I received the book “Autoimmune, the Cause and the Cure” by Annese Brockley and Kristin Urdiales early last fall and began reading the first chapter or two. I figured it’d be a good read, and I’d pack away the information for later use.
But I never did really get into it.
And I’m so glad I didn’t finish it at the time! Which sounds odd, I know. But had I read the book then I may have forgotten some very important information.
(side note – if you haven’t heard yet, I recently got some blood work done to figure out why I’ve felt so crummy)
Over the holidays, I requested a few books from the library, and settled down with this one as I waited for the other books I thought would help me sort out my labs and deficiencies.
And it was like the sky opened up and a sunbeam fell straight on to the pages.
Throughout the book, they talk about both vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiencies as well as problems surrounding thyroid hormones. And what I found was that I have a lot of work to do with my body to get it to absorb nutrients correctly!
“Vitamin B12 is often called the energy vitamin because it helps fat and protein to metabolize in your body. It also plays a major role in the conversion of carbohydrates to glucose- your body’s source of fuel. In addition, B12 enables your body to convert fatty acids into energy. It is also a promoter of normal immune function.
If the enzymes necessary to release B12 from protein are not available, then no matter how much protein -bound B12 we consume, we will continue to have a deficiency of B12. (the study that follows this paragraph on page 17 of the book concludes that absorption of vitamin B12 is dependent on the presence of appropriate pancreatic enzymes)“
So yea, me. The girl who didn’t think she had gut issues or absorption issues because my digestion is always awesome…..has gut issues. And I was able to find out all about functional ranges for my deficiencies, not just the ranges that mean we’re not severely diseased.
Now, the major point of this book is that you CAN heal your body and correct some of the damage done by an autoimmune disorder. They make a very strong case for the cause of these disorders, often referring to studies for Hashimotos, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and Multiple Sclerosis. It makes me want to tell everyone I know!
I even learned that having low B12 causes high homocysteine levels, which cause arterial damage, that then causes the body to send cholesterol to the damaged arteries. (which may cause clots) So if you have high cholesterol, checking for nutrient deficiencies like B12 would be a good idea.
There are also multiple references to both polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis.
So instead of me just writing this review to a specific type of person, one with an autoimmune disease, I want to tell you all that this book is extremely helpful for just about every health issue!
“It would make sense that as the body becomes more depleted of vitamin B12, enzymes, and essential amino acids, you would see increasingly severe and varying symptoms.” – page 125
I’m so glad I figured out the cause of my health issues before they became worse, or would have been harder to correct.
“Women are more prone to develop auto-immune disease. Pregnancy and childbirth could be one reason why. During pregnancy, extra red blood cells are needed for you and your developing fetus. More vitamin B12 is required for pregnant women because it aids in the forming of red blood cells.” – page 125″
“In a recent study from Denmark, researchers found that in the first year after a conventional deliveries or cesarean sections, women had a 15 or 30 percent greater risk, respectively, of contracting autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.” – page 126
I would also have to think that a pregnancy loss would also have somewhat of the same effect.
The first two-thirds of the book covers the science behind “the cause”, offering abstracts of the studies that back up the theory. I did end up skipping reading many of the studies as they also give conclusions to most of them. It was great that they were in there, so I could read them myself if I had wanted to though.
The last part of the book was about “the cure”, or how to reverse deficiencies and build the gut so the body stops attacking itself. it’s full of great information and some simple recipes, all based on a traditional, whole foods diet.
I highly recommend this book to anyone researching their health issues, and especially to those who have a known autoimmune disease. Because there is hope to living a more quality life!
Donielle Baker
Depressed or Deficient?