Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease. In this disease, the immune system of the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs.
Symptoms:
Symptoms can vary and can change over time. Common symptoms include:
- severe fatigue
- joint pain
- joint swelling
- headaches
- a rash on the cheeks and nose, which is called a “butterfly rash”
- hair loss
- anemia
- blood-clotting problems
- fingers turning white or blue and tingling when cold, which is known as Raynaud’s phenomenon
Other symptoms depend on the part of the body the disease is attacking, such as the digestive tract, the heart, or the skin.
Causes
The cause of SLE is not clearly known. It may be linked to the following factors:
- Genetic
- Environmental
- Hormonal
- Certain medicines
Complications
Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many areas of the body including:
- Kidneys. Lupus can cause serious kidney damage, and kidney failure is one of the leading causes of death among people with lupus.
- Brain and central nervous system. If brain is affected by lupus, one may experience headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures. Many people with lupus experience memory problems and may have difficulty expressing their thoughts.
- Blood and blood vessels. Lupus may lead to blood problems, including anemia and increased risk of bleeding or blood clotting. It can also cause inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).
- Lungs. Having lupus increases chances of developing an inflammation of the chest cavity lining (pleurisy), which can make breathing painful. Bleeding into lungs and pneumonia also are possible.
- Heart. Lupus can cause inflammation of heart muscle, arteries or heart membrane (pericarditis). The risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks increases greatly as well.
Traditional view:
Ayurveda:
As SLE is an autoimmune disease, the main stress of Ayurveda is correcting the doshas- Vata, Pitta and kapha. The autoimmune pathology can be included under the broad spectrum of dhatupaka . Here pitta dosha is responsible for paka and here vikruta pitta is causing paka of twak, rakta and maamsa leading to the symptoms.There is no direct corelation for this disease in Ayurveda but looking in to the symptoms it can be corelated with vatarakta (Gout Arthrittis )and visarpa (Erysipelas / Herpes zooster).
In ayurveda for any auto immune disease antiinflammatory, immuno-modulatoty, antioxidant drugs will be chosen.The treatment will be mainly aiming at dhatupaka.Later on rasayanas will be given for improving the immunity.
Treatments:
At Haridra, we treat SLE with traditionally prepared Ayurveda and siddha medications along with suitable pancakarma. Niyasodhana will be recommended to eliminate the excessive doshas accumulated. Afterwards Rasayana treatment along with proper diet and yoga will be recommended for improving the immunity.
Diet tips:
Immunity boosting juices
- Juice made with carrot, apple , lemon ,honey added with turmeric will be really useful if taken in empty stomach condition.
- Juice prepared out of gooseberry, lemon, ginger, honey with a pinch of turmeric in empty stomach