There is a lot of mystery surrounding the subject of autoimmune disorders. The term casts a wide net and involves a variety of symptoms and conditions. It’s not easily defined or diagnosed. That’s why I wanted to answer a few common questions regarding autoimmune disorders.
What are the symptoms of autoimmune disorders?
Do I have an undiagnosed autoimmune disease?
Can autoimmune disorders be cured?
Are autoimmune conditions fatal?
Before I dive into these questions, let me tell you that both my wife and mother have autoimmune conditions. It has given me a very up-close and personal window into the implications of the condition in daily life. Helping people learn to navigate life with an autoimmune disorder is something I’ve dedicated much of my life and career to.
Let’s start with the simplest question: What exactly is autoimmune disorder?
In the simplest terms: Autoimmune disorders are illnesses caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissues. It happens when the body's natural defense system can't tell the difference between your own cells and foreign cells - causing the body to mistakenly attack normal cells. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases that affect a wide range of body parts such as crohn's, celiac, chronic urticaria, eczema, psoriasis, Graves’ disease, Multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto thyroiditis, Pernicious anemia, Myasthenia gravis, and more.
What are the symptoms of autoimmune disorders?
This is where it gets a little tricky. The symptoms of autoimmunity typically get worse slowly, over a 5-15 year period and standard testing typically doesn't pick up on it until it's very late in the game. Depending on the tissue being attacked by the immune system, symptoms can range from: fatigue, joint pain and swelling, skin problems, abdominal pain, recurring fever, swollen glands, sluggishness, increased sensitivity to cold, increased sleepiness, dry skin, constipation, muscle weakness, muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness, joint pain and stiffness, oral ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation are some of the most common symptoms of autoimmune disorders.
Unfortunately, most people don’t give enough value to these symptoms or listen to what their body is trying to tell them. They ignore the signs that something is wrong and blame themselves for what they are feeling or try to cover up the symptoms.
Maybe you run a low-grade fever for a week, and everyone says, “Well, you must have caught the bug that’s going around.” But you know that this is the third time you’ve had a fever in the last six weeks.
Maybe you feel lethargic and fatigued and everyone just says, “You’re a parent and not in your 20s anymore, what did you expect?”
Maybe our joints hurt constantly, but everyone says, “Welcome to getting older!”
Maybe you run tests and they come back negative.
Autoimmune disorders can be frustrating and very hard to pin down and diagnose.
For instance, it takes an average of 10 years to be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s from the start of the autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland, to the moment you have a clear diagnosis.
Why? First, the nature of the condition doesn’t make it easy to get a fast and clear diagnosis. Additionally, most conventional medicine doctors only test the patient's TSH, which is actually a PITUITARY marker and is inconclusive for determining thyroid function, much less if there's thyroid autoimmunity.
The unfortunate part is that elevation of TSH often isn’t apparent until late in the game of thyroid autoimmunity, but this test is the standard of care. Time is of the essence so the longer your immune system is overactive and undetected, the more thyroid damage is occuring and the likelihood of you developing hashimoto's gets higher and higher.
Can autoimmune disorders be cured?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for autoimmune disorders. If you have an autoimmune disorder, it is with you for life. For many people, receiving this diagnosis makes them feel discouraged or hopeless when the label “autoimmune disorder” is placed upon them because of this fact.
If that’s you, here’s what I want you to know: While you may never be able to cure your condition, there are countless things you can do to manage and relieve symptoms and even place it into remission. Your quality of life can drastically improve if you know how to properly care for your body. I’ve seen it time and time again with hundreds of my clients and in the lives of my own family members.
Are autoimmune diseases fatal?
Living with an autoimmune condition is not the end of the world. It’s not cancer and it’s not terminal. You can still live a happy, full, energetic life if you learn to understand your body and manage your symptoms. That’s the important part. Far too many people suffer through uncomfortable and even painful symptoms that drastically decrease their quality of life because they don’t know how to effectively manage their symptoms and naturally support their bodies. That’s one of the things I’m most passionate about: Guiding people through the process of understanding their bodies, removing trigger foods, addressing chronic underlying infections, getting conclusive answers through strategic testing, and making diet and lifestyle adjustments.
Do I have an undiagnosed autoimmune disease?
This brings us to the final question that you’re probably asking yourself: Do I have an undiagnosed autoimmune disease?
If you have talked to your doctor about the symptoms you’re dealing with, run tests, and received negative results, you may find yourself frustrated. You shouldn't have to suffer and sit around waiting for your condition to “get bad enough” before you can prove and treat the illness. Without proper care, the immune system may go rogue and attack different parts of the body, which will increase your risk of developing other autoimmune conditions. And while there are other tests that could potentially give you a clear diagnosis more quickly, I’m going to be honest, they are expensive.
This brings us to the all-important question: Is a clear diagnosis necessary?
Do you have to wait years for your TSH levels to show up on a test? Do you need to spend years going from one specialist to another trying to get a clear diagnosis? Is it necessary to spend thousands of dollars on expensive tests?
Hell no.
When it comes to autoimmune disorders, there is no need to spend years of your life looking for one concise label. These conditions are murky, filled with a wide variety of symptoms, and not easily tested for. They are also incurable.
But here’s the good news: The protocol and treatment path is almost the same across the board. Chasing labels and named diagnosis can waste years and precious money when there is absolutely no downside to implementing the healthy lifestyle changes that could bring it into remission.
My advice? If you are exhibiting symptoms of an autoimmune condition and you have a gut feeling that you are dealing with one, make lifestyle changes and care for yourself as if you do. What are the side effects of going ahead and getting on a natural treatment plan like the one I use with my clients? Longer life. Better skin. Slimmer waistline. More energy. Increased sex drive and productivity. Mental clarity.
No downsides here.
I’m not saying don’t go to your doctor. Please do. Run the labs, keep an eye on your and stay under medical supervision. But don’t wait around for one set of lab results before making lifestyle changes. In my experience, lifestyle changes have the most potential to bring your condition into remission, manage or eliminate symptoms, and help you achieve a high quality of life. With strategic lifestyle interventions and taking a “root cause approach” to prevent the progression of the condition, you can minimize the damage and discomfort of the disease. If you’re interested in getting to the root of your symptoms and naturally managing your health, I’d love to help.
Click here to apply to speak directly to me so I can assure you're a good fit for this approach. It's a Free Discovery Call so there's nothing to lose and everything to gain.
