Although uncommon, lupus can attack the pancreas, an organ near the stomach that helps the body process food into nutrients.  The pancreas is very important, since it produces the enzymes that the body uses to breakdown proteins, sugars, fats, and starches into a form that the body’s cells can use for energy. It also produces hormones that regulate digestion, blood sugar levels, and whether we feel hungry or full. This makes it vital to maintaining a healthy weight and to a functional metabolism in general. The pancreas also holds channels that connect the liver to the rest of the digest ..read more

Vision problems are sometimes considered an early symptom of lupus, experienced by over 28% of patients. Humans in general are very visual – we pay a lot of attention to color, patterns, and movement. Most of society is designed around sight-based communication, including traffic signals, signboards, advertisements, books, and art. While there are accommodations for people who have their sight impaired, such as braille and screen readers, these accommodations are not always enough to navigate a world so targeted to the visual. When lupus interferes with sight, it has a huge effect on everyday ..read more

Hidradenitis Suppurativa is an autoimmune disease that sometimes occurs alongside lupus. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the body’s own cells. With Systemic Lupus, the whole body is affected. However, in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE,) skin-related symptoms such as rashes, lesions, and dry, flaking, itchy skin. Lupus is often known as the “great imitator” because it can mimic symptoms of other diseases. However, lupus can occur alongside other diseases as well, sometimes even other autoimmune disorders. One of these disorders is ..read more

Calcineurin inhibitors are important medications for lupus that are particularly important for people with lupus nephritis. Calcineurin is a hardworking molecule found in everything from plants to insects to humans. Calcineurin gets its name from the metal calcium (Ca on the periodic table) which is one of the materials that is used to build this molecule. Calcineurin inhibitors prevent calcineurin from doing its job and are used as immunosuppressant medications to treat lupus. Calcineurin inhibitors are under investigation for people with kidney focused lupus (lupus nephritis) that does not ..read more

Vision problems are sometimes considered an early symptom of lupus, experienced by over 28% of patients. Humans in general are very visual – we pay a lot of attention to color, patterns, and movement. Most of society is designed around sight-based communication, including traffic signals, signboards, advertisements, books, and art. While there are accommodations for people who have their sight impaired, such as braille and screen readers, these accommodations are not always enough to navigate a world so targeted to the visual. When lupus interferes with sight, it has a huge effect on everyday ..read more

While a rare and expensive treatment, CAR-T cell therapy enables drug-free remission by using the immune system itself to clear out the cells that cause autoimmunity. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that turns the body’s own immune system against itself. So, it shouldn’t seem too out-of-the-blue that many treatments for SLE target the immune system. Usually, these medications reduce inflammation, or by forcing the immune system to be less active. These medications have serious and unpleasant side effects, but for many people with lupus, reducing or even stopping th ..read more

Yoga is a stress-relieving exercise that has many potential benefits for people with lupus. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that affects every organ system in the body. Regular exercise can help with many of the symptoms of lupus, especially where it affects the cardiovascular system (including the heart and brain) and mental health, as well as being good for the overall health of the body. You can read more about the cardiovascular risks of lupus here.  However, for many people with lupus, it can be difficult to get enough exercise. Lupus symptoms like joint ..read more

Men make up 1/10 of people with lupus, and it appears to manifest differently.  Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks its own cells throughout the body, leading to a wide range of symptoms.  SLE is well known to affect women and minorities disproportionately. 78% of people with autoimmune disease are female, and of those, about 90% of people with lupus are female.  However, this doesn’t mean that people of all genders and all ethnic groups can’t get lupus! Men are an understudied group when it comes to lupus and autoimmune diseases ..read more

Both the symptoms of lupus and the medications used to treat it can cause fluid retention in the body, usually in the feet or hands. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that effects organs throughout the body. A common and frustrating symptom is swelling in the joints and extremities which causes pain, discomfort, and can be a blow to the self esteem of a person with lupus. Often, this is actually bodily fluids, mostly water, that the body is holding onto for some reason. It is not unusual for the body to leak some excess fluid – which is not blood but can have some bl ..read more

Water is vital to good health. What does water do for you, and how do you get enough of it? We need water, and quite a bit of it: According to the Mayo Clinic, we need approximately 2.7 liters (for women) to 3.7 liters (for men.) This comes out to about 11.5 cups and 15.5 cups respectively, though it’s a good idea to overshoot this measurement a bit.  Water is a special molecule that is vital for all life on the planet. This is because it is a unique molecule which has properties that enable many chemical reactions to happen. It also is handy for carrying out toxins, protecting and lubri ..read more