Autoimmune diseases are complicated, so it’s no surprise that it takes a complex plan to heal from them. The good news is there are a lot of things you can do on your own that are low cost and effective for improving your symptoms. The bad news is, it is never just one thing that fixes them. Here are my top 5 modalities to help you feel better.
Before I jump in to these healing options, I just want to emphasize that I am not anti-medication for autoimmune diseases. I think medication can go a long way in helping people achieve remission. However, in many cases they don’t totally fix the issue or cause side effects that also need to be addressed. These 5 things also work really well with medication, so please keep that in mind.
Healing Modality #1: Diet
The first area to focus on is diet (of course). Shifting away from processed ingredients and adding in more whole foods is a perfect place to start. Autoimmune diseases are exacerbated by inflammation, so the more anti-inflammatory foods we can eat, the better we feel. These include things like:
- Fruits and vegetables, and a variety of them,
- Lean proteins, with an emphasis on fatty fish, shellfish and organ meats,
- Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir
- Healthy fats from avocados, olives and nuts and seeds (if tolerated)
- Gluten free grains
If a standard anti-inflammatory diet isn’t doing the trick, then it is time to take a deeper dive with either the autoimmune protocol or modified version, or investigate food sensitivities with testing.
Healing Modality #2: Lowering Stress
Raise your hand if you have noticed that your flares correlate with stress? Mine sure do. Stress can be an achilles heel for some people. I mean, let’s face it, our world is so stressful. Getting a better handle on your stress response and how to shift back to a non-stress response will do wonders for your body and your autoimmune disease. Personally I’ve tried a lot of things to help me with stress. Meditation works well, as does working with an inner balance trainer. Even doing something as simple as breathwork can really help you get out of a stress response. The key with this is to find the thing that works for you.
Healing Modality #3: Sleep
The third modality is quality sleep. When you live with an autoimmune disease, you need more sleep. I know fatigue is a huge problem for many of you, so getting enough rest for your body is essential. I’m talking 8-10 hours of actual sleep, not just time in bed. For this, it can be helpful to get a sleep tracker. If that’s too expensive, then create a sleep routine for yourself. Establish a bedtime and stick to it, even on the weekends. Also try to get up at the same time every day. Once your body gets into this routine, it will improve your sleep quality.
Healing Modality #4: Movement
Movement is the fourth modality for healing. Moving your body is an effective way to lower inflammation. This doesn’t have to be straight exercise either. Walking, housework, gardening, and even dancing all count. If you tend to be a sedentary person, start with 5 minutes a day and work up to more as it gets more comfortable. Also, you want to be careful not to push yourself too hard. Sometimes we do too much and then it sets us back. So the name of the game here is gradual increase of time and/or intensity.
Healing Modality #5: Lessening Toxic Exposures
Lastly, look into your exposures. Do you live in an area with a lot of pollution? What about mold, or pesticide exposure? How’s your water quality? Toxic particles can build up in your body over time and wreak havoc on your immune system. Getting rid of this toxic burden takes time, a few key nutrients like glutathione, NAC and possibly binders, and getting a good excretion system going like sweating, regular bowel movements and staying hydrated. You can check out my detox guide for more information.
There are a lot of pathways to consider when healing an autoimmune disease. Some people only need to focus on one, while most people need to investigate several of these. If this seems overwhelming to you, please contact me and schedule a free discovery call so we can discuss how to tackle these efficiently. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more tips on healing your autoimmune disease.
