How Trauma Triggers Autoimmunity and Chronic Illness

Did you know that stress and trauma play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases and other illnesses? Not only is this proven through science, but I have seen this with my own clients and even myself. 

I grew up in a chaotic environment where things were always on edge. I won’t get into the details of this, but I know this played a role in the development of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease of the thyroid), alongside the panic attacks, depression, and severe anxiety I had for about 20 years of my life. I also witnessed the death of my grandfather, had my brother pass away whom I was extremely close to, was in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship for almost 6 years, had a Grand Mal seizure that gave me PTSD, underwent an unnecessary exploratory heart surgery, and more recently had an embolism from ozone therapy. These are only a few of some of the major traumas I’ve experienced in my life, or as many professionals refer to these moments as “big T traumas”. 

Not everyone is going to have these “big T traumas”, but everyone has “little t traumas” or the small things that happen in our lives that we brush off and don’t make much of at all… but our nervous system does. Our body and subconscious hold onto the smallest stressors and events from the moment we are born and onwards. I’ll talk more about how trauma and stress get stuck in the body and, most importantly, what you can do to release them.

Stress Triggering Autoimmunity and Dis-ease

Autoimmune diseases are multifactorial, meaning there are various components working together to trigger the disease. This can include genetics, toxins, and other environmental factors; hormones; gut health; nutrition; and other lifestyle factors. However, it’s been reported that up to 80% of those with autoimmune disease(s) reported uncommon emotional stress before disease onset. To make matters worse, dealing with autoimmunity in itself is stressful, creating a vicious cycle. It is presumed that the stress-triggered neuroendocrine hormones lead to immune dysregulation, resulting in autoimmunity, by altering or amplifying cytokine production. (3) This is why stress management and nervous system regulation should be a part of all health plans when trying to heal autoimmunity and even other chronic illnesses. 

Many people think of “stress” as mental-emotional stress: going through a breakup, not having enough money, fighting in your relationship, hating your job, etc. It’s also important to understand that there are other things in our lives that also trigger a stress response in the body, which is very similar to the hormone cascade that goes off with this commonly known mental-emotional stress. Stress can also be induced by the chemicals in your self-care products, your perfume, chemicals in your cleaning products, mold in your home, heavy metals getting into your body, gut infections, physical injuries, and more. I have worked with many people who think they manage their stress well, but then we find out they have yeast and parasites in their gut, mold in their house, and heavy metals in their tissues… No wonder they feel terrible, no matter what they do! Their bodies are in a chronic state of stress because of all of these various factors.

Managing Stress

In order to manage stress, you need to do something on a daily basis that helps you lower your stress levels. This will look different for everyone. For some, it could be meditating, doing breathing exercises, or going for a walk in nature. For others, it’s dancing, playing sports, cooking healthy meals, or hanging out with uplifting friends. Either way, you’ve got to take care of yourself! If you must check the stress management box off in order to heal your body and prevent yourself from getting other dis-eases or symptoms. We can’t run away from daily stressors – we all have them! So do your best to live a “less stressed” life. When it comes to the other parts, like gut infections, heavy metals, and so on, you’ll need to hire a functional medicine practitioner like myself in order to test for these issues and address them properly. 

Childhood Adverse Experiences and “Big T Traumas”

But what about the “big T traumas”? Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACES, include events like physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Other examples of adverse experiences include the death of a loved one, growing up with a household member with a serious physical illness, being in a car accident, being bullied, substance abuse in the home, and parental separation or divorce, to name a few.

Research has shown that these early-life stressors can have a profound impact on our health later in life. A study published in Healthcare (Basel) found that individuals with ACES are significantly more likely to develop autoimmune diseases in adulthood, including multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and beyond. Hospitalizations for any autoimmune disease increased with an increasing number of ACEs compared with persons with no ACEs. The study also points out that “Those who had experienced both childhood adversity and adult trauma had higher levels of [an immune marker for chronic inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP)] than those with adulthood trauma alone. Being bullied in childhood and adolescence also predicted increased low-grade inflammation in adulthood with persistently increased levels of CRP. ACEs are also associated with other increased health risks in adulthood, including lung disease, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (4)

It’s important to understand that trauma, stress, and adverse events are not just in someone’s head – they trigger physiological responses. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and autoimmunity are all associated with maladaptive reactivity to cues in which danger and safety are incorrectly differentiated. This means the body’s responses to signals of danger and safety are not working correctly. For instance, a person might feel threatened or anxious even in safe situations. Overall, trauma affects both physical and emotional health, altering the nervous system, immune system, gene function, and cell danger response.

Being constantly stressed wears down the body’s ability to heal and stay healthy, making individuals more likely to develop mental health issues and physical illnesses. Stress induces changes in cortisol, blood sugar, insulin, blood pressure, and heart rate, among others. This is a part of our body’s survival mechanism, but when not managed appropriately, it leads to various symptoms and diseases.