Our immune systems are designed to identify foreign invaders and defend against them. A healthy immune system can easily distinguish between its own cells and those that can cause harm in the body. As a result, it can take the necessary steps to protect the healthy cells while eliminating the harmful ones. However, an immune system that isn't functioning properly has more difficulty identifying its own cells and can, at times, mistake them as foreign cells. So, what happens when this occurs? Your body's immune system considers them as tissues that should be destroyed and removed. Likewise, when harmful and unnecessary substances are detected in your bloodstream, the immune system seeks to preserve your health and produce antigens to kill the unwanted substances. When antigen-antibody complexes are formed in your bloodstream, they get deposited in various tissues causing inflammation, damage and pain. Ultimately, autoimmune illness develops when the control mechanisms in your immune system acquire glitches. Many factors such as your diet, lifestyle, environmental exposures and stress levels maintain and largely trigger these genetic predispositions. Lack of proper nourishment, lack of rest, excessive amounts of toxins and free radicals, accumulation of harmful products and other exogenous toxins can abuse and damage your cells. When waste products find their way into your cell, your immune system will attack and try to eliminate such cells. Just the same, when lack of nutrients and rest causes your cells to become weak, your immune systems will show the same aggression towards them. While the specific causes of autoimmune diseases are yet unknown, it is widely accepted that it is genetic in nature. If a member of your family has an autoimmune disease, chances are great that you are highly susceptible to developing an illness. Other factors that trigger the development of autoimmune diseases include exposure to bacteria, virus, drugs, environmental toxins and chemical irritants. It is believed that the genetic components are triggered when the body is exposed to heavy metals such as mercury, as well as mycotoxins from moulds and infections like herpes simplex virus. High levels of stress, food insensitivities and gluten intolerance are also linked to autoimmune diseases. Identifying the root cause of the autoimmune disease that your body has developed is the first step to your road to recovery.