A Functional Medicine Approach to Autoimmunity with Sunjya Schweig, MD

Sunjya Schweig, MD is an integrative medical doctor and the founder and president of the California Center for Functional Medicine. A leading expert in complex chronic illnesses, Dr. Schweig specializes in rigorous investigation and personalized management strategies. With over 25 years of experience, he takes a deeply investigative, data-driven approach to patient care.

He is also the founder of the non-profit Functional Medicine Research and Technology Center, which advances research and programs focused on first responders, tick-borne illnesses, long COVID, and data visualization.

In this episode, Dr. Schweig shares the investigative steps his functional and integrative practice takes to detect and treat chronic illness—plus foundational steps you take to support your health starting today.

Quote: “You're not crazy, you have a lot of things going on, and any one of these could be the reason you're sick.”

What’s inside this episode?

01:26 Dr. Sunjya Schweig’s story and what caused him to go into integrative and functional medicine as a conventionally-trained medical doctor

08:54 The landscape of autoimmune disorders today based on conditions he sees most commonly in his practice 

19:06 Foundations for healing that you can get started on before even starting to work with a functional medicine practitioner 

26:36 After taking on the foundational components of healing what’s the next step while working with a practitioner 

30:16 Why it’s so important to address infections when you’re facing autoimmunity 

34:48 Gut and stool tests that Dr. Schweig’s practice prefers

38:07 When mold comes into the hypothesis of what may be wrong with somebody, and what it's like to work with a “mold dog”

46:28 A message to those who are feeling fearful and overwhelmed 

47:40 What Dr. Schweig is working on and how AI comes into play 

Resources mentioned:

California Center for Functional Medicine: https://www.ccfmed.com/

CCFM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccfmed_ca/

Trauma healing and nervous system reset resources:

Book: When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

The Gupta Program: https://guptaprogram.com/

Alex Howard: https://www.alexhoward.com/

Primal Trust: https://www.primaltrust.org/

DNRS: https://retrainingthebrain.com/

Aimiee Apigian: https://traumahealingaccelerated.com/

Amy B. Scher: https://amybscher.com/

Sleep Resources:

Dhru Purohit podcast: Sleep Masterclass with Dr. Schweig: https://dhrupurohit.com/dp-ep378/

Book: Why We Sleep by Mathew Walker: https://amzn.to/3XrOQYt

Gut Resources:

Genova GI Effects stool test: https://www.gdx.net/products/gi-effects

ParaWellness parasite and yeast stool test: https://parawellnessresearch.com/order/

Mold Testing and Inspection:

Real Time Labs urine test: https://realtimelab.com/

MyMyco immune response blood test: https://mymycolab.com/

Mold Dog services: https://mold-dog.com/

Want my help reversing an autoimmune condition?

If you are determined and committed to reclaiming your best health and life, I offer Functional Natural Medicine Autoimmune Reversal Programs over Zoom. Get on my calendar for a free 30-minute discovery call, here: https://palmerkippola.com/apply/