With this blog, I am wanting to bring awareness to the autoimmune disease Lupus. I have had a few people within this month alone tell me they have been recently diagnosed with this condition, and all expressed frustration, confusion, and concern. So, today’s blog is dedicated to this autoimmune disease that can leave one wondering how this just happened?!!
Underlying Root Causes of Lupus…
Functional Medicine is a systems biology-based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. The functional medicine approach can help uncover what provoked your immune system to attack your own tissues in the first place.
Functional medicine has identified five underlying causes of lupus symptoms.
1. Leaky Gut. Leaky gut is an error in the gut lining, allowing molecules that are normally blocked to ‘leak’ through and enter your bloodstream.
2. Gluten Intolerance. Gluten is one of the leading culprits behind leaky gut and chronic inflammation, linking to over 50 different diseases. When gluten intolerance is present, antibodies are released every time gluten is consumed. These antibodies can mistakenly attack other organs.
3. Toxins. Mycotoxins, or toxic molds, and heavy metals are the two primary toxins found in those with autoimmune conditions.
4. Infections. Infections from bacteria, viruses, and other toxins are thought to be behind the development of conditions such as lupus. No single culprit has yet to be identified. However, there are strong correlations between a number of bacteria and viruses and the development of lupus.
5. Stress. Chronic stress leads to chronic inflammation and suppresses your immune system.
Once you have identified the root cause, What’s next?
Reducing symptoms and finding relief!
Once you identify the root cause of your symptoms, you can work with your doctor to correct the offending issue. Let’s tackle ways to improve the leading causes of symptoms.
To start, try the 4R approach to repair gut health: Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, and
Remove the bad by eliminating known offenders that negatively affect the environment of the GI tract, such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and eggs, as well as toxic foods, such as sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
Replace digestive enzyme supplementation to optimize digestion, and a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods.
Reinoculate with beneficial bacteria to reestablish a healthy microbial balance. This be done with probiotic-rich foods or supplementation.
Repair the gut by providing the nutrients necessary for healing.
Next, optimize your diet with whole, real foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meat and wild-caught fish, and healthy fats.
Have your doctor help you find and treat infections, and test for heavy metals and mycotoxins. If you need an at-home heavy metal test, you may want to check out Equilife At-Home Labs
Finally, relieve stress. Adopt stress-relieving strategies such as exercise, meditation, yoga, or art. Even just 5 minutes a day spent on something you enjoy or sitting quietly can work wonders for your adrenal glands.
What do you enjoy doing to relieve stress?