What Is Autoimmune Disease?
An autoimmune disease develops when the body’s immune system becomes confused and attacks its own tissues. Rates of autoimmune disease have exploded in the last 50 years. One in five Americans suffers from an autoimmune disease, and conventional medicine has relatively few options for treatment, usually involving heavy duty medications which only manage the symptoms, and sometimes with serious potential side effects.
Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Type I diabetes, scleroderma, and more. There are around 100 identified autoimmune diseases, and symptoms can range from mildly annoying to deadly. Even the long-haul COVID symptoms are now believed by many, including Chris Kresser, to be autoimmune in nature.
Functional medicine can help prevent (with earlier detection) and reverse (with lifestyle changes) these conditions, and health coaching can be a big part of that process. As noted in another article on my site, genetics may predispose you to an autoimmune disease, but it’s your environment which is the actual trigger.
There are several potential triggers to the development of autoimmune disease, but topping the list is an unhealthy gut. Think of the gut as the entire distance between your mouth and your anus. The thing is, we can have an unhealthy gut before we even know it. By the time we have symptoms (whether it’s belching, bloating, gas, yeast infections, or full-blown autoimmunity), the gut is already way out of whack. Much of the gut issues come from eating the Standard American Diet, which is low in nutrients and highly inflammatory. The good news is that a health coach can help you understand how to make these dietary changes, and these alone can decrease symptoms and restore quality of life!
If you’re suffering and want to make changes to feel better, but don’t know how or where to start, I can help!
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