Alternative Medicines for Lupus Erythematosus

Diet can aggravate the symptoms of lupus or contribute to its onset. Treatment may call for dietary alterations and supplementation for any nutrient deficiencies. Food allergies and sensitivities have been implicated as a possible trigger of the disease. Many believe alfalfa sprouts are a common trigger of lupus symptoms; people who have had lupus symptoms may want to avoid eating alfalfa sprouts. An elimination diet can help to identify any other culprits. Here's how an elimination diet works:

It should be noted that lupus symptoms can go into remission for weeks or years. Linking a remission to an avoided food allergen may take some detective work.

Hydrochloric acid deficiency also has been linked with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The stomach normally secretes this strong acid, which helps digest proteins. If indicated by a practitioner, supplements in capsule form can be taken with meals.

A low-protein diet is often prescribed to treat people with lupus, as a large amount of protein may be harmful for several reasons:

The ideal diet, in addition to being low in protein, should be low in fat and high in green leafy vegetables, such as bok choy, collard greens, and kale. These vegetables may help people with lupus to metabolize estrogen better.

Supplements may also be prescribed, including vitamin B6, vitamin C, and essential fatty acids. Vitamin E, taken orally and applied to the skin, can help heal the skin rashes that sometimes accompany lupus. Supplements are often recommended instead of trying to get the vitamin from food sources because most of the food sources of vitamin E (such as vegetable oils) contain a lot of fat. Fish oil, especially EPA, is another effective supplement.

Like nutritional therapy, environmental medicine recognizes that diet can play a role in triggering lupus. But environmental medicine goes several steps further to implicate pollutants, pesticides, molds, stress, infections -- almost anything in the environment. The exact mix of triggers is different for every person with lupus.

These environmental factors do not trigger the disease in the same way that an allergy might. Instead, it is the repeated exposure to multiple offending substances over time that weakens the body's immune system. Eventually, an autoimmune disease like lupus strikes. An autoimmune disease is one in which the immune system, instead of protecting the body, begins to attack it.

Skin tests, rotary diversified diets, and other testing procedures can help pinpoint the environmental stressors. For example, one procedure checks for culprits by placing drops of certain substances (foods or chemicals) under the tongue. If symptoms develop, then the substance can be identified as a trigger. As an example, overexposure to the chemical formaldehyde has been suggested as a lupus trigger in some people. Formaldehyde can be found in dozens of home and office products, such as plywood paneling and nail polish.

Once an environmental factor is identified, treatment can include:

Keeping a diary with the details of your symptoms is an important step in understanding your case of lupus and will also help your physician. Be as exhaustive in your note-taking as possible, mentioning: