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Does having a condition like autoimmune disease means that your immune system and your body are at war against you? 

Or that your body is weak and vulnerable and you can develop an unexpected disease out of the blue?

But is that really true? 

Are you the kind of person who would continue to believe this even when you realise that you can’t be at war with your body and create an environment for it to heal at the same time?

And are you really sure that is the case and that our immune system randomly gets confused, stops attacking threats like pathogens, and attacks our own tissues instead?

For far too long, living with an autoimmune disease has probably felt like you were in an endless battle against your own body.

But it’s time to change all that!

Our bodies and our immune systems have evolved over millions of years to protect us. It is what has kept our species alive. They are designed to keep us safe, to help us live.

Having an autoimmune disease doesn’t mean that your body is at war with you!

Stop “fighting” your body and start “supporting” it

“Fighting” your disease is the conventional approach.

This approach evolved at a time when infectious diseases were the most common cause of death. But not anymore. Now 74% of deaths worldwide are caused by non- communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

And now we can add the category of “autoimmune conditions” to this list. The prevalence and incidence of autoimmune diseases have been increasing at a rapid pace. And while attention and resources are being increased to tackle this, there is a problem.

The problem is that the only solution that we believe that we have to deal with this condition is by fighting our own bodies.
By suppressing our immune system and making sure that we tackle the symptoms and not the root cause. As a result of this approach, we believe that this disease has taken away all our power.
That feel that our body is not something that we recognise anymore.

You feel that you need to ask your disease for permission before you plan anything.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Lurking at the back of your mind is a belief that you now have this disease for life. There is no way out, no way it can be reversed. And you believe that life long medications are the only thing that can bring you relief.

But if that were true, then everyone who took medications would have become better, wouldn’t they?

They would have NOT gone on to develop yet another autoimmune condition. They would have felt more energetic, free of pain, and in control of their life once again.

But that’s NOT what usually happens.

Infact, it’s just the opposite!

So what is really going on here?

The issue is that we have not yet addressed the root cause – immune dysregulation.

Addressing immune dysregulation starts with supporting your body.

Addressing nutrient deficiencies, and removing obstacles that are interfering with your immune function is what is necessary. This involves working on your gut health, lightening your toxic burden, and managing your stress levels. In other words, bringing your immune system back into balance once again.

But here’s the thing, autoimmune activity is more common than you think.

Autoimmune activity is a part of life’s checks and balances

There is some level of autoimmune activity that is a normal part of living and continues to take place in the background. This can happen during a stressful period in our lives and can lead to a low level increase in autoimmune antibodies due to a trigger. However, this usually doesn’t lead to any disease progression.

And as long the body returns to a state of balance with the help of restorative practices, this does not result in any type of disease process.

So autoimmunity actually develops due to a very powerful and effective response from our immune system.

It is NOT because of some random confusion and inability to differentiate between our own tissue and a threat.

Rather this kind of immune dysregulation occurs mostly because of the disconnect between our lifestyle choices and our genes.

This immune response is to pathogens residing in our tissues or because of remarkable molecular similarity between certain tissues and known pathogens that the immune system has been dealing with, perhaps off and on, for quite some time.

But the good news is that, if you take preventive measures early on, the ability to reverse this dysregulation and promote regression of autoimmune disease is actually quite high.

I have written more about the myths surrounding autoimmune disease and you can read it here.

Preventing multiple autoimmune conditions in the future

Having one autoimmune condition makes you three times more likely to develop another*.

The thing is, we need to identify the drivers and the root causes of the dysregulated immune
function so that we can prevent this from taking place. Otherwise the dysregulated immune system usually goes on to claim additional victims in the future. Leading to multiple autoimmune disease diagnoses.

We can take measures and prevent ourselves from developing a second, a third, a fourth, and follow-on autoimmune disease diagnoses.

This is why no matter the diagnosis, we need to address the root causes and bring the immune system back into balance.

Once we stop suppressing our immune system and remove all the obstacles that prevent it from doing its job, it gets the message that all is right with the world.

It is able to do its job properly once more to protect us when necessary.

I have written about whether you can reverse autoimmune diseases earlier and you can read it here.

The body is a self-healing organism, so it’s really about clearing things out of the way so the body can heal itself.

Barbara Brennan

Your body (and your immune system) is not your enemy

By now it should be clear that autoimmunity is in response to the environment that you are asking your body to live in.

So the environment that is triggering this kind of immune response needs to be changed.

You can’t be at war with your body and create an environment for it to heal at the same time. To create a healing environment you need to work with your body and support its healing process.
You need to give your body a chance to heal.

So where do you go from here?

In my coaching program I use a “BODY WISE HEALING” framework that consists of the 3 pillars-

SIMPLIFY

RECONNECT

SUSTAIN

In the RECONNECT pillar, I teach women how to connect with their body’s wisdom and be guided by it. They finally understand WHY their bodies are choosing to respond in this alarming and aggressive manner. And now they are able to work with their bodies and be guided by them.

You can learn more about this by scheduling a free call by clicking here.

This is where you start too.

Start here.

1. Make it your number one priority to demonstrate that the world is increasingly safe- day by day. Create an environment for healing from the inside out and give your body (and immune system) the right message to calm down

2. Eliminate gluten 100% (and dairy and other grains too if necessary). Gluten puts you at risk of developing or increasing enhanced intestinal permeability, and brings your immune system under stress. This contributes to an ongoing inflammation that plays a key role in disease progression.

3. Commit to this healing process for at least 1 year. This process is like going on a journey that will require you to plan and prepare for it. It will require you to stay committed to making lifestyle and dietary changes that allow your body to heal from within.

If you want a clear ROADMAP for your healing journey we should have a chat.

Click here to schedule a FREE 45 minutes DISCOVERY CALL now!

And finally sharing an excerpt from the beautiful poem that captures the essence of this post from the book “To the women” by Donna Ashworth

“Wave the white flag”