Auto-immune conditions unfortunately are on the rise in our country. Many conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, hashimoto's and others have different physical symptoms; however, the underlying mechanisms of auto-immune disease may be similar.

The theory in functional medicine regarding autoimmune disorders is that it is a combination of genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and a disruption in the gut microbiome. With auto-immune conditions, you often find a robust immune system inappropriately attacking parts of the body, confusing it for a foreign entity. In conventional medicine, medications are often used to suppress the immune system which often help with symptom improvement. In functional medicine, we always ask the question “why” and try to understand the reason the immune system is being overly stimulated.