Autoimmune Hell & Autism: The Fight No One Talks About

Ever feel like your body is waging war against itself—but every doctor just shrugs and says your labs are “mostly normal”?

Do you wake up exhausted before the day even starts, dealing with pain, inflammation, brain fog, and sensitivities that seem to get worse with stress?

You’re NOT making it up. You’re NOT being dramatic. And you’re definitely NOT alone.

Autistic people have WAY higher rates of autoimmune diseases, food sensitivities, and mystery illnesses that doctors can’t explain. But instead of getting help, we’re often gaslit, dismissed, and told to just “push through.”

I’ve been there. I was literally called “the canary in the coal mine” by a doctor. Like…excuse me?! I wasn’t just sensitive—I was SICK. But because my tests didn’t look bad enough, they didn’t take me seriously.

If you’re autistic and battling constant pain, fatigue, and weird health issues, this is for you. Let’s talk about what’s REALLY happening in your body.

Why Autistic People Get Hit HARD with Autoimmune Disease

Research shows that autistic individuals are more likely to develop autoimmune disorders, including:

✔️ Lupus

✔️ Rheumatoid arthritis

✔️ Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

✔️ Celiac disease & gluten intolerance

✔️ IBD (Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis)

Why? Because our immune systems don’t work like everyone else’s. Here’s what’s going on:

• We have immune dysregulation. Our bodies overreact to triggers—foods, chemicals, even stress—causing constant inflammation and burnout (Gładysz et al., 2018).

• We SUCK at detoxing. Autistic people tend to have low glutathione levels, which means toxins build up in our system instead of getting flushed out (James et al., 2006). That’s why things like scented candles, perfumes, and air fresheners can wreck us.

• Food is often our enemy. Gluten, dairy, and other allergens hit autistic people harder because of gut issues that increase immune responses (de Magistris et al., 2010).

• Trauma makes it worse. If you have a high ACE score (Adverse Childhood Experiences), your immune system is even more likely to go haywire (Shin et al., 2020). More stress = more inflammation. And let’s be real—being autistic in a neurotypical world is already traumatic.

• This isn’t just “being sensitive.” This is a REAL, research-backed medical issue.

The Gut-Immune-Autism Connection: Why Healing Your Gut Matters

We now know that the gut microbiome is SEVERELY impacted in autistic individuals. 80% of our immune system lives in our gut—so if our gut is unhealthy, our immune system is going to struggle.

Autistic people tend to have more gut inflammation, higher rates of leaky gut, and different bacterial strains than neurotypicals. This is HUGE. Because when the gut is off, it affects our immune function, our mood, and our sensory regulation. But here’s the problem…

ARFID: When Your Body Needs Nutrition But Your Brain Says NOPE

Autistic people don’t just deal with gut issues—we also struggle with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). ARFID is NOT just being a picky eater. ARFID is NOT a choice. ARFID is a MAJOR reason why healing the gut is so hard for autistic people.

ARFID can make eating healthy almost impossible because:

• Textures, smells, and flavors can feel physically unbearable

• Slimy, crunchy, or mixed foods can trigger a sensory overload meltdown

• Even THINKING about eating certain foods can cause intense anxiety

So while diet does impact health, many autistic people literally cannot just “eat better.”

And even if we could? The executive function struggle makes meal planning, cooking, and prepping feel impossible. If you’ve ever thought:

• “I need to eat, but I have no energy to make food.”

• “I wish I could eat healthier, but everything tastes wrong.”

• “I have no idea what to eat, so I’ll just eat nothing.”

You’re not alone. If ARFID is a major struggle for you, I can help with the mental health side of things.

Mental Health First – THEN Gut Health

Here’s the truth: Your gut is important, but mental health comes first. Cortisol (stress hormone) wrecks gut health faster than bad food. Reducing stress and trauma symptoms is KEY to fixing the immune system. That’s why my approach is different. I don’t just tell my clients to “eat better” and move on. I help them:

1. Reduce stress & trauma symptoms (which lowers inflammation)

2. Simplify life & remove unnecessary demands (so eating isn’t overwhelming)

3. Address the mental health side of ARFID (without forcing unsafe food exposure)

I See You – And I Can Help.

I offer:

1. Support groups for autistic people navigating chronic illness & trauma.

2. 1:1 therapy to help process medical trauma, manage stress, and reduce inflammation.

3. Coaching to help you build a sustainable lifestyle that works WITH your body, not against it.

I’m neurodivergent, too. I get it.

I’ve had to radically change my lifestyle to keep my inflammation under control, and I know how HARD it is to find the right support. But you don’t have to do this alone. Let’s talk. Whether you need a support group, individual therapy, or coaching, I’m here. Reach out today. You deserve care that actually makes sense for YOU.

📚 References (Because Science Matters!)

• de Magistris, L., Familiari, V., Pascotto, A., Mercurio, L., Cuomo, M., & Pulliero, A. (2010). Alterations of the intestinal barrier in patients with autism spectrum disorders and their first-degree relatives. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 51(4), 418-424.

• Gładysz, D., Krzywdzińska, A., & Hozyasz, K. K. (2018). Immune abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder—Could they hold promise for causative treatment? Molecular Neurobiology, 55(8), 6387–6435.

• James, S. J., Melnyk, S., Fuchs, G., Reid, T., Jernigan, S., Pavliv, O., & Gaylor, D. W. (2006). Efficacy of methylcobalamin and folinic acid treatment on glutathione redox status in children with autism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(1), 117–123.

• Rossignol, D. A., & Frye, R. E. (2014). Evidence linking oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation in autism. Translational Psychiatry, 4(12), e476.

• Gut Health & Autism: Xu, M., et al. (2019). The gut microbiota and autism spectrum disorders. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 13, 471.

• ACE Study: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html.