Inflammatory Bowel Disease Functional Medicine Care

Gastroenterologists diagnose Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis and manage anti-inflammatory or biologic therapies. Flare care, bleeding, and obstruction risks need specialty oversight.

Functional medicine adds depth on diet, microbiome balance, and lifestyle stressors once the acute picture is stable — or while coordinating with your GI team.

Mechanistically, IBD reflects dysregulated mucosal immunity in genetically susceptible people. Barrier injury, microbial imbalance, and immune signaling can keep symptoms loud even when a treatment plan is otherwise appropriate — which is why root-cause support focuses on terrain, not on replacing biologics.

We map symptom patterns (diarrhea, constipation, bloating, pain), review prior scopes and labs, and build gut-focused plans that respect your GI medications and monitoring schedule.

What testing looks like: we start with what gastroenterology has already documented, then consider stool inflammation markers, nutrient status, and gut-focused labs when they clarify triggers. Broader blood panels used in the practice (including extensive marker panels coordinated through partners such as Evexia with LabCorp draws) are ordered thoughtfully — not as a substitute for colonoscopy when that is indicated.

What to expect: telehealth visits from our Boulder practice, coordination with your GI team, dietary strategies that may include autoimmune protocol patterns when appropriate, and honest limits — we do not claim to cure Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis.

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.

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.

Dr. Autoimmune is based in Boulder, Colorado, and delivers care entirely by telehealth so patients across Colorado and the United States can work with the team without travel.

Lab draws are coordinated at a facility convenient to where you live. Discovery calls and evaluations happen by secure video. If you are searching for a ibd specialist in Boulder, start on this page and the homepage. Denver metro patients can read how visits work with the Boulder clinic on the Denver telehealth page, then book a discovery call to confirm fit alongside any specialists you already see.