Lupus Erythematosus and Alternative Medicine treatment

Lupus Erythematosus is a connective tissue disease that  exists in two forms.Systemic Lupus erythematosus is  a progressive, severe condition involving multiple systems.Systemic lupus erythematosus is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder, mostly occurring in young females, and in many cases is  associated with a sun sensitive butterfly rash on the nose and cheeks.

 Discoid lupus erythematosus mainly involves the skin, usually without systemic disease.These lesions develop as a red, inflamed patch with a scaling and crusty appearance. This disease mostly affects young females in their teens, it erupts very quickly causing scarring.

The formation of various auto immune antibodies demonstrates the basic abnormality of systemic lupus erythematous.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus affects many different organs and tissues, and its course may be characterized by acute exacerbations, and remissions. Most frequently the skin, kidneys, serous membranes and endocardium are damaged, and in some cases the central nervous system.Blood vessels of the involved organs are usually inflamed(vasculitis) the cause appears to be immune complex deposition and activation of complement.

The cause of Lupus  Erythematosus is unknown, it's considered to be an abnormal immune response, both viral and genetic factors have been investigated.

Skin lesions of lupus in a neonate, lupus erythematosus is rarely found in children, its incidence occurs 1 in 20,000 live births in the US.

Symptoms of SLE: arthralgia in most cases,frequent fevers,swollen joints,prolonged or extreme fatigue,skin rashes, anemia, kidney symptoms,pleurisy,butterfly rash, photosensitivity, hair loss, clotting problems, Raynaud's disease,seizures,mouth ulcers.Cardiac signs and symptoms may become severe as the disease progresses, and  renal failure is the major cause of death in systemic lupus erythematosus resulting from glomerulonephritis.

Joint involvement is common, both large and small joints may be involved, and it may initially be confused with rheumatoid arthritis, however, in SLE the joint involvement is usually mild.

Some prescription drugs have been known to produce lupus, 38 altogether, the main offenders:

• procainamide (Pronestyl)
• hydralazine (Apresoline)
• quinidine (Quinaglute).

Apparently symptoms resolve within a couple of weeks

 How would Alternative Medicine Treat Lupus?

Firstly have an allergy test, an allergen is a possible trigger that may have thrown the immune system out of whack, or it might be a contributing factor towards maintaining the disease, or adding to exacerbations of the condition.

If you have a serious auto immune disease such as Lupus, you have to ask yourself why your immune system has gone awry, and is now seeking to destroy you. You would have to consider the foods you eat, the chemicals you have been exposed to either through faulty diet, the prescription drugs you have taken, or in the environment.

 Diet would have to be investigated. As for all diseases, what you eat will either add to your feeling of well-being, or contribute to your diseased state.

A diet of fresh fruits, vegetables,do not eat alfalfa sprouts, over consumption of these have been found to cause lupus -like symptoms, nuts,(fresh unsalted, not greasy roasted salted  ones)wholegrain cereals,all organic wherever possible, freshly ground flaxseed , cod liver oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, and for cooking and salads, virgin olive oil only. Eliminate completely all saturated fats, margarines, even if the margarine has the heart foundation tick on it! Margarine is an hydrogenated fat, and is therefore more unhealthy than saturated fat.Do not consume fast foods, eat fresh home cooked food, no matter how revolting that idea may seem to you. The progression of Lupus, even with medical treatment, can be far more revolting.

Stay away from alfalfa sprouts, they have been known to cause lupus like symptoms, so eating them may cause exacerbations of your existing disease.

Do not buy lite olive oil, it's like cooking in water, there is no goodness left in the stuff, it's a scam, consumers think that they will lose weight that way. The only person who benefits from lite olive oil is the processor, basically they are selling you oil which has gone through numerous extractions/ pressings, and would normally not be sold, well, at least not in supermarkets. The only olive oil to buy is cold pressed virgin olive oil, don't get ripped off.

Do not drink any type of soda, particularly ones which contain sugar substitutes. Do not consume foods containing sugar substitutes, become a label reader in the supermarket, make sure that whatever packaged food you buy does not contain MSG(621), Sucralose, Sweet one, Equal/ aspartame, splenda, nutrasweet.Better still don't buy packaged foods in the form of cake mixes,breakfast cereals.If you want to make a cake, use organic flour, organic sugar, organic butter, organic eggs, just like Grandma used to make. Eat fresh organic food, turn your back on all devitalized packaged foods .

Lupus could also be treated with homeopathy and herbs, however, you would need to visit a qualified practitioner to be treated, it is not recommened for you to self treat with herbs for there may be serious interaction with any medications you may be taking. Homeopathic treatment needs to be supervised by a practitioner who understands your disease, there are many medical doctors throughout the world who practice homeopathy.

Do not chew sugarless gums, they contain artificial sweetners and may add to exacerbations of your problem.Some chewing gums contain sorbital, if you chew enough of these you may end up with diarrhea, for sorbital can cause diarrhea. If you must chew gum, make sure it has the real thing in it, SUGAR, otherwise give it a miss.  Read more:Sjogren's syndrome

References:Forbes,Charles & Jackson William. Color Atlas and Text of Clinical Medicine 2nd edition published Mosby-Wolf 1997.

Merck Manual sixteenth edition published Merck Research Laboratories 1992

Chandrasoma Parakrama & Taylor Clive. Concise Pathology first edition published Prentice-Hall International Inc.1991.

McCance Kathryn L & Huether Sue e, Pathphysiology, The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. Published The C.V. Mosby Company.1990.

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