ABOUT
I first heard the word 'Autoimmune' twelve years ago after my husband was rushed into hospital to have whipple surgery to remove his pancreas, having been diagnosed with a pancreatic tumour. Thankfully, the surgeon recognised that the pancreas was chronically inflamed, with scarring mimicking a tumour on the scans. My husband miraculously escaped with only a gall bladder removal, bile duct by-pass and a diagnosis of Autoimmune pancreatitis. This was the start of endless immunosuppressants, steroids, hospital appointments for not only autoimmune pancreatitis but also; primary bilary cholangitis, diabetes, IgG4 disease, psoriasis, bladder inflammation and even sepsis. Autoimmunity can lead to multiple conditions and in conventional medicine, patients are passed from doctor to doctor based on their speciality rather than have one specialist doctor that oversees Autoimmunity as a condition.
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This was the start of my journey into Nutritional Therapy and Functional Medicine. I began my 3 years' training at the 'Institute of Optimum Nutrition' in London, learning all I could about nutrition and lifestyle science for Autoimmunity. I qualified to become a member of the 'British Association of Nutritional Therapists' and the 'Complementary & Natural Healthcare council'. To further understand the complexity of the immune system, I undertook an additional course in Functional Immunology. This course taught me how to interpret imbalances in the immune system which cause it to attack 'self tissue' and how to influence the dysregulation with natural substances to encourage immune tolerance. It is a relief to see the scientific research on Autoimmunity grow over the years and I hope it will continue to do so post covid, especially since viruses are prominent in triggering Autoimmunity.
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When we were faced with the daunting prospect of living with an Autoimmune condition all those years ago, we were desperate for anyone to help us understand more. Unfortunately, there are currently no known cures for Autoimmune diseases, due to the immune system's long-term memory cells. However, this does not mean they cannot go into remission. I have created this website to share my knowledge with you and sincerely hope you find the education pages and blogs useful; there is so much health information out there nowadays and it can get very confusing. One size does not fit all with Autoimmunity. Working with an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner will help you understand the mechanisms driving your Autoimmunity and how you can learn to manage it yourself going forward.
I understand how difficult it is to live with Autoimmunity and the fear and uncertainty it creates in your life as well as those around you. My passion and purpose now is to help people living with Autoimmunity to improve their lives by sharing my knowledge and experience. Please do get in touch if you would like a consultation, I would love to do my very best to help you.
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Simi