Frequently we see autoimmune diseases associated with Lyme Disease and coinfections such as Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Scleroderma, Graves Disease, Celiac Disease, etc. Essentially any tissue in the body can fall prey to autoimmune disease if the autoimmunity is driven by infection.
When pathogenic infections invade tissues, the bacteria produce LPS (lipopolysaccharides) which are found on their outer cell membrane and promote inflammation. These molecules are produced and fool the host’s immune system into thinking that there is a foreign invader. The body naturally mounts an immune response, but the response is against its own tissue, yielding autoimmune disease.
In 18 years of practice, most of my patients’ autoimmune conditions are completely eradicated with proper long-term antibiotic use as well as targeted nutraceuticals. If you decrease the infection in the tissue, the concentration of LPS decreases, inflammation decreases, and tissues can return to their healthy state. If the infection is allowed to persist, autoimmune disease simply gets worse.
It is my belief that most if not all autoimmune diseases are infection-driven. The challenge becomes to identify the exact pathogen and then treat it accordingly.
