Autoimmune conditions included rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s Disease and more. The common factor in all these diseases is that the body’s immune system is activated and attacks the body’s own tissues. These conditions are becoming increasingly common, and are more frequent among women than men. (Although equally difficult for either to live with.)
There are therapies you can use to treat these conditions – most need to be prescribed by a doctor. At PIM, we investigate the cause of your illness. Our aim is to find out what is triggering your system and eliminate that from your diet and your body.
Identifying and eliminating the trigger of your immune reaction
If you have an autoimmune condition, a major goal is to identify what triggers your immune system. Different people react to different triggers, but the result tends to be the same – an ongoing low-level background inflammatory response. That can happen even if you’re only exposed to the trigger once a fortnight, or even less.
Food intolerance testing and microbiome mapping are useful to help us identify the trigger – or triggers – for you and your condition.
Managing and reducing the symptoms of your autoimmune condition
There are well-researched tools to assist with immune regulation, which may be worth considering based on your initial history, including natural therapies However, our focus is on identifying and avoiding whatever is triggering your system. This personalised investigation can be especially useful if you have not seen positive results from conventional treatments.
Once those triggers have been identified, a clinical nutrition consultation helps you manage and avoid them. Dr Nikole Grbin develops meal plans which address your specific intolerances, but also work with your food preferences and your lifestyle. You may also benefit from other treatments or lifestyle changes to address imbalances in your microbiome. Natural therapies may have an important role to play.
We always discuss your treatment plan with you, in the context of your full medical history. You have full control over what treatment you adopt, but we are here to help, advise and monitor.