Why Autoimmune Diseases Are Stealing Women’s Energy—and What You Can Do About It

Getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2012 changed my life—but not in the way most people think.

I remember when I got the diagnosis. “You have Celiac Disease,” they said, as if it was a simple fix. Just remove gluten. No big deal, right?

Except it was a big deal.

People think Celiac just means switching your pasta and ditching the breadbasket—but for many of us, it’s far more complex. Like so many other autoimmune diseases, it comes with pain, inflammation, and deep fatigue that isn’t solved overnight. I had joint pain so intense I was in the chiropractor constantly, had immune flares that left me catching every bug going around, and gut, hormone, and mysterious symptoms that lingered even after going gluten-free.

Even today, over a decade later, people still don’t take it seriously when I say, “I have Celiac.” They joke about gluten-free diets as a trend, not a medical necessity. But Celiac isn’t a food preference. It’s an autoimmune disease—and it’s one that increases your risk of developing other autoimmune conditions by up to 34%, including Hashimoto’s, Type 1 Diabetes, and autoimmune liver disease.

Reading Jennifer’s Way was a turning point for me. It opened my eyes to just how devastating and systemic Celiac can be. Even with a strict gluten-free diet, many people still struggle with lingering symptoms—because the immune system remains activated. You’re more likely to deal with candida overgrowth, reactivated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Lyme disease, and other co-infections that compound the inflammation.

And I’m not alone.

The Hidden Epidemic of Autoimmunity in Women

Somewhere between 24 and 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune disease—and nearly 80% of them are women. That’s not a coincidence.

Hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause, combined with chronic stress, higher toxic burden, and even the complexity of our X chromosomes, create a perfect storm for autoimmune conditions to take hold and thrive.

And while the diseases might be different—Hashimoto’s, Graves’, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Celiac—the experience is often the same:

We’re dismissed. Told it’s in our heads. Handed a prescription and shuffled along. We live with brain fog, fatigue, pain, and fear... quietly.

Do These Symptoms Sound Familiar?

• Crushing fatigue that doesn’t improve no matter how much you sleep

• Bloating, diarrhea, or gut pain after meals

• Joint pain and swelling that comes and goes

• Rashes, eczema, dryness, or weird skin changes

• Swollen glands and low-grade fevers without reason

• Anxiety, mood swings, or depressive episodes that don’t feel like “you”

Why the Gut Is Ground Zero

Autoimmune disease happens when your immune system starts attacking your own tissues—and in many cases, it starts in the gut.

Your gut is home to over 70% of your immune system. If your gut lining is compromised (aka leaky gut), toxins, bacteria, and food proteins leak into your bloodstream, triggering an immune response. This chronic activation keeps your body in fight-or-flight, worsening symptoms and increasing your risk of further immune dysfunction.

This is why even with a “perfect” diet or on the prescriptions that are supposed to take to alleviate their autoimmune disease, many people don’t feel fully better—because the gut hasn’t truly healed and systemic inflammation remains. 

You Can Heal—But You Need a Targeted Approach

If you’ve been told to “just eat clean” or “cut out gluten” or “try the AIP diet” and still feel awful—you’re not crazy and you’re not broken. You just need deeper support.

That’s why I created the Gut Healing Program—to help people like you (and like me) get to the root of the inflammation.

This program will help you:

• Calm the immune system and lower inflammation

• Restore gut lining integrity and repair leaky gut

• Support your immune system and energy levels
  
  

• Uncover food triggers, pathogens, and underlying imbalances

• Learn what to eat (and what to avoid) to prevent flares

• Rebuild resilience so you can finally feel like yourself again

You don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode.

This Is Your Next Step

I know what it’s like to feel dismissed. To feel like your body is betraying you. To be told that “you look fine” when inside you’re anything but.

If you’re ready to stop guessing, stop googling, and start healing—let’s do this together.

👉 Explore our Gut Healing Program here
🎧 And for a deeper dive, listen to this empowering podcast episode on how autoimmune diseases affect women and what you can do today.