Autoimmune

Natural adjuvants for Sjögren’s syndrome IMPORTANT: Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the exocrine glands (salivary, lacrimal, and other mucous glands), producing severe dryness, but can also affect joints, lungs, kidneys, skin, nervous system and increases the risk of lymphoma. Diagnosis is made by a rheumatologist, based on symptoms, antibodies (anti-Ro/SSA, anti-La/SSB), Schirmer test, lip biopsy. Treatment is done in collaboration with ophthalmologist and dentist. Natural remedies do not replace medical treatment, but are support for symptom relief and quality of life improvement. ...

Celiac Disease: Practical Guide and Natural Support IMPORTANT: Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune condition that requires proper diagnosis (specific antibodies and intestinal biopsy) and, above all, strictly gluten free diet for life. Self diagnosis or self elimination of gluten before testing invalidates the results. Consult a gastroenterologist. This article is a support guide, not a replacement for medical advice. Celiac disease is one of those conditions that, once diagnosed, changes your entire lifestyle. It is not an allergy, not a food fad, not “gluten sensitivity”. It is an autoimmune disease in which eating gluten, the protein from wheat, rye and barley, triggers an immune attack on the body’s own intestinal lining. The villi of the small intestine, the microscopic projections through which we absorb nutrients, atrophy. Malabsorption appears, with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, anemia, chronic fatigue, bone, neurological and dermatological problems. ...

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Natural Support IMPORTANT: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that, untreated, produces irreversible joint destruction. Disease modifying therapy (methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, biologicals) must be started early and monitored by a rheumatologist. Nothing that follows replaces prescribed therapy. It is a complementary support, not an alternative. Rheumatoid arthritis is not the “rheumatism” of old age. It is an autoimmune disease that can strike at any age, especially in women between 30 and 50, and if not caught early, it eats through joints from small fingers to knees. Mornings bring hours of stiffness. Joints swell symmetrically. Fatigue clings to you. Sometimes subcutaneous nodules appear, sometimes lung or eye involvement. It is a systemic disease, though it starts in the joints. ...

Multiple Sclerosis: Natural Support for Patients IMPORTANT: Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive autoimmune neurological disease that requires specialized medical treatment: immunomodulators, biological therapies, rehabilitation. There is no natural cure that stops demyelination. Everything below is designed strictly as an adjunct to neurologist prescribed therapy. Any major lifestyle change, supplement or herb must be discussed with your doctor. Multiple sclerosis is not a disease you treat on your own. It is a long road with ups and downs, walked alongside a medical team: neurologist, physiotherapist, sometimes psychologist, urologist, ophthalmologist. But beyond medication, patients quickly discover that lifestyle weighs heavily. What you eat, how you sleep, how you move, how you manage stress and how close to nature you live all influence the frequency and severity of relapses. ...

Natural remedies for lichen planus Lichen planus is one of those conditions that leaves you puzzled the first time you see it. Seemingly out of nowhere, small, shiny, violet papules with flat tops appear, they itch, sometimes on the inside of the wrists, ankles or back, other times in the mouth as delicate whitish lacy networks. The name comes from the Greek leichēn, meaning moss or lichen, because the appearance of the white lines (called Wickham striae) resembles fungi on tree bark. ...

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Natural Support IMPORTANT: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that most often leads to hypothyroidism. The main treatment is levothyroxine replacement, prescribed by an endocrinologist and adjusted based on TSH and fT4. Never stop treatment without doctor approval. Everything that follows is complementary support. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common autoimmune thyroid disease. Named after Japanese doctor Hakaru Hashimoto, who described it in the early 20th century. The immune system produces antibodies (anti TPO, anti thyroglobulin) that slowly attack the thyroid gland over years. Initially, thyroid function may be normal, then subclinical hypothyroidism appears, then overt. ...

Lupus: Natural Support for Patients IMPORTANT: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic, serious autoimmune disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and even the brain. There is no natural cure for lupus, and self-medicating or abandoning prescribed therapy (hydroxychloroquine, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants) may have fatal consequences. Everything in this article is designed as adjunctive support, for comfort and flare prevention, and in no way replaces careful monitoring by a rheumatologist and nephrologist. Any herb, supplement or major lifestyle change must be discussed with the medical team, because many interact with medication or may trigger flares. ...