The New Inconvenient Truth: The invisible epidemic of autoimmunity
Never before has our personal power been more important when it comes to our whole health. We are living in a time when the climate crisis is colliding head-on with human health and thriving. More tangibly, this looks like decreased air, water, and food quality, increased stress of potential or actual climate emergencies, and emergence of new pathogenic threats - whether through viral pandemics, or proliferation of mold, fungi, bacteria, and more.
There is no doubt that autoimmunity is on the rise in America - and likely globally as well. A study out of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences* published this year shows that the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), a marker of autoimmunity, is on the rise at an alarming rate. In samples taken between 1988-1991, 11% had the presence of ANAs. By 2011-2012, that figure rose to 15.9%. Due to population growth between these time periods, the number of Americans represented in these percentages almost doubled - from 22 million to 41 million.
Notably, this study covered time periods very clearly before 2019/2020 and the global pandemic we have been living in. It is well-known and well-documented that lingering viral infections are a precipitating causal factor for many autoimmune diseases. There is now emerging research** (not yet peer reviewed) suggesting that even without a “severe” covid infection, those who have contracted covid have - in large and significant numbers - persistent autoantibodies for months after the infection has resolved - possibly causing irreparable harm.
The lead researcher of this study was quoted in the NYTimes*** with a warning that is tough to take in:
“This is a real phenomenon. We’re looking at a second pandemic of people with ongoing potential disability who may not be able to return to work, and that’s a huge impact on the health systems.”
Anecdotally, the amount of people in my life who have shared with me the ongoing, chronic nature of health issues that they have faced - sometimes in the form of a diagnosable autoimmune disease - in their post-covid months or years, is staggering. I am loud about my own health journey in my personal circle; others confide in me about theirs and so I have become an accidental collector of people’s post-covid journeys.
It’s not pretty and it is definitely not convenient.
I’m writing this not to scare you, but to plead with you to take care of yourself and protect yourself and your life force as best as you can. Chronic health conditions plague women and minority racial/ethnic groups in disproportionately and unjustly high numbers. However you identify - your voice, your wisdom, and your contribution to the world matter for all of us; it serves and uplifts all of us when you take care of yourself. I want this for all of us - desperately.
In this endeavor, your whole health matters - mentally, emotionally, physically, interpersonally, spiritually. And, only you know what best serves you in these ways.
What makes you feel the best and the most alive version of yourself? Which relationships contribute to your health and boost your immunity? Which detract from it? Is your nervous system regulated regularly? Are your emotions healthily expressed? How much sleep does your system need? Do you get daily sun and exercise? Do you take hydration seriously? What food most nourishes your system? Do you overly rely on any kind of coping mechanism that needs to be looked at – via alcohol, sugar, or other substances that numb our pain – but also suppress our immune systems?
These can be difficult and again - inconvenient - things to consider, but without a doubt they are the levers we have to pull in our individual lives that can boost our wellbeing. These are things we don't always pay attention to when it comes to our health, but we must. It all matters. Why wouldn’t we do all that we can in the world we are living in to give us the best shot at health?
The ultimate truth is that we can’t control everything on a personal level. We are all interconnected - with one another and with nature. We need sweeping reform to mitigate climate change and pandemic preparedness; we need the brightest scientific minds investigating vaccines, vaccine efficacy & safety, treatments – and of course, prevention. We need care providers who listen to our unique needs and allow our whole selves into the room.
But, there is a lot that we can do on a purely personal level that oftentimes lives outside of our awareness as impacting our health and wellbeing. It’s time to be courageous with ourselves. It's time to take a look.
References:
*Dinse, G.E., Parks, C.G., Weinberg, C.R., Co, C.A., Wilkerson, J., Zeldin, D.C., Chan, E.K.L. and Miller, F.W. (2022), Increasing Prevalence of Antinuclear Antibodies in the United States. Arthritis Rheumatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.42
**Bhadelia, et al. 2021. Distinct Autoimmune Antibody Signatures Between Hospitalized Acute COVID-19 Patients, SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Individuals, and Unexposed Pre-Pandemic Controls. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.21.21249176v1
***Mandavilli, Apoorva. “How the Coronavirus Turns the Body against Itself.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Jan. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/health/coronavirus-antibodies-immunity.html.