The Mel Robbins Podcast

Why 80% of Autoimmune Diseases Happen to Women & Solutions From a Renowned MD

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — In this episode, you will learn why 80% of autoimmune diseases happen to women and the solutions to take back control of your health. Today, Dr. Sarah Szal, a Harvard- and MIT-trained MD with over 25 years of clinical experience will share what is happening in your body when struggling with an autoimmune disease. These are the medical facts, signs, and causes you need to know from a renowned MD. This is science you’ve never heard and solutions you’ve never considered. After today you will know: What exactly is an autoimmune disease, and what causes it? Why do women have more autoimmune issues than men? What symptoms might you be experiencing right now that could signal an undiagnosed autoimmune disease? What are the top 3 things you can do to heal yourself? What role does trauma play in autoimmune disease? If you already know you have an autoimmune disease—or you’ve been struggling with symptoms like persistent fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, unexplained weight gain, or swelling—this episode could be life-changing. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-260 Follow The Mel Robbins Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themelrobbinspodcast I’m just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I’ll see you in the next episode. In this episode: 0:00 Introduction 0:59 Your Autoimmune Breakthrough: Regain Control Now 06:25 Is Your Immune System Attacking You? 14:39 The Hidden Triggers of Autoimmune Disease 27:48 Autoimmune Disease for Women, Explained 35:46 Childhood Trauma and Your Health 44:52 Recognizing Autoimmune Disease Symptoms 51:16 Simple Steps to Reverse Autoimmune Symptoms 1:12:26 Healing Trauma to Heal Your Body 1:18:53 Take Back Control of Your Health — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Mel RobbinshostDr. Sarah Szalguest

Feb 3, 20251h 23mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Why Women Face Autoimmune Epidemic—and How Lifestyle Medicine Heals

Mel Robbins interviews Dr. Sarah (Saul) on why autoimmune diseases are exploding, especially in women, and how lifestyle medicine can prevent and reverse many conditions. They define autoimmune disease as a confused immune system waging a 'civil war' on the body, driven by three root causes: genetic predisposition, leaky gut, and triggers like trauma, chronic stress, and hormonal shifts. The conversation highlights how cultural expectations of women, adverse childhood experiences, and modern lifestyles fuel rising rates of conditions such as Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, POTS, and others. Dr. Sarah outlines practical, low-cost steps—testing, elimination diets, stress and trauma work, breathwork, and boundary-setting—to move the body from chronic dysregulation into a state of safety and healing.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Autoimmune disease is a confused immune system attacking the body.

The immune system, meant to distinguish self from invaders, starts producing autoantibodies against normal tissues, creating a 'civil war' inside the body that can manifest as over 100 distinct autoimmune diagnoses.

Three root causes drive autoimmunity—and two are modifiable.

You need a genetic predisposition, a leaky gut (loss of intestinal barrier), and a trigger (often trauma, chronic stress, infections, or major hormonal changes). While you can’t change genes, you can heal the gut and address triggers.

Women’s higher autoimmune rates are largely environmental and cultural, not just biological.

Beyond X–Y chromosome differences, women shoulder more caregiving, trauma, chronic stress, and hormonal flux; they’re also socialized to overfunction, suppress anger, and prioritize others—patterns strongly linked to immune dysregulation.

Diet and alcohol directly impact leaky gut and immune confusion.

Alcohol is a proven way to induce leaky gut in lab animals, and foods like gluten, dairy, sugar, and ultra-processed products can worsen gut permeability and inflammation; an elimination diet often measurably reduces symptoms in weeks.

Trauma and ACEs reshape the body’s entire PINE network for life.

Adverse childhood experiences dysregulate the PINE network—psychology, immune, nervous, and endocrine systems—raising lifetime risk of autoimmune disease and other chronic conditions, even if someone believes they’ve 'moved on' mentally.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Autoimmune disease is like a civil war in the body.

— Dr. Sarah

Leaky gut is a loss of a boundary in your body.

— Dr. Sarah

It’s a health hazard to be female in our culture.

— Dr. Sarah

You can’t think your way out of trauma.

— Dr. Sarah

Your body is this magnificent network that is meant to support you, and we throw all these obstacles at it.

— Dr. Sarah

Definition and spectrum of autoimmune disease versus autoimmune disordersThree root causes: genetics, leaky gut, and environmental/life triggersWhy 80% of autoimmune diseases occur in women: biology and gendered cultureRole of trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and toxic stressLeaky gut, diet, alcohol, and stress as drivers of immune confusionPerimenopause/menopause, hormones, and midlife spike in autoimmunityLifestyle medicine: testing, elimination diets, breathwork, and trauma resolution

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