Naturopathic Solutions For Autoimmune Conditions
Do you feel exhausted all the time, no matter how much sleep you got?
Are you feeling anxious, depressed, or have trouble dealing with stress?
Does your digestive system seem to rebel against you at the worst times?
If so, these are all potential symptoms of an autoimmune disorder.
An autoimmune disorder is a disorder where your body’s immune system mistakes part of your body’s own tissues for a pathogen, and attacks it. The reason for this is not fully understood, but it can create some difficult and frustrating health concerns.
In their worst incarnations, if left untreated autoimmune conditions can be deadly.
However, there are naturopathic treatments available which can help. While there are no known cures for autoimmune disorders, naturopathic treatments can be effective in helping manage your symptoms. While you might have to be more careful than before, many people with autoimmune conditions can go on to lead normal, healthy lives.
Read on to find out more.
Naturopathic Treatments For Thyroid Disorders
Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of your neck. As an endocrine gland, it releases hormones into your bloodstream to control different parts of your body. It’s involved in your metabolism, body temperature, mood regulation, and more.
There are a number of autoimmune disorders that affect your thyroid. The two most common are Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Graves’ Disease
With Graves’ disease, your body creates antibodies called thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins. These antibodies latch onto your healthy thyroid cells, causing them to produce more thyroid hormone than normal, leading to a condition called hyperthyroidism.
The symptoms of Graves’ disease include:
- Unexpected weight loss
- Sensitivity to heat
- Nervousness, irritability, and hand tremors
- Muscle weakness
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Tachycardia (increased heart rate)
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
With Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, your immune system sends white blood cells to attack your thyroid. In this case, however, it decreases your thyroid’s production of thyroid hormones, leading to a condition known as hypothyroidism.
Many of the symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are the inverse of Graves’ disease. They include:
- Unexpected weight gain
- Sensitivity to cold
- Depression
- Constipation
- Dry or pale skin
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
- Brittle or thinning hair
- Irregular menstruation
- Infertility
Solutions For Thyroid Conditions
If you read the above symptoms and recognized some of them, it’s possible you may have a thyroid condition.
Both of the above conditions may lead to more serious complications if justify unchecked. These include goiter, where your thyroid grows to a massive size, heart failure, and thyroid storm, an often fatal thyroid attack.
However, there is hope. Dr. Sheila can help.
The first step in treatment is to determine the cause of your symptoms. Thyroid disorders share many symptoms with other conditions, so it’s important to be sure. Dr. Sheila may order lab tests to measure your levels of thyroid hormone.
Once a diagnosis is made, the next step is to examine the underlying factors which may be aggravating your thyroid condition. These may include certain dietary and lifestyle habits.
Dr. Sheila will also provide you with treatments designed to ease your thyroid disorder symptoms.
Naturopathic medicine can help you manage your thyroid condition. Many with the above disorders go on to live full, healthy lives.
Contact Dr. Sheila today, and start the process of healing your thyroid, naturally.
Naturopathic Treatments For Lupus
Lupus is an autoimmune disease with more variety than other conditions. This is because while many other autoimmune diseases are localized – Graves’ disease attacks the thyroid, for example – lupus can attack many parts of your body.
As a result, the symptoms can vary from case to case. Depending on what part of your body is affected by lupus, you may experience:
- High fever
- Skin rashes
- Unexpected weight loss
- Purple or pale digits
- Sores in your mouth or nose
- Chronic fatigue
- Hair loss
- Arthritis-like symptoms
- Seizures
- Fluid retention and swelling
- Chest pain while breathing
- Irregular heartbeat
- Face rash shaped like a butterfly
- Light sensitivity
- Blood clots in the legs
- Stroke
- Plumonary embolus (clots in the lung)
- Fluid accumulation near the lungs and heart
- Confusion
- Depression
- Bodily weakness or numbness
We don’t know exactly what causes lupus, but we do know about some of the risk factors. In particular, people of African, Asian, and indigenous American descent are more likely to develop lupus. As well, 9 out of 10 cases of lupus are women, particularly those of childbearing age.
Lupus is one of the more dangerous autoimmune conditions. If justify alone, it can be life-threatening.
However, naturopathic medicine can help. Dr. Sheila can help.
If you believe you may have lupus, contact Dr. Sheila. She’ll work to uncover what’s causing your symptoms, and provide you with a treatment plan designed to address the root cause.
Other Autoimmune Conditions
A number of other autoimmune conditions have been discovered. In fact, there are currently over 100 of them.
Some of them are mentioned on other pages on this site. Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease, for example, are mentioned on the digestive conditions page.
A number of skin conditions are considered autoimmune diseases as well, including eczema and psoriasis. You’ll find more information on them on the skin conditions page.
Others, like fibromyalgia, are complex enough that they have their own page.
Some of the more common autoimmune diseases beyond these include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Diabetes
Contact Dr. Sheila
Autoimmune diseases can range from mild frustrations to life-threatening events.
However, there is hope.
Naturopathic medicine is well positioned to help you manage your autoimmune condition. This is because it works to uncover the triggers behind your autoimmune symptoms.
If you believe you may have an autoimmune condition, the first step is to uncover what it is. Dr. Sheila will perform a naturopathic assessment to get a better understanding of your current level of health, and what factors may be contributing to your symptoms. She may recommend additional testing as well.
Once she’s able to make a diagnosis, Dr. Sheila will provide you with a treatment plan designed to address the root cause of your condition. This plan may include elements of nutritional counselling, lifestyle counseling, traditional Chinese medicine, and botanical medicine depending on your unique needs.
By addressing these root causes, Dr. Sheila’s solutions may help you manage your autoimmune symptoms and keep them from causing other problems.
Autoimmune disorders can be difficult to deal with, but naturopathic medicine can help you live a healthy life with minimal interference from your disorder.
To find out more, contact Dr. Sheila to book an appointment today.