There are more than 80 types of autoimmune conditions, which occur when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake. Common autoimmune disorders include:
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Celiac disease / sprue
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Myasthenia gravis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sjˆgren syndrome
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
Diet plays a big part in worsening or improving these conditions. When you eat pro-inflammatory foods – for instance, sugar and flour – you can exacerbate inflammation, the core feature of all autoimmune disorders. Unhealthy foods can also worsen intestinal permeability (“leaky” gut), throw your hormones out of balance, and lead to severe nutritional deficiencies – all of which can worsen the symptoms of an autoimmune disease.
Our pharmacist can provide multiple forms of help for people with autoimmune disorders, depending on the cause. Ask us about:
- the potential benefits of restoring hormone balance.
- professional quality nutritional and herbal supplements that can improve immune function.
- customized medications that can relieve symptoms that have not responded to commercially available drugs.