The role of the body’s immune system is to protect us from constant exposure to various pathogens in the environment. If the immune system cannot tell the difference between the invaders and its own cells, it will mistakenly target the healthy cells. 

This is known as autoimmunity, a complex condition that leads to chronic inflammation and a wide variety of debilitating symptoms. 

Autoimmunity is on the rise in the United States, largely due to various environmental and lifestyle factors.  

The doctors at Naturally Sue Wellness in NYC take a personalized and holistic approach to autoimmunity. We have successfully treated autoimmunity in numerous patients, helping them to re-regulate the immune system safely and naturally. We provide treatment in-person (in NYC) and online, nationwide!

We take a personalized and holistic approach to immune health by combining lifestyle medicine with other evidence-based treatments and traditional medicine. Rather than simply treating your symptoms, our approach identifies the root cause of your autoimmune condition. 

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Understanding Autoimmunity

Autoimmune disease happens when the immune system becomes overactive and confused, and can’t tell the difference between healthy cells and something it’s supposed to eliminate. Instead of protecting the body, it ends up targeting your cells.

Several factors can cause autoimmune disease:

• Genetics
• Environmental exposure to toxins, chemicals, and pathogens, including from diet, medications, and substance use, like smoking. 
• Lifestyle and psychological factors, like chronic stress and trauma
• Gut health
• Obesity

 There are more than 100 known autoimmune conditions. Some common ones include: 

• Lupus affects the brain and central nervous system, kidneys, heart, lungs, skin, joints, and circulating blood cells. 
• Rheumatoid arthritis – affects joints, causing pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function.
• Celiac Disease – a digestive disorder that causes damage to the small intestine, intolerance to wheat and gluten, and prevents nutrient absorption.
• Crohn’s disease – a digestive disorder and type of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, which leads to abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, malnutrition, and fatigue. 
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) – affects the central nervous system and can cause pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, numbness in arms and legs, impaired coordination, vision loss, and vertigo
• Hashimotos – the immune system creates antibodies against the thyroid, causing an underactive thyroid, and hypothyroidism. 
• Graves Disease – also a thyroid disorder, the immune system causes an overproduction of thyroid hormone, causing hyperthyroidism.  
• Psoriasis – causes inflammation to the skin, causing rashes, and scaly skin
• Sjögren syndrome – affects the glands that produce moisture, like saliva and tears, and causes dry mouth and eyes and can cause pleurisy.
• Scleroderma – a condition that causes overproduction of collagen, which leads to inflammation and thickening, like scarring, of the skin and organs. 
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Symptoms of autoimmune depend on which part of the body is affected. Autoimmune disease can affect many types of tissues. There are diseases for nearly any organ and system in your body:

• Joints and muscles – causes stiff, painful joints, and muscle weakness. 
• Digestive tract – causes various digestive issues, like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, reflux, and poor nutrient absorption. 
• Skin – causes rashes, itchy skin, hair loss, dry eyes and mouth, hardening of the skin
• Nervous system – causes dizziness, headaches & migraines, anxiety, brain fog
• Hormone system – unexplained weight gain or loss, poor temperature control, rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, and fatigue. 

When an autoimmune disease is left untreated, or not properly treated, it can lead to deterioration and damage to tissues, organs, and body systems. This will lead to chronic inflammation, fatigue, more painful and debilitating symptoms, and poor quality of life.

Naturopathic treatments have a lot to offer those suffering from autoimmune conditions. Naturally Sue’s patient-centered and holistic approach to healing gets to the root cause of disease, offering a much more viable and long-term solution. 

Naturopathic Approach to Autoimmune Conditions

When it comes to autoimmune disease, the goal of naturopathic treatment is to reduce inflammation and support the body’s natural ability to heal itself. We help reset and re-regulate the immune system back to normal function. 

We understand that every patient is different in their disease type, their underlying cause, and how each person may respond to different treatments. We partner with each patient to curate a specific treatment plan for them. 

Naturopathic treatments are successful because they are personalized and focused on the root cause of disease, not just symptoms.

Schedule your free consultation and start healing now.

Naturally Sue’s Diagnostic Process of Autoimmune Conditions

Diagnosing an autoimmune disease can be tricky since symptoms are always clear-cut. They can vary widely among patients, and often, symptoms are similar to other conditions.

Autoimmune conditions usually develop because something is causing the body to hyper-react. The doctors at Naturally Sue discuss your symptoms and health history to look for underlying reasons your body is reacting in the way it is. We will examine and test for the following: 

• Toxic build-up, such as mold and other environmental toxins
• Trauma or a high adverse childhood events (ACE) score
• Gut health. We will do a comprehensive stool analysis (CSA) to look for signs of leaky gut and quality of gut bacteria
• Viral reactivations. Common viruses that lay dormant and reactivate later in life include Epstein Barre Virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and the human herpes virus 6 (HHV6), which correlates to various viral infections. 
• Infections, like Lyme disease or other infections, can trigger or mimic autoimmunity. 

We will also do specific blood testing to check for autoimmune diseases. The primary test for evaluating autoimmune disorders is the Antinuclear antibody test (ANA), which tests for autoimmune markers. We may also use the following tests, depending on the patient: 

• Complete blood count (CBC) – tests for abnormal blood cells, which can indicate autoimmunity
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – tests for inflammation

Results of these tests combined with specific symptoms may indicate an autoimmune condition is present. 

Treatment Options for Autoimmune Conditions

At Naturally Sue Wellness, we treat patients from the inside out by getting the root cause of their autoimmune condition. We create a personalized treatment plan for patients with autoimmunity by integrating evidence-based treatments with traditional medicine. 

Our holistic treatment plans include the use of herbal remedies, nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and mental health care in our approach for each patient. 

Herbal Therapies

Herbal treatments we use for autoimmune conditions have immune-modulating properties and immune-boosting effects. Adaptogenic herbs are helpful in helping the body manage stress and restore balance. 

Some of the herbs we use will also help heal and restore gut health, rebalance hormones, and reduce inflammation as part of an autoimmune protocol. 

Not all autoimmune conditions are treated with the same herbs. And not everyone can tolerate certain herbal treatments. It’s important to work with a professional to determine the best herbal remedies for your needs to avoid adverse reactions. 

Common herbal treatments we use to treat autoimmune disease include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Aloe Vera is a powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory. It also helps soothe and repair the digestive tract. 
• Astragalus – an herb used for its immune-boosting and adaptogenic properties.
• Garlic has natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits that can help kill off bacteria, rebalance healthy gut flora, and decrease inflammation. 
• Ginkgo Biloba – a strong antioxidant that enhances the immune system. It is especially useful for autoimmune skin conditions.
• Ginseng – this herb is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and adaptogenic, and helps regulate the immune system.
• Licorice – a multifaceted herb, licorice is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, and anti-arthritic. It also helps restore the gut lining, which is useful for many autoimmune conditions.  This can interact with blood pressure medications. 
• Luteolin – a plant flavonoid that helps modulate and boost the immune system, it is antiinflammatory and adaptogenic, and can help with pain management.  
• Plant sterols – immune modulating, immune boosting, antiinflammatory, antioxidant
• Tulsi – also known as Holy Basil, helps rejuvenate and regulate the immune system and help eliminate toxins from the body.
• Turmeric – well-known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant benefits. Turmeric is effective in restoring gut lining for digestive autoimmune conditions. The main active ingredient in turmeric, 
• Curcumin – derived from turmeric, it is a powerful antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. 
• Rehmannia – an immune modulator, this herb restores immune system balance and helps regulate the central nervous system. 
• Mushrooms – reishi, lion’s mane, and turkey tail mushrooms are immune modulating, immune boosting, and antiinflammatory, and adaptogenic. They also have neuroprotective properties and support cognition and enhance brain cell function. 
• Rutin –  a plant flavonoid that is immune modulating, it also has anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.
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As always, you have to work on the causes behind the autoimmune disease and use herbs wisely based on your unique presentation. For example, while aloe vera may be wonderfully healing to your digestive tract and help with gut health and immune health, that is only part of the picture if you have toxins like mold, or childhood trauma as one of the causes of your autoimmune disease. Remember, Naturopathic medicine takes into account the entire person and doesn’t just treat the disease. 

Nutritional Therapies

Nutrition plays a crucial role in managing autoimmune diseases. At Naturally Sue Wellness, we encourage an autoimmune protocol for patients with autoimmune conditions, which emphasizes anti-inflammatory foods, such as: 

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Healthy fats, like olive oil, nuts, and seeds
• Lean meat and poultry
• Fish
• Herbs, like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, ginger
• Green tea

We will discourage the consumption of highly inflammatory foods, such as: 

• Processed foods
• Fried foods
• Sugar
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Refined carbohydrates
• Industrial seed oils
• Alcohol

In many cases, we will use elimination diets to identify and remove food triggers that may be causing or worsening a patient’s condition. In all cases, we individualize dietary recommendations based on patient nutrient needs. 

In addition to dietary changes, it may be important to correct nutritional imbalances and deficiencies with the use of supplements. Everyone is different in what they will need, but some common supplements we use include anti-inflammatory supplements such as: 

• Omega-3 fatty acids
• DHEA 
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C 
• Vitamin D 
• Vitamin E
• Curcumin 
• Probiotics 

Lifestyle Recommendations

When it comes to autoimmunity, it’s important to optimize health in every way possible. Ensuring lifestyle factors, such as stress, sleep, and physical activity are not overlooked are essential components to a well-rounded autoimmune treatment plan.

Stress – Studies have shown there is a clear link between stress and lowered immunity and immune malfunction. Stress can also worsen already debilitating symptoms of an autoimmune condition. 

While stress is an inevitable part of life, learning tools and techniques to manage stress is crucial for those with an autoimmune disease. 

Any activity that calms and regulates your central nervous system will relieve stress. Breathing techniques are easy and accessible and can be done anytime, anywhere. Meditation, yoga, and Tai chi are also effective at reducing stress and tension. Fresh air and nature, walking, reading, cooking, art, and music are all great examples of ways to reduce stress. Relaxation is very much an individual practice. Seek relief from stress and not just escape, like scrolling or TV. 

Sleep – Sleep is crucial for recuperation and healing. Good, quality sleep is essential for keeping the immune system running well to prevent so many health conditions. Lack of sleep causes stress and negative biochemical changes that can cause lowered immunity. 

Sleep can be elusive for some, especially if pain is a factor. If possible, try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Create a soothing bedtime routine, eliminate screen time at least an hour before bed, and create a cool, dark, and relaxing sleep environment. Your naturopathic doctor can help determine if nutrient supplementation will also help with sleep needs. 

Physical Activity – Physical activity is a good way to lower stress and increase the flow of feel-good hormones, like endorphins and dopamine. Exercise can help reduce the extreme fatigue that often accompanies certain autoimmune conditions.  

Physical activity is known to help decrease inflammation, which is a key factor for managing autoimmune disorders. 

Some forms of exercise may induce stress, so it is important to ensure you are getting the right type of exercise that helps your condition rather than worsens your condition. 

Acupuncture – Acupuncture offers relief from symptoms of various autoimmune conditions. It helps restore balance to the immune system by addressing the root of what might cause autoimmune disorder in the first place. 

Mental Health Support

Mental health conditions like depression and anxiety are common with autoimmunity for various reasons. For one, studies have shown that certain stressful and psychological events cause inflammation and can trigger an autoimmune response. 

Secondly, having an autoimmune condition can take an emotional toll on the individuals who have one thus creating a vicious cycle of mental health and autoimmunity triggering the other. 

A good, holistic treatment plan will factor in mental health as a fundamental component for managing autoimmune disease. 

The doctors at Naturally Sue are experts in treating patients with autoimmunity. Contact us for your free consultation and start healing now. 

Case Studies/Testimonials

Dr. Sparks is a life savior! I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2015. By 2018 I was being told that it would be in my best interest to never have kids again due to my deteriorating health.  Towards the end of 2020 I was tired of  missing out on the fun times with my kids and wanted to take back my life.  I found Naturally Sue Wellness and Dr. Sparks and took a leap of faith. I had multiple issues beyond the lupus such as bloating, IBS, fatigue, migraines and HPV. Dr. Sparks led the way for me to get healthy and solve my symptoms.By the end of 2021 my doctors told me I was clear to have kids as long as I could get off my prescriptions. As we slowly removed the prescriptions the lingering symptoms disappeared. I conceived my little miracle in February 2022 and all my labs showed complete Lupus remission. My little guy graced us at the end of November after an uneventful pregnancy. None of  this would be possible without Dr. Sparks. I was worth the investment and so are you! Get your life back by working with this amazing team!

Why Choose Naturally Sue for Autoimmunity

At Naturally Sue Wellness, we are committed to holistic and patient-centered care. We work closely with our patients to personalize treatment that is specific to them. The cause of autoimmunity is not the same for everyone. Therefore, treatment should be specialized to fit each patient’s underlying causes and needs.

Individualizing care and treating the root cause of disease is a more viable and long-term solution and leads to full remission of the immune system. 

Schedule your free consultation and start healing now.

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