Setting My Routine to Counter an Autoimmune Flare Up

Even if your autoimmune disease is in a state of remission, you may experience stressful life events or the daily grind can take a mental and physical toll on your body. This may trigger an autoimmune flare up. As I take pro-active actions to reverse my autoimmune disease, I needed to set an action item list and a routine for my week. In recent days, I have thought about addressing my skin rash and itchiness through detoxing and anti-inflammatory things I can do.  Simultaneously, I have focused on eating enough and adding protein to my diet to ensure I maintain my muscle weight.  This will enable me to slow the muscle weakness since I will be able to rebuild muscle while losing some during this flare up.   Currently I have listed what I need to do and I am focusing on execution.

Gut Health 

For improving gut health and/or lowering inflammation, I am focused on the following:

1. Celery Juicing: Every morning, the first thing I consume is celery juice that I make with my juicer. I drink about a cup and a half (one regular cup) the celery juice on an empty stomach and wait 30 minutes before eating breakfast.  Celery juice helps improve gut health and intestines, has an antioxidant effect, and has an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect.
2. Digestive Enzymes: Taking digestive enzymes and HCL to improve absorption of nutrients and lowering inflammation.
3. No Refine Sugar and No Dairy:  I have eliminated all foods, including sauces and fruits that contain high sugar content. I am currently eating only green apple, berries, lemon, lime. No dairy products, including cheese and cow milk. Refined sugar and diary are inflammatory foods or help feed inflammation in the body.
4. Anti-inflammatory Diet:  My focus is on eating more cooked vegetables, especially dark greens as well as various soups. I am eating nutritious soups, such as chicken or beef bone broth soup, korean seaweed soup, vegetable soups, miso soup using bone broth as the base. I also consume more fish (mackerel, salmon, cod) and white meat (chicken and turkey) and lessen red meat consumption.
5. Water with Fresh Lemon Juice:  To make my body more alkaline, I am drinking water with a a few drops of lemon juice in it.

Anti-Inflammatory Activities or Items

1. Cryotherapy: Cryotherapy is where you stand in a chamber that surrounds you with freezing nitrogen gas for 3 minutes. This has the equivalent effect of a 30-minute ice bath. To lower inflammation, professional athletes have been using this method.  I am currently going every other day or every 3 days.
2. Supplements: I’m taking supplements that help with lowering or preventing inflammation, such as tumeric, and omega 3.
3. Epson Salt Baths: I soak in warm/hot water filled with several cups of epson salt bath for 15 to 20 minutes to lower my inflammation and relax my muscles.

Detox 

1. Detox Patches: I stick the detox patches, containing bamboo vinegar, on the back of my foot for 8 hours or more to allow for the patch to absorb toxins from my body and lower inflammation. The white patch becomes dark brown/green or black.
2. Sauna: I go to the gym to just sweat it out at the steam sauna. I am too fatigued to do a regular workout. I just engage in light stretching and sweating in the steam sauna to help detox my own body.
3. Essential Oils:  To detox, I also use doterra’s essential oils, such as DDR Prime and Zendocrine. I apply DDR Prime on my spine and Zendocrine on my neck and liver area.
4. Detox Supplements: To detox from within, I consume activated charcoal capsules and doterra‘s Zendocrine and Deep Salt (Turmeric ) capsules. These supplements bind with toxins and help the body clear those toxins through the digestive system.

Skin and Itchiness 

1. Colloidal Oat Bath:  I put  organic colloidal oats into the bath with warm/hot water to combat skin’s itchiness and counter the inflammatory rash.  I soak in it for about 20 minutes . As a result, my skin was soft and smooth and after the bath my itchiness either did not emerge or it went away. The skin rash was not as dry and itchy. Colloidal oat baths is one tactic to counter symptoms from an autoimmune flare up.
2. Essential Oils: I am currently using doterra‘s essential oils, such as Tea Tree, to help with the skin rash and itchiness.
3. Oat Soap: I used a soap that was made of coconut butter and oats to wash my body so my skin rash would not be as dry.

Muscle Strength

1. Protein Supplements: Everyday, I take either organic pea protein or organic bone broth powder to enable my body to rebuild the muscle I may be losing during this flare up.

Mental Health and Energy

1. Acupuncture: Either once a week or once every 2 weeks, I see my acupuncturist who helps with replenishing my energy and allowing my body to relax and reconnect with itself. I usually see an energy boost the next day and the rest of the week after the treatment. Acupuncture also has an anti-inflammatory effect for autoimmune diseases.
2. Massage: I also occasionally get full body deep tissue massage to relax myself mentally so I can de-stress.
3. Korean Red Ginseng: I take a spoon full of red ginseng to improve my energy levels and combat my fatigue.  This may taste like dirt syrup however I have eaten it so often I am actually used to the taste now.

As long as there are things I can do to help lower inflammation and restore optimal health, I will stay committed to executing on the mentioned action items.  Remember you can decide if any of these action items are a fit for you to combat your autoimmune flare up and you can try it yourself. If you’re unsure of what to do or how to do things, consult a functional medicine doctor or a health coach who has helped autoimmune patients recover through a holistic approach -i.e. food/diet, lifestyle changes, and supplements.  Ultimately, the power is in your hands because you can do so much within your own control.  Best of luck in combating an autoimmune flare up.