Autoimmune disease

How do you support people with autoimmune disease at Collective Health Center? 

As humans, our bodies have naturally created their own line of defense against illnesses such as colds, flus, allergies, etc. known as our immune system. When working properly, our immune system keeps the rest of our bodies functioning to their optimal capacity. But when out of sync, our immune system cannot differentiate between internal and external elements going on within the body and in turn will attack itself. When our immune system starts to attack itself, it is fighting off the healthy cells that are trying to protect it, this is where we get what is known as autoimmune diseases. The autoimmune diseases that I see with my patients range from the more commonly known, such as Celiac disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, to less commonly known such as Behcet's Disease and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease.

The Many Facets of Autoimmune Disease

Though there are many culprits of autoimmune disease, we still do not understand one single cause. Everything from our genes, bacterial makeup, pharmaceutical drug intake, to even our childhood traumas can be a factor as to why our immune system is fighting itself and contributing to disease. As a Naturopathic Doctor I take a holistic approach and I work with my patients to identify the triggering factors of their autoimmune disease. For example, I work with patients to help their bodies to release burdens and help provide immune support so that their system is working with them rather than against them.

It’s one thing to find the source of an autoimmune disease, however it's another to work with the body as a whole to make sure it heals itself. With Celiac disease, our body’s immune system works against itself when consuming gluten – but my approach is not to just tell you to stop eating gluten. My approach works with your body, lifestyle, and mindset to help your body rebuild and heal itself in addition to cutting out the toxic glutens harming you. More common than not, autoimmune diseases are brought on by more than one factor. Identifying ALL contributing factors to immune imbalance is the best approach to help you for the long term.

The Bucket Concept in Autoimmune Disease

One of my mentors, Dr. William Rea, used a bucket metaphor to describe contributing factors of diseases to his patients. I borrow this from him to explain my approach to my patients. Our immune system is the bucket – it contains some things that we cannot change like our genes. We fill our buckets to help modulate how our genes function with things like nutritional support and healthy lifestyles – which can be pretty empowering to us. However external factors such as allergens/elevated histamines, imbalanced gut microbiome, viruses, trauma, medication, chronic stress, hormone imbalances, alcohol, cigarettes, and others can fill aggravating our immune system function. In short, by working with my patients to identify the state of their immune system – their bucket – and what they are filling it with, we are able to create a plan of action to fill the bucket with more supportive rather than aggravating factors.

Complex Diseases, Whole Person Solutions

While patients with autoimmune disease know what the diseases physically do to their bodies, it is my job to help them understand the whys of it, as well as the how’s to recover from it for the future. For example, a lot of autoimmune diseases make patients feel inclined to slow down or even limit their activity, but in reality, staying active and maintaining exercise helps to support healthy immune function and is one of the most important steps that patients can take to lessen symptoms. I use my role as a Naturopathic Doctor to help my patients find a creative solution to the obstacles and challenges. 

Another important factor that plays into autoimmune diseases is nutrition. As I mentioned before, those with Celiac disease should not consume gluten as it causes digestive issues and immune system attacks on itself. But on the other hand, even though diet and nutrition is not always the cause for a patient’s autoimmune disease, eating a diet that may not work for our body or causes inflammatory reactions can most definitely fill our bucket up in a way that does not support our health. By working with patients to help identify their food sensitivities and intolerances, I am working with them to get on track with a diet that works with their bodies and lifestyles to optimize their health, despite their autoimmune disease.