Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. Like most of the autoimmune diseases modern medicine does not truly understand the cause of Lupus. They have broken it down to three distinct versions of the problem. They are, in plain English, systemic, skin only and infantile. The systemic version is the most common.

Symptoms of systemic lupus include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems. These symptoms are not consistent from person to person or even from one period of time to another. Because the symptoms seem to come and go they are referred to as flareups of the disease. Different things trigger these flareups in different people, though one that is pretty consistent is exposure to sunlight.

This is problematic in that Vitamin D deficiency is common among Lupus victims. Vitamin D also plays a large role in protecting us from many other chronic illnesses. Since people with Lupus have trouble spending time in the sun it is generally recommended that they take a Vitamin D supplement. Typical recommendations would be 10,000 units per day. Testing to monitor Vitamin D levels are also recommended.

Leaky gut syndrome is a very common issue that is related to autoimmune diseases like SLE. In these conditions, an abundance of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts take hold of the reigns of control in the gut and create inflammatory changes that damage the intestinal lining. This allows food particles to pass into the bloodstream. The undigested food particles are identified by the immune system and labeled as toxic invaders and a massive immune assault results. The most common recommendation for healing leaky gut syndrome is called the GAPS diet. These types of diets are very low in sugar and processed foods. They are high in fermented foods and often recommend taking probiotic supplements. Avoiding modern grown meats and dairy are also critical, but naturally grown versians of these products have been shown to be helpful.

Because many people with lupus go on to have high cholesterol and heart problems many doctors recommend that they take statins to try to prevent this. Although statins can be useful there come with some pretty serious problems. Among them are weakened muscles, including heart muscles. A study done with children with lupus has shown that there is no advantage to them taking statins.

Other illnesses that seem to occur more often with lupus patients than with the general population are leukemia and breast cancer. This may be because lupus interferes with the immune system in ways that normally protect us, or it may be because one of the common treatments for lupus is immune depressing drugs.

Other treatments that doctors use include NSAIDS. These come with their own sets of complications which can include kidney problems and ulcers. Some other attempts at treatment have also shown to be problematic. One such attempt was the off label use of a drug named Rituxan. Off label means that the FDA has not specifically approved that drug for that purpose. Rituxan has been approved for lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. Two people died when prescribed the drug for their lupus.

Alfalfa is one supplement that has been found useful with lupus. Alfalfa is an antipyretic, which means it is a fever reducer. It is a diuretic, meaning it increases urination. It is an appetite stimulant, and is a hemostatic, which means it helps to stop bleeding. Alfalfa is mineral and vitamin rich. It is very high in the macro-nutrients calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Alfalfa has a high chlorophyll content, and contains almost every known vitamin. It has been clinically proven to reduce LDL cholesterol and shows promise in the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as lupus.

Most autoimmune diseases can be managed with a diet rich in organic foods and eliminating all processed foods, especially sugar. Non dietary sources of toxins such as personal care products and air fresheners should also be avoided. Mild exercise and plenty of fresh air (although out of direct sunshine) has also been shown to be effective.

Sources:

http://www.naturalnews.com/037761_systemic_lupus_SLE_natural_remedies.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/030386_statin_drugs_children.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/034740_alfalfa_cholesterol_lupus.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/021374_off-label_prescribing_lupus.html
http://lupus.us.com/lupus-overview.html?utm_source=msn&utm_campaign=lupus&utm_medium=00_01_lupus&utm_term=lupus&utm_content=394249570
http://www.medicinenet.com/systemic_lupus/page5.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_systemic_lupus
http://www.medicinenet.com/systemic_lupus/page7.htm#what_is_the_prognosis_of_lupus_what_does_the_future_hold_for_people_with_systemiclupus

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disease that affects the motor skills of its victims. In many people’s opinion it is similar to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) except that with AD the disease attacks the cognitive functions of the brain. Both are associated with depression, anxiety, and speech impairments. PD is often recognized by tremors and stiff muscles that are hard to control. Both diseases are listed as ‘cause unknown’.

Some links are starting to be made, but they are more statistical links than something that is a direct cause. This may be because it is when many of these links combine that they overcome the immune system and symptoms begin.

Gut

One of these links is with leaky gut syndrome. PD patients are much more likely to have a high level of bacterial growth in their small intestines. This is both a symptom and a precursor to leaky gut. It can be caused by eating food high in pesticides and antibiotics. There has been proven to be a link between the gut and the brain. A healthy gut digests things easily, and is filled with a variety of good bacteria, with minimal evidence of bad bacteria. Gluten intolerance can be both a cause and an effect of an unhealthy gut. People with an unhealthy gut are more likely to experience constipation, IBS, and autoimmune disease.

Iron

Iron overload has also been shown to be prevalent with those that have been diagnosed with PD. This is usually more common with men and post-menopausal women. Women in the child bearing years don’t normally have to worry about iron overload because their menstrual flow typically eliminates the excess iron.

Vitamin D

Another statistical link is low levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked in this way with many different illnesses. These include type 2 diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, cancer, and infections. It now includes Parkinson’s.  Those with PD that have raised their D3 blood levels have been shown to improve their speech and mood. Vitamin D can be raised through sun exposure and supplementation.

Exercise

Those that have trouble controlling their muscles tend to shy away from exercise, but studies show that exercise may be one of the best things for them.  One man found that joining the gym and taking boxing lessons severely slowed the progression of his illness. A study involving 231 patients showed that those who exercised regularly experienced less falls.  Other, larger studies show a reduction in loss and even improvement of motor skills. One study suggests that exercise can prevent you from ever developing symptoms.

Fasting

It seems strange that simply not eating can improve your PD symptoms, but fasting can do much more than that. Unless you are already severely underweight fasting as little as several hours once or twice a week has been shown to improve overall health and cognitive functions. After a short term fast the immune system has shown marked improvement. The brain has been shown to have from 50 to 400 percent more of a substance that creates new neurons.

Ketogenic Diet
Along with the occasional fast what you eat on the days you do eat seems to play an important role. We already mentioned that pesticides and antibiotic laden foods need to be avoided. It turns out that what we do eat plays just as big a role. A ketogenic diet is one that is high in fat (90% or more of calories from fat) and low in protein and carbohydrates.  Eating this way has been shown to improve balance, tremors and mood.  The quality of that fat can also play an important role.  Things like coconut oil, organic butter, avocados and nuts improve body functions more than vegetable oils or trans fats. Limiting protein to half a gram per pound of body weight and carbohydrates to 30 or 40 grams per day seems to be ideal.

To wrap it up here are some ideas for improving the life of someone experiencing PD, or limiting the possibility of developing it.
•    Eat an organic, whole food diet.
•    Find a way to exercise every day.
•    Optimize your Vitamin D levels.
•    Get some good fats every day.
•    Avoid chemicals whenever possible.
•    Include foods that reduce inflammation such as cinnamon (Ceylon), pomegranates and Turmeric.

Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/045969_cinnamon_bark_Parkinsons_disease_Chinese_medicine.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/046637_pomegranates_alzheimers_Parkinsons.html
http://www.iospress.nl/ios_news/higher-vitamin-d-levels-associated-with-better-cognition-and-mood-in-parkinsons-disease-patients/?mc_cid=9af9729bc2&mc_eid=76fb0b33b3
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/01/16/parkinsons-disease-intermittent-fasting-exercise.aspx?e_cid=20150116Z1_DNL_NonBuyer_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20150116Z1-NonBuyer&et_cid=DM64825&et_rid=807493084
http://chriskresser.com/new-research-and-treatments-for-parkinsons-disease
http://www.naturalnews.com/050280_boxing_exercise_Parkinsons_disease_natural_cures.html