Autoimmune diseases are on track to eclipse heart disease as the number one killer in the Western world. Yet it remains an area of healthcare that isn’t well understood or often, appropriately addressed by conventional medicine, leaving many people suffering needlessly.
Meleni’s personal journey through her own autoimmune disease and return to vibrant health, gave her second presentation at the Get Well Show in London (2020) a uniquely personal, yet informed, dimension. Combined with over 30 years of clinical experience filtered through different therapeutic lenses, Meleni’s presentation offers multiple reasons why your body may be turning on itself and how to turn back towards wellness.
Watch Meleni’s full presentation with thanks for your nominal donation to support our fundraising efforts.
You might not be aware that the rate and incidence of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) are rapidly rising with more than 100 officially recognised to date. We know that stress can exacerbate the progression of autoimmune disease and often increase the severity of symptoms in vulnerable individuals. The ‘autoimmune trifactor’ that Meleni talks about describes the perfect storm of genetic predisposition, leaky (permeable) barriers and specific triggers. This is why not everyone develops an autoimmune disease despite similar triggers.
Whilst many environmental triggers are now known in relation to AIDs, less acknowledged and discussed in conventional medical circles, is the role that stress and deep seated emotional trauma plays in the development of autoimmune disease. Particularly early life trauma, which can increase the risk tenfold of developing an AID. And especially if you’re a woman, as 80% of all AIDs are diagnosed in women. As this study demonstrates where childhood abuse has now been linked to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus in adult women.
A new study last year, albeit in mice, looked at the impact of psychological and social stress on the gut microbiome (typically the most important leaky barrier). Stressed mice were found to have higher levels of bacteria associated with multiple sclerosis (an AID). They also found higher levels of T cells known to be involved in autoimmune reactions, which means that the immune system is being primed to react inappropriately.
In understanding the relationship between the elements of the autoimmune trifactor and modern life, it’s easier to understand how one journeys into the autoimmune landscape - and more importantly, how to find your way back out of it again. Foremost researcher into the effects of gluten on our gut and general health, Dr Alessio Fasano, is now convinced enough by the data to pronounce that all chronic disease begins in the gut. We would agree and it’s why our ANH Food4Health guide doesn't include gluten-containing grains or foods.
Hence, diet and lifestyle modification, alongside removing toxic elements, is central to moderating the autoimmune response, but so too is a reconnection to self, to nature and to one’s tribe. In her presentation, Meleni asks the audience to delve deeper within and to question why one may have lost tolerance to self? Which, in essence, is the nature of autoimmune disease when the immune system becomes so dysregulated it loses the ability to distinguish self from non-self and starts turning on the body’s own tissues.
There is unlikely to be any motivation for the promotion of natural and sustainable ways to combat autoimmune disease by conventional medicine given the global market for autoimmune disease management drugs is predicted to grow from USD$79 million in 2018 to USD$126 million by the end of 2025.
Healing oneself from a dysregulated immune response is eminently possible if recognised as such and caught early before too much loss of function and tissue damage occurs. However, the onus is on us as individuals to get into the driving seat of our own health journey and take back control.
Watch Meleni’s full presentation with thanks for your nominal donation to support our fundraising efforts.
Comments
your voice counts
05 March 2020 at 6:25 am
I had a wonderful childhood, so please do not get carried away with the Microbiomes and childhood blame, Yes, they all add up but it’s a RECIPE of the NEGATIVES in life that have been steadily but surely placed into Society, especially the so-called” developed countries”., combined with Drs & ….making us far worse. This is about precipitation factors and high levels of stress is a key factor & as a Consultant said to me “through no fault of your own”, it’s a lot about the state of the World and the chemicals, many not properly tested/authorised, the farming methods, the pressures of daily life, the not caring attitude of so called “professionals”, Big Pharma, Big Food, Big Medicine Big Tech companies, Big conglomerates – period and their greed for the almighty $$$. And the USA has much to be blamed for in this.
Having been put through this Auto Immune business for the same time as Meleni, and now without ANY chronic diseases, despite Drs nearly killing me, including an expert witness/Brussels Endocrinologist was the worst, Yes, went from Medical person to medical person , all making me very seriously ill, until taking FULL responsibility since Brussels for our health using food-based synergised Supplements and low carb, fresh vegetable, fruit, fish, chicken and a lot of eggs diet mostly in Italy NOT Australia - the country I was born/raised in, whose citizens are only now realising that they are being duped in the health/food areas.
Having NOT worked since Feb 1999 and 2 sons who HAD most promising International careers and so much more one could add about all that and finances. I wholeheartedly support the work you do and send your missives to other people, but being in Italy is NOT an indulgence but an absolute necessity for my health and the amazing recovery I have achieved for myself and sons. Bones and hips above the mean average for a young woman, removing moderate Diverticulitis shown on Colonoscopy in 2000 & in Sep't 2015 while obtaining my list of tests from an empathetic GP, one test being A 2ND Colonoscopy showed NO Diverticulitis. My Australian hairdresser told me of her friend who had recently had (eighty) 80 titanium staples inserted into her bowel!! the mind boggles at that & the long term consequences.
I cannot afford the A$13:58 to read Melanis' talk. $5:00 is affordable.
You would be staggered at how my family have all had to just survive , while researching with fogged/sick brain to restore the former excellent health of us all - the priority of health and where we find ourselves now, and trying to get some semblance of surviving/living into our lives. People who were formerly high achievers who more than paid their way and contributed to their Communities etc.,. Sons who had most promising International careers – all gone, our homes ………
I am interested in what Melanie has to say/comparing methods that I used after so much research for sons and self - formerly not even colds or headaches. I have "cured" us and one son has very high performing Asperger's after his baby vaccinations and the resulting - once only, ear abscess and terrible nappies - that you have previously made commented on re Autism in your missives.
09 March 2020 at 10:58 am
Hi Deirdre, it's lovely to hear from you. You're absolutely right, early life and childhood trauma isn't relevant for everyone with an autoimmune condition, but the point I was making in the article is that it's an important area that is regularly overlooked - often the case of the 'elephant in the room'. Stress too and it's impact on the immune system is also not always recognised in the hierarchy of importance as it should be.
You sound like you've been on a long and arduous journey with your health, and that of your sons, too, but I'm glad to hear that the climate in Italy is suiting you so well and that you've been so successful. There is a great gift in self-healing and the wellness that comes as a result of learning so much about one's self.
I'm sorry that our nominal pay-to-view fee is proving difficult for you. As our work is funded only on donations, we have to prioritise our fundraising activities or we will cease to be able to continue doing what we do. We had hoped that keeping everything down below £7 / €8.00 would be a fair exchange, but I understand that there are a lot of challenges when you're not working.
Please feel free to email me if you'd like to continue this conversation - [email protected].
Warm wishes
Meleni
05 March 2020 at 4:39 pm
When 'defences' become self-evidently more destructive that the original condition, we have a situation that can be recognised as our current world - not just in bio-physical symptom and reflection.
What hides the obvious is the narrative interpretation of destructive defences as caused - and therefore proving the disease condition - and thus a basis for ramping up defences. It is this spiral of insanity and death that manifests itself in a broad spectrum of good intentions, over necessary evils of sacrifice by dictate.
There was a story no long ago about real measles resetting immunity. However, the word immunity is applied to the presence of antibodies and not to any actual immunity of resilience or functional fortitude and vitality. T Cowan's recent book on immunity shows that primary immunity is CELLULAR - and not a network of trauma induced conditioned reaction. Natural health begins by alignment in health as natural - and not FROM the presumption or insinuation that nature or the body is weak, faulty, lacking, incapable and all sorts of attributes properly addressed to the structure of an imbalanced or misalignment of identity and behaviour with our own Life.
Self-judgement isn't just superficial, but runs deep enough to induce suicide or various ways of self-numbing, as escape. Social mores are in part a mask over hates that are denied open expression, but are not healed thereby and so are still active (including in those militating correctness). Self-hate is a psychic-emotional term for self-allergy.
"I cannot abide who I am!" - or Kobain's "I hate myself and want to die!'. Most of us don't feel this directly most of the time, but can be triggered into such by all sorts of life changes, that can be dramtic as in bereavement, but also subtle, wherein disturbance rises from within, but without any obvious outer cause.
I often use 'psychic-emotional' instead of psychological, as the releasing of the defence against directly noticing thought and feeling as an intimate interplay of life-energy that can and does find its own balance when NOT defended against by the interjection of an 'authoritative control' under judgement.
Diagnosis is a specialised form of judgement - and is practiced by 'authorities' who - as human individuals - are also involved in mitigating, countering or evading arenas of self-judgement - such as seeking worth by changing others or having to be seen to know the answers. Discernment can of course guide and inform the doctor or the patient, but is most clearly shared when they align in a real relationship.
Re-aligning in health is different from chasing it as an add on from an active but unconscious sense of lack of integrity of being - on all levels - for integration is wholeness. I always write to an intuitive listening. I am not telling anyone what to do or not do - but sketching from a perspective that is easily lost to a (self) conflicted reaction of perception and response.
Awakening self responsibility is the willingness to listen to expert advisors from any field of relevance, as part of arriving at or recognising a clear decision. But to restore this capacity, we have to move through and past the attraction or fascination-compulsion of conflict - which is beneath our fear.
In biological terms, the idea and practice of injecting of 'immunity' directly into the blood is a key suspect in our auto-immunity expressions. "Fear of the Invisible" by Janine Roberts offers illumination on this and is well written and readable - in my view.
The article above is very much repeating the 'mainstream' feed. Asserting the genetic as the primary factor. This is another top down pseudo-religion - but that doesn't mean there are no genetic and epigenetic, microbiotic, or toxic factors - that also interplay with malnutrition. But genetics is where Big Money and social engineering (control agenda) meet and become structurally dominant in terms of education, funding and official acceptability.
05 March 2020 at 4:40 pm
That should be auto-immunity disease expressions!
Your voice counts
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