Rheumatoid Arthritis Functional Medicine Care

Rheumatologists diagnose RA and prescribe disease-modifying medications that protect joints. That care saves function and should not be delayed when inflammatory arthritis is active.

Functional medicine explores gut health, food triggers, infections, and lifestyle factors that may amplify inflammation while you continue rheumatology treatment.

RA is an immune-driven attack on synovial tissue. Understanding mechanisms — citrullinated protein antibodies, innate immune activation, and systemic inflammation — helps explain why joint swelling can travel with fatigue, brain fog, or digestive flares even when a single joint exam looks quieter.

Evaluations review joint patterns, fatigue, digestive symptoms, and prior labs. Plans emphasize root-cause investigation and practical lifestyle support — never as a substitute for DMARD or biologic therapy when those are indicated.

What testing looks like in our model: we review RF, anti-CCP, ESR/CRP, and the story your rheumatologist has already built, then fill gaps with gut, nutrient, and inflammatory context when clinically relevant. Draws for broader panels can be coordinated locally while visits remain telehealth from Boulder.

What to expect: a careful history of which joints flare, morning stiffness, food or stress triggers, and gut symptoms; a plan that respects your current medications; and follow-up that adjusts nutrition, lifestyle, and supportive therapies as markers and symptoms change. We do not promise remission or medication discontinuation.

Many of our clients have been told they will “have to live with it”, or “to just deal with the side effects” of pharmaceuticals. But if you are fed up with your current situation and medical management, there is another way!

Functional medicine is an approach that looks at the entire body (structural, metabolic and neurologic health). We can understand a patient's complete health situation and discover underlying triggers that may be the actual culprit behind your rheumatoid arthritis.

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 rheumatoid arthritis 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.