Sjogren's Syndrome info

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR SJOGREN'S SYNDROME 

 What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for Sjögren's Syndrome?

Dr. Weil's recommendations are the same as those he suggests for other autoimmune disorders: 

  • Follow a low-protein, high carbohydrate diet. Minimize consumption of animal products and eliminate milk and milk products
  • Avoid polyunsaturated oils (vegetable oils) and hydrogenated fats (margarine, vegetable shortening).
  • Get regular aerobic exercise (swimming is best if you have joint problems).
  • Practice progressive relaxation and other mind-body techniques; visualization, hypnosis and guided imagery can be very effective for moderating autoimmune responses like Sjögren's Syndrome.
  • Experience traditional Chinese medicine (diet, herbs, acupuncture, and energy work).
  • To reduce inflammation, increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids by eating more Alaskan salmon, herring, sardines, walnuts, purslane and other leafy greens as well as freshly ground flaxseeds.
  • Include ginger and turmeric in meals for their natural anti-inflammatory effects.

Dr. Weil also advises patients with autoimmune diseases to avoid health care professions who make them feel pessimistic about their condition.

 Treatment for Dry Eyes and Mouth

Dry eyes and mouth, called sicca syndrome, is common not only in Sjogren's but also in fibromyalgia and in normal life. Although artificial tears and saliva are helpful, natural treatments can also help stimulate your natural lubrication. Here's the recipe that I recommend:

Just as oils are lubricants in your car, they can also assist lubrication in your body. Three key oils are especially important for dry eyes.

  1. Fish oil. Eat a portion of salmon or tuna daily or take fish-oil supplements. 
  2. Sea Buckthorn Oil (2,000 mg a day). This special oil from the berries of a cold weather shrub is a special essential fatty acid called omega-7 (along with other helpful oils). This remarkable and little-known nutrient is very helpful at improving lubrication throughout the body – including tears, saliva, bowel protection and vaginal dryness. 
  3. Evening Primrose oil or borage oil (3,000 mg a day). In one study, combining this oil with vitamin B6 and C, 76% showed improvement in dry eye symptoms. 

Written by Dr. Teitelbaum Read the rest of the article at Dr Oz

 Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo & The Blood Type Diet

Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic disorder of unknown cause characterized by a particular form of dry mouth and dry eyes. This loss of tears and saliva may result in characteristic changes in the eyes (called aqueous tear deficiency or keratoconjunctivitis sicca) and in the mouth with deterioration of the teeth, increased oral infection, difficulty in swallowing, and painful mouth. 

There are many different causes for dry eyes and dry mouth. When they occur as a result of an "autoimmune" process, the condition is called Sjögren's syndrome, which usually occurs in middle-aged women and has prevalence in about 1 in 500 persons. 

Patients may also have inflammation of the joints (arthritis), muscles (myositis), nerves (neuropathy), thyroid (thyroiditis), kidneys (nephritis), or other areas of the body. Also, patients may have severe fatigue and disruption of their sleep pattern. 

Also, the blood of Sjögren's patients may contain antibodies directed against normal cellular substances such as nuclear antigens and immunoglobulins. Therefore, this disease is termed an "autoimmune" disorder to denote the apparent reaction of the immune system against the patient's own tissues

  • Fucus (Bladderwrack). One approach to dryness is to help break up the thick, sticky secretions. Agents that contain iodides include 10% saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI). Since one of the main problems with Sjögren's is Candida overgrowth, perhaps using Bladderwack would have the additional benefit of providing low levels of iodine, plus some of the anti-Candida properties found in this seaweed.

  • Urtica dioca rhizome (Nettle Root). Utica dioca rhizome contains a lectin which can down-regulate the immune system, helping to modulate auto-immunity, plus Urtica dioca has potent anti-candida properties.
  • Probiotics. This has had a beneficial response in decreasing oral Candida infections and thus decreasing mouth discomfort.
    • REDUCING INFLAMMATION IN THE BODY WITH FLAXSEEDS.
    Flaxseeds contain omega-3s and omega-6 fatty acids in the form of linoleic acid. (ALA). During digestion, ALA is converted into two different omega-3 fatty acids — called EPA and DHA — that are used to protect cell membranes.

    OMEGA 3 HAS PROVEN BENEFITS
    Omega 3 can reduce inflammation, lessen pain in muscles and joints as proven in controlled trials with sufferers of arthritis and prevent or treat dry eyes.
     
    You get omega-3s by grinding whole flax seeds in a coffee grinder and sprinkling the ground seeds over a salad, adding them to a smoothie or mixing them in fruit juice, or in porridge or a pancake. If you choose this option, be sure to use the seeds soon after grinding them to get the full omega-3 benefits.

    Popular eye vitamins that contain flaxseed oil include: TheraTears Nutrition (Advanced Vision Research), Dry Eye Formula (EyeScience) and Tears Again Hydrate (Ocusoft). 

    READ FULL ARTICLE: WHY OMEGA 3 IS SO IMPORTANT
    ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS: it has been found in studies that essential fatty acids can help improve dry eyes and dry mouth symptoms in patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome. 

    "Omega-6 administration increases the PGE1 levels in tears of patients with SS and improves ocular surface signs and symptoms of ocular discomfort." Systemic Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acid Treatment and PGE1 Tear Content in Sjögren’s Syndrome Patients. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science December 2005, Vol.46, 4474-4479. doi:10.1167/iovs.04-1394

    "Chinese herbal medicine for Yiqi Yangyin Quyu (YYQ) could improve clinical curative effective rate and regulate immune function in SS patients.            " Effects of Chinese herbal medicine for Yiqi Yangyin Quyu in treating Sjögren's syndrome and on patients' immunologic function.  2006 Apr;26(4):322-4.

    CBD oil is extracted from the resin glands on cannabis (marijuana) buds and flowers or from hemp, which is a fibrous form of cannabis.
    Many people with chronic illness say it reduces their chronic pain and helps them sleep better.

    It does not get you stoned, it hasn’t shown potential for dependence according to WHO but some people have side effects of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

    “Some states, like Minnesota or Iowa, have state-regulated CBD production. In these states, products are tested for purity, content, and strength, so there is some reliability. In other states where production is not regulated, there is no way to know for certain what CBD products contain. Studies have shown that these products can contain impurities, pesticides, fungus, or not the amount of CBD that is on the label.” Timothy E. Welty, PharmD FCCP BCPS, professor and chair of the department of clinical sciences in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Drake University in Iowa.

     

     TREATMENT OF SJOGREN'S

    Marshmallow tea: The components of this tea have a calming effect on inflamed mucous membranes. This tip came from someone with SS.

    WebMD says:  Marshmallow leaf and root are used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of the mucous membranes that line the respiratory tract. They are also used for dry cough, inflammation of the lining of the stomach, diarrhea, stomach ulcers, constipation, urinary tract inflammation, and stones in the urinary tract.