Autoimmune diseases have increased worldwide since 1939, and encompass more than 80 disorders. Every day someone is diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, Hashimoto’s, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), to name a few. Studies indicate that over eight million additional people have autoantibodies that may indicate the future development of an autoimmune disease. Medications and biologic drugs are used in the management of autoimmune diseases attempting to control disease flares, limit inflammatory damage, and extended periods of remission.
A functional medicine approach to autoimmune disease consists of helping patients optimize their health utilizing nutrition, natural supplements, and other modifiable lifestyle factors. We focus on reducing disease flares and inflammatory damage, therefore minimizing the number of medications and biologic drugs used in the management of autoimmune diseases. Although medications are the mainstay of treatment; we believe educating patients on all their options to prevent and reduce disease flares leads to a better quality of life.