LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS
A HOLISTIC THERAPY
By Walter Last
Lupus erythematosus (L.E.)
affects mainly young women, usually although it may start already in children
and usually continues into old age. Commonly one differentiates between a
milder form with only skin problems, cutaneous L.E. and a more severe type with
a multitude of distressing symptoms, called systemic L.E.
The first indication of
lupus is often a characteristic reddish-purple butterfly-shaped rash across the
nose and the cheeks. Such usually symmetrical skin reddening (erythema) may
also appear on other skin areas, usually those exposed to the sun, such as
forearms and backs of hands, behind the ears, the palms. These lesions usually
have well defined borders; they may persist or recur for many years. Eventually
these skin patches may become scaly, with shiny grey scales, they dry out and
the skin becomes hard and atrophies.
Also the lips and mouth
tissue is commonly affected, becoming red and inflamed and eventually
ulcerated. Frequently there is loss of scalp hair, generally and in patches
(alopecia). Skin lesions may also become oedematous with resulting blistering
and ulceration.
In general terms, L.E. is
classified as a collagen vascular disease or as an inflammatory connective
tissue disorder. Systemic L.E. can display great similarity to rheumatoid
arthritis with acute poly-arthritis, but joint deformity is uncommon. Usually
there is kidney deterioration, sometimes leading to nephritis and complete
kidney failure.
Other symptoms may include
inflammation of the heart muscle, lung problems such as pleurisy are common,
there may be swelling of the spleen and lymph glands, fever, fatigue, weight
loss, anaemia, muscle pain, epilepsy, high blood pressure and stroke.
Frequently there are neurological and psychiatric symptoms, especially
psychoses and severe depression. Also gastrointestinal problems are usually
pronounced.
CAUSES
While the cause of L.E. is
not known to conventional medicine, it is largely assumed that a latent virus
may become activated by sunlight, chemical exposure or infection. Somehow this
is then to trigger an autoimmune response or it may result from unknown causes.
Anyway, there is an increase of antibodies against various protein fractions
and a resulting inflammation of connective tissue. Overall, however, the immune
system is impaired with a decrease in the numbers of white blood cells.
Conventional treatment is
usually symptomatic directed towards reducing inflammations and pain and
combating lung infections. There are often severe side effects from the
commonly used drugs. More recently the artificial sweetener aspartame has been
claimed to be a frequent cause of systemic lupus.
Allergies and
Deficiencies
In natural medicine it is
recognised that the symptoms of L.E. are typical not only of a hidden microbial
infection commonly caused by antibiotics and other drugs, but also of long-term
hidden food allergies and chemical sensitivities in combination with severe
chronic vitamin deficiencies. This makes the close relationship to rheumatoid
arthritis understandable that has similar causes.
Patients with systemic L.E.
have been shown to have antibodies to numerous food fractions, which generally means that they are allergic to these foods, a finding which
is ignored in conventional therapy. In addition, lupus sufferers also have a
multitude of incompatibility reactions to foods without showing a direct
immunological reaction to these. Finally, it is known that there are frequently drug and chemical related reactions in L.E.
patients.
The nature of the chronic
multiple allergy reactions in L.E. appear to be determined and modified by
superimposed vitamin deficiencies. Niacin or nicotinamide plays the most
prominent role, followed by vitamins B1, B6, C and E, in specific cases also
vitamins B2, B12, pantothenic acid and folic acid. The most important minerals
are zinc manganese, magnesium and selenium.
The recognised disease
resulting from nicotinamide deficiency is pellagra. However, a list of typical
symptoms reads almost exactly like a description of systemic L.E. Most striking
is the appearance of the same symmetric dermatitis on skin exposed to the sun,
especially the red-purple butterfly pattern over nose and cheeks. These lesions
may later become dry, scaly, brownish, inelastic and atrophic. The inflammation
of the mouth tissue is the same with later ulceration; there are the severe
gastro-intestinal problems and the neurological and psychiatric symptoms.
However, because of the
common coexistence of multiple vitamin deficiencies and multiple hidden
allergies, L.E. cannot be cured just by using nicotinamide supplements or
making a double blind clinical trial with one or the other nutrient or testing
for this or that allergy. With continued L.E. the body usually becomes too
insensitive to react to single or limited challenges. Instead, a comprehensive
treatment program must be followed.
Patients who followed such
a program became free of symptoms and have remained on 'long-term remissions'.
However, they may deteriorate again if they adopt a conventional processed food
diet. While remissions are common with lupus, these are usually only temporary.
Only a permanent improvement in diet and lifestyle can make these remissions
permanent.
Hypersensitivity reactions
to environmental chemicals are common and include especially petrochemicals as
from car exhaust fumes, gas heaters and solvent fumes, but also the emissions
from a wide range of plastics, synthetic carpet, rubber, foam mattresses and
the formaldehyde from furniture glues, also the smell of mothballs, chlorine
and even strong and persistent natural smells as from new pine furniture.
Therefore, try to live as much as possible in a natural, unpolluted
environment, especially in regard to your home and work place.
CLINICAL STUDIES
Various scientific
publications show the great influence of allergies in L.E. One report states
that the incidence of allergy in the investigated group of 63 patients was
higher than in any other autoimmune disease with the highest rate of different
types of allergic manifestations per patient.
There is also a case report
of a 36-year old female with severe systemic L.E. She recovered on a one week
fast. The sedimentation rate fell from a high 63 to a normal 15 mm and joint
stiffness and swellings disappeared. With test exposure to specific foods and
chemicals the symptoms temporarily returned.
Another report gives
details of 4 patients with full remission on food and chemical elimination
diets with another 70 patients on the road to recovery. In addition to allergy
testing, high-level supplements have been used in this study. Other reports
point to the benefits of a diet low in fat, beef, milk products and calories.
In animal experiments
vitamin A deficiency was found to accelerate the development of lupus symptoms.
3 patients with skin lesions flaring up with sun exposure were cleared with
additional beta-carotene, while others benefited from several grams daily of
pantothenic acid.
Vitamin E supplementation
gave very good results, especially with skin manifestations. In one study
patients responded well to 900 - 1600 I.U. of vitamin E but not to 300 I.U.
Sometimes additional selenium was helpful. In another study all 3 patients who
failed to respond to vitamin E had complete clearing of lesions with twice weekly
injections of 1000 mcg of vitamin B12 for 6 weeks. In one reported case
symptoms quickly disappeared when treated with manganese and vitamin E.
A reduction of immune
functions is apparent from low levels of thymic factor and a related increase
of pleomorphic microbes in the blood of patients with systemic L.E. While not
yet acknowledged by conventional medicine, these microbes can change their form
and grow from virus-like forms to various bacterial and fungal shapes as
reported by various scientists for more than a century.
Anti-inflammatory nutrients
have a very beneficial effect on lupus as they have on other inflammatory
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Two widely used anti-inflammatory
nutrients are omega-3 fatty acids as in fish oils and linolenic acid from
linseed, and also proteolytic or protein-digesting enzymes, especially
Bromelain, the enzyme derived from pineapple. On the other hand, the common
polyunsaturated oils from oil seeds and the arachidonic acid in meat have a
pro-inflammatory effect.
There is a case report of
aggravation of lupus symptoms from using alfalfa. This has also been confirmed
with animal experiments in monkeys fed alfalfa sprouts. The cause has been
traced to a non-protein amino acid (canavanine).
Quite generally a low-protein
diet seems to be beneficial, as various amino acids seem to cause problems if
in high concentrations, especially tryptophane and possibly phenylalanine and
tyrosine. However, this may just be one of the symptoms of vitamin B6
deficiency.
Of a group of 9 patients
none had normal gastric acid level, all were deficient and 2 had no acidity at
all. The degree of the hydrochloric acid deficiency seemed to be related to the
degree of the accompanying vitamin B deficiencies. The main deficiencies caused
by lack of gastric acid are in vitamins B1, B12, protein and various minerals.
Of great importance in
overcoming the disposition to food allergies and chemical sensitivities are the
sanitation of the intestinal flora and the improvement in liver functions. An
excellent liver herb with good scientific references is milk thistle with its
active ingredient silymarin. Also all bitter liver herbs are good, such as
burdock, centaury, dandelion root, devil's claw and gentian.
Periodically courses with
cultures of lactobacillus acidophilus and bifido-bacterium have proven to be
beneficial with many degenerative diseases and allergies. In addition, many
allergies disappear with zinc supplementation.
THE DIET
The main requirement is for
a low-allergy diet. This means all the common processed foods must be avoided,
especially those with chemical additives. Due to frequent kidney impairment the
diet should also be low in meat, and with evidence of kidney disease,
conventional protein should be restricted and replaced with additional
spirulina and bee-pollen..
The safest foods with L.E.
have been found to be brown rice, lentils and other legumes, sunflower seeds,
sesame seeds, almonds and most nuts, fish and seafood, most vegetables and most
fruit. However, use fruit only sparingly and between meals.
While sprouted seeds are
strongly recommended, great care must be taken to wash them frequently and
discard any deteriorating seeds or sprouts as these as well as bacteria
developing under the skins of sprouting seeds can cause allergic reactions.
Best eat sprouts after only a short period of sprouting and preferably rinsed
with diluted hydrogen peroxide.
For baking you may use
flour of rice, lentils, peas, chickpeas, potatoes and also arrowroot, tapioca
and sago. Flavour meals with olive oil, tahini
(sesame seed paste) and possibly nut butters, but use herbs and spices only
after allergy testing. Furthermore, foods may react differently according to
our blood group. Try to select your food according to your blood
group and metabolic type.
The foods most frequently
found to cause or aggravate allergy in L.E., and which should be avoided are:
gluten (wheat, rye, oats, barley), buckwheat, sugar and syrup, cows' milk
products but possibly also cheese or yoghurt of goats' milk, products
containing beef, casein or gelatine, eggs, bakers yeast and brewers yeast, also
yeast residues in wine, vinegar, bread, mushrooms, walnuts and also foods
contaminated with moulds.
Other foods which were
frequently found to aggravate L.E. are asparagus, capsicum, egg plant, paprika,
zucchini, onion, garlic, olives, chocolate, peanuts, walnuts, pistachio nuts,
mung beans and kidney beans and various herbs and spices such as cinnamon,
cloves, cola, liquorice, mustard, oregano, peppers, poppy seeds, and sage, also
curry, chilli, sauces and seasonings.
Some foods are best limited
to about twice a week; these include chicken (without seasoning), tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and citrus. While after sufficient
improvement most of the restricted foods may gradually be reintroduced, the
major problem foods such as cows' milk and wheat products and sweetened foods
are best avoided indefinitely. Also continue to avoid margarine,
polyunsaturated oils (except cold-pressed in small amounts), salt and salted
food, highly processed food with chemical additives, alcohol, tobacco; use
coffee or tea only when well on special occasions.
Drink mainly diluted
freshly pressed vegetable and grass juice, for details see Juices
in HEALING FOODS. Also experiment to find a suitable herb tea, such as
peppermint, anise or lemongrass. Have most of the fluid intake before meals,
especially before breakfast. Avoid fluoridated water and toothpaste.
Preferably do the 8-day Basic Cleanse on apples and vegetable juices.
Alternatively, have a 4-day fast on apples or, if rather sensitive, brown rice
and test for allergies during the gradual reintroduction of foods. Be aware
that various vegetables and fruits may react differently, depending whether
they are organically grown or have been commercially sprayed. Tomatoes,
zucchini and leaf vegetables usually have been heavily sprayed. For details on
allergy testing see Allergies.
One of the most important
tasks is sanitising the gastro-intestinal tract with live cultures of
acidophilus and bifido bacteria. You make your own yoghurt from soymilk or
other seeds or use powdered cultures, see Bacterial
Cultures and Garlic.
Supplements
With each meal take a
medium potency multivitamin tablet. Additional folic acid and vitamin B1 can sometimes
be helpful, and in addition 1 g of vitamin C, 250 mg nicotinamide, 100 mg
vitamin B6, 250 mg natural vitamin E as tablet, 10 mg zinc, 5 - 10 mg
manganese, 300 to 500 mg of magnesium, 100 to 200 mcg of selenium, several
grams of kelp as tablet or powder, 1 tablespoon of ground linseed (grind in
blender or coffee grinder and refrigerate).
In advanced condition
preferably weekly injections of 1000 mcg of vitamin B12, otherwise absorb a
vitamin B12 tablet under the tongue daily.
Take 1 - 2 hydrochloric
acid-pepsin tablets with meals or 1 - 2 tsp. of diluted hydrochloric acid (for
details see Hydrochloric Acid); initially or with main
meals also take digestive enzymes.
Any anti-inflammatory herbs
are good. Try liquorice, ginger, turmeric, feverfew, slippery elm powder and
golden seal. For further anti-inflammatory action take either 1 tbsp. of cod
liver oil with the main meal or a capsule of shark liver oil or of fish oil
concentrate (e.g. MaxEPA) or black currant oil or
evening primrose oil or borage oil with all meals. Just alkalising the body is
strongly anti-inflammatory, you may use magnesium
oxide or carbonate, potassium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate, for details
see Acid-alkaline Balance.
Liberal amounts of
high-quality nutrient concentrates will be beneficial, such as spirulina, barley
or wheat grass powder or extract, freeze-dried liver, bee pollen and MSM.
With lung infections or any
other infections increase the amounts of vitamins C and A; take propolis
tablets and the herb Echinacea. If the breathing passages are involved
frequently inhale the fumes from a bottle of tea tree oil.
Increase
and decrease high dosages of vitamins gradually before and after cleansing
periods and also when initially starting with the treatment. As the condition improves,
gradually reduce dosages of supplements to a comfortable maintenance intake.
ADDITIONAL THERAPY
The most effective therapy
is likely to be with a Beck-type electronic blood purifier or zapper,
preferably combined with a colloidal silver maker, and a magnetic pulser. This
is likely to eliminate within a few months all traces of the microbes or agents
originally responsible for this condition. For further details see the article
on the Electronic Zapper & Magnetic Pulser.
As long as the skin is very
sensitive to sunlight protect it from direct exposure. You may use blue light
therapy on red and inflamed parts of the skin and orange light on atrophied,
scaly patches. Use a coloured light bulb a short distance from the skin for
about an hour daily. Exclude other light sources. You may also cover the skin
with coloured cellophane, use 2 - 4 layers and expose to a strong light source.
Improve the functions of
the liver and intestines with frequent hot castor oil packs over these. Use a woollen cloth moistened with castor oil and keep warm
with a hot water bottle for 1 - 2 hours. In addition use reflexology: press the
feet wherever you find a sore spot under the soles, but especially in the upper
outer part of the right sole for the liver reflex and below the midline near
the insteps of both feet for the intestines. For more details see the article
on Reflexology.
Frequently inhale deeply,
tense, stretch or bend while holding the full breath. During daily guided
imagery see your skin and yourself as being normal and healthy. See and feel a
golden healing energy entering the top of your head and revitalise all glands
and organs. Give yourself positive suggestions right after awakening and before
falling asleep.
Be careful with exposure to
electromagnetic fields and fluorescent lighting, avoid synthetic clothing,
preferably have amalgam fillings replaced with plastic composite and dead teeth
removed, for more details see Basic Rules and Dental Problems. Spend as much time as possible outdoors
in pleasant surroundings and expect to get well.
In all conditions it is essential to use extensive intestinal sanitation
and antimicrobial therapy as shown in Candida and the
Antibiotic Syndrome.
In summary, the most
important steps for overcoming L.E. are: