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In the last 30 years a new approach to the diagnosis and treatment of Autoimmune disease has emerged via Functional Medicine. With recent research concerning “Leaky Gut Syndrome” and other diagnostic/ treatment approaches, the very real possibility of reversing and in some cases eliminating autoimmune disease has emerged. This represents a huge step for people suffering from this disease who previously had to be satisfied with a conventional medicine approach that focused on relief of symptoms with pharmaceuticals without addressing underlying causes.
The following essay will delve into the differences in approaches between conventional and functional medicine and compare the treatment results of the two approaches.
Conventional medicine focuses on acute care. There are times when this is necessary such as treating a broken leg or a heart attack. In these instances, doctors apply treatments such as medication or surgery that address the immediate symptom.
However, the acute care approach is less effective for chronic
illness.
Conventional medicine recognizes that many diseases have a genetic component. Although genetics are important, there are environmental factors as well that conventional medicine does not address.
The Functional medicine approach to medical care
Functional medicine recognizes the importance of genetics, but goes beyond that in diagnosis and treatment to include environmental factors from food sensitivities, toxins, infections, stress, and more, acting alone or in combination.
Functional medicine is a science-based approach that looks at the function of all of the body’s systems and how they interact with one another rather than naming a disease and addressing a symptom with a pill. Practitioners begin with a detailed medical history from preconception to the present. They look at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors to determine
root causes for your disease or condition.
Unlike conventional medicine, functional medicine does not look at each disease as a separate entity unrelated to other conditions in the individual. Instead, it looks at a variety of factors that alone or in combination may be causing disease or dysfunction. This can include addressing diet, sleep, management of stress, toxins, and genetic susceptibility.
Autoimmune disease is caused by the immune system attacking one’s own body as if it were an invading
disease.
Symptoms of autoimmune disease may include fatigue, weight gain, swelling, rashes, pain, digestive issues, and temperature regulation (feeling hot or cold all or most of the time).
Sometimes there is one primary issue, but often a combination of issues can tip the immune system out of balance and cause it to
attack a person’s own body. These are looked at using various testing procedures under the framework of the functional medicine approach.
The loss of this immune regulation is often part of autoimmune disease. In general, autoimmune disease starts due to a combination of processes. Sometimes it is one main issue, but most of the time it appears to be a collection of issues that finally through the biological system out of tolerance and into attack mode. Typically this is a combination of genetic susceptibility, dysbiosis, leaky gut, toxins,
infections and/or immune reactive foods.
Conventional medicine approaches autoimmune disease through the lense of specialization. If you have a thyroid condition diagnosed, an
endocrinologist is brought in for treatment; if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) you’ll be referred to an gastroenterologist, and so on. Each of these specialists will only be addressing the one specific organ they are familiar with. None of them are looking for an underlying cause that may manifest itself in symptoms in these and other organs.
Once a symptom is diagnosed, the conventional approach to autoimmune disease is to suppress the overall immune response with the
use of immune-suppressive drugs. This may be necessary to manage symptoms over the short term to address pain associated with the disease, but it fails to address what is causing the excessive response by the immune system. In addition, by suppressing the immune response and partially shutting down your immune system, your risk of developing other health issues from this approach are often significantly increased.
This approach does nothing to address underlying cause(s) and leaves the patient receiving treatment for
symptom relief but with no hope of a long term improvement of the disease.
Functional medicine approaches autoimmunity as a disease of the immune system. It views the body as a complex, interconnected system. The operation of the immune system with its interconnected systems often requires testing to develop an individualized approach to treatment. Testing is used to identify:
Genetic factors affecting immune system health
o Environmental factors such as exposure to heavy metals and
other toxins, sleep deprivation, food allergies, undiagnosed infections…
o Intestinal/digestive issues (aka “leaky gut syndrome”)
Until 2011, genetics and environment were believed to be the two primary causes of autoimmune disease. However, Dr. Alessio Fasano presented research results demonstrating the previously unknown role of intestinal “permeability” in autoimmune disease (informally known as “Leaky gut Syndrome.”)
Dr. Fasano showed that intestinal barrier function plays an important role in autoimmunity. He demonstrated that when intestinal barrier function is compromised and allowing leakage(informally known as “Leaky Gut Syndrome”), the body’s ability to regulate the immune response becomes imbalanced which can be a causal factor in autoimmune disease.
In his research, Dr. Fasano identified a protein called zonulin, which is released in the presence of small intestinal exposure to bacteria (SIBO) and gluten, among other environmental triggers. Zonulin has been shown to influence the tight junctions in the gut—thus causing an increase in intestinal permeability and autoimmune disease in genetically susceptible individuals.
With Fasano’s discovery it became to bring the full picture of factors involved in auto-immune disease. This in turn made it possible to develop targeted strategies to address the disease at its root vs. only treating the symptoms.
To develop a individualized strategy for treating the underlying cause(s) of autoimmune via the Functional Medicine approach requires testing to identify environmental triggers, specific gut health issues, food sensitivities, identifying toxins, etc.
Although each person’s program will be unique to them, certain healing principles typically benefit anyone with
autoimmune disease:
Multiple issues are often involved in the development of autoimmune disorders. To properly diagnose and treat autoimmune disorders often necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and develop treatment programs. Functional medicine differs from conventional medicine in its approach to autoimmune disease by treating underlying causes rather than simply treating symptoms with pharmaceutical
drugs. With Functional Medicine’s emphasis on addressing underlying causes– over simply treating symptoms as conventional medicine typically does– significant success can often be achieved in reversing and in some cases eliminating autoimmune disease.
·
https://drchristinemaren.com/the-functional-medicine-solution-for-autoimmune-disease/·
https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/ai-treatment-modalities-improve-quality-life-autoimmune-patients/ (autoimmune disease: Treatments and
outcomes)·
https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/functional-medicine-vs-conventional (Functional Medicine vs. Conventional
Medicine)