By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to: Define functional health Explain its core principles Compare functional health with conventional medicine Understand why functional health prioritizes systems-based, root-cause analysis

How the Immune System Works Students will be able to: Describe the roles of the innate and adaptive immune systems Explain immune tolerance and why it matters Recognize how the immune response protects the body

There are several different types of inflammation the body will experience. These different types trigger different responses from the body.

What is Autoimmunity?

Many things can be triggers for an autoimmune response. These can include different foods, pathogens, environmental toxins, stressors, medications, and gut dysbiosis.

Diagnosing an autoimmune disorder is more complicated that drawing the typical CBC or hepatic function panel. To check for autoimmunity tests for antibodies, organ specific labs, and functional markers will need to be done. The following is a breakdown of those test.

By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to: Identify the major labs used in functional medicine Understand what each test evaluates Recognize why functional practitioners use broader testing than conventional medicine

Functional Ranges Functional health uses tighter, more precise ranges to identify early dysfunction—before it becomes disease. Example: Lab range for Vitamin D: 30–100 Functional optimal range: 50–70 Functional analysis focuses on what is optimal, not just “not diseased.”

More than 70% of the immune system resides in the gut (specifically, the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, GALT). Healthy gut function supports: Immune tolerance Inflammation regulation Protection from pathogens When gut health declines, immunity declines.

Food as Medicine Nutrition is one of the most powerful tools for calming an overactive immune system. In autoimmune conditions, the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues due to chronic inflammation, gut dysfunction, and loss of immune tolerance. Food can either fuel this process—or help reverse it. Key nutrition goals for autoimmune healing:

These foods commonly trigger immune reactions, damage gut lining, and increase inflammation—especially in autoimmune conditions.

These foods actively reduce inflammation, support gut healing, and help restore immune tolerance.

What Is AIP? The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) is a targeted nutritional and lifestyle strategy designed to help individuals with autoimmune conditions reduce inflammation, repair the gut, and identify personal food triggers. AIP is built on three pillars:

Why It Matters: Chronic stress drives chronic inflammation. When the body is in “fight or flight,” the immune system becomes dysregulated, increasing the likelihood of flare-ups, autoantibody production, and impaired gut barrier function.

Why It Matters Poor sleep ↓ immune tolerance, ↑ inflammation, and worsens autoimmunity. One night of poor sleep can elevate inflammatory markers like CRP.

Why It Matters Movement reduces inflammation, improves mitochondrial health, supports lymphatic drainage, and enhances mood.

Why It Matters The liver, lymph, and gut must efficiently eliminate toxins or the immune system becomes overstimulated.

Cortisol, thyroid function, sex hormones, and insulin resistance all paint a picture in your overall hormone and autoimmunity world.

Supplements can be powerful therapeutic tools in autoimmune healing, but they are never one-size-fits-all. In functional health, supplementation is used to: Correct nutrient deficiencies Support physiological pathways (inflammation, detox, gut repair, hormones) Stabilize the immune system Support mitochondrial health Enhance lifestyle and nutrition protocols This module helps you understand why each supplement is used and how it fits into a personalized protocol.

Autoimmune healing doesn’t end once symptoms improve. The goal of long-term management is to: Maintain remission Reduce inflammation Prevent future flares Support immune tolerance Build long-term resilience Autoimmune conditions naturally “flare” when stressors overwhelm the body’s regulatory systems. This module teaches how to identify triggers, prevent flares, and respond quickly when they happen.