The Integrative Medicine Approach to Lupus (Part 2)

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.

This is part 2 of a series on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), its underlying causes in the context of Functional Medicine and Chinese Medicine, and a personalized medicine approach by treating the individual patient as a whole instead of the conventional medicine approach of simply covering up the symptoms of disease. As discussed in part 1, the signs and symptoms of lupus are expressed differently in each patient because lupus is an autoimmune disease that can attack any part of the body. It may attack the skin tissue in one patient, causing symptoms that include rashes and skin inflammation. In another patient, it could attack the tissue of internal organs, leading to dysfunction of each organ affected. The conventional medical approach to lupus includes steroid drugs and immunosuppressants. The side effects of such therapies include muscle wasting, fat gain on the abdomen and back and increased susceptibility to infections. This one-size-fits-all treatment does not reverse lupus. If you are seeking acupuncture in Del Mar, CA or acupuncture in La Jolla, CA, chances are that you are probably not looking for a one-size-fits-all approach for your condition.

Please read part 1 of this series to learn two of the underlying causes of lupus. Here, we will discuss two more underlying causes of lupus, and how treatment at this level may put the disease into remission.

 

3. The third underlying cause of lupus is bioaccumulation of toxins. Research in genetics and functional medicine testing has discovered that some people possess a genetic mutation that causes them to be more susceptible to accumulating toxins over their lifetime instead of eliminating them completely. This is one reason why two people can be exposed to the same toxins, but only one of them develops an illness as a result. Many of the toxins that are ubiquitous in our environment are harmless to most individuals because we all have built-in detoxification systems in our bodies. However, those detoxification systems can become overwhelmed during times of stress or exposure to high amounts of toxins. Mycotoxins (toxic molds) in our homes or workplaces can be a contributing source of ongoing exposure that could trigger the development of autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Functional Medicine urine testing can uncover a toxic mold overload. Heavy metals, such as mercury found in amalgam fillings, can be another source of ongoing exposure. It is important to have these removed by a biological dentist, and replaced with ceramic resin fillings.

4. Chronic infections are another common trigger for lupus. It is now well-recognized that Epstein-Barr virus can trigger lupus in genetically susceptible individuals. It’s important to eliminate the infection and focus on stress reduction for recovery.

Next week we’ll discuss how Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine converge to address lupus at the root level to put symptoms into remission. Come visit us for acupuncture for residents of Del Mar, CA and surrounding areas.

 

How well is your liver detoxifying the ubiquitous chemicals in your environment?

This blog post explains one way in which the detoxification function of your liver can be assessed with functional medicine.

Many people seeking acupuncture in Del Mar, CA and acupuncture in La Jolla, CA are also highly interested in methods of liver detoxification to assist with a healthy metabolism and to counter the effects of environmental pollution. While we can lower our overall toxicity load by choosing organic food as often as possible, drinking filtered water, and avoiding chemical cleaning agents, we are still exposed to a countless number of pollutants every day. Of course, we don’t need to live in a bubble to stay healthy in a toxic world. Our built-in detoxification mechanism, orchestrated by our liver and kidneys, works around the clock to metabolize toxic compounds into waste products to be excreted. However, exposure to high amounts of certain chemicals can hinder complete detoxification and cause symptoms of disease in the body.

 

There are a few different ways that functional medicine can assess your body’s toxic burden and ability to detoxify completely. One test looks at specific organic acids that are excreted in your urine. Here is a brief explanation of the organic acids that are found in urine, and what they indicate about toxic load and detox ability.

2-Methylhippurate is a detoxification product that your body produces in response to xylene exposure. It is produced during phase 2 of detoxification in the liver by the conjugation of glycine. Xylene is a chemical found in gasoline, jet fuel, paints and paint thinners, new carpet, new car upholstery, degreasers and solvents, and in dry cleaning fluid. If high amounts of 2-Methylhippurate are found in your urine, you should take a supplement containing panthothenic acid and glycine, and avoid xylene exposure as much as possible. You can obtain therapeutic amounts of glycine from consuming bone stocks and gelatin (from grass-fed, organically grown animals).

Another organic acid found in urine is orotate. This is a detoxification product of ammonia. If you have high amounts of it in your urine, you might have an arginine deficiency or magnesium deficiency, or you may be eating too much meat for your body to handle. If you suffer from hypertension, impaired insulin production, and/or hair loss, you might consider supplementing with arginine.

Glucarate, which is produced during phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification, is an indicator of your overall hepatic function. Drugs, food additives, alcohol, tobacco, moth balls, and pesticide and herbicide exposure can cause you to have high levels of glucarate. Symptoms of high levels of exposure can range from headaches and chronic fatigue to muscle pain and mood disorders.

X-hydroxybutarate is produced in response to glutathione production, and high amounts of it indicate a lot of oxidative stress happening in the body. Oftentimes, chronic oxidative stress is caused by daily use of certain prescription drugs, pathogenic bacteria in the gut, or exposure to xenobiotics. Conditions such as autism, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, radiation poisoning, fatty liver, and extreme endurance training can cause increased glutathione turnover as well.

This is not a complete list of the organic acids that can be analyzed, nor is this the only way that functional medicine can measure your toxic load and detoxification ability. If you are interested in acupuncture for residents of Del Mar, CA and surrounding areas, be sure and ask us about our detoxification testing and protocols during your visit.