Autoimmune Support: Calming the Immune System Naturally
Autoimmune diseases occur when your immune system attacks your own tissues. While conventional medicine focuses on suppressing the immune response, functional medicine asks why it's activated in the first place.
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Understanding Autoimmunity
Your immune system is designed to attack foreign invaders while leaving your own tissues alone. In autoimmune disease, this recognition fails — the immune system mistakes self as enemy.
Gut-Immune Link
70-80% of your immune system lives in your gut. Gut dysfunction is central to autoimmunity.
Inflammation Driver
Autoimmunity involves chronic inflammation that damages tissues and causes symptoms.
Food Triggers
Certain foods can trigger or exacerbate autoimmune flares through molecular mimicry or inflammation.
Stress Connection
Chronic stress dysregulates immune function and often triggers autoimmune flares.
Common Autoimmune Conditions
The Triad of Autoimmunity
Researcher Alessio Fasano's work identified three factors that must be present for autoimmune disease to develop:
Genetic Predisposition
You have genes that increase susceptibility. However, genes alone don't cause autoimmunity — they simply load the gun. Environment pulls the trigger.
Environmental Trigger
Something activates those genes — infections, toxins, food proteins, stress. Identifying and removing triggers is key to calming autoimmunity.
Intestinal Permeability
Leaky gut allows triggers access to the immune system. This is the factor you have the most control over.
Important Note
Autoimmune diseases are serious medical conditions. Work with qualified practitioners. Don't stop prescribed medications without medical guidance. Holistic approaches work alongside, not instead of, appropriate medical care.
Common Triggers
Leaky Gut
Intestinal permeability may be a prerequisite for autoimmune development
Gluten
Triggers zonulin release, opening tight junctions in the gut
Molecular Mimicry
Food proteins or pathogens that resemble body tissues
Chronic Infections
EBV, herpes viruses, and bacteria linked to autoimmune onset
Toxins
Heavy metals, mold, chemicals trigger immune dysregulation
Chronic Stress
Dysregulates immune function and triggers flares
The Functional Medicine Approach
Heal the Gut
Address leaky gut, dysbiosis, and infections. The gut is ground zero for autoimmunity — healing it is often the single most impactful intervention.
Identify Food Triggers
Elimination diet (often AIP — autoimmune protocol) to find personal triggers. What triggers one person may not affect another.
Remove Gluten
Gluten drives intestinal permeability and is problematic for most with autoimmunity — not just those with celiac disease.
Reduce Inflammation
Anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle to calm the immune response. Inflammation perpetuates the autoimmune cycle.
Manage Stress
Stress reduction is critical. The nervous system directly influences immune function. Many flares are triggered by stressful events.
Address Infections
Identify and address chronic infections that may be driving immune activation. EBV reactivation is particularly common in autoimmune conditions.
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
AIP is an elimination diet designed for autoimmune conditions. It removes foods most likely to trigger immune reactions, then systematically reintroduces them.
Foods Eliminated
Foods Emphasized
Supportive Supplements
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