

Herbs are often used as part of medicine to help the body heal after an illness; they have been used for thousands of years and probably always will be.

Saying this, some herbs should be avoided whilst you’re dealing with an autoimmune disease, which can be fatal.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

This disease is where the thyroid begins to attack itself instead of simply laying in your body performing its usual function.

Your body begins to recognize the most essential parts of your system as foreign bodies instead of part of your usual bodily functions, meaning that when your system tries to help itself your thyroid simply rejects the help and pushes any support away.

Symptoms of this disease can be weight gain due to your system not breaking down foods properly, hair loss due to follicles not getting the hormones they need to operate effectively and constipation due to a fluctuating inner system.

Addison’s Disease

This is a rare but horrendous disease that directly affects your endocrine system. This disease affects the way your adrenal glands produce hormones, meaning that your natural steroids are few and far between, in other words not apparent.

This disease weakens the inner workings of your system and makes you susceptible to follow-up illnesses, which can prove to be fatal.

Symptoms of this disease are abdominal pain due to where your adrenal glands are positioned in your body and low blood pressure. Severe cases of this disease can directly lead to a coma.

Celiac Disease

This disease is where the proteins in your system begin to eat themselves, weakening your inner system. This disease attacks your inner intestine and can affect all people, regardless of their age.

There are studies that suggest that the disease can potentially be inherited through genetics, meaning that Celiac disease may be present in family trees.

Fatigue due a lack of the proteins, diarrhoea due to the fact that proteins aren’t working effectively within your system and fatigue are all common symptoms that are associated with Celiac disease.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sometimes referred to as RA, this disease affects the way your joints and bones act within your body, limiting movement and causing pain due to inflammatory in between the joints.

Normally found on toe and finger joints, RA is a long term and extremely painful disease. It can also attack organs and inner system organs that can affect the way you are in the long term in regards to your health, making it harder to improve your health.

You can even get this disease in your eyes, lungs and heart. Treating this disease is done through making sure the inflammation is treated effectively and pain relief has been administered.

The onset of the disease is normally between the ages of 40-50, although it may be present in younger people if they are actively using their fingers and toes constantly, such as typing all day every day.

Autoimmune Diseases and Herbs

Crohn’s Disease

This is a form of bowel disease that can affect any part of your gastrointestinal tract.

Usually people who suffer from this disease experience extremely strong abdominal pain or it may even spread to the skin which can causes rashes.

People who suffer from Crohn’s disease often suffer from extreme fatigue which is caused by a depreciation of the immune system and a lack of concentration for the same reasons.

Herbal remedies are nothing new and are often used as a replacement to traditional hospital medical care, but there are some problems with herbal remedies when attempting to treat an autoimmune disease.

Herbs can be used to boost the immune system, which in the case of a bacterial infection would be of definite benefit.

The issue with herbal resolutions to autoimmune diseases is that the immune system is severely weakened and under attack, meaning that taking any herbs that boost you immune system only provide the disease with more “breathing room” to deal damage, making the illness worse.

The following herbs should be avoided by all means if you’re trying to improve your condition:

  • Echinacea
  • Astragalus
  • Olive Leaf
  • Cat’s Claw
  • Elderberry
  • Goldenseal

Herbs are natural and can be used to aid the recovery of an internal problem, but for autoimmune issue it’s recommended that you avoid them at all costs.

Instead of seeking natural remedies for the disease, it’s recommended that you seek professional medical advice from a qualified doctor to help your recovery go as smoothly as possible.

Chronic Pain Team

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