Beyond "Your Body is Attacking Itself"
Finding Empowerment in Your Autoimmune Journey
Every day, my inbox fills with messages from people sharing their autoimmune struggles after reading my story. It's heartwarming that my experience resonates—yet heartbreaking that so many continue to suffer under conventional treatment approaches.*
The All-Too-Common Story
The pattern is depressingly familiar: undiagnosed symptoms, multiple fruitless doctor visits, endless tests leading nowhere, and finally that clinical proclamation: "Your body is attacking itself."
My journey began with subtle signs in my early teens—anxiety and chronic stress appearing around age 10 or 11. Then at 17, a weekend visit to a friend turned into a medical emergency when I developed severe eye pain and couldn't bear to look at light. After rushing to the hospital, a consultant delivered my diagnosis:
"You have an acute attack of autoimmune iritis, your body is attacking itself. It may come back, it may not. It may be with you forever, nothing we can do."
That's it. No explanation about potential future autoimmune complications or how my lifestyle might be contributing. At 17, I was left to navigate this bewildering condition alone.
What Autoimmune Disease Really Means
The standard explanation is straightforward enough: normally, your immune system protects against outside threats like bacteria and viruses. It deploys fighter cells when it detects these invaders, usually distinguishing between foreign cells and your own. In autoimmune conditions, however, this recognition system malfunctions—your immune system mistakenly identifies your own tissues as foreign and releases autoantibodies to attack healthy cells.
Some autoimmune diseases target specific organs (like Type 1 diabetes affecting the pancreas), while others like lupus can impact the entire body.
While "the body attacking itself" is technically accurate, my research has revealed much deeper complexities. Even more concerning is how many patients aren't even informed that their condition is autoimmune in nature—a failure of our overburdened healthcare system, inadequate patient education, and increasingly impersonal care. These conditions can dramatically alter your life, and without understanding the underlying mechanisms, you become disempowered—dependent on medications that merely suppress inflammation rather than address root causes.
The Growing Autoimmune Epidemic
The list of autoimmune conditions continues to expand as research advances:
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Celiac disease
- Crohn's disease
- Graves' disease/thyroid eye disease
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis
- Lupus (SLE)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Sjögren's syndrome
- Ulcerative colitis
- Uveitis
- Vitiligo
Recent research even suggests Alzheimer's disease may have autoimmune components.
My Personal Journey Through Multiple Diagnoses
Despite my relentless research and growing knowledge, I went on to develop additional autoimmune conditions—Sarcoidosis, SVT, and Graves' Disease. I've watched this epidemic grow alarmingly over the years, distressed by how little education and empowerment patients receive about the possibility of healing and improvement.
Let me be clear: **you are not broken, and healing is possible**.
The conventional medical system often focuses on pharmaceutical management, while the wellness industry promises universal miracle cures. The truth? Your path to healing is uniquely yours.
My own recovery involved multiple approaches: nutrition changes, establishing supportive routines, eliminating toxins, and stress reduction. But the true breakthrough came from identifying root causes and working to release old patterns, chronic stress, and underlying trauma—leading ultimately to remission from Graves' Disease.
Starting Your Healing Journey: Practical First Steps
1. Address Your Stress Levels
Chronic stress triggers and maintains inflammation. While stress itself is normal, remaining in constant fight-or-flight mode signals your body to prioritize survival over healing. Find techniques that help you return to a state of calm.
2. Optimise Your Sleep
Create a wind-down routine before bed, limit screen time, and aim to sleep before 10pm. Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and phone-free. Quality sleep is essential for physical repair and mental/emotional processing.
3. Eliminate Smoking
This includes vapes and other similar habits. Research clearly links smoking to autoimmune conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, exacerbating symptoms and increasing cardiovascular risks.
4. Clean Up Your Diet
Consider reducing inflammatory triggers like coffee, dairy, and gluten. Keep a food journal to track symptom changes. While dietary responses vary between individuals, supporting gut health often reduces overall inflammation. For a more structured approach, explore the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet.
Finding Your Path Forward
The first step toward regaining control is often simply slowing down enough to listen to your body's signals. For me, Integral Eye Movement Therapy played a crucial role in my healing journey, helping to release old patterns and promote deep restoration.
I now use this alongside other practices to help others find their own empowered path to healing. Remember—your journey will differ from everyone else's, but you don't have to walk it alone.
My blog has TONS of information on gut health and how stress impacts your body. You can join one of my upcoming free workshops or book my my next Kundalini Yoga Workshop for improving your sleep. In these sessions, I'll share specific stress-reduction techniques that helped me break the inflammation cycle. Until then, be gentle with yourself.*
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*Did this resonate with you? Reply to share your story or questions about autoimmune healing. Your experiences help our community grow stronger together.*