Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects connective tissue. For some people, the first sign of the disease is a butterfly shaped rash over the nose and cheeks that looks a bit like the facial markings of a wolf. This is the reason the disease is termed “ lupus”, which in Latin means, “Wolf.” Another form of lupus, discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), primarily affects the hair follicles and skin on the scalp, and two other forms, sub acute cutaneous lupus erythematous (SCLE) and acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (ACLE) affect only the skin.
About 90 percent of all people who have lupus are women. Most are young adults. Genetic factors play a strong role in lupus. But there are other risk factors associated with this disorder, including stress, infections, severe drug reactions, hormonal imbalances, and viral infection.
Because lupus affects many parts of the body, it produces many different symptoms. These include scaling skin lesions, nausea, headaches, diarrhea and/ or constipation, malaise, fatigue, weight loss, a red rash, mouth sores, and a heightened sensitivity to the sun. Mental symptoms include confusion, irritability, and depression. Attacks of lupus can induce arthritis, with both swollen joints and fever, and can destroy tissues in the lungs, spleen, heart and brain, and especially the kidneys. Not everyone experiences all of these symptoms, however, and the range and variability of symptoms can make lupus a difficult disease to diagnose.
Lupus is caused by a misdirected attack by the body’s white blood cells on its own organs. This happens when the immune system produces antibodies, which normally attack infectious microorganisms that “lock on to” and attack DNA in the skin cells. In some people with lupus, another immune0system component called the T cell becomes involved. If this happens, the immune response is even stronger than normal, and greatly increases the severity of symptoms.
Because DNA is normally contained with the cells, the antibodies are activated only if skin cells are damaged by some other event, such as sunburn or the natural aging process. For this reason, lupus is characterized by periodic attacks followed by remissions. Without treatment, however, each subsequent attack produces worse symptoms than the episode preceding it.
Conventional medicine uses drugs to control lupus. Herbal medicine’s ability to make steroid drugs more effective is one of its most helpful modern applications in treating lupus. This minimizes the side effects of the drugs and extends lupus control over days when steroids are not taken.
Beneficial Herbs
Chamomile German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) tea bag, prepared with 1 cup of water. Drink 1 cup as desired. Stops formation of tissue-destructive hormone IL-8
Codonopsis Tablets. Take 1 gm 3 times daily. Decreases the formation of antibodies that target DNA in healthy cells.
Feverfew 1. Capsules. Take 1,000 mg daily for a long as symptoms persist. Relieves inflammation and pain in joints.
Hawthorn Tablets. Take 100-250 mg 3 times daily. Relieves fatigue caused by exercise or exertion.
Hoelen 2. Tea, brewed with 1-cup water and a tea bag containing 1.5 gm hoelen for 20 minutes. Take 1 cup 3 times daily. Regulates the immune system to stop inflammation. Particularly protects kidney tissue.
Licorice 3. Glycyrrhizin tablets. Take 200-800 mg daily, depending on the severity of symptoms. Use for 6 weeks, and then take a 2-week break. Do not substitute deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). Relieves pain and inflammation. Increases effectiveness of steroids, especially prednisolone. Consume potassium-rich foods such as bananas or citrus juices, or take a potassium supplement, daily when taking this herb.
Milk Thistle Silymarin gel-caps. Take as directed on the label. Cleans and protects the liver.
Stinging nettle root 4. Capsules or tablets. Take 600-900 mg daily. Stops arthritic inflammation and pain; may prevent tissue damage.
Tripterygium 5. Tincture. Take as directed on the label. Retires tissue-destructive T cells. Contains chemicals more potent than steroids and cyclophosphamide.
Precautions for use of herbs:
1.
Discontinue
use of feverfew if any signs of allergic reactions occur.
2.
Do
not use hoelen if you have a long-term illness that causes excessive urination.
3.
Do
not use licorice if you have glaucoma, high blood pressure, or an
estrogen-dependent disorder, such as breast cancer, endometriosis, or
fibrocystic breasts.
4.
Be
sure to use the root, not the leaf, of stinging nettle. The leaf stimulates urination, which can
increase discomfort in men with enlarged prostates.
5.
Men
seeking to become fathers should not use tripterygium. Tinctures of this herb temporarily deduce
sperm counts. Counts usually return to
normal 2-4 weeks after the herb is discontinued.
People with lupus should use any immune-stimulating herb with caution. Herbs that stimulate the immune system’s response to infection also stimulate the production of interleukins, which cause inflammation and tissue death. People with lupus should also avoid alfalfa, ephedra, and ginkgo. (For more information see the book reference).
Ginseng Decoction to Nourish the Nutritive Chi – A traditional Chinese herbal formula that increases the effectiveness of prednisolone. Many patent medicines offer a variation that substitutes Codonopsis for the traditional ginseng (Panax ginseng). This substitution of a cheaper herb actually makes the formula more effective for lupus.
Sairei-to – A combination of two traditional Chinese herbal formulas: Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria and Minor Bupleurum Decoction. Reduces the number of antibodies that destroy skin DNA and relieves pain and swelling.
To fight infections without stimulating the components of the immune system that aggravates lupus, use astragalus or scutellaria. Astragalus increases activity of natural killer (NK) cells, which fight infection. For people who are responding well to steroid drugs, taking astragalus reduces the risk of infection, especially when infections are “going around.” Take 500 to 1,000 mg of the freeze-dried herb in capsules three times daily. However, be sure to let the doctor know if you are taking astragalus, since it increases the body’s response to steroids. Do not take astragalus for more than two out of every four weeks, and avoid it altogether if not taking steroids. Scutellaria inhibits several types of bacterial infections, including staph and strep, and protects against the flu, provided it is used eighteen to fifty-four hours before exposure. Take 250-to 500 mg. Of the powdered solid extract three times daily. Do not use this treatment if your have diarrhea.
For colds and coughs, use fritillaria. Take the syrup (Ching chi hua tan tang) as directed on the label. Do not use fritillaria if your have high blood pressure, or if pregnant or nursing.
Avoid alfalfa sprouts as well as herbal products made from alfalfa. Instead, try sunflower sprouts or broccoli sprouts. Other tasty spouts are buckwheat sprouts, sometimes used in Japanese cuisine, and radish sprouts, which many people find refreshingly spicy.
Take 500-mg. Of black currant oil twice daily. This oil is a particularly useful source of an essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which prevents inflammatory reactions. Flaxseed meal, flaxseed cereals, and flaxseed oil, as well as sardines, also provide GLA in a form useful for people with lupus.
Take 200 to 600 international units of vitamin # several times a week. Vitamin # deficiencies often precede the onset of symptoms, and are especially common in people with lupus who are on steroid therapy. At least once or twice a week, get vitamin # from vitamin-rich foods such as nuts and seeds rather than from a supplement.
Take 500-mg. Of L-carnitine daily if you experience fatigue after physical exertion. L-carnitine helps the heart muscle use fats to produce energy. The supplement may also protect the heart from damage during treatment with the drug cyclophosphamide.
Avoid sunburns by avoiding sun exposure between 10am and 3 pm. If you must be outside during these hours, wear pants (not shorts), a long sleeved shirt, and a hat, and use sunscreen on all exposed skin.
Include in your diet brown rice, fish, green leafy vegetables, nonacidic fresh fruits, oatmeal, and whole grains.
Get your iron from food sources, not from supplements, unless you have been diagnosed with anemia by a health-care professional. Taking iron in supplement form may contribute to pain, swelling, and joint destruction.
Get plenty of rest and regular moderate exercise that promotes muscle tone and fitness.
If you take birth control pills, switch to another form of contraception. Birth control pills can cause lupus to flare up.
Mild cases of lupus are treated with painkillers such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Advanced cases are usually treated with large doses of steroid drugs, which inhibit immune system activity Although these drugs are useful in preventing lupus attacks, they have so many side effects that they are usually taken only every other day.
Lupus and its treatments make weight control very difficult. The disease tends to destroy organ and muscle cells but not fat cells, so it is not only possible but also likely that a person with lupus will lose weight and gain fat at the same time, even if exercising dietary restraint.
Mild cases of lupus respond well to supplements that build up the immune system.