ChronicCare of Utah – Immune System Concerns
The immune system, when functioning properly, protects us from illnesses brought on by exposure to bacteria, fungi, viruses and other disease carrying foreign bodies that can enter our body. When an immune system begins attacking vital tissues as a result of reacting to foods that are part of your everyday diet, you become autoimmune and symptoms begin to form. Rather than focus on the source of the attack, the medical world commonly views the symptoms as the issues they need to address. Prescriptions, which often lead to side effects and only bring temporary relief (if any), are given as an attempt to help you cope. For example, an issue with something as simple as gluten – a protein found in wheat – can lead to gut issues (Irritable Bowl Syndrome), fatigue, chronic pain (Fibromyalgia), hyper/hypothyroidism, migraine syndrome, skin irritations, short term memory issues, back problems, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and/or other symptoms all of which would be labelled separately and treated by separate doctors with various prescriptions. Even in recent research on Type 2 Diabetes which has determined it is really brought on by an autoimmune response, the focus is more on how to stop the response of the body, rather than removing the cause. Methods are being explored in how to inhibit the T cell and B cell and macrophage responses that lead to inflammation in the body and eventually can contribute to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. The doctors researching this admit they don’t know the cause, so their proposed solution is to stop the immune system from doing its job (create inflammation around objects it’s fighting to get rid of it) rather than remove the trigger. The difference between symptomatic treatment and treatment that is based on determining and removing the causes is the difference between chronic, increasingly severe conditions and having good health with a quality life. Only through proper testing can you learn what the causes are to your symptoms so you can remove them and end the cycle of health issues.