Understanding Autoimmunity: How Your Immune System Can Turn on You—and How to Heal from Within
Have you ever felt like your body is working against you?
If you’re living with an autoimmune condition—or suspect you might be—you’re not alone. Autoimmune diseases affect millions of people, especially women, and are often misunderstood or misdiagnosed. But with the right information and a personalized approach to healing, it is possible to regain balance and feel better.
Let’s break down what’s going on in your body—and how functional medicine can help.
🔄 What Is Autoimmunity?
Your immune system is designed to protect you from infections and harmful invaders, but in autoimmune disease, something goes wrong: your immune system starts attacking your own tissues—like your thyroid, joints, skin, or digestive tract.
There are over 100 autoimmune conditions, including:
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Lupus
Type 1 diabetes
Psoriasis
Celiac disease
📈 Why Are Autoimmune Diseases on the Rise?
Autoimmune diseases are becoming more common—and fast. A recent global study found that rates of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s, and psoriasis have increased significantly over the last few decades. (1)
So, what’s driving this trend? Functional medicine looks at several key factors:
🔬 Root Causes of Autoimmune Disease
Environmental Triggers
Toxins from plastics, pesticides, and industrial chemicals may confuse the immune system and lead to attacks on healthy tissue. Common culprits include BPA, heavy metals, and other pollutants shown to contribute to autoimmune conditions like lupus and scleroderma. (2)Gut Imbalances
Your gut is home to 70% of your immune system. When the gut barrier becomes "leaky," toxins and food particles can slip into the bloodstream and trigger an immune response. This process, known as intestinal permeability, is a key factor in many autoimmune diseases. (5)
Imbalances in the gut microbiome—and even your oral microbiome—can influence how your immune system behaves. (3)Chronic Infections
Stealth infections—like Epstein-Barr virus, Lyme disease, or certain gut pathogens—can trigger long-term immune activation. Over time, this chronic stimulation may lead to autoimmunity through a process called molecular mimicry, where your immune system confuses your own cells for foreign invaders. (6,7)Stress and Trauma
Emotional stress and physical trauma can tip your immune system into overdrive, especially in those with genetic susceptibility. Women, in particular, are more vulnerable to stress-related autoimmune conditions. (4)
🧪 Symptoms That Shouldn't Be Ignored
Autoimmune symptoms can be vague and widespread. Fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, unexplained weight changes, rashes, and digestive distress are common red flags. Unfortunately, these are often dismissed or misdiagnosed for years.
🩺 How Functional Medicine Can Help
Instead of just masking symptoms with medication, functional medicine helps uncover and address the root causes of autoimmunity—so you can heal from the inside out. Here’s how:
✅ Precision Testing: Advanced lab work can uncover hidden infections, food sensitivities, and nutrient imbalances that may be contributing to your condition.
✅ Nutrition: Removing inflammatory foods (like gluten, dairy, and sugar) and eating a whole-foods diet rich in antioxidants and healthy fats can help calm your immune system.
✅ Gut Healing: Probiotics, digestive support, and a leaky gut repair plan can rebalance the gut and reduce immune reactivity.
✅ Detox Support: Reducing your exposure to toxins and supporting your liver and kidneys can help your body process and eliminate harmful substances more effectively.
✅ Stress Resilience: Practices like yoga, meditation, breathwork, and quality sleep can regulate the immune system and reduce flare-ups.
💬 Final Thoughts
Autoimmune conditions can be overwhelming, especially when conventional care doesn’t provide lasting answers, but there is hope. Autoimmunity isn’t always curable, but remission is very possible. Patients have reversed symptoms and reclaimed their lives by identifying and addressing root causes.
With a root-cause, personalized approach, you can calm the inflammation, restore balance, and start feeling like yourself again.
📚 References:
Guo P, et al. Global incidence trends of autoimmune diseases from 1990 to 2021 and projections to 2050: a global burden of disease study. Lancet. 2023. PMID: 39232989
Watad A, et al. Contributions of synthetic chemicals to autoimmune disease development and occurrence: A scoping review of epidemiological studies. Environ Res. 2024. PMID: 38653907
Khan MF, Wang H. Environmental exposures and autoimmune diseases: Contribution of gut microbiome. Front Immunol. 2020;10:3094. PMID: 31998327
Dantzer R, O’Connor JC, Freund GG, Johnson RW, Kelley KW. From inflammation to sickness and depression: when the immune system subjugates the brain. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2008;9(1):46–56. PMID: 18073775.
Fasano A, et al. Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases. Front Immunol. 2017;8:598. PMID: 28588585
Kinashi Y, Hase K. Partners in leaky gut syndrome: Intestinal dysbiosis and autoimmunity. Front Immunol. 2021;12:673708. PMCID: PMC8100306
Ercolini AM, Miller SD. Infection and autoimmunity. J Clin Invest. 2009;119(10):2537–2544. PMID: 19076824.