16 answers

Treatment for Lupus (Hair Loss)

Dear Moms,
My dear friend is diagnosed with Lupus recently. She is having patches of Hair Loss on her scalp. She is on treatment with steroids. She is planning for kid and is worried about continuing steroids during pregnancy. Does any of you know the permanent treatment for Lupus? Are the steroids only treatment?

What can I do next?

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I would be very careful about steroids. My neighbor carried her child full term and lost it. She was taking steroids. They told her she could never have anymore children and about 2 yrs later had a normal child. G. W

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As I understand it, Lupus is an autoimmune disease. If I was facing an autoimmune disease I would run to a nutritionist and see if I could make dietary changes and perhaps some supplements to help restore my immune system.

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I am aware of one doctor who found that when he treated his Lupus patients with a gluten free diet, 90% were healed. Autoimmune diseases like Lupus (and MS, RA, etc.) aren't ever "cured", but with proper treatment the symptoms can resolve. Here's an excellent research article on this topic:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=175...
Tinyurl (if the above is cut):
http://tinyurl.com/a3qf6s
(this is one of the few out there where you can get the whole article for free, so I would suggest your friend save a copy and take it to her doctor). And this researcher is one of the top in terms of looking at the impact of celiac on the entire body and not just the gut. He was one of the first to identify the neurological connections. Note also, that the negatives of the steroids is very clearly highlighted.

There are 105 articles on celiac and lupus in pubmed (the archives of medical research), with 61 being published since 2000 and only the most recent really identifying the correlation. The human genome project helped to identify some of the genetic commonalities that have triggered the more recent research. An excellent book on the topic of gluten intolerance and other autoimmune disorders is dangerous grains, written by a well known allergy doctor (James Braly) and a celiac researcher (Ron Hoggan).

Celiac is the autoimmune disease associated with gluten intolerance. Your friend can get tested on her own at Enterolab: www.enterolab.com

Most docs know little about this as most were taught it was rare in medical school. It's only been in this decade that all the research has shown it's very, very common - the most highly undiagnosed genetic disorder. There are over 2 million people that have NOT been diagnosed. So, I cannot urge her enough to do this test -it's made the difference between very poor health and wellness for my family. It's also what led me to figure out other related health issues that the docs never would have considered.

I would also recommend your friend be tested for autoimmune thyroid disease. That could be the source of her hair loss. The doctors MUST test for thyroid antibodies (TPO and anti-thyroglobulin)and ideally should do a sonogram of her thyroid. If there are nodules, then that is a significant sign of autoimmune thyroid disease. I have it and so do my two sons (and we also all have celiac).

It is not unusual and is actually the norm rather than the exception for folks to have 3 or more autoimmune diseases. Several doctors and scientific experts that I know believe that celiac/gluten intolerance is the root. Research does show that the same genes are involved.

Steroids are only a stop gap treatment for autoimmune diseases and IMHO, the side effects can be worse than the diseases themselves, particularly when folks address the other autoimmune issues. It's very unfortunate that so many doctors don't treat our body as a whole system, rather most diseases are treated in isolation.

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Natural remedies and good nutrition may help your friends lupus symptoms. I just got an email from someone who had reduced her symptoms. Contact me if you would are interested in natural methods to try.

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I don't have lupus but I do have a rare condition that was treated with steroids. I was on them with my first pregnancy and was told they are perfectly safe. I had no problems with them at all.

T.

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I would be very careful about steroids. My neighbor carried her child full term and lost it. She was taking steroids. They told her she could never have anymore children and about 2 yrs later had a normal child. G. W

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She might try Shaklee's Nourishing Scalp Treatment to help with hair growth.

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N.,

There is a huge connection between nutrition and health, but that is one piece of the puzzle. Ridding your body of toxcity such as metals, pollutants are huge in addition to getting enough vitamin D from the sun are just another piece of the puzzle. I have many resources that I have used to get through my health journey and would love to share them with you. Please email me if you a interested at ____@____.com

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The medical community has nothing to offer other than syptomatic treatment. Treatment is generally individual, depending on symptoms and the degree of severity. The steriod treatment may not be needed at all times. Hair loss can be a normal side effect of the medications. I would encourage my friend to read every bit of available information on the side effects and the effects of any medication on pregnancy before continuing to take it while trying to become pregnant. A lot of medication do the most damage before one even knows that they are pregnant.
Many women are fortunate in that when becoming pregnant, lupus symptoms are not as severe or temporarily disappear; however, for others there is no change or it gets worse. Lupus can also be associated with clotting issues. It may be wise for your friend to make sure her OB is fully aware of her condition and it may even be advisable to seek advice from a doc specializing in high risk pregnancies. The medical community knows a lot about lupus and at the same time it is still a big mystery. She should proceed with caution!

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N., I have Lupus also and the steroids is just one medication that I have to take on a daily basis. The permanent treatment for Lupus is medication. And trying to avoid stress. I know when I have a lot of stress around me I get really bad flares. Your friend should be more concerned with the immune surpressants and some of the other medications during preg. When she is ready to conceive she should talk to your doctor at least 6 months in advance so they can adjust or change the medication. Good luck!!

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