Autoimmune conditions are on the rise, and more than 50 million Americans, nearly one in five people, are affected either with an official diagnosis or just mysterious symptoms. Good news: people are educating themselves and proactively digging into their root causes to halt the progression and reverse their conditions. Thanks to all 422 people who made the time to complete this autoimmune insights survey. Your feedback is meaningful for all and hugely helpful in guiding future content and discussion about roots and solutions.
Number of Completed Surveys
Total: 422
Gender: 94% female
It was not surprising to see that the vast majority of respondents were female. Autoimmune is a disorder that afflicts women 8 to 1 over men.
Age
Autoimmune conditions tend to occur most frequently after big hormonal fluctuations (puberty, pregnancy, menopause), but I was surprised to see so many respondents clustered in the menopausal (average age 51) and post-menopausal range:
[table id=age /]
You Consider Yourself...
While most people find themselves in the middle of the bell curve, I was surprised to see that so many people self-identify as “veterans on the healing path.” Good news, people are seeking solutions; but this may require even more experimentation and persistence. Keep on keeping on!
[table id=consider-yourself /]
Your Top Autoimmune Symptoms
If you’re experiencing gut issues, brain fog, extreme fatigue, aches, pain, or poor sleep, you’re not alone. Symptoms messages from the body that things are out of balance; the longer we wait to address them the louder the messages become. To restore balance and heal we must work at the root cause level; think F.I.G.H.T.S.™ for food, infections, gut health, hormone balance, toxins and stress.
[table id=top-symptoms /]
Why You Think You Got The Autoimmune Condition/Symptoms
The good news is that most people have an idea or two — or more — about why they have autoimmune issues. This is a really good starting point to explore solutions. Interestingly, while gut issues top the list of perceived triggers, there are usually deeper root causes to explore that cause gut problems, like inflammatory foods, medications, infections and even stress, which can create a leaky gut! Remember, you can’t heal your gut or your autoimmune condition unless you remove the triggers that are causing the gut problems in the first place.
[table id=why-you-got /]
How You Take Care of Yourself
Great news that most people are proactive about taking care of themselves! But, fewer than half make time for “me time,” which is pretty typical of the autoimmune profile: women who put other people first. It’s not surprising to see that supplements top the list since it’s human nature to want the quickest fix without doing the harder work. Remember: you can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet or buried emotional trauma!
[table id=take-care-of-yourself /]
Which Areas Would Your Like More Help With
Given why people believe they got the condition(s) it’s not too surprising that these are the top areas of desired focus. The one surprising thing to me is that while chronic stress is a top reason people believe they got their autoimmune condition, establishing a relaxation practice is pretty low on the list here:
[table id=areas-of-help /]
How I Have Helped
This was an open ended question so answers were free-form. Responses were positive and enthusiastic, and top answers included:
[table id=how-ive-helped /]
How People Prefer to Learn
I was surprised and happy to see that people still love books for learning. Whew, since I just published a book!
[table id=prefer-to-learn /]
Interest in Joining Beat Autoimmune Membership Community
Most people are interested in joining or learning more about a membership community that would offer greater value than our existing Transcend Autoimmune group. A membership site would offer more organized information, greater participation and engagement, even more access to me, and interviews with holistic healers and autoimmune experts.
[table id=interest-in-joining /]
Have Read Beat Autoimmune
On a personal level, of course I’m pleased to see glowing reviews and good interest in reading my book. But at a much higher level this is about the ripple effect. People are deciding to take their health back and are then sharing the good news with their families, friends, and open minded doctors who are now empowering their patients… This is truly what Sandy Eff calls a Root Solution Revolution!
[table id=have-read /]
What People Think of the Book
I’m humbled by the responses which were free-form:
[table id=think-of-the-book /]
How Can I Make a Greater Impact?
OK, this one was super helpful for me and I’m humbled by the responses. One of my favorite ideas is to proactively generate ripples: “Consider the power of 10 people who have improved their health telling 10 people…”
[table id=how-can-i-make-impact /]
There is so much here that I am re-reading and still digesting. I’m so grateful to all who participated and all who may benefit from this information. Over time I hope to incorporate many of these ideas into more and better ways to serve this growing community.
Thank you very much, and take good care!
p.s. If you are proactively seeking to heal from any autoimmune condition and want community, support and valuable information please join our existing, free, private and thriving Facebook group: Transcend Autoimmune.
