Wholistic Jen

All of a sudden, I realized I was going into an autoimmune flare.

At first, I thought I was just reacting to a bug bite. My ear swelled up and turned red. It was painful to the touch. Then the lymph nodes under my ear and down my neck became sore and visibly swollen. I felt heavy and drained.

Day two, I had no energy. By day four, a fever spiked, and that all-too-familiar cough from a few years ago showed up again—like an old ghost knocking at my door.

My Oura ring had been warning me for days. Elevated body temperature. Increased respiratory rate. Lowered readiness scores. Even when I felt like I could push through, the data told a different story.

And suddenly it hit me: I wasn’t just fighting off a bug bite. I was headed into a full-blown autoimmune flare.

Autoimmune Disease Is A Relationship

I’ve said it before: autoimmune diseases may be reversible in terms of symptoms, but they aren’t cured in the conventional sense. Even when your lab markers are “normal” and you feel great, the underlying genetic susceptibility is still there. Remission doesn’t mean your body has forgotten how to attack itself. It means you’ve created the right environment for healing.

And that balance? It’s delicate. Especially if you have the perfect storm of:

• Genetic predisposition
• Environmental exposure or immune trigger
• Immune system dysregulation

Autoimmunity is fundamentally a case of mistaken identity. Your immune system loses the ability to tell the difference between self and other. Your body’s defenses become your body’s attackers whether it’s the thyroid, joints, skin, gut lining, nervous tissue, …. And what pushes the immune system over that edge can vary wildly.

In my case, the trigger was small, a bite. My husband has actually had flu-like symptoms at 2 different times after a wasp or yellow jacket sting. I don’t know what bit me, but I figured it was something like that. But that bite reminded me how easily that balance can tip if I let me guard down on exposures and/or stress.

Recognizing the Signs

One of the best things about doing this work for as long as I have is that I know my body now. I recognize the whispers, before they turn into screams. I haven’t always listened to my body! I didn’t even know it communicated until a few years ago.

In the past, I might’ve ignored the fatigue or brushed off the swollen lymph nodes. I might’ve tried to push through, assuming I was just tired or fighting a little virus.

But now? I track patterns. I check data. I listen to what my body, and my Oura ring, are telling me.

My Oura Ring Was A Key Player

Let’s talk about that for a second. For those unfamiliar, the Oura ring tracks biometrics like body temperature, resting heart rate, respiratory rate, heart rate variability, and sleep quality. What I love about it is that it picks up on subtle shifts in your nervous system and immune function, before your conscious mind registers a problem.

Research shows that during immune activation (like fighting an infection or heading into a flare), your heart rate variability (HRV) often drops, body temperature increases slightly, and your respiratory rate may go up. It’s your autonomic nervous system trying to respond. And my ring was flashing every warning it had.

But I didn’t just rely on the tech. I checked in with myself.

What I Did Differently This Time

Years ago, a flare would have knocked me out for weeks. I’d crash. I’d spiral into symptom-chasing. I’d try to “fix” things frantically, because I had too much to do to slow down. Now I know that the best thing I can do is go back to basics.

Here’s what I did, and why it worked.

1. I Focused on Deep Rest and Quality Sleep

Sleep is your body’s primary repair state. It’s when inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-alpha get regulated. It’s when your glymphatic system clears toxins from your brain, and your immune system recalibrates.

I asked myself, Am I truly resting? Not just lying down but creating space for parasympathetic healing.

I shortened my workdays. I canceled plans. I went to bed earlier. I even took a day off! I even took a nap.

Poor sleep alone can increase inflammation and lower immune tolerance. I wasn’t going to let that be part of the problem.

2. I Tightened Up My Food With Alkaline Support

Food is foundational, especially during flares. I shifted my meals to be extra clean with no processed food, no sugar, no grains, and no gluten. I went heavy on hydrating, mineral-rich vegetables, green juices, and sulfur-rich plants to support detoxification.

I focused on alkalizing foods, because foods like leafy greens, cucumbers, celery, lemon water, and sea vegetables help reduce systemic acidity and support healthy cell signaling.

Autoimmune conditions thrive in a pro-inflammatory, acidic environment. By restoring electrolyte balance and feeding my mitochondria with whole plant foods, I gave my immune system the message: we’re safe.

3. I Increased Hydration Intentionally

It’s not just drinking more water. You have to drink water that helps you flush and drain.

Lymphatic congestion is a huge factor in flares. When lymph is stagnant, toxins build up, inflammatory messengers linger, and the immune system can’t regulate properly.

So I sipped warm lemon water, added trace minerals to distilled water, and drank herbal infusions like nettle, ginger, and cleavers to keep fluids moving. I focused on movement, my Qi Gong, slow stretching, dry brushing to support lymphatic flow.

4. I Added Back Castor Oil Packs

Castor oil packs are one of those ancient remedies that science is finally catching up to. They support the liver, reduce inflammation, and improve lymphatic flow through the abdominal region.

By placing castor oil over my liver and lymph nodes, I could feel the pressure release. My body relaxed, and my energy started coming back.

Studies suggest castor oil packs increase T-cell production and reduce prostaglandin E2, an inflammatory compound linked to autoimmunity and pain.

5. I Doubled My Mind-Body Support

If you’ve heard me speak, you know I believe autoimmune disease is as much about nervous system dysregulation as it is about food or labs.

So I added a second daily meditation. I practiced slower breathing. I told my body over and over again: you’re safe.

The vagus nerve, your body’s highway between gut and brain, is vital in immune tolerance. When the vagus nerve is stimulated through breath, meditation, and relaxation, the body shifts from “attack mode” to “repair mode.”

Flare Triggers Aren’t Always Clear

Was it the bite? The summer heat? A delayed viral reaction? A buildup of small stressors?

I may never know for sure. And that’s the case for many people living with an autoimmune disease. Triggers aren’t always obvious. Flares don’t always announce themselves clearly.

But the earlier you catch it and the sooner you respond, the less damage is done.

I’ve built a relationship with my body where I notice subtle changes:

• A shift in mood or energy – I get heavy, tired legs
• Puffiness in the face or eyes – I get puffy eyelids
• Slower digestion
• Decreased resilience to stress
• Skin changes (I was terrified the psoriasis rash from two years ago would return)

These are they’re information. And when I listen to them, I get to choose how the story ends.

Remission Is Adaptive

Living with an autoimmune disease doesn’t mean walking on eggshells.

It means adapting with strength. It means knowing how to pivot quickly and having tools in place. It means understanding that your immune system isn’t broken. It’s just sensitive.

My latest flare reminded me of this: I’m not starting over. I’m standing stronger. I recovered faster, because I’ve built the foundation.

What I Want You To Know

If you’re living with Hashimoto’s, Graves’, lupus, RA, psoriasis, or any autoimmune condition, please know this:

A flare does not mean you’re failing.
Your body isn’t betraying you.
And healing is still happening, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

You can learn your body’s patterns. You can track early signs. You can build resilience. You can respond with love.

That’s the real work of autoimmune recovery.

Want to Build Your Own Autoimmune Recovery Toolbox?

Inside the Culinary Healing Circle, I teach exactly how to support your immune system with food, herbs, lifestyle, and mindset. We cook together, learn together, and build healing routines that last.

You don’t need another restrictive diet. You need a sustainable path. You need a circle of women who get it.

👉 Join the Culinary Healing Circle here.

Let your next flare be a learning moment, not a crisis. And let your recovery remind you of how powerful your body still is.