Good morning!
I’ve been receiving a bunch of emails from y’all — asking for steps to treat autoimmunity. I know many of you are frustrated with the treatment and advice you’re being given by your Western medicine doctors. Trust me, I was there. I was on steroids and a host of other drugs years ago that did more harm than good — heck, I’m still trying to heal my adrenals from the steroids that shot them down 5 years ago! Trust me, it’s a long process but the sooner you start working with an Integrative MD, the easier and quicker you’ll heal and start seeing results without having to take a prescription drug.
What I’ve noticed lately from my clients is that you are all trying to heal one certain ailment… such as your hormones or your gut or your adrenals, but you need to look at the BIGGER picture. If you’re not getting any better and you’re still exhausted or your skin is dull or you’re putting on weight for no reason — well then you probably have something much bigger going on here. You need a doctor who can give you his/her time and work with you on checking for infections, viruses, etc., and anything else suppressing your immune system — because these are the tricky things that aren’t allowing you to heal.
When I work with my clients, I help them find underlying toxins, infections, allergens and imbalances – which are all causes of chronic inflammation. Your goal is to find the root cause of your symptoms – not to cover it up with a band-aid drug so that you can go on eating McDonald’s.
So here we go… I’ve created 10 steps that you should think about before you try any other treatments.
These steps will help to calm your immune response naturally.
STEP 1.
Get rid of your STRESS. Stress worsens the immune response. Make a list of all the things that are stressing you out and get them out of your life.
STEP 2.
Check for hidden infections, diseases and viruses such as Lyme Disease, Celiac Disease, candida, dysbiosis, SIBO, bacteria, etc., and work with an Integrative MD to help you rid these bad guys out of your system. It took me years to be diagnosed with these issues because they were false negatives for so long. Make sure you find a good doctor who runs quality tests from VERY high quality labs so that you get accurate results.
STEP 3.
You’ll never heal your hormones, adrenals, etc., if you don’t first address your gut. 80% of your immune system is in your gut so it’s your job to fix your gut before you move onto working on any other area. Trust me, I wasted years focusing on hormones, adrenals, etc., when the issue was my gut and hidden infections. I spent thousands of dollars on supplements to help my adrenals and hormones and nothing helped!
STEP 4.
Get your heavy metals tested. This is NOT a blood test. This is a urine chelation test. You want to know the amount of metals in your tissues of your body — not the metals in your blood!
STEP 5.
Add MORE good fats. You need very high quality fats to heal such as coconut oil, walnuts, ground flaxseeds and fish oil.
STEP 6.
Start adding in deep relaxation techniques such as massage, Epsom salt baths, deep belly breathing and light stretching or yoga.
STEP 7.
Eat organic food. Those pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones/antibiotics in your yogurt, milk, chicken, etc., are affecting your organs and overloading your liver! Switch to an organic lifestyle to rid your body of these toxins.
STEP 8.
Start eating ‘clean’. The term Clean Eating means to eat whole foods that are allergen-free and anti-inflammatory. Remove gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, alcohol and all processed foods! All of the recipes on my website are free of these food groups, so you’ve gotta whole lot of healthy choices to enjoy.
STEP 9.
Use high quality probiotics, vitamin C, vitamin D, herbs, anti-fungals, and anything else your Integrative MD tells you that you are deficient in such as zinc, iron, etc. Go for a walk and get some sunshine – vitamin D is a MUST!
STEP 10.
Get your food allergies tested via IgG testing or try my Elimination Diet.
And if I had to add in one more step… it would be to smile and laugh and play. I know it’s not easy to say and trust me, I’ve had my fair share of crying and pain but you have to have hope. You have to believe. You will find an answer; you will get to the bottom of your battle, if you are facing one.
What steps are you taking to get to the root cause of your systems?
Have a beautiful day. More tasty recipes coming next week!
xox
I had breast implants making me ill for a few years and I’m trying to detox my body after I’ve had them removed in December 2017. I have Hashimoto disease And I’m in menopause , my Weight gain is terrible , this article is wonderful I will definitely start following your rules and recipes . Thank you so much for the knowledge
Thank you Lisa; so lovely to hear from you. Lots of love! xxx
Thanks for the tips and advice. How do you know what is a high quality probiotic? I would like to start taking them, but not sure how to pick one out.
Thanks Jen; check out my supplement and probiotic pages for info!
Beautiful webpage !
Thank-you for your informative topics! I have gained valuable insight and direction from your posts. Keep them coming to keep me on track!
Great post with helpful tips & suggestions on this article plus other skin & health problems. I’ve started a gluten free clean eating programme, hoping I will see changes in my eczema getting better but if not I know I can find everything I need here on your website. I’ve liked your post on Google + about winning a detox book & will leave a comment on Google + soon hoping om the lucky lady to receive the book but happy to keep receiving your knowledge from this site if I’m not picked.
Good work
Thank you so much Sarah! oxx
I’ve never heard of anyone being able to “rid” their body of Celiac Disease. Please enlighten me.
Dace, these are tips to treat autoimmune disease! I have seen people reverse autoimmune disease! xoxx
I LOVE this article!! My son, who has celiac and is looking for a primary care physician, will be able to print this out and take it too his new doctor. It will be a great help for all involved in his trying to live with Celiac. Thank you so much.
Thanks Lori! xooxx
Since reading your posts, I have been doing yoga a meditation which helps immensely.
YAY Debra!!!!
I have a question: what if you can’t afford a good functional medicine doctor because you have been unable to work for a decade due to many autoimmune illnesses, chronic fatigue syndrome, histamine intolerance, etc. In the past I did see expensive doctors who treated me for candida, h pylori and a parasite and SIBO. The SIBO, h pylori and candida never went away. But after all the antibiotics and all the herbal remedies I became too sensitive and could not tolerate much of anything. Now I am down to just a handful of foods and have been this restricted in my diet for many years. Can you heal without a great functional medicine doctor? I need to keep my belief there’s a path forward for me…even without money.
Hi Tanya! Yes, integrative medicine doctors can be really expensive since they are usually not covered by insurance. You can take so much of your health into your own hands! You might want to start with my mind-body articles on taking back your own power: https://thehealthyapple.com/taking-responsibility-for-your-life/ There are also a ton of resources on Candida and SIBO on my website. But I am not a doctor and can’t give medical advice; I truly believe that a good Integrative MD can help so much and is worth the cost.
Such great info, Amie! So happy for you that you’re doing so much better! Yes, it’s a long haul, but as you say, you have to remain hopeful and things WILL get better! 🙂 xoxo
Awe thank you Ricki; love you so much!!!!
Exactly what I needed to read…struggling with ME, candida, parasites at the moment.
Thank you Naoise! xooxxx
Oy, it’s synchronistic timing! I just hit this topic in emails from writers and personally – what an excellent resource your post is! Thanks Amie.
such a great informative post!
Thank you Kelsey!!!
Amie, as you heal (in my case I am having a hard time gaining weight), what is the best exercise to do? I love barre, yoga, walking the best but am not sure I i should?
Sara, I suggest only walking and very light weights. Barre will be way too much for your adrenals and yoga might be too much too! Start with walking and see how you feel. xoxx