How to Heal Your Autoimmune Issues with Naturopathic Medicine?

Our bodies speak to us through symptoms. When we ignore symptoms that disrupt our lives, our body may adapt to increasingly harmful states of mind, body, and spirit, which can increase the intensity, frequency, and number of symptoms. That’s when the body continues to break down.

Autoimmune disease can cause chronic inflammatory attack against one’s own cells. A few examples: rheumatoid arthritis is the body attacking the joints; Hashimoto’s or Graves disease is the immune system turning against the thyroid.

How naturopathic medicine helps heal autoimmune disease

While conventional medicine treats the symptoms, naturopathic medicine looks at the entire body and individual as a whole, assessing diet, environmental factors, lifestyle, physical and emotional stress, hormone balance, and digestive health.

The naturopathic approach sees each individual as unique, and looks closely at how their body works and how specific symptoms affect him or her. A naturopathic physician also observes how a person responds to stress, and aims to restore balance to their overall system.

To support the body in healing autoimmune disorders, lab tests and a personalized treatment plan can help maximize healing. For example:

• Diet: Identifying foods that may trigger allergic reactions is the first step to wellness. The second is to eat food that nourishes and sustains the body. Eating items rich in the right ingredients and avoiding foods that trigger inflammatory responses can help stabilize blood sugar while providing the fuel the body needs.
• Purifying your environment: Toxic chemicals, indoor air pollution, or heavy metals in your environment (home, work, or in-between) can deeply impact your health. Exposure to pollutants in your water, air, and food create a need for your body to release them (e.g., via sweat or urine). If these toxins compromise the body’s ability to release, you may become overwhelmed and develop autoimmunity. Other harmful sources can include diet, plastics, cleaners, even personal hygiene products. Your naturopath can evaluate your environment and help you get rid of toxins.
• Digestion: Over 60% of your immune system resides in your gut, which is why maintaining healthy gastrointestinal function is so important. Your naturopath will run tests and ask you questions to determine what problems may lie in your gut, and help to restore your health from the inside out.
• Stress: How you eat, breathe, move, think, and nourish your body with vitamins can positively or negatively affect your body. High levels of cortisol, produced when we experience a “fight-or-flight” response, disrupts how our organs function. To help you manage autoimmunity, your naturopath will work with you to restore proper adrenal function, guide you on effective stress management techniques, and uncover imbalances in your nervous system.

If you or someone you know is challenged by an autoimmune disease, our autoimmune naturopaths in Seattle, Washington, can help. Contact our team today for in-depth answers to your questions and a personalized treatment plan that creates a path to wellness!

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