Antigens and Autoimmune Disease

There are over 80 different autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is when the body is so inflamed from the inside, it begins to turn on itself and begins to attack its own cells. What the body attacks determine what autoimmune disease an individual has. Some diseases that are associated with autoimmune conditions are Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia. 

Causes 

There are different events and circumstances that bring on an autoimmune disease. It varies from person to person. However, it has been shown that environmental exposures are linked. Environmental exposures occur when we breathe in poor quality air and eat food that has been sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. It is referred to as an antigen overload. 

Antigens 

An antigen is a substance that enters the body. However, when this antigen enters the body the body reacts by producing antibodies. Similar to what happens when you get a vaccine. However, these substances that enter the body are not ones that we want a reaction to. Antigens can include things like toxins and bacteria. 

Auto-Immune Investigation 

As previously discussed, autoimmune disease is when the system no longer recognizes part of itself and begins to attack its own tissues. However, the true reason behind it is unknown. It does have to do with the factors mentioned above. A large part of functional medicine is not only getting down and treating the root cause of the disease but to live a more natural life. By living a more natural life and undergoing lifestyle changes, we change the things around us. Changing these factors will impact your body in the best way possible. An example of a lifestyle change we encourage our patients to take is to get rid of air fresheners in the home and instead replace them with some plants. Plants naturally clean the air and give off a fresh scent. Air fresheners are full of artificial fragrances that are mixed with toxins and foreign substances to the body. Click here for a study regarding this topic. It can be hard for people to adjust at first because we are conditioned to think that clean has a smell. When in reality, clean smells like nothing at all. 

By getting rid of these artificial scents, we are already positively impacting our genes to alter in a way that benefits us. Another lifestyle change we want to adjust is nutrition. By switching to organic foods, grass-fed, and free-range, we are significantly reducing the number of pesticides ingested. This will reduce gut inflammation, provide more nutrients to feed your genes and your cells, as well as positively impact the genes. Additionally, we encourage our patients to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. Not only are we feeding our genes, but we are providing proper nutrients for our body systems to properly function and make efficient energy. An added bonus of all this is the patient’s body composition begins to change in a positive manner. 

InBody 

The way we measure our patient’s body composition is with the InBody 770. This advanced machine provides a great deal of information for us regarding the patient. We track patients Anthropometric measurements in order to determine their lean muscle mass, fat density, visceral fat (fat surrounding the organs- a key indicator of disease risk), water percentage, and height and weight. We measure our patients every 8 weeks and keep a detailed record. These reports are great indicators for health and also assess inflammation and edema. There is more information regarding the InBody below. 

 

 

 

The InBody is some of the best technology a clinic can offer. This information is unmatched and helps us see if the treatment protocol created for our patients is working effectively for their body. If not for treatment purposes, I still recommend patients get scanned to establish a baseline and to learn more about their body. We only get one body, so knowing about it and how to take better care of yourself should be priority. -Kenna Vaughn, Senior Health Coach 

 

References: 

Kim JH, Lee D, Lim H, Kim T, Suk K, Seo J. Risk assessment to human health: Consumer exposure to ingredients in air fresheners. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2018 Oct;98:31-40. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2018.05.015. Epub 2018 May 29. PMID: 29857116. 

Additional Online Links & Resources (Available 24/7)



 

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Online Functional Medicine Assessment: bit.ly/functionmed

 

 

 

Disclaimer

 

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.  Read More…

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, CTG*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

phone: 915-850-0900

Licensed in Texas & New Mexico