5 Steps to Reverse Autoimmune Symptoms:

Over the past eleven years, I've been asked a lot about how I reversed my two autoimmune disorders: Hashimoto's and guttate psoriasis. I wish it was a quick, simple answer. You can't Door Dash or Prime a quick fix to your health issues.⁠

Take out a pen and paper and together let's get curious.

What has changed in your life in the last year or so that's possibly impacted stress, a move of your home of office, a stressor in a relationship with a friend or family, a job stressor, a loss or hardship?

Check-in on your emotional state
1. View any illness as an opportunity to get curious about not only your physical health but your mental and emotional health too.  My 16 years of teaching pilates has shown me that nothing in the body operates in isolation. ⁠ Take inventory of your work, friendships, and relationships to see what's working and what isn't. Our emotional health has influence over our physical health known as epigenetics. Let your friends and family know what you're going through and ask for their support and understanding.
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Symptoms are signals
2. Start by finding a doctor or naturopath that wants to work with you to get to the root cause of your symptoms. Trust your instinct and if you feel your symptoms are being dismissed or you're not being heard then find someone else. If you're being offered prescriptions to mask symptoms I encourage you to move on. If there's eye-rolling and sighing (yes, I experienced a ton of this) then definitely move on.⁠  You can read this blog with my checklist for how to prepare for a doctor's appointment.  The Institute for Functional Medicine is a great place to start to find a doctor that understands the relationship between health and nutrition.

Often what's driving symptoms are underlying root causes.  These deserve investigation and attention:

1. Do you live or work in a water damaged building?  Mold can wreak havoc on your health.

2. Do you have root canals or cavitations from having teeth removed?  These can harbor infection that can trigger other health issues.  Oral health is extremely important to your overall health.

3. Do you use a lot of chemicals in your home like heavy duty cleaning detergents, laundry detergents, fragrant candles, harsh soaps?  Our toxic burden is unprecedented in today's world and these products cause hormonal and endocrine disruption.  Look to remove them and replace them with products like Branch Basics for home cleaning. 

4. What kind of make up, skincare and haircare products do you use?  Again, many of these products are not good for your health.  Your skin is your largest organ and it's one of the ways you detox through sweat.  What you put on your skin is absorbed into your body.

5. Are you filtering your drinking water?  Most tap water in America is polluted with toxic chemicals, heavy metals and prescription drugs.  Enter your zip code into the Environmental Working Group website to see what you're potentially being exposed to.  Buy a Berkey filter or Aqua Tru filter.  Skip the bottled water as the plastic leaches into the water.

6. What is your stress level?  This can drive systemic inflammation and gut dysbiosis.  Living in a sympathetic nervous system of fight or flight creates a massive burden on the body.

7. Gut infections like SIBO, candida and intestinal permeability can cause autoimmunity.

8. A history of taking hormonal birth control causes nutrient depletion, intestinal permeability, a stagnant liver and thyroid and endocrine dysfunction.

9. Food intolerances are driven by gut dysbiosis.

10. Eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) which consists of lots of processed carbohydrates and eating a lot of restaurant or packaged foods that contain inflammatory seed oils and high amounts of sugar in many forms.

11. Over Exercising which can be a big stressor on women's hormones.

12. Fasting for long windows of time and drinking caffeine on an empty stomach first thing in the morning are big stressors to blood sugar.

13. Sleeping less that 7 hours/night is also a big stressor on the body.

14. Epstein Barr virus (mono) never goes away.  It lies dormant in the body and the immune system keeps it in check.  If EBV becomes reactivated it can trigger autoimmunity.
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Lab work is crucial
3. Once you find a doctor it's really important to do testing and blood work to get an accurate picture of your health.  I know we all love to go to Dr. Google for answers but nothing can replace lab work.⁠  Look for the root cause so that you can work to resolve it.  If you're having any hormone, thyroid or adrenal issues I highly recommend the DUTCH test.  It's far more comprehensive than just a blood test.
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Whole food is healing
4. Food was the biggest game-changer for me. I started by removing gluten, dairy, and grains. I gave up being vegan and after 25 years of not eating any meat, chicken or fish I added back fish. Hands down food has made the biggest change in my health.⁠  Get in tune with your body and notice how you feel after you eat.  Eat real food that is organic when possible.  Seek to eliminate sugar and processed foods.  Drink plenty of filtered water.
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Healing is a process and not an event
5. Consistency is key. Eating real food is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health. I have consistently taken collagen for nine years. It's made a huge difference in my hair, skin, and nails.⁠  Sleep is also very healing and restorative.  Make sure to prioritize getting 7-9 hours a night and notice how you feel.  Move your body.  Walking is so important as is daily sun exposure.
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You can have great health and great hair, skin, and nails. But, consistency is the key.  Make small changes that can add up to big results.  Find a doctor that wants to work with you to help you feel better.

I'm rooting for you!

In great health,

Elaine xo

This content is for educational purposes only it is not meant to be medical advice.  Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.