Hi ,
Women are twice as likely to develop autoimmune conditions as men.
An estimated 15 million Americans have autoimmune conditions, with 34% affected by multiple of the 105 documented types.
85-90% of women with hypothyroidism have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease are common co-occurring conditions.
Puberty, pregnancy and peri-menopause into menopause timeframes all show spikes in when autoimmune conditions develop.
All 3 of these timeframes are associated with spikes and drops in hormone levels.
I’m currently seeing a rise in autoimmune markers showing up in my practice as I specialize in women 35-65.
In my “trifecta” podcast with Dr. Anna Marie Frank and Theresa Lear Levine, that comes out today, I talk about my personal experience with elevated Lupus antibodies.
If autoimmune conditions show up in times of hormone shift…
…there must be a way to prevent them, right?
Addressing the things that lead to wild fluctuations in hormones…
- exposure to hormone disruptors aka toxins in the food, air, water and cosmetics industry
- excessive alcohol (ex: a nightly glass of wine isn’t helping)
- fatty or toxic liver
- insulin resistance
- bogged down skin, lymphatic system and mitochondria
- an imbalanced oral and gut microbiome
- underlying microbial infections – ex: virus, parasite, bacteria, mold, yeast
- stress and negative self talk
Adding in the following things that keep hormones in check…
- eating sufficient fiber from flax, chia, pumpkin, hemp, sunflower and sesame seeds – see Seed Cycling
- assessing your lifestyle and considering syncing your weekly planning to a moon cycle
- adopting a vagus nerve regulation protocol to help you navigate life’s stressors
- taking time to become self aware, set your boundaries and love you for you
- creating a practice of gratitude, forgiveness and compassion
- evaluating how you detox hormones to see if you need support in this area – DUTCH Test
- testing your current hormones when you’re not feeling your best to see what needs support – saliva, blood or MIRA testing
- Look at DHEA-sulfate, AM Cortisol, hemoglobin a1c, magnesium, RBC, insulin and leptin to assess your stress-blood sugar response
- have a comprehensive metabolic panel drawn to assess your kidney, liver, adrenal health and calculate your BMI + Heptatic Steatosis Index to see if your liver is bogged down or fatty
- evaluate inflammation in the body with ferritin and c-reactive protein
- watch your ANA with reflex (ANA = anti-nuclear antibody – it’s an autoimmune markers screening)
Autoimmune conditions have precursors and they can be evaluated.
The conventional medical space will tell you testing autoimmune antibodies can yield false positives.
That’s true and why I recommend repeating testing or using Advise, a company dedicated to autoimmune testing with higher sensitivity and specificity.
Just because you end up with autoimmune markers showing up doesn’t mean you have to identify with the condition.
I see autoimmune markers as a warning sign, like the engine check light.
It’s a wake up call to look under the hood.
I’ve seen low level autoimmune markers go down and be completely eliminated when clients assess all of the following above and work to get their health back on track.
And for many women this can be done in 6 months to a few years.
Early identification is key and why I screen clients for markers.
Getting ahead of the hormone shifts is key here and why I’m adamant about dialing in your lifestyle factors as much as your hormones before major shifts occur.
But what if you’ve already been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition or have been dealing with one for years?
There’s hope for you too and going back through all the exposures, getting your baseline health optimized and putting the hormones in check is a great place to start.
Here’s to prevention and staying ahead the trends,
Dr. J
PS: If you’re looking to hear me get real about my experience with colds, immunity, stress management and why Dr. Anna Marie & Theresa Lear Levine swear by “Biochargers” for health regulation – click the link below and listen in to The Happy Whole You Podcast.
