Autoimmune Support in Orem, Utah | Functional Medicine Approach
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Hashimoto's, and other autoimmune conditions that conventional medicine manages with immunosuppressants but never explains. If you've been told your immune system is attacking itself and nobody can tell you why, Dr. Drussel uses functional medicine to identify the triggers driving the attack and build a plan to calm it down.
Does this sound like you?
If any of these hit close to home, you're not alone. Autoimmune conditions affect millions of people, and too many of them are told to just take their medication and live with it.
- Joint pain, swelling, or stiffness that flares unpredictably and nobody can explain the pattern
- Crushing fatigue that sleep doesn't fix, sometimes so bad you cancel plans and call in sick
- Skin rashes, psoriasis patches, or unexplained breakouts that creams barely control
- You've been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and the only option presented was immunosuppressants
- Your thyroid antibodies are elevated but you've been told to just "watch and wait"
- Symptoms that seem to involve multiple body systems at once, and no single specialist can see the full picture
- You feel like something in your diet or environment is making it worse, but you can't figure out what
Why your immune system turns on itself
Your immune system doesn't just randomly decide to attack your own tissue. Something triggers it. In most cases, it's not one thing but a combination of factors that build up over time until the immune system can no longer tell the difference between a real threat and your own body.
The most common root causes Dr. Drussel investigates at Integrative Motion in Orem, Utah include:
- Gut permeability (leaky gut) is one of the most established connections in autoimmune research. When the gut lining breaks down, undigested food particles and bacterial toxins leak into the bloodstream. Your immune system reacts to these foreign invaders, and over time, that chronic immune activation can cross-react with your own tissues. Fix the gut, and you often calm the autoimmune response.
- Food-driven inflammation where certain foods trigger an immune response every time you eat them. Gluten is the most well-studied example, particularly in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but dairy, corn, soy, and eggs are common culprits. These aren't true allergies. They're delayed immune reactions that keep the fire burning.
- Environmental triggers including mold exposure, heavy metals, chemical sensitivities, and chronic infections. These burdens accumulate over years and can be the tipping point that pushes a genetically susceptible person into full autoimmune expression.
- Chronic stress and HPA-axis dysfunction where prolonged stress disrupts cortisol regulation. Cortisol is your body's natural anti-inflammatory. When cortisol patterns become dysregulated, the brakes come off the immune system and inflammation runs unchecked.
- Molecular mimicry where proteins from foods or infections look structurally similar to your own tissue. Your immune system attacks the invader, but because your tissue looks the same, it gets caught in the crossfire.
The conventional model focuses on suppressing the immune system once it's already activated. Functional medicine asks: what activated it in the first place? If you can identify and remove the triggers, you can often reduce the immune response without just shutting the whole system down.
How we investigate autoimmune conditions
Dr. Drussel starts with a comprehensive health history, not a lab order. Autoimmune conditions don't appear overnight. They develop over years, sometimes decades, and the clues are buried in your timeline: when symptoms first started, what was happening in your life at that point, infections you've had, medications you've taken, dietary changes, stress events, and environmental exposures.
Symptom surveys map how the autoimmune process is affecting every system in your body. Joint pain is obvious, but what about the brain fog, the fatigue, the digestive issues, the anxiety? These aren't separate problems. They're all connected to the same immune dysfunction.
From there, the investigation may include:
- Comprehensive blood work including inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR), autoimmune antibodies, vitamin D, and nutrient levels that influence immune function
- Food sensitivity testing (IgG/IgA panels) to identify immune-mediated food reactions that may be fueling the autoimmune fire
- Detailed dietary review to identify inflammatory patterns and potential trigger foods
- Assessment of gut health because the gut-immune connection is central to almost every autoimmune condition
- Targeted testing ordered only when it will change the direction of treatment, not just to run up a bill
Dr. Drussel is selective about testing. If your history and presentation point clearly in a direction, he may recommend starting with dietary changes and monitoring your response before ordering expensive labs. Every test should earn its place by moving the needle on your care.
What treatment looks like
Functional medicine for autoimmune conditions is not about replacing your medications overnight. It's about reducing the triggers that are driving the immune response so your body needs less intervention over time. Dr. Drussel works alongside your rheumatologist or specialist, not against them.
Depending on what the investigation reveals, your autoimmune protocol at Integrative Motion may include:
- Personalized anti-inflammatory nutrition plan built around your specific triggers, not a generic "anti-inflammatory diet" from a blog post. This often starts with a structured elimination protocol to identify which foods are driving your immune response.
- Gut-healing protocols to restore gut barrier integrity. If leaky gut is contributing to the autoimmune process, sealing the gut lining is foundational to calming the immune system down.
- Targeted supplementation including anti-inflammatory nutrients, vitamin D optimization, omega-3 fatty acids, and gut-supportive compounds tailored to your labs and symptoms
- Stress management and adrenal support because cortisol dysregulation is both a cause and a consequence of autoimmune flares. Getting the stress response back on track is not optional.
- Environmental trigger identification to reduce your total inflammatory burden from all sources, not just food
- Collaborative care with your rheumatologist or specialist so your conventional and functional medicine providers are working as a team. Dr. Drussel doesn't ask you to choose. The best outcomes happen when both sides communicate.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Autoimmune conditions develop over years, and unwinding them takes patience and consistency. But with a clear plan and regular adjustments, most patients see meaningful reduction in flares, improved energy, and better quality of life within 3 to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Functional medicine doesn't replace conventional autoimmune treatment, but it addresses something conventional medicine typically doesn't: the triggers driving the immune response. By identifying and removing inflammatory triggers like food sensitivities, gut permeability, chronic stress, and environmental exposures, many patients experience fewer flares, reduced symptoms, and in some cases, lower medication needs under their specialist's guidance.
Research has established that intestinal permeability (leaky gut) is present in nearly every autoimmune condition studied. When the gut barrier breaks down, the immune system is exposed to particles it shouldn't see, leading to chronic immune activation. In many cases, the autoimmune process can't fully calm down until the gut lining is repaired. This is why gut health is a central focus in functional medicine for autoimmune conditions.
No. Dr. Drussel does not ask patients to stop medications prescribed by their rheumatologist or specialist. Functional medicine works alongside conventional treatment, not against it. The goal is to address root causes so that over time, with your prescribing doctor's guidance, medication adjustments may become possible. Any changes to medications are always made in collaboration with the provider who prescribed them.
Significantly. Certain foods can trigger immune-mediated inflammation that directly worsens autoimmune symptoms. Gluten is the most well-researched example, particularly in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and other foods can be triggers depending on the individual. Dr. Drussel uses a combination of food sensitivity testing and structured elimination protocols to identify your specific triggers, because there is no perfect diet that works for everyone.
Absolutely. Chronic stress disrupts the HPA axis (your stress response system) and dysregulates cortisol, which is your body's primary anti-inflammatory hormone. When cortisol can't do its job properly, immune-driven inflammation goes unchecked. Many patients report their autoimmune condition started or significantly worsened during a period of intense stress. Addressing stress physiology is a core part of the functional medicine approach to autoimmune support.
Most patients notice improvements in energy, brain fog, and general well-being within 4 to 8 weeks of implementing dietary and lifestyle changes. Reduction in flare frequency and severity typically takes 3 to 6 months of consistent follow-through. Autoimmune conditions develop over years, so unwinding the process takes time and patience. Dr. Drussel monitors your progress with regular check-ins and adjusts your protocol as your body responds.
Related conditions
Autoimmune conditions are connected to gut health, hormones, and chronic inflammation. If you're dealing with autoimmune issues, these related conditions may also be part of the picture.
Start with a Functional Medicine Consultation
Call Integrative Motion in Orem, Utah to schedule your consultation with Dr. Drussel. If your immune system has been working against you, it's time to find out why.