Many times people with autoimmune diseases such as, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Sjogren’s are typically told they have this certain disease in which there is no cure. They are told they don’t know the cause and that they will need to take medication the rest of there life. The disease process continues to progress because the medication only helps with the symptom maintenance and never addresses the cause and environment that allowed the condition to present itself in the first place.

Unfortunately, these patients are simply given protocol driven treatments. The problem with this is everyone has their own biochemical individuality. Patients with similar symptoms can have totally different test results. In addition, patients with similar test results can have totally different symptoms. There is endless research on intestinal permeability aka intestinal epithelial hyperpermeability aka Leaky Gut. This is a common problem with almost all autoimmune diseases. The gastrointestinal tract is 80% of our immune system. Whenever you have inflammation present, the tight junctions and intestinal mucosa can become damaged causing gaps or “pores” in the lining of the GI tract. Then toxic byproducts in the digestive tract can be absorbed into the bloodstream and transported on to the liver. The molecules of food and toxins are “leaked” through the GI lining and then eventually they affect systems throughout the body causing inflammation in our joints, expressing toxins in skin disorders, autoimmune conditions, and food sensitivities.

If you have an autoimmune disease, get the right tests. There has been great strides in advancement in technology and what labs can test today. Metametrix has a great TRIAD profile which can assess a patient’s urine organic acids, plasma amino acids, and IgG4 food sensitivities. Go to www.metametrix.com for more information. They also have a GI Effects stool profile which is essential for anyone suffering from GI symptoms or autoimmune conditions. There are approximately 100 trillion bacteria in the human gut. That’s more than human cells. Dysregulation in this system can lead to a change in homeostasis and increase disease states. The GI Effects profile is patented technology done by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) which is a DNA template and is the gold standard as well as a huge leap forward. It eliminates errors due to overgrowth in transport and requires only 1 to 5 bacterial cells for identification vs. 1,000 to 5,000 for culture.

Cyrex labs is a great lab to confirm if someone have intestinal permeability. Through the serum they are able to detect antibodies to LPS, Occludin/Zonulin and the Actomyosin Network to identify breakdown of a healthy intestinal barrier. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large molecules found in gram-negative bacteria. They are endotoxins, and if absorbed, elicit a strong immune response. The detection of antibodies against LPS reveals macromolecule-sized endotoxin infiltration through the intestinal barrier into the systemic circulation. Occludin is part of the main component of proteins holding together tight junctions. The detection of antibodies to occludin indicates that the tight junctions are breaking down. This is a measure of an autoimmune mechanism damaging the intestinal barrier membrane. Zonulin is a protein that regulates the permeability of the intestine. The detection of these antibodies indicates that the normal regulation of tight junctions is compromised. This confirms a presence of an ongoing autoimmune mechanism damaging the intestinal barrier. The Actomyosin network is a protein complex regulating intestinal barrier function by maintaining the plasticity of the tight junctions. These antibodies are biomarkers of intestinal barrier dysregulation.

Get your vitamin D levels tested and remove gluten from your diet. For more information or to schedule a consult email Dr. Michael Jurgelewicz at drmichaelblair@gmail.com.

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