Earliest Symptoms Of Autoimmune Disease

Could your symptoms be due to autoimmune disease? There are almost 100 different autoimmune diseases. They can begin with very subtle symptoms. It is important to recognise these early symptoms, as this may help avert a more serious health problem in the future.

Autoimmune disease affects approximately one in 20 people and is one of the most significant health problems in the USA. Many common health problems are autoimmune, yet the average person is not aware that an underlying immune disorder is at fault.

The most common autoimmune diseases include:

• Psoriasis
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (causes under active thyroid)
• Graves’ disease (causes over active thyroid)
• Arthritis
• Lupus
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Celiac disease

An autoimmune disease occurs when a person’s immune system attacks their own cells, tissues and/or organs. This results in inflammation throughout the body, and potential damage to specific organs.

Genes play an important role in autoimmune disease but they are only one piece of the puzzle. Research shows that 70 to 95 percent of the risk of developing autoimmune disease comes from your environment, not your genes. Environment refers to foods you eat, chemicals you’re exposed to or stress you’re subjected to. The good news is you have a great deal of control over your environment, regardless of the genes you’ve inherited.

Early symptoms of autoimmune disease

• Fatigue and unrefreshing sleep
• Insomnia
• Joint or muscles aches and pains
• Stiffness of the body, especially when first getting out of bed
• Anxiety or depression
• Foggy head, poor memory and motivation
• Uncomfortable digestive symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome

These symptoms are a common feature of several different health problems. If you suffer with several of them, it’s best to see your doctor and ask for a blood test.

The conventional medical treatment of autoimmune disease leaves a lot to be desired and many people choose to discontinue treatment because the side effects are worse than the disease. Conventional treatment focuses on drugs that create immunosuppression. Suppressing the immune system can be very effective for reducing the symptoms of autoimmune disease, and protecting organs from damage, but in the long term, can have harmful side effects such as an increased risk of infections or cancer.

Natural ways to help your immune system

• Gluten and dairy products should be eliminated from the diet.  These foods raise inflammation in the body and promote auto-antibody production.  Other foods that promote inflammation and should be minimized include sugar and alcohol.  The diet should be based on vegetables, fruits, animal protein and good fats.  Suitable sources of protein include fish, poultry, eggs, meat, nuts and seeds.  Good fats are found in foods such as avocados, hemp seeds, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil and coconut oil, along with the fat from pastured animals and wild caught fish. Fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, coconut yogurt, kim chi and sauerkraut can improve immune function. Taking a probiotic supplement can help if you don’t typically eat fermented foods.
• Drink raw vegetable juices regularly.  Juices are an extremely concentrated and easy to digest source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  There are specific juices for liver health and the immune system in my book Raw Juices Can Save Your Life.
• Take a good quality liver tonic such as Livatone Plus. The herb St Mary’s thistle (milk thistle) helps to protect liver cells from harm and also helps to repair liver cells.
• Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common among people with autoimmune disease and people with liver or kidney disease.  Ask your doctor for a vitamin D blood test and your blood level should be between 40 and 60 ng/mL. Vitamin D is essential to reduce chronic inflammation and you cannot afford to be deficient in it.
• Selenium is very effective for reducing inflammation in the liver and reducing the production of destructive auto-antibodies by your immune system.  It is also helpful for increasing energy and reducing fatigue, which is a common problem among people with autoimmune conditions.  I highly recommend the leading selenium formula called Selenomune in a dose of 1 capsule daily.
• Collagen Food powder 1 teaspoon daily can help your liver to function better and reduce scar tissue. My Collagen Food powder contains MSM, Vitamin C, biotin, zinc and silica.

These recommendations are natural ways for helping the immune system.  Please do not discontinue taking any prescription medication without discussing the matter with your doctor.

Read about all this and more in the book Healing Autoimmune Disease. A plan to help your immune system and reduce inflammation.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.