Autoimmune diseases involve various conditions where the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s healthy cells. Any body part can be affected by autoimmunity, including the skin, joints, organs, blood vessels, or nerves.
People with an autoimmune condition may experience one or more of a wide range of potential symptoms, including abdominal pain, fatigue, pain in the joints, fever or skin rashes, among many other symptoms. If left untreated, autoimmune disease can cause long-lasting symptoms and pathologies, leading to a significant decrease in a person’s health and quality of life.
Some examples of autoimmune diseases affecting Australians include celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
1. How are Autoimmune Diseases Treated?
The conventional approach to autoimmune disease – From a traditional approach to medicine, autoimmune diseases are hard to diagnose due to their complex origins, often involving genetic and environmental factors. For most patients experiencing symptoms caused by autoimmunity, a short visit with a conventional doctor may result in the prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications to deal with the symptoms at hand. In advanced cases, patients are referred to a specialist who will focus on a specific part of the body without considering potential interactions between different body systems that may be influencing a disease.
The functional medicine approach to autoimmunity – Functional medicine, as implemented by AUSCFM, aims to overcome the limitations of the conventional medical practice model. At AUSCFM, our doctors consider each ailment, symptom or pathology within the context of the whole body. Our doctors see the body as an interconnected whole, interacting with multiple systems within itself but also affected by the surrounding environment. Ultimately, functional medicine aims to identify, understand, and fix the mechanisms behind a disease and its related symptoms.
2. Treatment of Autoimmunity at AUSCFM
- Step 1. Diagnostics – Before a treatment timeline can be designed, AUSCFM doctors will perform a comprehensive set of diagnostic tests and health evaluations to understand a patient’s drivers of autoimmunity. During this stage, AUSCFM doctors will evaluate a patient’s medical history and lifestyle and prescribe one or more diagnostic tests to reveal the presence of any autoimmunity-related biomarkers. This step aims to understand what factors are driving a patient’s autoimmunity. This information will guide the treatment plan.
- Step 2. Treatment – AUSCFM employs a personalised, patient-centric treatment based on a patient’s specific physiology and condition. Potential therapies that may be prescribed to a patient with autoimmunity include:
- Medical-grade anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation.
- Supplements that are specific for a particular autoimmune disease.
- Nutrition supplements to correct any micronutrient deficiencies.
- Botanicals or probiotics to normalise the balance of the gut microbiota.
- A personalised nutrition, anti-stress, and exercise plan aims to restore the body’s optimal function.
3. Understanding the Drivers Behind Autoimmunity
At AUSCFM, we understand the importance of environmental factors, such as diet, lifestyle, and gut pathologies, in driving autoimmune disease. Below, we summarise how these factors can affect a patient’s autoimmune condition.
- Autoimmunity and the Environment – toxins and other pollutants found in our environment can affect our health and influence autoimmune diseases. Some of these environmental factors include:
- Heavy metals in food and water – such as lead or mercury- can be found in dental fillings, soil, drinking water, chocolate, and fish.
- Industrial chemicals—Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are a common type of chemical found in personal care products, some foods, and the environment. See our article on this topic for a complete list of health-related environmental factors.
- Pathogens/Chronic infections: Bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and viral infections have been associated with different autoimmune pathologies.
- Tobacco smoking – Multiple studies have linked smoking to different autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis.
- Autoimmunity and Lifestyle involve several common modifiable risk factors that affect a patient’s health and autoimmune status. These factors can be changed and improved and are part of the AUCFM approach to treat autoimmunity.
- Poor Diet—A poor diet leads to micronutrient deficiencies, which can influence the function of the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency, for example, has been linked to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus.
- Physical inactivity and Obesity – Both low levels of physical activity and obesity have been linked to a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
- Chronic stress – Chronic stress is a typical driver of inflammation, and studies have shown that stress-related disorders increase the risk of developing autoimmunity.
- Autoimmunity and Gut Dysfunction – Multiple pathologies affecting the gut have been linked to autoimmune diseases. Some of these gut pathologies include:
- Hypochlorhydria, bile, and enzyme deficiencies can increase the risk of pathogen infections and decrease nutrient uptake.
- SIBO and gut Dysbiosis – imbalances in the optimal composition of the gut microbiota have been associated with the onset and development of various autoimmune diseases.
- Gut infections can lead to chronic inflammatory responses resulting in autoimmune reactions.
- Food intolerances/allergies – common autoimmune pathologies involving food include allergy to gluten (coeliac disease).
- Intestinal permeability—alterations to the normal protective function of the cells lining the Gastrointestinal tract have been linked to type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and lupus, among other autoimmune conditions.
4. Why use Functional Medicine to Treat Autoimmunity?
The short answer is that functional medicine can identify the source behind an autoimmune disease and design a truly effective action timeline.
AUSCFM uses a comprehensive approach to managing autoimmunity. Our doctors start with extensive diagnostic testing and evaluation of a patient’s medical and lifestyle histories. This approach allows AUSCFM doctors to identify the underlying pathologies behind a patient’s autoimmune condition, which provides a solid basis for designing an effective and patient-centric treatment plan.
References
Manzel, A., Muller, D. N., Hafler, D. A., Erdman, S. E., Linker, R. A., & Kleinewietfeld, M. (2014). Role of “Western diet” in inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Current allergy and asthma reports, 14, 1-8.
Sharif K, Watad A, Bragazzi NL, Lichtbroun M, Amital H, Shoenfeld Y. Physical activity and autoimmune diseases: Get moving and manage the disease. Autoimmun Rev. 2018 Jan;17(1):53-72.
Tsigalou C, Vallianou N, Dalamaga M. Autoantibody Production in Obesity: Is There Evidence for a Link Between Obesity and Autoimmunity? Curr Obes Rep. 2020 Sep;9(3):245-254.
Sîrbe C, Rednic S, Grama A, Pop TL. An Update on the Effects of Vitamin D on the Immune System and Autoimmune Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 29;23(17):9784.
Dupuis, M.L., Pagano, M.T., Pierdominici, M. et al. The role of vitamin D in autoimmune diseases: could sex make the difference? Biol Sex Differ 12, 12 (2021).
Unnikrishnan D, Jun J, Polotsky V. Inflammation in sleep apnea: an update. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. (2015) 16:25–34.
Arneth, B. (2020). Multiple sclerosis and smoking. The American journal of medicine, 133(7), 783-788.
Parisis, D., Bernier, C., Chasset, F., & Arnaud, L. (2019). Impact of tobacco smoking upon disease risk, activity and therapeutic response in systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Autoimmunity reviews, 18(11), 102393.
Johnson, D., & Jiang, W. (2023). Infectious diseases, autoantibodies, and autoimmunity. Journal of Autoimmunity, 137, 102962.
Song H, Fang F, Tomasson G, et al. Association of Stress-Related Disorders With Subsequent Autoimmune Disease. JAMA. 2018;319(23):2388–2400.
Xu, H., Liu, M., Cao, J., Li, X., Fan, D., Xia, Y., … & Zhao, H. (2019). The dynamic interplay between the gut microbiota and autoimmune diseases. Journal of immunology research, 2019.
Paray, B. A., Albeshr, M. F., Jan, A. T., & Rather, I. A. (2020). Leaky gut and autoimmunity: An intricate balance in individuals health and the diseased state. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(24), 9770.
