What is Autoimmunity?

Autoimmune disorders occur when your immune system “attacks itself”. Your body’s affected organ or tissue (eg thyroid, colon, pancreas, joints, Brain etc) is “mistaken” for a foreign toxic invader. In a similar way to which you may have an allergic (immune) reaction to gluten or pollen or environmental toxins, your body reacts and begins to mount an immune response to the particular organ or tissue that it mistakes for a foreign antigen, thus it “attacks self”.

As time progresses, if the underlying Autoimmune Triggers are not identified, the tissue and organs may become damaged/destroyed so as to require medical attention (eg thyroid hormone for autoimmune thyroiditis, or insulin for type-1 diabetes). Your condition may then be technically defined as “autoimmune disease”.

Auto-immune disorders commonly occur in clusters, so that if you have one autoimmune disorder, you are at higher risk of developing more. In other words, they exhibit a tendency to “multiply”.

The sooner an autoimmune condition is identified, the greater chance of reversal or at least minimizing tissue damage. This is why we use Predictive Antibody Testing, Cyrex Array 5: Multiple Autoimmune Reactivity Screen™

Whats Triggering Your Immune System to Destroy Organs and Tissues? 

As foreign particles, microbes, chemicals and undigested food are able to gain entry to your bloodstream and thus circulate throughout your body. The manner in which your immune system attacks and destroys  tissue and organs depends on your unique biochemical individuality. Leaky gut,  food sensitivities, Chemicals in environment, Hidden Chronic infections, Gut dysbiosis are commonly linked with auto-immunity and are common Autoimmune Triggers.

Reversing and Stabilizing Autoimmune Disease

Many autoimmune conditions are reversible, if detected early enough (especially if identified before the “end-stage” at which medical diagnosis occurs). Once reversal has been initiated, you may be able to avoid developing other autoimmune diseases, if you address the underlying causes, triggers and mediators of your health issues. Even if your condition is not fully reversible, it might be possible to reduce medication (strictly under medical supervision) applying a functional medicine approach.

What is Predictive Antibody Testing or Multiple Autoimmune Reactivity Screening?

Cyrex Array 5, the “Multiple Autoimmune Reactivity Screen”, detects the presence of “auto-antibodies” in your body, by measuring both IgG and IgA antibodies to 27 different human tissues.

Auto-antibody identification is the first stage in detecting auto-immune disease and the tissues/organs that are affected. Antibodies can be present in your body many years prior to a medical diagnosis and before you exhibit signs and symptoms of disease.

Multiple Autoimmune Reactivity Screening is an economical and effective way to assess possible tissue damage to multiple organs of your body, and helps us assess predictive antibodies.  Elevated numbers of “predictive antibodies” are measurable as much as ten years before the clinical onset of the disease. Early detection and identification of pathogenesis, before extensive tissue damage has occurred, provides opportunity to address and arrest your autoimmune disorder, and in some cases entirely reverse the condition.

Why Use Predictive Antibody Testing

Under certain circumstances you may be at increased risk of developing autoimmune disorders. This test may be useful for you if you suffer from, have been diagnosed with, or suspect you have any of the following health conditions:

• Gluten sensitivity / coeliac disease
  • Gluten produces digestive symptoms in only a minority of individuals. In the majority of people, gluten can damage non-intestinal tissue or organs such as brain, thyroid heart, skin, joints or respiratory tract.
• Chronic intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”)
  • Leaky gut is known as the gateway for environmentally-induced autoimmune disorders.
• Diagnosis of any autoimmune disease
  • Such individuals commonly develop further autoimmune conditions. Using the results from Array 5 can help us effectively target your health needs; in this way you may be able to avoid developing other autoimmune disorders, and potentially reduce your medication (under strict medical supervision).
• Chronic toxin/chemical exposure
  • All of us are exposed to toxic chemicals. Even unborn fetuses when tested are found to contain multiple chemicals.
  • Some people react to the chemicals that we are exposed to, and sometimes these chemicals trigger auto-immune reactivity, and/or adversely influence our health in other ways. This may be because you have had increased exposure to chemicals, or because you are harbouring chronic infections, or have reduced detoxification capacity.
  • If you suspect you are reacting to chemicals, you may also wish to consider Cyrex Array 11: Chemical Immune Reactivity Screen, to assess the degree at which many chemicals might be triggering auto-immune reactivity and therefore proving detrimental to your health.
• Infectious Agents including chronic infections, viruses and moulds
  • Latent infections as triggers of autoimmunity may be identified in Cyrex Array 12: Pathogen Associated Immune Reactivity Screen. If you suspect you have a latent infection as well as possible auto-immune disorders, then you are advised to run Array 12.
  • If Array 12 has already identified infectious agents in you, then it is possible that your immune system is mistaking parts of your body for foreign antigens, via a process known as “molecular mimicry”.
  • In this case you are advised to use Cyrex Array 5 and possibly Array 20: Blood Brain Barrier Permeability Screen, to figure out which tissues/organs are under attack, so that you can do something about it before such time as the damage becomes irreversible.
• Any idiopathic condition
  (i.e. spontaneous symptom onset, often without apparent cause)

This is not a test to diagnose disease, but rather identify the presence of auto-antibodies to tissues within your body. Thus providing a window of opportunity to address, prevent deterioration of, and possibly reverse your condition.

Predictive Antibody tests 27 Different Tissues and Organs:

1. Parietal Cell + ATPase IgG + IgA Combined
2. Intrinsic Factor IgG + IgA Combined
3. ASCA + ANCA IgG + IgA Combined
4. Tropomyosin IgG + IgA Combined
5. Thyroglobulin IgG + IgA Combined
6. Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) IgG + IgA Combined
7. 21 Hydroxylase (Adrenal Cortex) IgG + IgA Combined
8. Myocardial Peptide IgG + IgA Combined
9. Alpha-Myosin IgG + IgA Combined
10. Phospholipid IgG + IgA Combined
11. Platelet Glycoprotein IgG + IgA Combined
12. Ovary/Testis* IgG + IgA Combined
13. Fibulin IgG + IgA Combined
14. Collagen Complex IgG + IgA Combined
15. Arthritic Peptide IgG + IgA Combined
16. Osteocyte IgG + IgA Combined
17. Cytochrome P450 (Hepatocyte)
18. IgG + IgA Combined
19. Insulin + Islet Cell Antigen
20. IgG + IgA Combined
21. Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 65 (GAD 65)
22. IgG + IgA Combined
23. Myelin Basic Protein IgG + IgA Combined
24. Asialoganglioside IgG + IgA Combined
25. Alpha + Beta Tubulin IgG + IgA Combined
26. Cerebellar IgG + IgA Combined
27. Synapsin IgG + IgA Combined

Special Note  

• Immunosuppressant and corticosteroid drugs can reduce antibody production and distort test results eg with false negatives when results would otherwise be positive.
• Please contact us for more information if you are unsure when/whether to proceed with this test.
• Many studies shows that autoimmune antibody can be elevated in the blood many years before symptoms occur. If detected early, natural and/or medical interventions can begin in order to minimize long-term illness and promote a better quality of life.
• Multiple autoimmune antibodies against your bodies organs are tested in this panel due to the fact that more than 40% of those with auto-antibodies to one organ have auto-antibodies to other organs and tissues of the body.