The Autoimmune Spectrum

The Autoimmune Spectrum describes the range from the moment antibodies begin attacking the body to when antibodies have destroyed actual tissue or organs. At this end stage of organ damage, autoimmunity has distinguished itself as a diagnosable disease because the insult is measurable by medical standards.

In the same way you don’t wake up one morning 30 pounds overweight, autoimmune antibodies live in a person’s system for years, if not decades, before symptoms are noticed or a full-blown autoimmune disease will even be diagnosed by Western Medicine.

The primary pathway in the development of autoimmune disease occurs as such:

Cellular Damage – Tissue Damage – Organ Inflammation – Organ Damage – Symptoms – Diagnosed Disease.

The above sequence has been broken down into the stages of autoimmunity representing various combinations of where people fall within their diagnosis.

Stages of Autoimmunity

Stage 1: Silent Autoimmunity or “Predictive Antibodies”

Elevated antibodies with NO symptoms or loss of tissue.

The body can’t feel when antibodies are killing off our cells in the earlier stages, so there is nothing to alert us. And because symptoms of autoimmunity, when they do appear, are vague and seemingly unrelated, an autoimmune diagnosis actually takes on average 8-10 years – all the while, more damage is occurring internally.

In modern medicine, the symptoms of autoimmunity are addressed and not the issue(s) causing the autoimmunity. For example, a symptom such as joint pain is prescribed a steroid or pain medicine. However, if the causal factors of that symptom, such as food intolerances, leaky gut, nutrient deficiencies, infection, infestation, etc. are taken care of, then autoimmunity, and the symptoms of, should be able to go into successful remission.

Stage 2: Autoimmune Reactivity

Elevated antibodies WITH symptoms and NO clinically noticeable loss of tissue.

The following list exemplifies the most common red flags designating autoimmunity:

• Nothing has cured your chief complaint

• Various treatments have helped at various times

• Multiple adverse reactions to foods, chemicals, etc.

• Many seemingly unrelated symptoms

• Numerous diagnoses and doctors in your medical history

• Large file of labs and countless bottles of supplements

Stage 3: Autoimmune Disease

Elevated antibodies WITH symptoms and MEASURABLE tissue damage.

Diagnosed with a condition but you don’t know it’s an autoimmune disease and it can be helped by diet, lifestyle and environmental changes:

• Hypothyroidism

• Type 1 Diabetes

• IBD

• Psoriasis

• Interstitial Cystitis

(See “List of Autoimmune Conditions” blog post)

References

“Autoimmunity Clinical Strategies and Treatment Applications.” The Kharrazian Institute,

 www.kharrazianinstitute.com/treating-autoimmunity. 5 January 2021.

Myers, Amy. The Autoimmune Solution: Prevent and Reverse the Full Spectrum of Inflammatory Symptoms and Diseases. 

Harper Collins, 2015.

O’Bryan, Tom. The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden. Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired

Before It Turns into Disease. Rodale, 2016.

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