What is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease. This means that your immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues in your body by mistake. This can damage many of the parts in your body, including the joints, kidneys, blood vessels, skin, heart,
lungs, and brain.
Some people with lupus are able to lead very normally, happy lives, other lupus patient’s deal with severe symptoms that can at times will be debilitating.
There are several kinds of lupus they are:
Systemic lupus erythematosus is one of the most common types. It can be mild or severe, and it can affect many parts of the body.
Generally, lupus causes a red rash that does not go away.
Subacute cutaneous lupus causes sores after being out in the sun.
Neonatal lupus, which is rare, affects newborns. It is mainly caused by certain antibodies from the mother.
The symptom of lupus differs from one person to another and depends on the type of lupus. Some people will have just a few symptoms, while others have many. In addition to this, there are many different symptoms of lupus because the disease can affect any part of the body.
Common symptoms of lupus include:
- Prolonged or extreme fatigue
- Joint pain (arthralgia)
- Unexplained fever (more than 38C or 100.4F)
- Swollen joints ( arthritis)
- Ankle swelling and fluid accumulation
- Swollen lymph glands
- A butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose
- Hair loss
- Skin rash
- Depression and anxiety
- Migraine headaches
- Anaemia
- Mouth and nose ulcers
- Pale or painful fingers or toes from cold or stress ( Raynaud’s phenomenon)
- Memory loss
- Shortness of breath.
Causes of Lupus
Many of the scientists believe that lupus will develop in response to a combination of few factors of both inside and outside the body, including hormones, genetics, and environment.
Hormones
Hormones are the body’s great messengers. They regulate many of the body’s functions. Because nine of every 10 occurrences of lupus are mostly in females, researchers have looked at the relationship between estrogen and lupus.
Genetics
Researchers also now identified more than 50 genes which they associate with lupus. These type of genes are commonly seen in few people who are suffering from lupus and while most of these genes have not been shown to the directly cause lupus, they are believed to contribute to it.
Lupus will develop in people with no family history of it, but there are likely to be other autoimmune diseases in some of the family members.
Environment
Most of the researchers know that an environmental agent, like the
virus or possibly a chemical, randomly encountered by a genetically susceptible individual, which will act to trigger the disease. Researchers have not identified few specific environmental agents as yet but the hypothesis remains likely.
Home remedies for lupus
1. Turmeric
The active ingredient curcumin present in turmeric has been found to be more effective in the prevention as well as treatment of inflammatory autoimmune diseases including this lupus.
Use
turmeric in your daily diet. Drinking turmeric milk is also a great option. To prepare it, add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder to a 1 cup of milk and boil it. Sweeten it with a little raw honey and drink it once or twice in a day.
2. Ginger
Ginger is also another wonder spice useful in treating lupus. It has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which will help to relieve joint pain and swelling.
Include ginger in your daily diet by using it in your cooking. You can also juice a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root and add it to a fresh fruit and also vegetable juices.
3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Few small studies have been found that the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in omega-3 fatty acids can help to improve lupus symptoms, thanks to their anti-inflammatory effects.
Include the foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in your daily diet. Some such foods are cold-water fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon, tuna, and herring; ground flaxseeds; chia seeds; walnuts.
You can also take fish oil supplements by consulting your doctor.
4. Probiotics
Probiotics are beneficial to gut bacteria which plays an important role in the immune system development. They will help to extend the length of lupus remission and reduce flare-up frequency.
According to a study, probiotic lactobacilli will help you to control the development and progression of lupus through the induction of regulatory cells.
Eat foods like yogurt with live cultures, acidophilus milk, miso, kefir, tempeh and sauerkraut as they are rich in probiotics.
5. Exercise
Exercise plays an essential role in improving health, especially for lupus patients. Regular moderate exercise helps to prevent fatigue and joint stiffness.
By doing exercise also helps you to reduce the negative effects of steroids and other medications prescribed to treat lupus. Plus, it has a positive impact on your mood and also improves your overall quality of life.
Do low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling, walking, gentle range-of-motion exercises, stretching, low-impact aerobics or water aerobics daily.
You can also try tai chi.
Home treatments and regular checkups are often enough to manage mild lupus. Ensure going for regular checkups as they are essential to help find and treat progressive organ damage. It is essential that the people in your life need to understand what lupus is, how it affects your life, and how you can cope with it quickly.
