Natural Treatments for Autoimmune Disease: What You Need to Know

Autoimmune diseases, a perplexing group of conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own healthy cells, have left many searching for answers. Specifically, what are the best natural treatments for autoimmune disease?

In this post, I dive deep into the world of natural treatments for autoimmune diseases, shedding light on how these conditions develop and the current thinking behind them.

We explore the intricate workings of the immune system, with its two divisions: one for emergencies and another for chronic problems. Chronic inflammation often takes center stage as the suspected root cause of various ailments, including autoimmune diseases, but is it the full story, and what are the best natural treatments for autoimmune diseases?

Don’t worry, I answer all your questions!

What are autoimmune diseases and how do they develop?

The current thinking is autoimmune diseases occur because there’s a malfunction in a person’s immune system causing it to attack its own healthy cells. The immune system is designed to defend the body against foreign invaders that cause disease and infection. It’s also designed to heal the body when damage has happened, like a wound or broken bone.

You can think of your immune system as having two different divisions, one for emergencies and one for chronic problems.

The emergency division of your immune system (actually called the innate immune system) works fast but isn’t very good at targeting specific invaders. This is the part of the immune system that gets turned on when you get a cut. Have you ever noticed the skin around the cut will swell and heat up? That is your immune system at work keeping foreign invaders at bay and the inflammation is triggered to bring healing nutrients to the cut.

The chronic problems part of your immune system gets turned on when the emergency workers are done. This is the brains of the operation. It is called the adaptive immune system. The adaptive immune system is specialized and can target specific invaders. It will create memory cells to remember how to attack and destroy each individual invader so when you come in contact with it again, no biggie.

Your immune system will lessen the inflammation as your body heals and once healed the inflammation resolves as well. The problem comes in when the inflammation doesn’t stop because the body hasn’t healed.

Researchers say that systemic chronic inflammation is the root cause of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, digestive disorders, mental illnesses, some cancers, and autoimmune diseases. The problem with saying this is… that’s not the root cause.

Chronic inflammation doesn’t just happen, there’s a root cause to it. Actually, there are many root causes including diet, stress and environmental toxins.

The pharmaceutical companies and traditional medicine have taken the theory of chronic inflammation being the root cause and run with it. There are a multitude of medicines to decrease inflammation, covering up your symptoms. You go to the doctor looking for a fix and they tell you it is caused by chronic inflammation, and that you have to decrease the inflammation to get better. They then prescribe a medication causing you to be a customer for life.

Blaming chronic health problems on inflammation is a good theory, but it just doesn’t go deep enough. Yes, inflammation can cause pain, stiffness and feelings of being uncomfortable, but inflammation isn’t the culprit. There is another underlying root cause that needs to be addressed to allow the immune system to finish its job. Once the immune system has finished, the inflammation will resolve on its own.

I said that the cause of autoimmune diseases is a malfunction in the immune system is the current thinking because I don’t fully buy that. There’s research to back that up, but science changes all the time and I feel deep down, that will change. I have a hard time believing our bodies malfunction; they’re created too perfectly. I think there is another mechanism at work in the body that when root causes are present, the body reacts a certain way that is consistent with an autoimmune disease. So maybe it’s just the wording that I have a problem with… but that’s besides the point.

Autoimmune diseases usually present themselves when two to three traumas have occurred around the same timeframe.

The traumas can be from a physical event, emotional event, or chemical event. Examples of traumas are a car accident with a broken bone, stress from the loss of a family member, or exposure to pesticides. There are lots of traumas your body can be exposed to without you even knowing, which makes it hard to heal.

About 25% of people that have been diagnosed with one autoimmune disease will be diagnosed with at least two or more. That’s because the underlying trauma that triggered the autoimmune disease is still present and wreaking havoc.

What natural treatments for autoimmune diseases are available?

Traditional medicine and traditional medicine practitioners have a whole host of prescription medicines to help treat autoimmune diseases. Well I shouldn’t say treat, it’s really just covering up symptoms. You go to the doctor, they diagnose you and match your symptoms with medication. The medication will usually be an anti-inflammatory or immune suppressant, or both.

You take that medication until it stops working then you go back to the doctor and get a different medication. You may also have other symptoms at that time so the doctor prescribes another medication.

The cycle continues for life, because once the pharmaceutical company has you as a customer, they want to keep you as a customer. Their medication isn’t designed to heal you, just cover up your symptoms so if you stop taking the medication, the symptoms will come back. You don’t want the symptoms back so you keep taking the medicine.

In the past, you may have asked your doctor what you can do to get off the medication, but the sad truth is most doctors don’t know how to get you off the medication. They haven’t been trained on getting to the root cause to help their patients heal. Most traditional medicine doctors have very good intentions, they just get very limited training on healing the body in school. If they recognize they don’t know how to heal, they have to get the training on their own.

If you’ve asked your doctor, you may have heard that diet and lifestyle changes might help, but you were not given any direction on where to start. You may have even heard that diet and lifestyle don’t help at all so why bother changing.

That’s far from the truth.

Your body is designed to thrive when given the opportunity.

Diet and lifestyle changes are the cornerstone to natural treatments for autoimmune diseases. Instead of the practitioner telling you it’s not worth it, a holistic wellness practitioner will encourage, support and guide you in making the diet and lifestyle changes needed to heal your body.

The right holistic wellness practitioner will individualize your program to meet your specific needs. You may have been diagnosed with the same autoimmune disorder as your bestie, but each of you is different and each of you will have your own root cause driving the diagnosis.

Once the holistic wellness practitioner determines your root cause, natural treatments will be recommended. Natural treatments for autoimmune diseases focus on removing the root cause and decreasing inflammation. Once that is determined and removed, healing can then begin using a variety of treatments.

I’m a dietitian at heart, so in my practice, natural treatments for autoimmune diseases start with a change in diet. Your diet is the building blocks of your body. Most people eat food on a daily basis that increases inflammation and chances are, you are too. I help my clients remove the foods causing inflammation and help you build a diet that induces healing.

Natural treatments for autoimmune diseases don’t stop with diet, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Lifestyle must be addressed. Within lifestyle, there are many different areas to focus on including stress, environmental toxins, mental and emotional health, and physical activity.

In my practice, I help each client focus on what is needed most for healing. You may need to focus on your diet and your physical activity, but your bestie with the same autoimmune disease may need more help with mental and emotional health and to learn stress management skills.

Early in my career, I struggled with anxiety. Long story short, I healed myself with natural treatments. I used diet, targeted nutrients, positive affirmations and breathwork. I saw how powerful the breath was in my healing that I became a certified breathwork coach. I teach my clients how to use their breath to foster healing, slow the mind, and allow the body to do what it is naturally designed to do… thrive.

How effective are natural treatments for autoimmune diseases?

It is said that there’s no cure for autoimmune diseases.

Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know.

But what I do know is:

Using natural treatments for autoimmune disease helps send them into remission.

You can think of an autoimmune disease like a plant with a root system. Let’s say your symptoms are the plant… what you see above the ground. That part may be big or small but what feeds it and makes it grow is the root system… what you can’t see underground.

Traditional medicine only focuses on the part you can see… the plant. Your doctor may prescribe you medicine to cover up or cut down the plant but it will still keep growing because it’s being fed by the root system underneath. That root system will do all it can to come to the surface and create a plant, maybe even creating a plant in a new area (aka new symptoms that your doctor will prescribe more medicine for).

That’s the beauty of holistic wellness and functional nutrition, the root system is addressed. When the root system is pulled up and removed, there’s no need to cover up the plant anymore because it’s no longer growing. And even better, you will remove the other plants popping up like weeds that you feel are out of control.

Natural treatments for autoimmune diseases can be very effective if the root is found and removed. Most holistic wellness practitioners will have a detailed and thorough assessment to ask specific questions leading them to the root.

Are natural treatments safe for everyone with autoimmune diseases?

Almost all natural treatments for autoimmune diseases are safe for everyone.

The use of diet changes, lifestyle changes, removing toxins and improving mental and emotional health are safe for people of all ages and disease states.

There may be some recommendations for treatments and supplements that may be unsafe for pregnant women, nursing women or children. But in most cases, children can decrease the dosage of supplements to remain safe to take.

There are some breathwork techniques that aren’t safe for pregnant women, but I don’t usually utilize those in my practice.

How does diet affect autoimmune diseases?

If you take the analogy of the root system and the plant, the root system feeds the plant, but something has to feed the root system. In a normal plant, water and nutrients in the soil feed the root system and plant. In your body, there are multiple sources of food for the root system of an autoimmune disease, food being one of them. What you eat has a direct impact on how you feel because food feeds everything in your body.

If you are eating food that provides the immune system plenty of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and water, the immune system will have the nutrients needed to defend itself from the traumas that may trigger an autoimmune disease.

On the other hand, if you are eating a standard American diet (appropriately named S.A.D.), then your diet can become a trauma event itself and contribute to triggering your autoimmune disease. The S.A.D. is known to cause inflammation and not provide enough vitamins and minerals. (spoiler alert… the food industry that sells you the food that fits into the S.A.D. isn’t in it for your health… just your wallet).

How does stress impact autoimmune diseases?

Stress?? What is that? I am always cool, calm, collected, and chill!

JK, I’m a hot mess most of the time!

Stress is inevitable but we all know it’s harmful to our health. Your doctor may even say you need to reduce your stress.

First of all, that’s not helpful.

Second of all, how is that even possible??

You will always have stress, it’s not going anywhere. Instead of telling you to reduce your stress, I will teach you how to respond to stress.

The nervous system is the major control center for thought processing, communication and homeostasis in your body. There are several parts of the nervous system, each controlling a different process in the body. The autonomic nervous system controls all the processes that are automatic like blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and digestion. There are two divisions of the autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for getting you out of danger. When the sympathetic nervous system is turned on, your heart rate and breathing rate increase to deliver more blood and oxygen to the muscles and parts of the brain and body systems that will get you out of danger quickly. In turn, less blood and oxygen are delivered to the parts of the brain and body that aren’t needed for immediate survival. This part of the nervous system is called Fight or Flight because when that lion is chasing you, you will either turn and fight it or run!

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for relaxing your body. When the parasympathetic nervous system is turned on, heart rate slows, breathing slows, and muscles relax. The processes in the body that are not needed for immediate survival also get turned back on, like digestion, growth hormone and tissue repair. This part of the nervous system is called Rest and Digest because you aren’t able to do either unless you are in the parasympathetic part of your nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system is turned on during times of stress and with different emotions such as anger, fear, worry, anxiety and sadness. In our world, and with stress not going anywhere anytime soon, you may be living in a state of constant fight or flight. Autoimmune diseases cause both emotional and physical responses that trigger the sympathetic nervous system to stay turned on. When the sympathetic nervous system continues to stay on, processes like digestion, tissue repair and the reproductive system struggle to work properly. Also, the front part of your brain doesn’t get used as well. This is the part of the brain that helps us think clearly and respond instead of react.

The constant stress, fear, anxiety and worry about what the future holds while you suffer with an autoimmune disease is not helping your situation and will only make it worse if you aren’t taught how to respond to stress.

What alternative therapies can help with autoimmune diseases?

First, you have to know the types of therapies available for autoimmune disease.

In our society, we lean very heavily on conventional therapies through traditional medicine. These therapies include prescription medication, surgery and physical therapy for symptom management, chemotherapy and radiation for cancer treatment, and talk therapy for mental health.

For treating autoimmune diseases, the preferred treatment is prescription medication. If that is not recommended right away, your doctor may tell you to wait until your symptoms get worse, then prescribe a prescription medication. The medications recommended for autoimmune diseases focus on decreasing inflammation and suppressing your immune system.

The other option available is alternative therapies. The difference between the two is in the approach. Conventional therapies focus on symptom management in the affected area. Whereas alternative therapies address the person as a whole being aiming to restore, rebalance, and foster the bodies innate ability to heal.

There are hundreds of different alternative therapies available. I believe most people either don’t know or have forgotten the simplest requirements for the body to function properly so that is what I choose to help you focus on. Most basic alternative therapies are free or cost very little. Obviously, my favorites are using food as medicine and breathwork. Among others, I also use the power of positive thinking, detoxes, mindfulness, lifestyle changes, building community and finding spiritual connection.

One of the simplest forms of therapy now deemed as alternative is rest.

Most traditional medicine doctors don’t mention the need for rest and overlook its power, but having true rest is profound to a body in need of healing. The trick for someone with an autoimmune disease, is learning how to rest properly and restoratively.

The most popular forms of alternative therapies in the U.S. are acupuncture, massage therapy, and using herbs and supplements.

• Acupuncture is the use of tiny needles inserted into the skin to treat health problems. Once inserted, the practitioner can manipulate the needles with movement. The movement stimulates energy flow in the body allowing for energy and life giving healing to flow into the areas needing healing.
  
• Who doesn’t want a massage? Most of us probably don’t see that as an alternative therapy, just a good ole spa day. But massage therapists are trained to manipulate muscles to relieve tension and allow for the flow of energy and healing. Another benefit of massage therapy is to relax the body and allow the nervous system to switch into the parasympathetic mode. This will release feel good hormones and give you a deep sense of wellbeing and satisfaction.
  
• Herbs and supplements are a staple to alternative therapies. In our fast paced, energy and nutrient draining way of life and way of eating, most people become deficient in nutrients the body needs to properly function. Herbs and supplements can help fill in the gap to replenish what may be missing.
  
  • Supplements are usually individual nutrients or a combination of individual nutrients that have been studied and shown to produce certain benefits in health. Most practitioners will recommend supplements as a compliment to their personalized protocols.
    
  • Herbs are the whole leaf or plant. When using herbs, there will be many different nutrients consumed, not just individual ones like with supplements. Many practitioners recommend herbs but there are practitioners that have special training to become herbalists. They have a deeper level of understanding of how to heal with herbs.

Are there lifestyle changes that can help treat autoimmune diseases?

What’s Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity?

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

If your life after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease has not changed from before being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, don’t expect any different results. Your body can’t heal in the same environment in which it became ill.

Taking responsibility for your lifestyle is a choice. You can become response-able in how you choose to live your life. Every choice will bring you closer or farther from how you ultimately want to live. Once you recognize you have the power to control your health, choices become more clear.

All that to say, yes there are lifestyle changes that can help naturally treat autoimmune diseases.

If you’re like the typical American, you’re living with a packed schedule feeling like you’re just barely keeping your head above the water. You feel like you’re doing too much but not doing enough. And in all you do, you feel like you’re not doing it good enough.

After you’ve downed your coffee to get you going in the morning, your breakfast consists of a bowl of cereal or a bar, if you even eat anything at all. Lunch is rushed and most of the time you just huff it down. The 3pm slump hits right on time so off to the break room you go to get something sweet for a pick me up.

Your mind has been on work and kids after school activities all day so you haven’t even thought about supper… another night of takeout will do right?

Once you finally have time to sit, you scroll through social media for way too long to see how perfect all your friends’ lives are, leaving you feeling left out, alone, not enough, and completely discontent.

You toss and turn to fall asleep and once you finally do, your internal 2am alarm goes off and your mind is reeling. You can’t shut it off for a couple hours, giving you only two more hours of sleep before your actual alarm goes off. Then you get to start over and do it all again.

Now if that doesn’t create stress, I don’t know what will.

Ok that may be a tad bit dramatic but some of you are saying that’s not dramatic enough. You may identify with parts of that, or you may identify with all of it. Either way, if you identify with some of this, you can make some lifestyle changes that will dramatically improve your autoimmune disease.

Most lifestyle changes needed will be to help your response to stressful situations. You may not be able to immediately unload all your tasks, and maybe you don’t need to unload any of them. But how you respond to them needs to change.

Changing your diet, mindset, breathing habits, and some simple daily activities will make a profound difference in how you respond to stressful situations improving your autoimmune disease.

How long does it take to see results from natural treatments for autoimmune diseases?

We always want the quick fix, but healing from an autoimmune disease is a marathon not a sprint. Most natural treatments for autoimmune diseases will provide pretty quick results but healing will take months to years even. It’s definitely a journey.

In my practice, I measure improvements with a questionnaire called a symptom survey. It’s a long list of symptoms you may be suffering from that helps me know where you may be needing help or lifestyle changes. It gives me a number on a scale from 0-252 (I know, it’s a lot). For most of my clients, the number on the symptom survey will be reduced by about half after just two weeks. It’s pretty amazing! I love seeing how good people feel so quickly!

As time goes by, and more changes and improvements are made, you will notice your health continuing to improve.

Can natural treatments be used in conjunction with traditional medicine treatments for autoimmune diseases?

There are multiple schools of thought.

The extremes are traditional medicine and alternative medicine. Traditional medicine is just that, traditional medicine which focuses on symptom management and is medication based. Alternative medicine is using anything but prescription medicine.

Integrative medicine is the school of thought that integrates the two extremes (get it…integrate-ive). When you find a good integrative wellness practitioner, they will have multiple modes of treatments including prescription medication and natural treatments.

I tend to prefer the natural treatments, but I will refer clients to medical practitioners for a prescription medicine if needed.

Are there any potential risks for side effects associated with natural treatments for autoimmune diseases?

That may take some clarifying to define the word treatment.

No, there will not be side effects to treatments that bring your body back into the balance it naturally should be in. Examples of these treatments would be nutrition changes, rest, mindset, breathing properly and spiritual connection.

There potentially can be side effects to other natural treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy, and even taking herbs and supplements. Each person’s natural reaction to those will be different. Some people may not tolerate certain herbs and supplements well, therefore will have to stop taking them. Although side effects are rare and will go away when the herb or supplement is stopped, the chance is still there.

Side effects from acupuncture and massage therapy are a little higher due to the treatments being more invasive. Therapists are people too and make mistakes. Those treatments come with risks but again, the side effects are rare.

How can I find a qualified practitioner who specializes in natural treatments for autoimmune diseases?

If you are interested in finding a practitioner who specializes in natural treatments for autoimmune diseases (and don’t want to use me of course!), there are several ways to find a qualified practitioner. And if you don’t find one in your area, remember many practitioners practice remotely now so don’t give up. If you do find someone remotely, make sure you will get good quality time with that practitioner and you won’t just be following a program they developed without any one-on-one time (unless you know that going into it and that’s what you’re looking for).

• You can search for the terms Integrative practitioner/dietitian/doctor, functional practitioner/dietitian/doctor, holistic practitioner/dietitian/doctor, or root cause practitioner/dietitian/doctor in your area to see if you have any local practitioners. Searching for a dietitian will ensure you have a strong focus on nutrition and will receive more guidance in this area. Many practitioners will just give a handout and not give individualized guidance on nutrition so make sure you know what you get in advance.
  
• The Institute for Functional Medicine and the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy both have a practitioner search database. Practitioners who have completed the certification process and have requested their information be shared get listed in the database. Not all practitioners who have completed the training, though, will be listed because usually there is a certification route and a non-certification route. The only difference is a test at the end of the training.
  
• You can join Facebook groups centered around certain autoimmune disease topics to ask questions from others that have found healing with the advice from natural medicine practitioners.

Autoimmune diseases are complex conditions characterized by the immune system attacking healthy cells, and they often result from chronic inflammation.

While the medical field typically addresses these conditions with pharmaceuticals aimed at managing symptoms, natural treatments offer a more comprehensive approach to address the root causes of autoimmune diseases.

Natural treatments, which encompass dietary changes, stress management, environmental toxin avoidance, and mental and emotional well-being, can play a pivotal role in managing autoimmune diseases. Working with a qualified functional nutritionist can make a significant difference as they focus on personalized, holistic healing. These practitioners, like the one who authored this article, aim to identify the underlying root causes and tailor treatment to your specific needs, fostering long-term healing and improved quality of life.

It’s important to remember that natural treatments can lead to remission and enhanced well-being but may require time and commitment. Healing from autoimmune diseases is a marathon, not a sprint. To embark on this journey towards better health, consider collaborating with a skilled functional nutritionist who can guide you through the intricate process of addressing your unique needs and restoring balance in your body.

The decision to embrace natural treatments and work with a dedicated practitioner is a powerful step towards achieving a healthier and more vibrant life.

Don’t hesitate to take that step today!

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