What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to a group of conditions, including autoimmune Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD affects 3 million people in the US, yet conventional medicine still hasn’t identified the cause or cure. The good news is- there is hope!
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptoms
Do you suspect or know that you have inflammatory bowel disease? You may experience symptoms such as these:
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Blood in your stool
- Reduced appetite
- Unintended weight loss
- Depression/Anxiety
Triggers for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
What can trigger or fuel inflammatory bowel disease?
- Gluten sensitivity or other food triggers
- Viral infection such as Epstein Barr virus (EBV)
- Plastics like BPA, phthalates, parabens
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
- Mold toxicity
- Low glutathione status
- Hormonal imbalances
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Leaky gut
- Blood sugar dysfunction
- Low vitamin D
How Can Dr. Autoimmune Help?
We understand that living with inflammatory bowel disease is painful, frustrating, and exhausting. The conventional treatment is to prescribe medications that help manage the symptoms, but this approach does not recognize the interconnectedness of our bodies. Instead of focusing on band-aid treatments for IBD, functional medicine aims to heal leaky gut and identify the personal environmental triggers that differ from person to person.
All autoimmune diseases start in the gut. We design custom plans of dietary intervention, supplements and lifestyle recommendations to help heal the gut and support the immune system. In supporting these fundamental functions of the digestive tract we can reduce inflammation and see dramatic changes in symptoms.
Finding the Root Cause
We know that autoimmunity requires 3 things to develop:
- Genetic predisposition
- Leaky gut (a.k.a intestinal permeability)
- An environmental trigger
It All Starts in the Gut!
Our small intestine consists of 25 feet of tubing, the inside surface area being equivalent to that of a doubles tennis court!
Proteins called “tight junctions” prevent a flood of material into the gut. Low vitamin D levels coupled with inflammation in the gut starts to widen the space between cells, allowing materials (bacteria and food) to start seeping through. This triggers inflammation and as antibodies are formed against your own tissue.
