Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Autoimmune Disease
As I prepared to write this piece about autoimmune conditions and the role of acupuncture and traditional Chinese (and East Asian) medicine in helping people return to health and balance, I had a passage in mind that I read many years ago and wanted to quote…
I spent hours, pouring over each of the two books in which one or the other I was sure it appeared, to no avail. It was something along the lines of…
Autoimmunity is self-attacking-self. If we are all connected, and we are the earth, then autoimmunity reflects the other ways in which we are attacking ourselves. It’s the macrocosm of humans attacking humans and nature, playing out in the microcosm of the immune system attacking the body…
The passage, which I may never find again but know was written by Joanna Macy, appealed to me because it represented the Taoist view that a human being is a microcosm (small world) corresponding to the macrocosm (large world); the body reflects the cosmos, and the cosmos reflects the body.
I encountered the elusive passage around the same time I began studying acupuncture and exploring grief that felt larger and older than anything that could belong to 'just me' (more on that, perhaps, as time unfolds). It aligned with my emerging understanding of the world and my place in it. It was both comforting and encouraging.
I am one of the 5% of people with an autoimmune condition. As a spiritual atheist, for whom meaning-making and philosophy are pillars of mental health, this perspective provided a framework for understanding my experiences. It strengthened my empathy and compassion for myself and others. This embedded empathy and compassion continue to inform my practice of traditional medicine to this day.
So, my hope for you dear friend, is that in reading the words that are to come, you likewise feel emboldened to reclaim your power to find harmony within yourself and the world around you
SO WHAT IS AUTOIMMUNITY?
“A healthy immune system at any age is not only strong but wise, able to discern what is friend and what is foe, leaving healthy cells and tissue alone” Randine Lewis
The regulated immune system protects your body from pathogenic invasions, like viruses or bacteria. It does this by producing antibodies. For people with a healthy immune system, these antibodies correctly identify pathogens, and as a rule, they do not attack the cells of your own body.
“In the non-autoimmune state, a normally functioning immune system is a reference point for positioning the self within the universe” James David Katz
Autoimmune disease arises when we lose our biological identity or our awareness of self. The immune system loses its ability to correctly discern foreign (‘non-self’) from self. When immune cells make this mistake and attack cells and tissues they should protect, autoimmune disease may develop.
Autoimmune disease is a complex disorder in which multiple genetic and environmental factors collide. The key factors that interact to cause autoimmune disease include genetics, environmental exposures, aging, hormones, psychology, gut, and immune function (1).
Recent literature identifies a triad leading to autoimmunity: heredity (genetic inheritance), gut dysbiosis/increased permeability (2, 3), and a trigger. Triggers can vary widely, including trauma, toxic stress, infection, poor dietary choices, and significant hormonal shifts like puberty, pregnancy, or perimenopause (4,5).
An interesting emerging field is psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology (I know, it's a big word, but we've been saying for a while that everything is connected). It studies the interactions between the mind, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune responses. This interdisciplinary approach reveals how psychological factors, such as trauma and mental health, can significantly influence the development and progression of autoimmune diseases. This may explain why individuals experiencing high levels of stress are predisposed to autoimmunity.
A GROWING LIST OF AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
Autoimmune diseases are a broad group of more than 80 related disorders that vary from common to rare. They affect around 5% of people and are a significant chronic health concern in Australia (6)
Better-known examples of autoimmune diseases include:
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Graves disease
Chrohns disease
Psoriasis
Coeliac disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Type 1 diabetes
There is growing interest in the role of the immune systems in PCOS and Endometriosis, but neither is currently classified as an autoimmune disease.
WOMEN AND THOSE ASSIGNED FEMALE AT BIRTH (AFAB) HAVE A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF DEVELOPING AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
Women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) have up to four times greater risk for autoimmune disease compared to men (7). Science doesn’t yet know why, and given the longstanding gender inequality in medical research (8), I’m not holding my breath for an answer.
I’ve got a couple of hypotheses guided by the wisdom of Chinese medicine, which we are likely to explore at some point during treatment if you choose to add me to your care team.
CHINESE MEDICINE & AUTOIMMUNITY
The immune system is a Western medical concept. Chinese medicine never discusses immunity directly. Instead, it describes the clinical symptoms of the body’s response to an invasion by pathogens with the concept of Zheng Qi (vital qi) and Wei Qi (defensive qi). There are many different types of Qi. The concepts of Zheng Qi and Wei Qi are quite complex. When we layer on the relative deficiencies of other Qi, Yin, Yang, Blood, and expressions of excess like Heat, Dampness, and Stagnation, it becomes tricky to explain in plain English
Chinese medicine has a long, rich history of treating complicated conditions. Although the medical profession has been stumped by the complex and growing presentation of autoimmunity - each unique presentation of symptoms arising from autoimmunity forms a pattern when you apply the Chinese medicine framework for diagnosis and treatment.
HOW ACUPUNCTURE WORKS FOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
Acupuncture is anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is a hallmark of many autoimmune diseases. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce inflammation by promoting the release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors. Many of the ways acupuncture relieves inflammation overlap with the ways it relieves pain (8).
Acupuncture regulates the immune system
Acupuncture can stimulate and support immunological responses. The regulatory effect of acupuncture on the body often acts on multiple systems simultaneously, such as in regulating the neuro-immuno-endocrine network (9).
Acupuncture regulates hormones
Some autoimmune diseases, like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, are influenced by hormonal imbalances. Acupuncture has been shown to affect these levels and bring them into a more harmonious state (10).
Acupuncture provides pain relief
Many individuals with autoimmune diseases suffer from chronic pain, particularly those with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Acupuncture can help alleviate pain, it is one of the most researched areas, and you can read more about it in our article “How does acupuncture work?”
Acupuncture relieves stress
Stress is a known trigger for autoimmune flare-ups. Through its calming and balancing effects on the body, acupuncture can help reduce stress levels. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease activity in brain structures associated with stress and illness while improving the regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPO) axis, the primary system that the body uses for regulating hormones and the physiological stress response (11). You can read more about this in our article “Acupuncture for Natural Stress Relief”
CHINESE MEDICINE IS A PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE
About one in four people with an autoimmune condition will develop another (or multiple) autoimmune condition. This is where lifestyle measures can offer protection against flare-ups of your current condition, and likely reduce your risk of developing further conditions.
Yang Sheng is the ancient practice of cultivating life, health and vitality, it forms the basis of modern practices of Chinese medicine. It informs my diet and lifestyle prescriptions for people I work with and focuses on diet, gut health, cultivating the mind, improving sleep, relieving stress and living in harmony with nature by following the daily, monthly and seasonal cycles of nature.
Given the knowledge that dietary insult, environmental factors and stress can trigger the emergence of autoimmune conditions, using the wisdom of Yang Sheng to reduce our exposure to the factors that interact to cause autoimmune disease has enormous value.
EVIDENCE FOR ACUPUNCTURE & AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
Although we have seen above the numerous ways that acupuncture has been shown to benefit the various systems of the body, acupuncture does not offer a cure for autoimmune diseases. It offers a holistic approach to managing the symptoms and improving the quality of life for patients.
Chinese medicine can treat a wide variety of diseases in the clinic, but it often lacks scientific data to support its positive effects. Sometimes only the patient and the practitioner can witness the benefits. In other words, as always, more research is required to make any claims for the treatment of autoimmune conditions with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
CHINESE MEDICINE IS NATURE MEDICINE
A guiding concept of Chinese medicine is the correspondence between humankind and nature. So back briefly to that passage I wanted to find and share about autoimmunity in an individual being representative of the damage we are doing to others and the earth.
The idea of metaphor is used extensively in Classical & traditional Chinese medicine… the Heart is like the emperor, and Yin is like the shady side of the mountain. The metaphor that the planet’s ecosystems are suffering from an autoimmune disorder may have a place in helping humanity realise its embeddedness within nature and recognise our impact.
The metaphor of our ecosystems suffering from an autoimmune disorder illustrates how unsustainable human activity damages both environmental and human health. Just as a dysregulated immune system attacks its own body, humanity's actions harm the natural systems that sustain life.
By remembering our deep interconnectedness with nature, we can foster a more conscious and empathetic relationship with the environment, paving the way for collective healing and regeneration. This perspective empowers all of us to change our actions and actively participate in the planet's self-healing processes.
PROMPTS FOR SELF-REFLECTION
“The immune system can best be understood as intelligence; a living, learning, self-regulating system - almost another mind. Its function depends … on the quality of its connectedness… The immune system depends on its diversity to maintain resilience, with which it can maintain homeostasis, respond to surprises, learn from pathogens and adapt to sudden changes…”
Paul Hawkin, quoted by Joana Macy & Molly Brown
Sometimes (okay, usually), deep healing requires us to look closely at ourselves, our experiences, our belief patterns, habits and self-perception. You might find one of these prompts stands out to you, if so, spend some time reflecting on it, and see where your heart/mind (Shen) takes you:
Where in your life do you lack self-acceptance?
What parts of yourself feel foreign to you, feel like they don’t belong?
Do you feel threatened by ‘otherness’ in the world at large?
Can you engage with the sense that we are all connected, connected to other humans and the greater web of life?
Can you consider developing a practice of gratitude toward your body & mind, even when you feel it is working against you?
How do you respond to surprises, or adapt to sudden changes?
Don’t worry if these answers don’t come easily, no answer is an answer.
INTEGRATIVE & FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE FOR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
As an Acupuncturist interested in Integrative and Functional Medicine, I will review your blood tests to help direct our investigations with greater specificity & arrange further testing if your signs and symptoms indicate that it is worthwhile doing so.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS TO AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
Along with supporting you in seeking further testing with your primary care provider, I might prescribe practitioner-quality nutritional supplements, providing they are indicated in your presentation, and blood tests, and enjoy good quality evidence for efficacy.
Considering the supplement industry's impact on the environment and the greater web of life, I prefer to encourage diet and lifestyle changes to support you as a first step.
HAVE YOU TRIED ACUPUNCTURE?
So, if you are one of the 5% of people in Australia with an autoimmune condition - have you given acupuncture a try?
Book online, or contact me to find out how I can support you.
References:
L. Wang et al., “Human Autoimmune Diseases: A Comprehensive Update,” Journal of Internal Medicine 278, no. 4 (2015): 369–95; D. Ray et al., “Immune Senescence, Epigenetics and Autoimmunity,” Clinical Immunology 196 (2018): 59–63; H. Song et al., “Association of Stress-Related Disorders with Subsequent Autoimmune Disease,” JAMA 319, no. 23 (2018): 2388–400; M. Mittelbrunn et al., “Hallmarks of T Cell Aging,” Nature Immunology 22, no. 6 (2021): 687–98; V. Tedeschi et al., “CD8+ T Cell Senescence: Lights and Shadows in Viral Infections, Autoimmune Disorders and Cancer,” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 6 (2022): 3374.
Kharrazian D, Herbert M, Lambert J. The Relationships between Intestinal Permeability and Target Antibodies for a Spectrum of Autoimmune Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(22):16352. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242216352
Paray, B. A., Albeshr, M. F., Jan, A. T., & Rather, I. A. (2020). Leaky Gut and Autoimmunity: An Intricate Balance in Individuals Health and the Diseased State. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(24), 9770. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249770
MK Desai et al., “Autoimmune Disease in Women: Endocrine Transition and Risk Across the Lifespan,” Frontiers in Endocrinology 10, no. 265 (2019);
R. Bove et al., “Hormones and MS: Risk factors, Biomarkers, and Therapeutic Targets,” Multiple Sclerosis 24, no. 1 (2018): 17–21.”
https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/fast-facts/autoimmune-diseases
Kronzer, V. L., Bridges, S. L., Jr, & Davis, J. M., 3rd (2020). Why women have more autoimmune diseases than men: An evolutionary perspective. Evolutionary applications, 14(3), 629–633. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13167
https://doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050191