When Your Immune System Turns Against You
Your immune system is designed to protect you – but sometimes it gets confused and begins attacking your own tissues. This is autoimmunity, and it encompasses over 80 different conditions affecting virtually every organ system. At our practice in Zürich Seefeld, I work with patients who have autoimmune conditions to not only manage symptoms but to understand and address the factors driving immune dysregulation.
What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
In autoimmune diseases, the immune system loses its ability to distinguish “self” from “non-self.” It produces antibodies and immune cells that attack healthy tissue – the thyroid in Hashimoto’s, the joints in rheumatoid arthritis, the myelin sheath in multiple sclerosis, the intestinal lining in coeliac disease. The specific target varies, but the underlying mechanism – immune dysregulation – is shared.
Why Do Autoimmune Diseases Develop?
Autoimmunity results from a combination of genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and often intestinal permeability. The current understanding involves three key elements:
Genetic susceptibility: Certain HLA gene variants increase risk, but genes alone do not determine destiny. You need a trigger.
Environmental triggers: Infections (particularly EBV, which is linked to several autoimmune conditions), chronic stress, toxin exposure, hormonal changes, and dietary factors (gluten is a known trigger for coeliac disease and may contribute to other autoimmune conditions).
Intestinal permeability (leaky gut): Increasing evidence suggests that compromised gut barrier function is a prerequisite for autoimmune development. When the intestinal barrier is breached, immune tolerance breaks down.
Common Autoimmune Conditions
The conditions I most frequently encounter include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), lupus (SLE), type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, and vitiligo. Many patients have more than one autoimmune condition or are at risk for developing additional ones.
Our Diagnostic Approach
Beyond standard autoimmune antibody testing, I evaluate the factors that may be driving immune dysregulation: comprehensive gut assessment (zonulin, calprotectin, microbiome analysis), nutrient status (vitamin D, selenium, zinc, omega-3 index), inflammatory markers, hormonal balance, and screening for chronic infections. This broader view informs a more targeted treatment strategy.
What We Do: An Integrative Approach
Coordinate with specialists: I work alongside rheumatologists, endocrinologists, and other specialists to ensure you receive appropriate conventional treatment while adding functional medicine strategies.
Heal the gut barrier: Addressing intestinal permeability through dietary changes (often temporary elimination of gluten and other triggers), gut-healing nutrients (L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, butyrate), and microbiome restoration.
Modulate inflammation: Omega-3 fatty acids, curcumin, vitamin D optimisation, and an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern to reduce the immune system’s overall inflammatory burden.
Identify and remove triggers: Testing for and addressing food sensitivities, chronic infections, and environmental toxin exposure that may be perpetuating immune activation.
Optimise vitamin D: Vitamin D is one of the most powerful immune modulators we have. I aim for optimal levels (40-60 ng/mL) in all autoimmune patients.
Stress management: Chronic stress is a potent driver of autoimmune flares. Supporting HPA axis health and building stress resilience is an integral part of management.
Conclusion
An autoimmune diagnosis does not mean you are powerless. While conventional medicine focuses on suppressing the immune response, a functional medicine approach asks why the immune system is dysregulated and works to restore balance. If you have an autoimmune condition and want a more comprehensive management strategy, I welcome you to our practice in Zürich Seefeld.
