Women are four times more likely to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition than men. But you don’t need a diagnosis to experience the symptoms of a dysregulated immune system. Chronic fatigue, brain fog, lapses in memory, problems with digestion, insomnia, swollen or stiff joints – the list goes on. Women pay a high price as society’s primary caregivers, worrying more about other people’s needs than our own.
The immune system is the body’s natural defence mechanism. When we’re ill or injured, it releases chemicals that heal the damaged or infected cells. When the immune system is dysregulated, chemicals are released in the absence of illness or injury and healthy tissue is targeted – in other words, the body fights itself.
Genetics play their part. If someone in your family has an autoimmune condition, you’ll be genetically vulnerable to autoimmunity. Hormones play their part too, with oestrogen influencing some conditions. But you still need environmental or emotional factors to trigger autoimmunity. Common triggers include stress, anxiety, depression, lack of sleep and the overwhelming busyness of life.
If the body can attack itself, it can also heal itself. Yin and restorative yoga supports this process by regulating the nervous system. When the brain perceives stress, it triggers the release of cortisol. If this happens too often, it messes with our body’s on-off switch, leaving us in a permanent state of fight or flight. Yoga counters this by increasing the production of neurotransmitters needed to slow brain activity and reduce stress. This creates the conditions your body needs to heal.
Whatever symptoms you’re experiencing, I can help you take action to relieve or reverse them. Even if you’re genetically susceptible to autoimmunity, you can alter the way your body reads the DNA contained in those genes. The science of epigenetics suggests that we can positively influence our biology by adjusting our mindset. We can take the smallest actions every day to change the bigger picture of our lives.
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