Caplan Health Institute
Functional Medicine Practitioners
Alternatives to Immunosuppressant Drugs in Autoimmune Disease Many people with autoimmune disease are prescribed immunosuppressant medications. However, these drugs are linked to many side effects. Immunosuppressant drugs’ side effects include a higher risk of infections, unhealthy blood sugar, weight gain, bone loss, hormone imbalance, or mood issues, depending on which autoimmune disease medication is used. …
Functional Medicine for Autoimmune Disease: How It Differs from Conventional Treatment Conventional medicine and functional medicine take two different approaches to treating autoimmune disease. A functional medicine practitioner and a conventional doctor have different post-graduate training and therefore have differing viewpoints about how to treat autoimmune disease. Both approaches use different tools and produce different …
What an Autoimmune Disease Flare Feels Like and How to Prevent One You’re fatigued, feeling wiped out, and your brain is foggy. You might even have a rash or be in pain. These are all signs that you’re in an autoimmune disease flare or about to enter one. Whether you’re suffering from lupus flare-ups or …
OA vs RA: How to Tell the Difference Between Two Common Causes of Joint Pain If you’re feeling joint pain, you might be wondering how to tell the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. People who visit the Caplan Health Institute wonder about this all the time. The fact is there are subtle differences between …
In Sickness and Health: Marriage, Stress, and Autoimmune Disease If you have a chronic illness, especially an autoimmune disease, you’re going to have to manage it long term. It does take a toll physically and mentally, which will impact both you and your spouse or romantic partner. Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, and marriage …
Mold and Autoimmune Disease: Is There a Connection? Many people who visit our practice want to know what causes autoimmune disease? And that’s a good question because if you have an autoimmune disorder like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, it’s important to discover the root cause. More and more often, with people seeking help at our …
If you want to feel your best this year and into the future there are five simple steps you can take to get started on your journey to better health. If you take these five steps, you can move on to fixing other issues. These simple steps are the foundation to good health for people …
Foods To Avoid with Autoimmune Diseases If you’re wondering whether there are foods to avoid with autoimmune diseases, the answer is yes. However, there is no one diet for autoimmune disease. That’s because there isn’t a magic diet for everybody. Not everybody is going to have problems with lectins or nightshades or gluten. I have …
Daily Habits That Make Autoimmune Disease Worse (and What to Do Instead) As someone with autoimmune disease, you probably want to do everything you can to stay healthy and stop autoimmune flares. However, there are things you’re doing on a daily basis that may cause you more harm than good. But before we dive into …
If you’ve been diagnosed with one autoimmune condition, you might wonder if you coulddevelop more than one autoimmune disease. The answer is yes. It’s not only possible, it’spretty common. We often see people at Caplan Health Institute who have multipleautoimmune diseases. It’s called polyautoimmunity or polyautoimmune disease. In the United States, polyautoimmune disease is as …
Busting 10 Myths About RA and Other Autoimmune Diseases When people with autoimmune disease visit our practice, they often arrive withmisconceptions about their disease. They’ve heard myths that simply aren’t true and can get inthe way of their healing. These autoimmune disease myths also can lead them to lose hope. Every day in our practice, …
Trauma and Autoimmune Disease: A Functional Medicine Approach Autoimmune disease and autoimmune disease flare-ups can have a number of triggers. Often,these triggers are physical. But sometimes the autoimmune trigger may be a traumatic event orevents in your life. Trauma can play a role in developing an autoimmune condition like lupus orrheumatoid arthritis—and it can make …
Going Beyond a Rotation Diet for Autoimmune Health You’ve probably heard about rotation diets for food sensitivities. I’ve written about thembefore. But I’d like to suggest a novel concept: not just rotating your food, but also otheraspects of your routine such as stress management, exercise, and the way you takesupplements and hormones. Rotating each of …
Pregnancy and Autoimmune Disease: A Functional Medicine Approach to a Healthy Pregnancy A lot of our female patients ask us how pregnancy will affect their autoimmune disease and what will happen with their rheumatoid arthritis or lupus after pregnancy. They want to know if their autoimmune condition will get better or worse when they’re having …
How to Invest in Your Health in the New Year and Beyond As the year unfolds, practice members at Caplan Health Institute often ask me for health tips for the new year. The best health investments don’t have to be overwhelming, especially for autoimmune patients who are suffering from fatigue. The best ways to stay …
Autoimmune Flare-Ups After Traveling: Causes and Solutions So you’re back from vacation and you feel horrible. You’re having an autoimmune flare-up and you’re suffering from fatigue after traveling. You had a great time while you were on vacation, but now you’re wondering: why am I so tired after vacation? You’re definitely not alone. I hear …
Depression and Autoimmune Disease: Natural Solutions to Boost Your Mood When conventional medicine treats depression, medications that address brain chemical imbalances are usually the treatment of choice. However, medications don’t dig down to the root cause of depression, especially in people who have autoimmune disease. As functional medicine practitioners, we look at what’s causing the …
Fatigue and Autoimmune Disease: How to Get Your Energy Back Chronic fatigue is a common symptom of autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). So why does lupus make you tired? Or why do you suffer from fatigue and RA? It’s usually because the mitochondria are not working well. The mitochondria just can’t keep …
Can Menopause Cause Autoimmune Disease? When it comes to autoimmunity, menopause is a wildcard. In some cases, the hormonal shifts that occur during menopause can improve autoimmune disease. However, we find that most of the time, menopause makes autoimmune issues worse. Menopause can even trigger the development of an autoimmune condition in someone who previously …
Beating Brain Fog in People with Autoimmune Disease We recently came across a study about Alzheimer’s being an autoimmune disease, which got us thinking about the connection between autoimmune disease and memory problems. In most cases, the memory problems that happen in people with autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis aren’t outright Alzheimer’s disease, …
Fasting and Autoimmune Disease: How Long Should a Fast Last? In a previous blog post, we covered a lot about the best fasts for autoimmunity. In this new post, we want to zoom in on the timing of fasts and how to go about fasting so that it doesn’t stress out your system, especially if …
Graves’ Disease Natural Solutions — A Functional Medicine Approach Like other autoimmune diseases, Graves’ disease presents a whole set of challenges for anyone using a functional medicine approach. The key, as with other autoimmune diseases, is to find the root cause of the root cause of the problem. This isn’t always easy, but with some …
Six Hidden Dangers of a Gluten-Free Diet You might be wondering “Is a gluten-free diet healthier for you?” or “Should I go gluten free?” First, let me say that most people do better avoiding gluten as a whole. A lot of people with autoimmune disease who have gone on a gluten-free diet have noticed a …
Genetics of Autoimmune Diseases: Are You Doomed Just Because You Have the Wrong Genes? People have a lot of misconceptions about genetics and autoimmune disease. When someone gets diagnosed with a disease like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s, or even type 1 diabetes, conventional medicine doctors in particular will tell their patients, “Oh, it’s just genetics.” …
You’ve heard the saying, “We’re our own worst enemies,” and it definitely applies to healing autoimmune disease. Although you can be your body’s best friend in the healing process, it isn’t always easy. If you find that you frequently get autoimmune flare-ups, chances are good that you’re doing some unintentional things to sabotage your autoimmune …
What Autoimmune Patients Should Know About Cholesterol Cholesterol is usually ignored until it’s “too high.” But what is too high, what is too low, and what is optimal? And what about triglyceride levels? The answers to those questions can sometimes be controversial, even among doctors using a natural approach to lowering cholesterol. Conventional doctors, on …
A Functional Medicine Doctor’s Natural Remedies for MS Like many autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis responds well when you get to the root of the problem. The approach to multiple sclerosis that we use at Caplan Health Institute involves a combination of diet and lifestyle factors that are quite effective at relieving multiple sclerosis symptoms. In …
Wintertime Immune Support for Autoimmune Patients Autoimmune patients often ask me, “What is the best immune support for autoimmune disease, especially during cold and flu season?” A lot of people with autoimmune diseases are afraid of stimulating their immune systems too much. After all, by definition, an autoimmune disease is when your immune system attacks …
What Is The Best Diet for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease? A lot of patients want to know, “What is the best diet for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis?” They’re on the right track by asking that question, because diet is one of the best natural remedies for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s. However, the answer …
Easy Ways Loved Ones Can Support a Patient’s Autoimmune Health It’s not easy for autoimmune patients to do all the things they need to do in order to reduce autoimmune disease symptoms, including following an autoimmune diet. It’s even harder if their significant other, loved ones, or friends aren’t supporting their efforts. Although autoimmune patients …
Still Sick Even When Your Labs Are Normal? Here’s Why When I ask my autoimmune patients whether they’ve had a particular lab test, they often say, “My doctor already checked that and it was normal.” But how can everything be fine if you’re having symptoms? How does that make any sense? In fact, when I …
Autoimmune Pain Relief: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Natural Solutions Are you tired of living with chronic pain caused by autoimmune conditions? Pain is one of the most frustrating and debilitating autoimmune disease symptoms. It’s heartbreaking to see my patients endure this problem. The good news is that a functional medicine approach is highly effective …
Natural Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments for Long-Term Relief Living with rheumatoid arthritis can be a daily struggle, with the constant pain and inflammation taking a toll on both physical and mental well-being. While traditional treatments such as medication and physical therapy can provide some relief, many individuals are seeking a more holistic approach to managing their …
8 Proven Sjogren’s Syndrome Natural Treatments If you are one of the millions of people living with Sjogren’s syndrome, you know how challenging it can be to manage the symptoms. From dry mouth and eyes to joint pain, gut problems, and fatigue, this autoimmune disorder can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming. While there is no …
6 Easy Ways To Detox for Autoimmune Disease Exposure to toxins is one of the root causes of autoimmune disease, but the best way to detox from these health-destroying chemicals doesn’t have to be difficult. I find that when my patients try these easy ways to detox, their autoimmune health dramatically improves. Here are six …
Common Nutrient Deficiencies as a Cause of Autoimmune Disease If you’re wondering what are the causes of autoimmune diseases, nutrient deficiencies are at the top of the list, but it’s not as simple as that. In some cases, the lack of key nutrients—either from not getting enough in the diet or absorption issues—doesn’t outright cause …
Is Insulin Resistance Causing Your Autoimmune Joint Pain, Belly Fat, and More? Many conventional doctors ignore insulin resistance. And yet, being insulin resistant is to blame for symptoms like autoimmune joint pain, belly fat, hair loss, and brain fog—to name just a few. Insulin resistance often gets missed in testing. Instead, the doctor only orders …
Histamine intolerance, or the inability to effectively break down histamine, is a condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Histamine plays an important role in our immune system health, but when too much is circulating throughout our bodies, it can cause a slew of unwanted symptoms. It is commonly thought that histamine reactions …
Sourdough bread is becoming popular across the nation for more reasons than one. It is not only arguably more nutritious than conventional breads, it is also easier to digest and has a unique flavor profile many prefer. Sourdough refers to exactly what it sounds like- “sour” or fermented dough shaped and baked just like other …
EBV and Autoimmune Disease: Symptoms, Tests, and Treatments There are many chronic infections that are linked to the development or worsening of autoimmune diseases. These infections include Lyme disease, fungal overgrowth in the sinuses, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). But one of the most common chronic infections I see in clinical practice is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This …
When we think of health, we tend to associate this term with nutrition, exercise, and stress management, but what if there was a crucial piece of the wellness puzzle that we were missing? Research has begun to reveal the unfortunate truth that the average individual is exposed to numerous toxic chemicals each day. Chemical and …
You’ve probably heard about electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and know that they’re usually very damaging to your health. But did you know there are good EMFs and bad EMFs? These good EMFs are called pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs), and PEMF therapy can be used together with other natural autoimmune disease treatments. In this blog post I’ll …
Tasty Autoimmune Recipes for a Lupus Diet Plan One of the most common complaints I hear from my lupus patients and autoimmune patients in general is: “What am I supposed to eat?” When I tell them what foods make lupus worse, they feel very restricted. The good news is that there are plenty of lupus …
Some foods can trigger an autoimmune reaction that can produce several symptoms depending on the person. Frequently, these are gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation and bloating. However, aside from gut symptoms, food sensitivities can cause joint, skin, and brain symptoms, to name just a few. What Are Food Sensitivities? Sometimes it is challenging to discover a …
What Causes Autoimmune Diseases Part 2 It’s a great mystery why some people develop autoimmune disease and others don’t, even when they share the same genes and the same home environment. But I am cracking the case today in this article and in part one. I have seen both external factors and internal factors set …
In our first article on this topic, we explained why digestion is so important. You can thank digestion for giving your body all of the nutrition and energy it needs. Optimum digestion sets you up for a healthy immune response. It is one of the 4 pillars of gut health, meaning it leads the way …
Digestion starts before you put that first mouthful of food in your mouth. It begins when you’re preparing your food, smelling the pleasant aromas, and salivating as you imagine what it will taste like. In fact, digestion happens in phases. Why is digestion important? You need to eat to live, but why is digestion so …
The Autoimmune Equation Part 1 – Why Some People Develop Autoimmunity and Others Don’t Autoimmunity is when the immune system forms antibodies to your own tissue. But why does this happen? What causes autoimmune diseases in the first place? Why doesn’t everyone develop an autoimmune issue? There are both external and internal reasons why your …
You may have heard about lectins lately. They’ve received more attention in the media for their possible adverse effects on health. For some people, lectins can cause issues, especially with digestion. That’s why some people benefit from reducing or eliminating lectins from their diet. What are lectins? So what exactly are lectins, and what is …
Yes, You Have Autoimmunity. But Is It Really Caused By Leaky Gut? Over and over again, autoimmunity patients arrive at our clinic for the first time with stories of frustration. There are two reasons for their frustration. First, their doctor ordered tests, but when the results came back, they were told everything was normal and …
Have you ever felt like your autoimmune disease came on suddenly, almost overnight? For many of my patients, it seemed like everything was fine, and then one day – poof! – they were given an autoimmune diagnosis. While it may seem like an autoimmune disease appears suddenly out of nowhere, it actually can be brewing …
How Autoimmune Patients Can Stay Healthy in the Sun, Water, and on Summer Vacation Summer brings with it time spent outdoors, vacations that tempt us to eat foods that aren’t good for us, and exposure to chlorine in swimming pools—to name just a few seasonal threats. People with autoimmune diseases need to be especially careful …
A patriotic treat that’s sure to be a hit at the 4th of July party or the next BBQ. Made with lower glycemic ingredients it’s a perfect light treat for summer! Bar Ingredients:* 1 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda * 1/4 teaspoon sea salt* 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted* 1 1/2 tablespoons …
What Do Food Sensitivities Have to Do With Autoimmunity? Actually, a lot. You will discover that the two have much to do with each other. Let’s explore what food sensitivities are and how they are connected to autoimmune disorders. In functional medicine, food is medicine, but what happens when the foods you eat trigger a …
Did you know that there are over 100 autoimmune conditions? Autoimmune conditions have become more prevalent, are often misdiagnosed, and each needs to be looked at differently. Functional medicine is different from conventional or standard medicine and looks for the root cause of an autoimmune disorder rather than just the symptoms. Regardless of the tissue …
Mental health has gained national awareness over the last few years as people struggle with conditions affecting brain health including anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism, multiple sclerosis, and brain fog. These can all be attributed to many root causes and often are related to autoimmune diseases as well. As I discussed in an earlier blog, …
Part 1 If you’re struggling with brain fog, it can be very tough and discouraging. Some people may tell you it’s all in your head. But there’s great news for people with brain fog: it’s a real thing and there are functional medicine solutions to help you get your brain function back. In fact, brain …
Four Key Nutrients That Can Help Turn Off the Autoimmune Process If you are struggling with an autoimmune disease, then you have an overreactive immune system that is mistakenly attacking your (self) tissues. Since we work with patients with a broad spectrum of autoimmune conditions, we have noticed that there are a few key nutrients …
A Different Perspective on Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis If you have received a Hashimoto’s diagnosis, then you were probably told that you have a problem with your thyroid gland and the solution is to take a thyroid pill— for life. We look at this differently. Using a functional medicine perspective, we see Hashimoto’s not as a thyroid gland …
Your microbiome can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to your health. It’s a world that we’ve known for thousands of years plays a critical role in our health, yet we knew almost nothing about it until recently. Thanks to scientific discoveries, we now have a much clearer picture of …
Urgent vs. Important is the question we are discussing today. Let’s start with a universal fact. We know that change is not easy. As doctors, we see how much people suffer because they believe they aren’t able to change. We want you to know something. You are ALL capable of change. The Urgent or Important …
As women, we get so caught up in all the busy-ness and responsibilities of life that we neglect ourselves. We put ourselves last. Responsible self-care is putting yourself first! Remember how they instruct passengers on an airplane? Put on your own oxygen mask before helping your children put on their masks. Put your health and …
Autoimmune Recipes: Avocado Burger with Sweet Potato Bun INGREDIENTS For the Buns 2–3 large, round sweet potatoes 1 Tablespoon coconut oil 1/4 Teaspoon sea salt For the Burgers 1 lb. ground beef 1 Teaspoon sea salt One Teaspoon garlic powder 1 Teaspoon onion powder Toppings 1 Medium avocado, sliced Sliced red onion Arugula INSTRUCTIONS For …
Eating the right foods to reduce inflammation over a holiday weekend isn’t always easy. The burgers and hot dogs are everywhere, along with tons of unhealthy fats hidden in dips and sauces. And unhealthy fats can be a huge trigger for autoimmunity, because they store up toxicity in a big way. It’s easy to get …
We are so excited to share our newest podcast with Ashley Harris, founder of LoveBug Probiotics. Dr. Tiffany and Baby Audrey are personal fans of LoveBug, and she had such a great time picking Ashley’s brain on all things probiotics and gut health. Interested in purchasing some LoveBug Probiotics? Click here! Take a look at …
Hi everyone, This weeks podcast features Dr. Tiffany Caplan interviewing Michael Collins, CEO of SugarAddiction.com, to talk about sugar addiction and his story behind getting rid of sugar in his life. [00:00] Introduction[03:10] Addiction: drugs, alcohol, and sugar[09:57] Accountability, withdrawal, and mindset change[12:15] The future of sugar consumption[17:40] Inflammatory nature of sugar consumption[18:25] Is sugar addiction real?[23:22] Recommendations …
Hello everyone, Recently, Tiffany spoke with Dr. David Jockers at the Fasting Transformation Summit. For a more in-depth interview, click here. With an autoimmune disease, which you’re often told it’s going to be lifelong, many people are going to be on medications for the rest of their life. There’s nothing they can do for it, …
Hello everyone, This week, we talked to Maya Sheatreat, who is a neurologist, herbalist, urban farmer, and author of “The Dirt Cure”. We discussed topics such as the microbiome, growing food, and microbes we’re exposed to on a daily basis. We hope you enjoy watching or listening as much as we liked speaking with her. …
No one can live in a bubble. We are exposed daily to a plethora of potentially harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeast. They are in our food, our air, water, and living on and in us. This can lead to many problems including chronic infections. We exist in a symbiotic relationship with these natural organisms. …
When it comes to crisis – whether it’s the global crisis running in the news feed 24/7 – or your personal health situations… We think it’s time to full stop. Whatever we have done in the past adds up to more stress, more illness, endless time lost, doctor’s bills, medication (that poisons us on other …
A question we get asked a lot is “What is the best diet for autoimmune disease?” Paleo? AIP? Vegan? Keto? Truthfully, there is no simple answer. Both the question and the answer are very individual. A better place to start is with the subject of personalization. Personalization is key in determining the best diet for …
