Autoimmune disease : what we do and don't know and how Western medical herbalists can help

Autoimmune diseases are among the most demanding and complex conditions to treat. They can cause a great deal of suffering for the patient over many years, often a lifetime. Allopathic treatment usually includes non-steroidal antiinflammatories (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids in order to manage the symptoms or, more recently, biological response modifiers (BRMs) to inhibit parts of the immune system. Millions of dollars are spent on trying to understand the genetic basis for autoimmune diseases. The Western Medical Herbalist, by taking a holistic approach and by understanding and working with the triggering and sustaining factors, can offer a great deal of support and can greatly improve the quality of life of a person with an autoimmune disease, in many cases reducing the need for drugs or allopathic treatments that may carry the possibility of severe side effects.