What Is An Autoimmune Disorder?

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Your immune system is supposed to help keep you healthy.

It’s made up of a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs which defend against infections caused by bacteria and viruses.

However, it doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to.

As an immune system naturopathic doctor, I have a special interest in helping you keep your immune system working at its best.

But what happens when your immune system turns on your own tissue?

This is called an autoimmune disorder.

Today we’re going to look at some common autoimmune disorders, what they are, and how to recognize them.

And then we’ll look at how naturopathic medicine can help you manage your symptoms if you have one.

What is An Autoimmune Disorder?

In people with autoimmune disorders, the immune system mistakes healthy cells for foreign cells and pathogens.

The term “auto” means “self”; thus, your body is quite literally fighting against itself when you have an autoimmune condition.

This results in your system attacking healthy cells, leading to a variety of health issues such as inflammation, fatigue, swelling, and brain fog.

These are some common symptoms across various autoimmune conditions.

Each individual condition will also have specific symptoms, depending on what part of your body is being targeted.

Medical professionals and experts are not entirely certain what the cause of autoimmune disorders are, but genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role.

What Are The Most Common Autoimmune Disorders?

There are a wide variety of autoimmune disorders.

Many conditions you’ve probably heard of fall into this category, even if you didn’t realize they are considered autoimmune conditions.

For example, you probably know someone who is diabetic, but did you know type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition?

RELATED: Eating A Type 1 Diabetes Diet

Let’s have a look at some of the more common disorders you may come across.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks healthy joint tissue.

This is different from osteoarthritis which occurs due to wear and tear on your joints as you age.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include:

Stiffness
Low appetite
Soreness
Loss of function in affected areas
Swelling
Chronic fatigue
Feeling warmth in affected areas

If left untreated, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to permanent joint damage.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune condition which affects the nervous system.

Specifically, it’s when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath which acts as a protective coating on nerve cells.

As a result, the signals between your brain and body can be slowed or blocked.

This can lead to symptoms like:

Poor balance
Weakness
Difficulty walking
Numbness
Memory trouble
Poor concentration

There is no clear known cause of multiple sclerosis.

There is evidence, however, that a diet focusing on minimally processed foods may help with reducing symptoms.

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel disease is a term for conditions which are related to inflammation in the lining of the intestinal wall.

If you have this condition, the immune system attacks the lining of your intestines.

There are two main types of inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn’s disease can affect your entire gastrointestinal tract.

Ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, is inflammation in your large intestine (colon).

Inflammatory bowel disease can present with the following symptoms:

Abdominal pain and cramping
Diarrhea
Tiredness
Weight loss
Joint pain
Low appetite
Bleeding ulcers

Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders

The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly shaped gland located at the front of the neck.

It produces hormones which regulate everything from your heart and breathing rates to metabolism, body temperature, and growth.

If your thyroid produces too much or too little thyroid hormone this hormonal imbalance can cause troubling symptoms.

Graves’ disease, for example, is a condition which leads to hyperthyroidism, where your thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone.

When you have too much thyroid hormone, you might experience symptoms such as:

Low tolerance to heat
Goiter (swollen thyroid gland)
Increased heart rate
Unintended weight loss

Conversely, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis leads to low thyroid hormone levels, or hypothyroidism.

Symptoms associated with low thyroid hormone can include:

Chronic fatigue
Sensitivity to cold
Weight gain
Hair loss
Goiter

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is one of the rare autoimmune diseases in which we know what causes its flare ups.

In this case, it’s a sensitivity to gluten, which is a protein found in barley, wheat, and rye.

When the immune system in people with celiac disease encounters gluten, it leads to a heightened immune response.

This leads to damage of the villi which line the small intestine.

Symptoms of celiac disease include:

Diarrhea
Abdominal bleeding
Vomiting
Constipation

Celiac and inflammatory bowel disease are considered different, despite affecting similar areas.

However, research shows they’re closely linked with each other.

Other Autoimmune Disorders

We’ve touched on a few autoimmune disorders today, however, there are many others.

Some of these include:

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Scleroderma
Type 1 diabetes
Addison’s disease
Vasculitis
Sjögren’s disease
Myasthenia gravis
Pernicious anemia
Autoimmune vasculitis
And others

How Can Naturopathic Medicine Help?

There are currently no known cures for autoimmune diseases.

There are, however, ways to manage your overactive immune response, reduce inflammation, and manage symptoms.

The goal of naturopathic medicine in relation to autoimmune diseases is to identify imbalances and take measures to reduce their impact on your immune system.

If you are taking pharmaceutical medications to manage your autoimmune symptoms, naturopathic medicine can help reduce your reliance on them as well as reduce any side effects.

Beyond that, every autoimmune disorder is unique, so we won’t get too into specifics here.

However, in general, naturopathic approaches to dealing with autoimmune disorders may include:

Improving digestive health and the microbiome
Lifestyle and dietary changes
Botanical medicines
Supplements

Dietary changes may include removing common food allergens and inflammatory foods from your diet (such as gluten and dairy products).

Additionally, this approach will likely have you shifting to whole foods and limiting your intake of processed sugar as well as alcohol.

Different autoimmune diseases can have different dietary triggers, so exploring an elimination diet can help manage your symptoms.

and getting better sleep can also help.

Additionally, a naturopathic approach involves attempting to identify other conditions which can affect the immune system.

Once identified, we can manage these as well.

For example, if you have hormonal imbalances, it can lead to a higher severity and susceptibility to symptoms associated with autoimmune conditions.

One example of how hormones can affect an autoimmune condition is that they are often worsened by the menstrual cycle.

They can also be affected by increased stress levels and increases in the stress hormone cortisol.

If you are dealing with an autoimmune disorder, and are looking for more natural ways of managing your condition, then it’s time to…

Book Your Appointment With Dawdy Naturopathic Today

Is an autoimmune disorder affecting your daily life?

Is rheumatoid arthritis making it hard to enjoy an active lifestyle?

Perhaps celiac disease inflammatory bowel disease mean you have to very carefully watch what you eat.

If your autoimmune condition is affecting your quality of life, I can help.

I’m Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, a naturopathic doctor in Ottawa, and I can help you find natural ways to manage your symptoms and keep your condition under control.

Book your appointment with me today.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND
Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic
6899 Sunset Blvd,
Greely, ON K4P 1C5
-https://g.page/dawdynaturopathicclinic

Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic offers a variety of naturopathic health solutions for individuals and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area.