iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll thsbc dte“Sickness comes on horseback but departs on foot.”
—Dutch proverb9: Infections
When working to identify the root cause, we must keep asking questions
until we find the answer. We now know hypothyroidism occurs because
of thyroid destruction, which itself occurs because of self-antibodies. So
why does the immune system make self-antibodies?
Let’s explore the current autoimmune theories.
Classical autoimmune theories have proposed the role of
pathogens in the development of autoimmune conditions.
We have established that immune cells may be attracted to the thyroid
because of oxidative damage caused by iodine excess, but immune cells
may also be called to the thyroid due to a viral/bacterial infection that
either infects thyroid cells and needs to be cleared or looks similar to
thyroid cells, causing “molecular mimicry.”
Molecular Mimicry
A leading autoimmune theory, molecular mimicry states that bacterial
cells or other microbial “triggers” have a similar appearance to the cells
that make up parts of our physiology or “self” antigens or to substances
that evoke the production of antibodies.
When an infection occurs, these infectious cells are recognized as for-
eign. This is really great for getting rid of infections, but sometimes the
immune system targets proteins in the infectious cells that resemble pro-
teins in our own cells. This inadvertently causes a cross-reaction with
our “self” antigens (i.e., our own cells). This case of mistaken identity is
thought to trigger the start of autoimmunity.
One example is Streptococcus pyogenes. This is the bacteria that causes
the common throat infection known as “strep throat.” In some cases,
especially when the infection is not treated with antibiotics within two
to three weeks, the immune system starts launching an attack against the
Streptococcus bacteria.