May 6, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode, Dr. Alfred Alessi and Matt Tack explore the intricate balance between genetics and environment in autoimmune risk. They delve into the current autoimmune explosion, highlighting early warning signs and common conditions. The discussion emphasizes the significance of testing and root cause detection in understanding autoimmunity, with a focus on the role of functional testing in managing these conditions. Comprehensive strategies to combat autoimmunity are outlined, offering listeners practical insights. The episode encourages engagement with Health Decoded and provides resources for further exploration, concluding with contact details and final thoughts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Only about twenty five to thirty percent ofautoimmune risk is genetic.
(00:04):
The rest is very much environmental andlifestyle exposure.
So your genes may load the gun, but yourenvironment is what pulls the trigger.
Welcome to Health Decode, your number onesource for real health information with your
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
Hey, Health Decoded listeners.
(00:25):
Doctor Alessi here.
Let me ask you a serious question.
Are you tired of waiting until something goeswrong to finally see a doctor?
At Alessi Functional Health, we take adifferent approach, the right approach.
We believe true health care isn't about chasingsymptoms.
It's about preventing them in the first place.
That's why we created the Alessi Total CareProgram.
(00:48):
This is a functional medicine based membershipthat gives you proactive, personalized care
year round.
You'll get access to comprehensive blood workand functional testing, custom doctor grade
nutraceuticals, deep discounts on labs,protocols, and follow ups, as well as twenty
four seven direct access to your doctor, notjust a ten minute checkup that ends with
(01:12):
another prescription.
And here's the best part.
As a Health Decoded listener, you'll get yourfirst three months completely free when you
sign up for an annual membership.
That's on top of hundreds in savings alreadybuilt into the program.
This is your chance to take responsibility foryour health and join a movement that's
redefining what primary care should look like.
(01:34):
Head on over to alessifunctionalhealth.com,click on our services tab, and go to Total
Care.
Learn more about this program and claim yourexclusive podcast listener offer.
Your health is your greatest asset.
Let's protect it proactively.
Welcome back to another episode of HealthDecoded.
(01:56):
I am your host, Doctor.
Alfred Lessie, and I'm thanking you for joiningus today.
Very excited to talk about what we arediscussing today, which is really the
autoimmune explosion, we call it in thiscountry, and why your body is attacking itself,
why this has been so rampant as of late, andultimately, how to stop the fire that's burning
(02:19):
inside.
So again, thank you so much for joining us.
We always appreciate our listeners and we wantto just deliver as much valuable knowledge and
information as we can to help as many people aspossible.
This podcast is free.
We do not take a dollar or anything like that.
We just ask that you share if you've beenfinding value in this show.
(02:40):
That being said, let's get started.
So why is it that your body is suddenly turningagainst itself from things like Hashimoto's to
lupus, rheumatoid arthritis?
Autoimmune disease is exploding.
In this episode, we are going to break downwhat's really happening under the surface, why
standard treatments often miss the mark, andhow to take back control of your immune system
(03:05):
and your life.
So before we get into any of that, we need todiscuss what is autoimmunity and why is it on
the rise?
So, autoimmunity is not your body betrayingyou, it's your immune system getting confused.
Instead of defending you, it misfires andstarts attacking your own tissues, mistaking
(03:27):
them for foreign invaders.
So, basically within the science, it shows thatyour immune system is supposed to be a smart
defense system.
It has really two critical jobs.
Number one is to defend against invaders likebacteria, viruses, and toxins.
And number two, to tolerate your own cells andtissues.
(03:47):
This second job, immune tolerance, is wherethings go wrong in an autoimmune condition.
So, your body loses this tolerance, it beginsto see normal tissues like your thyroid, your
joints, skin or even your brain as threats.
This triggers a chronic inflammatory cascadeleading to tissue damage and a cascade of
(04:08):
symptoms that can affect virtually every systemin the body.
There are over 80 distinct autoimmune diseasesthat have been identified, including some of
the most common that we see, Hashimoto'sthyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, celiac
disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, typeone diabetes, and ulcerative colitis and
(04:32):
Crohn's disease.
Collectively, these conditions affect more thanfifty million Americans and the numbers are
rapidly climbing.
So why this explosion?
Why does this once rare condition now becomesuch a norm and what has changed?
Here's really what's been driving that rise.
(04:53):
Things like leaky gut or intestinalpermeability, something we discussed in a
podcast previously.
Your gut is supposed to act like a selectivebarrier, but when it gets leaky, undigested
food particles and bacteria and toxins can slipthrough into the bloodstream.
This then triggers an immune response.
(05:14):
And for genetically predisposed individuals,that response can then spiral into
autoimmunity.
Things like environmental toxins.
We're exposed to more toxins than ever before.
Mold, heavy metals, things like mercury,pesticides like glyphosate, and industrial
chemicals.
These compounds can disrupt immune regulationand trigger immune misfiring.
(05:38):
Chronic infections, viruses like Epstein Barrvirus or stealth pathogens like Lyme disease.
These can hijack immune function and createlong term immune confusion.
In some cases, molecular mimicry occurs, wherethe body mistakes its own tissues for a virus
and begins attacking them.
(05:58):
This is actually a built in mechanism for thoseviruses to survive.
Things like poor diet and chronic stress, ultraprocessed foods in the modern Western lifestyle
is an autoimmune trigger factory.
Refined sugars and seed oils, artificialadditives, stress hormones all impair your gut
health, increasing inflammation and overloadingyour immune capacity.
(06:23):
Genetics also play a role, but they're onlypart of the story.
Only about twenty five to thirty percent ofautoimmune risk is genetic.
The rest is very much environmental andlifestyle exposure.
So, your genes may load the gun, but yourenvironment is what pulls the trigger.
Now, I think there is some silver lining tothat basically saying that we can take control
(06:44):
of our environment and our lifestyle to fightagainst these kinds of things.
There was a study in The Lancet 2021 thatbasically said the incidence of autoimmune
disease has increased significantly over thepast thirty years, largely due to environmental
and lifestyle changes.
So, the key takeaway here is that autoimmunity,it's not random.
(07:07):
It's not just bad luck, bad genes.
Oh, I got this from my parents.
It's a breakdown in communication between yourimmune system, your gut, and your environment.
If we can remove the confusion, we can restorebalance, and that's where the real healing
begins.
So, now let's talk about what are some earlywarning signs, what we call the silent storm
(07:29):
before the diagnosis.
There's a very amazing concept by a doctornamed Doctor.
Steven Cabral who I actually studied under thathe patented called the rain barrel effect.
Essentially, people used to use rain barrels tocollect the rainwater and then use that water
to then water their crops, their plants,whatever they used it for.
(07:50):
Now, the concept here is that everything thataffects your body is like filling up that rain
barrel.
Exposure to toxins, the rain barrel fills up.
Ultra processed food consumption, the rainbarrel fills up.
Chronic stress, all these things start to buildthat up.
It's not until that rain barrel overflows ortips over that we call disease state, right?
(08:11):
So, we're constantly building this progressionuntil one day disease has set in.
But that process started a long time ago.
So the concept is that these autoimmunediseases, they don't just show up.
They brew quietly for years.
Most people will experience vague, kind offrustrating symptoms long before they ever get
a diagnosis.
(08:31):
That's why recognizing early warning signs iscritical for prevention and early intervention.
Autoimmunity is really a slow burn process.
You don't just wake up one day with full blownlupus, Hashimoto's or RA.
Instead, your immune system begins to misfirelittle by little, sending you signals that
something's off.
(08:52):
But those signals often get dismissed ormisdiagnosed as stress, aging, anxiety, or air
quotes, just normal.
But they're really these early warning signs.
So, of the common early warning signs, andthese are really red flags that may seem
random, but together they form a pattern ofimmune dysfunction.
(09:12):
Things like chronic fatigue that doesn'timprove with rest.
Brain fog or difficulty concentrating, jointpain or stiffness, especially in the morning,
digestive issues, bloating, IBS, constipationor sensitivity to gluten, skin flare ups like
eczema, hives, unexplained rashes, mood swingslike anxiety or depression, cold hands and
(09:38):
feet, hair thinning, brittle nails, dry skin,irregular menstrual cycles or an increased PMS.
And then food and supplement sensitivity,suddenly reacting to things that you used to be
able to tolerate is a huge red flag.
These are not just annoying symptoms, they'reyour body waving a flag, hey, something deeper
is going on.
(10:00):
So, some conditions to know and then theirsneaky presentations and how do we link these
together, right?
Now again, this is just a symptom check, not anactual diagnostic tool, but something to be
aware of to then, hey, do I need to takefurther intervention, run some type of
diagnostic lab work, stool test, whatever itmay be.
(10:22):
So, with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, this is themost common autoimmune condition in women.
Early signs are going to look like fatigue andanxiety, weight gain that doesn't improve with
exercise and diet, hair loss, and constipation.
Often mistaken for hormone imbalance or justbeing tired.
(10:43):
Get that thrown around all the time.
Celiac disease, this is on the rise as well.
Gluten basically triggering an immune attack onthe small intestine.
It may present at first with bloating, brainfog, nutrient deficiencies or even no gut
symptoms at all until it's full blown, youstart to get these more elevated symptoms.
(11:04):
And it is often commonly missed or misdiagnosedas IBS.
Psoriasis.
This is an autoimmune driven overproduction ofskin cells.
Basically, the early signs are the dry patches,often on the elbows, knees or scalp or pitting
of the nails.
And this can often flare with stress, illnessor certain foods.
(11:26):
And then rheumatoid arthritis.
This is going to affect the joints, especiallythe hands, wrists and feet, the smaller joints.
Early signs are morning stiffness, swollenjoints, fatigue, often brushed off as like, Oh,
I'm just getting older, or This is overuse.
So, it's very critical that we start to takeintervention or take thought of what's going
(11:47):
on.
There was a study done in the journalAutoimmunity Review of 2019.
Autoimmune disease typically begins withnonspecific symptoms that often go unrecognized
for years before a diagnosis.
This means that by the time someone getsdiagnosed, the immune system has likely been
dysregulated for five to ten years.
(12:09):
So, don't wait until your labs are bad enoughto get help.
If you are experiencing a constellation ofvague but chronic symptoms, it's time to dig
deeper.
Your body whispers before it screams, so startlistening now, and you may be able to help stop
autoimmunity before it takes root.
Now, I want to discuss the type of testing androot cause detection that we call the don't
(12:34):
guess test approach.
Now, before we get into that, here's a quickword from one of our sponsors.
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Now back to the episode.
(14:03):
Alright.
Welcome back.
Now let's get into it, testing and root causedetection.
The idea here is we don't guess, we test.
Because autoimmune disease is not a diagnosisyou just stumble into.
It's a condition that you can detect muchearlier with the right labs.
But most conventional tests are limited todiagnosing the disease once it's already
(14:24):
advanced.
If you truly want to heal, you need to goupstream and you need to look at the root
causes, especially in the gut, immune system,and your body's total toxic burden.
So, let's get into the labs that really matter.
Let's break it into two categories, diagnosisand root cause detection.
So, the conventional medicine approach is goingto be these autoimmune panels, which are,
(14:50):
they're useful, they're good for diagnosing,but it's not going to give you the whole
picture.
One is called an ANA, an antinuclear antibodypanel.
This screens for general autoimmunity, oftenthe first step for lupus or connective tissue
disorders.
A positive result basically says something'soff, but it's nonspecific.
(15:11):
TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies.
This is how we detect Hashimoto's thyroiditis,which is the most common autoimmune condition.
These should be tested alongside TSH and freeT3 and T4, not instead of them.
And so, oftentimes we'll get one or the otherwhen we need the whole picture.
(15:34):
The next one is anti CCP and rheumatoid factor.
These are specific markers for rheumatoidarthritis.
Elevated levels are basically saying that yourimmune system is attacking your joints.
And then a celiac panel, which is a TTG IgA anda total IgA.
This screens for gluten triggered autoimmunereactions.
(15:57):
However, be aware, some people will testnegative but still have a non celiac gluten
sensitivity driving inflammation.
That's where functional medicine comes in.
We use some tests that are not even known aboutin conventional medicine.
People don't even understand how to read thesetests, but we're able to look more at root
(16:17):
cause factors.
So, this is where the real answers start toemerge because we can use things like a
comprehensive stool analysis to test forparasites, candida, bacterial overgrowth, and
leaky gut markers like zonulin, as well asinflammation and more.
Because gut dysbiosis is one of the biggestroot drivers of autoimmune disease.
(16:40):
Go back to episode 16 and listen to that, andit will explain how this process works.
Food sensitivity testing.
Looking at the IgG and the IgA responses.
Basically, of your immune system and those IgGand IgA cell factors as like the policeman.
(17:01):
The IgG is more like your general police squad,the cops.
Right?
That they show up and they kind of handle thebasic stuff.
And the IgA is like the SWAT team.
When the IgA is elevated, there is an issue.
Something big is going down.
And this is going to identify delayed immuneresponses to common foods.
So, it's important to note that foodsensitivities are often a symptom of leaky gut,
(17:23):
but often cannot be the primary cause as well.
So, that's when we need to explore more things.
Mycotoxin and mold exposure testing.
Mold can trigger and worsen autoimmunity,especially in genetically susceptible
individuals.
It's very common in those with the unexplainedfatigue, sinus, brain fog type of issues.
(17:45):
And then as well as heavy metal testing.
So, toxic metals are going to impair the immuneregulation and promote autoimmunity.
This is especially relevant if you've hadamalgam fillings or a past chemical exposure or
a history of chronic infections.
So a study out of the journal Frontiers inImmunology twenty twenty showed that increased
(18:05):
intestinal permeability plays a critical rolein the development of autoimmune diseases.
This is something that was historically more ofa fringe theory.
Just ten years ago, Western medicine didn'teven recognize leaky gut.
Now, this is shown to have been proven as thisis a real condition.
This is a real thing leading to autoimmunedisease.
(18:27):
And so, what is the mindset shift we need tomake here?
If your labs are normal and you still feel likegarbage, you're not crazy, right?
How many times have I seen patients, I couldcount it, that they come in and they said, The
doctors told me I'm just, I'm crazy.
I'm fine.
No, you're probably just not looking in theright place.
Standard labs look for disease, functionaltesting looks for dysfunction.
(18:52):
And that's where you'll find the earliestclues.
So, what's the takeaway here is that autoimmunedisease rarely begins in the blood.
It begins in the gut, the environment, and theimmune system's interpretation of both.
So, you need to run the right tests and you'llsee the real root causes unfold.
That is when healing becomes possible.
(19:12):
So now, how do we take what we just learned?
We get a diagnosis or we get an early detectionand start to calm the fire and rebuild your
immune tolerance before the autoimmune sets in.
So, I always like to tell my patients, this isnot a life sentence, an autoimmune condition.
It's a signal that your body is inflamed,overwhelmed, and confused.
(19:34):
The key now is to remove the triggers, heal thegut, and rebalance the immune system so your
body stops attacking itself.
You don't have to suppress your immune systemwith medication for the rest of your life.
You can retrain it to do its job properlyagain.
So, we implement what we consider the five partanti autoimmune strategy.
(19:57):
We are all about protocols, because protocolsare a system that has been proven to work.
This is similar to what we discussed in aprevious episode, episode 16, about our five
R's for balancing gut health.
This is similar to that.
So, step one is you need to remove thetriggers.
You cannot put out a fire while pouringgasoline on it.
(20:18):
So, you need to eliminate inflammatory foodsfor thirty to ninety days, if not forever,
right?
Gluten, dairy, refined sugar, seed oils, soy,processed junk foods.
These realistically just have no place beingingested.
You need to get rid of chemical exposures tothings like BPA, plastic, glyphosate laden
foods, toxic beauty products and artificialfragrances.
(20:41):
There's an app you can get called Think Dirty,where you can scan the barcode of any product
that you put on your body, any beauty products,hair, shampoos and it will tell you if that
thing is loaded with chemicals.
You need to treat gut infections like Candida,parasites, or SIBO, which can be found through
the stool testing.
(21:02):
And then cleaning up the environment.
Getting a water filter in your home, testingyour home for mold, reducing the EMF load if
you're sensitive to that, turning off the Wi Fiat night.
All of these things are how we remove thosetriggers.
Step two, now we need to repair the gutbarrier.
Healing the gut is going to calm the immuneconfusion.
(21:22):
So we use gut healing nutrients like Lglutamine, zinc, collagen, slippery elm, and
aloe vera.
I'm not going to get deep into this because wejust discussed this in episode 16, so you
should go back and listen to that.
Step three, we need to rebalance the immunesystem.
Now, you calm the overreaction, you start torebuild tolerance.
(21:43):
Vitamin D is a powerful immune modulator.
The optimal blood range is somewhere betweenfifty to seventy nanograms per milliliter.
And most people are deficient.
It's very common for people to be deficient.
Oddly enough in Florida, we are very deficientin vitamin D because we overuse sunscreens and
protection, not allowing ourselves to getsunlight.
(22:06):
So, omega-3s from wild caught fish or highquality fish oil are going to cool
inflammation.
Probiotics and prebiotics will restore thehealthy microbial balance.
The microbiome is where our immune systemlives.
And then fasting, short fasting hours fromtwelve to sixteen hours can reduce the
inflammation, promote autophagy, and improveimmune signaling.
(22:27):
Go listen to episode 17 where we got heavy intothe fasting and the protocol associated.
Step number four, lower your stress burden.
Stress is basically the gas pedal onautoimmunity.
It's gonna activate the HPA axis, which isgonna increase cortisol dysregulation and thus
immune dysfunction.
Prioritize seven to nine hours of sleep.
(22:49):
Track it, protect it.
Make sure your sleep and wake times are thesame.
That's how you restore that circadian rhythm.
Practice some type of daily stress reduction,whether it's prayer, meditation, breath work,
or nature therapy.
Get outside and move.
Gentle movement is greater than chronic cardio,right?
(23:11):
So, going and running and pounding, poundinguntil your body is just beaten is not going to
help you.
A gentle walk plus some strength training.
These things are going to benefit the immunesystem.
And then you can consider some adaptogens,things like ashwagandha, rhodiola, or holy
basil as tolerated.
These can improve your body's response tostress and that cascade of the negativity that
(23:33):
comes with chronic stress.
And then step five, this is the fun part.
We get to reintroduce foods cautiously.
Once inflammation is down, gut functionimproves, you can start reintroducing foods
that may be used to create sensitivity one at atime.
So, three to five days we'll start to build insome of these foods and see how the body
(23:54):
responds.
And oftentimes the person can heal from a foodsensitivity.
You need to track how you feel, your energy,digestion, mood, skin.
Are there flare ups?
Are there relapses?
If a food causes a symptom, you pull it outagain and then you can try again later.
It's not about restriction for life.
This is about listening to your body andfinding your personal blueprint.
(24:18):
We're all different biologically and ourbiochemistry changes as well.
And so we can heal from certain foodsensitivities, but some people are just
predisposed to certain things based on wherethey were born, the things they did as a child,
the food they were exposed to early on, thatcreated certain patterns.
So, there's an awesome study out of the Journalof Immunological Research in 2021 that said
(24:43):
that restoring the gut barrier integrity andmicrobial balance can reestablish immune
tolerance and reduce autoimmune symptoms.
Everything begins in your gut.
So, final takeaway here, autoimmunity is notrandom.
It's not, Oh, I just got this thing.
I guess I'm stuck with this.
It's a survival mechanism that's gone haywiredue to our toxic inflammatory world.
(25:07):
Your job is to give your immune system theclarity and support it needs to stop firing at
shadows.
And that starts with the gut.
That starts with the environment.
And that starts with your daily habits, not alifetime of suppressive medication.
So, if autoimmune disease is the fire, italways starts with a spark.
(25:29):
Your job isn't just to treat the flames, it'sto find and remove what's feeding them.
If you found this episode helpful, please sharethis with someone that you know that maybe is
dealing with some of these symptoms, oryourself, and remember healing is possible when
you stop fighting your body and you startlistening to it.
If you would like to learn more about how wehelp people to diagnose, reverse, and heal
(25:53):
autoimmune conditions within our functionalmedicine programs, go to
alessifunctionalhealth.com, schedule aconsultation with myself or one of my
providers, and let's create a personalized planfor lifelong health.
Listeners of this podcast are always going toget exclusive discounts and price reductions on
all of our protocols and lab tests.
(26:15):
As always, if you found value in today's show,please hit that like button, subscribe to the
show, and share this with someone who needs tohear it.
That is the only way we grow this message andcan change more lives.
If you want to get in touch with us, or befeatured on an episode, email us your questions
to askalessiefxhealth dot com.
(26:35):
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Then always visit AlessiFxHealth.com, sign upfor our newsletter.
That's where you're going to be in the knowabout everything going on, and you can check
out our resource page to learn more about ourapproach to nutrition and cutting edge
therapies.
As always, thank you for tuning into HealthDecoded, where we're here to break down the
(26:57):
science, bust the myths, and help you takecontrol of your health naturally.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded,where we break down the truth about all things
health and empower you to take charge of yourwell-being.
(27:18):
If you found value in today's episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review, and share it with
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For more resources and personalized support,visit us at AlessiFunctionalHealth.com and sign
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To hear your questions answered live on theshow, send them to ask@AlessiFXHealth.com.
(27:39):
That's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
Only about twenty five to thirty percent ofautoimmune risk is genetic.
(00:04):
The rest is very much environmental andlifestyle exposure.
So your genes may load the gun, but yourenvironment is what pulls the trigger.
Welcome to Health Decode, your number onesource for real health information with your
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
Hey, Health Decoded listeners.
(00:25):
Doctor Alessi here.
Let me ask you a serious question.
Are you tired of waiting until something goeswrong to finally see a doctor?
At Alessi Functional Health, we take adifferent approach, the right approach.
We believe true health care isn't about chasingsymptoms.
It's about preventing them in the first place.
That's why we created the Alessi Total CareProgram.
(00:48):
This is a functional medicine based membershipthat gives you proactive, personalized care
year round.
You'll get access to comprehensive blood workand functional testing, custom doctor grade
nutraceuticals, deep discounts on labs,protocols, and follow ups, as well as twenty
four seven direct access to your doctor, notjust a ten minute checkup that ends with
(01:12):
another prescription.
And here's the best part.
As a Health Decoded listener, you'll get yourfirst three months completely free when you
sign up for an annual membership.
That's on top of hundreds in savings alreadybuilt into the program.
This is your chance to take responsibility foryour health and join a movement that's
redefining what primary care should look like.
(01:34):
Head on over to alessifunctionalhealth.com,click on our services tab, and go to Total
Care.
Learn more about this program and claim yourexclusive podcast listener offer.
Your health is your greatest asset.
Let's protect it proactively.
Welcome back to another episode of HealthDecoded.
(01:56):
I am your host, Doctor.
Alfred Lessie, and I'm thanking you for joiningus today.
Very excited to talk about what we arediscussing today, which is really the
autoimmune explosion, we call it in thiscountry, and why your body is attacking itself,
why this has been so rampant as of late, andultimately, how to stop the fire that's burning
(02:19):
inside.
So again, thank you so much for joining us.
We always appreciate our listeners and we wantto just deliver as much valuable knowledge and
information as we can to help as many people aspossible.
This podcast is free.
We do not take a dollar or anything like that.
We just ask that you share if you've beenfinding value in this show.
(02:40):
That being said, let's get started.
So why is it that your body is suddenly turningagainst itself from things like Hashimoto's to
lupus, rheumatoid arthritis?
Autoimmune disease is exploding.
In this episode, we are going to break downwhat's really happening under the surface, why
standard treatments often miss the mark, andhow to take back control of your immune system
(03:05):
and your life.
So before we get into any of that, we need todiscuss what is autoimmunity and why is it on
the rise?
So, autoimmunity is not your body betrayingyou, it's your immune system getting confused.
Instead of defending you, it misfires andstarts attacking your own tissues, mistaking
(03:27):
them for foreign invaders.
So, basically within the science, it shows thatyour immune system is supposed to be a smart
defense system.
It has really two critical jobs.
Number one is to defend against invaders likebacteria, viruses, and toxins.
And number two, to tolerate your own cells andtissues.
(03:47):
This second job, immune tolerance, is wherethings go wrong in an autoimmune condition.
So, your body loses this tolerance, it beginsto see normal tissues like your thyroid, your
joints, skin or even your brain as threats.
This triggers a chronic inflammatory cascadeleading to tissue damage and a cascade of
(04:08):
symptoms that can affect virtually every systemin the body.
There are over 80 distinct autoimmune diseasesthat have been identified, including some of
the most common that we see, Hashimoto'sthyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, celiac
disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, typeone diabetes, and ulcerative colitis and
(04:32):
Crohn's disease.
Collectively, these conditions affect more thanfifty million Americans and the numbers are
rapidly climbing.
So why this explosion?
Why does this once rare condition now becomesuch a norm and what has changed?
Here's really what's been driving that rise.
(04:53):
Things like leaky gut or intestinalpermeability, something we discussed in a
podcast previously.
Your gut is supposed to act like a selectivebarrier, but when it gets leaky, undigested
food particles and bacteria and toxins can slipthrough into the bloodstream.
This then triggers an immune response.
(05:14):
And for genetically predisposed individuals,that response can then spiral into
autoimmunity.
Things like environmental toxins.
We're exposed to more toxins than ever before.
Mold, heavy metals, things like mercury,pesticides like glyphosate, and industrial
chemicals.
These compounds can disrupt immune regulationand trigger immune misfiring.
(05:38):
Chronic infections, viruses like Epstein Barrvirus or stealth pathogens like Lyme disease.
These can hijack immune function and createlong term immune confusion.
In some cases, molecular mimicry occurs, wherethe body mistakes its own tissues for a virus
and begins attacking them.
(05:58):
This is actually a built in mechanism for thoseviruses to survive.
Things like poor diet and chronic stress, ultraprocessed foods in the modern Western lifestyle
is an autoimmune trigger factory.
Refined sugars and seed oils, artificialadditives, stress hormones all impair your gut
health, increasing inflammation and overloadingyour immune capacity.
(06:23):
Genetics also play a role, but they're onlypart of the story.
Only about twenty five to thirty percent ofautoimmune risk is genetic.
The rest is very much environmental andlifestyle exposure.
So, your genes may load the gun, but yourenvironment is what pulls the trigger.
Now, I think there is some silver lining tothat basically saying that we can take control
(06:44):
of our environment and our lifestyle to fightagainst these kinds of things.
There was a study in The Lancet 2021 thatbasically said the incidence of autoimmune
disease has increased significantly over thepast thirty years, largely due to environmental
and lifestyle changes.
So, the key takeaway here is that autoimmunity,it's not random.
(07:07):
It's not just bad luck, bad genes.
Oh, I got this from my parents.
It's a breakdown in communication between yourimmune system, your gut, and your environment.
If we can remove the confusion, we can restorebalance, and that's where the real healing
begins.
So, now let's talk about what are some earlywarning signs, what we call the silent storm
(07:29):
before the diagnosis.
There's a very amazing concept by a doctornamed Doctor.
Steven Cabral who I actually studied under thathe patented called the rain barrel effect.
Essentially, people used to use rain barrels tocollect the rainwater and then use that water
to then water their crops, their plants,whatever they used it for.
(07:50):
Now, the concept here is that everything thataffects your body is like filling up that rain
barrel.
Exposure to toxins, the rain barrel fills up.
Ultra processed food consumption, the rainbarrel fills up.
Chronic stress, all these things start to buildthat up.
It's not until that rain barrel overflows ortips over that we call disease state, right?
(08:11):
So, we're constantly building this progressionuntil one day disease has set in.
But that process started a long time ago.
So the concept is that these autoimmunediseases, they don't just show up.
They brew quietly for years.
Most people will experience vague, kind offrustrating symptoms long before they ever get
a diagnosis.
(08:31):
That's why recognizing early warning signs iscritical for prevention and early intervention.
Autoimmunity is really a slow burn process.
You don't just wake up one day with full blownlupus, Hashimoto's or RA.
Instead, your immune system begins to misfirelittle by little, sending you signals that
something's off.
(08:52):
But those signals often get dismissed ormisdiagnosed as stress, aging, anxiety, or air
quotes, just normal.
But they're really these early warning signs.
So, of the common early warning signs, andthese are really red flags that may seem
random, but together they form a pattern ofimmune dysfunction.
(09:12):
Things like chronic fatigue that doesn'timprove with rest.
Brain fog or difficulty concentrating, jointpain or stiffness, especially in the morning,
digestive issues, bloating, IBS, constipationor sensitivity to gluten, skin flare ups like
eczema, hives, unexplained rashes, mood swingslike anxiety or depression, cold hands and
(09:38):
feet, hair thinning, brittle nails, dry skin,irregular menstrual cycles or an increased PMS.
And then food and supplement sensitivity,suddenly reacting to things that you used to be
able to tolerate is a huge red flag.
These are not just annoying symptoms, they'reyour body waving a flag, hey, something deeper
is going on.
(10:00):
So, some conditions to know and then theirsneaky presentations and how do we link these
together, right?
Now again, this is just a symptom check, not anactual diagnostic tool, but something to be
aware of to then, hey, do I need to takefurther intervention, run some type of
diagnostic lab work, stool test, whatever itmay be.
(10:22):
So, with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, this is themost common autoimmune condition in women.
Early signs are going to look like fatigue andanxiety, weight gain that doesn't improve with
exercise and diet, hair loss, and constipation.
Often mistaken for hormone imbalance or justbeing tired.
(10:43):
Get that thrown around all the time.
Celiac disease, this is on the rise as well.
Gluten basically triggering an immune attack onthe small intestine.
It may present at first with bloating, brainfog, nutrient deficiencies or even no gut
symptoms at all until it's full blown, youstart to get these more elevated symptoms.
(11:04):
And it is often commonly missed or misdiagnosedas IBS.
Psoriasis.
This is an autoimmune driven overproduction ofskin cells.
Basically, the early signs are the dry patches,often on the elbows, knees or scalp or pitting
of the nails.
And this can often flare with stress, illnessor certain foods.
(11:26):
And then rheumatoid arthritis.
This is going to affect the joints, especiallythe hands, wrists and feet, the smaller joints.
Early signs are morning stiffness, swollenjoints, fatigue, often brushed off as like, Oh,
I'm just getting older, or This is overuse.
So, it's very critical that we start to takeintervention or take thought of what's going
(11:47):
on.
There was a study done in the journalAutoimmunity Review of 2019.
Autoimmune disease typically begins withnonspecific symptoms that often go unrecognized
for years before a diagnosis.
This means that by the time someone getsdiagnosed, the immune system has likely been
dysregulated for five to ten years.
(12:09):
So, don't wait until your labs are bad enoughto get help.
If you are experiencing a constellation ofvague but chronic symptoms, it's time to dig
deeper.
Your body whispers before it screams, so startlistening now, and you may be able to help stop
autoimmunity before it takes root.
Now, I want to discuss the type of testing androot cause detection that we call the don't
(12:34):
guess test approach.
Now, before we get into that, here's a quickword from one of our sponsors.
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Now back to the episode.
(14:03):
Alright.
Welcome back.
Now let's get into it, testing and root causedetection.
The idea here is we don't guess, we test.
Because autoimmune disease is not a diagnosisyou just stumble into.
It's a condition that you can detect muchearlier with the right labs.
But most conventional tests are limited todiagnosing the disease once it's already
(14:24):
advanced.
If you truly want to heal, you need to goupstream and you need to look at the root
causes, especially in the gut, immune system,and your body's total toxic burden.
So, let's get into the labs that really matter.
Let's break it into two categories, diagnosisand root cause detection.
So, the conventional medicine approach is goingto be these autoimmune panels, which are,
(14:50):
they're useful, they're good for diagnosing,but it's not going to give you the whole
picture.
One is called an ANA, an antinuclear antibodypanel.
This screens for general autoimmunity, oftenthe first step for lupus or connective tissue
disorders.
A positive result basically says something'soff, but it's nonspecific.
(15:11):
TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies.
This is how we detect Hashimoto's thyroiditis,which is the most common autoimmune condition.
These should be tested alongside TSH and freeT3 and T4, not instead of them.
And so, oftentimes we'll get one or the otherwhen we need the whole picture.
(15:34):
The next one is anti CCP and rheumatoid factor.
These are specific markers for rheumatoidarthritis.
Elevated levels are basically saying that yourimmune system is attacking your joints.
And then a celiac panel, which is a TTG IgA anda total IgA.
This screens for gluten triggered autoimmunereactions.
(15:57):
However, be aware, some people will testnegative but still have a non celiac gluten
sensitivity driving inflammation.
That's where functional medicine comes in.
We use some tests that are not even known aboutin conventional medicine.
People don't even understand how to read thesetests, but we're able to look more at root
(16:17):
cause factors.
So, this is where the real answers start toemerge because we can use things like a
comprehensive stool analysis to test forparasites, candida, bacterial overgrowth, and
leaky gut markers like zonulin, as well asinflammation and more.
Because gut dysbiosis is one of the biggestroot drivers of autoimmune disease.
(16:40):
Go back to episode 16 and listen to that, andit will explain how this process works.
Food sensitivity testing.
Looking at the IgG and the IgA responses.
Basically, of your immune system and those IgGand IgA cell factors as like the policeman.
(17:01):
The IgG is more like your general police squad,the cops.
Right?
That they show up and they kind of handle thebasic stuff.
And the IgA is like the SWAT team.
When the IgA is elevated, there is an issue.
Something big is going down.
And this is going to identify delayed immuneresponses to common foods.
So, it's important to note that foodsensitivities are often a symptom of leaky gut,
(17:23):
but often cannot be the primary cause as well.
So, that's when we need to explore more things.
Mycotoxin and mold exposure testing.
Mold can trigger and worsen autoimmunity,especially in genetically susceptible
individuals.
It's very common in those with the unexplainedfatigue, sinus, brain fog type of issues.
(17:45):
And then as well as heavy metal testing.
So, toxic metals are going to impair the immuneregulation and promote autoimmunity.
This is especially relevant if you've hadamalgam fillings or a past chemical exposure or
a history of chronic infections.
So a study out of the journal Frontiers inImmunology twenty twenty showed that increased
(18:05):
intestinal permeability plays a critical rolein the development of autoimmune diseases.
This is something that was historically more ofa fringe theory.
Just ten years ago, Western medicine didn'teven recognize leaky gut.
Now, this is shown to have been proven as thisis a real condition.
This is a real thing leading to autoimmunedisease.
(18:27):
And so, what is the mindset shift we need tomake here?
If your labs are normal and you still feel likegarbage, you're not crazy, right?
How many times have I seen patients, I couldcount it, that they come in and they said, The
doctors told me I'm just, I'm crazy.
I'm fine.
No, you're probably just not looking in theright place.
Standard labs look for disease, functionaltesting looks for dysfunction.
(18:52):
And that's where you'll find the earliestclues.
So, what's the takeaway here is that autoimmunedisease rarely begins in the blood.
It begins in the gut, the environment, and theimmune system's interpretation of both.
So, you need to run the right tests and you'llsee the real root causes unfold.
That is when healing becomes possible.
(19:12):
So now, how do we take what we just learned?
We get a diagnosis or we get an early detectionand start to calm the fire and rebuild your
immune tolerance before the autoimmune sets in.
So, I always like to tell my patients, this isnot a life sentence, an autoimmune condition.
It's a signal that your body is inflamed,overwhelmed, and confused.
(19:34):
The key now is to remove the triggers, heal thegut, and rebalance the immune system so your
body stops attacking itself.
You don't have to suppress your immune systemwith medication for the rest of your life.
You can retrain it to do its job properlyagain.
So, we implement what we consider the five partanti autoimmune strategy.
(19:57):
We are all about protocols, because protocolsare a system that has been proven to work.
This is similar to what we discussed in aprevious episode, episode 16, about our five
R's for balancing gut health.
This is similar to that.
So, step one is you need to remove thetriggers.
You cannot put out a fire while pouringgasoline on it.
(20:18):
So, you need to eliminate inflammatory foodsfor thirty to ninety days, if not forever,
right?
Gluten, dairy, refined sugar, seed oils, soy,processed junk foods.
These realistically just have no place beingingested.
You need to get rid of chemical exposures tothings like BPA, plastic, glyphosate laden
foods, toxic beauty products and artificialfragrances.
(20:41):
There's an app you can get called Think Dirty,where you can scan the barcode of any product
that you put on your body, any beauty products,hair, shampoos and it will tell you if that
thing is loaded with chemicals.
You need to treat gut infections like Candida,parasites, or SIBO, which can be found through
the stool testing.
(21:02):
And then cleaning up the environment.
Getting a water filter in your home, testingyour home for mold, reducing the EMF load if
you're sensitive to that, turning off the Wi Fiat night.
All of these things are how we remove thosetriggers.
Step two, now we need to repair the gutbarrier.
Healing the gut is going to calm the immuneconfusion.
(21:22):
So we use gut healing nutrients like Lglutamine, zinc, collagen, slippery elm, and
aloe vera.
I'm not going to get deep into this because wejust discussed this in episode 16, so you
should go back and listen to that.
Step three, we need to rebalance the immunesystem.
Now, you calm the overreaction, you start torebuild tolerance.
(21:43):
Vitamin D is a powerful immune modulator.
The optimal blood range is somewhere betweenfifty to seventy nanograms per milliliter.
And most people are deficient.
It's very common for people to be deficient.
Oddly enough in Florida, we are very deficientin vitamin D because we overuse sunscreens and
protection, not allowing ourselves to getsunlight.
(22:06):
So, omega-3s from wild caught fish or highquality fish oil are going to cool
inflammation.
Probiotics and prebiotics will restore thehealthy microbial balance.
The microbiome is where our immune systemlives.
And then fasting, short fasting hours fromtwelve to sixteen hours can reduce the
inflammation, promote autophagy, and improveimmune signaling.
(22:27):
Go listen to episode 17 where we got heavy intothe fasting and the protocol associated.
Step number four, lower your stress burden.
Stress is basically the gas pedal onautoimmunity.
It's gonna activate the HPA axis, which isgonna increase cortisol dysregulation and thus
immune dysfunction.
Prioritize seven to nine hours of sleep.
(22:49):
Track it, protect it.
Make sure your sleep and wake times are thesame.
That's how you restore that circadian rhythm.
Practice some type of daily stress reduction,whether it's prayer, meditation, breath work,
or nature therapy.
Get outside and move.
Gentle movement is greater than chronic cardio,right?
(23:11):
So, going and running and pounding, poundinguntil your body is just beaten is not going to
help you.
A gentle walk plus some strength training.
These things are going to benefit the immunesystem.
And then you can consider some adaptogens,things like ashwagandha, rhodiola, or holy
basil as tolerated.
These can improve your body's response tostress and that cascade of the negativity that
(23:33):
comes with chronic stress.
And then step five, this is the fun part.
We get to reintroduce foods cautiously.
Once inflammation is down, gut functionimproves, you can start reintroducing foods
that may be used to create sensitivity one at atime.
So, three to five days we'll start to build insome of these foods and see how the body
(23:54):
responds.
And oftentimes the person can heal from a foodsensitivity.
You need to track how you feel, your energy,digestion, mood, skin.
Are there flare ups?
Are there relapses?
If a food causes a symptom, you pull it outagain and then you can try again later.
It's not about restriction for life.
This is about listening to your body andfinding your personal blueprint.
(24:18):
We're all different biologically and ourbiochemistry changes as well.
And so we can heal from certain foodsensitivities, but some people are just
predisposed to certain things based on wherethey were born, the things they did as a child,
the food they were exposed to early on, thatcreated certain patterns.
So, there's an awesome study out of the Journalof Immunological Research in 2021 that said
(24:43):
that restoring the gut barrier integrity andmicrobial balance can reestablish immune
tolerance and reduce autoimmune symptoms.
Everything begins in your gut.
So, final takeaway here, autoimmunity is notrandom.
It's not, Oh, I just got this thing.
I guess I'm stuck with this.
It's a survival mechanism that's gone haywiredue to our toxic inflammatory world.
(25:07):
Your job is to give your immune system theclarity and support it needs to stop firing at
shadows.
And that starts with the gut.
That starts with the environment.
And that starts with your daily habits, not alifetime of suppressive medication.
So, if autoimmune disease is the fire, italways starts with a spark.
(25:29):
Your job isn't just to treat the flames, it'sto find and remove what's feeding them.
If you found this episode helpful, please sharethis with someone that you know that maybe is
dealing with some of these symptoms, oryourself, and remember healing is possible when
you stop fighting your body and you startlistening to it.
If you would like to learn more about how wehelp people to diagnose, reverse, and heal
(25:53):
autoimmune conditions within our functionalmedicine programs, go to
alessifunctionalhealth.com, schedule aconsultation with myself or one of my
providers, and let's create a personalized planfor lifelong health.
Listeners of this podcast are always going toget exclusive discounts and price reductions on
all of our protocols and lab tests.
(26:15):
As always, if you found value in today's show,please hit that like button, subscribe to the
show, and share this with someone who needs tohear it.
That is the only way we grow this message andcan change more lives.
If you want to get in touch with us, or befeatured on an episode, email us your questions
to askalessiefxhealth dot com.
(26:35):
We love to highlight our patients and oursuccess stories.
Then always visit AlessiFxHealth.com, sign upfor our newsletter.
That's where you're going to be in the knowabout everything going on, and you can check
out our resource page to learn more about ourapproach to nutrition and cutting edge
therapies.
As always, thank you for tuning into HealthDecoded, where we're here to break down the
(26:57):
science, bust the myths, and help you takecontrol of your health naturally.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded,where we break down the truth about all things
health and empower you to take charge of yourwell-being.
(27:18):
If you found value in today's episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review, and share it with
someone who needs to hear this.
For more resources and personalized support,visit us at AlessiFunctionalHealth.com and sign
up for our newsletter.
To hear your questions answered live on theshow, send them to ask@AlessiFXHealth.com.
(27:39):
That's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
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