STRATEGIES TO RECOVER AFTER AN AUTOIMMUNE FLARE UP

By Dr. Josh Redd, Chiropractic Physician, RedRiver Health and Wellness Center

Although autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s low thyroid cannot be cured, they can be driven into remission through diet and lifestyle applications. However, flare ups — those times when your symptoms reappear or worsen ­— are a part of life when you have an autoimmune disease.

Common triggers of flare ups include inflammatory foods and sugars, a stressful event, exposure to chemical fumes or scents, an infection, over exercise, or other factors that over stress the immune system.

Below are some of our greatest strategies to help patients quickly recover from an inflammatory event:

Strict anti-inflammatory diet until symptoms subside. The anti-inflammatory diet excludes grains, dairy, eggs, sugars, processed foods, legumes, nuts, seeds, and nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers).

Increase vitamin D. Vitamin D increases regulatory T cells, which helps calm down autoimmunity.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone. Like thyroid hormone, every cell in your body needs D as it regulates many different pathways. Expose your skin to 20 to 60 minutes of sun per day, include foods like salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, in your diet, and supplement with 5,000 to 10,000 IU per day of vitamin D.

High doses of glutathione. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant. Taking higher doses after a flare up will help lower inflammation in the body and minimize symptoms. Use it preventively to help avoid flare ups. I prefer to use a liposomal form of glutathione for optimal absorption.

Resveratrol or turmeric. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, works to reduce inflammation in the body. If you are intolerant to turmeric, opt for resveratrol. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound with anti-inflammatory effects. I prefer liposomal forms of these compounds.

Infrared sauna. Infrared saunas can help you sweat out the toxins that build up in your body. They ??stimulate circulation with oxygen-rich blood flow, producing white blood cells to reduce inflammation and calm swelling to alleviate chronic pain.

Plenty of water. Your body is about 60 percent water, your brain is 85 percent water, and your cells contain 63-65 percent of the total water of the body. Good hydration after eating inflammatory foods will help your body and cells recover.

To learn more about our services and to schedule a free consultation, please visit redriverhealthandwellness.com. We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician.