Autoimmunity:
Counter intelligence for a body in conflict
Autoimmunity is on the rise. In 2020, researchers found a biomarker that indicates autoimmunity (the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies [ANA]) has significantly increased in the U.S. among numerous patient subgroups. About 22 million Americans were diagnosed with Autoimmunity in 2012, but almost 50 million Americans were battling at least one autoimmune disease just eight years later. Let’s rewrite these bleak statistics and your uncertain future together.
At a Glance:
Autoimmunity Disorders
Definition:
Autoimmunity arises from an “over-stimulated” immune system that in turn excessively produces antibodies. These antibodies cross-react to our own human tissues, treating our tissues as foreign invaders and creating an inflammatory response.
Causes:
There is growing evidence pointing to many environmental factors that are related to the development of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases. Environmental factors are not the only cause – poor diet (which changes the microbiome), drugs and pesticides, subclinical infections, obesity, sleep deprivation, stress, and air pollution can be responsible, too.
Concern:
More than 50 million Americans are estimated to be battling at least one autoimmune disease. Very concerning are the signs that childhood autoimmunity is on the rise, ranging from asthma to food allergies to autism and more among our children.
Western Medicine Disconnections:
Conventional doctors often chase symptoms, and in the end are chasing their own tail. Traditional medicine believes Autoimmunity is when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. They treat this by suppressing the immune system or waiting until the damaged organ can no longer function and replace it with synthetic hormones. If you do not ask “what is triggering the immune system,” you will be on immunosuppressants and anti-inflammatories for a very long time.
The Hyper Growth of Autoimmunity Disorders
Did you know that scientists have identified more than 80 autoimmune diseases? Maybe that’s why you’re hearing it talked about more and more. In America alone, more than 50 million people have been diagnosed with autoimmunity.
If you’re one of the legion of autoimmune patients, we understand the exhaustion that you are experiencing. We’ve been treating patients long enough to know this is an emotionally draining and defeating set of circumstances. Many of our patients come to us in an endless cycle of ups and downs, with their problem days far out numbering their good ones. Their struggles with chronic fatigue, joint pain, and digestive issues can be overwhelming.
Autoimmunity can create a variety of symptoms, depending on the exact form, condition or disease:
• Joint swelling and stiffness • Muscular fatigue • Fever • Skin issues • Numbness or tingling • Thinning Hair • Hair loss • Heightened sensitivity to light, heat cold or noise
We know it can seem that you will have these symptoms for the rest of your life, and that’s a lot to bear. But Dr. Aoki and Dr. Hart are well versed with the mechanics and nuances of autoimmunity. They reserve a portion of their caseload for patients who have autoimmune conditions, disorders or diseases, including:
Diseases affecting the skin:
Dermatomyositis
Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
Diseases affecting the nervous system:
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Other diseases:
Myasthenia gravis
Autoimmune vasculitis
Type 1 diabetes
Pernicious anemia
Vasculitis
Diseases affecting the joints and muscles:
Psoriatic arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
Sjögren’s syndrome
Systemic lupus erythematosus (Lupus, SLE)
Myositis
Diseases affecting the digestive tract:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease)
Celiac disease.
Diseases affecting the endocrine system:
Graves’ disease
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Addison’s disease
“I have seen countless doctors, and tried just about every treatment. Nothing has helped like the treatment Dr. Aoki is providing. I used to think what I have is too complicated for any doctor to figure out, but he has given me hope again.”
— Mary M., patient
Keystone Total Health
Did You Know: Autoimmunity
About 25% of people already diagnosed with an Autoimmune condition will develop a second Autoimmune condition. This is because the issue is not your thyroid gland, joints, central nervous system, or gastrointestinal tract — but a trigger for your immune system. If you decide not to treat the trigger to your immune system, your body will need you to keep taking Methotrexate, Dexamethasone, and Ibuprofen for the rest of your life.
Is it even possible to stop the physical chaos, pain and doubt? We're here with a resounding "YES!" Stop submitting to the energy drain, sore joints, body aches and tummy troubles. Stop wondering if all of this is leading to something worse.
We know all this can be a challenge by yourself so we're offering a Complimentary Screening Call to EVERYbody we can help on their journey back to health. It's time to restore your wellness, confidence, energy and belief in yourself. It's your time to feel great again.
Reclaiming your health by yourself
can be an uncertain challenge.
Let’s Resolve This Once and For All:
Step One: Book one of our complimentary discovery telephone or Zoom calls to meet and determine your conditions.
Step Two: During your initial office visit, we conduct a physical, environmental and social evaluation to assess our next steps of working together.
Step Three: We identify the total impact of your symptoms, suffering and previous effort to resolve your past and current conditions.
Step Three: We prescribe and implement a thorough recovery protocol to begin your road to health.
When I work with any patient who is diagnosed with an Autoimmune condition, I work to determine what is triggering the immune system. Everyone I see is different, even if they have the same diagnosis. I want you to feel like yourself again and empowered to be self-sufficient. I know there’s always a reason for certain symptoms, even if it is not clear at first.
— Dr. Koji Aoki, Keystone Total Health
When Immune Systems Get Triggered
Our bodies are very intelligent. With Autoimmunity, it looks like our immune system mistakenly attacks our own cells, but our body is doing this on purpose because there is a threat to our overall health. These threats, or triggers, can be:
subclinical infections like bacteria such as streptococcus, parasitic infections, cellular diseases signals, and antibiotic resistant bacteria like staphylococcus.
heavy metals
biotoxins like mold and lyme and its co-infections
environmental toxins like endocrine disruptors, herbicides and insecticides
past emotional trauma and adverse childhood experiences
Pairing these toxins with an impaired detoxification system, dysfunctional mitochondria, and lack of proper organ function leads a person's immune system into a torturous road of immune problems.
When patients are given immunosuppressive drugs or told to surgically remove some of these important organs, these cellular distress signals become stronger and people begin an inflammatory loop that feeds on itself. This further drives the immune dysfunction and autoimmunity.
How Do You Measure Up?
COMING SOON: In advance of your complimentary discovery call, we invite you to complete this Keystone questionnaire on your current autoimmune symptoms and condition. This will help us move the ball in the right direction on our call and restore your health as best and as fast as we can.
Let’s Figure Out What’s Wrong With You
Autoimmunity always has an underlying cause for increasing the immune response. Beginning with functional labs, a clinical symptom assessment, and our in-house direct resonance testing, we can put the puzzle pieces together and identify your triggers. By thoroughly examining these factors, together we can uncover what those underlying causes are.
These can range from subclinical infections, to environmental exposures like mold or endocrine disruptors, to heavy metals, even past trauma or adverse childhood experiences that have been integrated into your body's neurological system. Through a holistic, investigative lens, we will develop a concrete personalized protocol to mitigate your triggers, rebalance your immune system, and empower you to use these skills the rest of your life.
As a holistic health center, we believe in treating the whole person, not just symptoms. We offer a wide variety of alternative medicine modalities such as functional medicine, Biological Medicine, herbal medicine, homeopathy, kinesiology, chiropractic, and massage therapy to help our patients achieve optimal health and wellness.