What is Lupus ?
LUPUS – SLE
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that may damage any part of the body like Skin , Joints , Lungs , brain , kidneys or any organ inside the body. The word chronic means that the signs and symptoms tends to last longer than six weeks and it may there for many years.
The immune system becomes faulty in Lupus . Normally immune system produces protein called antibodies that protects the body from virus , bacteria or any disease causing factor. Autoimmune means the immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and body’s healthy tissues and creates auto antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These auto antibodies cause inflammation , pain and damage in different parts of the body.
FACTS ABOUT LUPUS
- Lupus is not a contagious or sexually transmitted.
- Lupus is not a Cancer or HIV , AIDS or related to it.
- Lupus affects mostly women of childbearing age 15 to 44. However men , children or any gender and race between this age may develop Lupus.
AYURVEDIC VIEW ON LUPUS –SLE
Ayurveda describes Lupus as a stubborn disorder. The imbalance of the three dosha Vata , Pitta and Kapha disturbs the all the Dhatus including Skin (Twak), Rasa Dhatu , Rakta Dhatu and Mamsa Dhatu . The vata is the main cluprit from three dosha and Duhayas are Rasa , Rakta ,Mamsa and Twak dhauts.
The disease is difficult to treat and the healing is slow. The three dosha have the different ratios of dominance ,the dosha who have more percentage have dominant features. The aggravation of the dosha causes vitiation of the Agni. This leads to production of AMA which is the internal toxin. The aggravated doshas mainly Vata carries the AMA and the other doshas into the Rasa and Rakta dhatu causing Lupus . When the doshas goes to the Mamsa Dhatu, Medha Dhatu , Ashti Dhatu , Majja Dhatu and Shukra Dhatu , then it becomes difficult to treat , more the doshas goes to the deeper tissues or dhatus more it is difficult to treat.
Individual Dosha have the different signs and symptoms on the skin , two dosha have the mixture of symptoms. In Lupus Vata type is the main presentation and it goes to the rakta and shows its other features , Lupus is the chronic Systemic Auto immune disease characterized by fibrosis , vascular alterations and autoantibodies.
Three Types of Lupus According to Ayurveda.
Vata type: The skin tends to be rough, dry, hard, itchy and scaly. There may be associated constipation, wind and distension, anxiety and insomnia. The skin is aggravated by cold, wind, dryness and stress and relieved by the application of oils, especially sesame.
Pitta type: The skin is hot and inflamed; it is aggravated by heat and heating foods, exposure to the sun and application of most oils, reflecting a state of heat and toxicity in the body. There tends to be burning, redness, oozing, swelling and infection which can be associated with fever, irritability and feeling of heat.
Kapha type: Kapha skin problems are often accompanied by mucous congestion, lethargy and sluggish metabolism. The skin tends to be cold, clammy, sticky, oozing, swollen and itchy, with a pale complexion. It is aggravated by cold, damp, application of oils and eating dairy products and sugar.
What are the Signs & Symptoms of Lupus ?
Lupus may affect the Skin , Blood Vessels , Kidneys , Lungs , GI tract , Joints , Brain . So the signs and symptoms of the disease is according to the system involved.
All the patients with Systemic sclerosis will develop some skin changes. However the severity and the problems created by the changes varies patient to patient. The tingling of the skin around the fingers , face and other areas of the body, ulceration , dryness and irritation , broken blood vessels , calcinosis or hard nodules at the tip of the elbows and the finger tips.
The Pitta dosha causes Redness , Swelling , tenderness , itching and pain.
The Vata dosha aggravation causes skin tightening or hardening.
The blood vessels that may be affect the small arterioles of the finger tips , toes and other body parts. These vessels can have a tendency to spasm when the areas are exposed to cold that leads to blueness , whiteness and redness on the peripheries is also known as Raynaud’s Phenomenon. It is the vata that disturbs the Rasa and Rakta dhatu.
What is the Ayurvedic Treatment of Lupus ?
Ayurvedic Medicines Kit for Lupus
Ayurvedic management of the Lupus or SLE and other Immune System disorder is the balancing the Three doshas , Removing the toxins of the body , checks the growth of the AMA or toxin formation , enhancing or nourishing the Dhauts of the body is the authentic way of the Ayurvedic treatment.
- Panchakarma has the Most important role in SLE – Lupus and all Immune System Disorders.
- Langhana , Deepana and Pachana are the primary steps for the treatment and are mandatory before starting the oral medication.
- The vitiated doshas should be balanced by the right diet and life style , the necessary changes should be done so that we can balance the Digestive fire / Jatharagni so that toxin formation should be reduced.
- Balancing the Vata Dosha is very necessary , don’t eat the Vata Vardhak Aahar and the quit faulty life style which aggravates the vata dosha.
- First of all Improves and corrects the faulty digestive system to check the “ama” or toxin formation. So that the health “Rasa Dhatu “ gets formed.
- Removal of the already formed toxins from the body muscles , skin and from circulatory system through oral Ayurvedic Medicines.
- Panchakarma Detoxification is very important for opening the “Strotas” , so that proper nutrition may reach to them.
- Panchakarma Therapies for Rejuvenation are very helpful to remove the toxins which resides deep in tissues.
- Oral Ayurvedic Herbal , Herbo-Mineral mixtures and Gold Preparations to enhance the Immunity.
- Ayurvedic medicines which acts on muscular tissue and helps in providing proper nourishment to the “Rasa Dhatu “ and “Mamsa Dhatu” . This gradually improves the strength of muscular tissue and connective tissues.
- Ayurvedic Mixtures are also used to treat the skin , subcutaneous tissue , blood and blood vessels to reduce inflammation and it nourishes the skin. Slowly the skin rashes become healed.
- Rasayan Herbo- Mineral medicines nourishes the all the Seven Dhatus and the Ojas , so it helps to improve the functions of the Immune System .
- Panchakarma Therapies for Rejuvenation are also works as Good Rasayan therapies , so after purification the Rejuvenating Panchakarma Therapies should also be taken.
- There are many Ayurvedic medicines which are very helpful for the patients , but we have to decide the medicines and Panchakarma therapies according to Dosha , Dushya , Vay , Samarth , Aayu , so the choice of medicines are different for different patients.
- We have seen clinically that the treatment is required for long time to get good results. Patients go to the stage of remission of disease after proper treatment.