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, poor memory, digestive problems, 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 defence mechanism. If it’s functioning well, it releases chemicals to heal damaged cells when we fall ill or get injured. If it’s dysregulated, it releases chemicals that target healthy tissue in the absence of illness or injury. 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 also contribute, with oestrogen levels influencing some conditions. But environmental factors contribute in up to 70% of diagnosed cases and stress remains one of the main contributing factors.
If the body can attack itself, it can also heal itself. Yin and restorative yoga supports this by activating the relaxation response. This helps to downregulate (and even shrink) the part of our brain responsible for triggering the stress response. Yoga also supports the release of feel-good hormones and chemicals that grow our capacity for focus and change. When we practice regularly, we reverse damage caused by stress.
Even if you’re highly stressed and 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.