Can the lemon water help autoimmune diseases, such as lupus or vasculitis?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its tissues, causing inflammation, swelling, pain, and damage. Lupus symptoms vary, and early lupus symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, fever, and a lupus rash, especially after being in the sun. Many experts believe endometriosis is caused by an autoimmune disorder.
9 out of 10 people who have lupus are women. This tells me that there is a definite connection between the causes of endometriosis and the causes of lupus, especially in regard to the environmental factors that affect women, such as the use of cosmetics and other personal care products.
According to Lupus.org, “Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. Inflammation is a condition in which tissue is damaged by blood cells entering the tissues. In inflammatory diseases, these cells are mostly white blood cells. White blood cells circulate and serve as our major defense against infection. Ordinarily, white blood cells destroy bacteria and viruses. However, they can also damage normal tissue if they invade it.”
I encourage you to read further down the page on that Lupus site, where you will see an explanation on how lupus might be caused by an immune or "allergic" reaction in the vessel walls. The substances which cause allergic reaction are called antigens. The antigens stimulate the production of antibodies which bind to the allergens to get rid of them. Commit to re-hydrating your body, first and foremost.
The process of rehydration can literally take months or even a few years of drinking enough water consistently every day to stop the drought management in the body.
The type and quality of water you drink can also make a big difference.
Dehydration and Autoimmune Diseases
Every autoimmune disease is highly complex and I don’t mean to oversimplify the causes and treatments. However, I believe that the most essential root cause of just about every autoimmune disorder is caused by chronic dehydration.
Dehydration is closely linked to the production of antigens and the inflammatory process in the body. In addition, dehydration significantly affects digestion and elimination.
Health scientists have revealed that nearly 80 percent of our immune system function originates in our gastrointestinal tract.
That says a lot about how important proper digestion and elimination really is.
How Lemon Water Can Assist with Autoimmune Disease
Lemon water significantly aids digestion and elimination, helping to prevent toxic build-up in the gut, leaky gut syndrome, and various other conditions which contribute to the production of allergens in the body, which cause inflammation and disrupt immune system function.
After laying the foundation with hydration and lemon water, a comprehensive program of managing stress, proper diet and nutrition supplementation, body cleansing, and regular moderate exercise is usually necessary to help restore balance.
The body’s innate intelligence is beyond our comprehension. I know that if we give the body what it needs (specifically water, oxygen, and real food) and reduce the stuff it does not need (tobacco, alcohol, processed food, chemicals and numerous other toxins from air, water, food), it is possible to not only manage the symptoms of autoimmune disorders, but to potentially reverse these conditions.
Health Benefits of Drinking Water
The Healthy Cell Concept
Common sense tells us that if we have healthy cells, we will have a healthy body. So, what constitutes a healthy cell?
I could write a whole book on this topic. It is fascinating and inspiring to delve into the workings of the highly intelligent and complex functioning of the human body, especially at the cellular level.
However, to summarize, I believe the simplest answer to cellular health is this:
A healthy cell is one in which the nutrients can easily get into the cell and the toxins can efficiently get out.
Adequate hydration is obviously essential to cell water turnover.
Our cells need nutrients to survive. Not only is water the transport fluid for nutrients to get into the cells, water itself is a nutrient.
In fact, oxygen and water are the most important nutrients for the human body. Thus, water plays an important metabolic role in all functions in the body.
Eliminating waste is another one of the essential health benefits of drinking water and efficient cell water turnover. This is the factor that I think people overlook the most.
According to Dr. William J. Yarwood, who practiced natural healing and nutritional therapy with thousands of patients over 30 years:
“All diseases are nothing more than different expressions of toxicity."
He says it works like this: “Genetically, each of us has stronger and weaker areas in our bodies. As you accumulate toxins during your lifetime, your toxins congregate in the weakest areas of your body because that is where they get the least resistance.
“When enough toxins have accumulated in a part of your body, they will manifest themselves in the form of a disease that is indigenous to that part of the body.”
With rare exceptions, I believe optimal health ultimately comes down to the quality of the environment within the body. And that environment is primarily composed of water.
Think of the environment inside your body as a fish bowl and your cells are like the fish. If you’ve ever had an aquarium or fish bowl, you know that if you don’t change or filter the water regularly, the fish will die. Why is this?
Because fish eat and eliminate waste (as in cell water turnover). If the wastes in the water are not removed, they build up and can eventually choke the fish (our cells) to death.
When water is deficient, wastes build up in the fluid that surrounds the cells, preventing nutrients from getting into the cell.
When toxins accumulate, they can deprive the cells of oxygen and even cause cell mutation, a primary cause of cancer. Likewise, when water is lacking in your body, one of the first functions that is affected is detoxification.
All of the detoxification functions in the body—including breathing, sweating, urinating and defecating—require water.
However, the body is ingenious at adapting. When dehydrated, it will safely store toxins in various places in the body, such as in fatty tissue, in arterial deposits or in the joints.
In other words, it will store the toxins in safe places—away from the major organs. So our life is preserved in the short term, but the long-term health consequences are significant. Because those stored toxins are only "safe" for a while.
Since most adult bodies are about 70 percent water, it is easy to comprehend how important water is.
You might be interested to know that babies are approximately 80 to 90 percent water and many elderly people are only 50 to 60 percent. This information, in itself, gives us a clue into the health benefits of drinking water for slowing the aging process.
Water regulates ALL the functions in the human body. Just a few of the most important functions include the following:
Drinking enough pure water has been shown to help the body heal itself from many sicknesses, including:
Importance of Drinking Water
Functions and Recycling of Water in the Body
The importance of drinking water daily is often overlooked, even though every function in the human body is dependent on water. In short, without water, nothing lives.
Consider this: the adult human body is about two-thirds water, and most of the key organs and fluids in the body consist primarily of water.
The following percentages are estimates and vary slightly from expert to expert and from person to person:
Water is essential for EVERY function in the human body. Other pages on this site will explain these functions in more detail.
Just a few of the most vital functions include the following:
It has to do with the body’s water recycling system. The body recycles hundreds of gallons of water a day just to maintain normal biological functions.
During the recycling process the body comes up short of at least six to ten glasses of water per day.
This daily water shortage varies greatly depending on individual diet, lifestyle and environmental factors.
Read more on drinking enough water facts. . .
Contrary to popular belief, most of the water we need does not come from the foods we eat.
At best, if we are eating primarily whole, fresh foods, we may get as much as 20 percent of our daily water needs.
However, most people are eating a high percentage of processed foods, which have little if any water content.
In addition, many of the beverages we drink—such as alcohol, sodas, coffee and tea—are actually dehydrating to the body.
They act as diuretics and cause the body to lose even more fluids.
When dehydration continues, the body learns to adapt with a drought management program.
However, sooner or later the ill effects will begin to appear in the body in the form of pain and inflammation. The location of the pain and inflammation often depends on where acid wastes have built up most in the body.
According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj in Water for Health, for Healing, for Life,there are six conditions that denote chronic dehydration and drought management in the body. These conditions include:
Water also plays a key role in the body's ability to heal itself.
For example, medical research tells us that drinking enough water daily (at least half our body weight in ounces of water) can decrease the risk of bladder cancer by 50 percent and decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent.
As you read other pages on this blogsite, you will find more in depth information and guidelines about how drinking water can aid in disease prevention and healing of many illnesses, disorders, ailments and diseases.
Drinking water daily is quite simply the easiest and most effective way to provide a solid foundation for optimal health, fitness and longevity.
The history of lupus can be divided into three periods: classical, neoclassical, and modern. This article concentrates on developments in the present century which have greatly expanded our knowledge about the pathophysiology, clinical-laboratory features, and treatment of this disorder.
The word ‘lupus’ (Latin for ‘wolf’) is attributed to the thirteenth century physician Rogerius who used it to describe erosive facial lesions that were reminiscent of a wolf's bite. Classical descriptions of the various dermatologic features of lupus were made by Thomas Bateman, a student of the British dermatologist Robert William, in the early nineteenth century; Cazenave, a student of the French dermatologist Laurent Biett, in the mid-nineteenth century; and Moriz Kaposi (born Moriz Kohn), student and son-in-law of the Austrian dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra, in the late nineteenth century.
The lesions now referred to as discoid lupus were described in 1833 by Cazenave under the term “erythema centrifugum,” while the butterfly distribution of the facial rash was noted by von Hebra in 1846. The first published illustrations of lupus erythematosus were included in von Hebra's text, Atlas of Skin Diseases, published in 1856.
Molecular biology techniques have been applied to the study of human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) Class II genes to determine specific amino acid sequences in these cell surface molecules that are involved in antigen presentation to T-helper cells in individuals with lupus. These studies have resulted in the identification of genetic-serologic subsets of systemic lupus that complement the clinico-serologic subsets noted earlier.
It is hoped by investigators working in this field that these studies will lead to the identification of etiologic factors (e.g., viral antigens/proteins) in lupus.
Over the last decade or so, we have witnessed significant advances in the understanding of the genetic basis of lupus, and of the immunological derangements which lead to the clinical manifestations of the disease.
Advances have been made in the assessment of the impact of the disease in general, and in minority population groups, in particular and efforts are being made towards defining lupus biomarkers which may help both to predict disease outcome and to guide treatments.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its tissues, causing inflammation, swelling, pain, and damage. Lupus symptoms vary, and early lupus symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, fever, and a lupus rash, especially after being in the sun. Many experts believe endometriosis is caused by an autoimmune disorder.
9 out of 10 people who have lupus are women. This tells me that there is a definite connection between the causes of endometriosis and the causes of lupus, especially in regard to the environmental factors that affect women, such as the use of cosmetics and other personal care products.
According to Lupus.org, “Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels. Inflammation is a condition in which tissue is damaged by blood cells entering the tissues. In inflammatory diseases, these cells are mostly white blood cells. White blood cells circulate and serve as our major defense against infection. Ordinarily, white blood cells destroy bacteria and viruses. However, they can also damage normal tissue if they invade it.”
I encourage you to read further down the page on that Lupus site, where you will see an explanation on how lupus might be caused by an immune or "allergic" reaction in the vessel walls. The substances which cause allergic reaction are called antigens. The antigens stimulate the production of antibodies which bind to the allergens to get rid of them. Commit to re-hydrating your body, first and foremost.
The process of rehydration can literally take months or even a few years of drinking enough water consistently every day to stop the drought management in the body.
The type and quality of water you drink can also make a big difference.
Dehydration and Autoimmune Diseases
Every autoimmune disease is highly complex and I don’t mean to oversimplify the causes and treatments. However, I believe that the most essential root cause of just about every autoimmune disorder is caused by chronic dehydration.
Dehydration is closely linked to the production of antigens and the inflammatory process in the body. In addition, dehydration significantly affects digestion and elimination.
Health scientists have revealed that nearly 80 percent of our immune system function originates in our gastrointestinal tract.
That says a lot about how important proper digestion and elimination really is.
How Lemon Water Can Assist with Autoimmune Disease
Lemon water significantly aids digestion and elimination, helping to prevent toxic build-up in the gut, leaky gut syndrome, and various other conditions which contribute to the production of allergens in the body, which cause inflammation and disrupt immune system function.
After laying the foundation with hydration and lemon water, a comprehensive program of managing stress, proper diet and nutrition supplementation, body cleansing, and regular moderate exercise is usually necessary to help restore balance.
The body’s innate intelligence is beyond our comprehension. I know that if we give the body what it needs (specifically water, oxygen, and real food) and reduce the stuff it does not need (tobacco, alcohol, processed food, chemicals and numerous other toxins from air, water, food), it is possible to not only manage the symptoms of autoimmune disorders, but to potentially reverse these conditions.
Health Benefits of Drinking Water
The Healthy Cell Concept
Common sense tells us that if we have healthy cells, we will have a healthy body. So, what constitutes a healthy cell?
I could write a whole book on this topic. It is fascinating and inspiring to delve into the workings of the highly intelligent and complex functioning of the human body, especially at the cellular level.
However, to summarize, I believe the simplest answer to cellular health is this:
A healthy cell is one in which the nutrients can easily get into the cell and the toxins can efficiently get out.
Cell Water Turnover
This process is referred to as “cell water turnover” and I believe the efficiency of this process is the essence of physical health.Adequate hydration is obviously essential to cell water turnover.
Our cells need nutrients to survive. Not only is water the transport fluid for nutrients to get into the cells, water itself is a nutrient.
In fact, oxygen and water are the most important nutrients for the human body. Thus, water plays an important metabolic role in all functions in the body.
Eliminating waste is another one of the essential health benefits of drinking water and efficient cell water turnover. This is the factor that I think people overlook the most.
According to Dr. William J. Yarwood, who practiced natural healing and nutritional therapy with thousands of patients over 30 years:
“All diseases are nothing more than different expressions of toxicity."
He says it works like this: “Genetically, each of us has stronger and weaker areas in our bodies. As you accumulate toxins during your lifetime, your toxins congregate in the weakest areas of your body because that is where they get the least resistance.
“When enough toxins have accumulated in a part of your body, they will manifest themselves in the form of a disease that is indigenous to that part of the body.”
With rare exceptions, I believe optimal health ultimately comes down to the quality of the environment within the body. And that environment is primarily composed of water.
Living in a Fish Bowl
Over the years I have heard a number of health practitioners make the analogy of human health to living in a fish bowl. I like fish and, for some reason, the analogy always makes me smile, so I will share it here in case you haven’t heard it.
Think of the environment inside your body as a fish bowl and your cells are like the fish. If you’ve ever had an aquarium or fish bowl, you know that if you don’t change or filter the water regularly, the fish will die. Why is this?
Because fish eat and eliminate waste (as in cell water turnover). If the wastes in the water are not removed, they build up and can eventually choke the fish (our cells) to death.
When water is deficient, wastes build up in the fluid that surrounds the cells, preventing nutrients from getting into the cell.
When toxins accumulate, they can deprive the cells of oxygen and even cause cell mutation, a primary cause of cancer. Likewise, when water is lacking in your body, one of the first functions that is affected is detoxification.
All of the detoxification functions in the body—including breathing, sweating, urinating and defecating—require water.
However, the body is ingenious at adapting. When dehydrated, it will safely store toxins in various places in the body, such as in fatty tissue, in arterial deposits or in the joints.
In other words, it will store the toxins in safe places—away from the major organs. So our life is preserved in the short term, but the long-term health consequences are significant. Because those stored toxins are only "safe" for a while.
All Bodily Functions Are Affected by Water
As important as it is, efficient cell water turnover is only one of the numerous health benefits of drinking water daily. In addition to water, healthy foods nourish life and fuel energy.Since most adult bodies are about 70 percent water, it is easy to comprehend how important water is.
You might be interested to know that babies are approximately 80 to 90 percent water and many elderly people are only 50 to 60 percent. This information, in itself, gives us a clue into the health benefits of drinking water for slowing the aging process.
Water regulates ALL the functions in the human body. Just a few of the most important functions include the following:
- The flow of blood and lymph through the body
- The functioning of our brains
- The cushioning and regulation of organs
- The transfer and absorption of nutrients into cells and tissues
- The removal of waste out of the cells
- The movement of nerve impulses through the nervous system
- The balance of hormones
- The regulation of body temperature
- The lubrication and cushioning of joints
Specific Health Benefits of Drinking Water
As far as I am concerned, EVERY health condition, illness and disease is affected by water, as explained above.Drinking enough pure water has been shown to help the body heal itself from many sicknesses, including:
- General pain and inflammation in muscles and joints
- Tension headaches and migraines
- Tension headaches and migraines
- Weight loss
- Water retention
- Skin problems, including acne, eczema and psoriasis
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Spinal problems
- Hearing and sight problems
- Dysfunction of the kidney or liver
- Hormonal problems
- Diabetes
- Gall and kidney stones
- Circulation issues
- Cancers
- Heart disease and strokes
- Mental disorders and addictions
- Impaired memory and brain function
- Autoimmune disorders, such as Lupus and fibromyalgia
Importance of Drinking Water
Functions and Recycling of Water in the Body
The importance of drinking water daily is often overlooked, even though every function in the human body is dependent on water. In short, without water, nothing lives.
Consider this: the adult human body is about two-thirds water, and most of the key organs and fluids in the body consist primarily of water.
The following percentages are estimates and vary slightly from expert to expert and from person to person:
- Brain 85%
- Heart 79%
- Blood 85%
- Intestines 75%
- Lungs 79%
- Liver 90%
- Kidneys 83%
- Muscle 76%
Functions of Water in the Body
In addition to the high water content in the body, basic physiology reveals the importance of drinking water in how the body functions.Water is essential for EVERY function in the human body. Other pages on this site will explain these functions in more detail.
Just a few of the most vital functions include the following:
- Brain functioning
- Organ regulation and cushioning
- Blood and lymph flow
- Nutrient transfer and absorption at the cellular level
- Nerve impulse movement throughout the nervous system
- Hormone balancing
- Temperature regulating
- Joint lubrication and cushioning
- Waste removal
The Body's Water Recycling System
Thus, we know water is critical to the survival and maintenance of the human body. But what is the importance of drinking water daily?It has to do with the body’s water recycling system. The body recycles hundreds of gallons of water a day just to maintain normal biological functions.
During the recycling process the body comes up short of at least six to ten glasses of water per day.
This daily water shortage varies greatly depending on individual diet, lifestyle and environmental factors.
Read more on drinking enough water facts. . .
No Water Storage System in the Body
In addition to the daily water shortage issue, our bodies have no water storage system to supply water in times of drought—thus, the importance of drinking water regularly and throughout the day.Contrary to popular belief, most of the water we need does not come from the foods we eat.
At best, if we are eating primarily whole, fresh foods, we may get as much as 20 percent of our daily water needs.
However, most people are eating a high percentage of processed foods, which have little if any water content.
In addition, many of the beverages we drink—such as alcohol, sodas, coffee and tea—are actually dehydrating to the body.
They act as diuretics and cause the body to lose even more fluids.
Drought Management in the Body
What happens to our bodies when we don’t drink enough? We start to experience mild dehydration symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, feeling irritable or anxious, constipation and other digestive disorders, and not sleeping well.When dehydration continues, the body learns to adapt with a drought management program.
However, sooner or later the ill effects will begin to appear in the body in the form of pain and inflammation. The location of the pain and inflammation often depends on where acid wastes have built up most in the body.
According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj in Water for Health, for Healing, for Life,there are six conditions that denote chronic dehydration and drought management in the body. These conditions include:
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Constipation
- High blood pressure
- Type II diabetes
- Autoimmune disorders
Importance of Drinking Water for Healing
The importance of drinking water is understated in this article. My intent here is to simply provide a glimpse into the amazing properties of water in relation to the maintenance of the human body.Water also plays a key role in the body's ability to heal itself.
For example, medical research tells us that drinking enough water daily (at least half our body weight in ounces of water) can decrease the risk of bladder cancer by 50 percent and decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent.
As you read other pages on this blogsite, you will find more in depth information and guidelines about how drinking water can aid in disease prevention and healing of many illnesses, disorders, ailments and diseases.
Drinking water daily is quite simply the easiest and most effective way to provide a solid foundation for optimal health, fitness and longevity.
The history of lupus can be divided into three periods: classical, neoclassical, and modern. This article concentrates on developments in the present century which have greatly expanded our knowledge about the pathophysiology, clinical-laboratory features, and treatment of this disorder.
Lupus in the classical period (1230-1856)
The history of lupus during the classical period was reviewed by Smith and Cyr in 1988. Of note are the derivation of the term lupus and the clinical descriptions of the cutaneous lesions of lupus vulgaris, lupus profundus, discoid lupus, and the photosensitive nature of the malar or butterfly rash.The word ‘lupus’ (Latin for ‘wolf’) is attributed to the thirteenth century physician Rogerius who used it to describe erosive facial lesions that were reminiscent of a wolf's bite. Classical descriptions of the various dermatologic features of lupus were made by Thomas Bateman, a student of the British dermatologist Robert William, in the early nineteenth century; Cazenave, a student of the French dermatologist Laurent Biett, in the mid-nineteenth century; and Moriz Kaposi (born Moriz Kohn), student and son-in-law of the Austrian dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra, in the late nineteenth century.
The lesions now referred to as discoid lupus were described in 1833 by Cazenave under the term “erythema centrifugum,” while the butterfly distribution of the facial rash was noted by von Hebra in 1846. The first published illustrations of lupus erythematosus were included in von Hebra's text, Atlas of Skin Diseases, published in 1856.
Lupus in the neoclassical period (1872- 1948)
1872;Systemic lupus identified as distinct from cutaneous lupus.
The Neoclassical era of the history of lupus began in 1872 when Kaposi first described the systemic nature of the disorder: “...experience has shown that lupus erythematosus ... may be attended by altogether more severe pathological changes, and even dangerous constitutional symptoms may be intimately associated with the process in question, and that death may result from conditions which must be considered to arise from the local malady.”
Kaposi proposed that there were two types of lupus erythematosus; the discoid form and a disseminated (systemic) form. Furthermore, he enumerated various signs and symptoms which characterized the systemic form, including:
Kaposi proposed that there were two types of lupus erythematosus; the discoid form and a disseminated (systemic) form. Furthermore, he enumerated various signs and symptoms which characterized the systemic form, including:
- subcutaneous nodules
- arthritis with synovial hypertrophy of both small and large joints
- lymphadenopathy
- fever
- weight loss
- anemia
- central nervous system involvement
Lupus in the modern era (1948-present)
The sentinel event which heralded the modern era was the discovery of the LE cell by Hargraves and colleagues in 1948. The investigators observed these cells in the bone marrow of individuals with acute disseminated lupus erythematosus and postulated that the cell “...is the result of...phagocytosis of free nuclear material with a resulting round vacuole containing this partially digested and lysed nuclear material...”.
1948;The Lupus Erythematosus cell is discovered.
This discovery ushered in the present era of the application of immunology to the study of lupus erythematosus; it also allowed the diagnosis of individuals with much milder forms of the disease. This possibility, coupled with the discovery of cortisone as a treatment, changed the natural history of lupus as it was known prior to that time.
Two other immunologic markers were recognized in the 1950s as being associated with lupus: the biologic false-positive test for syphilis and the immunofluorescent test for antinuclear antibodies. Moore, working in Baltimore, demonstrated that systemic lupus developed in 7 percent of 148 individuals with chronic false-positive tests for syphilis and that a further 30 percent had symptoms consistent with collagen disease.
Friou applied the technique of indirect immunofluorescence to demonstrate the presence of antinuclear antibodies in the blood of individuals with systemic lupus. Subsequently, there was the recognition of antibodies to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the description of antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (nuclear ribonucleoprotein [nRNP], Sm, Ro, La), and anticardiolipin antibodies; these autoantibodies are useful in describing clinical subsets and understanding the etiopathogenesis of lupus.
This murine (mouse) model has provided many insights into the immunopathogenesis of autoantibody formation, mechanisms of immunologic tolerance, the development of glomerulonephritis, the role of sex hormones in modulating the course of disease, and evaluation of treatments including recently developed biologic agents such as anti-CD4, among others.
Other animal models that have been used to study systemic lupus include the BXSB and MRL/lpr mice, and the naturally occurring syndrome of lupus in dogs.
Two other immunologic markers were recognized in the 1950s as being associated with lupus: the biologic false-positive test for syphilis and the immunofluorescent test for antinuclear antibodies. Moore, working in Baltimore, demonstrated that systemic lupus developed in 7 percent of 148 individuals with chronic false-positive tests for syphilis and that a further 30 percent had symptoms consistent with collagen disease.
Friou applied the technique of indirect immunofluorescence to demonstrate the presence of antinuclear antibodies in the blood of individuals with systemic lupus. Subsequently, there was the recognition of antibodies to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the description of antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (nuclear ribonucleoprotein [nRNP], Sm, Ro, La), and anticardiolipin antibodies; these autoantibodies are useful in describing clinical subsets and understanding the etiopathogenesis of lupus.
First animal model developed
Two other major advances in the modern era have been the development of animal models of lupus and the recognition of the role of genetic predisposition to the development of lupus. The first animal model of systemic lupus was the F1 hybrid New Zealand Black/New Zealand White mouse.This murine (mouse) model has provided many insights into the immunopathogenesis of autoantibody formation, mechanisms of immunologic tolerance, the development of glomerulonephritis, the role of sex hormones in modulating the course of disease, and evaluation of treatments including recently developed biologic agents such as anti-CD4, among others.
Other animal models that have been used to study systemic lupus include the BXSB and MRL/lpr mice, and the naturally occurring syndrome of lupus in dogs.
Genetic component recognized
The familial occurrence of systemic lupus was first noted by Leonhardt in 1954 and later studies by Arnett and Shulman at Johns Hopkins. Subsequently, familial aggregation of lupus, the concordance of lupus in monozygotic twin pairs, and the association of genetic markers with lupus have been described over the past twenty years.
1954;It is discovered that there is a genetic component to lupus.
Molecular biology techniques have been applied to the study of human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) Class II genes to determine specific amino acid sequences in these cell surface molecules that are involved in antigen presentation to T-helper cells in individuals with lupus. These studies have resulted in the identification of genetic-serologic subsets of systemic lupus that complement the clinico-serologic subsets noted earlier.
It is hoped by investigators working in this field that these studies will lead to the identification of etiologic factors (e.g., viral antigens/proteins) in lupus.
Over the last decade or so, we have witnessed significant advances in the understanding of the genetic basis of lupus, and of the immunological derangements which lead to the clinical manifestations of the disease.
Advances have been made in the assessment of the impact of the disease in general, and in minority population groups, in particular and efforts are being made towards defining lupus biomarkers which may help both to predict disease outcome and to guide treatments.
Lupus therapies then and now
Finally, no discussion of the history of lupus is complete without a review of the development of therapy. Payne, in 1894, first reported the usefulness of quinine in the treatment of lupus. Four years later, the use of salicylates in conjunction with quinine was also noted to be of benefit.
1950;Nobel Prize awarded to scientists who discover the effects of corticosteroids.
Cortisone/corticosteroids were introduced for the treatment of lupus in the middle part of the 20th century by Hench. Presently, corticosteroids are the primary therapy for almost all individuals with lupus.
Antimalarials, used in the past principally for lupus skin and joint involvement, are now recognized to prevent the occurrence of flares, the accumulation of damage, and the occurrence of early mortality.
Cytotoxic/immunosuppressive drugs are used for glomerulonephritis, systemic vasculitis, and other severe life-threatening manifestations of lupus. Newer biologic agents are now used, either off-label or after approval by regulatory agencies in the U.S., Europe, and other countries.
Other potential drug products are being investigated as new disease pathways are being discovered.
Use Water Cure Protocol Formula (Click for Results)
Antimalarials, used in the past principally for lupus skin and joint involvement, are now recognized to prevent the occurrence of flares, the accumulation of damage, and the occurrence of early mortality.
Cytotoxic/immunosuppressive drugs are used for glomerulonephritis, systemic vasculitis, and other severe life-threatening manifestations of lupus. Newer biologic agents are now used, either off-label or after approval by regulatory agencies in the U.S., Europe, and other countries.
Other potential drug products are being investigated as new disease pathways are being discovered.
Looking forward
The history of lupus, although dating back at least to the Middle Ages, has experienced an explosion in this century, especially during the modern era over the past 60 years. It is hoped that this growth of new knowledge will allow a better understanding of immunopathogenesis of the disease and the development of more effective treatments.Use Water Cure Protocol Formula (Click for Results)
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