Hashimoto S Thyroiditis Diet Type 2 Diabetes - Could It Be Caused by Autoimmune Attack Current Preferred Testing for the Disease.
Most people think of Type 2 diabetes (a chronic condition) as some sort of a "poor lifestyle" disease. They say "oh Dr. Beckingham they just ate bad food, are overweight, didn't exercise and now look at what happened to them, They have Type 2 Diabetes". For some people this is the case. Diet, lifestyle choices, and exercise are major factors in developing Type 2 Diabetes. But for a large portion of Type 2 diabetes sufferers they exercise regularly, have a medium body size, and eat fairly well. So how did they get the "poor habit disease"?
First off the underlying cause of most chronic conditions is autoimmunity. Autoimmune disease is where your immune system mistakenly attacks a particular area or system of the body, in this case your pancreas. If you do not address why the body has turned against itself you will continue to have worsening symptoms that result in permanent damage. The auto immunity does not stop or sleep and searches for new tissue to kill. Scientific studies show that around 25 percent of people that are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes actually have an autoimmune disease; this translates to millions of people. In the functional medicine circles this is known as LADA, latent autoimmune diabetes mellitus of adults.LADA is basically when your immune system mistakenly attacks your pancreas, or some other critical blood sugar regulatory system and this causes the condition. This is usually how a healthy looking person develops Type 2 diabetes, an ever increasing autoimmune disease.
To find out if you have an autoimmune disease I insist on antibody testing on all my chronic condition patients. An antibody is a protein marker. The body's immune system produces antibodies in response to unwanted material like molds, virus, bacteria, and parasites. These substances are labeled antigens. Antibodies can be produced when the body has a reaction to a food it is sensitive to or comes in contact with a harmful chemical. Antibodies can mistakenly be produced against a bodies own healthy tissue when the immune system becomes confused. The antibody marks the tissue for removal and signals the immune response. This is the cause of autoimmune reactions. I like to check for gluten antibodies, myelin (fatty sheath around the nerves) antibodies, cerebellar (back part of the brain controlling balance, coordinated movement, and spinal muscles) antibodies. More examples are antibodies to skin tissue often called psoriasis, antibodies to the thyroid tissue called Hashimoto's disease, or antibodies to nerve cells conductive coating known as multiple sclerosis.
Common treatment protocol for Type 2 Diabetes is insulin or Metformin, this is commonly a huge disservice to patients because it is missing the big smoking gun of autoimmune disease. These medications will do nothing to help the fact that your body has turned on itself and is destroying its own tissues. It is extremely important to rule out autoimmune disease with diabetes patients because you can stop further systemic damage that could be life altering. To rule this out you have to do the proper testing and look for the antibodies.
Autoimmune Type 2 Diabetes can attack almost anybody no matter what the sex, age, or body type. The disease will show clinically just like run of the mill Type 2 Diabetes. The only difference is in the diagnosis and lab testing stage. Proper testing for antibodies and other autoimmune markers is crucial. It is as simple as testing for the antibodies and if they show up it is autoimmune clear as day, and that is what should drive the treatment protocol for the patient.
As I meet with patients it never ceases to amaze me that they are on all kinds of treatments without an accurate diagnosis. I can count on my one hand the amount of times I have come across a Type 2 Diabetic who has had all the proper testing. I go over the patient's history and they tell me about having Psoriasis, Vertigo, Hashimoto's, and Lupus. I next ask about the Diabetes diagnosis and it shocks them to hear about the huge possibility they have autoimmune diabetes. If they tell me they have symptoms that continue to get worse no matter what medication they are on a giant buzzer goes off in my head, autoimmune! I next have to tell them about the facts of autoimmune and how more and more damage will be done to random systems of the body unless they modulate the autoimmune response.
What to do now? Healthcare practitioners and patients alike have to get educated about autoimmune disease, proper testing methods, and valid treatment options. Most beneficial to a Type 2 diabetic is antibody testing to not only the pancreas but several other tissues as well. Tissues such as cerebellar, thyroid, connective are but a few of these. If the patient is truly suffering from an autoimmune storm it makes perfect sense to pursue that avenue, find the cause and put the brakes on this runaway train. What is causing the autoimmune reaction, what is driving it, what is not beneficial to it, and what can we do about it? Proper testing is the foundation to all proper diagnosis.
Many treatment options exist for these patients some are medications, some are natural, and some are true lifestyle changes. You most importantly have to focus on regulating the immune system and putting out the fire before it causes more damage.
hashimoto s thyroiditis diet.