Autoimmunity occurs when your immune system—your body’s defense against invaders—becomes confused. In other words, your body is fighting something, whether that’s infections, toxins, allergens, or a stress response. But somehow, that immune army can’t distinguish friend from foe. Your own tissue gets caught in friendly crossfire, and your joints, brain, skin, and sometimes your whole body become casualties. I believe in some cases, there can be alternative ways to deal with autoimmune conditions. The problem with conventional medicine is we don’t ask one simple questions: Why is the body out of balance and how do we help it regain balance? Conventional medicine often addresses autoimmune disease with powerful immune-suppressing medication rather than searching for the cause. That’s like taking a lot of aspirin while we stand on a tack. The treatment is not more aspirin or a strong immune suppressant, but removing the tack. Instead, I look for underlying causes. This approach, called functional medicine, is a fundamentally different way of solving medical problems, one that allows us to decipher the origins of illness and identify the disturbances in biology that lead to symptoms. I believe that when you identify the underlying sources of inflammation, you can start to heal the body. These might include things like stress, hidden infections, food allergies or sensitivities, genetic predisposition, and nutrient deficiencies. Finding and eliminating the root cause of autoimmune diseases requires detective work, trial and error, and patience—but the results are worth it. Here are nine strategies I typically implement with my patients looking to find the root of their problem: A functional-medicine practitioner can also look for hidden food allergies, like soy or dairy, with IgG food testing. Alternatively, you might consider my book, The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, which is designed to help you eliminate most food allergens. The easiest way to begin healing your gut involves eating a whole food, anti-inflammatory diet and removing gluten and other food sensitivities.
