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December 31, 2018

Signs You Need a Kidney Detox (& How To Do a Kidney Cleanse)

When it comes to detox, the kidneys are sometimes overlooked. But really, each one of us can benefit from an occasional kidney cleanse. In this article, Danielle shares how to naturally support your kidneys and how to do a kidney detox. 

Signs You Need a Kidney Detox (& How To Do a Kidney Cleanse) | The Family That Heals Together

Signs and symptoms you need a kidney cleanse

Have you ever wondered if you should do a kidney cleanse? The truth is that most of us don’t even consider our kidneys. The liver is finally making its way into the natural health spotlight, as it should, but there are other organs that need support too, including your kidneys.

Your kidneys filter 50 gallons of blood and water daily – talk about a workload.

If your filter is off, toxins stay in your blood and circulate back throughout your body. Since the kidneys are so important, it’s a good idea to be sure they are working well.

The symptoms of chronic kidney dysfunction are vague and could be confused with a number of other illnesses. Nevertheless, if you experience the below symptoms regularly, it would not hurt to cleanse your kidneys or do some testing.

Consider doing a kidney detox if you experience any of these symptoms consistently:

  • Chronic fatigue
  • High blood pressure
  • Loss of appetite
  • Increased or constant urge to urinate
  • Concentration issues
  • Muscle cramps
  • Frequent nausea or vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Swelling of the extremities
  • Chest pain
  • Chronic kidney or UTI infections
  • Trouble sleeping

Can kidneys heal on their own?

Yes and no. If you are eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) and not considering your kidneys, they probably won’t heal and will keep deteriorating.

Standard conventional treatment for low functioning kidneys is limited. Most are simply prescriptions to mask the symptoms and no long-term cures can be offered.

But, you can heal your kidneys with a kidney detox.

How can I improve my kidney function naturally?

A kidney cleanse acts as a reset that helps your kidneys work optimally again. Naturally and easily. And a clean lifestyle will lead to better functioning kidneys in the long term.

What you put into your body on a daily basis determines whether your kidneys have an elephant-size amount of toxins to filter or just a pea-sized amount. Below, you’ll find tips for improving your kidney function naturally.

Kidney detox foods

What foods cleanse the kidneys? These ones! Be sure to make them a part of your daily food plans:

  • Asparagus
  • Barley (omit for gluten-free)
  • Beets
  • Blackcurrant juice
  • Blueberries
  • Celery and celery juice
  • Cranberry juice
  • Grapes
  • Ginger
  • Millet
  • Parsley
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Spirulina
  • Watermelon

You also need plenty of water for kidney function.

So, drink at least a full gallon of filtered water daily. When you are cleansing, drink distilled water. On regular days, you should be drinking water with minerals in it – that is not reverse osmosis (unless minerals have been added back in), nor distilled, but rather spring or gently filtered water.

If you are detoxing, you may need more than one gallon per day.

Is coffee bad for kidneys?

Anything that strips water from your system is going to have a devastating effect on the kidneys. Coffee may also harbor chemicals used during processing.

So what is the best thing to drink for your kidneys? Truly natural drinks with electrolytes and cold-pressed juices are great (consider making a juice that includes some of the above foods, like celery, ginger, and parsley for best results). So are teas made with kidney-friendly herbs.

Other than these options, steer clear of other liquids. You need pure water.

Kidney cleanse supplements to improve kidney function naturally

Finally, be sure to rely on herbal support.

There are a handful of herbs that have been known to assist with a kidney cleanse. According to Susun Weed, uva ursi is the mother of kidney cleansers, especially if you deal with infections.

Other herbal kidney detoxifiers and supporters include:

  • Bearberry
  • Cornsilk
  • Dandelion
  • Goldenrod
  • Juniper berry
  • Nettle
  • Parsley
  • St. John’s Wort

We live in a society today where natural kidney herbal supplements and tinctures are available at health food stores. Take advantage of that.

Click here for an easy-to-use blend of kidney supportive herbs.

How do you flush your kidneys?

For many, a kidney healthy lifestyle isn’t enough. After years of damage, your kidneys may need to be detoxed thoroughly.

Luckily, you can do that easily.

Now, if you have made a sudden switch to natural eating, you may have more to detox than your kidneys. It’s best to do a full analysis of how all your systems are working and detox in the right order.

A naturopath can help you do this.

Some say to start at the bottom (colon) and work your way back up. It is true that you want your colon optimally functioning so that all the toxins you’re detoxing do not end up stuck in there, where the colon actually may take some of the toxins back into the body.

Signs You Need a Kidney Detox (& How To Do a Kidney Cleanse) | The Family That Heals Together

The Hulda Clark Kidney Cleanse

Cleansing expert Hulda Clark has a specific kidney cleanse.

But, consider your entire system before starting. Hulda Clark suggests doing her parasite cleanse first. Then, move on to the colon, the kidneys, and then finally the liver and gallbladder.

She also recommends that you stay free of house, hygiene, and water pollutants before cleansing.

The Hulda Clark kidney cleanse protocol includes magnesium oxide, parsley, ginger root, uva ursi, and vitamin B6. Take each of these supplements before a meal and sip on the kidney detox tea before and throughout the cleanse. 

Click here to purchase supplements for the Hulda Clark kidney cleanse protocol.

The three week cleanse includes:

  • Daily Kidney Support Preparation Tea
  • Ginger root: take 1 capsule 3 times a day, with a meal
  • Uva Ursi: take 1 capsule in the morning, and 2 capsules in the evening, with a meal
  • Freeze Dried Parsley: take 1 capsule two times per day, with a meal
  • Vitamin B6: take 1 capsule per day, with a meal
  • Magnesium Oxide: take 1 capsule per day, not with a meal

As far as detoxes go, this one is a pretty easy protocol.

Start slow with the daily preparation tea and sip small amounts throughout the day, especially for those with sensitive stomachs.

Why do you need a kidney detox?

Your kidneys take a beating day in and day out. Cleansing them regularly and living a kidney-supporting lifestyle is critical to your overall health.

Because let’s face it, the body burden of pollutants is real.

Even when eating the very best foods possible, you and I take in a wide range of chemicals from the environment like BPA and phthalates.

The solution? Do the Hulda Clark kidney cleanse, eat kidney-friendly foods, drink plenty of pure water, and be sure to review what others cleanses – like a liver & gallbladder cleanse – you may need for your body to be functioning at its best.

By: Danielle · Filed Under: Blog, healing, health · Tagged: autoimmune disease, cleanse, detox, hulda clark, kidney, kidney cleanse, kidney detox

August 30, 2018

How To Calm A Cytokine Storm And Get Rid Of Chronic Inflammation

Ever heard of a cytokine storm? It’s sort of a mysterious blanket term for periods of high inflammation that those with chronic illness sometimes experience. Below, Danielle breaks down the cytokine storm, explaining inflammatory cytokines and how they affect the body.

Inflammatory Cytokines: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Manage Them | The Family That Heals Together

What are cytokines and how do they work?

A cytokine storm involves cytokines: tiny protein molecules that signal the cells around them. Examples of cytokines include:

  • Interleukins
  • Leukocytes
  • Lymphokines
  • Chemokines
  • Interferons
  • Tumor necrosis factors

Many cells in the body produce cytokines, even other cytokines!

Similar to cytokines, hormones signal other cells. However, hormones regulate overall body and organ functions, whereas cytokines are the messengers of the immune system.

Cytokine messengers are released from one cell and then received on receptors of nearby cells, creating a domino effect of help or harm.

Scientists discovered the first cytokines in 1957 and called them interferons because of their ability to “interfere” with viral replication. Since then, a number of cytokines have been found. For example:

  • Lymphokin- released from immune cells, lymphokines turn “on” or “off” other parts of the immune system. Essentially, sending smoke signals to other immune cells to mount an attack against an invader.
  • Interleukins- produced by leukocytes, interleukins regulate your immune response. In labs tests, interleukins matter. Low levels have been found in those with autoimmune disease and low immune illness.
  • Leukocytes- floating around in the blood and battling foreign invaders, leukocytes include macrophages, monocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes. When your doctor suspects an infection, be on the lookout for high leukocyte numbers.

But, don’t get bogged down in all the “cytes.”

Cytokines are simply regulators that manage your body’s response to anything that shouldn’t be there: trauma, immune issues, inflammation, and infection.

Anti-inflammatory vs. inflammatory cytokines

Just like everything in the body, cytokines can be good or bad, anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory.

What’s more, all cytokines have the potential to express signals for health or disease, even if they traditionally belong in one camp.

This is because cytokines have the ability to stop or start inflammation, managing things like pain, fever, tissue repair and break down, and blood cell production.

And for better or worse, cells will keep replicating the messengers as they roam about.

What do pro-inflammatory cytokines do?

Interleukins (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (it just sounds awful – TNF) are pro-inflammatory cytokines, meaning they signal your body to continue allowing and creating inflammation.

These cytokines cause fever, inflammation, tissue deconstruction, and even death.

You can trace many pathological pain diseases to overactive pro-inflammatory cytokines.

What is a cytokine storm?

Just like any storm, a cytokine storm builds if left unchecked. More pro-inflammatory cytokines lead to even more inflammation, causing a domino effect, or the perfect storm… of pain.

Cytokine overproduction may keep your body in a constant state of inflammation which leads to even more inflammation.

Cytokines have a large role to play in an overactive immune response. Overactive immune reactions to infectious and noninfectious diseases can cause high fever, swelling, nausea, and fatigue. These are called cytokine storm symptoms, or CSS.

Macrophages from the initial inflammation activate a cytokine storm. Things like inflammatory foods, a negative outlook, emotional abuse, or lack of sleep will all feed the cytokine storm and keep the body inflamed.

Let’s talk about what cytokines have to do with chronic and acute health conditions, pain, inflammation, trauma, and mental health.

Overactive inflammatory cytokines play a role in chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, lupus, MS, and more.

Cytokines trigger disease to persist by releasing signals in the nervous system and a cytokine storm perpetuates inflammation. This can even happen in your brain, where depression and anxiety may be the result of active inflammatory cytokines.

If the body experiences an intense bout of harm but has reserves to heal itself, the cytokine reaction will only last for a short period of time. The body will have what it needs to heal and not allow cytokines to get out of control, causing constant inflammation.

However, if the body feels low on reserves and experiences intense pain – or experiences it for a long period of time – the body’s energy reserves cannot fight the inflammation cascade. 

This explains why cytokine storms are seen in chronic illness and pain sufferers, and not often in those without inflammation.

Again, the domino effect of the cytokine’s synergistic communication spreads more inflammation.

How To Calm A Cytokine Storm And Get Rid Of Chronic Inflammation | The Family That Heals Together

How to quiet a cytokine reaction

If you find yourself in a cytokine storm, adjusting your diet and lifestyle may be enough to calm the symptoms. However, if you have severe CSS, you may be a candidate for CSS treatments which block the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

But it’s important to address the root cause before treating with cytokine blockers, as they could make the condition worse.

For example, in the case of sepsis, cytokine blockers may support the spread of infection. But on the flip side, cytokine blockers also effectively manage IBS and rheumatoid arthritis. Cytokine blockers might also help with chemotherapy side effects, as many use anti-histamines (a type of cytokine blocker) to combat side effects.

There are also natural cytokine blocking supplements like this one that may help.

The biggest concern when using cytokine blockers is that they will interfere with the immune system’s ability to fight the foreign invader. For that reason, you may want to consider treating chronic pain with lifestyle changes, rather than conventional CSS treatments.

Lifestyle changes to calm a cytokine storm

Anti-inflammatory foods help calm a cytokine storm. This includes foods like wild blueberries, turmeric, green tea, celery, beets, and green leafy vegetables. Other foods slow the inflammatory messengers, such as organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats, and bone broth.

If you have an advanced cytokine storm, inflammation, or autoimmune disease, you may want to go beyond single foods and transform your whole diet. Consider the GAPS diet or an autoimmune paleo (AIP), keto, or paleo diet.

Fortunately, with lifestyle changes, even the worst cytokine storm can be quelled.

Your lifestyle plays a huge role in cytokine expression. These steps can help tame the storm:

  • Exercise regularly. Exercising at least two to three days per week can calm pro-inflammatory cytokines and greatly lessen pain. This includes walking, pilates, weight lifting, or whatever you enjoy.
  • Cut out inflammatory foods. Such as gluten, dairy, conventional meats, nightshades, oxalates, and legumes. If you experience serious pain, consider the GAPS diet to lower inflammation.
  • Be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of filtered water daily. In the middle of a detox? Drink more!
  • Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. (Read about how to improve your sleep here.)
  • Stimulate your vagus nerve and laugh, meditate, pray, or sing daily!
  • Get rid of negative thoughts. Instead, focus on positive affirmations or Bible verses daily.

Have you experienced a cytokine storm? How did you handle it?

By: Danielle · Filed Under: Blog, health · Tagged: adrenals, autism, autoimmune disease, cytokine storm, cytokines, gaps diet, health, hormones, inflammation

June 6, 2018

Managing Your Stress Response

Is your stress response chronically elevated? It could be adrenal fatigue. We’ll tell you more about how to quiet your stress response and heal your adrenals below.

How to Manage Your Stress Response | The Family That Heals Together

What is the most common response to stress?

I don’t know a mom that wouldn’t rate her stress level as “high.” In our fast, be-it-all, do-it-all world, we are left with limitless decisions and tasks despite our limited resources. Families are overburdened and overwhelmed in epidemic numbers.

Is this how we were meant to live? Why are we so stressed? Is there something we can do about it?

What are the stages of stress response?

Most of us notice we have stress but don’t know the stages of stress which are actually quite distinct. If you understand the stages any stressor follows, you can learn how to control and manage your stress responses to lower your overall stress.

Stage 1: Recognizing a potential stressor event.

Any outside occurrence can be perceived as a potential stressor. This comes in many forms and happens thousands of times in the course of one day. We get the mail, drive, cook, work, clean, and go throughout our daily lives. Any out of the ordinary happening or unexpected event triggers our consciousness to consider if this is a threat or stressor.

This is where habits can be helpful. Good habits help you make fewer decisions and free up your time and mental resources to make decisions on more important tasks. For some, this means making a weekly schedule of your tasks can decrease your overall stress levels.

Stage 2: Evaluating the potential stressor event. 

Once a potential stressor is recognized, we begin to evaluate if it’s truly a stressor to our personal resources. What is a stressor to one person, is not to another. Our subconscious asks these two questions: is this a threat to me, and do I have the resources to meet this demand?

If we feel that the event could be a threat, or that we do not have the resources to handle it, we begin the physical and mental stress process. This event is labeled as a stressor, and even if it’s not significantly draining, we will treat it as such. This is why some individuals can handle a significantly stressful event and others are upset over an unexpected $4.50 bill.

Stage 3: The body prepares for the stress response. 

If an event is labeled a potential stressor, the body begins to respond by firing up the nervous response to meet the stressor’s demands. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS), also called the fight-or-flight response, prepares the body for extra physical demands and possibly a battle or quick escape.

The SNS signals the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, to create and use more energy (ATP) because of the incoming event. This system communicates to the adrenals (small organs located above the kidney) to produce more cortisol, the hormone responsible for generating energy in our body.

While energy moves to our limbs and brain to physically and mentally prepare, it is moved away from our internal organs such as our digestive and immune systems, emotions, and sexual behavior.

Stage 4: The body acts on the stress response. 

In this final stage of stress, the body prepares for the attack or flee. Pupils dilate, the heart rate increases, perspiration and breathing increases, blood clotting factors are sent to the appendages, and the blood moves from the internal organs to the limbs and brain.

Stage 5: The body perceives the threat as over, and scales back.

After the stressor’s demands are perceived as met, our parasympathetic system begins to take back over and lessen the effects of the sympathetic system. The parasympathetic system sends out messages to lower stress hormones, move the energy back to the digestive system and internal organs, rest, and to regenerate new energy for storage. It focuses on the long term, versus the short term of the SNS, survival.

Run or eat? Your “fight-or-flight” and “rest-and-digest” instincts

Why is the body’s response to stress called the fight or flight response? Because back in our non-modern days, we needed this type of reaction to stressors. Most of our serious threats were environmental and physical, and we needed to be able to act quickly to fight or run away from our enemy.

Today, not so much. The enemy is our busy schedule, rude boss, unruly toddlers, financial struggles, and on and on. Our stressors are more long term rather than short-term, and our SNS is activated for way too long. This wreaks havoc on our digestion, immune system, emotions, sexual health, and energy levels.

The vagus nerve and your stress response

When the parasympathetic system is employed, the vagus nerve is stimulated to send signals of relaxation, peace, and calmness to your body. When your vagus nerve is impaired, those messages aren’t sending.

Luckily, you can stimulate the nerve yourself to encourage the body to lessen your stress levels. Though there are a number of herbs which can help, simple relaxation techniques like mediation, prayer, laughter, and music or silence can make a huge difference in our vagal health.

How to Manage Your Stress Response | The Family That Heals Together

How to improve your stress response

First, begin with managing your beginning stages of response. You don’t need to perceive every event as a threat. Mantras such as “I have all I need,” “God is my strength,” & “This too shall pass,” will create a baseline of peace and strength in your world, eventually reminding even your subconscious that it doesn’t need to jump on every possible stressor.

Work on developing a solid foundation of a good schedule, concrete community and help, financial stability, and self-awareness (via journaling, meditation, etc).

Then, implement these steps to lessen your stress response.

  • Mindfulness – simply being aware of yourself, your response to events, and being present in the moment elevates your mindfulness. Being aware of the Four Agreements, as penned by Don Miguel Ruiz, can also help in your relations to yourself and others: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. Always do your best.
  • Deep and slow breathing – slowing your breathing can slow down your stress response and activate your parasympathetic system. Try 5 or 10 long breaths that fill your lungs all the way to your belly, clearing your mind and focusing on one object in front of you.
  • Sole water – imbalanced minerals play a huge role in adrenal health. If you have consistently been stressed, you may be depleted. Sipping sole water can rejuvenate your mineral levels and increase your energy, creating a more positive stress response. Learn how to make sole water here.
  • Adaptogenic herbs – in addition to a balanced, whole foods diet, adaptogenic herbs such as maca, ashwaganda, ginseng, holy basil, rosemary, milk thistle, and some mushrooms and can help your body cope with stress. Learn how to make your own adaptogenic herbal remedy here.
  • Give back and connect – volunteering at a friend’s home, local shelter, or charity will broaden your perspective on your life’s stressors and teach you how to cope with new situations. Realizing there’s a world apart from our struggles can send huge ripples of change through our view of our own stress.

The Adrenals 101

If you have been undergoing chronic stress, your adrenals may actually have sustained some damage. Your adrenal system may be overactive, or underactive after years of stressful burdens. If you are consistently short-tempered, have a very low sex drive, don’t enjoy social engagements, do not sleep well, have a consistently high heart rate or high blood pressure, it may be time to give your adrenals some additional support.

Supporting your adrenals

Cortisol is the primary hormone that helps us adapt and handle stress in our day to day lives. Yes, it’s that important. And unfortunately, it can become low producing or get thrown off its daily rhythm leading to major issues for your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Test your adrenals via a four-point (four different times of the day, see below) saliva test and consider supplementing for the lows (adrenal cortex extract) and highs (zinc and/or holy basil). We like this supplement and this supplement of adrenal cortex. Of course, if you know your farmer, you can also ask for the adrenal glands and desiccate them yourself.

Iron
To build up your thyroid and adrenal health, you need a solid supply of iron. It’s important to get your iron tested before working on healing your adrenals (see test below in Additional Resources). To improve iron levels, work on healing your gut, detoxing your liver, and getting enough natural iron. Consider taking desiccated liver capsules.

Selenium
Selenium is an important cofactor to thyroid hormone production. Selenium must be optimal for your thyroid and adrenals to function properly, as selenium prevents iodine from attacking the thyroid cells. You can consider a supplement like this one, or eating Brazil nuts, which contain high levels of selenium.

Iodine
As of the 1990’s, salt and other processed foods are no longer required to contain iodine. It was replaced by its not-so-healthy friend bromine, which works against iodine in the body and actually makes other toxins, like fluoride, stick in the body.

Originally derived from the sea, iodine is also found in cranberries, strawberries, kale, and seaweed. Kelp is one of the best natural sources, though most of us need more than kelp to supplement our low iodine levels.

In fact, the RDA is about .003% of the amount most iodine researchers say we need today. Iodine (with selenium) is needed to produce enough thyroid hormones, which in turn generate good ol’ ATP (energy) in your body.

Iodine deficiency looks like lack of energy, thinning hair and eyebrows, brain fog, fatigue, low immunity, and breast tenderness and cysts.

See testing, supplementation, and dosing suggestions in the Additional Resources section below, and be sure to read our full post on iodine supplementation here.

There is hope! You may not need therapy or medication to manage chronic low or even high levels of stress. You can change your stress response with a little of self-awareness and some help from a few natural supplements.

How do you handle daily stress in your life?


Additional Resources

Stop the Thyroid Madness Website

Stop the Thyroid Madness Book

BLT Thyroid Test

ZRT At Home Cortisol Saliva Test

Iron Test

Lugols Iodine

Natural Seagreens Iodine

Iodine Dosing

By: Danielle · Filed Under: Beautiful, Blog, health · Tagged: adrenal fatigue, adrenals, autoimmune disease, fight or flight, gut health, hashimotos, hormones, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, stress, stress response, thyroid, women's health

March 4, 2016

Vaccines and Autoimmune Disease: Is There a Connection?

The connection between vaccines and autoimmune disease: scare tactics or scientific fact?

I recently wrote about vaccination contraindications and the six types of people who should not be vaccinated. The post has been very popular and I’ve been thrilled to see the information being shared. One question has come up several times since, however, that I want to address, and that’s about the connection between vaccines and autoimmune disease.

People want to know: DO vaccines cause autoimmune disease?

Just from listening to the stories of my friends, without doing any research, I’m inclined to say yes, vaccinations absolutely do cause autoimmune disease. After all, I’ve had three personal friends who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes following vaccination. I’m inclined to think that’s no coincidence.

But what does the science say?

Vaccines and autoimmune disease: connection or coincidence?

To understand if it’s possible for vaccines to cause autoimmune disease, we first have to understand how vaccines work.

  • vaccines contain a dead or weakened pathogen (a germ- bacteria, virus, etc).
  • your body is introduced to this pathogen via the vaccine, and an “imitation” sickness follows.
  • because the germ is weakened or dead, this imitation sickness provokes your immune system without any outward symptoms of illness.
  • as your body begins to fight the pathogen, your immune cells, called lymphocytes, create antibodies to the invader.
  • later, when you are exposed to the same sickness, your body will have already produced antibodies to the disease, making you immune to becoming sick from it.

That’s how vaccines work in a perfect world. It’s how they were designed to work. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and vaccinations don’t work just as they were designed for all children, because vaccinations were created to be used on healthy children.

We don’t live in a perfect world

“Let us have a look at what is happening to children in our modern society. If you look around, how many healthy children do you see? Childhood asthma, eczema, diabetes, allergies, hay fever, digestive disorders, ADHD and autistic spectrum disorders have all gained epidemic proportions! The majority of siblings of autistic children have eczema, asthma or another one of those disorders. And though all these health problems appear to be different, they have one thing in common- a compromised immune system. A compromised immune system is not going to react to environmental insults in the normal way! Vaccination is a huge insult to the immune system.

“The manufacturers of vaccines produce them for children with normal immune system which will react to these vaccines in a predictable way. However, in our modern society, with our modern way of life, we are rapidly moving to a situation where a growing proportion of children do not have a normal immune system and will not produce an expected reaction to the vaccine.

“In some of these children, vaccination, putting an enormous strain on an already compromised immune system, becomes that ‘last straw which breaks the camel’s back’ and brings in the beginning of autism, asthma, eczema, diabetes, etc.” – Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, Gut and Psychology Syndrome

I know we don’t want to think of our children as unhealthy. I work really hard to feed my family nourishing foods and keep their immune systems functioning well. But all my hard work can’t undo the years of damage caused by poor food choices, pharmaceutical use, the poor gut health I passed on to them, or, most of all, the toxic world we live in that, frankly, we can’t do anything about.

So if this is true, if vaccines and autoimmune disease are connected, due to the malfunctioning immune systems of our children and society as a whole, how are they connected? How do vaccines actually cause autoimmune disease?

Vaccines and autoimmune disease: there is a connection

Vaccines cause autoimmune disease in a number of ways, including:

Immune system dysfunction

Because we understand that vaccines were designed to illicit an immune response, it is not a stretch to imagine that the immune response could be a negative one. Indeed, vaccinations can cause the immune system to dysfunction.

T-lymphocytes can become confused and attack the body. The immune system can incite those t-cells to overreact, and begin overproducing antibodies, including those that can attack your own tissue.

When the body is overloaded with antigens following vaccination, instead of having the expected response of creating antibodies, those T-cells become overstimulated and, instead, create autoantibodies. The T-cells are then transformed into cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which, after maturation, cause injury to tissue.

One study concluded “Systemic autoimmunity appears to be the inevitable consequence of over-stimulating the host’s immune ‘system’ by repeated immunization with antigens…” (source)

Another study found that young women developed primary ovary failure following the HPV vaccine. Specific auto-antibodies were found, showing that the young women’s bodies were attacking their ovaries and thyroid. (source)

ASIA (autoimmune syndrome induced by adjuvants)

Adjuvants are the compounds added to vaccinations to increase their efficacy, by provoking a greater immune response. The term ASIA was coined to describe autoimmune syndromes caused by adjuvants, and, as such, is “an umbrella of clinical conditions including post-vaccination adverse reactions.” (source)

One study found that “vaccines are able to elicit the immune system towards an autoimmune reaction…

“Since vaccines are given to previously healthy hosts, who may have never developed the disease had they not been immunized, adverse events should be carefully assessed and evaluated even if they represent a limited number of occurrences. In this review of the literature, there is evidence of vaccine-induced autoimmunity and adjuvant-induced autoimmunity in both experimental models as well as human patients… These mechanisms are shared by different conditions triggered by adjuvants leading to the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA syndrome).” (source)

Another study links aluminum-based adjuvants in particular to adverse events related to vaccine adjuvants. (source)

One report implicates the aluminum in vaccinations as a cause of neurodegenerative disease like multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (source)

Authors of these studies conclude that adjuvants are clearly to blame for some autoimmune reactions, and that the need for more studies is urgent. One author stated, “…efforts to unveil the connection between the triggering of the immune system by adjuvants and the development of autoimmune conditions should be undertaken. Vaccinomics is a field that may bring to light novel, customized, personalized treatment approaches in the future.” (source)

In other words, as I wrote about in “vaccination contraindications: six people who should not be vaccinated,” vaccination is not a one-size-fits-all medical procedure, and more studies need to be done, as well as testing of individuals prior to vaccination, in order for medicine to be responsibly practiced in the future.

Antigens actually infect organs

Let’s go back to how vaccines work: they introduce a very small amount of dead or weakened antigen to the body so that the body can easily fight it and create antibodies without actually becoming outwardly sick.

But what happens when the immune system is not strong enough to fight off even these “innocent” antigens? The antigens can, instead, settle into tissues, infecting organs and creating disease.

A report from the National Vaccine Information Center details how the viruses rubella and mumps infect pancreatic islet cells, leading to type 1 diabetes.

The report states, “Doctors started making reports in the medical literature as early as 1949 that some children injected with pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine (now part of the DPT or DTaP shot) were having trouble maintaining normal glucose levels in their blood. Lab research has confirmed that pertussis vaccine can cause diabetes in mice.

As diabetes research progressed in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, there were observations that viral infections may be a co-factor in causing diabetes.” (source)

A study done by J Barthelow Classen, president of Classen Immunotherapies and former researcher at the National Institutes of Health, found a causal relationship between type 1 diabetes and the Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine, with those receiving the Hib being more likely to develop diabetes than those who did not receive the shot, and diabetes was more likely to develope with increased dosages of the Hib vaccine. The study concluded, “The rise in diabetes, just one potential adverse effect, exceeds the benefit of the vaccine…” (source)

It has also been reported that children with autism (which many believe is, in fact, autoimmune in nature) have been found to have a measles infection in their gut. I personally know of a little boy for whom this was the case, and who improved greatly after treating the measles infection.

While you will mostly find medical literature to the contrary, there are studies pointing to the connection between measles virus infection in the gut and autism, also known as pervasive developmental disorder. One study found that “a failed cellular immune response to measles vaccine is a potential cause of autoimmunity.” (source) This takes us back to understanding that when a weakened immune system does not properly fight off an antigen, in this case measles, the antigen can then settle into the body’s tissues, in this case, the gut.

Every body is different

As the quote from Campbell-McBride reveals, today’s children may not be “healthy” enough for vaccinations. Due to immune system weakness and environmental factors, we simply cannot predict how each individual will respond to vaccinations, and every body is different.

If we do not begin to take seriously the concerns raised by researchers in recent years, the incidence of autoimmune disease, already on the rise in children, may become worse.

Do you have a child who was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition following vaccination?

Please share this post so others can learn about the vaccines and autoimmune disease connection!

The connection between vaccines and autoimmune disease: scare tactics or scientific fact?

 

By: Jaclyn · Filed Under: Blog, Vaccines · Tagged: autism, autoimmune disease, immunization, vaccinations, vaccines, vaccines and autoimmune disease

January 19, 2016

Six People Who Should Not Be Vaccinated Because of Vaccine Contraindications

Even the staunchest vaccine proponents must admit: vaccines are not a one-size-fits-all procedure, and some people will suffer adverse reactions. Below are some common vaccine contraindications that may surprise you.

Vaccine Contraindications: six people who should not be vaccinated - The Family That Heals Together

With recent vaccine debates ramping up due to increased legislation and reported outbreaks, there seem to be a lot of folks who think everyone should be vaccinated, and those who choose not to vaccinate should be penalized.

There’s a lot of fear-mongering in the media. Realistically, we must remember that vaccinations are a medical procedure. There are risks. Vaccinations are not right for everyone. There are contraindications to childhood vaccinations.

Vaccine contraindications

Just like a particular surgery or prescription medication won’t work well for everyone, vaccinations are not a good choice for everyone.

Some people, in particular, are much more likely to have adverse reactions to vaccinations, including:

1. Those with an autoimmune disease

When one has an autoimmune disease, it means their immune system has begun attacking their own bodily tissues. Examples of this are arthritis, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Did you know that common childhood conditions like allergies, eczema, asthma, and digestive disorders are also signs of autoimmune disease or immune system dysfunction?

Vaccinations are designed to elicit an immune response. When the immune system is already malfunctioning, it does not respond as intended to vaccinations. Instead, it may become further confused.

For adults with an autoimmune disease, this could mean a worsening of symptoms or new systems. For children with existing autoimmune symptoms, this assault on the immune system could be the straw that broke the camel’s back and lead to worsening or new autoimmune conditions like type one diabetes, or even autism.

According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome,

A compromised immune system is not going to react to environmental insults in the normal way! Vaccination is a huge insult to the system. The manufacturers of vaccines produce them for children with normal immune systems which will react to these vaccines in a predictable way.

However, in our modern society with our modern way of life, we are rapidly moving to a situation where a growing proportion of children do not have a normal immune system and will not produce an expected reaction to the vaccine.

Curious about the link between vaccines and autoimmune disease? Read: vaccines and autoimmune disease: is there a connection?

2. Children born to a mother with an autoimmune disease

In the same respect, children of mothers with an autoimmune disease are more likely to already have a malfunctioning immune system. Children born to mothers with fibromyalgia, digestive disorders, severe allergies, eczema, asthma, or neurological disorders should not be vaccinated, according to Dr. Campbell-McBride.

Because immune dysfunction is not always visible upon birth, it is best to avoid them altogether for infants born to mothers suffering from these conditions.


3. Those with genetic mutations

You may have heard of the dreaded genetic mutation by now: MTHFR. It, along with various other genetic mutations, makes an individual’s detoxification system function less than optimally.

According to Chris Kesser,

[MTHFR mutation] affects detoxification.  …Methylation is required to produce glutathione, which is one of the major molecules in a detoxification cycle, but if you don’t methylate properly, you won’t be able to detoxify properly, so what this can lead to is a higher susceptibility to heavy metal toxicity and toxicity from any source like pesticides, other environmental toxins and pollutants, mold toxicity, toxicity from lipopolysaccharide or any other bacterial or pathogen-based toxin – so just in a general, an increased susceptibility to toxic overload because the body is not able to detoxify properly.

It is estimated that 40-60% of people have the MTHFR mutation, and as such, may not be good candidates for vaccination. (Read more about what MTHFR does here.)

As stated above, those with this genetic mutation have a difficult time detoxifying heavy metals, environmental toxins and pollutants, and other bacterial or pathogen-based toxins.

What do vaccinations contain? Heavy metals (mercury, aluminum), environmental toxins and pollutants (formaldehyde, monosodium glutamate, antibiotics), and bacteria and pathogens (the diseases they are formulated to create an immune response to, among others due to contamination). Read: Heavy Metal Toxicity: How to Help Kids Detox.

4. Anyone who is sick

It is well-known that those who are immunocompromised, such as those with HIV or cancer, cannot receive vaccinations. Likewise, those who are suffering from a moderate or severe illness (with or without fever) may not be good candidates for vaccination.

During times of illness, the immune system is working hard. Vaccinations serve to stimulate the immune system, so an already taxed immune system is likely to malfunction when overloaded with pathogens and the toxins that accompany them. It is advised that those suffering from an illness use caution when considering vaccination.

5. Pregnant women

I hear from pregnant women often about how their doctors have pressured them into getting shots during their pregnancy. It can be very confusing, particularly when a mama’s gut instinct is to decline them. Vaccination during pregnancy has not been extensively studied.

One study concluded, however, that vaccination with live or live-attenuated (weakened) vaccines are contraindicated in pregnancy due to risk to the fetus. The study authors suggest that women of child-bearing age be tested for pregnancy before being immunized and women who have been recently immunized wait to become pregnant for at least four weeks.

Another study of the VAERS reporting system revealed a 4,250% increase in fetal death following flu vaccination. The study concluded “a synergistic fetal toxicity likely resulted from the administration of both the pandemic (A-H1N1) and seasonal influenza vaccines during the 2009/2010 season.”

Researchers were also unable to demonstrate the efficacy of the flu vaccination during pregnancy for mothers or, later, the babies born to them.

The CDC lists pregnancy as a contraindication for vaccinations for the live-attenuated flu, varicella (chicken pox), zoster (shingles), and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella).

6. Those who have previously had a reaction to a vaccination

According to the CDC, vaccine contraindications include those who have previously had a severe allergic reaction (such as anaphylaxis) to a vaccine, as well as those who previously suffered encephalopathy (coma, decreased level of consciousness, or prolonged seizures) following a vaccine.

Other reactions that may be of note are large, swollen knots at the injection site, asthma or other autoimmune condition development soon after vaccination, or high, persistent fever following vaccination.

Adverse events following vaccination are not always easy to spot, so it’s important to know what to look for. Adverse reactions may include seizure, vomiting, headache, dizziness, fainting, or stiff joints or muscles.

If you have a child who has had an adverse reaction to vaccinations, you may find our free e-book helpful. Sign up to receive it here.

Another post you may find helpful: Five Ingredients to Remove from Your Child’s Diet. You’ll get a good starting place from which to make big changes.

Finally, don’t forget to read about Our Favorite Supplement to Treat ADHD (and other behavioral disorders).

One size does not fit all

Clearly, vaccinations are not the right choice for everyone, and each family should decide what is right for them and their children. When parents are aware of vaccine contraindications, they can make informed and safer choices for their children.

Please share this post so that other parents can learn about vaccine contraindications and decide if vaccination is right for their children.

Vaccine Contraindications: six people who should not be vaccinated - The Family That Heals Together

 

By: Jaclyn · Filed Under: Blog, Vaccines · Tagged: autism, autoimmune disease, health, immunizations, immunocompromised, medicine, vaccinations, vaccines

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