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Exclusive | Can ‘being a b—-‘ ward of autoimmune disease — or even cure it?

Nypost · · 1356 words · By McKenzie Beard
Self-Advocacy and Mental Health Gender-based Social Pressures Autoimmune Disease and Stress
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/14/health/can-being-a-b-heal-your-autoimmune-disease/

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Oversimplification 80% confidence
Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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verified Verified By Reference 1
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“Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly attacks the thyroid — the butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that helps regulate metabolism, energy levels and hormones.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The claim is directly confirmed by Wikipedia and the Mayo Clinic, both of which describe Hashimoto's as an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland that regulates metabolism and hormones.
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web search NEUTRAL — Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, Hashimoto's disease and autoimmune thyroiditis, is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. [7][…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimoto's_thyroiditis
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 30, 2025 · Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck just below the Adam's apple. The thyro…
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-di…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 26, 2023 · Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition that can cause hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). It’s a lifelong condition that’s treatable with medication.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17665-hashimo…
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“The condition is believed to be heavily linked to genetics”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources indicate that the cause of Hashimoto's is thought to be a combination of factors, including genetics and immune system dysfunction.
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web search NEUTRAL — Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), the most frequent autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITDs), is the leading cause of hypothyroidism in the iodine-sufficient areas of the world. About 20-30% of patients suffe…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31812326/
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web search NEUTRAL — Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder. The immune system creates antibodies that attack thyroid cells as if they were bacteria, viruses or some other foreign body. The immune system wrongly en…
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-di…
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web search NEUTRAL — Hashimoto’s disease is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting millions of Americans, yet many live with it for years without knowing.
https://www.questhealth.com/articles/hashimotos-disease-thyr…
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“Michaela Riley... is now 28 and a board-certified functional nutritionist and the founder of Be Balanced Co.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (Qwoted and a wellness platform) identify Micaela Riley as a Certified Functional Nutritionist and the founder of Be Balanced Co. However, her age (28) was not explicitly confirmed in the provided snippets, though her professional identity is verified.
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web search NEUTRAL — Micaela Riley is a Certified Functional Health Coach and the founder of Be Balanced, a wellness platform dedicated to helping individuals achieve optimal health through functional health coaching.For …
https://weddellwater.com/blogs/the-weddell-current/transform…
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web search NEUTRAL — Karissa is a Functional Nutritionist and women's health coach specializing in hormone, metabolic, and fertility support. With a degree in nutrition, certification as a CCN, and over 13 years of experi…
https://bebalanced.co/about-us
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web search NEUTRAL — Micaela Riley. Certified Functional Nutritionist at Be Balanced Co. On the record. Share profile. Employment. Sign up to view all. Be Balanced Co. Certified Functional Nutritionist. Qwoted. 114 E. 25t…
https://app.qwoted.com/sources/micaela-riley-b0071b17-8505-4…
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“When stress and emotions are chronically suppressed, the body can stay stuck in a low-level ‘fight or flight’ state”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly state that holding back or suppressing emotions keeps the body in a low-grade state of fight-or-flight.
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web search NEUTRAL — The fight-or-flight or the fight-flight-or-freeze response, also known as hyperarousal or acute stress response, is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response
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web search NEUTRAL — FREE download - 25 Natural Ways to Lower Your Cortisol https://drbrg.co/3x5zZszJust so you know, my full line of high-quality supplements is available on...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnfwLX2Bno
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web search NEUTRAL — Holding it all back keeps your body in a low-grade state of fight-or-flight, and that takes a massive toll over time. This chronic tension can show up in all sorts of ways, and it's vital to see the l…
https://www.therapy-with-ben.co.uk/post/signs-and-impacts-of…
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“Over time, that can affect stress hormones like cortisol, disrupt sleep, increase inflammation and put extra strain on the immune system”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Prenuvo, University of Wollongong, Psychology Today) confirm that chronic fight-or-flight/stress states lead to high cortisol, increased inflammation, and sleep disruption.
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web search NEUTRAL — It can keep cortisol levels high, increase inflammation levels, and can disrupt how the body regulates blood sugar. This can contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
https://prenuvo.com/blog/is-nervous-system-regulation-a-new-…
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web search NEUTRAL — How poor sleep can affect cortisol levels.But cortisol does more than spur fight-or-flight. This hormone has a number of other functions, including: Regulating blood pressure. Balancing blood sugar. I…
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/202004/…
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web search NEUTRAL — Remaining in stage 2 (the flight-or-flight response), can lead to chronic stress. Chronic stress and high cortisol can increase inflammation, which damages our brain and other organs. When you are stu…
https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2024/stuck-in-fight-or-flight-m…
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“Autoimmune diseases, in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the body instead of defending it, are rarely caused by a single factor.”
CORROBORATED
Sources state that autoimmune diseases are typically caused by multiple triggers (gut dysfunction, stress, etc.) rather than a single factor.
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web search NEUTRAL — To truly combat autoimmune disease, you need to understand the root causes specific to your situation. In most cases, multiple triggers work together rather than a single factor. It might be a combina…
https://drkevinsclinic.com/why-autoimmune-diseases-are-on-th…
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web search NEUTRAL — Autoimmune Diseases: Symptoms, Causes, Types & Treatment Guide.What can cause autoimmune disease? Doctors don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to misfire. Yet some people are more likely t…
https://www.healthline.com/health/autoimmune-disorders
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web search NEUTRAL — The concept of multiple autoimmune diseases co-occurring is not new, but it has gained increased recognition in recent years due to advances in diagnostic techniques and a better understanding of the …
https://www.acibademhealthpoint.com/what-is-it-called-when-y…
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“In the US, research suggests that about 15 million people, or 4.6% of the population, have been diagnosed with at least one autoimmune disease.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources explicitly state that more than 15 million people, or 4.6% of the US population, have been diagnosed with at least one autoimmune disease.
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web search NEUTRAL — Females (63% of those with autoimmune disease) were almost twice as likely as males (37%) to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. 65% of patients had one autoimmune disease.
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-study-calc…
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web search NEUTRAL — More than 15 million people, accounting for 4.6% of the US population, were diagnosed with at least one autoimmune disease from January 2011 to June 2022; 34% were diagnosed with more than one autoimm…
https://www.mdedge.com/internalmedicine/article/272173/rheum…
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web search NEUTRAL — 15 million Americans diagnosed with at least one autoimmune disease (4.6% of the U.S. population). 34% of those patients have more than one autoimmune disease. 63% of all diagnosed patients are women.
https://www.theflare.health/p/the-state-of-autoimmune-diseas…
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“Strikingly, women account for about 80% of those affected.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
The claim states women account for about 80% of those affected. However, the specific research data provided in the evidence for claim 6 (from Mayo Clinic and Autoimmune Awareness) explicitly states that women account for 63% of those diagnosed, which directly contradicts the 80% figure.
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web search NEUTRAL — The spelling of woman in English has progressed over the past millennium from wīfmann[10] to wīmmann to wumman, and finally, the modern spelling woman. [11] In Old English, mann had the gender-neutral…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 2, 2026 · It includes women who have influenced major Supreme Court decisions, made history at the Oscars, achieved new feats in flight, and defied convention, all in the name of changing the worl…
https://www.biography.com/history-culture/g43336252/famous-w…
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web search NEUTRAL — Women's news about politics, feminism, sex, gender, work, culture, body image and other topics that matter. We amplify diverse voices and their stories.
https://www.huffpost.com/section/women
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“stress-related symptom flare ups are commonly reported in autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results to evaluate this specific claim.
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“The same pattern is often observed in hair-loss conditions such as alopecia areata, where the immune system attacks hair follicles, leading to thinning and bald patches.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results to evaluate this specific claim.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.