The Autoimmune Doc Podcast w/ Dr. Taylor Krick - 022 - Infections and Autoimmunity pt. 2 - Action Steps

022 - Infections and Autoimmunity pt. 2 - Action Steps

08/25/21 • 30 min

The Autoimmune Doc Podcast w/ Dr. Taylor Krick

Last episode I discussed the importance of pathogens, infections, and their relationship with autoimmunity, including the 10 Principles of Infection and Autoimmunity. Nearly every autoimmune process is associated with at least one pathogen, and it makes sense because we all know our immune system gets rocked when we get an infection. The highlight of last episode however was that it is rarely ONE INFECTION, but rather the BURDEN OF INFECTIONS from childhood that can lead to autoimmune disease onset or progression.
That's really important, but still begs the question - WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT??
In this episode I cover action steps - what labs can you look at, what natural steps can you take, which nutraceutical herbs or vitamins have been shown to help and what is the mechanism of how they can help? To know which action steps are important, there are many questions you need to ask, such as:

Do you have a chronic "infectious burden"?
Do you have imbalanced white blood cells?
What are you trying to fight? Virus? Bacteria? Fungus?
Where are you trying to fight it?

Then, do you need to:

Boost NK and innate immune function?
Boost Th1 and adaptive immune function?
Stop viral replication?
Resolve inflammation?
Decrease fibrosis?
Promote Tolerance?

Then, you may choose to use natural substances such as:

Echinacea
Astragalus
Zinc
Vitamin C
Glutathione
Baicalan
Berberine
Black Walnut
Pau D'Arco
Coriolus
Reishi

The key is that there are many many options, and many important questions to answer, so it's important to work through all the mechanisms and get as complete a picture as possible before you go trying to shift your immune system. Just because your symptoms may match up with an internet article about Epstein-Barr Virus, doesn't mean that the other 490 trillion viruses don't matter. And don't put all of your eggs into the "pathogens" basket - - everything matters!

Do you have a chronic "infectious burden"?
Do you have imbalanced white blood cells?
What are you trying to fight? Virus? Bacteria? Fungus?
Where are you trying to fight it?

Then, do you need to:

Boost NK and innate immune function?
Boost Th1 and adaptive immune function?
Stop viral replication?
Resolve inflammation?
Decrease fibrosis?
Promote Tolerance?

Then, you may choose to use natural substances such as:

Echinacea
Astragalus
Zinc
Vitamin C
Glutathione
Baicalan
Berberine
Black Walnut
Pau D'Arco
Coriolus
Reishi

Previous Episode

021 - Pathogens, Infections, and Autoimmunity

Nearly every autoimmune disease has at least one pathogen or infection associated with it - Epstein-Barr Virus, Helicobacter pylori, Candida, SARS-CoV2, and many others are associated with autoimmunity. Does this mean that an infection "caused" your autoimmune disease or "contributed" to it?? MAYBE!
In this episode I give an overview of pathogens, infections, and autoimmunity. Pathogens are well-known triggers of autoimmune disease, which makes sense because we KNOW that our immune system responds when it "catches" a flu, cold, or other illness, but our relationship with pathogens is complex and we have trillions of them at all times, so it's not as simple as something you "catch".
What is important to understand is that it's not a SINGLE INFECTION, but rather the BURDEN OF INFECTIONS from childhood that is important, and even then - different pathogens do different things to different people based on their genetics and history. Sometimes pathogens will flare autoimmune onset or progression. Sometimes pathogens are actually protective against autoimmunity. IT'S. COMPLICATED.
In this episode I review from the scientific literature the 10 Principles That Summarize The Relationship Between Infection and Autoimmunity, as well as discuss some of the very important concepts to understand when trying to manage your own personal autoimmune journey!

Next Episode

023 - The Big 3 Pathogens - EBV, Lyme, and Mold

Pathogens and infections are related to autoimmune disease, we've established that over the past couple episodes. THESE 3 ARE THE MOST WELL-STUDIED AND CLINICALLY RELEVANT PATHOGENS - one virus, one bacteria, and one fungus.
Epstein-Barr Virus causes infectious mononucleosis, or mono. EBV a a virus that can lie dormant for the rest of your life in the B cells of your immune system. If it remains dormant - no big deal! If it re-activates, it can be like awakening a sleeping giant.
EBV infection is associated with several autoimmune diseases, most notably autoimmune thyroid diseases, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Multiple Sclerosis. In this episode I talk about EBV, the relevant labs, and some of the prominent research connecting this virus to autoimmune diseases.
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi infection from a tick bite that disseminates into the blood stream and can get into the joints and the brain, causing a massive inflammatory response but at the same time suppressing the immune system in an attempt to evade it. Lyme can cause many chronic symptoms including joint pain, fatigue, and neurological complications. Lyme testing is controversial and sometimes hard to determine!
Lyme and mold are both known as "biotoxins", meaning they are biological, living pathogens, but their effects are largely "toxic", as they affect the detox pathways such as the liver, bile ducts, lymph drainage, mitochondria, and more.
Mold is the scariest of the 3 in my opinion for several reasons. For one it is very common in our indoor environments, most people I know have had some degree of water damage. Mold exposure can allow fungus to colonize our gut, sinuses, bladder, lungs, and then it can cause both an adaptive immune response (allergies and sensitivities) as well as an innate immune response and a chronic inflammatory response, which both have their own set of problems.
This includes colonization of molds such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Stachybotrys from indoor water damage, but also yeasts like Candida and even molds from outdoors like from decaying leaves. When molds "colonize" they often form biofilms that they can hide under and continue to grow, making it a hard to treat problem that often keeps getting worse.
Molds also release toxins such as mycotoxins that damage mitochondria and cellular function and are highly neurotoxic. Because of all these reasons, I think mold is a HUGE problem with inflammatory conditions!!
It's not impossible to have all 3 of these - a virus, a bacteria, and a fungus - all at the same time. Throw in a heavy metal and you can be having quite the symptom party!!!
All of these things are really important, but it's also important to not put all of your eggs into any one basket. Just because you find Lyme, mold, or EBV doesn't mean there aren't other things that haven't been found. Keep the big picture in mind!