Is autoimmune disease the canary in the coal mine?
Autoimmune disease signals an urgent need to tend to an individual’s gut health and the influence of environmental factors. Functional medicine health coach Anita Hamilton-Williams explains why believing that autoimmunity cannot be treated is a myth; although existing tissue damage cannot be turned around, nutrition, lifestyle and behaviour changes can halt and stop the disease’s progression.
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In ep. 134 of the weekly podcast series Calm, Clear and Helpful, Anita touches on
the underlying causes of autoimmune conditions
good news: less than 25% percent of an autoimmune condition is caused and triggered by genetics
placing your autoimmune condition on a spectrum between inflammation and autoimmunity
the 3 key areas that, from a functional medicine perspective, contribute to autoimmune disease:
1 gut health
2 genetic predisposition, e.g. inflammatory markers or the functioning of Vitamin D receptors
3 environment or “trigger”
the fact that over 70% of our immune system lives in our gut
what happens to the small intestine in persons with autoimmune disorders
what could cause an autoimmune system to become hypervigilant, e.g. a bacterial infection or a yeast
identifying what the hyper-vigilant immune system marks as a toxin; including certain foods, cleaning or beauty products, stress, or sleep patterns
myths surrounding autoimmune disease:
1 that there is no cure and you need to be on medication for the rest of your life
2 that improved gut health has no bearing on an autoimmune disorder
3 that a gluten-free diet will make no difference
a practical experiment individuals with autoimmune disease may carry out, and assess their inflammation levels after 2 weeks
Anita’s own experience with Hashimoto’s, now in remission
Anita’s 3 tips for supporting individuals with autoimmune disorders.
In this episode, Anita mentions Dr Noel Rose; the Hungarian physician Dr Semmelweis; Dr Terry Wahls; Dr. Susan Bloom; and Dr Amy Myers.
Scroll down for Anita’s qualifications and contact details.
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About Anita and contact details
Anita Hamilton-Williams is a functional medicine health coach from Johannesburg who focuses on root causes and drivers of chronic disease. She is a graduate of the School of Applied Functional Medicine, a Culinary Nutrition Expert through the Academy of Culinary Nutrition and an Accredited 3x4 Nutrigenomics Practitioner.
Her practice focuses on women in midlife 40+ and other individuals. She uses a combination of diet, lifestyle and nutrigenomics (nutrient interactions with genetics) to provide personalised health care to her clients.
Anita works online and offers complimentary 20-minute discovery calls to interested individuals.
Contact details:
Website: www.myhealingspace.co.za
Email: anita@myhealingspace.co.za
Facebook: My Healing Space
Instagram: anitahamiltonwilliams
LinkedIn: Anita Hamilton-Williams
The free podcast series Calm, Clear & Helpful is available on iTunes, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Player FM and Iono.fm - I hope you’ll subscribe!
Music by Mart-Marie Snyman
Thumbnail image: Unsplash. Model used.
Photograph of Anita Hamilton-Williams: supplied.