Concerns
Autoimmunity and inflammation
You have an autoimmune condition, such as Hashimoto's, coeliac disease or rheumatoid arthritis, and wonder what you can do yourself. Or you have aches, tiredness and a feeling that your body is inflamed, but have been told your tests are normal.
Living with a condition that comes in flares is exhausting, and it is easy to feel left alone between appointments. Many people we see have had good medical care, but few answers about what they can do themselves.
Does this sound familiar?
- You have a diagnosis and a medicine, but no plan for the rest of your life.
- You notice that stress, poor sleep or certain foods make you worse, but do not know which is which.
- You have aches and tiredness that nobody can explain.
- You have more than one autoimmune condition, or they run in your family.
- You want to do more yourself, alongside your usual treatment.
Why is it hard to get answers?
Healthcare treats each autoimmune condition separately, often with different specialists. That is good for the condition, but nobody always sees the whole picture: sleep, stress, the gut, vitamin D and how it all fits together.
Low-grade inflammation does not always show in ordinary tests either. A normal CRP does not rule out that the body is under strain, and hs-CRP is rarely taken.
With us, we work on what you can influence yourself, alongside the care you already have.
What happens in the body with autoimmunity and inflammation?
In an autoimmune condition, the immune system reacts against the body's own tissue. Genes play a part, but so do infections, stress, sleep, gut health and nutrients such as vitamin D.
Low-grade inflammation is something else: a weak but long-lasting activity in the immune system that can cause tiredness and aches. It is linked to fat around the middle, insulin resistance, lack of sleep and smoking, among other things.
What could be behind it?
We often see people with an autoimmune condition who have had good medical care but few answers about what they can do themselves.
Low-grade inflammation
It can cause tiredness and aches without a clear cause. hs-CRP is a sensitive measure that can be tested.
Read the guide: Healthspan and ageing →Vitamin D
Low levels are more common in several autoimmune conditions, and common in Sweden in winter.
Read the guide: Vitamin deficiency →The gut
Coeliac disease is more common alongside other autoimmune conditions, and gut health affects the immune system.
Stress and sleep
Long-term stress and poor sleep can make autoimmune symptoms more noticeable and flares more frequent.
Blood sugar and weight
Fat around the middle and insulin resistance are linked to more inflammation in the body.
Read the guide: Blood sugar and diabetes risk →The thyroid
Hashimoto's is the most common autoimmune condition and first shows as raised antibodies.
Read the guide: Thyroid health →What you can do yourself
- Prioritise sleep. Poor sleep raises inflammation.
- Eat vegetables, fish and unprocessed food, and cut down on sugar and refined carbohydrates.
- Move every day, adapted to how you feel.
- Keep a diary of flares, sleep, stress and food. The patterns help both you and your doctor.
- Measure your vitamin D, especially in winter.
- Never change a medicine without talking to the person who prescribed it.
What we look at
Your condition and your history
Which diagnosis you have, how it is treated, when you have flares and what seems to affect them.
Food, sleep, stress and movement
How you eat, sleep and move, and what is happening in your life when symptoms get worse.
Tests with a purpose
We only suggest tests that could change the next step. Here that often means hs-CRP, vitamin D, coeliac disease, thyroid antibodies, iron and B12.
Tests that may be relevant
How it works
Four steps
- 01
Tell us about you
You fill in a health questionnaire about your symptoms, your sleep, what you eat and your daily life.
- 02
Take your blood test
You give a blood sample at a lab near you, in Stockholm or at any of more than 100 sampling locations across Sweden. We help you choose the tests that answer your questions.
- 03
Go through your results
You receive a personal health report and a session with one of our practitioners, and we make a plan together.
- 04
Follow up
We follow how you are getting on and adjust the plan. A new blood test after three to six months shows how your results have changed.
When to get medical help
Contact your health centre soon if you also have any of these:
- You have a fever, night sweats or are losing weight without explanation.
- You have swollen, warm and tender joints.
- You have a rash that is spreading, or bruises without a cause.
- You have an autoimmune condition and suddenly get much worse. Contact your doctor.
Call 112 in an emergency. Call 1177 for advice on where to get care.
Frequently asked questions
What is an autoimmune disease?
It means the immune system reacts against the body's own tissue. Hashimoto's, coeliac disease, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis are some examples. Autoimmune diseases are more common in women and often run in families.
Can a blood test show inflammation in the body?
Partly. hs-CRP shows low-grade inflammation, and other tests can give clues. A normal value does not rule out every problem, and a raised value needs to be read together with how you feel.
Can diet affect inflammation?
Yes. A lot of sugar, refined carbohydrates and alcohol are linked to more inflammation, while vegetables, fish and other unprocessed food are linked to less. What makes a difference for you depends on your symptoms and results.
Do you replace my usual treatment?
No. We work with diet, lifestyle and preventive health alongside your doctor. Never change a medicine without talking to the person who prescribed it.
What is included in a Health Assessment?
A health questionnaire, a personal health report and a short session with one of our practitioners. You add the blood test depending on what you want to look into, and we help you choose. If you have a long-term condition and want to find out whether your diet and lifestyle may be contributing, or you need a referral to our doctor, we also offer longer appointments.
Do I need a referral?
No. You book yourself, and the blood sample is taken at a lab near you. We have sampling locations in Stockholm and at more than 100 places across Sweden.
Would you like help seeing what you can influence yourself? Read about the Health Assessment →
Read more
Sources
Reviewed by
Wellth Team
Wellth
Our content is written and reviewed by Wellth, and fact-checked against peer-reviewed research and current Swedish clinical guidelines.
Learn more about our team →Important to know
Wellth does not diagnose or treat disease. We work with diet, lifestyle and preventive health, alongside the care you already have.
Our reports and sessions do not replace medical advice, and a test result should not be read as a diagnosis. We use both standard healthcare reference ranges and optimal ranges. A value can therefore be normal by healthcare standards and still fall outside the range associated with good health. That does not mean disease, but it can be a chance to act early.
Supplements are only recommended by a nutritional therapist as part of a consultation, never automatically from a test result.
If anything in your results needs to be looked at by a doctor, we will tell you clearly. Contact your healthcare provider if you are worried about your health. Call 1177 for advice, or 112 in an emergency.