Welcome to the Phoenix Helix podcast dedicated to maximizing autoimmune health through the

paleo-autoimmune protocol and functional medicine. While there is no cure for autoimmune disease,

the choices we make every day can have a powerful impact on how we feel. I'm Eileen Laird, your host from

PhoenixHelix.com, and I reduced my rheumatoid arthritis pain by 95%,

which took me from a life of excruciating pain and disability back to a full and beautiful life.

A short disclaimer, I'm neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, and the opinions expressed here are personal.

Always consult with your health care team before making medical decisions.

Now let's get on to the show.

Welcome to Episode 150.

Today we're talking about why it takes so long to get an autoimmune diagnosis and how we can try to shorten that time span.

There are over 100 different autoimmune diseases, and it takes an average of four years and five doctors to get an accurate diagnosis. Often during that time span, people's health worsens,

and I know many of you have been through this or are going through this right now. My guest is Dr.

William Mitchell, who I call the diagnosis detective.

He's a naturopathic doctor whose primary interest is rheumatology.

He believes in integrative medicine working closely with conventional doctors to provide complementary natural treatments that support the patient's health more fully.

One of his passions is helping to cut through the chaos surrounding autoimmune diagnosis.

He educates and empowers his patients, identifying missing tests and referrals that will hopefully

lead to the right diagnosis and therefore the right care.

Today, we're going to try to do the same for you.

Welcome to the podcast, Dr. Mitchell.

Eileen, thanks for having me. It's an honor to be here. Before we dive into our interview,

let's give a shout out to our podcast sponsor, Luminant Skin Care. Whereas conventional skincare products are full of chemicals that can hurt our bodies,

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