Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune diseases affect millions of people every year and that number keeps growing. While there isn’t a consensus as to why autoimmune diseases are on the rise, chances are it’s due to several different factors, which may vary from person to person to cause the immune system to overreact.

Autoimmunity happens when the immune system mistakes the body for a pathogen and begins attacking healthy tissue. There are hundreds of different types of autoimmune diseases, and symptoms depend on which tissues are being attacked. For example, rheumatoid arthritis is when the immune system attacks healthy joints, which causes joint swelling and pain.

Another factor particular to autoimmune disease is that they affect women more often than men. It isn’t clear exactly why women are affected more than men when it comes to autoimmune disease.

When your body is attacking itself the immune system creates autoantibodies, which can sometimes be tested for. If you suspect you have an autoimmune disease, it’s a good idea to see a functional medicine doctor sooner rather than later because it can worsen over time.

When it comes to autoimmune disease, there are usually multiple causes that trigger an over reaction, which results in an attack on healthy tissues. Because there are usually multiple contributing factors, it can be a complicated process to pinpoint exactly what the sources are. This is why it’s important to work with a doctor who’s willing to take the necessary time to sift through all the potential contributors so you can create a personalized treatment plan.

With that in mind, there are a few factors known to contribute to autoimmune disease, these include:

• Dysbiosis (gut microbiome imbalance)
• Leaky gut
• Environmental toxin exposure
• Infections
• Excessive use of antibiotics
• Very poor diet
• Chemotherapy
• Certain prescription drugs
• Mold exposure

To successfully treat autoimmune disease, you must identify factors that are contributing to your immune system dysregulation. If you take medications for autoimmune symptoms, they simply mask the issue and can make it harder to know exactly what’s going on. This can perpetuate the condition and make treating the underlying condition more difficult.

This is why we recommend looking for the root cause of autoimmune disease. When we systematically go through potential causes and work to correct and reverse each, only then can patients experience a boost in health and return to life.

If you think you have an autoimmune disease, ask yourself which of these above factors could be contributing to your issues. Take the necessary steps to reduce the impact of each on your life and make an appointment with a functional medicine doctor who specializes in autoimmune diseases immediately.

There are over a hundred autoimmune diseases, but here are some of the most common:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Psoriasis
• Systemic lupus
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Addison’s disease
• Graves disease
• Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

For a complete list of autoimmune diseases, you can visit the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association website.

Because there are a variety of autoimmune diseases that differ depending on which tissues are being attacked, there is no one symptom that unifies all autoimmune diseases. In fact, because autoimmune diseases involve the immune system, symptoms are often multisystem, which can be very confusing.

Untreated autoimmune disease can become more difficult to treat down the road. If you’ve already been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, you should seek out a functional medicine doctor who has expertise and experience with your particular disorder. At Jellison Integrative MD we have experience in treating autoimmune disease.

There is good news when it comes to autoimmune disease – in many cases, it is possible to completely reverse autoimmune conditions. Sometimes there are ways to live with an autoimmune disease so that it causes minimal interference in your life.

Autoimmune disease treatment looks different for everyone, but one place we always start is with your gut health. Because the gut is largely responsible for your immune system regulation, we must start the healing process there first.

First, we check for any underlying gut conditions and work to heal things like leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut happens when the junctions of your gastrointestinal lining become loose and allow particles to flow into your bloodstream. This causes widespread inflammation and immune system dysregulation. As you can imagine, for us to restore balance to your immune system we must restore balance here first.

We also take a full history and find areas where we can reduce stress on the body, while maximizing healing processes. Again, this process looks a little different for everyone, which is why functional medicine is a great approach for battling autoimmune disease. Next, we work to rebuild gut health. This usually includes a specialized diet, supplements, treatments, and therapy.

Together we will make sure you completely understand what’s going on every step of the way so you feel supported and never lost.

When it comes to autoimmune disease, we recommend you find a functional medicine doctor who specializes in autoimmune disease treatment. Because autoimmune disease completely depends upon a person’s individual biochemistry, it’s important you find a doctor who’s willing to take the necessary time to personalize your treatment approach.

If you are looking for a functional medicine doctor in Kansas City who specializes in autoimmune disease, Dr. Jellison, MD and Dr. Reicherter, MD of Jellison Integrative MD have years of experience in treating autoimmune disease. Not only have they successfully reversed autoimmune disease in many of their patients, they take pride in ensuring you have support every step of the way so you can successfully implement necessary lifestyle changes, which help you live a healthy and fulfilling life.