Studies tell us that autoimmunity has a female bias – with more women than men diagnosed every year. In trying to understand why, scientists suggest X chromosomes and female hormones could be to blame. Despite this groundbreaking research, Western medicine remains largely based on an understanding of male biology – which is why I work with women, so I can empower you with a better understanding of your own body.
The immune system is the body’s natural defence mechanism. When illness or injury strike, it releases chemicals designed to heal the cells it perceives to be under attack. When this happens in the absence of illness or injury, the immune system targets healthy tissue – in other words, the body fights itself.
You can inherit a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity, but your genes still
need an environmental or emotional trigger to be activated – and those triggers could be anything from the foods you eat to the products you use, work-induced stress, a toxic relationship or the aftermath of a traumatic event. If you’re genetically vulnerable to autoimmunity, any aspect of life has the potential to provoke an autoimmune response – or multiple responses as triggers of one autoimmune condition can activate others.
Centuries of social, cultural and religious influence have told us our bodies are not our own. We face mechanisms of shame and control at every turn while our defence systems are disrupted daily by stories of abuse against women. Sometimes we’re subject to this abuse, sometimes we’re the ones inflicting it since we live in a world that encourages women to fight ourselves.
All this creates a barrier to diagnosing an autoimmune condition. As symptoms flare up and subside, we might not pay attention to them – and if we do report them, what response do we receive? I’ve been told by many male doctors that I’m overreacting or wasting their time – even mid-relapse when I’d lost all sensation in my face. And that’s why I do what I do: I help you take back control of your health, your body, your life.
Our lives may be changed by autoimmunity, but they are not changed for the worse. We face new challenges, but we also face huge opportunities to make changes for the better – changes that could prevent our symptoms from getting worse or even reverse them.
Our DNA is not our destiny. If we inherit genes that make us susceptible to autoimmunity, we can still change the way our bodies read the DNA contained in those genes. The science of epigenetics tells us that we can change our biology by addressing every aspect of our lives – from diet and exercise to thought patterns and behaviours. We can take the smallest actions every day to change the bigger picture of our lives – and the lives of other women too.
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