Auto-Immune Disorders

One of the most prevalent disorders that Americans have is an autoimmune disorder. This occurs when the body's immune system attacks the healthy tissues of the body. A staggering 50 million Americans are thought to be impacted by an autoimmune condition! Also, autoimmunity is among the top 10 leading causes of death in female children as well as women up to 64 years old. A lot of those that have an autoimmune disorder are not even aware they have it.

Common signs of this inflammatory reaction include redness, swelling, and also pain. Symptoms such as fatigue and fever are also common symptoms. Autoimmune disorders 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 may be familiar with include Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, Lupus, Sjogren's Syndrome, Scleroderma, and Psoriasis.

There are various medical theories as to why autoimmune diseases happen. Approximately 20% of the population has a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity. However, there are likely several "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), an imbalanced microbiome in the digestive tract (where 70% of the immune cell activity occurs), unhealthy intestinal lining known 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 patients prevent and treat autoimmune diseases by addressing underlying causative factors and utilizing holistic protocols to minimize inflammation and improve immune system regulation. In some cases, we also use Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) to help with immune modulation.

For patients on conventional drug treatments for autoimmunity, we work to address underlying causative factors and provide complementary therapies for a better quality of life.

For further information about Dr. Stengler’s practice and his clinic in Orange County, California, please visit our website at MarkStengler.com or give us a call at (760) 274-2377