Many people with undiagnosed autoimmune disease or chronic inflammation don’t actually know they’re unwell. The symptoms often come on so gradually that it’s difficult to detect that something is amiss. Unless your symptoms include an outward manifestation like eczema or psoriasis, they’re also invisible.
We’ve been conditioned to treat symptoms individually. Why would you even consider that the circles under your eyes, that chronic cough, your anxiety, or the extra weight you’re carrying in your stomach are related? Instead, you buy the latest eye cream and concealer for your eyes, ignore the cough, take medication for your anxiety, and do some extra crunches for the pooch.
You might know something is off, but your annual blood work looks fine. It’s not like your arm is broken or you have a fever. You shrug it off and power through. This is just your normal.
As you read this post, I want you to think about how many of these symptoms you’ve had or currently have. It might surprise you that many seemingly innocuous symptoms and conditions could actually be warning signs of a much bigger issue.
The good news is there is a lot you can be doing to prevent, reverse, and cope with autoimmune disease and inflammatory conditions. We’re going to get to that. First, let’s learn the basics of autoimmune disease and inflammation.
Your Immune System and Inflammation
It is estimated that 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease and hundreds of millions of people suffer from inflammatory conditions, which put them at risk for developing autoimmune disease. There are more than 100 different autoimmune diseases and conditions associated with autoimmune disease.
Your immune system is your body’s defense system from invaders, like bacteria and viruses. It creates antibodies to fight bacteria and viruses.
Inflammation is the process by which your body’s white blood cells and antibodies protect you from infection from outside invaders. In other words, inflammation is a totally normal immune response. Think of a cut on your hand. The skin around the cut turns bright red as it starts to heal. This is inflammation and it is killing any bacteria that may be on or near the cut and preventing it from entering the body.
Harmful inflammation occurs when your immune system acts as if healthy tissue is infected or an invader. When you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system actually creates antibodies that attack healthy cells.
Symptoms of inflammation and/or autoimmune disease:
- Brain fog, poor memory
- Impaired coordination
- Slurred or stuttered speech
- Nasal congestion, chronic cough, allergies
- Sleep disruption and fatigue
- Asthma, bronchitis
- Acid Reflux, indigestion
- Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn
- Headaches and dizziness
- ADD/ADHD
- Acne, hives, eczema
- Joint pain, arthritis, swollen joints
- Irregular periods, heavy periods, infertility, uterine fibroids
- Genital or anal itch
- Ear itch
- Anxiety/ depression
- Dry or itchy eyes, dark circles under eyes, red or puffy eyelids
- Hair loss
- Muscle pain
- Weight gain, difficulty losing weight
- Unexplained weight loss and difficulty gaining weight
Examples of autoimmune diseases:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Diabetes Type 1
- Psoriasis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Celiac Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Grave’s Disease
- Lupus
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Crohn’s Disease
- Scleroderma
Conditions associated with chronic inflammation include:
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Asthma
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Vertigo
- Autism
Honey and Ghee 
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