treating chronic pain, especially for those who have an autoimmune disorder.
  
  Tapping into your body’s natural ability to heal is an individual journey. We encourage you to be a scientist with your body. After all, you are the one who knows you the best!