One of the most common disorders that Americans have is an autoimmune disorder. This happens when the body's immune system attacks the healthy tissues of the body. A staggering 50 million Americans are believed to be affected by an autoimmune disorder! Also, autoimmunity is among the top 10 leading causes of death in female children and also women up to 64 years old. Many of those that have an autoimmune disease are not even aware they have it.
Common symptoms of this inflammatory reaction consist of redness, swelling, and also pain. Symptoms such as fatigue and fever are also common symptoms. Autoimmune diseases can affect every part of the body, including the brain, nerves, heart, blood vessels, muscles, skin, eyes, joints, lungs, kidneys, liver, glands, and digestive tract. No wonder researchers have identified between 80-100 autoimmune disorders with the possibility of another 40 or so having an autoimmune component!
Autoimmune diseases you might be familiar with include Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, Lupus, Sjogren's Syndrome, Scleroderma, and Psoriasis.
There are various medical theories regarding why autoimmune diseases happen. About 20% of the population has a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity. However, there are likely many "triggers" that integrative doctors such as ourselves address. Triggers or causative agents might consist of chronic infections (e.g., viral infections, gum disease, Lyme Disease, and others), the imbalanced microbiome in the digestive tract (where 70% of the immune cell activity takes place), unhealthy intestinal lining referred to as increased permeability (where protein particles and bacteria can be improperly absorbed into the bloodstream resulting in an immune reaction), food allergies or sensitivities (especially gluten), environmental toxins (toxic metals, pesticides, etc), and hormone imbalances.
We help individuals prevent and treat autoimmune disorders by focusing on underlying causative factors and utilizing holistic methods to lower inflammation and improve immune system regulation. Sometimes, we also use Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) to help with immune modulation.
For individuals on conventional drug treatments for autoimmunity, we work to address underlying causative factors and provide complementary therapies for a better quality of life.
