What is happening?  

Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system makes the mistake of attacking your body’s tissues. Almost any tissue can be affected, including the thyroid gland, connective tissue, digestive tract, hair follicles, skin, eyes, brain, etc. As far as we know, there is no part of the human body that is spared from this attack.

Why does it happen?

Nobody knows exactly why autoimmunity happens, but we do know that it is a failure of the immune system to regulate itself. Describing the condition as an

“overactive” immune system is not quite accurate; a poorly regulated immune system would be a better explanation. Your immune system is extremely complex and when its activity is not effectively monitored, problems occur…autoimmunity. 

What can you do?

There is no cure for autoimmune diseases, so the only solution available today, is to manage it as effectively as possible; more specifically, attempt to put the disease into remission (like pushing the pause button on it). How can this possibly be done? The best way to help your immune system is to work with it and help it to regulate itself. Not suppress it. Remember that autoimmunity is a problem with your immune system; not the tissue it is attacking. The standard medical approach is to squash the immune system, in an effort to save the tissues being attacked. This is a very short-sighted view of the underlying problem; which is an immune system that needs support so that is can function appropriately. The problem with suppressing your immune system is that it can make you more susceptible to chronic infections, cancer and it does not reduce the risk of developing additional autoimmune diseases.

The immune system does not stand alone, it is influenced by other systems that are typically ignored by traditional medicine. Listed below are some of the systems that should be properly assessed and supported when managing any autoimmune disease.

Digestive Tract

Most of your immune system is located in and around your digestive tract.  Assessing and correcting problems with digestion is essential.

Diet

Food can have a significant impact on how your immune system functions. Consuming foods that constantly trigger and burden your immune system should be identified and removed. This removes “stress” from your immune system; a stressed system will not function properly and it will make mistakes…autoimmunity. We often test for food sensitivities and allergies at our Naperville office.

Nutrition

Your immune system requires various nutrients to function properly. The FDA and traditional medicine do not seem to understand and appreciate this fact. I am going assume that if you are reading this article, you would probably agree with me that nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc and selenium do play a role in immune health. The fact is, your immune system requires nutrients in sufficient amounts to work properly. Assessing your nutrient status and requirements is very important if you want to support your immune system.

Adrenal Glands

You have two adrenal glands; they are located immediately above your kidneys. Assessing adrenal gland health is very important if you suffer from autoimmune disease. This is because these glands produce a natural steroid (much like the steroids that are prescribed to patients with autoimmune disease). This steroid is called cortisol and it helps regulate immune system function. This is a perfect example of how one system in the body helps support the normal function of an entirely different system. This would be an example of the endocrine system supporting normal function of the immune system. You need to take an integrative medicine approach to autoimmunity. Not only understanding how systems overlap but how to support them.

Hormones

Women are affected by autoimmune disease much more often than men are. Hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone influence immune function. These hormones, just like cortisol mentioned above, are part of the endocrine system. Assessing and properly managing hormone balance is very important if you suffer with autoimmune disease.

As you can see, there is a great deal you could be doing to help manage your autoimmune disease. Traditional medicine usually recommends immune-crushing medications and a wait and watch approach. I do not consider this to be the best approach. Also, consider the fact that once you develop one autoimmune disease you become are much more likely to develop others.

If you are waiting for traditional medicine to discover a cure for your autoimmune disease, you are deceiving yourself. No cures have been discovered for the heart disease, cancer or diabetes and researchers have been working on these diseases for decades. Why is that? It is because these conditions are chronic diseases; just like autoimmunity. Researches know even less about autoimmunity than these conditions; so, I would not encourage you to wait for the “cure.”

It’s your health and your body. The choices you make today, will directly impact your health tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of having a better tomorrow, a better future. Yours will be determined by what you do today…what will it look like?

If you would like more information about autoimmune disease and functional medicine or Dr. Sexton contact our Naperville office or go to www.napervilleintegratedwelness.com to learn more.

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources and organizations.

This approach to healthcare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. Why is this? The FDA enforces its position that these words can only be used with drugs. This approach does not use drugs.