Written by: Joanne Kennedy, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
A common concept in western medicine surrounding autoimmune disease is that the immune system is “overactive” or has become “aggressive”. This is an old paradigm with an approach that significantly limits the effectiveness of treatment for these conditions. What is more accurate is to understand that someone dealing with an autoimmune disorder has an immune system that is dysfunctional and lost its ability to differentiate between an “invader” and one’s own body. As a result, the immune system attacks and damages the tissues, organs, hormones and other essential elements causing various conditions and debilitating symptoms.
One would then ask, how does the immune system become so disorientated, so much so that it’s now treating you, your own body as the enemy?
Environmental toxins
Being part of the industrial revolution era comes with some repercussions, as two hundred-thousand new chemicals are added to the market every year. These chemicals are carried across the globe through a phenomenon known as atmospheric dispersal – so no part of this planet is untouched or toxin free. Women of New Guinea Highlands, located at two thousand meters above sea water and two thousand kilometers away from any agriculture, had detectible levels of DVT in their breastmilk!
Every liter of ocean water contains toxic chemicals and every human and animal have detectable levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies. Tens of thousands of toxic chemicals are produced commercially and even more, are created as pollutants. They are found in our air, water, food, soil, buildings, personal care, and cleaning products. A silent enemy, they are easily dismissed as most of them are invisible to the naked eye, so we completely forget about their existence. Sadly, they play a HUGE role in causing damage and inflammation in our bodies, thereby adding a toxic load that eventually exceeds our capacity to excrete as we age. To add to this, we are also dealing with exposure to viruses, parasites, fungi, and increasingly harmful levels of electromagnetic frequencies. I know this might be a little depressing but with knowledge comes the opportunity for change and healing.
Molecular mimicry in autoimmunity
A lot of these environmental toxins especially bacteria have structures that are very similar to particular cells in our bodies. This concept is known as molecular mimicry. Klebsiella and Pseudomonas are species of bacteria that produce proteins that look like our joints. If these leak into the bloodstream, the immune system produces antibodies and begins to attack them. Over time, they start to confuse the joints for these proteins and direct their attack on the joints as well.
Chemicals such as lithium and halogens are structurally similar to iodine and may take up receptor sites in the thyroid gland causing depletion of nutrients and inflammation. Commonly known halogens we are exposed to include chlorine, bromide, and fluoride which are found in our water supply, swimming pools, fossil fuels, and the environment.
Xenoestrogens commonly found in a variety of everyday items such as plastics, skin care, food, insecticides, and building supplies also play a major role in disrupting the immune system. There is a correlation between exposure to this environmental toxin and endometriosis – its pathophysiology includes a dysregulated immune response. Bisphenol A (BPA) is another highly toxic xenoestrogen commonly found in processed food, beverages, and plastics and has been linked to multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and thyroid autoimmune conditions.
Intestinal permeability, the underlying cause of autoimmunity
In order for the body to create antibodies for these substances and species, they need to somehow enter the bloodstream. This occurs from a condition known as intestinal permeability or “leaky gut” where the tight junctions of the intestinal barrier become inflamed, opening up and allowing toxins to pass through.
It’s well known that leaky gut is caused by stress, poor diet, and certain medications however, environmental toxins such as BPA from plastics and heavy metals such as aluminum and mercury can also potentiate damage to the tight junctions of the intestines.
Glyphosate, a common herbicide used in the agricultural industry to kill weeds has been attributed to disruption of the gut microbiome, reducing healthy bacteria whilst creating a favorable environment for pathogenic bacteria such as clostridia species. As a result, exposure to this toxin causes inflammation in the gut leading to a highly permeable intestinal barrier. Additionally, glyphosate is known to disrupt the function of liver enzymes, affecting the organ responsible for detoxification in the body.
This can lead to a backlog of toxins accumulating in the body allowing them to wreak havoc on all systems, especially the immune system. A gut protozoa known as Blastocystis Hominis has also been associated with Hashimotos Thyroiditis and IBS due to its effect on the gut. A lot of the time, simply eliminating this bacteria has helped resolve these conditions.
Fungi and Electromagnetic fields (EMFs or radiation)
After a year of heavy rains and disastrous floods, we cannot leave out another major environmental toxin affecting up to 25% of the population. Mould. This highly reactive fungus releases spores that cause chronic inflammation in the body and often lead to the development of autoimmune conditions.
In the last 20 years, mold toxicity has significantly increased, and this appears to be attributed to the rise in environmental pollution. An experiment with a petri dish of mold placed next to an EMF emitting device had a growth of six hundred times the initial amount! This highlights the relationship between EMFs and the significant increase in the growth and resistance of mold in their habitats.
A type of mold found in soil that was previously non-toxic is now poisoning humans in a condition known as “Valley fever”. This mutation is believed to be linked to the increased levels of pollution and toxins on the planet.
Exposure to past nuclear disasters is still affecting populations today where a study in 2003 looking at the effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and a 2015 study in Sicily involving a population living near a petrochemical complex both demonstrated increased incidences and risk of Hashimoto’s.
EMFs are now an increasing concern as technological advancements continue with wireless internet, phones, television, medical imaging, and electronic devices in general. These frequencies disrupt the calcium channel ions in cells leading to a range of disturbances and stressors in the body, weakening organs and potentially impacting the immune system.
Heavy metals
A recent study discovered Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has an autoimmune component where the amyloid beta proteins are released by the immune system, triggering a misdirected attack on the neurons in the brain. There is considerate evidence and research highlighting common environmental triggers of AD being heavy metals such as Aluminium and Mercury exposure.
There also appears to be a link between dental amalgams (containing high levels of heavy metals, especially mercury) and the incidence of AD.
Inadvertent chemicals are produced from industrial processes and increased mercury in our environment has polluted our oceans so much so that consuming large fish such as tuna can actually cause a build-up of mercury in your body. Coal-burning power stations emit boron and mercury into the atmosphere. Arsenic, lead, and mercury is also found in old houses.
Soil containing aluminum, cadmium, and arsenic is absorbed through plants growing in them. Aluminum is also used in personal care products such as deodorants and some cookware. Many of our personal care products contain worrying amounts of harsh chemicals and heavy metals such as nickel, lead, beryllium, thallium, cadmium, arsenic, and many more!
Arsenic is another environmental toxin found in food, soil, water, food, air, volcano, ash, coal, pesticides, rice, chicken, copper, treated wood, supplements & makeup (especially lip gloss). This particular toxin can activate Epstein Barr virus which wreaks havoc on our immune systems and is known to be an activator of autoimmune conditions. I could go on, but I feel this is enough to summarize just how many toxic heavy metals we are exposed to daily, increasing the risk of a disorientated immune system.
Eating healthy – does it cover me?
You may be consuming a diet high in vegetables and fruit but the number of toxic chemicals – pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and fungicides that you’re consuming have direct toxicity. We have to deal with toxicity from water, food, and air so even if you are eating “clean”, you are still exposed in other means. Studies have found that even extremely small exposures below recognized safety levels can have dramatic effects on your health.
Another issue is bioaccumulation which happens over our lifespan as some of these substances have a long half-life of 15 years, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. Toxins exposed to us as children are often hard to excrete and heavy metals can also replace other elements in our bodies. For example, strontium and lead replace calcium and magnesium in the bones. Minerals are very important for our bodies but they are often depleted and replaced by toxic heavy metals. Lipophilic toxins (lipid soluble toxins) can also become embedded in our fat and this continues to accumulate as we get older, adding to the total burden on the body. These processes begin before we are born as research has discovered remnants of such substances in the blood of mothers’ umbilical cords! Add alcohol, smoking, medications, and processed foods (to name a few) to the list and you’ve got an overloaded toxic liver.
Out of sight, out of mind
Unfortunately, environmental toxins are the ‘middle child syndrome,’ often unacknowledged and unattributed to dysregulated immune systems. Each year, thousands of new chemicals are created and released into the atmosphere. Often companies will claim, “they have been tested for safety”, but what has not been considered is that these substances are tested one at a time, individually. In the environment, synergistic effects occur as they mix and transform from “safe” to a highly toxic concoction.
An example of this is roundup which does not only contain glyphosate. It has other excipients which make glyphosate one hundred times more toxic. This may explain why there is a correlation between Parkinson’s Disease in farmers with increasing cases in this population.
Measures should be put into place, both in society and individually to reduce this toxic load on our environment as we do not know the repercussions this will have on future generations. We are already seeing a substantial rise in autoimmunity and other conditions since the industrial revolution. Essentially, we are living experiments as earlier generations were never exposed to these many toxins and the long-term effects on our bodies are still a mystery.
If you are someone suffering from an autoimmune condition or feel you have toxic overload and are at risk of developing an autoimmune condition, assess your environment to identify what exposures may be contributing to this. To support detoxification pathways in excreting heavy metals and chemicals, it is best done under the supervision of an experienced practitioner to avoid damage to vital organs.
Joanne Kennedy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Joanne Kennedy is a Naturopath and specialist in methylation, histamine intolerance, gut health, and women’s hormones. Joanne runs a successful clinical practice in Sydney, Australia and sees patients online worldwide. Joanne’s approach is to identify the root cause of illness. This is done by the use of functional pathology testing, assessing the biochemical individuality of each patient, assessing environmental exposures, as well as individual genetic testing if required.
