Many people know that Lupus (systemic Lupus erythematosus – SLE) is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are a class of conditions where your immune system attacks your own body. There are many autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, colitis and allergies. The prevalence of all of these conditions is increasing.

What causes Lupus and other autoimmune conditions and what can we do about them?

Causes of Lupus
We need to be very cautious when we talk about causes, whether we are talking about Lupus or any other condition. There are two basic reasons: 1) Accuracy. Our view of medicine and, therefore, our understanding of disease is growing daily. We simply don’t have the complete information to be able to see why someone may have Lupus or any other disease. Stating a “cause” would be inaccurate.  2) Hope. We certainly don’t want to add emotional distress to the victim of a disease by telling them their condition is hopeless; this hopeless attitude may be a by-product of our wrong view of disease.

Instead, let’s talk about the process of Lupus and other autoimmune disorders. It is a three-step process leading to disease:

1. Antecedents– Antecedents are the things that go before something else. There are specific immune complexes called CD8 that are needed to harmonize your system from day to day. With Lupus, the CD8 suppressing antecedents are often toxins called xenoestrogens (fake estrogens in our environment). These include dioxin, DDT and carbon tetrachloride. They also include plastics (Bisphenol A and phthalates), preservatives like BHA and food coloring such as red dye #3.

   Antecedents also include deficiencies. People suffering from Lupus commonly have deficiencies in Vitamin D, B-6, B-12, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and essential fatty acids.

2. Triggers – Triggers are the substances or events that activate the disease process. In Lupus, the trigger is commonly stress. Stress – especially “social defeat” stress – suppresses the harmonizing effect of CD8. Virus infections are common triggers as well. The Epstein-Barr virus is found in the organs of many people with Lupus.

3. Inflammatory mediators  – Inflammatory mediators are the chemicals that cause inflammation. Runaway inflammation is what destroys the internal organs of people with Lupus.

What we can do
Lupus is a serious disease that may eventually kill the people it attacks. Never undertake the treatment of such a serious medical condition without a qualified healthcare provider as your guide.

Think of Lupus and other autoimmune conditions as a poisonous tree with a root (antecedent), shoot (trigger) and fruit (inflammatory mediators). Simply addressing the “fruit” of inflammation is, while important, not enough. We must uproot the entire tree. The tool we need to accomplish this is CD8.

Strike at the roots of the tree by removing toxins and poisons that block CD8: insecticides, plastics, preservatives and food colorings. Build up your CD8 by supplementing your nutrition with Vitamin D, B-6, B-12, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and essential fatty acids. Reduce and remove the triggers that blunt CD8, especially stress. Then go after the poisonous fruits, the inflammation that destroys vital organs.

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