As if women don’t already go through enough between having a monthly menstrual cycle, experiencing childbirth and going through menopause later in life, now recent studies estimate that about 80% of all patients diagnosed with autoimmune diseases are women. That means it’s important for women to be aware and know what to look out for. That’s why in this article we go over the top 5 most common autoimmune diseases and their symptoms that affect women. Our goal in doing this is to better educate women everywhere so they can seek the care they need and get to the root cause of their symptoms earlier rather than later.

Autoimmune Diseases are often misdiagnosed, so it’s important that if you or someone you know is experiencing an autoimmune disease and/or the symptoms we’re mentioning, that they get the care they need from a functional medicine professional like Dr. Autoimmune. 

The Explanation.

There are a multitude of autoimmune diseases (over 100 in fact) that are known to exist that range from mild to severe to intermittent to chronic. 

There are many explanations as to why women are more susceptible over men which include: genetics, sex hormones, the X chromosome, microchimerism, environmental factors, diet, viruses and microbiome. Even stress can be a contributing factor. 

Top 5 Most Common Autoimmune Diseases That Affect Women

1. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (lupus or SLE)

Nine out of 10 people affected with systemic lupus are women, commonly between ages 15 and 44. 

Lupus attacks and damages any part of the body including the joints, skin and/or organs (brain, lungs, kidneys and blood vessels). 

Some women experience mild symptoms, while others face serious health risks like kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. 

Experts acknowledge the role of genes, but say that other possible causes include factors like hormones such as estrogen, the environment, certain medicines and viruses. 

Some common symptoms to look out for include:

• red rashes (most often on the face)
• sun sensitivity
• muscle and joint pain 
• fever 
• hair loss

2. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS is considered an autoimmune condition that affects the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system. The disease affects women more often than men with women being up to three times more likely than men to get MS. 

The disease can also cause symptoms specific to women that seem to relate to hormone levels.

The main symptoms that affect women more than men include menstrual problems, pregnancy-related symptoms, and menopause issues.

Some common symptoms to look out for include:

• Most women first notice the symptoms of MS with blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion and even blindness in one eye. 
• MS can also lead to cognitive problems like difficulties with memory and concentration and can trigger muscle weakness so severe that it can be difficult to walk or stand. 
• At its worst, MS can cause partial or total paralysis.

3. Thyroid Diseases

Women are more prone than men to Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Graves’ disease causes the thyroid to produce an excess of thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). It usually occurs between ages 30 and 50 (but can appear at any age) and appears seven to eight times more frequently in women than in men. 

About 30% of people with Graves’ disease will have a condition known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy, which causes bulging, puffy or inflamed eyes and light sensitivity, double vision and eye pain. If left untreated, Graves’ disease can cause serious problems, including thinning bones, osteoporosis, and heart-related problems.

In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the immune system attacks the thyroid, which often leads to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). It affects about 10 times as many women as men. 

It typically occurs in middle-aged women and progresses slowly over time, gradually damaging the thyroid and reducing thyroid hormone levels. 

Thyroid symptoms include: 

• being tired for no apparent reason
• dry skin
• a pale, puffy face
• constipation

4. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks the lining of various joints throughout the body, resulting in painful, stiff, swollen and deformed joints and muscle weakness.  

Female hormones may also play a role in the onset of the disease, which commonly waxes and wanes with periods of flare-ups along with periods of remission. 

As many as 75% of those with RA are women who typically develop the condition between ages 30 and 50, younger than when men typically get the disease.

Common symptoms of RA can include: 

• Pain, stiffness, swelling, and tenderness in the joints, back, or muscles.
• Whole body fatigue, anemia, or malaise (general feeling of discomfort)
• Lumps or redness on the skin
• Swelling and/or bump(s) on the fingers
• A sensation of pins and needles

5. Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common condition that causes skin cells to build up more rapidly than they normally would. In turn, these excess cells form red, silvery, patchy and sometimes painful scales. 

Symptoms can be mild (like a few spots of dandruff-like scales) to severe (major outbreaks covering large areas of skin) and it can also cause thickened, ridged or pitted nails and sore joints. 

Although psoriasis is more prevalent in women than in men, research finds that men’s symptoms are typically more severe.

Some common symptoms to look out for include:

• A patchy rash that varies widely in how it looks from person to person, ranging from spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions over much of the body.
• Rashes that vary in color. These tend to be shades of purple with gray scales on darker skin and pink or red with silver scales on light skin.
• Dry, cracked skin that may bleed.
• Itching, burning or soreness.
• Cyclic rashes that flare for a few weeks or months and then subside.

Common Symptoms Across Autoimmune Diseases

Despite the varying types of autoimmune diseases, many of them share similar symptoms, including:

• Fatigue
• Joint pain and swelling
• Skin problems
• Abdominal pain or digestive issues
• Recurring fever
• Swollen glands

Women should seek treatment when they notice new symptoms so they can identify or rule out an autoimmune disease early on.

Dr. Autoimmune

If you or any women in your life suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above without an identified underlying cause, then you should seek the care and medical testing from a functional medicine practitioner like Dr. Ian Hollaman and the Dr. Autoimmune team.

As an experienced functional medicine expert, Dr. Ian Hollaman uses testing and natural methods to assess the numerous factors that can affect your immune system. He looks for potential environmental toxins, lifestyle, stress, diet, medication, allergies, and sleep habits – all to uncover the root cause of your autoimmune disease. 

Click here to schedule your appointment with Dr. Autoimmune today! We offer 100% remote care so anyone can heal from anywhere!

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It seems discussing aAutoimmune diseases in men is not a topic that is discussed very often. That’s because 80% of all patients diagnosed with autoimmune diseases are women, but the gap is getting smaller. This is why we think it’s important that we take a look at the five most common autoimmune diseases and their symptoms in men.

Addison’s Disease

Also called adrenal insufficiency, Addison’s disease is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the adrenal glands. The primary role of your adrenal glands is to produce and regulate the stress hormone cortisol. 

To receive an Addison’s disease diagnosis, you must have lost 90% of your adrenal glands’ function. However, you can still have adrenal insufficiency without theis diagnosis of Addison’s disease. Anything between optimal health and Addison’s disease is referred to as adrenal fatigue. It’s found that most men fall somewhere on this spectrum. 

Symptoms of Addison’s disease develop slowly over several months. Symptoms are often subtle or mirror symptoms of other conditions, which unfortunately makes symptoms easy to ignore as signs as Addison’s disease unless visiting a functional medicine practitioner like Dr. Autoimmune.

Symptoms of Addison’s Disease

• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Decreased appetite
• Hyperpigmentation (dark spots on the skin)
• Low blood pressure
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
• Dizziness or fainting
• Salt cravings
• Abdominal pain
• Joint and muscle pains
• Depression
• Hair loss

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks the small intestine. It’s also an autoimmune response to gluten. Gluten (from Latin, “glue”) is a protein in wheat made up of the peptides, gliadin and glutenin. It is found in other grains such as semolina, spelt, kamut, rye, and barley. Gluten is what makes bread airy and fluffy—but it’s also highly inflammatory for most people. 

Consuming gluten when you have celiac disease causes damage to your villi, or the tiny hair-like projections that run along the surface of your gut that help you to digest food properly. This leads to nutrient deficiencies, leaky gut, and increases your odds of developing another autoimmune condition.

Symptoms of Celiac Disease

• Frequent bloating
• Excessive gas
• Chronic diarrhea
• Constipation
• Lactose intolerance
• Nausea or vomiting
• Abdominal pain

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Women are twice as likely to have multiple sclerosis, yet it’s still one of the more common autoimmune diseases in men. 

This autoimmune disease can develop at any age, but the most common age of onset for men is between 20 and 50. It happens when inflammation causes damage to the nervous system. 

Each person with MS will also develop a unique set of symptoms, based on the specific pattern of inflammatory nervous system damage in that individual, and the affected part(s) of the body. 

There are no MS symptoms that are exclusively found in men and not women, but some signs of MS are generally more common for men or women.

Men with MS are more likely to experience:

• motor problems
• loss of coordination and imbalance
• cognitive difficulties

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis vary in severity and duration from person to person; and they can also change over time.

Other Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

• Extreme fatigue
• Double vision or inflammation of the eye (optic neuritis)
• Vertigo
• Muscle weakness
• “Pins and needles” sensations, numbness, and other bodily sensations (dysesthesia)
• Muscle stiffness, jerks, exaggerated reflexes (muscle spasticity)
• Loss of balance or coordination
• Cognitive problems
• Loss of bladder or bowel control

Lupus

Unlike most autoimmune conditions that attack one bodily system, lupus erythematosus (lupus) is an autoimmune disease that impacts multiple systems in the body. Because of this, lupus can be life-threatening and can affect the skin, joints, internal organs and the nervous system.

Men account for 1 in 10 of individuals diagnosed with lupus. Research also indicates that the disease typically presents more severe symptoms in men than women. That’s likely because the disease is underdiagnosed in men. Symptoms of this autoimmune disease vary widely and can range from mild to severe. 

Lupus isIt’s also nicknamed “The Great Imitator ”. It got this nickname because it mimics other diseases and it impacts multiple bodily systems. Symptoms from lupus often come and go or change entirely;, that’s why it’s so important that you visit a functional medicine practitioner like Dr. Autoimmune. 

Without proper testing you may be completely unaware that you even have lupus or another autoimmune disease if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned below. 

Signs of Lupus

• Anemia
• A butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks
• Heart problems
• Anemia or low blood count
• Weight loss
• Unexplained fever
• Increased risk for blood clots
• Kidney disease
• Extreme fatigue
• Pain/ swelling of the joints, hands, feet, or eye

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) refers to a group of inflammatory conditions affecting the intestines and colon.

IBD shares many symptoms with two other autoimmune diseases called Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Though they share similar symptoms they’re actually quite different. For instance, inflammation occurs anywhere along the digestive tract in people with Crohn’s disease, whereas it’s limited to the large intestine in those with ulcerative colitis.

Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease

People with Crohn’s disease have patchy inflammation, thickened colon walls and ulcers that extend deep into tissues in the walls. 

Common symptoms include: 

• Abdominal pain
• Persistent diarrhea 
• Bleeding
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Vomiting
• Anemia
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Malabsorption
• Stomach ulcers
• Mouth sores
• Rashes, skin ulcers, and other skin disorders
• Dry, inflamed eyes

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis

As I mentioned above, inflammation is limited to the colon in patients with ulcerative colitis. 

Here are common symptoms: 

• Abdominal pain
• Bloody diarrhea
• Rectal bleeding
• Anemia that is caused by severe bleeding
• Dehydration
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Malabsorption
• Loss of appetite
• Urgent bowel movements
• Inability to defecate
• Weight loss

By the time symptoms have begun, conventional medicine treats both diseases the same way: with a slew of immunosuppressive medications and invasive surgeries. By ignoring the upstream factors that led to the condition, these methods don’t address the thing that caused the inflammation in the first place. Over time, IBD symptoms can reach beyond the gastrointestinal tract, including the eyes, joints, and skin.

These are the most common autoimmune diseases in men, yet that doesn’t mean men cannot get other autoimmune diseases as well. The great news is that regardless of which autoimmune disease is affecting you, you can eliminate your symptoms and reverse your condition with a functional medicine approach like what Dr. Autoimmune uses. It starts by getting to the root cause of your symptoms.

A Functional Medicine Approach to Autoimmune Disease in Men

Conventional medicine does not recognize autoimmune diseases as diseases of the immune system as a whole. Instead, they are treated as diseases of particular organs. Unfortunately, that means that there isn’t a unified branch in conventional medicine to manage autoimmune conditions. This is where Dr. Ian Hollaman and the Dr. Autoimmune team come in.

Functional medicine sees the body as a whole unit and views autoimmunity as a disease of the immune system. Instead of focusing on disease symptom management, functional medicine focuses on supporting and strengthening the immune system by getting to the root of what causes autoimmune diseases in men in the first place. 

If you or any men in your life suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above without an identified, underlying cause, then you should seek care right away! 

Dr. Ian Hollaman, and the Dr. Autoimmune team located in Boulder, Colorado takes into account many factors, such as environment, symptoms, nutrition, genes, and lab values, in order to determine the root cause of your medical issues so your health and well-being can be restored. 

Ready to Get Started with Dr. Autoimmune?

If you’re ready to take the next step in balancing your health, Dr. Autoimmune offers multiple ways to reach out for your convenience, and encourages you to connect with us so we can answer any questions you may have. Our specialized staff is standing by ready to help! 

Click here to schedule your appointment with the Dr. Autoimmune team today! We offer 100% remote care so anyone can heal from anywhere! And we’ve set up ‘The Dr. Autoimmune Solution’ which is a comprehensive new patient special that includes everything necessary to determine the root cause of your condition and start you on the journey to getting your life back.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram & YouTube for more information and tips regarding autoimmune diseases and the functional medicine approach.

Eczema care from a functional medicine perspective is all about finding the cause. At Dr. Autoimmune, Dr. Ian Hollaman doesn’t only address his patients’ eczema symptoms; he looks for the root cause of the eczema and fixes it! 

In this article we will go over the common problems Dr. Autoimmune finds that cause eczema.

Eczema And Intestinal Problems

The first place we look for the cause of eczema is the intestinal tract. Whenever there is a skin problem (acne, psoriasis, rashes, boils, etc) the most common cause is something wrong with the gut. 

It’s rare to find someone with unhealthy intestines but healthy skin. That’s because the skin and the gut have some things in common. They both get rid of toxins. When the gut is damaged and not able to eliminate toxins effectively, or worse is ADDING toxins to the body, the skin becomes the place these toxins end up, resulting in a “skin illness” like eczema. 

Both the skin and the intestines are affected by bacteria. They each can be made sick by a lack of healthy bacteria or the presence of pathogens. So eczema care here would be to fix what may be wrong in the gut. Some of the common intestinal conditions that are found to result in eczema are:

Dysbiosis–

This is a fancy word for the bacteria in the intestines being messed up. Our bodies need lots of healthy bacteria, probiotics, in the right proportions. If the probiotics are lacking or imbalanced, the result will be problems in the gut.

Intestinal pathogens–

Intestinal pathogens are harmful bacteria, parasites or fungi (yeast or mold). These bad guys damage the intestines and can cause a condition called leaky gut syndrome.

Hypochloridia–

A variety of digestive problems can hurt the gut. Hypochloridia is a condition where the stomach doesn’t make enough acid. When the digestion in the stomach is weak, food is not broken down. 

Along the same lines, if either the pancreas or gallbladder under-perform, there will be undigested fat, protein and carbohydrates. Poorly digested food irritates the gut and can result in skin problems.

With proper testing, all of these issues are easily diagnosed. Eczema care from a functional medicine approach will always address any problems in the intestinal tract.

Eczema And Food Sensitivities 

Food sensitivities can cause many skin conditions, including eczema. Sensitivities can be developed to any kind of food or food ingredient including chemicals like food coloring and artificial sweeteners, seasonings, and even things like baker’s yeast. 

Sensitivities are different from food allergies, which cause an immediate reaction. Instead, a delayed onset reaction occurs and can last for up to three weeks once triggered. Because of this delay and long duration it can be very frustrating to figure it out by trial and error. 

Thankfully there is excellent testing that can uncover what these sensitivities are. At Dr. Autoimmune, we’ve seen many health issues resolved in patients, even some unexpected ones, once their food sensitivities were discovered and their diets adjusted.

Eczema And Imbalanced Fatty Acids

Low or imbalanced fatty acids or high levels of pro-inflammatory fatty acids can lead to eczema. 

Fatty acids are very important in regulating inflammation in the body, and in eczema the skin is very inflamed. Fatty acid levels are affected by diet and absorption. 

If a person is eating foods high in pro-inflammatory fatty acids (soy, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, safflower, and mixed vegetable oils, or fatty meats like burgers, hot dogs, bacon, bologna, ribs, etc) or not eating enough foods high in anti-inflammatory fats (olive oil, nuts like almonds and walnuts, fatty fish like salmon) their biochemistry will become pro-inflammatory. That’s why testing fatty acid levels is an important part of healing eczema.

Eczema And Histamine Intolerance 

Most people are familiar with antihistamine drugs. Histamine is released in response to allergies and causes the runny nose and sneezing associated with allergies. 

The allergy component is just one of the jobs histamine is involved in. Histamine is also released in response to injury, inflammation and infection. 

In fact, histamine has 23 different functions in the body. When a person’s body can’t eliminate histamine and has elevated levels all the time, they develop an intolerance to histamine. Eczema is one of the possible problems histamine intolerance can cause.

Histamine intolerance can also cause leaky gut, which again can lead to eczema. This is a good example of how a problem like eczema can be complicated and multi-layered. 

A functional medicine approach looks for these various factors to uncover the root cause(s) of eczema.

Eczema And Toxins

Air pollutants from cigarette smoke, automobiles, industrial factories, and heating systems in buildings can all cause eczema. 

Also, heavy metals like mercury, lead and cadmium can cause eczema. And people with poor detoxification ability are at greater risk. 

Testing not only for the presence of these toxins in the body, but for how well a person is able to get rid of toxins, is very important.

Eczema And Mold

Mold can cause eczema. Testing here is critical because mold can cause so many other health problems. 

It’s very common that patients who have eczema that was caused by mold, had no idea that their home had mold.

Eczema And Allergies 

There are many allergens that can cause eczema like: 

• certain foods 
• food additives
• ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products
• environmental chemicals and pollutants
• seasonal pollen
• dust mites 
• pet dander

A Functional Medicine Approach To Eczema 

Healing eczema from a functional medicine approach is all about finding the cause and fixing it. 

Generally patients with eczema have more going on than just their eczema. Often these patients have one or more of these conditions as well: 

• an autoimmune disorder
• chronic fatigue
• weakness
• body pain
• joint pain
• headaches
• sinus problems
• brain fog
• IBS &
• depression and anxiety.

The components of the human body are so interwoven that when something is not working right a whole host of problems can occur. 

Functional medicine is all about recognizing this. 

Once the root causes are resolved, people get healthy and their symptoms go away.

Dr. Ian Hollaman aka Dr. Autoimmune

Functional medicine is one promising aspect of America’s healthcare future, in that it resolves medical issues at their source, before they become chronic challenges in your future.

If you or a loved one has eczema, Dr. Autoimmune and his team can help! Just click here or just click the Start Your Journey button below.

We’re the autoimmune wellness specialists that Boulder, CO. residents trust! 

Don’t forget to Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for daily natural health tips.

Digestive issues are becoming more and more common! From bloating to IBS to SIBO and Candida overgrowth, there’s no shortage of people walking into my office hoping for a solution to their GI issues. 

Today, I’m going to dive into one of the more serious GI issues I see among my patients — Crohn’s disease. 

Many people with Crohn’s feel hopeless and like there’s no more that can be done. But I’m here to tell you that no matter what you’ve heard, there are steps you can take to improve your digestion and see improvements in your symptoms. Keep reading for everything you need to know.

What is Crohn’s Disease?

Like ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. As of 2015, about 1.3% of the United States population had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

IBD is different from IBS in that it is characterized as an autoimmune disease, meaning the underlying cause of Crohn’s is an immune system malfunction that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues. 

In the case of Crohn’s, the body attacks the intestinal lining, leading to localized inflammation. 

What Are the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease? 

The inflammation caused by Crohn’s can lead to a host of symptoms, including: 

• Diarrhea 
• Bloating 
• Abdominal pain
• Rectal bleeding and pain
• Unintended weight loss
• Loss of appetite 
• Nutrient deficiencies 
• Fatigue
• Low mood or depression 
• Brittle nails
• Hair loss
• Nausea and vomiting

To be diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, these symptoms would have to be moderate to severe, and chronic. 

In order to officially make a Crohn’s disease diagnosis, a doctor will also do laboratory tests to check your inflammation levels, signs of nutrient deficiencies such as anemia, and infections as well as X-rays, CT scans, a colonoscopy, and an endoscopy.

What Does a Functional Medicine Crohn’s Diet Plan Look Like? 

If you’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, you may have already noticed that certain foods seem to trigger your symptoms and other foods seem to be “safe.” And while every person’s trigger foods are slightly different, almost all Crohn’s patients can benefit from reducing their intake of: 

• Lectin-containing foods like beans and legumes 
• Nuts and seeds
• Gluten-containing grains
• Dairy
• Processed foods
• Raw vegetables
• Caffeine 
• Sorbitol, xylitol, or other sugar alcohols
• Alcohol 
• Spicy foods 
• Raw fruits

You may be reading the list above and feel a little bummed out. Does this mean you can’t enjoy your morning cappuccino or popcorn at the movies? Dr. Ian Hollaman, aka Dr. Autoimmune recommends reducing these foods as much as possible, especially in the first few months, but you may be able to be more flexible once your symptoms have improved.

The good news is that there are a ton of delicious foods that can actually benefit your gut health, such as: 

• Organic meats
• Fatty fish 
• Cooked vegetables 
• Dark leafy greens
• Fruits and vegetables 

As a general rule, it’s been noticed that people with Crohn’s seem to benefit from eating cooked foods, which means soups, stews, and stir fry are your new best friends. 

Crohn’s can have serious consequences and should not be ignored. That being said, if your doctor does not seem open to dietary or lifestyle changes, or tells you they won’t make a difference, that is a red flag that you may want to find another physician to manage your care. Why? Because study after study has shown that lifestyle factors DO matter when it comes to Crohn’s and all inflammatory bowel diseases for that matter. 

Non-Food Lifestyle Choices That Can Improve Symptoms.

Even though Crohn’s is a gut-centric disease, there are other non-food lifestyle choices that seem to be able to improve symptoms. If you have Crohn’s, I recommend exploring the following:

1. Avoid smoking-

Tobacco products have been linked to the development of Crohn’s and an increased number of flare-ups. 

2. Manage stress-

Stress is not necessarily a cause of Crohn’s but it can definitely trigger flare-ups and worsen symptoms. I recommend yoga, meditation, or gratitude practices as a way to manage daily stress. 

3. Take fish oil-

Fish oil may help reduce the underlying inflammation present in Crohn’s disease. In fact, one study showed that patients taking fish oil were twice as likely to remain in remission compared to patients not taking fish oil. 

4. Try acupuncture-

Another great option is the traditional Chinese medicine modality acupuncture. While the research isn’t conclusive, several clinical trials have shown promising results that acupuncture could be helpful for inflammatory bowel disease. 

How Functional Medicine Can Help Heal Crohn’s Disease

Many patients with Crohn’s disease report feeling frustrated with conventional medical protocols. Patients overwhelmed with drug risks and side effects want an alternative approach. Functional medicine practitioners like Dr. Ian Hollaman (aka Dr. Autoimmune) is an expert in alternative therapies- He has found that when he helps clients with Crohn’s disease change their lifestyle, he can help them change the severity of their disease. 

He then customizes a program that utilizes diagnostic tests, protocols, and procedures to help identify autoimmune triggers caused by Crohn’s disease which may be contributing to the client’s symptoms. 

He then uses additional protocols to help the body deal with the identified stressors. 

How Is Crohn’s Disease Diagnosed?

Diagnosing Crohn’s disease may often prove to be a complicated task, given the complexity of symptoms, the varying degree of their severity, and the fact that the signs may not manifest the same way for all patients. It is likely that several different types of tests are needed, after considering your symptoms, their frequency, and seriousness. 

Functional Medicine Labs to Test for Crohn’s Disease

Functional medicine testing can assess the extent of inflammation in the intestines and the rest of the body along with nutrient deficiencies, anemia, and infections and help identify underlying contributing factors.

CICA

The Celiac, IBS, and Crohn’s Assay (CICA) measure genetic risk markers and antibodies directed against yeast in the gut (Anti-Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Antibody (ASCA), which is an indicator for the presence and severity of Crohn’s.

Calprotectin

Fecal calprotectin is a marker of mucosal inflammation in IBD and can be used to monitor disease activity.

Comprehensive Stool Test

The GI-MAP assesses relative amounts of healthy and unbalanced gut bacteria, inflammation and leaky gut markers, parasites, and yeast overgrowth. Individuals with Crohn’s frequently have an overgrowth of Candida and Malassezia yeasts that join harmful bacteria to create biofilms that are difficult for the immune system to get rid of. This can trigger autoimmunity and perpetuate the cycle of inflammation, so detecting and healing gut infections and imbalances is important.

Micronutrient Testing

Crohn’s causes nutrient deficiencies that result in further immune system dysregulation and impaired healing. The damaged intestines cannot effectively absorb nutrients, leading to deficiencies in iron, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, magnesium, and other nutrients. 

The functional status of nutrients within the cell can be assessed with a micronutrient panel to target any deficiencies.

Other Labs

Other basic labs to assess contributing factors and complications include

• complete blood count (CBC) to detect infection and anemia
• inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) to assess inflammation throughout the body, and
• liver function tests to screen for liver and bile duct problems.

After careful consideration, a highly trained integrative functional medicine practitioner can determine the presence of Crohn’s disease, its location in the digestive tract, and its state of progression. 

If you’re an individual suffering from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, it is imperative to develop a close, trusting, and reliable relationship with your integrative functional medicine practitioner to avoid the worsening of your condition and even to restore the standard functions of the digestive system.

Why is it Important to Work With an Integrative Functional Medicine Practitioner?

An integrative functional medicine practitioner will examine all areas of your life when creating a plan for managing your Crohn’s disease symptoms.

With the help of various scientifically proven allopathic and complementary medicinal methods this disorder may become entirely manageable, remaining in remission for extended periods of time. The goal of care therefore, will always be:

• to control the inflammatory processes, most often with the help of anti-inflammatories
• to balance the immune system- by aiding its health with proper nutrition
• to correct any nutritional deficiencies developed by creating a proper diet protocol and adding appropriate supplementation
• to relieve all bothersome symptoms, usually with the help of natural therapies, herbal remedies, stress relief, and other alternative approaches

Functional Medicine Care for Crohn’s Disease

A functional medicine approach to Crohn’s disease addresses underlying factors to balance the immune system, calm inflammation, and avoid the progression of the disease to avoid complications.

Lifestyle Changes You Can Make

Nutrition

Diet strongly influences the gut microenvironment, impacting microbial composition, function, gut barrier, and immunity. 

The composition of the gut microbiota can change in response to diet. So like we mentioned above, an individualized nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory diet can help balance inflammation to avoid flares and further irritation to the gastrointestinal tract while optimizing nutrients.

Support the Microbiome

A properly balanced gut microbiome is crucial for balanced immune function. A diet rich in unprocessed whole foods that incorporates probiotic-rich foods like miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut combined with prebiotic-rich foods like leeks, artichokes, garlic, and beans that nourish healthy bacteria is critical for repairing the intestinal lining and reducing symptoms. 

In addition to diet, probiotic supplements like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have been shown to improve Crohn’s.

Manage Stress

Stress increases cortisol and inflammation in the gut via the “brain-gut axis,” triggering flare-ups. Therefore, stress management practices like yoga, meditation, breathwork, or gratitude practices and addressing emotions and trauma are helpful.

Exercise

Exercise decreases the expression of inflammatory substances and encourages repair of the damaged intestines.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT)

FMT is an emerging experimental treatment strategy for Crohn’s.

Dr. Ian Hollaman aka Dr. Autoimmune 

Dr. Ian Hollaman, aka Dr. Autoimmune, along with his team, is one of the top functional medicine telehealth providers in the world! We offer webcam health consultations for people suffering from autoimmune diseases. 

At Dr. Autoimmune, we use a functional medicine approach to identify the root cause of your condition and develop a custom plan using diet, supplementation, and lifestyle change to help you reach your health goals. 

With an 85% success rate, we are confident that we can get you the results you are looking for. 

If you’re ready for your life to change click here or just click the “Start Your Journey” button below.

We are the autoimmune wellness specialists that Boulder, CO. residents trust!