Top Israeli Doctor Points to Vaccines as Contributing to the Rising Rate of Autoimmune Diseases

Dr. Yehuda Shoenfeld, nicknamed the “Godfather of Autoimmunology,” recently published an article in Pharmacological Research with his colleagues that explores how vaccines may be contributing to the growing epidemic of autoimmune diseases. The article is based on massive amounts of research that have been accumulating over the past 15 years.

Dr. Shoenfeld is the founder and head of the Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases at Sheba Medical Center. He is also the editor of three medical journals and has authored over 1,500 research papers across the spectrum of medical journalism. In addition, he is the founder of the International Congress of Autoimmunity.
As his many accomplishments attest, Dr. Shoenfeld is regarded as a mainstream medical specialist, and is by no means a fringe doctor. In fact, he wrote 25 classic textbooks on the human immune system, such as The Mosaic of Autoimmunity, Autoantibodies, Diagnostic Criteria in Autoimmune Diseases, and many more. However, a strange shift is now occurring in the world of immunology; renowned experts like Dr. Shoenfeld are pointing towards the potential effects of vaccine ingredients, specifically the toxic metal aluminum, on the immune system. In particular, these doctors issued new guidelines to identify the four categories of people who are most at risk for vaccine-induced autoimmunity.
Autoimmune disease results when the body’s immune system turns against the body and mistakenly attacks a non-threatening part of the body. For example, when the immune system erroneously attacks the conductive sheath around neurons, the damage leads to multiple sclerosis, or when autoantibodies target the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, Type 1 diabetes results.
About four years ago, an article in the Journal of Autoimmunology first introduced ASIA (Autoimmune/Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants; also known as Shoenfeld’s syndrome), which is an umbrella term for a collection of symptoms, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. ASIA was found to appear after exposure to an adjuvant, which is an environmental agent. Since then, a massive amount of research has begun to reveal how common vaccine ingredients, particularly metal aluminum, can be environmental toxins that trigger an immune system chain reaction in certain susceptible individuals. When this chain reaction runs its course, it may lead to ASIA and other cases of overt autoimmune disease.
“Throughout our lifetime, the normal immune system walks a fine line between preserving normal immune reactions and developing autoimmune diseases,” says the article. “The healthy immune system is tolerant to self-antigens. When self-tolerance is disturbed, dysregulation of the immune system follows, resulting in the emergence of an autoimmune disease. Vaccination is one of the conditions that may disturb this homeostasis in susceptible individuals, resulting in autoimmune phenomena and ASIA.”
As for what defines a “susceptible” individual, another paper titled “Predicting post-vaccination autoimmunity: Who might be at risk?,” lists four groups of people: 1) those who had an autoimmune reaction to a vaccine in the past, 2) those with an established medical history of autoimmunity, 3) those with a history of allergic reactions, and 4) those at high risk of developing autoimmune disease – either due to family medical history and/or the presence of autoantibodies that are detectable by blood tests or lifestyle factors, such as smoking and low vitamin D.
“Although data is limited,” Shoenfeld and his colleagues concluded, “it seems preferable that individuals with prior autoimmune or autoimmune-like reactions to vaccinations, should not be immunized, at least not with the same type of vaccine.”
Dr. Shoenfeld summarizes, “…many reports that describe post-vaccination autoimmunity strongly suggest that vaccines can indeed trigger autoimmunity. Defined autoimmune diseases that may occur following vaccinations include arthritis, lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE), diabetes mellitus, thrombocytopenia, vasculitis, dermatomyositis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and demyelinating disorders. And almost all types of vaccines have been reported to be associated with the onset of ASIA.”