Autoimmune Conditions

Autoimmunity is a condition in which the body’s natural defense system, the immune system, reacts with components of its own cells. In other words, the immune system attacks healthy cells that are needed for the human body to function properly. When this happens, widespread inflammation ensues and can lead to lack of energy, pain, brain fog, and chronic disease. 

Autoimmune disorders, once a rare occurrence, now affect 1 in 10 people in America. Even more concerning is the increasing rate of autoimmunity in our adolescent population ages 12-19. Since 1988, the incidence of autoimmunity in this age group has increased three-fold.  ​​

Why the rise in autoimmunity disorders?

Several hypotheses exist as to why we are seeing such a rise in the rate of autoimmunity. First, a direct link between our gut health and immune health has been established. This comes as no surprise as the majority of our immune system’s cells reside in the lining of our gastrointestinal tract. With the introduction of highly processed foods and inflammatory oils, GI disruption and inflammation has skyrocketed.    

Immune systems are under attack!

Second, our immune systems have been under significant attack due to increasing levels of environmental toxins and exposures in our air, water, food, and products. As these levels of toxin exposure increase, our detoxification systems must be able to keep up. If any parts of the detoxification pathways break down or become clogged, toxin levels build up in the body causing chaos and overstimulation of our immune system. This can lead to the immune system misfiring and attacking healthy cells.  

Increased Vaccination Doses

Finally, since 1962 there has been more than a 14-fold increase in vaccines given to our children. In 1962, the vaccine schedule consisted of 5 total doses. In 2018 the recommended childhood immunization schedule consisted of 72 doses of vaccines. Vaccines are made to directly stimulate the immune system. Such high levels of immune stimulation at such a young age have been hypothesized to be one of the contributors to the spike in autoimmunity, especially in our adolescent population.  

Source https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/autoimmunity-may-be-rising-united-states 

Treatment Option: Low Dose Naltrexone

Low dose naltrexone (LDN) has been studied since the 1980’s and is now being used clinically to serve an immensely underserved population of patients. Conditions including chronic pain, insomnia, sleep disorders, fibromyalgia, migraines, and autoimmune conditions have shown benefit from low dose naltrexone therapy.  ​

LDN works in the brain by blocking activation of microglial cells, reducing pro-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. Cytokines are chemicals that have been known to inflame and sensitize tissues that cause pain. When microglial cells are activated, they produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, free radicals, and nitric oxide. Each of these substances have been associated with fatigue, inflammation, and pain. Therefore, by downregulating microglial cells we can decrease inflammation in the nervous system, improve sleep, and reduce pain. LDN also increases endorphin production and glial cell modulation which can improve depression and anxiety.  

Uses for Low Dose Naltrexone:

• Autoimmune thyroid disorders
• Autoimmune conditions 
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Chronic pain 
• Crohn’s disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Multiple sclerosis 

​Side effects of LDN are uncommon but may include vivid dreams, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. 

Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease

​Symptoms of autoimmune disease can vary among individuals.

​Here are some of the most common indicators:

1. Skin rashes
2. Hair loss 
3. Difficulty concentrating 
4. Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet 
5. Low-grade fevers 
6. Swelling and redness 
7. Fatigue 
8. Achy muscles  

Autoimmune Diseases

There are currently over 100 autoimmune diseases in existence today, according to the American Autoimmune Diseases Association, including: 

• Lyme disease, chronic 
• Meniere’s disease 
• Multiple sclerosis 
• Myasthenia gravis 
• Psoriatic arthritis 
• Raynaud’s phenomenon 
• Rheumatoid arthritis 
• Sjögren’s syndrome 
• Type 1 diabetes 
• Ulcerative colitis (UC) 

• Addison’s disease 
• Ankylosing spondylitis 
• Celiac disease 
• Crohn’s disease 
• Fibromyalgia 
• Graves’ disease 
• Guillain-Barre syndrome 
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis 
• Interstitial cystitis (IC) 
• Lupus ​

Our Approach

At Flourish, our approach to autoimmune conditions is unique. We do not focus on your diagnosis but rather the core issue, which is the disruption of the immune system. We have had the privilege of helping many patients with autoimmune disorders improve their quality of life and even reverse their condition by addressing the gastrointestinal tract, opening detoxification pathways, and removing stored toxins from cells and tissues. If you have been dealing with an autoimmune disorder and are looking for a more detailed approach, we’d love to partner with you on your healing journey.  ​