What is an autoimmune condition?
‘Autoimmunity’ is a catch-all term, covering about 80 different conditions. It’s also very common, with cases on the rise every year. The different types can vary a lot; from alopecia to type-1 diabetes. It’s no surprise then that pretty much every person with an autoimmune condition has a very different experience, even to those with the same condition.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, those differences are vital. So I want to know exactly what your experience of autoimmunity is like. The way we treat is built around you subjective experience.
What can Chinese medicine do for autoimmunity?
Mostly we can offer symptom management. The pattern of flare-up period into remission period is extremely common. But those flare-ups can be crippling when they arrive. You see increasingly medical thought surrounding autoimmunity is shifting to the belief that management is more of an inflammation game than anything; specifically keeping systemic inflammation down. That means keeping the baseline inflammation that goes on in your body, primarily in the gut, to a minimum. When you can manage this, flare-ups seem to be less nasty.
There are lots of ways to reduce inflammation, many of them diet-related. We use Chinese herbs and acupuncture to reduce ‘heat’ in the body, which is what we call internal inflammation. But treatment for autoimmunity will always come with some lifestyle modifications. If you want to get on top of your autoimmune condition, you’re going to have to walk the walk.
Can autoimmune conditions be cured?
Short answer; no. The long answer is also no, but there’s a bit more nuance to it. Some people with autoimmune conditions can reach a place called ‘complete remission’ which basically means all the symptoms of their condition have gone away and don’t seem to be coming back. But. And it’s a big but. Your body is still creating auto-antibodies, which means it could come back. There are a lot of factors that go into this type of thing, but it won’t just happen by itself (well it can, but is super rare). So get out there and walk that walk. Walking in to see an acupuncturist probably couldn’t hurt either.
