What is lupus?
Lupus, also called systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE for short, is an autoimmune disease. As the name “systemic” suggests, it is a disease in which the whole body can be affected, primarily the brain, kidneys, joints, skin and lungs.
SLE can also cause cognitive and behavioral changes, especially memory and concentration problems, although it is important to recognize that medications used to treat lupus can also cause some of these same effects.
The name lupus comes from the Latin word for wolf, so named because of the butterfly-shaped skin rash on the cheeks and nose that often, but not always, is part of the disease.
Who gets lupus?
Lupus affects about one in 2000 people. About 90% of lupus patients are female and 15-45 years old, although the disease tends to be more severe when it affects men.
What are some of the symptoms of lupus?
In addition to the classic butterfly-shaped rash, other kinds of rashes and skin lesions are common, especially after sun exposure. In addition, there are or can be:
• Fatigue
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Kidney problems
• Central nervous system problems such as seizures
• Inflammation of the tissue lining the heart or lungs
• Blood disorders such as anemia
• Mouth sores
• Muscle pain, overall achiness
• Pain, redness, heat, and swelling – signs of inflammation – of the affected body part
• Fever
• Swelling in feet, hands, legs, or around eyes
• Shortness of breath and chest pain
• Dry eyes
• Unusually thin nails that are flat or concave
• Pale or purplish fingers and toes along with acute sensitivity to cold
• Swollen glands
These symptoms can flare up and subside at intervals.
The experience of lupus
This list doesn’t do justice to the experience of having lupus. Unlike many diseases, including autoimmune diseases, there isn’t just one symptom, or symptoms involving only one body system. The experience of lupus is all too often one of fatigue, pain, and mysterious symptoms coming and going. It’s about seeing whatever doctor specializes in the body part that is most affected at the time, and it can take years of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatments before a diagnosis of lupus is made.
How is lupus diagnosed?
Lupus can be hard to diagnose, or even to suspect in the first place. It shows up differently in different people and can imitate other diseases. There is no definitive test for lupus, although a blood test called ANA (antinuclear antibody) can show whether there is an increase in antibody activity that can indicate autoimmune disease in general. Be aware that this and other tests can show inconsistent results over time or with different testing labs, so one negative test can’t be used to rule out lupus.
Diagnosis is often made by noting that the person has quite a few of the classic lupus symptoms. This collection of symptoms, called a syndrome, can point to lupus rather than to an isolated kidney problem, rash, or case of arthritis. This can be harder than it sounds, since symptoms might come on years apart, or some symptoms can vanish while others take their place. Personal or family medical history is part of diagnosis, as a tendency to developing lupus can be genetic.
Besides ANA, other blood tests can help point to a lupus diagnosis. Counts of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets that help the blood to clot can, if abnormal, be part of the testing protocol.
Speaking of blood tests, positive blood tests for Lyme disease by ELISA have been found in 40% of patients with lupus. In addition, Lyme and lupus symptoms have a lot in common, including the butterfly-pattern facial rash. In many people Lyme and lupus are one and the same, and Lyme disease treatment can be of benefit in alleviating lupus symptoms. One of the recognized treatments for lupus is also a treatment for babesiosis, a Lyme coinfection related to malaria.
What causes lupus?
As mentioned, genetics plays a part. Given that 90% of those with lupus are young women, there is a hormonal connection as well. Oral contraceptives and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) can raise the risk of developing lupus.
Mercury as from dental fillings is associated with lupus. Getting metal fillings removed safely and chelating mercury out of the body has been shown to significantly reduce ANA titers, the amount of antibodies that are indicators of active autoimmune disease.
Chemical pollution and the artificial sweetener aspartame are associated with lupus development, as are silicone breast implants; removal of these implants has led to improvement in lupus symptoms. Another documented cause is dental infection from root-canaled teeth, and removal of these teeth can help clear up lupus.
What can be done?
As with all disease, getting to the root cause or causes for a particular person is key to regaining health. One thing to ask yourself is whether something significant – see the above topic on causes – occurred shortly before the symptoms started coming on. Did you get metal fillings or a root canal, or have silicone breast implants put in? Are you drinking a lot of diet soda? Have you been exposed to more chemicals than previously? If you answered yes to any of these, this might indicate a cause that can be remedied.
There’s hope
Although conventional wisdom states that lupus is essentially incurable, practitioners at CAM are experienced in working with autoimmune diseases and can work with you on chemical and metal detoxification and other triggering factors. Diet is important, both to be sure that harmful or allergenic dietary components are eliminated and to be sure you’re getting optimal nutrition for healing. For example, beneficial oils such as omega-3s have been shown to help with lupus. Your immune system can be supported so that it can once again be able to distinguish between self and non-self, and stop attacking your own tissues and organs.
