by | Oct 25, 2022 | 0 comments

How We Can Prevent & Treat Autoimmune Conditions with Dr. David Bilstrom

Today’s post features a few key takeaways from a recent Wellness Your Way podcast interview.  Find the full episode here, and be sure to subscribe to Wellness Your Way so you don’t miss future episodes!

Guest Bio: Dr. David Bilstrom

David Bilstrom, MD, is the Director of the International Autoimmune Institute & Bingham Memorial Center for Functional Medicine.

For 25+ years, Dr. Bilstrom has been a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. He was an attending physician at a number of Chicago-area hospitals, served in private practice, and practiced at rehabilitation institutes throughout the United States. As the Director of the Bingham Memorial Center for Functional Medicine and the International Autoimmune Institute in Blackfoot, Idaho, Dr. Bilstrom works closely with experts in a number of medical specialties to evaluate, diagnose and treat chronic and autoimmune diseases.

Taking the mind, body, and spirit into consideration, he understands firsthand the benefits functional and integrative medicine can provide to patients.

Top Insights from Dr. Bilstrom’s Interview

  1. We do know what causes autoimmune conditions, and we can prevent and reverse all autoimmune conditions. These are powerful statements, and are not what most people hear when a doctor tells them they’re dealing with an autoimmune condition. But Dr. Bilstrom is at the forefront of managing these conditions, and is confident that we can make significant global change as more people become aware of the information he shares.
  2. Autoimmunity is a malfunction of the immune system. Our innate immune system helps us with inflammation control, and the adaptive immune system helps protect us from things that are “not us” (like viruses or cancer cells).  Autoimmune disease occurs when our adaptive immune system is so profoundly disrupted that it starts attacking our own body parts. This disruption happens from things like vitamin deficiencies, hormone imbalances and deficiencies, toxicity (heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, and more), infections, stress, and loss of gut health.
  3. All disease is, in some way, a disease of the immune system. Many chronic conditions that we didn’t know were autoimmune related actually are. Conditions like autism, heart attacks, strokes, osteoporosis, and more have autoimmune roots.
  4. Autoimmune conditions are far more prevalent than many think. 80% of people who get autoimmune disease are women, and about 1 in 4 women will get an autoimmune disease in her lifetime.
  5. Autoimmune conditions on the rise because of modern lifestyle factors. The toxicity of our modern lifestyles, vitamin deficiencies (from processed and low-quality foods), estrogen disruptors, poor gut health, stress, and more.
  6. The gut is at the center of autoimmunity. The gut is a main organ of detoxification, and when it is “off” (from intestinal permeability), we can’t get rid of the toxic byproducts that result from our modern lifestyle.  This causes toxins, including estrogen that should be excreted, to enter back into circulation.  Many times when people have intestinal permeability or even Celiac disease, they have no “normal” gut symptoms, so they might not even know their gut is off.
  7. Women with estrogen dominance before menopause have a 5.4x higher risk of breast cancer than those without estrogen dominance.
  8. The wheat protein creates inflammation in everyone’s gut when consumed. If that was the only inflammation we dealt with, our body could clear it and be fine. The problem is that we have assaults upon assaults upon assaults of inflammation on our gut every single day, and our body can’t handle all of it.
  9. Prevention of autoimmune diseases starts very early. Bilstrom references this study showing that those babies who were given 2000 IU of Vitamin D daily for the first year of life had 90% decreased risk of Type 1 diabetes over the course of 30 years.

Want to hear the full episode, including the immune “set point,” how estrogen dominance is related to gut health and autoimmunity, a simple 2-minute strategy we can use to balance our immune systems, and so much more?

Head over here to catch the full episode with Dr. David Bilstrom!

Now it’s your turn!  What is one thing you learned from this interview?  What’s one thing you’re committed to changing after learning from Dr. David Bilstrom?

 


Want more?  In my Revitalize Health Accelerator, I walk you through every step of what it takes to be a well-rounded healthy person. The information, motivation, and accountability in this program is simply unmatched!  You’ll learn everything from inflammation to emotional eating, from supplements to sleep quality, from macronutrient balance to meal planning – I’ll walk you through my proven system to teach you how to implement it.  If you’re curious, set up a free call with me here to discuss!

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Megan Lyons Headshot

Hi! I'm Megan Lyons,

the voice behind The Lyons’ Share. I love all things health, wellness, and fitness-related, and I hope to share some of my passion with you. Thanks for stopping by!
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