Autoimmune Disease

A condition within the body, where the immune system overreact to a particular organ or tissue in the body, as if the body is attacking itself.

Hashimoto’s Disease is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the skeletal muscles. Diabetes type-1, is an autoimmune disease of the pancreas. There are over 80 identified types of autoimmune diseases. These diseases may often take years to be diagnosed, with the patient going from one physician to the next. Typical diagnosis is made with laboratory or other diagnostic testing procedures.

Within the medical community there is no explanation why someone might develop an autoimmune disorder, however women are diagnosed much more commonly than men.

The standard treatments commonly recommended within the traditional medical community is to take prescribed steroids, whenever a flare up occurs. Sometimes other prescriptive medications may be recommended and when so, these are usually for life.

However

There are newer options for individuals diagnosed with auto immune disorders.

New laboratory testing may now assist functional medicine specialists in the underlying root causes of autoimmune disease. I say causes, specifically, as there is likely to be multiple contributing factors to the triggers of autoimmune flair-ups or the disease itself.

Even more promising, the functional lab tests additionally provide the functional medicine doctor with information of a possible impending autoimmune disease with the detection of “predictive antibodies”. The presence of these antibodies may provide the doctor and patient a window to the future development of an autoimmune disease 10 to 15 years in the future. This testing is very important when a family history of an autoimmune disease is reported.

If you or a loved one has an autoimmune disease, there is hope to reverse or certainly improve the condition and enjoy a quality of life free from a lifetime of flair ups and prescriptive medications.

Call our offices and request to schedule a functional medicine consult. Become an empowered patient by being proactive, preventative and in control of your health.