Autoimmune Disease – A Functional Medicine Approach

Autoimmune disease occurs when inflammation causes the body’s immune system to attack a healthy system or tissues by mistake. These diseases are the most prevalent chronic illnesses in the country, epidemically affecting more than 24 million Americans. General practitioners and other conventional doctors are not trained to find and treat the causes of these diseases. Functional medicine takes a look at the whole body when dealing with the causes and underlying symptoms of any autoimmune disease.

How do you know if you have an autoimmune disease?

Autoimmune diseases happen when the body is attempting to defend itself against something it perceives as dangerous. These foreign intruders could be anything from allergens, toxins, stress responses, or particular types of food intolerances. The body is naturally built to defend and heal itself. In these cases, however, it turns against itself causing havoc on your tissues and organs.

A short list of symptoms include:

• Joint or muscle pain
• Difficulty sleeping
• Skin sensitivities (rashes, hives)
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Hair loss
• Temperature intolerance (to hot or cold)
• Rapid heartbeat
• Feeling fatigued and tired

These are just a few of the symptoms that could be present if you have an autoimmune disease.

What to do if you are experiencing symptoms

If you are experiencing any combination of the above symptoms, the underlying cause should be identified as soon as possible. Conventional care often focuses on managing symptoms with medication; a functional approach aims to also look at what may be driving them. In order to identify and address contributing factors, a series of tests, your medical family history, as well as a close look at your diet may be needed. A functional medicine physician is trained to examine functional imbalances holistically, to support the body alongside the care your physician provides.

Some tests that your functional medicine doctor may prescribe are:

• Blood work to determine various infections, sensitivities and inflammation
• Elimination diet to rule out food intolerances
• Stool sample to determine levels of healthy gut bacteria

Types of Autoimmune Diseases and Treatments

Conventional medicine dictates that disease is identified, labeled and treated with specific drugs that are mass produced for that particular type of disease. Functional medicine, however, will look beneath the symptoms, identify likely contributing causes and ask the question “Why disease?” instead of “What disease?” This holistic view allows the body to be considered as a complete functional system.

Nevertheless, many of the autoimmune diseases that could be present can be identified as the following:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriasis
• Thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Lupus
• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s disease

A functional medicine physician will approach an autoimmune condition by addressing contributors to inflammation. By conducting the tests mentioned in the previous section, your functional medicine physician will determine if there are heavy metal toxins, yeast overgrowth in the gut, food sensitivities or intolerances, or any other variables contributing to functional imbalances. Once those are identified, your functional medicine doctor may prescribe a vitamin, nutrient or supplement regimen, adjust your diet and suggest ways to decrease stress in your body (yoga, massage, exercise, deep breathing, more sleep). In this way, the body’s healing process is supported and nurtured, which can help calm the inflammatory drivers behind autoimmune symptoms. This is supportive care meant to work alongside — never instead of — the treatment and monitoring your physician provides.

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