Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion General Science Discussion Forum Anybody heard of LUPUS?

LUPUS is an auto immune disease thyat goes into overdrive and causes the body to attack itself.
I would like everybody to 'force' themselves to give their different replys to this subject, and then post on ANOTHER subject.
To see what happens...I'm giving this my personal weeks tria

Is this genetic?

It is suspected that people inherit something from their parents that predisposes them to develop lupus. They are not necessarily pre-destined to develop lupus, but they may be more susceptible. Relatives of lupus patients have an approximate 5-12% greater tendency to get the disease if family members have it.

http://www.uklupus.co.uk/new.html

I have known a couple people with this desease, the type one woman had was extremly painful

I know two people with the disease. One a close friend the other a business associate: Both women.

It is in some ways similar to MS.

Women as a group are more susceptible to getting autoimmune diseases than men. There is definitely some genetic risk factor(s), as Lupus often have a higher than normal occurrence in their families of things like Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other auto-immune diseases. I myself have Chronic FAtigue Syndrome, and I have a cousin who has it, another who has Lupus, and an aunt with severe RA, within two generations from me, that I know of. That's much higher than statistical probability would project.

Lupus has two forms, depending on whether the epidermis or the internal organs are most highly involved. Lupus erythematosus means "red wolf" and is so called because of the reddish rash on the face and the butterfly pattern of reddish discoloration that crosses the bridge of the nose and the cheeks, causing a somewhat "wolfish" appearance. It is exacerbated by sunlight and UV radiation.

Thanks for the info. Since Lupus is not a very well known disease, I take it that it is difficult to diagnose? Or even know that you have aquired it?

Not that difficult to diagnose. You need a lab with the ability to do Immunofluorescent Microscopy. They can do an "Anti-nuclear Antibody" test; take a couple hours at most with reagents to hand. It requires a blood sample. I've done them. The hardest thing is to get the physician to order them; you usually have to get to a Rheumatologist or Immunologist. They're also a bit pricey, since they use immune reagents that are conjugated to fluorescent dyestuffs.

Hope that helps.

: Hello from a newbie!
Hi out there. I wanted to introduce myself to everyone. I?ve been searching the web for info about lupus and found this board. I?ve never thought about joining a board before, but after reading through some posts, I?m happy I did. I just want to say thanks to everyone for the support you offer here

Don't be afraid to consult a good hynotherapist. I helped my daughter get rid of an auto-immune disease over 40 years ago. At the time, doctors told us she had weeks to live. She is now nearly 51 and in good health.

Post deleted by DA Morgan

BTW, let us know what happens. Much love. I will keep you in my thoughts.

This is interesting:
http://www.hypnotictapes.com/images/Spiral-Spin-revised.swf

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND:

1. Before you consult a hypnotherapist, make sure it is someone with a good reputation and, perhaps, is recommended by your family doctor.

2. Some MD's do hypnotherapy. I have known several. However, it not necessary to be an MD to be a good hypnotherapist.

3. Doctors with good bed-side manners are practicing "hypnosis" without calling it that.

4. Hypnosis is not a substitute for necessary medical help.

5. What I call pneumatherapy--
a. that is, self-hypnosis without the hocus pocus--
b. psychotherapy--using psychology and psychiatry, and
c. somatherapy--diet, surgery, physical medicines, and the like,
all need to work integratively. Check out http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/index.html
With Harvard trained, Dr. Andrew Weil

Beware of stage-hypnosis. It can be harmful. So can stage
"faith" healing. I have written articles, for a Toronto paper, exposing this danger.

A hypnotherapist promoting hypnotherapy ... predatory or parasitic ... hard to tell ... hard to tell.

In truth there can be a lot of value in hypnotherapy provided it is not misused. I have checked the medical literature at the UW library and there is not a single case of hynotherapy curing an autoimmune disease that is anything other than anecdotal.

Anyone with a serious disease would be well served to steer clear of such charlatans. And keep in mind that "make sure it is someone with a good reputation" is zero value advice. It is, at least in the United States, a violation of law for a hypnotherapist to practice medicine. I suspect so too in Canada and will check with an attorney in Ottawa on Monday.

A Little more on LUPUS
More than 16,000 Americans develop lupus each year and an estimated 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans have the disease, according to the Lupus Foundation of America (2001). Sytemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease where the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between its own cells and tissues and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself, causing inflammation and injury to tisues, and pain.
Genes linked to lupus disease activity have been identified (2004) through microarray analysis.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 2005(HealthDay News) -- An immunosuppressant drug normally used to prevent organ rejection shows promise in patients with lupus nephritis, otherwise known as lupus kidney disease.

The drug is mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), marketed as CellCept by drug maker Roche. If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it would be the first drug approved for lupus in more than 30 years.

"This is very exciting," said Sandra C. Raymond, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America. "It's been almost 40 years since the FDA approved a new therapy for lupus. Having a drug that provides a young individual with a better quality of life is a great thing."

http://www.vasom.com/Global/story.asp?S=4161229

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"You will never find a real Human being - even in a mirror." .....Mike Kremer.
.

Update on LUPUS
More than 16,000 Americans develop lupus each year and an estimated 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans have the disease, according to the Lupus Foundation of America (2001). Sytemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease where the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between its own cells and tissues and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself, causing inflammation and injury to tisues, and pain.
Genes linked to lupus disease activity have been identified (2004) through microarray analysis.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 2005(HealthDay News) -- An immunosuppressant drug normally used to prevent organ rejection shows promise in patients with lupus nephritis, otherwise known as lupus kidney disease.

The drug is mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), marketed as CellCept by drug maker Roche. If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it would be the first drug approved for lupus in more than 30 years.

"This is very exciting," said Sandra C. Raymond, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America. "It's been almost 40 years since the FDA approved a new therapy for lupus. Having a drug that provides a young individual with a better quality of life is a great thing."

http://www.vasom.com/Global/story.asp?S=4161229

--------------------
"You will never find a real Human being - even in a mirror." .....Mike Kremer.
.

I originally posted about this disease back in Oct: 2004.
Then, very few people had heard about it, or could give any reason as how the disease was contracted.

Today, three years later, alarming clusters of people diagnosed with the autoimmune disease LUPUS have been found living in houses built near or on top of disused oil pumping rigs.

An excellent real time diagnosis by 'The Center For Disease Control and Prevention' in Atlanta Georgia USA. has been made
showing that it is caused by pollution of various oils.
A very worrying study below.

http://environment.newscientist.com/arti...-pollution.html

I first heard of Lupus back in the late 80's.
There is a map collection at our library dedicated to a librarian (my wife's supervisor) who had Lupus.



I've never heard of pristane! so...from the DOI:

"Pristane is a straight chain seventeen carbon alkane; phytane is an eighteen-carbon alkane. Pristanic acid is a metabolite of pristane."
"The residents in the exposed community were exposed to higher than usual background levels of various hydrocarbons including benzene, xylene, toluene, pristane, phytane and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We found higher levels of air mercury and house dust pristane/phytane in the affected neighborhood compared to other areas of Hobbs and the control town. Mercury is very volatile and so the major route of exposure would be through vapor inhalation. Pristane/phytane on the other hand is not volatile and it would be expected to be higher in the house dust."

In terms of "is it genetic?"

"The immune reaction in humans to mercury exposure is varied. Humans have increased activity of the immune system leading to autoimmunity [48] or sensitivities to the environment [49,50]. On the other hand there can be immune suppression with decreases in immune defenses such as macrophage function [51]. Low-level chronic exposure to mercury has been associated with Crohn's disease, endometriosis, lupus, and other autoimmune processes."

"Rheumatic disease is 10 times more likely; SLE is 10 times more likely in the exposed compared to their unexposed counterparts. Other symptoms common among those with immune problems are also reported with increased frequency in the exposed population including mouth sores, numbness, and rash."
"A higher prevalence of neurological symptoms, respiratory symptoms and several cardiovascular problems including stroke (OR = 15.41; CI = 0.78, 304.68) and angina (OR = 5.72; CI = 1.68, 19.43) was seen."

Conclusion (from DOI)
"There were statistically significant differences in B cells, Natural Killer Cells, gamma glutamyl transferase, globulin and serum calcium levels between control and exposed subjects.
This study adds to the evidence implicating pristane and mercury in the development of lupus and generates questions as to the possible synergistic effects of organic solvents including pristane and phytane, mercury and other exposures. Further research is needed to determine the mechanism of effect for each of the suspected causal exposures and to assess possible synergy between exposures."

Gee, you wonder why the earth has problems....
"This subdivision was built on that site in 1976. Some of the homes were built on ground that had previously been used as a pit for oil field waste, which was estimated to be 200 feet long and 30 feet wide.
The residents experienced petroleum and/or rotten egg odors inside their homes on frequent occasions. They also found black oily material oozing out of the ground either spontaneously or when digging in the soil around their property."