116: Breast Implant Illness: The Hidden Autoimmune Trigger No One's Talking About

Fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, hair loss, anxiety… and your doctor says your labs are fine. What if your breast implants are the missing piece? In this episode, I join Brandi to explore the truth about Breast Implant Illness (BII) and share essential information to help you understand what to do about this growing health concern.

What We Cover:

• What breast implant illness (BII) actually is and why it's not "in your head"
• The top reported symptoms of BII to look out for
• How breast implants increase your risk of autoimmune diseases
• Mechanisms of breast implant illness like the biofilm theory
• The "rain barrel effect": how long-term immune dysregulation leads to gut issues, nutrient deficiencies, and toxic overload
• Timeline of symptom onset with BII
• How to safely remove implants
• Why explant is just the beginning and the next steps to true healing

Sponsors:

• EQUIP Prime Protein: https://www.equipfoods.com/NHR15 Save 15% off with code: NHR15

Connect with Rachel:

• Free Health Consultation with Rachel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.naturalhealthrising.net/health-consultation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Free Webinar to Heal Your Autoimmune & Mystery Symptoms: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.naturalhealthrising.net/webinar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• Support this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/rachel-smith11/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

Breast Explant References:

[1] Ferreira, S., Barros, A. S., & Marques, M. (2025). Breast Implant Illness: Symptoms, Outcomes with Explantation and Potential Etiologies—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 49(23), 6600–6620.

[2] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025, February 6). Medical Device Reports of Systemic Symptoms in Women with Breast Implants.

[3] Suh, L. J., Khan, I., Kelley-Patteson, C., Mohan, G., Hassanein, A. H., & Sinha, M. (2022). Breast Implant-Associated Immunological Disorders. Journal of Immunology Research, 2022, 8536149.

[4] Watad, A., Rosenberg, V., Tiosano, S., et al. (2018). Silicone breast implants and the risk of autoimmune/rheumatic disorders: a real-world analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology, 47(6), 1846-1854.

[5] Adams, W. P., Jr., & Deva, A. K. (2020). Surgical Best Practices: 14-Point Plan. Sientra.

[6] DeCesaris, L. (2022, September 22). A Functional Medicine Approach to Breast Implant Illness: BII. Rupa Health.

[7] Dreyfuss, D. (n.d.). 8 Tips for a Quick Breast Implant Removal Recovery. Dreyfuss Plastic Surgery.