Autoimmune Protocol
Are you struggling with an autoimmune disease and its associated symptoms, like brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, anxiety, GI issues? You could benefit from the Autoimmune Protocol.
The Autoimmune Protocol, or AIP, is a powerful science-based strategy that uses diet and lifestyle to regulate the immune system while reducing the inflammation and giving the body the opportunity to heal.
Collaborating with UAC’s Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Certified Coach, Alissa Klein, can give you the support you need to go through the process (preparation phase, elimination phase at your own pace, re-introduction phase, etc), troubleshoot if needed and see amazing results.
More than 50 million Americans (20% of the population) is estimated to be affected by autoimmune disease (compared to 12 million with cancer and 25 million with heart disease). Despite that statistic, many people, including the individuals diagnosed with these diseases, struggle to understand the full scope of these conditions.
What is an autoimmune disease?
There are more than one hundred confirmed autoimmune diseases and many more diseases that are suspected of having autoimmune origins.
The root cause of all autoimmune diseases is pretty much the same: our immune system, which is supposed to protect us from invading microorganisms, turns against us and attacks our organs instead. Which organs are attacked determines the autoimmune disease and its symptoms. In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the thyroid gland is attacked. In Rheumatoid arthritis, the tissues of your joints are attacked. In psoriasis, proteins within the layers of cells that make up your skin are attacked. However, the root cause is the same (genetic predispositions, inflammatory diet, chronic stress, lack of sleep, inadequate exercise).
The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, or AIP, is a science-based powerful strategy that uses diet and lifestyle to regulate the immune system while reducing the inflammation and giving the body the opportunity to heal.
How does someone develop an autoimmune disease?
Autoimmune disease occurs because the body’s natural defenses — the immune system — attack the body’s own healthy tissue. Researchers have several ideas about why this happens.
When the body senses danger from a virus or infection, the immune system kicks into gear and attacks it. This is called an immune response. Sometimes, healthy cells and tissues are caught up in this response, resulting in autoimmune disease.
Many scientists believe this is what causes rheumatoid arthritis, a type of autoimmune disease that attacks the joints. It’s also common that after having strep throat, people develop psoriasis, an autoimmune condition that causes patches of thick, scaly skin.
Other types of autoimmune disease may come from the body trying to fight specifically against cancer cells. Orbai points to scleroderma, a disease that causes thickening of the skin and connective tissues. “The thought is that when the immune system gets rid of the cancer, there is a leftover inflammatory response because of that fight,” she says. Johns Hopkins researchers studied patients who developed both scleroderma and cancer to try to clarify this relationship.
Autoimmune disease symptoms:
The early symptoms of many autoimmune diseases are very similar, such as:
- fatigue
- achy muscles
- swelling and redness
- low-grade fever
- trouble concentrating
- numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
- hair loss
- skin rashes
Individual diseases can also have their own unique symptoms. For example, type 1 diabetes causes extreme thirst, weight loss, and fatigue. IBD causes belly pain, bloating, and diarrhea.
With autoimmune diseases like psoriasis or RA, symptoms may come and go. A period of symptoms is called a flare-up. A period when the symptoms go away is called remission.
What are the prominent root causes of autoimmune diseases?
Doctors don’t know exactly what causes the immune-system misfire. Yet some people are more likely to get an autoimmune disease than others.
According to a 2014 study, women get autoimmune diseases at a rate of about 2 to 1 compared to men — 6.4 percent of women vs. 2.7 percent of men. Often the disease starts during a woman’s childbearing years (ages 15 to 44).
Some autoimmune diseases are more common in certain ethnic groups. For example, lupus affects more African-American and Hispanic people than Caucasians.
Certain autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis and lupus, run in families. Not every family member will necessarily have the same disease, but they inherit a susceptibility to an autoimmune condition.
Because the incidence of autoimmune diseases is rising, researchers suspect environmental factors like infections and exposure to chemicals or solvents might also be involved.
A “Western diet” is another suspected risk factor for developing an autoimmune disease. Eating high-fat, high-sugar, and highly processed foods is thought to be linked to inflammation, which might set off an immune response. However, this hasn’t been proven.
A 2015 study focused on another theory called the hygiene hypothesis. Because of vaccines and antiseptics, children today aren’t exposed to as many germs as they were in the past. The lack of exposure could make their immune system prone to overreact to harmless substances.
Does conventional medicine really treat autoimmune diseases?
Treatments can’t cure autoimmune diseases, but they can control the overactive immune response and bring down inflammation or at least reduce pain and inflammation. Treatments can also help relieve symptoms.
Will a Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet/lifestyle help treat autoimmune disease symptoms?
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) is a diet that aims to reduce inflammation, pain, and other symptoms caused by autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Many people who have followed the AIP diet report improvements in the way they feel, as well as reductions in common symptoms of autoimmune disorders, such as fatigue and gut or joint pain. Yet, while research on this diet is promising, it’s also limited.
Contact us to schedule a introduction AIP coaching session and determine how we can work together.
An AIP coach can help clients navigate the autoimmune elimination and reintroduction diet and lifestyle protocol, which allows them to explore the potential root causes of their autoimmune disease(s). The goal of the protocol is to reduce inflammation in the body and promote nutrient density, giving the body the best chance at overcoming autoimmune symptoms.
Alissa is currently the only AIP certified coach in central Ohio. If you or someone you know suffers from an autoimmune condition call to talk to her today.
Contact her at Urban Acupuncture Center in Columbus, OH For More Information
For more information about how acupuncture, massage therapy and other alternative healing treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Clintonville (614) 725-2488 | Main St, Westerville (614) 426-4406 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.