Before I start, I want to preface by introducing you to how and why I have come into all of what I’ve discovered about autoimmune disease. I am a registered nurse who for over the past 7 years has specialized in treating patients who suffer with autoimmune related illnesses. Every single work day has been spent giving medications, experimenting with them with their physicians, evaluating symptoms and how they respond to these “treatments”, listening to and comparing stories and possible causations, and so on. Not only have I had this experience in my field of work, but I’ve also had to and continue to deal with it on a personal level as well. Almost 7 years ago, shortly after I gave birth to my second child, I too was diagnosed with autoimmune issues. I suddenly went from being very active, to almost confined to my bed in pain. There were days when my husband had to help me get dressed because I couldn’t even lift my arms above my head. The fatigue, the nerve pain, the joint pain, the skin flare ups, it was all enough to make me want to give up. After months of dealing with these symptoms, I was given the option to experiment with drugs that I became very familiar with in my field. Because I came to know these drugs very well, I knew the side effects and risks. I needed other answers.

Autoimmune disease, let’s face it, is on a staggering rise. Stats have shown that the occurrence more than doubled since 1999. Crohns, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, Celiac, Raynauds syndrome, thyroid issues, nerve damage, anxiety disorders, the list goes on. In fact, the American Autoimmune Related Disease Organization lists that there are over 100 disorders. Why the heck are these numbers on a steady mind blowing climb?? I definitely have my own theories which are for another day, another time. I will say though, there are a number of things that can play a role into contributing. Here’s the thing, all of these diagnoses are “man made” diagnoses. They exist because of certain symptoms that manifested themselves and required a label. However, once we put a label on things, we place it in a box. A box that we carry and allow to weigh us down with doubt and hopelessness. Thing is, these symptoms can change and morph at any given time. That’s why we tend to see multiple “autoimmune diagnoses” labeled through time on one person. We also see them change. So many of these disorders/diseases have VERY similar symptoms that coexist with one another. Just take a look at how they are treated for instance: I can give one IV medication that can “treat” about 4-5 different diseases. That tells you, if we are using the same drugs to treat different diseases, then they must have a commonality with how the problems originate within our bodies in the first place. One thing that I have learned, is that each of these disorders source from triggers of inflammation. Something triggers our immune system response and causes either a generalized inflammatory response all over, or it is targeted into certain areas (gut lining, joints, thyroid, female reproductive system, etc).

Most ALL of the drugs that are given are known immunosuppressants. Meaning, they lower the immune system. Why? Because it’s developed to treat the body’s symptoms of response to inflammation. It’s focus is to tame the immune response to not flare up. By doing this, you’re more prone to contracting infections and increasing your risk for further illnesses including cancer. Not only that, it lowers your body’s normal functioning capabilities on a day to day basis. I’ve seen many people respond really well to these medications at first. Has there been a time and a place for these? Yes. It has allowed patients a quick response out of a “flare up”. Some patients have even been able to receive certain drugs for a number of years. Here’s the thing though. It’s not a cure. It’s a bandaid. How do I know? Because the MAJORITY of patients who receive certain drugs are only able to respond well to them for a temporary length of time. Before long, their body will start to reject the drug. When we don’t find the source of what’s triggering the immune response in the first place, it soon becomes a constant vicious hamster wheel of hell.

I’m writing all of this because I too was living in this hell and needed a way out. I quickly became depressed and ridden with anxiety because I couldn’t do the things I was use to doing for so long. Once I decided to wait on taking medications, I began to dive into vigorous research that led me to where I am today. I made the choice to fight. In each moment of every day, we are given choices. Even when we are physically unable, we can mentally, emotionally, and spiritually make choices to rise above. Soon, the physical will follow. You have a lot more control and power than you realize. When the days come when you feel that you don’t have the control (because they will come), you surround yourself with people who encourage you and you show up. We will always be faced with choices that either better ourselves, or keep us where we are or worse. We HAVE TO SEE OURSELVES FOR MORE and NEVER STOP FIGHTING.

Shortly after my diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis, paired with unexplained nerve pain, Raynaud’s, and gut issues, I started my journey to bettering my health. I started digging into articles, studies, success stories, books, podcasts, documentaries, etc (one of my favorites is Healing With Whole Foods). You name it, I was searching for it and learning from it. I’ve read about people experimenting with fasting to allow the body to rest and heal. There are different ways to fast. This doesn’t always mean to “starve yourself”. I did something similar to an “elimination” style of eating. Meaning, I started for one month eating plant based sources of food. Mainly, just fruits and veggies (organic). Nothing processed or out of a box. No dairy, processed breads, grains, or gluten, and especially no sugar. I did this for one month. Why a month? Because from what I researched and experienced in my field, is that with anything, the body takes at least one month to properly heal and “restart” back into functioning at its prime. You can respond quicker, but just like a good habit develops in 30 days, so does a good body transition. You see the same results when working out. The real results don’t start happening until a month in so just keep patient.

The first week of my new elimination diet was brutal. My body was so use to consuming sugar and dairy I was undergoing detox-like symptoms (headaches, body aches, more fatigue, dizziness, etc). Most people give up after a week or two because they think they’re just “getting worse” instead of recognizing it as a detox process. It is our body’s way of getting rid of all the junk that has been stored away causing us problems. The key is staying hydrated through it. The goal is to drink half your body weight in ounces in water a day. Water. Not soda, not tea, not lemonade, not anything but water (maybe infused with fruits). Hydrating with water keeps the symptoms at bay because the toxins that your body is trying to get rid of don’t stay at concentrated levels within your bloodstream. The toxins are being drawn out of your cells during this clean eating phase and are being sucked into your blood vessels so they can be eliminated out. Again, stay hydrated so they don’t reabsorb.

Even after a couple of weeks I started to feel more energy. That’s usually the first thing you notice. USUALLY, the pain doesn’t start to really subside until closer to a month so again, stay patient. It’s also important to note that the whole point of this, is to allow your gut to have time to heal. Because you’re doing a drastic diet change, you may at first experience constipation or diarrhea. If you stay hydrated, it will help. Our gut health is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS when it comes to our immune response. In fact, it is responsible for over 80% of the immune system’s functioning. Things like vitamin and mineral absorption, toxin elimination and recognition, hormone release and regulation, T cell involvement, among MANY, MANY other roles. Most of the autoimmune disorders can be resolved when you lower the inflammation that is located within your digestive system and your gut lining. When your gut lining becomes exposed to environmental toxins within our diet and atmosphere, the digestive tract becomes inflamed. When this happens, not only do you have vitamin and mineral malabsorption, but it causes the toxins to leak into your bloodstream. This leads to a generalized immune response because our body is recognizing these toxins as harmful. When that generalized immune reaction takes place, other parts get affected (insert your specific autoimmune diagnosis here).

Long story short, starting point is healing the gut.

You want to give your gut the least amount of work possible to focus on healing. Taking in supplemental digestive enzymes and probiotics will help. Chances are, if your gut is inflamed, you’re not producing the necessary enzymes properly anyway, which is why a common symptom is having digestive issues when eating or post eating. Probiotics replenish the good bacteria in the gut that are responsible for eating away at the bad bacteria…also, yeast. Yeast is a HUGE issue that so many people suffer with and don’t even realize. If you tend to have a sweet tooth, chances are you have too much yeast build up. Sugar feeds yeast. Yeast causes illness. Sugar feeds illness. Look up problems with yeast overgrowth, you’ll be shocked at how involved it is in relation to autoimmune disorders. Just say no to sugar. At least for now.

Now is when the work really takes place. Remember, you’re health is worth it. Make that evident in EVERY MOMENT.

Next task, READ LABELS. In case you skipped over the all caps,

READ LABELS.

It is CRUCIAL to know what you’re consuming. It is also important to learn where your food is coming from and how it is processed. When I started my journey close to 7 years ago I thought I couldn’t eat any meat because every time I did, I would hurt. One thing I’ve come to realize is that I needed to get my meat from places I trusted. It had to be grass fed with no added hormones. Mainly organically fed. Least minimally processed of what’s available. I also pair my heavy meat meals with supplemental digestive enzymes to help me break down the proteins in meats in case my gut needed the extra help. Same thing goes with other foods, including produce, least processed is best (non-gmo/organic). One thing that never changed though, dairy. I CANNOT eat anything with dairy that is derived from a cow. For many people, especially those who are diagnosed with autoimmune issues, cow’s milk derived dairy is a huge trigger of inflammation. Maybe it’s how it’s processed these days or maybe it’s because the enzyme and protein make up of cow’s milk is something that is very hard for a human to digest. Think about it. A baby cow requires more protein and naturally derived hormones well above what humans need because it drastically grows in size from a baby calf to full grown cow in a matter of a few months. Let’s face it, we may not be able to process that (especially if we are already compromised). I recently discovered I can have goat’s milk cheese though (probably because I focus on constant gut healing and the goat’s milk has a more similar make up of our own).

The point of all this is to find your triggers. The most common dietary triggers of inflammation for most people are dairy, sugar, and processed breads/gluten. Start by taking those out first then slowly put one back at a time to see if you negatively react (spacing it out one week at a time). If you negatively react (fatigue, joint pain, sinus congestion, skin breakouts, etc), you may have a sensitivity on your hands. This sensitivity could be the source of generalized inflammation.

*Note: Usually the first sign of gut inflammation is a skin breakout of some sort. Our skin is the largest organ that is part of the elimination system. Eczema, psoriasis, acne, molluscum, among others, are most common examples.*

Once your month is up, you can create a more balanced way of eating because your gut has had time to heal. I will suggest to keep supplementing with enzymes and probiotics though. I chose to not eat meat my first month of healing to truly allow a gut rest (because your gut works harder to digest meat), but to each their own. Big thing is, to limit your portion in order to up your veggie and plant based portions. Also, keep it minimally processed (grass fed, free range is best). Honestly, at the beginning of my journey I was vegan for almost 4 years. When done correctly (staying focused on vitamins and mineral consumption), it works VERY well. It’s not for everyone and I get that.

Here’s the thing, I’ve learned it’s all about balance and AWARENESS. Being aware of LABELS. So much of everything has added dairy, added sugar, and added chemicals that serve as preservatives. These chemicals aren’t even meant to be eaten, much less processed within our volatile bodies. Not only are we consuming it within our diets, but we are taking it in within our household cleaners, self care products, fragrances, everything. So many of these added chemicals affect us. They trigger hormone imbalance (which is very much related to immune system response and adrenal fatigue….look it up). Not only did I take the chemicals out of my diet for the most part, but I took them out of my household and self care products as well (you can message me to find out what all I use). I literally could go on and on about all of this, but I’ll spare you the longer read haha. I just urge you to become more aware of what you consume, become your own health advocate, and do your own research. Don’t be afraid to question. Don’t ever stop learning. Again, you’re worth it.

Most people hear about a lot of this and immediately become overwhelmed. I get it. It can seem overwhelming. Keep in mind, this is not an over night thing. Remember, it has taken me years to truly learn my body and how it responds. The thing I have to keep focus on, is to keep trying and learning. Do I give myself a sweet treat here and there? Of course! However, I can spare to now because I keep a consistent balanced way of eating that keeps my gut at it’s highest level of functioning. I stay aware of what I’m consuming. If I notice I’m eating too much “crap”, I nip it in the bud right there and get back on track. I generally will cut out sugar and or processed breads for 5-7 days after a weekend of consuming too much (with upping the probiotics to help eliminate unwanted yeast). So in reality, I can afford to eat a dessert/cheat meal or two (still limited portioned) on the weekends. Chocolate is a weakness of mine so I have to incorporate that here and there haha. Because it’s soooo hard to find dairy free chocolate, I get mine usually from Whole Foods and it tends to be a high percentage dark chocolate and organic. Least processed remember? It’s still delicious I promise. Once you limit or cut out sugar, you lose the craving, and your taste for it completely changes. I use to cringe at people who ordered unsweet tea and now I’m one of them…and I enjoy it lol.

When you adopt a habit of reading labels and recognizing your “triggers” you get use to it as a way of life. It becomes less and less difficult and you really fall in love with the lifestyle because of how you begin to feel. You get use to cooking certain ways (Pinterest recipes are always a win win). You have to lose the excuses. I eat A LOT, with TONS OF VARIETY believe it or not. You just have to think aside from what has been engrained in you for so many years. This is where the “don’t be afraid to question” comes in. You can still enjoy eating. Your taste buds adapt within the first couple of weeks and you actually find yourself enjoying foods you never thought you would before.

When you’re patient and WILLING, you can make change happen. You cannot attach yourself to your diagnosis. You cannot let it define you. I don’t even like to say what “I have” when someone asks me. Though that is what’s on paper, I’ve identified it as my body’s way of responding to a toxin. A toxin that I CAN CONTROL AND GET RID OF.

Every one person is different from the other. I get that, believe me. Every story is different. You have to find your balance through your own journey of healing. You will still face “bad days”, but the majority will be good if you change your perspective and your WILLINGNESS to create CHANGE. Your answer doesn’t have to be pain. Your answer doesn’t have to be a life long consumption of medications. When I was willing to start with ONE CHOICE of exchanging the “bad” with the “better”, I started to feel alive again. I went from being in excruciating pain and depression to now being the most fit and active I’ve been in my entire life (and I was an extreme athlete growing up). I went from not being able to lift my own arms over my head, to push pressing heavy barbell weight in the gym every morning.

One thing I also changed this year, was being more consistent. Area one: my workout schedule.

My stiffness started to subside more and more once I did this. I developed muscles in places I never thought possible. I developed friendships and community to keep me going. When I made this commitment, I saw and felt results. My energy sky rocketed through the roof. I’m telling you, clean eating paired with exercise is miracle working. I am now able to work out 5-6 days a week doing Crossfit. CROSSFIT. Some of the most difficult workouts out there. Seven years ago I would have thought you were crazy if you would have told me I would be where I am now. I’m back at my high school weight. More importantly, I have muscle mass and ENERGY. I FEEL better. Friends, I URGE you to fight for your health. It starts with one step at a time. One choice at a time. Don’t be fooled by the labels. In all areas of life. You have the power within you to be and feel better. You just have to match your willingness to your desire. Don’t wait on motivation to get you moving forward because that will die eventually. You just have to CHOOSE to SHOW UP in every choice you make even when you don’t want to or feel like you can. Believe you can be better and surround yourself with people who believe you can as well. You got this my sweet friend.

I’m here for you. Right there along with you.