Lonely and afraid: 50 million Americans battle an “invisible illness” without support

Reclaim your health—and quality of life—with THREE proven strategies

When you have an autoimmune disease, you wake up every morning at war with your own body. It’s an “invisible illness” that silently attacks your cells, tissues, and organs. And it can feel downright isolating—after all, you’re the only soldier fighting this battle.

To everyone else, you look perfectly fine. But to you, it feels like the disease is slowly draining everything you hold dear. You may even spend years battling vague symptoms that come and go, desperate for relief—bouncing from one specialist to another.

This leaves you exhausted, unsupported, misunderstood, and alone.

But listen closely when I say: you’re NOT alone.

If you struggle with an “invisible illness,” you CAN regain control of your health—and quality of life—by adopting THREE tried-and-true strategies I’ve seen work wonders in my own patients.

There’s also one common autoimmune “trigger” you NEED to know about… because it weakens your immune system by 40 percent within just 30 minutes. And by eliminating it, you could see a HUGE improvement in your symptoms.

I’ll expand on those important details in just a moment. But first, let’s explore why these “invisible illnesses” are so hard to diagnose—and why you may be at risk…

Finding more questions than answers

A healthy immune system protects your body from diseases and foreign invaders, like viruses.

But when you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system mistakes a part of your body as a “foreign threat” and starts attacking it—causing tissues and organs to slowly fail.

As many as 50 million Americans battle one of these mysterious diseases, making them the third most common cause of chronic illness in the United States.^1,2

And quite honestly, I’ve always dreaded suspecting one in a patient—ever since medical school—because they’re so hard to diagnose. (Not to mention they take a huge toll on the body.)

Here are some reasons why it’s so difficult to pinpoint autoimmune diseases:

Your symptoms are vague. Many autoimmune diseases present with vague symptoms, including fatigue, brain fog, sleep disturbances, achy joints, muscle weakness, and digestive issues, that could point to almost anything.

The symptoms run the gamut because the diseases don’t just impact one organ (like the heart). Instead, they typically affect multiple systems in your body, including your skin, joints, digestive system, nervous system, brain, and more. This makes it hard for a “specialist,” who often has tunnel vision, to connect the dots and see the whole picture.

Your symptoms come and go. One of the most confusing aspects of autoimmune diseases is that the symptoms often come and go. So, you might have periods of remission where symptoms don’t bother you much. This is then followed by flare-ups where the symptoms make your life miserable. Without a consistent pattern, it makes it difficult for doctors to zero in on a cause.

Doctors dismiss your symptoms. Four in every five people diagnosed with an autoimmune disease are women. Sadly, this leads many healthcare providers to dismiss symptoms as “stress” or being “all in your head,” adding to further frustration and treatment delays.

There’s no single test. Unlike other common conditions, autoimmune diseases don’t have a single diagnostic test. Instead, doctors must rely on blood work and, more importantly, listen closely to the patient. Sometimes, an imaging test can help provide some clues, but those tests can have false positives or negatives.

Misdiagnoses are common. There are over 100 different autoimmune diseases and many of them have overlapping symptoms. As a result, many patients receive multiple, incorrect diagnoses before eventually (if ever) landing on the right one.³

Some of the most common autoimmune diseases are:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): With this disease, the immune system attacks the lining of your joints, leading to inflammation, pain, and damage in your hands and feet. As the disease progresses, it can impact bigger joints in your wrists, knees, hips, and shoulders.
• Type 1 Diabetes: With this condition, the immune system attacks the pancreas, preventing proper insulin production.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS): Myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibers, is the target of this autoimmune disease. The damage disrupts the transmission of nerve signals, causing a wide range of symptoms—including numbness, weakness, and trouble walking.
• Lupus: This disease causes inflammation and pain just about anywhere in your body, though it usually affects your skin, joints, kidneys, and heart.
• Celiac disease: Eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, triggers your immune system to attack your small intestine, impairing your ability to absorb nutrients from food.
• Graves’ disease: With this condition, your immune system attacks your thyroid, leading to hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
• Psoriasis: This is a skin condition where your immune system accelerates skin cell growth, leading to scaly, red patches.

Despite the many challenges in getting an accurate diagnosis, there are some steps you can take to help your doctor connect the dots and figure out what’s really going on in your body. (See the sidebar for tips on getting an accurate diagnosis.)

Are YOU at risk?

We don’t know exactly what causes the immune system to malfunction and start attacking the body, but scientists believe it’s a combination of several factors…

For one, your genetics likely contribute. If someone in your family has an autoimmune disease, your risk of developing one is much higher. However, your genes alone don’t determine whether you’ll develop a disease. In fact, many people with a family history of autoimmune disorders never develop one, while others without a genetic predisposition do.

Environmental triggers may also play a role in developing an autoimmune disorder. For example, research now strongly links low vitamin D and lack of sun exposure to a higher risk of developing MS. Less sun exposure is also tied to worse symptoms among those already diagnosed with MS.⁴ Likewise, exposure to certain chemicals, pesticides, or environmental pollutants—or even bacteria and viruses—can cause your immune system to go haywire.

In addition, a diet high in processed foods, sugars, and unhealthy fats promotes inflammation and disrupts gut bacteria, which can trigger autoimmune activity. Chronic stress or early childhood trauma also seem to raise your risk of developing an autoimmune disorder.

Likewise, developing one autoimmune disorder puts you at risk for developing another. For example, people with Type 1 diabetes run a higher risk of Graves’ disease and celiac disease.

Now that you understand more about the complexity of these “invisible illnesses,” let’s look at how you can regain control of your health—and quality of life—by following THREE proven strategies…

Re-balance your immunity in three simple steps

In my view, there’s a natural connection between autoimmune disorders and immunosenescence—or what I call, “immunity rot.”

This refers to the gradual erosion of your immune defenses with age. In fact, if you’re over 55, there’s a good chance you’re already suffering from it. And it could be why autoimmune diseases sneak into our lives during these later years.

With that in mind, here are three strategies for bringing back proper balance to your immune system…

Strategy No. 1: Re-think your diet. While you can’t change your genetics, you can change your diet. And I believe this is your most powerful tool for combatting autoimmune diseases.

Start by cutting out sugar completely.

Research shows that consuming 100 grams of sugar—the amount contained in roughly two cans of soda—weakens your immune system by a staggering 40 percent in just 30 minutes!⁵

Plus, it’s well known that sugar and processed carbs both increase inflammation and oxidative stress that can trigger autoimmune diseases.^6,7 In fact, a 2022 review in the journal Frontiers in Immunology confirmed that women over 55 who drink sugar-sweetened beverages have a much higher risk of developing RA than women who don’t indulge.

Experimental studies also confirm that a high-sugar diet aggravates symptoms and increases the progression of both MS and psoriasis. In other words, if you follow the typical American diet and snack on sweet treats throughout the day, you could be sabotaging your immune system—without even realizing it!

Instead of noshing on the sweet stuff, strive to follow a Mediterranean-style diet filled with whole foods—including grass-fed and -finished meat, organic poultry, wild-caught fish and seafood, fresh produce, and healthy fats from nuts, avocados, eggs, and more.

Research published in 2022 in the journal Nutrients shows this kind of nutrient-dense diet will help tame the chronic inflammation and reduce the oxidative stress associated with an overactive immune system. Likewise, people who follow this type of diet have a much lower risk of developing an autoimmune disorder in the first place!

Strategy No. 2: Supplement wisely

Smart supplementation can make a world of difference in not only preventing the development of autoimmune diseases—but also blocking their progression. And of course, vitamin D, in particular, shows great promise…

In a 2021 study, men and women who supplemented with just 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D for five years had an impressive 22 percent lower risk of developing an autoimmune disease in general.⁸  Plus, many psoriasis sufferers report their symptoms nearly disappear in the summer, when their natural vitamin D production increases as a result of spending more time in the sun.

In one small, but impressive study, men and women with psoriasis who took daily doses of vitamin D ranging from 750 to 1,500 mcg (30,000 to 60,000 IU) saw a COMPLETE REMISSION of their disease in just two to six months.⁹ That’s pretty astounding for a “simple” supplement!

Granted, that daily dose is higher than what I regularly recommend. But it’s worth investigating and sharing with your doctor if you suffer with psoriasis.

You should also ask your doctor to perform regular blood testing to check your vitamin D levels. Just about every study shows 80 to 90 ng/mL is the sweet spot for autoimmune health. So, make sure to supplement with at least 125 mcg (5,000 IU) of vitamin D3 daily until you reach those levels.

If your levels are deficient (below 30 ng/mL), or if repeat testing shows your levels aren’t budging, I suggest increasing your dose. I personally take 250 mcg (10,000 IU) of vitamin D3 per day and so do many of my patients. Doing so is perfectly safe with regular monitoring.

Fish oil also shows great promise in studies involving autoimmune diseases. In fact, in one major study, men and women taking 1,000 mg of fish oil (rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA) had an 18 percent lower risk of developing an autoimmune disorder.

That’s great news, considering my recommendation is much higher! I suggest finding a fish oil supplement that delivers 3,000 mg of EPA/DHA per day.

Strategy No. 3: Stave off stress 

Stress is a major autoimmune disease trigger. In fact, up to 80 percent of people who develop an “invisible illness” report experiencing “uncommon emotional distress” before its onset.¹¹ Researchers think this stress unleashes a flood of neuroendocrine hormones, which leads to immune system dysregulation and ultimately triggers the disease.

To make matters worse, stress caused by the disease itself can exacerbate symptoms and accelerate its progression. And considering that stress levels have increased up to 30 percent in the past three decades in the U.S., I’d say it’s high time to incorporate some stress-management techniques into your daily routine.

Many studies suggest that people with autoimmune diseases who regularly exercise, meditate, and practice yoga experience powerful reductions in pain, insomnia, fatigue, and depression.¹² They also see improvements in disease biomarkers—including lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)—which are indicators of inflammation in the body.

Social connection is key also important. Studies show that having a friend by your side during stressful times helps lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and tames an overactive immune system.

Don’t let an “invisible illness” steal your livelihood

If you’re struggling with unexplained fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, or other persistent symptoms, don’t ignore them or let a specialist brush them off as “stress” or being “all in your head.”

Autoimmune diseases are often invisible, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t real. And the sooner you get an accurate diagnosis, the quicker you can regain control of your health—and improve your quality of life.

Plus, by adopting my three tried-and-true strategies to tame an overactive immune system—re-balancing your diet, taking a few key supplements, and managing stress—I’m confident you will soon experience the total transformation in symptoms that my own patients so often report.

Remember that you’re never alone in this fight. So, never settle for uncertainty. Keep asking questions, keep pushing for answers, and most importantly, keep taking care of YOU.

SIDEBAR: Five tips for getting an accurate diagnosis

If you suspect you may have an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, here are a few tips for talking with your doctor:

1.) Know your family’s medical history: If an autoimmune disease runs in your family, tell your doctor upfront. Some conditions, especially celiac disease, lupus, and RA, have a strong genetic component.  

2.) Keep a detailed symptom journal: Track when symptoms appear, how long they last, their severity, and potential triggers. Knowing these patterns can help with a diagnosis.

3.) Request comprehensive lab tests: Standard tests may miss subtle autoimmune markers. So, ask your doctor about the AVISE CTD blood test. It can often detect autoimmune biomarkers long before you become symptomatic.

4.) Get multiple opinions: Autoimmune diseases often fall between medical specialties. So, if your symptoms affect different areas (joints, skin, digestion), don’t hesitate to seek out multiple opinions. The key is finding someone you trust and who really listens.

5.) Be persistent and don’t let your healthcare provider dismiss your concerns: If your doctor downplays your symptoms or brushes them off, seek another opinion. Many autoimmune patients report years of misdiagnoses before finding the right expert who will take the time to listen and take a “whole-body” approach to piecing together the clues.

References:

1. “Autoimmune Disease.” National Stem Cell Foundation, accessed 3/22/25. (nationalstemcellfoundation.org/glossary/autoimmune-disease/)

2. “Understanding sex differences in autoimmune disease.” National Institutes of Health, 2/1/24. (nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/understanding-sex-differences-autoimmune-disease#:~:text=Four%20of%20every%20five%20people,of%20the%20puzzle%20remain%20missing.)
3. “What are the most common autoimmune diseases?” Healthline, 11/18/24. (healthline.com/health/autoimmune-disorders)
4. “Study Suggests Role for Sunlight Exposure in Reducing the Severity of MS.” National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 1/12/21. (nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/news/study-suggests-sunlight-reducing-ms-severity)
5. “Harmful Effects of Excess Sugar.” Ask Dr. Sears, accessed 3/22/25. (askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/family-nutrition/sugar/harmful-effects-excess-sugar/#:~:text=An%20overdose%20of%20sugar.,may%20last%20for%20five%20hours)
6. “The Role of Diet and Interventions on Multiple Sclerosis: A Review.” Nutrients. 2022 Mar 9;14(6):1150. doi.org/10.3390/nu14061150.
7. “Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of inflammation.” Frontiers Immunology, 8/30/22. (frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481/full)
8. “Vitamin D and Omega-3 Supplements Reduce Autoimmune Disease Risk.” Medscape, 11/7/21. (medscape.com/viewarticle/962462)

9. “Daily oral vitamin D3 without concomitant therapy in the management of psoriasis: A case series.” Clinical Immunology Communications, 2022; 2:17-22. doi.org/10.1016/j.clicom.2022.01.001.
10. “Stress levels soar in America by up to 30% in 30 years.” Daily News, 1/10/19. (nydailynews.com/2012/06/16/stress-levels-soar-in-america-by-up-to-30-in-30-years/)
11. “Stress as a trigger of autoimmune disease.” Autoimmun Rev. 2008 Jan;7(3):209-13. doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2007.11.007.
12. “The Effect of Meditation, Mindfulness, and Yoga in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.” J Pers Med. 2022 Nov 15;12(11):1905. doi.org/ 10.3390/jpm12111905.