Autoimmune diseases keep gaining ground: between 5% and 9% of the world’s population is affected, and most patients are women1.
Faced with these chronic conditions, which allopathic medicine often manages poorly, more and more practitioners are looking for complementary solutions. The AIP protocol (Autoimmune Protocol) belongs to that integrative movement. Its aim: reduce inflammation, calm the immune system and restore gut balance, while giving the patient an active role in their own health.
In this webinar hosted by Simplycure, Anaïs Damour (integrative health practitioner) and Laurane Chemenda (nutritional therapist and AIP coach) present the protocol and share their clinical experience. Both live with autoimmunity themselves, and they have built their expertise around a single observation: AIP can transform a patient’s daily life when it is applied methodically.
Understanding the autoimmune terrain
Autoimmunity rests on a breakdown in immune tolerance. The system no longer tells “self” from “non-self” and attacks the body’s own tissues. Some diseases target one specific organ, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or multiple sclerosis; others affect several systems at once, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
In clinical practice, it is worth remembering that genetics accounts for only 30% of the risk. The remaining 70% comes down to lifestyle and environment2. That makes it prime ground for the practitioner to work on: intestinal hyperpermeability, dysbiosis, nutritional deficiencies, toxic overload, chronic stress, hormonal disruption or trauma. All of these factors “prime” the terrain; a single trigger is then enough to light the fuse.
Another crucial point: co-existing conditions. Close to a third of patients with one autoimmune disease go on to develop a second. Psoriasis, for example, frequently precedes other diagnoses.
The AIP protocol: principles and evidence
Developed more than twenty years ago in the United States, AIP draws on the paleo diet but goes further, targeting the inflammatory mechanisms specific to autoimmunity. It is not only about removing foods, but about a whole lifestyle strategy aimed at reducing inflammation, repairing the gut barrier and correcting nutritional deficiencies.
Studies looking specifically at AIP are small, but the results are promising. In IBD, 73% of patients were in clinical remission after six weeks of gradual elimination. In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, thyroid markers (TSH, FT3, FT4) settle and symptoms ease. Clear improvements in pain, sleep and fatigue have also been reported in rheumatoid arthritis3.
Pillar 1: diet, the heart of the protocol
Diet is the foundation of the AIP protocol. For 30 to 90 days, the patient follows a strict elimination phase. They then move on to a gradual reintroduction, under your supervision, to identify their own tolerances. It works as a gut reset that helps calm immunity and give energy back.
Here is a practical summary:
Main exclusionsFoods to favourClinical aimGluten, grains and pseudo-grainsA variety of vegetables (nightshades excluded)Rest the gut and reduce inflammationDairy products (A1 casein)Quality animal protein, offal, oily fishCorrect deficiencies and support immunityPulses, eggs, nightshadesStable fats (olive, coconut, avocado)Restore the gut barrierNuts and seeds, processed products, sugars, alcoholMushrooms, fermented foods, fruit in moderationFeed the microbiota and diversify polyphenols
The practitioner then guides the methodical reintroduction, which builds a personalised, sustainable diet, far removed from generic, off-the-shelf approaches.
Pillar 2: sleep
You will know this already: sleep and immunity go hand in hand. Insufficient sleep raises CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which compromises immune regulation.
Within AIP, working on sleep hygiene is therefore a priority: regular hours, depth of cycles, quality of rest. Restoring this pillar also gives resilience back to the nervous system and supports hormonal balance, which is often fragile in your female patients with autoimmune conditions.
Remind your patients that better sleep is not simply about “sleeping more”. It is about learning to sleep well again: deeply, without repeated waking, in a setting that supports regeneration.
Pillar 3: movement
Moderate physical activity is a valuable ally. It stimulates circulation, activates the emunctories and supports natural detoxification. One caution, though: intensity and autoimmunity rarely make good bedfellows.
Favour gentle practices such as walking, yoga, pilates or swimming. They improve fatigue and reduce pain, whereas intensive training (long-distance running, HIIT) may worsen intestinal hyperpermeability and inflammatory flares.
The idea is not to turn your patients into elite athletes, but to give them back the pleasure of regular movement, matched to their energy levels.
Pillar 4: stress management
Chronic stress is one of the most powerful triggers of autoimmunity4. It disrupts the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal), damages the gut barrier and keeps inflammation going.
Invite your patients to build in regulation practices: breathing, relaxation, meditation, heart coherence. These techniques rebalance the autonomic nervous system and support anti-inflammatory vagal activity.
A patient who learns to step out of hypervigilance often finds unexpected room for manoeuvre with their symptoms. It is long-term work, but the clinical benefits show up quickly.
Pillar 5: human connection
The last pillar, and by no means the least: connection. Living with an autoimmune disease can be isolating. And social isolation makes matters worse, psychologically as much as biologically.
Encourage your patients to reconnect with nourishing bonds: family and friends, support groups, nature, animals. Studies show that these interactions reduce pain perception, stimulate oxytocin and lower inflammatory markers5.
Do not underestimate this lever. Feeling connected is a form of care in its own right, a factor in resilience as much as a source of emotional balance.
Opening up new prospects for your patients
The AIP protocol is not a magic wand. But it is a powerful, structured tool that helps reduce inflammation and restore balance. Its strength lies in how personalised it is: step by step, each patient builds a diet and a way of living suited to their own terrain.
For practitioners, it is an integrative approach that fits naturally into everyday consultations. Contact the Simplycure team to find out how to bring AIP into your practice.
