The Hidden Drivers of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Lyme Disease is One)

August 4, 2026

https://imahealth.substack.com/p/the-hidden-drivers-of-inflammatory? Video Here

The Hidden Drivers of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Crohn’s and colitis are called genetic, autoimmune, and idiopathic. What if all three labels are wrong? A new paper tests each against current evidence.

Independent Medical Alliance

Aug 02, 2026

Host: Dr. JP Saleeby | Guest: Josh Dech

What if Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are caused by more than genetics alone?

Dr. Yusuf “JP” Saleeby, IMA Senior Fellow in Functional and Integrative Medicine, and gut health specialist Josh Dech take a closer look at what may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease, also known as IBD. The two recently co-authored a new paper published in the Journal of Independent Medicine. Their conversation traces how genetics, diet, gut health, and the environment may work together to shape both diseases.

Inflammatory bowel disease affects more than 7 million people worldwide and ranks among the fastest-growing chronic diseases globally. Nearly everyone diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis hears some version of the same three things: the disease is genetic, the immune system is attacking its own tissue, and the underlying cause is unknown. Those three explanations leave two treatments on the table, drugs and surgery, and they leave a patient nothing to investigate.

A new paper in the Journal of Independent Medicine argues that all three explanations fail against current evidence. Josh Dech and Dr. JP Saleeby, its co-authors, point out that each has been contested separately in the literature for two decades without anyone testing them as a set. Taken together, they conclude, the conventional model does not hold.

What replaces it is a disease that is partially heritable, environmentally activated, and immune-mediated, and the distinction is not academic for anyone living with one. If exposures determine whether susceptibility becomes disease, exposures can be found and changed. (See link for article, research paper and video)

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SUMMARY:

  • The authors found that genetics only explain about a quarter of disease risk for irritable bowel (IBD).
  • The authors argue that the autoimmune label, despite holding for decades, is based on the weakest evidence and that pathogenic transfer has never been demonstrated.
  • The serologic markers long cited as evidence for autoimmunity turn out to recognize microbial and fungal targets but are not autoantibodies in the classical sense.
  • A review of 53 meta-analyses across 71 risk factors shows the following exposures for IBD that are quantified and modifiable:
    • antibiotic exposure
    • oral contraceptives
    • breast-feeding was protective for Crohn’s and colitis
    • ultra-processed food
    • air pollution
    • psychological stress
    • mold
    • mycotoxins
  • The authors state current treatments complement but ignore the environmental exposures.
  • The authors give the following issues that should be questioned alongside a standard work-up:
    • Birth mode and feeding history
    • Early antibiotic courses, particularly before age 5
    • Water damage & mold exposure at home, work and in vehicles.
    • Adolescent diet, stressors, and infections

At this point in the article, they described a case report on a 14 year old whose Crohn’s progressed far enough that surgeons planned to remove most of his intestines & place a colostomy. Testing pointed to chronic Lyme disease and three months into treatment a repeated scope test found no lesions.

In short, they conclude the following answers for IBS: antibiotic stewardship, breastfeeding support, reducing ultra-processed food, and remediating indoor mold.

After reading the comments after the article, I would be remiss if I did not mention the ‘vaccine’ issue due to the fact they all introduce foreign substances the body recognizes as foe, priming it for later potential problems such as life-threatening allergies to many things including food, which many are also linking to Alpha Gal Syndrome (AGS), an allergy to animal products supposedly caused by ticks – with no solid proof, as well as the fact some get AGS without any known tick involvement. So while ticks play a part, they are obviously not the only ingredient required to get AGS.

Pathogenic priming was shown clearly with the COVID gene therapy injections.

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Category:

Candida, diet and nutrition, Inflammation, Lyme, research, Treatment

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