Autoimmune disorders occur when our immune system mistakenly identifies a part of our body as harmful and attacks that tissue. The body’s immune system sees its own tissue as an enemy invader and tries to destroy it. There are currently over 100 confirmed or suspected autoimmune disorders, each with its own triggers and side effects. One in five people, more than 50 million Americans, suffer from some form of autoimmune disorders, and women are much more likely to be affected than men.

Autoimmune disorders can be mild, such as atopic dermatitis or dry eyes, or they can be severe, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriasis.

Due to our “clean” Western environment, we have successfully controlled some disorders , but in doing so, we have lost the ability to fight autoimmune “triggers” and may have opened the door to an increase in autoimmune disorders.

Western Medicine has not been able to find a cure for autoimmune disorders. Typically, the only treatment has been trying to identify the “triggers” and having patients avoid them. But many autoimmune disorders do not have a “trigger” that can be identified, controlled, or avoided. Recently, there has been an increase in medications offered to treat autoimmune disorders but, if they work, they only control or partially control symptoms. They do not cure and they often come with dangerous side effects.

Acupuncture works by calming the body’s immune system and reversing the body’s sensitivity to the “trigger.” Acupuncture reverses or stabilizes the progression of autoimmune disorders for the majority of patients.