Maternal autoimmunity
While viral and bacterial infections have declined over the last 60 years, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders are steadily climbing. Autoimmune disease dwarfs cancer and heart disease combined, now affecting about 50 million people, or 20 percent of the population. In an autoimmune response, the immune system mistakenly creates antibodies to the body’s own tissue, thereby tagging the tissue for destruction.
Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is the most common autoimmune illness today, affecting an estimated 23 million. Autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism have been shown to play a role, as the mother’s immune imbalance can exacerbate the risk and the development of childhood asthma and allergies.
Diet and lifestyle can balance autoimmune Hashimoto’s
The New York Times story, An Immune Disorder at the Root of Autism, veers into the promise of using whip worms—yes, worms—to tame the out-of-control immune system. The theory is that autoimmune disease has skyrocketed in developed nations because we are too clean.
The article fails to mention those other hallmarks of Western civilization besides good hygiene: overabundant diets laden with sweet, starchy, processed foods; chronic stress; a sedentary lifestyle; and daily bombardment of environmental toxins.
Chronic inflammation raises risk of childhood disorders
Other risk factors for autism include maternal asthma, allergies, insulin resistance, obesity, and chronic low-grade inflammation. In other words, when a mom’s immune system is in constant overdrive—never getting the opportunity to rest—the development of the fetal brain is adversely affected and the overall risk for disorders is increased.
Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture to help modulate the immune system
The naturopathic doctors of functional medicine, in our clinic, as well as the acupuncturists have measures other than the whip-worm therapy to manage autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and chronic inflammation. These may include an autoimmune diet, the use of targeted, customized nutritional therapies, as well as immune-modulating techniques to calm the immune system that is in a constant overdrive. Please schedule your appointment to learn how we can work together.
