ANA (+) No More
By Doreen Lewis, D.C., C.C.N.,
D.A.B.C.I., D.A.C.B.N.

What is ANA (+)? Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are produced in certain diseases, most notably, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), or just plain “lupus”. Lupus can affect every organ system in the body, especially the kidneys and it varies at different times in different individuals. It can also mimic other systemic autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. This makes the diagnosis very difficult. ANA titres can confirm certain autoimmune diseases including lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, polyarteritis and others, by its presence.

Twenty-eight months ago my mother, 78 years of age and 2000 miles away, was hospitalized to have her leg amputated. No it wasn’t diabetes. Her Rheumatologist had given her so many steroid injections (literally hundreds), that it robbed her bones of calcium and caused her ankle to collapse, leaving her with no circulation in her foot.

What has this to do with ANA titres? Me. I was severely stressed over my mother’s predicament and lack of care. Her Rheumatologist had convinced her that steroids were the answer and now there she was, in the hospital. The night her leg was removed started my own downward spiral. She was prescribed morphine for her post-operative pain and it didn’t work. At two o’clock in the morning I was finally allowed into post-op because they couldn’t keep her quiet. I explained that “super metabolizers”, like my mother, broke down morphine as fast as it was administered, doing her no good at all. Her surgeon was called and he prescribed different medication.

All this was to say, that after one month of going through the trauma and rehabilitation with my mother, totally traumatizing my own emotions and body as well, I returned home to find my knees “locked up” with rheumatoid and my own ANA titre was positive. I attribute these problems to a full month of stress and the junk food I was forced to eat while staying at the hospital and rehabilitation center.

Having suffered from hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s Disease) for forty years, I knew that I was predisposed to other autoimmune diseases. I ran genetic profile tests, which confirmed that I have the genes that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease and Rheumatoid disease. Since the mucosal lining of the gut modulates 80% of one’s health, I needed to discover what foods were triggering the over stimulation of my immune system. I ran a new IgG (delayed, acquired, type II/III complexes) food allergy panel. Thirty-two positives! Basically, I had to stop eating all fruits and vegetables for sixty days, a big part of my diet. It wasn’t fun, but it worked! Naturally my husband, Dr. Terry Overton, a chiropractor as well, adjusted C7/T1 for my thyroid, T5-9 for my liver and adrenals and L1 for my colon. Dr. Kevin Amen also used cold laser on the affected joints. I was so impressed with the results that I opted to spend the $15,000 necessary to acquire one for myself. Finally, I took the courses on how to neutralize out the vaccinations I had received as a child, which were responsible for activating the genes in the first place.

Needless to say, I am rheumatoid free and ANA negative now. Another added benefit was my ability to lower my natural thyroid dose again! It’s about two thirds of the dose I was prescribed back in 1992. What have I learned? There are always two or more triggers that activate genes and what can be activated, can also be deactivated!