"The Autoimmune Solution"? (Book, anyone read it?)

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KarenT
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"The Autoimmune Solution"? (Book, anyone read it?)

Post by KarenT »

Hi all, I am wondering if anyone has read the book The Autoimmune Solution by Dr. Amy Myers? "Prevent and reverse the full spectrum of inflammatory symptoms and diseases"

I've tried a new Dr., she is a more integrative practitioner and feels that the recommendations in this book will be helpful in getting my gut healed (ironically enough I've tested positive for Hashimoto's disease as well, which she believes could be triggered by my gut, and hormones, being out of whack.)

Does anyone (reading this ;-)) know how (word/code) a blood test for inflammation would show up on lab results?
Also, my B12 came back high, is that odd?

Thank you!
Karen
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tex
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Post by tex »

There are a number of inflammation blood tests.

Examples are

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
C-reactive protein (CRP)
plasma viscosity (PV)

Which one are you referring to? None are specific to MC.

A high B-12 result suggests one of two possibilities:

You're taking a very high dose of supplemental B-12
or,
You have methylation issues and your body is unable to convert the B-12 into the active form so that your body can use it.

This is a common problem for MC patients.

Tex
:cowboy:

It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
KarenT
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Post by KarenT »

Good morning Tex! Thank you for your reply.

I have 5 pages of blood work results and am unsure what half of them are ..... Thank you for the codes. According to my results my Dr did test me for CRP which showed up high at .9. (ref: <0.5)
Also high:
MONOS: 12.2
Iron % sat: 11
MPV: 13.7
Anti-TPO: 45

I was hoping one of the tests ordered would show levels of inflammation in my body, as my symptoms have shown little in the way of improvement. (though I don't have an inflammation baseline... ) I was diagnosed two years ago and for the past year have eliminated my trigger foods. I've played too fast and loose with the elimination diet, my own fault. I'd hoped though that being very careful with gluten, soy, dairy and eggs would benefit me more. :sad:

I take the Methyl-Guard Plus, one pill/day.

Although this Dr seems more holistic than my Primary Dr, ("we just treat the mc symptoms and carry on with life" :roll: ) and really feels that a healthy gut is the road to a persons health, she doesn't seem too mc savvy.

The AutoImmune Solution is very interesting reading and also works much on the premise that a healthy gut makes us all healthier (so we can all agree on that!) and that by getting the gut healthy will clear up/put in remission many autoimmune conditions.
Many of us on here have multiple AI issues, so I was curious if anyone had read it and their thoughts on it. :-)

I hope you are doing well Tex!
Karen
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tex
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Post by tex »

Hi Karen,

Thanks, yes, I'm doing well, as far as I can tell.

I have a hunch that all of those results may be tied together. IOW, they might have some significance — on the other had, they might not. Further testing might be in order to rule out any possible issues. At any rate, excess iron is highly inflammatory, so that's almost surely the immediate cause of your inflammation.

The Anti-TPO positive result indicates a possible thyroid issue (such as Hashimoto's), or a developing issue. If you want more detail, Anti-TPO stands for antithyroid autoantibodies. These are autoantibodies that are targeted against one or more areas of the thyroid. The most clinically significant anti-thyroid autoantibodies are anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies, thyrotropin receptor antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies.

High iron can be due to a genetic issue called hemochromatosis, in which the body absorbs too much iron. Hemochromatosis is relatively common. It affects about a million people in the U.S. which means that it affects about 1 in 300 in the general population.

High mean platelet volume (MPV) indicates that your platelet size is larger than normal. About one in every thousand people has substances in the blood called agglutinins that cause platelets to clump up in the kind of tube (an EDTA tube) normally used to collect blood. These artificially induced clumps of platelets are sometimes referred to as giant platelets. If platelet count s normal, it could mean that you are replacing platelets at a higher than normal rate (young platelets are larger than older platelets).

All this might just be coincidence (due to lab testing errors or variations in what's considered normal for various individuals). Your doctor needs to do further testing to determine whether it's just coincidence, or if it indicates an underlying issue.

Tex
:cowboy:

It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
KarenT
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Post by KarenT »

Tex, it is fascinating how much you know!!

You are correct, she did peg me as having or developing, Hashimoto's. :-(

I do need to apologize though that my iron, which I stated was high, was actually flagged low at 11 with a reference range of 20-55, my ferritin was considered 'normal' though my new Dr wants it higher (32- ref range: 10-291), she would like it at at least 60.

I have looked back on some previous blood work, several times my platelet count was low but it was finally determined that my platelets clot in the tube and when they use the special tube, the count was normal, though the MPV seems to be high in all of them.
This time my platelet count was normal, not sure if they used the special tube or not.....

When you say further testing do you mean re-testing, or different testing? Is there something specific that popped into your head? And, are those thoughts any different knowing that my iron was actually low?

Thanks!!
Karen
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Post by tex »

Karen wrote:When you say further testing do you mean re-testing, or different testing? Is there something specific that popped into your head? And, are those thoughts any different knowing that my iron was actually low?
That makes all the difference in the world. I wondered what sort of normal range they were using, to call a level of 11 high.

Your doctor appears to have everything under control.

Tex
:cowboy:

It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
KarenT
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Post by KarenT »

Thanks Tex!
Karen
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