Understanding the Difference: Immune Mediated vs. Autoimmune Conditions

Many of the conditions we are managing in our pets can have an immune aspect to it. Have you heard the term Autoimmune, or Immune mediated but not really known what this means?

What is the difference between immune mediated and autoimmune conditions?

Understanding the Difference: Immune Mediated vs. Autoimmune Conditions

There are many different conditions that have an immune element to it. Where the body is responsible for attacking its own tissues and creating tissue destruction and dysfunction.

These conditions can be either Immune mediated, or autoimmune in nature.

Many illnesses have an immune basis

So what is the difference between Immune Mediated and Autoimmune Conditions?

In honesty, there is not much difference between an Autoimmune disease, and an immune mediated condition when it comes to disease management

Both are driven by the immune system, which is attacking the bodies own tissue.

Autoimmune disease

With an autoimmune disease the body has developed antibodies that are focused on attacking a particular cell type or tissue of its own body. These antibodies are called Autoantibodies. These autoantibodies can be identified, and a disease process can be determined by their presence.

Immune Mediated Disease

When there is an immune mediated condition, there is a general immune system attack on the body, but this is not through autoantibodies. This can be generalised inflammation and tissue damage, with cells like red blood cells and platelets being destroyed in the process. There are no identified autoantibodies that are responsible for the damage.

Although technically different processes, the disease process is much the same, and outcomes are also often the same.

• Extreme tissue damage

• loss of function of certain tissues and organs.

• Inflammation

  
  

  

  All species of animals can have an autoimmune or immune mediated condition

  
  

Conventional medicine management

Conventional therapies to address these conditions are usually with immunosuppressive drugs, anti-inflammatories, and other medications like hormone replacement therapy that can replace critical hormones that are no longer being produced.

Two examples of hormone replacement can be thyroxine in an auto-immune thyroid condition such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis disease in humans, or insulin supplementation in a type 1 diabetes.

Alternative management of immune related conditions.

Natural therapists will address Autoimmune and Immune mediated conditions by

• Reducing inflammation and tissue destruction.

• Restoring function

• Reducing the scaring or atrophy of affected tissues.

  
  

  Often, once the tissue damage and inflammation has resolved and the immune reaction on the cells has been reduced we can help to restore tissue function.

  
  

  The amount of organ recovery can depend on the amount of damage and scaring that occurred during active disease.

  
  

  

  The natural therapist has many tools at address immune conditions

  
  

Management of autoimmune and immune mediated conditions includes the following steps

1.      Immunomodulation

One important class of herbs in this situation are immunomodulators. These herbs have a capacity to modulate or regulate the immune system. Increasing immune function when suppressed, or bringing an overactive or excessive immune response back under control. This works by addressing different cell types within the immune system.

This is a unique, and dynamic action of herbal medicine.

Examples of immunomodulatory herbs

Echinacea, cats claw, licorice, astragalus, reishi mushroom, withania are just a few herbs which can help to modulate this immune function.

2.      Reduce inflammation

We also look at reducing inflammation, which is driving a lot of the tissue damage, inflammation can also contribute to the pain that occurs with a lot of autoimmune, and immune mediated conditions.

It is essential to reduce this excessive inflammation to allow tissue healing and regeneration to occur. whilst a little bit of inflammation is important in the healing process, uncontrolled and excessive inflammation suppresses any healing and tissue regeneration from occurring.

Examples of anti-inflammatory herbs

Turmeric, maritime pine bark, rehmannia, baical skullcap, devils claw, fever few, white willow to name a few.

3.      Supporting tissue and organ recovery, restore metabolic and endocrine function

Once the inflammation and tissue damage is under control, the body will start to heal these tissues, reduce scaring and restore tissue function.

This is where we start using tissue specific herbs and nutrients.

Examples of tissue supportive supplements

horsetail, yarrow and gotu kola for connective tissue

Lions mane, gotu kola and st johns wort for nerve tissue

We see many immune mediated and autoimmune conditions, and we will address these all slightly differently depending on the tissues that are being affected.

These can range from skin destruction that is occurring in lupis conditions- such as Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) (more commonly called Collie nose), hashimotos thyroidits, Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA), Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis (IMPA) and Diabetes, Masticatory muscle myositis (MMM)

If your pet has been diagnosed with an autoimmune or immune mediated condition, please book in for an individualised approach to best address their health needs.

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