Introduction

Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis affect millions of people—and their symptoms often feel like they take over your life. While conventional medicine tends to focus on symptom suppression with medications, functional medicine takes a different approach: healing by identifying and treating the root causes.

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed or have been managing your condition for years, there are powerful, natural steps you can take starting today to reduce flares, improve energy, and regain control of your health.

In this blog, we’ll cover the top 5 things you can do right now to support your immune system naturally and help your body heal from within.

1. Remove Inflammatory Foods from Your Diet

Food is either fuel or fire—especially when it comes to autoimmune disease. The Standard American Diet is filled with inflammatory ingredients that can trigger your immune system and damage your gut lining, a key driver of autoimmune flares.

The top inflammatory foods to eliminate (at least temporarily):

• Gluten – often a major immune trigger, especially in Hashimoto’s, MS, and celiac
• Dairy – linked to leaky gut and inflammatory reactions
• Refined sugar and processed carbs – spike insulin and promote inflammation
• Industrial seed oils (canola, soybean, corn) – rich in omega-6s that worsen inflammation
• Alcohol – irritates the gut lining and impairs liver detox

Instead, focus on a whole-food, anti-inflammatory diet filled with:

• Leafy greens and colorful vegetables
• Wild-caught fish, grass-fed meats, and organic poultry
• Healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, coconut oil
• Fresh herbs and anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric and ginger
• Low-glycemic fruits like berries

💡 Pro Tip: Consider trying an Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) or elimination diet for 30 days to identify your unique food triggers.

2. Heal Your Gut (Because All Disease Starts There)

Up to 70% of your immune system lives in your gut. When your gut lining becomes damaged (a condition called leaky gut), food particles, toxins, and microbes can slip into the bloodstream—triggering an immune attack and worsening autoimmune symptoms.

Signs of leaky gut or gut imbalance include:

• Bloating, gas, or constipation
• Brain fog or fatigue after meals
• Skin issues like eczema or psoriasis
• Food sensitivities
• Joint pain or headaches

What you can do today:

• Add gut-healing foods like bone broth, fermented vegetables, and aloe vera
• Supplement with L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, and collagen to repair the gut lining
• Take a high-quality probiotic to rebalance your microbiome
• Increase prebiotic fiber (e.g., flaxseed, asparagus, onions) to feed good bacteria
• Reduce alcohol, sugar, and processed foods that damage the gut wall

💡 Remember: Healing your gut is one of the most effective natural ways to calm autoimmune activity.

3. Balance Blood Sugar to Calm Immune Flares

Blood sugar spikes and crashes don’t just affect your energy—they also trigger inflammatory cytokines, worsen fatigue, and cause immune dysregulation.

Even if you don’t have diabetes, poor blood sugar balance can fuel autoimmune flares.

How to stabilize blood sugar starting today:

• Eat protein and healthy fat with every meal (e.g., eggs + avocado, chicken + olive oil)
• Avoid skipping meals or relying on sugar/caffeine for energy
• Ditch refined carbs like white bread, crackers, and pastries
• Walk for 10–15 minutes after meals to improve insulin sensitivity
• Add apple cider vinegar before meals to blunt glucose spikes

💡 Bonus: Balanced blood sugar = better mood, better energy, and fewer autoimmune triggers.

4. Lower Stress and Support Your Adrenals

Chronic stress is one of the most powerful triggers and amplifiers of autoimmune disease. It raises cortisol, disrupts gut integrity, imbalances sex hormones, and leads to HPA axis dysfunction—which can worsen flares and slow healing.

Even short bursts of stress relief can have major effects on your immune system.

Start with these simple techniques today:

• Box breathing (inhale 4 sec, hold 4 sec, exhale 4 sec, hold 4 sec)
• 5-minute morning journaling to reduce mental clutter
• A quick nature walk or sun exposure
• Use adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha or rhodiola (with guidance)
• Create a screen-free wind-down routine before bed

💡 Tip: Even 5–10 minutes per day of intentional stress relief can shift your body from “fight or flight” into healing mode.

5. Support Detox Pathways to Reduce Inflammatory Load

People with autoimmune disease often have a higher toxic burden and a reduced ability to eliminate environmental toxins (like BPA, heavy metals, mold, or pesticides). This leads to more inflammation, hormone disruption, and immune dysregulation.

Simple detox-supporting strategies you can start today:

• Drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered water daily
• Eat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale) to support liver detox
• Sweat—through exercise, sauna, or hot baths
• Support liver health with milk thistle, NAC, and glutathione (under supervision)
• Use clean personal care and cleaning products—free of parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrance

💡 Note: Detox is not about drastic juice cleanses—it’s about consistent daily habits that reduce your body’s inflammatory load.

Bonus Tip: Get Functional Testing and Personalized Guidance

If you’ve tried all the right things and still feel stuck, it may be time to dig deeper.

At Sheen Vein & Cosmetics, we use advanced functional testing to uncover:

• Gut health and microbiome imbalances
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Food sensitivities
• Thyroid and hormone imbalances
• Chronic infections or mold exposure
• Detoxification challenges (like MTHFR or glutathione issues)

This allows us to create a personalized healing protocol to help you calm the immune system, reduce flares, and regain your energy and vitality.

Final Thoughts

Autoimmune diseases may be chronic, but they don’t have to be unmanageable. With the right support and daily strategies, you can reduce flares, lower inflammation, and feel better naturally.

The five steps you can start today:

1. Remove inflammatory foods
2. Heal your gut
3. Balance your blood sugar
4. Manage stress
5. Support detoxification

When you start addressing the root causes—not just the symptoms—you give your body the opportunity to regain balance and resilience.

Ready to take control of your autoimmune health? Schedule a functional medicine consultation today and get a personalized plan to support healing from the inside out.

‍