Jamieson Health Center

Newsletter

November 30, 2012

Volume 4, Number 7

 

Is autoimmunity causing your chronic illness?

Identify, address and reverse it!  

 

Dear patients and friends,

 

Dr

Many of you are suffering from chronic conditions for which there seems to be no cure or an obvious cause. Many of you are in chronic pain, are chronically fatigued and suffer from chronic inflammation. Some of you suffer from chronic neurological conditions such as anxiety, insomnia and autistic spectrum disorders. You have tried different meds, different therapies and treatments, even tried different diets with little improvement.

 

Autoimmunity: the root cause of many chronic conditions.

I wanted to offer some insights into autoimmunity, since research shows that many of the idiopathic conditions that people have may be rooted in unknown autoimmunity.

 

Blood tests can reveal antibodies against your own tissues, which is called autoimmunity. This means that your immune system is attacking your own body. It is not just attacking a virus or a toxin or any other foreign invader. It mistakenly tags tissues of your body as a foreign invader. It can basically attack any organ or joint or tendon including the skin and the brain.

 

Depending on what tissues are affected, people could have a multitude of ailments, chronic disorders and pain. For example, if your immune system attacks the joints, you may have pain in a specific joint or several joints. If it attacks your brain, you may struggle with anxiety, brain fog, balance issues and fatigue. Autistic children seem to have antibodies against cerebellar cells in the brain. If it attacks your skin, you may struggle with eczema or psoriasis. If it attacks your thyroid, you could feel fatigued, be depressed, have memory issues, and/or feel cold all the time.

 

As years go by and the immune system keeps attacking its own tissue, the organ starts to malfunction and at some point will totally fail, which is when traditional medicine typically diagnoses patients with an autoimmune disease. There is no cure for an autoimmune disease. Traditional treatments are steroids to reduce pain and inflammation and hormone replacement therapy, both of which have severe side effects.

 

However, the key is to identify TODAY whether your chronic illness is caused by autoimmunity. This provides a window of opportunity. Once identified, it can be addressed and even reversed.

 

Autoimmunity: a window of opportunity.

In Western medicine, there is no diagnosis or drug for the initial autoimmunity phase which precedes the autoimmune disease. However in functional medicine, this time provides a window of opportunity to address current chronic issues and prevent the patient from developing an autoimmune disease. Here is what I would suggest to address, stall or even reverse autoimmunity:

 

·         Run a blood test to diagnose the potential different types of auto-antibodies against your own tissues. We use Cyrex Labs autoimmunity array 5 serum panels (or specific panels 6, 7, and 8).

 

·         Investigate what triggered autoimmunity in the first place. Research shows that autoimmunity is a result of your immune system cross-reacting to its own tissues caused by the presence of antibodies to different foods, toxins and/or infections. Patients with a leaky gut are especially susceptible to autoimmunity.

 

·         Address it by eliminating the cross-reactive foods and treating the underlying causes.

 

·         Dampen inflammatory reactions by modulating your immune system with natural compounds. Research shows that compounds such as turmeric and resveratrol dampen the NF-KB cycle of your immune system. Unfortunately, you would have to eat too much of those to notice a difference. That’s why we offer supplements that include those compounds in very high bio-available dosages.

 

Like Us on Facebook!

We have added new articles, videos and tips to our Facebook page. I hope you check them out at http://www.facebook.com/jamiesonhealthcenter. If you like what you see, please Like Us and get automatic updates of the latest clinical advancements, tips and tricks about nutrition, patient testimonials, new gluten free recipes and more. It's also a great way for you to let me know if you have any questions or comments and share an article or topic with other patients and friends.

 

Again, there is a window of opportunity to address your chronic issues before they turn into an autoimmune disease. If you suffer from chronic pain or any other chronic illness, give me a call so we can discuss it. Don’t let it get any worse. Your window is closing…

 

Yours in good health,

Dr. Samuel R. Jamieson

 

P.S. Read more of my newsletters at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm

 

Is autoimmunity causing your chronic pain, fatigue and inflammation?

Often people suffer for years from chronic aches in their tendons and muscles, they are fatigued, have brain fog and their bodies are chronically inflamed. I would like to offer a possible cause: autoimmunity.

 

As the research referenced below shows, individuals with gluten sensitivity and compromised mucosal integrity of the gut and the lungs are at greater risk than the general population for developing one or more autoimmune conditions. Research supports that gluten sensitivity can increase the prevalence and incidence of many autoimmune conditions, such as

·         Rheumatoid Arthritis

·         Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)

·         Hashimoto Thyroditis

·         Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

·         Diabetes Type1 (DM 1)

·         Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

·         Ulcerative colitis

·         Scleroderma

·         Sarcoidosis

·         Sjogren’s syndrome

·         Multiple Sclerosis

·         Guillain Barré syndrome

·         Myasthenia gravis

·         Multi motor neuropathy

·         Other neurological autoimmune conditions causing autism, seizures, anxiety, insomnia

·         And more.

 

Furthermore, in genetically susceptible individuals, certain dietary proteins and peptides (e.g. gliadin in gluten, or casein from milk) can trigger the autoimmune process in the GI tract itself or in other tissues in the body, such as the bone, joints, heart, thyroid, brain, etc.

 

What is autoimmunity and how do I get it?

Autoantibodies

Autoantibodies are present when the human body reacts against its own tissue antigen. Their presence can be a clue to autoimmunity. The measurement of autoantibodies is the first, and usually the best, step to recognize and prognose many autoimmune conditions.

 

Autoimmunity

Autoimmunity is defined as an innate (non-specific) or adaptive (specific) immune response directed against a self-antigen. An autoimmunity that results in tissue and organ damage leading to a certain pathologic condition, and subsequent system malfunction is usually referred to as an autoimmune disease. Innate autoimmunity is sometimes referred to as an auto-inflammatory condition.

 

Cross-reactivity by the immune system causes autoimmunity.

As the below research shows, many people are sensitive to gluten. Their bodies develop antibodies to gluten and attack gluten, which causes inflammation in their cells every time they are exposed to it. Some patients also develop cross-reactivity to other foods. Those other foods are likely proteins that are very similar in structure or share a common component with gluten. These are usually other grains such as rice, corn, rye, oats, barley etc. but also milk, chocolate and coffee.

Unfortunately, your own tissues can also share similar components with gluten and patients may start developing cross-reactivity to their own tissues such as tissues in the gut, thyroid, bone, joints, heart, brain, etc. Over time, they develop autoimmune conditions such as the ones mentioned before.

 

How to prevent and treat autoimmunity?

The majority of patients are not diagnosed until the level of organ damage from the autoimmune mechanism has advanced enough to cause severe clinical complaints and sub-optimal health. In the mean time, they suffer from pain, fatigue and chronic inflammation and nothing seems to help. But there is a lot you can do to test for, address and even reverse autoimmunity:

 

1.    Autoantibody serum tests (Cyrex Labs Array 5 – 8) can provide early detection, identifying the initial stages of development in autoimmune conditions before extensive tissue damage. This allows a ‘Window of Opportunity’ to address, arrest, and even in some cases reverse the autoimmune condition.

 

2.    An anti-inflammatory diet is key. Foods that cause autoimmunity need to be eliminated from the diet. With nutrition response testing, I can help you identify the foods which cause inflammatory reactions. This usually includes all gluten containing foods, dairy and all foods containing casein, all grains, nightshades, nuts, coffee and all sugary foods and drinks. And please, no processed foods or foods which contain transfats, artificial coloring, MSG, artificial sweeteners.

As an alternative, Array 3 and 4 serum tests from Cyrex Labs identify whether your body has antibodies against the most common inflammatory foods.

 

3.    Restore the gut with a gut repair program. Our program includes unique formulations containing flavonoids, saponins, caroteoids, phytochemicals and antioxidants aimed at supporting the intestinal tract and restoring the intestinal lining. We also tailor the right prebiotics and probiotics to your needs.

 

4.    Modulate and dampen the overactive immune system.

There exist several natural compounds that can help modulate the immune system. Depending on which part of the immune system is out of balance, patients feel better with supplements containing one or more of the following compounds:

·         Turmeric extract

·         Resveratrol

·         Cordyceps

·         Gotu Kola

·         Milk Thistle

·         N-Acetyl L-cysteine

·         Alpha Lipoic Acid

·         L-Glutamine

·         Vitamin D

 

This list is not all inclusive. And there is not a one size, fits all solution. Every patient is different. So please, don't self medicate. Start with an evaluation and get the supplements that are right for you and your autoimmune condition. However, you can start with a healthy anti-inflammatory diet today!

 

Like Us on Facebook. Check out some Posts below.

Here is sampling of what people liked the most of what's currently available on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/jamiesonhealthcenter.

 

Gut-Brain Connection? Leaky Gut? No longer “Crazy Talk” says AAP!
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just taken a giant leap toward recognizing the association between gastrointestinal problems and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD.)

 

The November 2012 issue of their journal, Pediatrics, has a 200-page supplement entitled Improving Health Care for Children and Youth With Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. For twenty years or more, biomedical practitioners have been treating GI problems in autism without much support from thorough mainstream research, and we’ve endured much criticism for doing so. Even worse, parents of children with autism have been begging pediatricians for help, will little acknowledgement that there is any possibility of a gut-brain connection in autism.
Read the entire article at http://tacanowblog.com/2012/11/08/gut-brain-connection-leaky-guy-no-longer-crazy-talk-says-aap/

 

What is Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut seems to be a term with which many of you are familiar. But I don’t think everyone understands the complexity of Leaky Gut, what causes it and how it can be helped. I’ve had patients tell me that they or their child have leaky gut, yet they continue to eat the very foods that cause leaky gut.
Leaky gut develops when tight junctions in the intestinal mucosa are compromised ...See More

 

What causes Leaky Gut?
There are several factors that contribute to Leaky Gut. They are:
- Diet: the Standard American Diet high in gluten, dairy, sugar, starches, processed foods
- Neurological issues and brain degeneration
- Physical, chemical and emotional stress, cortisol surges
- Low hormone levels such as thyroid, estrogen, testosterone
- Metabolic issues such as intestinal inflammation, free radicals, ...
- Intestinal infections such as H. Pylori, yeast, parasites, ....
- Medications such as antibiotics, corticosteroids, ....

The more factors that apply to you, the higher your risk for Leaky Gut, which translates to a higher risk for chronic disorders and autoimmune conditions.

 

How do you heal from a Leaky Gut?
Many patients think: “It’s easy to heal my intestines, I just need to take enough glutamine.” Unfortunately, healing from Leaky Gut is much more complex and means addressing each one of the contributing factors ...See More

 

Biofeedback now a “Level 1 — Best Support” Intervention for Attention & Hyperactivity Behaviors.
Prac­tice­Wise, the com­pany that main­tains the Amer­i­can Acad­emy of Pedi­atrics “Evidence-based Child and Ado­les­cent Psycho-social Inter­ven­tions” has just announced it will ele­vate biofeed­back to “Level 1 — Best Sup­port” as an inter­ven­tion for Atten­tion & Hyper­ac­tiv­ity Behav­iors in the next edi­tion. See
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2012/10/05/biofeedback-now-a-level-1-best-support-intervention-for-attention-hyperactivity-behaviors/

This is great progress! But how do we communicate this to every school, teacher and pediatrician? How do we stop the ease at which everyone turns to drugs to change their children's behaviors?

 

Medicating Kids.

In "Medicating Kids," FRONTLINE examines the dramatic increase in the prescription of behavior-modifying drugs for children. Are these medications really necessary--and safe--for young children, or merely a harried nation's quick fix for annoying, yet age-appropriate, behavior? Unfortunately, this program doesn't cover alternative treatments such as integrative medicine, bio-medical and neurofeedback.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/watch/

 

The business of selling ADHD drugs.
In FRONTLINE's interview, many doctors express their concern about the role played by pharmaceutical companies, which have not only provided financial support to ADHD advocacy groups such as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) but also paid physicians to make speaking appearances to raise awareness of ADHD. They claim such support is an attempt to boost diagnoses of ADHD--and thereby drug sales.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/experts/business.html

 

Filmmakers turn cameras on America's ailing healthcare system
'Doctored,' 'The Waiting Room' and 'Escape Fire' look at different angles of the system. Read article from the LA Times at

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-health-care-in-film-20120930,0,3718027.story

 

Free Movie: Doctered.

The film Doctored reveals the hidden truth behind the chiropractic profession’s struggle against ignorance, and the systematic and deliberate campaign by the American Medical Association (AMA) to destroy complementary medicine.

Doctered, a must see new documentary about our health care system, now available for FREE at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/10/conspiracy-against-chiropractic.aspx?e_cid=20121110_DNL_art_1

 

References.

Schreiber FS, Ziob T, Vieth M and Elsbernd H. [Atypical celiac disease in a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus and Hashimoto's thyreoiditis]. Dtsch Med Wochenschr, 2011; 136(3):8285. [Article in German]

Zhernakova A, Stahl EA, Trynka G, et al. Metaanalysis of genomewide association studies in celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis identifies fourteen nonHLA shared loci. PLoS Genet, 2011; 7(2): e1002004. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1002004.

AlMayouf SM, AlMehaidib AI and Alkaff MA. The significance of elevated serologic markers of celiac disease in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Saudi J Gastroenterol, 2003; 9(2):7578.

Latif S, Jamal A, Memon I, et al. Multiple autoimmune syndrome: Hashimoto's thyroiditis, coeliac disease and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). J Pak Med Assoc, 2010; 60(10):863865.

Hadjivassiliou M, Sanders DS, Grünewald RA and Akil M. Gluten sensitivity masquerading as systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Rheum Dis, 2004; 63:15011503.

 

Frustaci A, Cuoco L, Chimenti C, et al. Celiac disease associated with autoimmune myocarditis. Circulation, 2002; 105:26112618.

Hadjivassiliou M, Gibson A, DaviesJones GA, et al. Does cryptic gluten sensitivity play a part in neurological illness? Lancet, 1996;347(8998):369371.

Vojdani A and Lambert J. A gut feeling for immune dysregulation and neuroinflammation in autism. The Autism File, 2009; 31:5664.

Vojdani A. Antibodies as predictors of complex autoimmune diseases. Intl J Immunopathol Pharmacol, 2008; 21(2):267278. 

 

Vojdani A. Antibodies as predictors of complex autoimmune diseases and cancer. Intl J Immunopathol Pharmacol, 2008; 21(3):553566.

Rose NR. Predictors of autoimmune disease: autoantibodies and beyond. Autoimmunity, 2008; 41:419 

 

Esposito M, Venkatesh V, Orvos L, et al. Human transaldolase and crossreactive viral epitopes identified by autoantibodies of multiple sclerosis patients. J Immunol, 1999; 163:40274032.

Mell LK, Davis RL and Owens D. Association between streptococcal infection and obsessivecompulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, and tic disorder. Pediatrics, 2005; 116:5660. 

 

Molina V and Shoenfeld Y. Infection, vaccines and other environmental triggers of autoimmunity. Autoimmunity, 2005; 38(3):235245. 

 

Hadjivassiliou M, Sanders DS, Grünewald RA, et al. Gluten sensitivity: from gut to brain. Lancet Neurol, 2010; 9:318330. 

 

Tursi A, Giorgetti GM, Iani C, et al. Peripheral neurological disturbances, autonomic dysfunction, and antineuronal antibodies in adult celiac disease before and after a glutenfree diet. Dig Dis Sci, 2006; 51(10):18691874. 

 

Berger T, Rubner P, Schautzer F, et al. Antimyelin antibodies as a predictor of clinically definite multiple sclerosis after a first demyelinating event. N Engl J Med, 2003; 349:139145. 

 

JAMIESON HEALTH CENTER

       Samuel R. Jamieson, D.C.

Integrative Chiropractic

Applied Kinesiology

Nutrition Response Testing

Emotional Stress Relief

Total Body Modification

Advanced Neurofeedback

 

1175 Saratoga Ave, Ste 8

San Jose, CA 95129

Phone 408.517.0706

Email drjamieson@sbcglobal.net

 

 

Visit us on the Web!

www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com

facebook.com/jamiesonhealthcenter

 

    

 

 

 

Seminars we’ve taken.

Since I want to make a difference in your lives and that of your children, I’m constantly trying to keep up with the latest developments in healing practices, clinical research and new discoveries in the area of integrative holistic medicine. To that end, I have attended the following seminars and conferences over the last several months:

·         Autoimmune triggers of gluten sensitivity

·         International College of Applied Kinesiology – annual conference

·         The Neuorendocrine-Immunology of Hepatic Detoxification

·          Functional Neurology – ongoing at the Carrick Institute of Neurology

·          Understanding the complexity of gluten sensitivity

·          Breaking the complex web of leaky gut

·          Neurochemistry of childhood brain developmental disorders

·          The neuroendocrine immunology of andropause

·          The neuroendocrine immunology of perimenopause

·          The aging brain

·          The brain-gut axis

·          Nutrition Response Testing

·          NeuroIntegration therapy– Level 1 and Level 2 training

·          Alpha/Theta training with neurofeedback

·          Deep States training with neurofeedback – level 2

·          Level 2 advanced neurofeedback training

·          Alpha-Theta advanced training

 

Some patients have asked about previous newsletters and they can be found on our website at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm

 

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