How to Combat an Autoimmune Flare-Up

Autoimmune Flare Up

When autoimmune symptoms re-emerge after a period of remission, you may be experiencing an autoimmune flare-up.  Personally, I experienced an autoimmune flare-up after my autoimmune symptoms had initially subsided.  I had noticed my arms would get tired more quickly (muscle weakness) and opening bottled water seemed to be increasingly hard. Then my blood test confirmed that my creatine kinase (ck) level was 5 times higher than the standard range. I was in a full blown autoimmune flare-up. My worries, once faded to the back of my mind, re-emerged.  Thus, the primary focus was about: what do I need to do to regain my health and keep my autoimmune symptoms at bay?

My 3 years’ worth of progress seemed to go down the drain because the last time I had this kind of ck level was 3 years ago.  After taking some time to do some self-reflection, I gauged that my flare-up was probably because of my mental stress, physical tiredness, and diet changes.  As I did when I initially got diagnosed, I set my goal to get back to optimal health. Now, it was time to combat my autoimmune flare-up by going back to basics. I diligently followed my approach to 1) rest and relaxation, 2) an anti-inflammatory diet and food, and 3) anti-inflammatory treatments.

1. Rest and Relaxation:

   

   The mental stress and physical strain during a six-month stretch had taken a toll on my overall health.  Rest and relaxation really helped enable the healing powers and mechanisms of the body.  Here are 4 practical actions to take for rest and relaxation:

   1. Destress: Focus on the important things in life and the critical things for daily living. All other issues are secondary and there is no need to stress over issues that are beyond one’s control and increase inflammation with stress. Mental health can affect physical health so destressing was critical for resetting the mindset.
   2. Meditate: Breathe in deeply and slowly to meditate. Meditating for even 3 minutes can help to reset the mind and bring mental calmness.
   3. Epsom salt bath: Take a hot bath with Epson salt for 15 to 20 minutes. The magnesium helps to relax the muscles and refresh the body. Both Epson salt baths (also known as magnesium baths) and ample sleep would help refresh the mind and rest the body physically.
   4. Sleep: Getting 8 hours of sleep or enough sleep will enable the body to restore and heal itself. Sleep can help lower inflammation in the body by letting the body’s mechanisms do its part. Lack of sleep can increase inflammation.

2. Anti-inflammatory Diet and Foods:

   

   After deviating from a strict anti-inflammatory diet, I had to double down on anti-inflammatory foods and diet changes.   These diet and food changes would allow for restoring gut health and lower inflammation.

   1. No sugar: Cut out all sugar. Eliminate even a small portion of sugar consumption, which is included in many types of sauces, for the short term. Eat fruits that have lower sugar content, such as berries and green apple.
   2. Eat more dark greens vegetables: Vegetables help provide the nutrients for cellular mechanisms to thrive. The amount of dark greens consumed should be more than the amount of carbohydrates and protein consumed. Disproportionate consumption of carbohydrates can feed inflammation and too much protein can make the body more acidic, i.e. less alkaline.
   3. Detox: Eating Korean seaweed soup help detox the body of toxins, therefore reduces inflammatory responses within the body.
   4. Go dairy free: Dairy is known to be inflammatory so cutting out any dairy products, including milk, cheese, and milk products is critical.
   5. Drink veggie smoothie: Veggie smoothies are one way to boost the amount of veggie consumed.
   6. Eat fish: Omega 3 rich foods, such as fish or fish oils, have an anti-inflammatory effect. Fish high in omega 3 include the following: salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and sardines.

3. Anti-inflammatory Treatments:

   

   In addition to diet changes and rest, alternative treatments can also help lower inflammation during a flare.

   1. Acupuncture: To lower inflammation and to help restore energy, acupuncture therapy can be a complimentary treatment along with all the other anti-inflammatory things you can do.
   2. Cryotherapy: This 3-minute session called whole body cryotherapy (WBC) aids in improving inflammatory conditions and symptoms from auto immune disease as well as sports injuries. Professional athletes, such as LeBron James, have increasingly used WBC to lower inflammation after games and to recover more quickly.

Optimal Health

In conclusion, gauge your own symptoms as I have and trust in your body’s ability to heal and recover from an autoimmune flare-up.  Pro-actively taking measures to reduce inflammation and support your immune system will help reverse an autoimmune flare-up.  Personally, I took approximately 4 to 5 months to lower my inflammation and regain my muscle strength to “normal”.

Navigating your way through a flare-up can be challenging when you are feeling weaker and inflamed. Hence, knowing how to gauge your own symptoms and what to do to regain optimal health is critical to avoiding and overcoming an autoimmune flare-up. Never give up and stay at it.