Autoimmune diseases are one of the ten causes of all deaths, especially in women 65 and younger. You may be suffering from them and not even know it.
We test patients to see if their body has reacted against other organs besides their present issues. For example you could have Hashimoto (thyroid disease) but also have antibodies against other organs as well like pancreas or gluten (type 1 diabetes and celiac disease).
Many autoimmune diseases coexist in the same patient, and unless we look for them, we will not be able to prevent the destruction of other organs. Also, many family members of the patient affected are at higher risk of developing the disease themselves.
By knowing the presence of auto antibodies we can have a huge impact in prevention and treatment, by changing diet (gluten free mainly), lifestyle, nutrition, and improve their immune system. Functional Medicine help us navigate that road.
Treating your Hashimoto with medication (hypothyroidism) or Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus, etc will not be enough.
All organs have to be balanced to achieve optimal health. We need a multisystem approach to reach that goal.