Facts:
- Autoimmune diseases affect over two million Canadians in the country alone.
- Autoimmune disease is one of the top ten causes of death in women under the age of 65 in Western societies.
- Researchers have identified anywhere from 80 – 100 different autoimmune diseases and suspect at least 40 additional diseases that have an autoimmune basis.
- The average person diagnosed with an autoimmune disease will live 27 years less than their counterpart.
- Once diagnosed with one autoimmune condition, an individual will then suffer from an average of 6 more in their lifetime.
Symptoms:
- Joint pain or weakness
- Tremors
- Recurrent rashes or hives
- Sun sensitivity or heat intolerance
- Rapid heart beat
- Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, or brain fog
- Constantly feeling tired, weak, or lethargic
- Cold intolerance and sensitivity to the cold
- Abdominal pain or stomach cramps
Although there is no known cure for autoimmune disorders in conventional medicine, at the Functional Health Institute we have excellent success in helping our patients alleviate symptoms and prevent relapses. In many cases, laboratory evidence of autoimmune disease goes away.
We strive to find the root cause of what is turning on the autoimmune process with the goal of shutting it off naturally. It is important to keep in mind that the job of your immune system is to fight foreign substances in the body, such as bacteria and viruses. But with autoimmune diseases, things go awry. The immune system attacks the body’s own tissues causing inflammation, pain, and tissue injury.
There are 3 components that are common to every autoimmune disease; a genetic susceptibility, an environmental trigger, and “leaky gut”. Leaky gut is a condition which allows partially digested proteins to cross the intestinal walls and enter the general circulation, where they prompt an immune response.
The mainstream medical community can offer little relief, except to prescribe powerful medications. Long-term use of these drugs can have serious side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding, retinopathy, headaches, and kidney failure.
At the Functional Health Institute, we help our patients implement natural treatments for autoimmune diseases that, unlike medication, address the patient’s overall health as well as the underlying disease mechanisms. We utilize a therapeutic diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, natural hormones, and lifestyle treatments to help you regain control over the direction of your life.
Call us today to schedule a personal health consultation and we will sit down with you to help determine how we can help with your health goals.