The Steps I Took To Reverse Autoimmune Disease

When it comes to autoimmunity, there are a lot of myths floating around in the world of conventional medicine. One of these myths is that you cannot reverse autoimmune disease. To illustrate, conventional medicine often relies on harsh medications and procedures to mask symptoms. They do this instead of focusing on how to reverse autoimmune disease. 

The truth is autoimmune disease is a sign that something deeper is going on in your body. By getting to the root cause, you can reverse autoimmune disease and live a symptom-free life.

How do I know this? Because I did it myself, using a radical change in my diet. This was the foundation of my road to recovery. I want to share this information with you so that you or your loved ones don’t have to suffer anymore. You CAN reverse autoimmune disease. It all begins with what you put on your plate.

The Path to Autoimmunity

I grew up in a “healthy” family. My mom made much of our food from scratch and had a garden where she grew peppers and tomatoes. Consequently, we hardly ate any packaged, processed, or canned foods. At age fourteen, I even became a vegetarian. It was the picture of a healthy lifestyle–or so I thought.

Flash forward to my twenties. I had just spent two exciting years as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Paraguay. Afterward, I was back in the States, completing my prerequisites for medical school. That’s when I got the news.

My mom had cancer.

It didn’t make any sense. My mom jogged every day, ate healthy, and taught yoga. Yet here she was at 59 with pancreatic cancer, a disease for which conventional medicine has no cure. All they could offer my mom was chemotherapy. Even that was just to delay the inevitable.

This was a pivotal moment in my life. I learned that you can be doing all the right things—or what you believe to be the right—and still become ill. My mother died only five months after she was diagnosed. I entered medical school the following year. One year later, I was suffering from Graves’ disease.

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition in which the thyroid overperforms. This causes symptoms such as a racing heart, insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, and fatigue. (1)

Subsequently, I went to see a doctor about my frightening symptoms. Instead of showing me how to reverse autoimmune disease, he dismissed my symptoms as “medical school stress.” I was disheartened and frustrated. 

My instincts told me there was an issue much deeper than this. So, I demanded a full lab workup. Ultimately, it turned out I was right. I had an actual, diagnosable condition — Graves’ disease.

Our Modern Diet Is Full of Inflammatory Foods

Little did I know that by eating a vegetarian diet, I was filling my body with inflammatory chemicals. It took me years of research to make the connection that the food I grew up on–gluten-filled bread, dairy, grains, legumes, and soy in all its forms–is what triggered my mom’s illness and my own autoimmunity. 

Meanwhile, my father also had an autoimmune disease known as polymyositis (a condition marked by joint pain and muscle weakness). I’m now certain it was worsened by the food that formed the basis of our family meals. Read on to learn about some of the most inflammatory foods to look out for. 

Gluten and Dairy

If you’re familiar with my books and programs, you’ll know that gluten and dairy are the two most inflammatory foods. (2) I recommend everyone eliminate these from their diets for good! 

You see, these foods are a direct cause of leaky gut (a necessary precursor to autoimmunity). In addition, they wreak havoc on your immune system through molecular mimicry. This is when antibodies formed against gluten and dairy proteins in your bloodstream mistakenly attack your own tissues.

Grains and Legumes

Grains and legumes contain harmful substances such as lectins and phytic acid. Lectins such as agglutinins and prolamins are extremely difficult to digest. Therefore, they can be an aggravating factor in autoimmunity. Prolamins can cause cross-reactivity in gluten-sensitive people, so even gluten-free grains should be avoided. 

Phytic acid inhibits digestion and binds to certain minerals (zinc, iron, and calcium). These are vital for our immune system to function properly, preventing their absorption.

Soy and Corn

As a vegetarian, I ate all things soy: tofu, soy milk, soy veggie burgers, Tofurky, you name it! Once I started researching the role diet plays in health, I realized just how damaging soy is to the body–especially in the quantities I was consuming it.

Soy and corn are two of the most pervasive foods in the American diet. They are two of the most genetically modified crops. GMOs have been linked to several diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid cancer, kidney disease, and infertility. Not to mention, both soy and corn can cross-react with gluten.

Nuts and Seeds

Vegetarians rely on nuts and seeds as a source of protein and fat. However, these seemingly healthy foods can trigger leaky gut and autoimmunity. (3) Similar to grains and legumes, nuts and seeds contain protective compounds known as enzyme inhibitors to keep them from being digested. 

They aim to pass through your digestive tract unharmed so that when you eliminate them, they can produce a new plant. These enzyme inhibitors block the enzymes your body uses to break down protein, provoke inflammation, and activate your immune system–essentially a perfect storm for triggering autoimmunity.

Nightshade Vegetables

Who would have suspected that the homegrown tomatoes and peppers from my mother’s garden were slowly poisoning us? It turns out these two vegetables, along with the rest of the nightshade family, have a dark side. 

For example, tomatoes contain an agglutinin that triggers an immune response by stimulating the production of antibodies. In fact, this lectin is used in vaccines for precisely that reason! You might want this effect to protect yourself against a virus. However, you don’t want that kind of flare-up whenever you eat a salad.

The Radical Change I Made to Reverse Autoimmune Disease

After extensive research into the role food plays in your health, and much experimentation with my own diet, I came to some conclusions. The “healthy” foods I was eating were inflaming my body and setting me on the path to autoimmunity. 

My carb-heavy diet caused me to develop small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). This, in turn, caused my gut to become leaky.

Attending a talk by functional medicine pioneer Dr. Mark Hyman was a turning point. I learned that toxins, leaky gut, and food sensitivities underlie nearly every chronic illness. I also learned the role gluten plays in triggering autoimmune disease–especially thyroid conditions. Armed with this information, I began optimizing my diet to reverse autoimmune disease. 

I eliminated lifelong inflammatory foods and reintroduced nutrient-rich animal proteins, such as grass-fed, pasture-raised meat. These provided vital nutrients like B vitamins, zinc, iron, amino acids, and collagen—critical for immune health. 

I also incorporated a variety of organic vegetables and fruits. The result? My autoimmune symptoms vanished. Panic attacks, anxiety, and IBS were gone, and my energy levels soared!

As a result of being inspired by learning how to reverse autoimmune disease, I dedicated my life to functional medicine. I began sharing my discoveries through books like, The Autoimmune Solution and The Thyroid Connection. To make this approach accessible, I wrote The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook, featuring the foods and strategies I used to reverse my autoimmunity.

I, along with thousands of others, am proof that autoimmune disease can be reversed—without expensive treatments or lifelong medications. By following The Myers Way®, you can reclaim your health. Are you ready? Get The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook today and take control of your well-being! 

The Final Word on How To Reverse Autoimmune Disease

If there’s one takeaway from this article, it’s this: autoimmune disease is not a life sentence. You CAN reverse autoimmune disease. While conventional medicine tends to treat it by masking the symptoms, functional medicine gets to the root cause to begin healing. Some of these causes are toxins, leaky gut, and food sensitivities. 

My journey from crippling symptoms to vibrant health and energy is proof that you can learn how to reverse autoimmune disease. By changing my diet and lifestyle, I was able to take my power back. You can too!

The secret? Eliminating inflammatory foods and nourishing your body with nutrient-dense whole foods. I know it can seem confusing and overwhelming to make these changes. Lucky for you, I’ve laid out a clear path for how to reverse autoimmune disease in The Autoimmune Solution Cookbook.

In addition, you can check out my Autoimmune Kit for even more support. It includes:

• Acetyl-Glutathione — This free radical scavenger is a master detoxifier for your body
• L-Glutamine — Improves gut barrier function and supports your immune system
• Liposomal Curcumin — Supports an optimal inflammatory response and gut health
• Gut ImunIG — Improves your nutrient absorption and gut function

Now that you know how to reverse autoimmune disease, go forth and be healthy. Don’t gatekeep this information. Share it with anyone you think can use it. The power is in your hands!