7 Signs You May Be Suffering from an Autoimmune Condition (From an Integrative Doctor)

Health . . . we all want it, but many people are struggling with autoimmune conditions. Unfortunately, many of these patients are not getting the proper management and treatment they deserve.
 
As with anything when it comes to our health, it’s important to know the facts and educate ourselves as much as possible so we can work towards a safe and effective solution. To start, let’s review what autoimmune conditions are.
 
 

What is an Autoimmune Condition?

Autoimmune is a health condition where the body is attacking itself, destroying tissue, causing inflammation, and creating health symptoms.
 
In today’s Western health model, the only real treatment is to give the body an immunosuppressant. What this does is “turn off” your immune system, essentially leaving you open to get sick very easily, along with the potential to develop more autoimmune conditions down the road.
 
Wait a minute. Why, if the body is sick, would you want to turn the immune system off?!
 
Very good question, and I can’t answer that question because as a doctor and wellness expert, I firmly believe we need our immune system working in order to heal our bodies.
 
But if you go to a Western doctor, typically, they will prescribe you the immunosuppressant, along with a concoction of other medications. That is the standard course of treatment for those with autoimmune conditions.
 
Here is a secret . . . when you have one autoimmune condition, you WILL develop more down the road, unless you begin healing the body!
 
Let’s dive into this a little deeper . . .
 
 

Here Are 7 Signs an Autoimmune Condition May Be Attacking Your Body

1. Energy Loss

After working with autoimmune patients for the past 12 years, there’s a consistency in the way my patients describe their symptoms:
 
“Dr. King, I feel like a bus hit me when I wake up.”
“I don’t feel I recover after working out, and sometimes, I feel worse after exercise.”
“I can’t make it through the day without needing naps.”
“Even working around the house (i.e. doing dishes and laundry), my energy is at an all-time low!”
 
If any of these descriptions sound familiar, then download my free eBook 5 Secrets to Improving Energy for guidance on how to get some of your energy back.
 

2. Brain Fog

Patients describe brain fog as cloudy thinking, the inability to focus or concentrate, and a lack of clarity. Why does this occur? Because the body is being destroyed and the brain pays the price.
 
When the body is inflamed (let’s say due to an autoimmune condition), the heart continues pumping the blood, circulating the inflammation. Blood gets carried to the brain as well, meaning the inflamed blood goes to the main organ that keeps our body functioning properly.
 
Along with the heart pumping “dirty” or inflamed blood, autoimmune conditions cause “bad cells” within the brain to begin attacking healthy neurons. When the healthy neurons are destroyed, the inflammation gets perceived as brain fog. Quite the negative feedback loop!
 
 

3. Bouts of Bloating, Gassiness, Constipation, and/or Diarrhea

The gastro-intestinal tract is where 80% of the immune system is located. The symptoms of bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea are all warning signs that something BAD is happening within your GI-tract.
 
When the GI-tract gets broken down, this is called Leaky Gut Syndrome/IBS/SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). I grew up with IBS, and it is NOT fun!
 
Recommended read: 10 Yoga Poses to Beat Belly Bloat and Promote Digestion
 
 

4. Inability to Fall and/or Stay Asleep

Not all sleep disturbances mean a patient has an autoimmune condition. However, the main organs that affect sleep – the adrenal glands – are normally struggling to work properly when there is an autoimmune condition.
 
 

5. Unexplained Health Symptoms

Many times, patients describe a laundry list of health symptoms when they contact me. This is always a red flag in my eyes, because the body works in concert, one organ system feeding into another organ system.
 
There is no such thing as just being “diabetic” or having “just a thyroid problem.” When one organ is not functioning, like the thyroid, other organs have been struggling to function as well.
 
When doctors can’t figure out what is causing XYZ symptoms in a patient, I always start looking for an autoimmune condition.
 
 

6. Healthy symptoms persisting, even on medication

WATCH OUT – because I hear this a lot. If someone is still struggling with their symptoms, even though the doctor has put them on a medication, the diagnosis may have been incorrect to start with.
 
A classic example of this would be a hypothyroid patient that has been put on Synthroid, Armour, or bio-identical medication, but they are still having hair loss, decreased energy, and/or weight gain.
 
Typically, this is an autoimmune patient who is struggling with Hashimoto’s Disease. 90% of the 20 million Americans with hypothyroid disease actually have Hashimoto’s.
 
 

7. The Doctors Say Your “Lab Tests Are Normal”

After all of these years helping patients turn their lives around, this is the most common thing I hear. When Western doctors run blood tests, they compare your results to the reference/laboratory range to see if something is high, low, or outside the range. If so, they tell the patient a medication and/or surgery is needed.
 
Where do those ranges come from? Generally, it is the sick population that gets blood work done, and the doctors are essentially comparing your blood to all these sick people. If your results fall within the bell curve, then things look “normal.”
 
When I look at blood work, I look at the reference/laboratory range, but I also have another range I compare results to called the functional range.
 

Let’s compare you to healthy people – not sick people.

 
We want the body functioning within an optimal level, which I like to call the “healthy range.” Once your results go outside of that healthy range, you will begin having symptoms. BUT if your results are not outside the extreme high/lows of the reference/laboratory range, then your doctors think everything is “normal.”
 
Essentially, the doctors are comparing your results to other sick patients’ results. Let’s not compare you to sick people, but to healthy people.
 
 

Bonus Tip

Other signs that are red flags for an autoimmune condition are: hair falling out, inability to gain/lose weight, decrease in libido, and a lack of drive/motivation.
 
 

What to Do If You Think You Have an Autoimmune Condition

If you or a loved one can check off one or more of the above signs, please, have your doctor screen you for an autoimmune condition. But please, do not settle. If you face any of the issues we discussed in this article, find an expert you can trust.

Maybe you have lost faith and trust in your doctor after years of going through the medical merry-go-round, which is normal to feel.

I work with patients all over. You can visit my website, askdrking.com where I share blog posts packed with more information like this, and you can also watch the testimonial videos from patients sharing their stories.

Don’t wait! An autoimmune condition does not get better on its own. You can still live a wonderful life, even with an autoimmune condition, but you need to help your body heal to get control of your symptoms.

All included information is not intended to treat or diagnose. The views expressed are those of the author and should be attributed solely to the author. For medical questions, please consult your healthcare provider.

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