When antibodies meant to protect you from infection and disease begin to attack your body’s healthy cells and tissues, autoimmunity is present.

Science isn’t sure what causes the immune system to turn on the body, but possible triggers include environmental exposure to toxins or biotoxins, alterations to the gut microbiome, hormone imbalance, infection, inflammation, and allergies.

The occurrence of autoimmune disorders is increasing at an alarming rate across the world. While there are more than one hundred known conditions, some of the most common are celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes.

Conventional medicine usually treats these conditions with drugs that suppress the immune system, which may relieve symptoms temporarily but also leads to damaging side effects. All the while, the root cause worsens.

Using an integrative medicine approach that addresses the underlying cause with diet and lifestyle changes, supplements, and naturopathic therapies, autoimmunity is often totally reversible.

Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, neuropathic pain, Parkinson’s, and many other disorders of unknown cause create great suffering for millions who’ve been told by conventional medicine there is no solution. We believe there is hope. The root cause of these disorders can often be discovered and reversed.

While evaluation and diagnosis might feel like unraveling a mystery where multiple clues lead to contributing suspects, we’re dedicated healthcare detectives. Solving these complex cases is one of our greatest passions, providing support and encouragement where little may have existed. As each underlying cause is identified and unraveled, your progressive treatment protocol is adjusted to take you to the next stage of healing. As you’re able to return to some aspects of normal life, a more hopeful outlook is revealed.

We won’t pretend it’s an easy journey. For some, possible permanent damage to nerve cells may hinder recovery. Science simply doesn’t know the rate at which nerve cells can regenerate or if they’re able to fully repair at all. Still, significant progress is possible. With a naturopathic approach unique to you — your history, your environment, and your body chemistry — we’re best equipped to heal exactly what’s causing your neurological or “unclear” disorder, not just relieve the symptoms while your hope for a happier, healthier tomorrow is lost.

Like autoimmune conditions, chronic infections needn’t be a lifelong sentence. In some cases, chronic infections such as Lyme disease and its accompanying coinfections are at the root of autoimmunity. Under traditional medical care, many patients are prescribed high-dose, long-term antibiotics, antivirals, or antifungals. While these treatments have a temporary place in some cases, long-term use creates dependence just to keep symptoms at bay while weakening the immune system and allowing the underlying cause to get stronger.

The naturopathic approach to treating chronic infections, including those caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, is to slow and, in time, stop the progression of the infection by reversing the root cause. Multiple internal and external factors usually contribute to the progression of the infection and worsening of symptoms. Each of these contributing factors needs to be uncovered and corrected to achieve healing.

The patient-provider partnership is critically important to a full recovery from chronic infection, as the process can be lengthy and complicated to manage. While no practitioner can promise a definite cure to these persistent infections, there is hope. Using advanced laboratory analysis to monitor the continuing presence or decline of infection in the body as well as naturopathic treatment protocols to activate the body’s ability to self-heal, the restoration of your health and happiness is possible.

Healthcare should always start before the onset of imbalance or dis-ease. Prevention is key to optimum, lifelong wellbeing. Evaluating general health and correcting minor concerns right away can prevent more serious conditions down the road.

Symptoms such as low body temperature, high blood pressure, brain fog, weight loss or weight gain, low energy, high cholesterol, allergies, and anxiety may seem minor but often point to a growing imbalance in your thyroid, adrenals, or hormones that may lead to diabetes, obesity, stroke, heart disease, and more.

Again, where conventional medicine prescribes drugs to treat the symptoms, naturopathic medicine goes to the root cause to correct the condition at the source. Restoring metabolic energy, reducing stress and inflammation, balancing hormones with bioidentical hormone therapy, and eliminating regulatory system deficiencies with diet and lifestyle changes and other natural therapies can prevent the onset of metabolic, endocrine, and cardiovascular conditions commonly viewed as a part of aging.

Illness is not a normal part of aging. Sickness is not inevitable. With the proper preventative care, you can ensure your body’s natural ability to self-heal is optimized to address any imbalance that does occur so you can enjoy health, happiness, and joy at any age.

Mold or fungi, bacteria, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other biological toxins might be to blame for your mysterious symptoms or undiagnosed chronic illness. Learn more on our page dedicated to recovery from mold and biotoxin illness — The Shoemaker Protocol