Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 50 million Americans, and estimates show yearly increases in the overall worldwide incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases are 19.1% and 12.5%, respectively. If you’re one of these millions living with an autoimmune disease, you’ve probably been told there’s nothing you can do except manage symptoms with medication. You may have heard “there’s no cure” and felt hopeless, like your body has turned against you and there’s no way to fight back.
Here’s what I want you to know: while there may not be a cure for autoimmune diseases, there is so much you can do to influence how your condition affects your life. You have more power than you’ve been told. Through a functional medicine approach that addresses root causes and environmental triggers, many people with autoimmune conditions experience significant improvements in their symptoms and quality of life.
Your diagnosis is not your destiny. Your body hasn’t betrayed you – it’s responding to triggers that can be identified and managed.
Understanding Autoimmune Disease
Autoimmune diseases occur when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own healthy tissues. This can affect virtually any part of your body – your thyroid (Hashimoto’s), joints (rheumatoid arthritis), digestive system (celiac disease), nervous system (multiple sclerosis), and many others.
While genetics load the gun, environmental factors pull the trigger. This means that even if you have a genetic predisposition to autoimmune disease, environmental triggers largely determine whether that predisposition becomes active disease.
The empowering truth? Environmental factors are largely within your control.
For a deeper dive into how autoimmune conditions develop and what you can do about them, explore my Autoimmune Diseases page.
The Functional Medicine Approach
Unlike conventional medicine that focuses primarily on suppressing immune function, functional medicine asks a different question: “What is triggering the immune system to attack in the first place?”
This approach recognizes that autoimmune diseases are multifactorial, involving:
- Genetic susceptibility (which you can’t change)
- Environmental triggers (which you can influence)
- Intestinal permeability or “leaky gut” (which you can heal)
- Immune dysregulation (which you can support)
By addressing the controllable factors, you can often achieve remission – a state where your autoimmune condition is quiet and not actively causing symptoms.
Environmental Triggers You Can Control
1. Dietary Triggers
What you can do: Your food choices directly impact inflammation and immune function.
Common autoimmune dietary triggers:
- Gluten (even for non-celiac autoimmune conditions)
- Processed foods and refined sugars
- Industrial seed oils
- Food additives and preservatives
- Foods you’re personally sensitive to
Empowering action steps:
- Consider an elimination diet to identify your personal triggers
- Focus on whole, anti-inflammatory foods
- Heal your gut with bone broth, fermented foods, and fiber
- Work with a practitioner familiar with autoimmune nutrition protocols
2. Chronic Stress
What you can do: Chronic stress dysregulates your immune system and can trigger autoimmune flares.
How stress affects autoimmunity:
- Elevates cortisol, which initially suppresses then rebounds immune function
- Increases intestinal permeability
- Disrupts the balance of immune cells
- Triggers inflammatory pathways
Hidden sources of chronic stress:
- Unprocessed grief and loss
- Past trauma that hasn’t been addressed
- Chronic illness itself creating ongoing stress
- Financial worries and relationship strain
- Type A personality traits, perfectionism and people-pleasing patterns
If grief has played a role in your health challenges, you may find my Grief and Loss page helpful.
Empowering action steps:
- Develop a consistent stress management practice (meditation, yoga, deep breathing)
- Set boundaries to protect your energy
- Prioritize sleep as non-negotiable medicine
- Consider therapy or counseling for emotional support, especially for grief and trauma
- Practice saying no to commitments that drain you
- Acknowledge that healing emotional wounds is as important as addressing physical triggers
3. Toxic Exposures
What you can do: Reduce your toxic burden to lighten the load on your immune system.
Common toxins that trigger autoimmunity:
- Heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium)
- Mold and mycotoxins
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Chemical household cleaners
- Personal care products with harmful ingredients
Empowering action steps:
- Choose organic foods when possible, especially the “dirty dozen”
- Filter your water and air
- Use natural cleaning and personal care products
- Support your body’s detoxification pathways
- Test for and address any mold exposure in your environment
4. Infections
What you can do: Address chronic infections that can trigger and perpetuate autoimmune responses.
Common infectious triggers:
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
- Bacterial infections (H. pylori, SIBO)
- Parasites
- Chronic viral infections
- Dental infections
Empowering action steps:
- Work with a practitioner to test for and treat chronic infections
- Support your immune system naturally
- Address gut health to prevent pathogen overgrowth
- Practice good hygiene and immune-supporting habits
5. Sleep Disruption
What you can do: Prioritize sleep as a cornerstone of immune regulation.
How poor sleep triggers autoimmunity:
- Disrupts immune cell communication
- Increases inflammatory markers
- Impairs tissue repair and recovery
- Affects stress hormone balance
Empowering action steps:
- Maintain consistent sleep and wake times
- Create a sleep sanctuary (cool, dark, quiet)
- Limit blue light exposure in the evening
- Address any underlying sleep disorders
- Consider natural sleep support if needed
6. Nutrient Deficiencies
What you can do: Ensure your immune system has the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Key nutrients for autoimmune health:
- Vitamin D for immune regulation
- Omega-3 fatty acids for anti-inflammatory effects
- Selenium for thyroid autoimmunity
- Zinc for immune function
- B vitamins for methylation and detox
Empowering action steps:
- Test for nutrient deficiencies with comprehensive labs
- Focus on nutrient-dense foods
- Consider targeted supplementation based on your needs
- Work with a practitioner to optimize your nutrient status
7. Hormonal Imbalances
What you can do: Support healthy hormone balance to regulate immune function.
How hormones affect autoimmunity:
- Estrogen dominance can increase autoimmune activity
- Thyroid dysfunction affects every cell in your body
- Adrenal dysfunction impacts stress response
- Insulin resistance promotes inflammation
- Many women predisposed to autoimmunity see symptoms first appear or worsen after pregnancy due to dramatic hormonal shifts which alter the immune system to promote autoimmunity
Empowering action steps:
- Balance blood sugar through diet and lifestyle
- Support healthy stress response
- Address any thyroid dysfunction
- Work with a practitioner familiar with hormone-autoimmune connections
- If you’re postpartum, be especially vigilant about supporting hormone recovery
Working with Healthcare Providers
- Seek practitioners who understand the functional medicine approach to autoimmunity
- Integrative approaches work best – don’t abandon conventional care entirely
- Be your own advocate and ask questions
- Find providers who see you as a partner in your healing
For a step-by-step approach to identifying your triggers and creating lasting healing, visit my RESTORE Protocol™ page.
Taking Back Your Power
Living with autoimmune disease doesn’t mean accepting a life of suffering. While we may not have a cure, you have powerful tools to help your body return to balance. By addressing the environmental triggers within your control, many people experience significant improvements in their symptoms and quality of life.
Remember: healing is not linear. There will be good days and challenging days. The goal isn’t perfection – it’s progress and giving your body the best possible environment to heal.
You are not powerless against your autoimmune condition. Every healthy choice you make is a step toward reclaiming your health and vitality.
Ready to take control of your autoimmune health? Download my free Autoimmune Trigger Tracker – a comprehensive guide to identifying and eliminating the environmental factors that may be driving your symptoms.
References:
- National Health Council. A Major Health Crisis: The Alarming Rise of Autoimmune Disease. March 28, 2024.
- Miller FW, Pollard KM, Parks CG, et al. The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: an urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Current Opinion in Immunology. 2022;80:102266.
