Lupus cured! Colitis, rheumatoid arthritis cured!

[Guest guest]

There is a book I found many years ago which has valuable information

on how to overcome and conquer disease, written by a Medical Doctor.

His name is Dr. Fuhrman. The book is called "Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease".

I've referred to this book many times in the past. I had to dig it up

again for myself, because I think it's time I get back to this

program. I specifically want to share with you a chapter on LUPUS and

how it can be overcome. If this program is put into practice EARLY, a

good life is definitely possible!There are chapters that cover many different disease conditions, but I just chose this one for a friend.Good health is possible, with the right knowledge. Don't stop looking. Be prepared to make some sacrifices and changes in your lifestyle. It is worth the effort. Pattypp. 159-164Systemic

lupus erythematosus (SLE), or simply lupus, as it is often called, is

yet another autoimmune disease with serious consequences. A variety of

body systems may be involved, including joints, the skin and the

kidneys. Excessive female sex hormones, particularly estrogen,

influence the immune system, making females more susceptible to lupus.

There is an increased chance of developing lupus during pregnancy or

with the use of birth control pills because these are situations in

which estrogen levels increase dramatically.While conventional

therapy with steroids and cytotoxic agents can help to control

symptoms, it does not treat their underlying cause. Unfortunately, the

scientific literature is biased toward chemotherapeutic agents, which

produce severe side effects, rather than "unconventional" treatments,

such as dietary modification. I can usually spot the lupus sufferers

as they walk into my office. After years of taking dangerous steroids

such as prednisone, their bodies are swollen like balloons.Recent

evidence suggests that certain foods are common offenders in

aggravating the symptoms of lupus. Understandably, the reactivity of

autoantibodies in lupus sufferers strongly cross-reacts with commonly

ingested animal proteins. Blood serum from those with SLE can also

react with proteins from plants. These proteins can be found in soy

beans, corn, spinach, and carrots. Though the animal-food-based

proteins are the prime offenders, this indicates that occasionally

plant foods should be tested for immune reactivity as well.Alfalfa

sprouts are also to be avoided in cases of lupus because ingestion of

alfalfa seed sprouts or L-canavanine, a prominent constituent of

alfalfa, causes SLE-like diseases in primates. L-canavanine is also

present in other legumes, or beans, so these, too, often need to be

avoided.Lupus flare-ups have also been reported after ingestion

of large amounts of foods containing psoralens (celery, celery salt,

parsnips, figs). Psoralens are chemicals that increase

photosensitivity in those who are sun-sensitive. Hydrazines, the

chemicals believed responsible for many cases of drug-induced lupus,

are also present in mushrooms, some food dyes, tobacco smoke, and most

cooked foods, especially cooked meats and other fatty foods.Hair

dyes contain high levels of hydrazines and other related chemicals that

are absorbed through the scalp. People exposed to hair dyes also have

a significantly increased risk of lupus.Dr. Agris, a

physician researcher on lupus and food sensitivities, has noted

numerous physicians who have described cases in which patients with SLE

have had dietary modifications influence the way they feel and the

severity of their lupus symptoms. The food typically involved

animal-based foods, not plant products.The evidence of the

powerful role diet plays in SLE and other autoimmune and collagen

vascular disease stems from multiple animal studies. These studies

note how mice and other animals with lupus fed a low-fat diet had

significantly lower ANA positivity (a marker of disease activity in the

blood) and improved survival, when compared to animals with lupus on a

higher fat diet.Not only have certain fats been implicated by

animal studies, but also some proteins, especially cow's milk proteins,

have been strongly implicated in lupus and other autoimmune illnesses.

Interestingly, mice with lupus live many times longer when their diet

is free of cow's milk.Beef and milk are probably the most

offensive of all foods to the lupus sufferer, and are repeatedly

implicated in investigations. Animals products typically combine a

high-protein content with a high-fat content, a combination inadvisable

to those suffering with autoimmune illness. Vegetable oils should also

be eliminated from the lupus diet. This is because any fat--whether

derived from animal or plant--increases body fat and the level of

circulating estrogen, and this too contributes to the immune

malfunction in lupus.As soon as a person is diagnosed with

lupus, he or she should immediately begin a medically supervised fast

to initiate a remission. Breaking the fast carefully under proper

guidance is extremely important. Upon completion of the fast, the

following foods should be avoided for a prolonged period of time:1. All animal foods, including dairy and eggs2. All legumes, except for peas and lima beans3. Celery, corn, alfalfa sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, and figs.Exposure

to all chemicals should be carefully avoided as well. Specifically,

avoid cigarette smoke, hair dyes, and pesticides. All plant food

should be organically grown or pesticide-free.The fundamental

problem in lupus seems to be that once autoantibody production is

triggered, it fails to shut down. This is the case even after the

removal of potentially inciting factors. Many lupus sufferers make

autoantibodies against their own suppressor T cells. This causes

innumerable problems because suppressor T cells are the cells that can

modulate or turn off the immune response. A vicious cycle is thereby

created. Unrestrained by suppressor T cells, antibodies flourish and

destroy more tissue, more suppressor T cells, and so on. This is why a

fast is needed, and is especially important early in the disease

because fasting can turn off this self-destructive autoimmune process.

The fast allows the body to finally turn down the triggered, revved up

immune system that is out of control. Then, when an appropriate diet

is followed after the fast, the patient can stay well.It is

very difficult to inhibit this vicious cycle by dietary change alone,

though it does occur in some people. A good example is the case

reported in The Lancet of a 16 year old girl with a continually

worsening condition in spite of aggressive steroid therapy. Against her

physician's advice, she tapered herself off the steroids and embarked

on a healthy, well-planned vegetarian diet. In a short time, her

antibody titers (indicators of disease activity) normalized, urinary

protein excretion decreased, and serum albumin rose.When a physician pays close attention to the causes

of lupus and concentrates on detoxification through fasting and diet,

the results are predictable. However, when the disease has advanced

and the patient has been taking toxic medication for years, the results

are more unpredictable and less favorable. Even so, a natural approach

should still be tried in advanced cases because improvement and even

remissions is still possible., a 37-year old woman, was

diagnosed with lupus in 1987. Since her diagnosis she had been treated

with numerous potent medications to suppress inflammation. She did not

improve, however. By 1992 she suffered from neurological complications

(headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, and nausea). She also

complained of joint and chest pain. Frustrated by her deteriorating

condition, and upon the recommendation of a friend who was familiar

with my approach to treating autoimmune disease, she made an

appointment to see me.After undergoing a 20-day fast in the

fall of 1992, was placed on a low-fat, low-protein diet,

specifically devoid of dairy products. Although initially weak from

her underlying disease and the fast, she rapidly regained her

strength. She was now off all medications and all her lupus symptoms

had resolved. Moreover, her lupus antibody level and ANA titer ( a

measure of disease activity), both previously high, tested normal.Though

this approach might seem highly unusual to some, it is not only safer

than the current treatments, but also, when started early in the

disease process, can offer complete remission from the disease. The

patient can live a completely normal life free of both the effects of

the disease and the effects of the toxic drug treatments. Dorothy,

a 43-year old woman with lupus for more than ten years, was on five

different medications when she first came to my office. Her prednisone

( a steroid medication) dose has recently been raised to 24 mg by her

rheumatologist because she had had continual flares with stabbing chest

pain, joint pains, and skin rashes. She also had significant anemia

and a rapid heartbeat. During the first month, we gradually

discontinued her medications so she could begin a fast.After a

person has been on steroid medication for such a long time, extreme

caution must be followed during the fast because their adrenal function

will still be suppressed from the chronic use of steroid medications.

For this reason and because of her rapid heart rate, Dorothy was fasted

for only one week. I was unsure whether this short fast would offer

her significant results, given the severity of her condition.A

few weeks later, Dorothy informed me that her joint pain was gone. Two

months later she was back to full time work, for the first time in many

years. She needed no medication. She felt great and was exercising

and lifting weights and looked like a completely new person. We were

both thrilled with her results. The underlying cause of

disease must be treated whenever possible. While the specific etiology

of lupus even now is still not well defined, there is sufficient

evidence to attempt this most conservative, safe and ultimately

effective approach before using the "big guns", such as steroids and

chemotherapeutic drugs, which have numerous hazardous side effects.

If a patient is treated early enough with this non-drug approach,

drug-based treatment of lupus can usually be eliminated.