Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
Holistic Health Immune confusion (2)
Autoimmune disorders occur almost entirely in developed countries. Also, if you grew up on a farm, you are less likely to have an inflammatory disorder: playing in the dirt and being exposed to insects and infections ‘train’ your immune system to more accurately recognise foreign threats.
This is according to Dr Mark Hyman, a US author and specialist in functional medicine.
Hyman adds that conventional treatments for autoimmunity can make you feel worse, although when used selectively in the short term, they can help you get your life back until the root cause of the inflammation is treated.
A functional medicine practitioner will treat a patient with autoimmune symptoms by investigating the roles of toxins and allergens. Some patients take so many antibiotics that their gut flora are altered, promoting yeast and fungus overgrowth on, for example, toenails and scalp. Helicobacter pylori bacteria flourish in the intestine, along with a reaction to many foods, including dairy and gluten.
Such a medicine practitioner would eradicate the yeast with antifungal medication, use an antibiotic for the H. pylori, and attend to food allergies to fix the intestine. The patient would also receive metal detoxification treatment.
Finally, the immune system would be rebalanced using nutrients such as fish oil and probiotics, and a whole-food, allergen-free, anti-inflammatory diet.
• Johanita Louw has had a lifelong interest in holistic nutrition. Email her at farmersweekly@caxton.co.za. Subject line: Holistic health.