Did you know that developing arthritis and other autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s or Lupus after giving birth can actually be quite common? More and more patients have been reaching out to me about post-natal issues with each passing month, so I thought I would shed some light on the subject here for my many readers with newborns, as well as prospective and soon-to-be moms.
Will I Ever Be The Same Again? – It’s Not You, It’s The Hormones
When your body goes through a major hormone change such as pregnancy (or menopause) the immune system can actually become temporarily overactive. You would think hyperactive internal defenses should make you healthier than ever, but it’s counterintuitive. What this means is that your immune system will start to attack things that are essentially benign such as foods or certain environmental compounds. This leads to overall inflammation in the body and in turn causes the attack of the tissue of organ.
The Medical Approach
Traditional medicine does not usually recognize the hormone-food-chemical connection and treats the problem with heavy duty steroids like prednisone, humira and other drugs to bring down the inflammation. Initially, these medications are often helpful and the pain subsides. However, the underlying problem is not addressed and the symptoms usually return when the medication is discontinued. In some cases, my patients recounted symptoms coming back in a few months even while on the medication.
Medications are ineffective in the long-term and can hamper your ability to fight other infections because their method of action is suppression of the overall immune system. Did I mention no breastfeeding? Toxicity issues will prevent you from doing things the natural way, if that is your preference.
Our Proven Clinical Approach – Treating The Root Cause
Our approach is to naturally calm the immune system by removing the triggers that caused it to overreact in the first place. Through careful elimination and if necessary, food sensitivity testing such as ALCAT, we figure out the exact foods and chemicals that are sending your immune system into a frenzy. Their elimination then stops the inflammatory domino effect and relieves the pain for good.
Reduction in overall inflammation will also improve many other aspects of your health and prevent future diseases. Oftentimes, patients that experience these problems after pregnancy are more genetically predisposed to autoimmune diseases in the first place and may even have hidden celiac disease (intolerance to gluten products). Discovering these food and chemical sensitivities not only eliminates your pain, but can also prevent the development of autoimmune diseases and other problems in the future.
We have been able to help dozens of women overcome these obstacles with as little as a few simple food changes. Because we work specifically with your body to treat the root cause (not just applying a “one size fits all” approach to only cover up the symptoms), after a few short weeks the pain subsides and most patients have been able to decrease and eventually completely eliminate medications such as methotrexate, prednisone, naprelan and humira.
Having worked extensively with a diverse group of post-natal patients, we’ve grown to really appreciate and understand how agonizing this condition can be, especially since many are still adjusting to all of the other unavoidable complexities of motherhood. But small miracles can happen for some when they feel like all hope is lost and we am truly grateful to be able to work with each of our patients to offer a real solution, so they can focus 100% on what’s most important – their families. If you or someone you know has been suffering with an autoimmune condition, especially after a hormone shift, help is just around the corner. Please contact the office and together we can get you on the road to feeling like yourself again.