The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Lupus (24 page)

· Chinese Medicine:
http://www.newcenturynutrition.com/

· drkoop.comÒ:

http://www.drkoop.com/InteractiveMedicine/IndexC.html

· Family Village:
http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/med_altn.htm

· Google:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Alternative/

· Healthnotes:
http://www.thedacare.org/healthnotes/

· Open Directory Project:
http://dmoz.org/Health/Alternative/

· TPN.com:
http://www.tnp.com/

· Yahoo.com:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Alternative_Medicine/

· WebMDÒHealth:
http://my.webmd.com/drugs_and_herbs

· WellNet:
http://www.wellnet.ca/herbsa-c.htm

· WholeHealthMD.com:

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/reflib/0,1529,,00.html

The following is a specific Web list relating to lupus nephritis; please note

that any particular subject below may indicate either a therapeutic use, or a

contraindication (potential danger), and does not reflect an official

recommendation:

·
Herbs and Supplements

Flaxseed

Alternative names: Linum usitatissimum, Linseed

Source: Integrative Medicine Communications; www.onemedicine.com

Hyperlink:

http://www.drkoop.com/interactivemedicine/ConsHerbs/Flaxseedch.

html

Linseed

Source: Integrative Medicine Communications; www.onemedicine.com

Researching Alternative Medicine 135

Hyperlink:

http://www.drkoop.com/interactivemedicine/ConsHerbs/Flaxseedch.

html

Linum usitatissimum

Source: Integrative Medicine Communications; www.onemedicine.com

Hyperlink:

http://www.drkoop.com/interactivemedicine/ConsHerbs/Flaxseedch.

html

·
Related Conditions

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Source: Healthnotes, Inc.; www.healthnotes.com

Hyperlink:

http://www.thedacare.org/healthnotes/Concern/Lupus.htm

General References

A good place to find general background information on CAM is the

National Library of Medicine. It has prepared within the MEDLINEplus

system an information topic page dedicated to complementary and

alternative medicine. To access this page, go to the MEDLINEplus site at:

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html.
This Web site

provides a general overview of various topics and can lead to a number of

general sources. The following additional references describe, in broad

terms, alternative and complementary medicine (sorted alphabetically by

title; hyperlinks provide rankings, information, and reviews at

Amazon.com):

·
Alternative Medicine for Dummies
by James Dillard (Author); Audio Cassette, Abridged edition (1998), Harper Audio; ISBN: 0694520659;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0694520659/icongroupinterna

·
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Secrets
by W. Kohatsu (Editor); Hardcover (2001), Hanley & Belfus; ISBN: 1560534400;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560534400/icongroupinterna

·
Dictionary of Alternative Medicine
by J. C. Segen; Paperback-2nd edition (2001), Appleton & Lange; ISBN: 0838516211;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0838516211/icongroupinterna

·
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to

Healthy Eating
by Walter C. Willett, MD, et al; Hardcover - 352 pages 136 Lupus Nephritis

(2001), Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0684863375;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684863375/icongroupinterna

·
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised 2nd Edition
by Michael T.

Murray, Joseph E. Pizzorno; Paperback - 960 pages, 2nd Rev edition (1997),

Prima Publishing; ISBN: 0761511571;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761511571/icongroupinterna

·
Herbs for the Urinary Tract: Herbal Relief for Kidney Stones, Bladder

Infections and Other Problems of the Urinary Tract
by Michael Moore;

Paperback - 96 pages (June 1998), McGraw Hill - NTC; ISBN: 0879838159;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0879838159/icongroupinterna

·
Integrative Medicine: An Introduction to the Art & Science of Healing
by Andrew Weil (Author); Audio Cassette, Unabridged edition (2001),

Sounds True; ISBN: 1564558541;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564558541/icongroupinterna

·
New Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses
by Deni Bown; Hardcover - 448

pages, Revised edition (2001), DK Publishing; ISBN: 078948031X;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078948031X/icongroupinterna

·
Textbook of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
by Wayne B.

Jonas; Hardcover (2003), Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; ISBN:

0683044370;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0683044370/icongroupinterna

For additional information on complementary and alternative medicine, ask

your doctor or write to:

National Institutes of Health

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Clearinghouse

P. O. Box 8218

Silver Spring, MD 20907-8218

Vocabulary Builder

The following vocabulary builder gives definitions of words used in this

chapter that have not been defined in previous chapters:

Filtration:
The passage of a liquid through a filter, accomplished by gravity, pressure, or vacuum (suction). [EU]

Researching Nutrition 137

APPENDIX C. RESEARCHING NUTRITION

Overview

Since the time of Hippocrates, doctors have understood the importance of

diet and nutrition to patients’ health and well-being. Since then, they have

accumulated an impressive archive of studies and knowledge dedicated to

this subject. Based on their experience, doctors and healthcare providers may

recommend particular dietary supplements to patients with lupus nephritis.

Any dietary recommendation is based on a patient’s age, body mass, gender,

lifestyle, eating habits, food preferences, and health condition. It is therefore likely that different patients with lupus nephritis may be given different

recommendations. Some recommendations may be directly related to lupus

nephritis, while others may be more related to the patient’s general health.

These recommendations, themselves, may differ from what official sources

recommend for the average person.

In this chapter we will begin by briefly reviewing the essentials of diet and

nutrition that will broadly frame more detailed discussions of lupus

nephritis. We will then show you how to find studies dedicated specifically

to nutrition and lupus nephritis.

138 Lupus Nephritis

Food and Nutrition: General Principles

What Are Essential Foods?

Food is generally viewed by official sources as consisting of six basic

elements: (1) fluids, (2) carbohydrates, (3) protein, (4) fats, (5) vitamins, and (6) minerals. Consuming a combination of these elements is considered to be

a healthy diet:

·
Fluids
are essential to human life as 80-percent of the body is composed of water. Water is lost via urination, sweating, diarrhea, vomiting,

diuretics (drugs that increase urination), caffeine, and physical exertion.

·
Carbohydrates
are the main source for human energy (thermoregulation) and the bulk of typical diets. They are mostly classified as being either

simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates include sugars which are often

consumed in the form of cookies, candies, or cakes. Complex

carbohydrates consist of starches and dietary fibers. Starches are

consumed in the form of pastas, breads, potatoes, rice, and other foods.

Soluble fibers can be eaten in the form of certain vegetables, fruits, oats,

and legumes. Insoluble fibers include brown rice, whole grains, certain

fruits, wheat bran and legumes.

·
Proteins
are eaten to build and repair human tissues. Some foods that are high in protein are also high in fat and calories. Food sources for protein

include nuts, meat, fish, cheese, and other dairy products.

·
Fats
are consumed for both energy and the absorption of certain

vitamins. There are many types of fats, with many general publications

recommending the intake of unsaturated fats or those low in cholesterol.

Vitamins and minerals are fundamental to human health, growth, and, in

some cases, disease prevention. Most are consumed in your diet (exceptions

being vitamins K and D which are produced by intestinal bacteria and

sunlight on the skin, respectively). Each vitamin and mineral plays a

different role in health. The following outlines essential vitamins:

·
Vitamin A
is important to the health of your eyes, hair, bones, and skin; sources of vitamin A include foods such as eggs, carrots, and cantaloupe.

·
Vitamin B1
, also known as thiamine, is important for your nervous

system and energy production; food sources for thiamine include meat,

peas, fortified cereals, bread, and whole grains.

·
Vitamin B2
, also known as riboflavin, is important for your nervous

system and muscles, but is also involved in the release of proteins from

Researching Nutrition 139

nutrients; food sources for riboflavin include dairy products, leafy

vegetables, meat, and eggs.

·
Vitamin B3
, also known as niacin, is important for healthy skin and helps the body use energy; food sources for niacin include peas, peanuts, fish,

and whole grains

·
Vitamin B6
, also known as pyridoxine, is important for the regulation of cells in the nervous system and is vital for blood formation; food sources

for pyridoxine include bananas, whole grains, meat, and fish.

·
Vitamin B12
is vital for a healthy nervous system and for the growth of red blood cells in bone marrow; food sources for vitamin B12 include

yeast, milk, fish, eggs, and meat.

·
Vitamin C
allows the body’s immune system to fight various diseases, strengthens body tissue, and improves the body’s use of iron; food

sources for vitamin C include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

·
Vitamin D
helps the body absorb calcium which strengthens bones and

teeth; food sources for vitamin D include oily fish and dairy products.

·
Vitamin E
can help protect certain organs and tissues from various

degenerative diseases; food sources for vitamin E include margarine,

vegetables, eggs, and fish.

·
Vitamin K
is essential for bone formation and blood clotting; common food sources for vitamin K include leafy green vegetables.

·
Folic Acid
maintains healthy cells and blood and, when taken by a

pregnant woman, can prevent her fetus from developing neural tube

defects; food sources for folic acid include nuts, fortified breads, leafy

green vegetables, and whole grains.

It should be noted that one can overdose on certain vitamins which become

toxic if consumed in excess (e.g. vitamin A, D, E and K).

Like vitamins, minerals are chemicals that are required by the body to

remain in good health. Because the human body does not manufacture these

chemicals internally, we obtain them from food and other dietary sources.

The more important minerals include:

·
Calcium
is needed for healthy bones, teeth, and muscles, but also helps the nervous system function; food sources for calcium include dry beans,

peas, eggs, and dairy products.

·
Chromium
is helpful in regulating sugar levels in blood; food sources for chromium include egg yolks, raw sugar, cheese, nuts, beets, whole

grains, and meat.

140 Lupus Nephritis

·
Fluoride
is used by the body to help prevent tooth decay and to reinforce bone strength; sources of fluoride include drinking water and certain

brands of toothpaste.

·
Iodine
helps regulate the body’s use of energy by synthesizing into the hormone thyroxine; food sources include leafy green vegetables, nuts,

egg yolks, and red meat.

·
Iron
helps maintain muscles and the formation of red blood cells and certain proteins; food sources for iron include meat, dairy products, eggs,

and leafy green vegetables.

·
Magnesium
is important for the production of DNA, as well as for

healthy teeth, bones, muscles, and nerves; food sources for magnesium

include dried fruit, dark green vegetables, nuts, and seafood.

·
Phosphorous
is used by the body to work with calcium to form bones

and teeth; food sources for phosphorous include eggs, meat, cereals, and

dairy products.

·
Selenium
primarily helps maintain normal heart and liver functions;

food sources for selenium include wholegrain cereals, fish, meat, and

dairy products.

·
Zinc
helps wounds heal, the formation of sperm, and encourage rapid

growth and energy; food sources include dried beans, shellfish, eggs, and

nuts.

The United States government periodically publishes recommended diets

and consumption levels of the various elements of food. Again, your doctor

may encourage deviations from the average official recommendation based