Functional testing for inflammation markers

You’re managing an autoimmune condition.

You’re doing “all the right things” — eating well, taking meds or supplements, trying to reduce stress. And still, out of nowhere… the flare hits.

• Sudden fatigue.
• Pain and swelling.
• Digestive issues, skin rashes, brain fog, emotional crashes.

Like your body is turning against you — again.

So what now?

Most people are told:

• “Ride it out.”
• “Increase your dose.”
• “It’s just part of the condition.”

At YFS (Your Form Sux), we don’t accept “ride it out” as the best option. We use functional medicine to help you understand why flare-ups happen — and how to reduce their frequency, severity, and impact.

First: What’s Actually Happening During a Flare?

In an autoimmune flare-up, your immune system becomes overactive and starts attacking healthy tissues. Depending on the condition, that might be your joints, gut lining, skin, thyroid, or connective tissue.

But here’s the key: flares aren’t random. They’re often triggered by an accumulation of internal or external stressors that overwhelm your system’s ability to regulate inflammation.

That’s where functional medicine comes in — identifying what those stressors are and helping your body get back into balance.

How Functional Medicine Helps with Autoimmune Flares

Instead of just treating the surface-level symptoms, we dig into the root causes of immune dysregulation. These are the hidden drivers that conventional labs and protocols often miss.

1. Gut Health and Leaky Gut (Intestinal Permeability)

70–80% of your immune system lives in your gut. If your gut lining is compromised (a.k.a. leaky gut), undigested food particles, toxins, or microbes can leak into your bloodstream — triggering the immune system and setting off a flare.

What we do at YFS:

• Test for gut inflammation, permeability, and dysbiosis
• Use food-based and supplement protocols to repair the gut lining
• Identify specific food intolerances that may be triggering immune responses

2. Hidden Infections and Immune Stress

Chronic, low-grade infections — like Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus, or stealth bacteria — can live quietly in the background and spike immune reactivity during periods of stress or vulnerability.

What we do at YFS:

• Investigate viral or bacterial triggers using functional lab tests
• Support the immune system in calming, not attacking
• Build long-term resilience by addressing immune regulation, not just suppression

3. Blood Sugar Swings and Inflammation

Fluctuating blood sugar levels — especially crashes — spike cortisol and can amplify systemic inflammation, worsening flares.

What we do at YFS:

• Balance your blood sugar through strategic nutrition
• Assess cortisol response (HPA axis) to manage immune-stress load
• Teach you how to eat and move to prevent internal stress overload

4. Toxin Load and Detox Capacity

If your liver, lymph, and detox systems are overwhelmed, your body becomes more reactive — to food, environment, even your own tissues.

What we do at YFS:

• Assess your body’s ability to detoxify through labs and symptom mapping
• Reduce toxin exposure (food, home, products)
• Support safe and sustainable detox strategies — no juice cleanses or extremes

5. Nutrient Deficiencies and Immune Support

Your immune system runs on vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Without them, regulation fails — and flares become more frequent and intense.

What we test and correct:

• Vitamin D, zinc, selenium, magnesium, omega-3s
• Iron and ferritin
• Antioxidant levels (glutathione, vitamin C, etc.)
• Methylation markers (B vitamins, homocysteine)

6. Nervous System Dysregulation

Your nervous system is constantly scanning for threat. If it’s stuck in fight-or-flight, your immune system stays on edge — ready to overreact.

What we address:

• Chronic stress patterns, trauma history, emotional suppression
• Breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation, movement therapy
• Creating a safety-based, parasympathetic healing environment

How We Help You Through (and After) a Flare

A functional medicine consult at YFS during or after a flare might include:

• Symptom mapping — identifying what triggered your system
• Immediate support tools — calming inflammation, improving sleep, protecting tissues
• Long-term immune strategy — gut repair, nutrient replenishment, detox support, nervous system regulation
• Ongoing guidance — so you’re not stuck Googling or guessing during every flare

We don’t make promises of “cures” — but we do build resilience, so you can go longer between flares, recover faster, and regain control over your health.

You Are Not Your Diagnosis

Autoimmune diseases are real. They’re complex. They’re frustrating.

But they are also influencable.

You’re not helpless. Your flares aren’t random. You just need a new strategy — one that works with your body, not against it.

Ready to understand your flares and build a real plan for staying ahead of them?

Book a functional medicine consult at YFS (Your Form Sux) and let’s start calming the chaos — one system at a time.