Our Services
Most people with autoimmune conditions have been through the same cycle: flare, medication, temporary relief, repeat. The reason this cycle continues is that the standard approach manages immune activity without investigating what is activating the immune system in the first place. Triggers such as gut permeability, chronic infections, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, environmental toxins, and unresolved emotional stress all play documented roles in immune dysregulation. Functional medicine maps these connections across body systems, looking at how the gut, the endocrine system, the nervous system, and genetic expression interact. When the real drivers are identified and treated, the immune system no longer has reason to remain in a state of chronic activation. This is the foundation of how we approach autoimmune disease treatment at Israel Functional Medicine.
The process begins with a free 15-minute introductory consultation to assess whether functional medicine is the right path for you. From there, a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation covers nutrition, hormones, vitamins, lifestyle factors, family health history, and emotional patterns. Dr. Bakramos integrates findings from advanced nutritional research, genomics, and epigenetics to understand how your specific genes are being expressed under your current conditions. Treatment is never one-size-fits-all. Depending on your case, your personalized plan may incorporate dietary protocols, targeted supplementation, acupuncture, shiatsu, kinesiology, iridology, NLP, EFT, and nutritional counseling. Each technique is selected because it addresses a specific imbalance identified in your assessment, not because it is a standard protocol applied to everyone with a similar diagnosis.
Research over the past two decades has made the gut-immune connection impossible to ignore. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of immune cells reside in the gut, meaning that what happens in your digestive system directly shapes how your immune system behaves. Conditions such as leaky gut allow undigested food particles, bacteria, and toxins to enter the bloodstream, triggering an immune response that can eventually turn against the body’s own tissues. Many patients who come to us for autoimmune disease treatment are also dealing with digestive complaints they assumed were unrelated: bloating, irregular bowel movements, food sensitivities, and acid reflux. Addressing gut integrity is often one of the earliest and most impactful steps in calming an overactive immune system.
Hormonal imbalances and autoimmune diseases frequently co-exist, and this is not a coincidence. Thyroid disorders, adrenal dysfunction, and imbalances in sex hormones all influence immune regulation in measurable ways. Many autoimmune conditions are significantly more prevalent in women, and they often worsen around hormonal transitions such as pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. At Israel Functional Medicine, hormonal assessment is always part of a complete autoimmune evaluation. If the endocrine system is under stress, it creates systemic inflammation that keeps the immune system on high alert. By restoring hormonal balance alongside other interventions, patients frequently experience reductions in the frequency and severity of flares, improved energy, better sleep, and a clearer sense of overall wellbeing. For those managing inflammation alongside hormonal issues, addressing both simultaneously tends to produce far better outcomes than treating each in isolation.
Factor | Conventional Medicine | Functional Medicine |
Primary Goal | Suppress immune response | Identify and remove immune triggers |
Diagnostic Depth | Symptom and disease category | Molecular, cellular, and systemic root cause |
Treatment Type | Immunosuppressants, steroids, biologics | Nutrition, lifestyle, supplementation, body therapies |
Patient Individuality | Standard protocol by diagnosis | Biochemical individuality guides every decision |
Gut Health Assessment | Rarely included | Central to evaluation and treatment |
Hormonal Evaluation | Only if primary complaint | Routinely assessed as immune modifier |
Long-Term Outcome Focus | Symptom management | Sustained immune balance and disease prevention |
Emotional and Lifestyle Factors | Minimal consideration | Integrated into treatment planning |
Functional medicine does not claim to cure autoimmune diseases, but it has a strong track record of reducing symptom burden, decreasing flare frequency, and in some cases achieving long-term remission by addressing the underlying triggers. Outcomes depend on the specific condition, how long it has been active, and how consistently the treatment plan is followed. Many patients report dramatic improvements in energy, pain levels, and lab results within the first few months of working with a functional medicine practitioner.
A conventional doctor visit typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes and focuses on managing your current symptoms. The functional medicine intake process at our clinic is comprehensive and can take an hour or more. It covers your full health history, family history, dietary habits, stress levels, sleep quality, digestive function, hormonal patterns, and emotional wellbeing. This depth of assessment allows Dr. Bakramos to identify patterns and connections that would not be visible in a standard clinical encounter.
No. Functional medicine works alongside your existing medical care and does not require you to stop any prescribed medications. As your body responds to treatment and your health markers improve, your prescribing physician may choose to adjust your medications over time. All decisions about medications are made in coordination with your other healthcare providers.
Yes. Dr. Bakramos offers a complimentary 15-minute introductory call for new patients. This conversation is designed to help you understand whether functional medicine is the right fit for your situation and to give you a sense of how the process works before making any commitment. There is no obligation to proceed after this call.