Northstar Integrated Health
Treating Autoimmune Disease in Lisle, IL
There are many different autoimmune disorders; two of the most common that we see in the office are: Lupus-like syndromes & Hashimoto’s hypothyroid.
- Hashimoto’s is when your thyroid starts to make antibodies to its own organ, the thyroid, essentially attacking itself. It usually presents with a positive thyroid antibody test when checked through bloodwork. Medications, supplements & additional therapies can be used to allow the body to naturally heal; for example, Low Dose Naltrexone is a prescriptive medicine we may recommend to help the body heal after attacking itself for so long & acupuncture is a therapy that can calm the immune system & allow for healing to occur. Additionally, nutrition, & diet can help calm the immune system load; it is often beneficial to check food & environmental allergies in case those are causing the immune system to have stress on a daily basis.
- Lupus-like syndromes usually present with a positive ANA test on bloodwork. This means you might have systemic, circulating antibodies that are attacking your own self. In more severe cases, we refer to a rheumatologist who then takes the lead on the case. If the case is mild with lower numbers, sometimes our office can contain the problem naturally or with mild pharmaceuticals to help the body stop attacking itself.