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The Autoimmune RESET

The Autoimmune RESET

Written by: VJ Hamilton
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VJ Hamilton is a nutritionist, scientist, and autoimmune disease expert who founded The Autoimmunity Nutritionist Clinic, a Nutritional Therapy and Functional Medicine clinic specialising in autoimmune disease.

VJ combines her lived experience overcoming autoimmune disease symptoms with her knowledge of nutrition, health, biochemistry, and immunology to provide you with the most up-to-date research on autoimmune disease.

The Autoimmune RESET aims to provide you with the education and resources to empower you to take steps to transform your health and feel better than ever.

In each episode, VJ will share simple ways to uplevel your diet and lifestyle, key learnings from her own journey reversing autoimmune disease, and inspirational stories from those who have reset their autoimmune symptoms and are now thriving in life.

Health practitioners, mind and body experts, and scientists will be joining VJ as guests on the show, as well as those who have inspirational stories to share and are now thriving in everyday life!

And don't miss the short episodes every Friday, The Friday 5, in which VJ shares five healthy must-haves for you to explore over the weekend.

© 2026 The Autoimmune RESET Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • Friday 5 - Why Do My Joints Keep Aching? Five Things to Investigate

    Friday 5 - Why Do My Joints Keep Aching? Five Things to Investigate
    Oct 17 2026
    Send us Fan MailHave your joints started aching more as the weather has become colder?Although some people feel that they can sense changes in temperature or atmospheric pressure through their joints, the research remains mixed. Autumn also changes far more than the weather: we may move less, spend less time outside, experience different environmental exposures and enter one of the busiest periods of the year.In this Friday Five episode of The Autoimmune RESET Podcast, I explore five areas I would investigate when joint or tendon pain keeps returning.This subject is personal to me. Throughout my teens and twenties, I experienced significant pain around my wrists and hands, accompanied at times by itching, swelling and growing ganglion cysts. It was presented to me as tendonitis, despite the fact that I was also living with psoriasis.I cannot retrospectively diagnose what was happening, but I now wonder whether those apparently separate symptoms formed part of the same wider immune and inflammatory picture. I wish somebody had stepped back and asked what else was happening within my body.In this episode, I discuss:Why colder weather may not be the complete explanation for aching jointsThe difference between mechanical and classically inflammatory patterns of painWhy mechanical pain can still involve local inflammatory processesThe clues to notice, including morning stiffness, swelling, warmth and night painHow psoriasis, nail changes and tendon pain may sometimes be connectedWhy pain around the heel, Achilles tendon or sole of the foot can be relevantThe importance of looking beyond the joint at digestion, fatigue, skin, eye and mouth symptomsHow to build a symptom timeline and identify what changed before the pain beganThe potential influence of infections, stress, sleep, exercise and hormonal changesWhy joint pain during perimenopause should not automatically be dismissed as “just hormones”The roles of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and wider nutrient statusWhen thyroid function, iron, vitamin B12 and folate may be worth exploringHow gut health may fit into the picture without assuming that every joint problem begins in the gutWhy both avoiding movement and pushing through significant pain can be unhelpfulThe importance of matching exercise to your present capacity to recoverThe five areas to investigateThe pattern of the pain: When does it appear, what makes it better or worse, and is there swelling, warmth or prolonged morning stiffness?What else is happening in the body: Consider skin, nail, digestive, eye and energy changes alongside the joint symptoms.The timeline: Look at infections, injuries, medication, stress, sleep, hormones and changes in physical activity.Nutrition and gut health: Is the body receiving, digesting and absorbing the building blocks required to support muscles, connective tissue and immune regulation?Movement and recovery: Has the exercise changed—or has the body’s ability to recover from it changed?This is an example of Symptom Intelligence™: not assuming that every symptom has one cause, but remaining curious enough to ask whether apparently separate symptoms may belong to the same wider story.Persistent joint pain should not automatically be dismissed as ageing, tendonitis or the weather. If you have ongoing swelling or warmth, prolonged morning stiffness, night pain, or joint and tendon symptoms alongside psoriasis or nail changes, speak to your doctor. A hot, suddenly swollen joint—particularly with a fever or feeling unwell—requires urgent medical assessment.Vote for VJI have been nominated for a Flamingo Business Award in the Health and Wellness Warrior category. These awards recognise the impact we make through our work.If my podcast, articles or clinical work have helped you in any way, I would be incredibly grateful for your vote:Vote here: https://flamingobusiness.co.uk/fba-public-vote-2026Thank you so much for your support.Important: This episode is for educational purposes and isn't intended to diagnose the cause of your hair loss. Sudden, unexplained or significant hair loss should be medically assessed, and suspected scarring hair loss requires prompt specialist assessment.🧘‍♀️ Need nervous system support?→ I personally use and recommend SONA, a vagus nerve stimulation device clinically shown to support immune balance, inflammation, and stress recovery.Use code VJ10 for 10% discount at checkout. 📥 New to the podcast or need a starting point?→ Download my free The Autoimmunity Recovery Plan— a simple guide that outlines the steps I recommend to all clients as they begin calming the immune response and rebuilding resilience.Thanks for listening! You can join The Autoimmune Forum on Facebook or find me on Instagram @theautoimmunitynutritionist.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • Psoriasis, Stress and the Mind–Body Connection with Dr Anik St. Martin

    Psoriasis, Stress and the Mind–Body Connection with Dr Anik St. Martin
    Oct 9 2026

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    Can changing the way we think influence what happens within the body?


    In this episode of The Autoimmune RESET Podcast, I speak with Dr Anik St. Martin about her personal experience of psoriasis and the profound shift in mindset that she believes changed the course of her health.


    After living with psoriasis for 20 years, Anik had become consumed by trying to find the next treatment, dietary change or intervention that might finally help. She describes the emotional toll of constantly trying to “fix” herself—and what happened when she began changing the way she thought and spoke about her body.


    Within five days of focusing intently on a different internal narrative, Anik noticed a striking change in her skin. Although her wider journey had included dietary and lifestyle changes, this experience led her to explore the science of the mind–body connection more deeply.


    We discuss how thoughts, beliefs and emotional stress may influence the nervous, endocrine and immune systems; what the placebo effect can teach us about the body’s response to expectation; and how neuroplasticity allows patterns of thought and behaviour to change.


    This is not a conversation suggesting that psoriasis is “all in the mind”, that positive thinking can cure autoimmune disease or that someone is responsible for their illness. Psoriasis is a complex immune-mediated condition, and mindset is one part of a much wider picture. Instead, this episode explores why our internal environment may deserve consideration alongside nutrition, gut health, medical care and other aspects of physical health.


    In this episode, we discuss:
    • Anik’s experience of developing psoriasis and its emotional impact
    • The circumstances she personally associates with the onset of her symptoms
    • Why the search for healing can sometimes become another source of stress
    • The moment she stopped fighting her body and changed her internal narrative
    • What happened during her five-day mindset practice
    • The relationship between the brain, nervous system and immune system
    • What the placebo effect can—and cannot—tell us about healing
    • How neuroplasticity may help us establish new patterns of thought
    • Why mindset work should support rather than replace appropriate medical care
    • The possible relationship between emotional stress, gut health and immune regulation
    • Simple affirmations and daily practices that may help create a greater sense of safety
    • Anik’s advice for somebody newly diagnosed with psoriasis
    Connect with Dr Anik St. Martin
    Website: https://www.anikstmartin.com/skin-on-fire
    Instagram: @psoriasis_healing_hub


    Connect with VJ
    Instagram: @theautoimmunitynutritionist
    Website: www.autoimmunehealthclinic.com
    Listen and subscribe: The Autoimmune RESET Podcast


    If this conversation helped you look at the relationship between your emotional and physical health differently, please follow the podcast and share the episode with someone who may find it helpful.


    This episode is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Do not stop prescribed treatment or make significant changes to your healthcare without discussing them with an appropriately qualified professional.


    Thanks for listening! You can join The Autoimmune Forum on Facebook or find me on Instagram @theautoimmunitynutritionist.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Friday 5 - Hair Loss: 5 Clues That Can Help You Understand What’s Going On

    Friday 5 - Hair Loss: 5 Clues That Can Help You Understand What’s Going On
    Sep 13 2026

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    September is Alopecia Awareness Month, so in this Friday Five episode of The Autoimmune RESET, I’m talking about a subject that is very close to my heart, both personally and professionally: hair loss.

    Having experienced alopecia myself, and now working with women, men and children experiencing alopecia and other forms of hair loss in my clinic, I see how quickly the conversation can become focused on the hair itself.

    Which shampoo should I use? Is my ferritin high enough? Should I take biotin? What can I do to make my hair grow back?

    These are understandable questions. But hair loss isn't one single condition, and there are many different reasons why somebody's hair may begin shedding, thinning or disappearing in patches.

    Hair loss isn't simply a cosmetic concern. Sometimes the most useful information comes when we stop looking only at the hair and start looking at the person experiencing it.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why identifying the type of hair loss should come first
    • Why something that happened months ago may be relevant to shedding today
    • Why ferritin isn't the only nutritional consideration for hair growth
    • How inadequate calories and protein can affect the hair cycle
    • Where thyroid, postpartum and perimenopausal changes may fit
    • Why seemingly unrelated symptoms can provide useful clinical context
    • How Symptom Intelligence™ can change the way we investigate hair loss

    Important: This episode is for educational purposes and isn't intended to diagnose the cause of your hair loss. Sudden, unexplained or significant hair loss should be medically assessed, and suspected scarring hair loss requires prompt specialist assessment.

    🧘‍♀️ Need nervous system support?
    → I personally use and recommend SONA, a vagus nerve stimulation device clinically shown to support immune balance, inflammation, and stress recovery.
    Use code VJ10 for 10% discount at checkout.

    📥 New to the podcast or need a starting point?
    → Download my free The Autoimmunity Recovery Plan
    — a simple guide that outlines the steps I recommend to all clients as they begin calming the immune response and rebuilding resilience.

    Thanks for listening! You can join The Autoimmune Forum on Facebook or find me on Instagram @theautoimmunitynutritionist.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
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