The Integrative Medicine Approach to Lupus (Part 1)

Conventional allopathic medicine treats lupus primarily by providing temporary symptom relief and weakening the immune system. Functional Medicine and Chinese Medicine, on the other hand, seek to find the true cause of each patient’s lupus and then address that cause. This article explains the most common causes of lupus and how to address them.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is an autoimmune disease, meaning it is a type of disease in which the body’s immune system mistakes the body’s own tissues as foreign invaders. Most autoimmune diseases only attack specific types of tissues; for example, rheumatoid arthritis only attacks joint tissue, multiple sclerosis only attacks the brain and spinal cord, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis only attacks the thyroid gland. However, lupus causes the immune system to attack the skin, joints, internal organs, and the nervous system. Some lupus patients may have more skin symptoms, while others have more symptoms involving the internal organs. For this reason, lupus can be difficult to diagnose and complicated to manage using a one-size-fits-all conventional medicine approach.

Early signs and symptoms of lupus can include headaches, fatigue, anemia, a “butterfly” rash on the face, hair loss, water retention, sensitivity to light, poor circulation in the hands and feet, fever, joint pain, nosebleeds, and canker sores in the mouth. The conventional treatment for lupus usually includes alleviation of symptoms with diuretics for water retention, aspirin and other pain medications for joint pain, steroid drugs such as prednisone, and immune suppressants. Steroid drugs can lead to even more fluid retention, as well as muscle wasting and weight gain on the abdomen, neck, and back. Immune suppressants can lead to increased susceptibility to infections and viruses, as well as blood disorders and more hair loss.


Functional Medicine, Chinese Medicine, and Acupuncture in Del Mar, CA (often together referred to as Integrative Medicine, especially when used in coordination with some conventional medicine treatments) address lupus by first investigating the cause of lupus in each individual patient. Every patient is unique in their symptomatology, and they are also unique in their history and root cause of illness. Here, we explain the most common root causes of lupus.


1. Gluten Intolerance: While actual celiac disease only affects 1 out of every 100 people, gluten intolerance is far more common. More people may actually be gluten intolerant than not, though most gluten intolerant individuals will not develop lupus. There must be an underlying genetic factor for lupus as well. The most common symptoms of a gluten intolerance include pain, brain fog, sleeping problems, fatigue, mood disorders, and ADHD. Note that digestive problems are not a major issue for most gluten intolerant individuals. Making changes to your diet to include real, whole foods and exclude gluten may help you manage the underlying causes of lupus.


2. Leaky Gut: Many lupus patients do have underlying digestive problems as a root cause of their autoimmune disease. Leaky gut occurs when the semi-permeable membrane in the gut becomes too permeable, and undigested food particles leak into the bloodstream. In individuals with a genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disease, leaky gut can be “the straw that breaks the camel’s back” in setting off the autoimmune process or provoking a flare-up of symptoms. Seeking Acupuncture in Del Mar, CA and acupuncture in La Jolla, CA, in addition to specific food recommendations and supplements, can help you heal a leaky gut.

To be continued in Part 2 next week…

Is your doctor using out-of-date guidelines for assessing your thyroid health?

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists published new guidelines for interpreting thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in 2003. However, many family physicians still use the guidelines that have been out-of-date for over a decade for diagnosing thyroid disease. Learn what the new guidelines are so you can present this information to your doctor.

An estimated 1 out of 10 Americans suffer from thyroid disease, yet half of them remain undiagnosed. In an age in which everyone is aware of the existence and dangers of cancer and diabetes, relatively few are aware of conditions such as hypothyroidism (an under- functioning thyroid) even though there are more thyroid sufferers than there are cancer and diabetes patients combined. Perhaps you are one of the many individuals looking for acupuncture in Del Mar, CA who suffer from thyroid symptoms and suspect a thyroid condition, but every time your doctor tests your thyroid the lab test results all come back “normal.” Many acupuncture thyroid patients in Del Mar, CA and Encinitas, CA have ultimately been told they need to learn to relax, do some meditation, eat less and exercise more, or take an anti-depressant because the problem certainly isn’t their thyroid. The entire process of trying to figure out where the long list of symptoms are coming from, and being told, “There’s nothing physically wrong with you. It’s your imagination,” is almost as exhausting as hypothyroidism itself.

But what if I told you that your symptoms aren’t all in your head? You actually DO have hypothyroidism, and your doctor isn’t reading your test results correctly. If you trust the medical establishment, you might be thinking, “But how could my doctor graduate from medical school and remain in practice if she doesn’t even know how to read a simple lab test result?” The answer is simple. Doctors are very busy. They don’t always have time to keep up with the latest research on every kind of subclinical health issue a patient may have. If you had severe, life-threatening hypothyroidism, your physician would surely be able to recognize it on a thyroid blood test. However, if you have a low-grade case of hypothyroidism (which is what most thyroid sufferers have), with symptoms such as brain fog, lethargy, difficulty sleeping, slow metabolism, cold hands and feet, dry skin and hair, water retention, low libido, infertility, tendency toward miscarriage, anxiety, and depressed mood, you could still very well have thyroid blood test levels in the “normal” range -- according to guidelines set forth before 2003.

If your doctor finished medical school before 2003 and doesn’t specialize in the treatment of thyroid patients, she probably isn’t aware of the new guidelines. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists changed the criteria for the interpretation of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test, which is the most basic screening test for thyroid disease, in 2003. The new guidelines are based on the actual TSH levels of healthy individuals in the population who aren’t experiencing any symptoms of thyroid disease or other disease. The TSH guidelines set forth before 2003 are based on the TSH levels of the general population -- both healthy and sick.

According to the old TSH guidelines, a healthy TSH level should be 0.5 to 5.0. According to the new guidelines, a healthy TSH level should be between 0.3 to 3.04. Therefore, if you’re experiencing the symptoms of an underactive thyroid, and your TSH in above 3.04, you most likely really do have hypothyroidism as evidenced by your blood test. These new numbers alone are reason enough to try acupuncture in Del Mar, CA.

Why it’s a good idea to use Evergreen Herbs

This article explains why we use Evergreen Herbs (as opposed to other Chinese herb brands) here at Acuheart. 

Chinese herbal medicine can be incredibly effective at eliminating acute symptoms, healing the body by addressing the root cause of illness, and strengthening the body to prevent disease and biological aging. However, the way in which the herbs were grown, processed, and sealed makes a huge difference in the potency and safety of the herbs. The number of brands of
Chinese herbal formulas on the market in the United States has been rapidly growing since the 1970’s. When you consider acupuncture in Del Mar CA, know that your acupuncturist has searched for the purest, most potent, and eco-friendly brand of Chinese herbs available and may have chosen to carry Evergreen herbs. Here are a few of the reasons why the Evergreen brand is trusted.

1. They utilize eco-sensitive farming methods. All raw materials used in Evergreen formulas come from farmers who adhere to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Herb dregs and biomass leftovers are reused as organic fertilizer in order to reduce waste. Evergreen follows the strict guidelines set forth by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This ensures that endangered species of plants and animals on the CITES list are obtained only from farmers who have a CITES permit. Evergreen herbs also reduces their ecological footprint in the office by putting computers, monitors, and lights on power save mode when not in use.

2. Evergreen herbs must pass 15 purity tests before reaching the consumer. All herbs are tested for over 100 pesticides, total heavy metals, yeast and mold, salmonella, individual heavy metals, aflatoxin, aristolochic acid, microscopic cellular identity, HPLC potency, total bacterial count, e.coli, staphylococcus, ochratoxin, and acontinine. Because of stringent species identity tracking and testing, you are ensured that what’s in the bottle of herbs is exactly what’s on the label. Have peace of mind knowing that there will be no traceable pesticide residue, heavy metals, bacteria, or mold in Evergreen herbs. Considering acupuncture in Encinitas is a good option when seeking advice on selecting quality herbs.

3. Evergreen formulas are produced by expert herbalists in the Oriental Medical tradition. Tina Chen, L.Ac. and John Chen, L.Ac. are the owners of Evergreen Herbs, and they are recognized authorities in Chinese Herbal Medicine as well as Western pharmacology. John Chen has given seminars on drug-herb interactions for regional and national associations, including The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, The California State Oriental Medical Association, The Queen’s Physician Group of Hawaii, and the North Carolina Acupuncture Association. John and Tina Chen are the authors of Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology (2003) and Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications (2008).

 

 

The goal of the Evergreen Company is to make both the Western and Oriental Medical communities aware of herbal alternatives to harsh drugs, and the importance of understanding and identifying herb-drug interactions. Evergreen is actively working to help bridge the gap between the East and West by integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine and herbs with modern technological medicine combined with acupuncture in Del Mar CA.