Lupus — an autoimmune disease that can negatively impact multiple systems in the body — can be a tough diagnosis. (1) Conventional medicine treats lupus symptoms with medications that suppress the immune system. This leaves you managing symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. But what if there was another way? What if you could reverse lupus naturally by supporting your immune system and restoring it to its optimal function?

Before I became a physician, functional medicine expert, and two-time New York Times bestselling author, I faced my own struggle with autoimmune disease. I know firsthand how frustrating it can be to hear that lupus or any autoimmune condition is just “your genetics.” I know how scary it is to hear that your only option is a lifetime of medication. That’s not the whole story! 

Yes, genetics do play a role, but they’re only one piece of the puzzle. The more significant threat comes from your environment. This could be leaky gut, food sensitivities, toxins, infections, or stress. These factors disrupt your immune system. As a result, they set the stage for autoimmune conditions like lupus. 

There’s good news! By identifying and addressing these root causes, you can reverse lupus and live a pain-free life. In this blog, I’ll walk you through the proven strategies to help you reverse lupus naturally. Ready to dive in? Let’s start with the basics of lupus.

What Causes Lupus?

Lupus occurs when your immune system can’t tell the difference between the intruder and healthy tissue. Most autoimmune diseases affect one specific system. For example, rheumatoid arthritis involves the joints, and multiple sclerosis affects the brain and spinal cord. 

Lupus, on the other hand, is like the overachiever of autoimmune diseases. It’s not satisfied with just one target! It takes on multiple systems in your body simultaneously, making it a uniquely complex condition to manage. 

All autoimmune diseases are an immune system response caused by systemic inflammation. This leads your body to attack itself. So, what causes your immune system to go rogue? Here are the five underlying causes of lupus:

5 Underlying Root Causes of Lupus

I believe there are five elements at the root of autoimmunity. It begins in your gut. I say it all the time - your gut is the gateway to health! If your gut isn’t healthy, you can’t have a healthy immune system. After all, 80% of your immune system lives in your gut.

1. Leaky Gut

Leaky gut happens when the tight junctions that hold your intestinal wall together become loose. You can think of your gut lining as a drawbridge. Teeny tiny boats (micronutrients in food) can go under the bridge without a problem. Now, vital nutrients from your food can get absorbed into your bloodstream.

When you have a leaky gut, your immune system thinks these particles are foreign invaders. This puts your immune system on high alert. It then triggers a massive rise in inflammation to fight off these free radicals. 

This continual strain on your immune system eventually causes it to go haywire. It ends up attacking your own tissues by mistake! This makes leaky gut one of the most common causes of autoimmune disease. So, to reverse lupus, you must repair your leaky gut.

2. Gluten

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and certain grains. It’s now found nearly everywhere in our modern world and is linked to more than 55 diseases. (2) Most people associate gluten with flour-based foods such as pasta and bread. However, did you know it’s also a filler in meat substitutes, medications, and supplements?

Additionally, gluten is in body products such as toothpaste. It can even find its way into “gluten-free” foods through cross-contamination.

Gluten is the number one culprit of leaky gut. That’s because it triggers the release of zonulin in your intestines. This is a chemical that tells your gut lining to “open up.” It’s also highly inflammatory, meaning it can cause stress to your immune system.

The gluten protein has a similar chemical structure to some of your body’s tissues (specifically your thyroid). This can lead to molecular mimicry, where your body mistakes your tissues for gluten and attacks them.

I recommend everyone eliminate gluten from their diet, especially if they have a gluten sensitivity. If you want to find out if you have a gluten sensitivity, I recommend trying an elimination diet.

3. Toxins

Toxic molds (mycotoxins) and heavy metals such as mercury are the main toxins I see in those with autoimmune diseases. Mycotoxins are volatile compounds produced by toxic molds. They naturally occur in our food and cleaning products. These mycotoxins wreak havoc on the immune system. (3)

The effects of toxins on our bodies are complex. After all, thousands of chemicals are out there, and we’re just beginning to understand how they work on the body. We know that a heavy toxic burden puts you at greater risk of developing an autoimmune disease. There are a few theories as to why.

One thought is that certain toxins, especially heavy metals, physically damage your tissues. Your immune system no longer recognizes these damaged cells as part of your body. It attacks them, thinking they’re foreign invaders.

Another theory is that the damage caused by toxins sets off an inflammatory response from the immune system. The constant assault of chronic exposure puts the immune system on high alert. It begins attacking everything–including healthy tissues.

While this can sound overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. You can tame your toxins through prevention. Try eating organic foods and using non-toxic cleaning and beauty products. You can also do this through detoxification. Your body’s biggest detoxifier is glutathione. That’s why I recommend supplementing with extra glutathione.

4. Infections

Scientists have long suspected that infections from bacteria, viruses, and other toxins were likely to blame as causes of autoimmune disease. Several infections have links to autoimmunity, such as Epstein-Barr (the virus that causes mono), Herpes Simplex 1 and 2, and E. coli.

Viruses like Epstein-Barr and herpes simplex never leave your system. However, you can suppress them by ensuring your immune system is healthy. When stress or illness suppresses your immune system, the infection can become active again. (4)

Once the virus is active, the inflammatory immune response damages tissue. This causes more inflammation and a more significant response from the immune system. An autoimmune disease develops from that chronic state of inflammation. So, healing your infections is necessary to reverse your autoimmunity.

5. Stress

By design, our bodies can handle acute stress. Thank goodness for that! This is stress caused by a long meeting, phone call with an ex-spouse, or sitting in traffic. Once the stressor is gone, you no longer feel the effects of stress. 

However, your immune system stays on high alert if your stress response is always on. This will cause it to go rogue and begin attacking everything in sight!

Taking adaptogens to support a healthy stress response is crucial in managing stress. Moreover, learning natural ways to relieve stress is essential for an optimal stress response.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Breathing: Meditation and breathing exercises will help calm your anxiety and stress. I recommend the app HeartMath.
• Dance: Moving your body can help you “shake off” your stress. In the words of Taylor Swift, shake it off!
• Listen to music: Amazingly, half an hour of listening to music can reduce your cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone. So put on your headphones and fire up your favorite tunes!
• Gentle exercise: I always enjoy walking with my family and our dogs. A long walk in a natural setting–changing your environment can help you get away from your stress.
• Addressing your stress is just part of getting to the root cause of autoimmune disease. Read on to learn about my proven method to help you reverse lupus, get off harsh medications, and enjoy life without lupus symptoms. I call it The Myers Way®.

Reverse Lupus With The Myers Way®

The Myers Way® is a proven approach to chronic illness that can get to the root of lupus symptoms. This lifestyle rests on four pillars to get to the root cause of autoimmune disease so you can reverse lupus and live a vibrant, symptom-free life.

Pillar I: Heal Your Gut

You begin by healing the gut. In functional medicine, we use the proven 4R approach:

• Remove the bad – Get rid of things that negatively impact the environment of your gastrointestinal tracts. These include toxins and inflammatory foods, as well as intestinal infections such as SIBO and yeast overgrowth.
• Restore what’s missing — Add Gut Restore with Betaine and HCL and digestive enzymes to your daily regimen to help support digestion and nutrient absorption.
• Reinoculate with healthy bacteria — Restore beneficial bacteria with a probiotic supplement to re-establish a healthy balance of bacteria to heal your gut.
• Repair the gut — Provide the necessary nutrients to help the gut repair itself. Leaky Gut Revive® Max supports your immune system and gut lining. It now comes in three different flavors to satisfy different taste buds. Adding collagen protein or drinking bone broth will also help to heal your gut.

Pillar II: Get Rid of Gluten, Grains, and Legumes

Now that you’ve healed your gut, it’s time to make diet changes. Start by eliminating foods such as gluten, grains, and legumes. They can cause damage to your intestinal tract and inflammation. 

I also recommend that those with autoimmune diseases avoid vegetables in the nightshade family. These include peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes. These plants are very high in lectins. These proteins damage the gut lining, quickly enter the bloodstream, and do not break down in cooking.

Pillar III: Tame the Toxins

Many patients notice improvement after addressing the first two pillars. You may be exposed to too many toxins if you don’t see progress. We are exposed to thousands of toxins every day. 

They are in the water you drink, the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the cookware, cleaning products, and cosmetics you use.

Unfortunately, we cannot avoid toxins altogether. As such, the solution is to reduce your body’s toxic burden by:

• Buying clean skincare and body products
• Cleaning your air by getting a HEPA filter for your home. I use AIRDoctor® air filters in my home.
• Buy clean food and eat organic whenever possible. It can be expensive, so buy free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, and wild-caught seafood at the very least.
• Clean your water by installing water filters on your shower taps and sinks. I have a complete filtration system from Aquasana.

Pillar IV: Heal Your Infections and Relieve Your Stress

If your symptoms haven’t cleared up after addressing the first three pillars, it’s time to dig deeper. The fourth pillar of The Myers Way® focuses on healing your infections and relieving your stress.

To relieve stress, I suggest adopting daily stress-relieving strategies. A few of my favorites include breathing exercises, listening to music, dancing, taking a long walk, or practicing yoga.

To support optimal adrenal gland health and healthy energy levels, I recommend adding Adrenal Support. Adrenal Support promotes a more balanced physical and emotional stress response. It uses a cutting-edge blend of adaptogenic herbs to do this.

Now that you understand the causes of lupus and how The Myers Way® can help you reverse lupus naturally, let’s talk about the lupus symptoms and how lupus is diagnosed.

Signs and Symptoms of Lupus

As I mentioned, lupus, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), can affect various parts of the body. Lupus symptoms and signs can vary from person to person and differ in women and men. Here are the signs of lupus in both men and women. (5)

Lupus Symptoms in Women

Lupus is more common in women than men, particularly in women of childbearing age. In fact, 9 out of 10 people with lupus are women. Here are the most common lupus symptoms in women:

• Fatigue: A feeling of extreme tiredness that does not go away with rest.
• Joint pain and stiffness: Pain and stiffness in the joints, especially in the morning.
• Skin rashes: A butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose or other skin rashes that worsen with sun exposure.
• Fever: A fever higher than 100.5°F that occurs without an apparent cause.
• Raynaud’s phenomenon: Fingers or toes that turn white or blue in response to cold or stress.
• Shortness of breath: Difficulty breathing, chest pain, or a cough.
• Kidney problems: Blood or protein in the urine or swelling in the legs.
• Mouth sores: Sores in the mouth or nose that last more than a week.
• Hair loss: Hair that falls out in patches or clumps.
• Headaches: Persistent headaches, often with sensitivity to light or noise.

In addition to these symptoms, women with lupus may experience menstrual irregularities. These include heavier or more painful periods or periods that stop altogether. Pregnant women with lupus are at an increased risk of complications, such as preeclampsia and preterm delivery.

It’s important to note that not all women with lupus will experience all of these symptoms. Some may have lupus symptoms different from those listed above.

Lupus Symptoms in Men

Lupus is much less common in men. The lupus symptoms are similar to women. However, men with lupus may also experience symptoms such as erectile dysfunction and reduced sex drive. In addition, men with lupus may be more likely to develop certain complications, such as cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

It’s challenging to get a lupus diagnosis. This is because it’s often overlooked or misdiagnosed. However, there are several tests your functional medicine doctor can order to determine if you have lupus.

How Is Lupus Diagnosed?

Usually, a doctor will review your medical history and your family history and look for signs of inflammation. There is no one test for lupus. The thing is, many different aspects must fit together, and it can take years to diagnose. This is one of the greatest frustrations most people have dealing with lupus symptoms.

The most common tests include looking at medical history and urine tests to detect protein or blood in your urine. You could also have a physical examination to look for skin rashes, and joint tenderness.

Blood tests can help detect specific antibodies and other inflammation markers often present in people with lupus. These include antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-dsDNA antibodies, and anti-Smith antibodies.

Imaging studies, such as X-rays, ultrasound, or CT scans, may be ordered to check for organ damage, such as in the lungs or heart, caused by lupus.

A person must have at least four lupus symptoms to be diagnosed with lupus. These symptoms must also be present for an extended period and not explained by another medical condition.

My Solution To Reverse Lupus

Whether you’re dealing with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s, or another autoimmune condition, you can beat your symptoms, regain energy, and feel like yourself again. For total support, The Myers Way® Autoimmune Kit combines four of the most important nutritional supplements for anyone concerned with autoimmunity.

Let’s have a look at these four supplements:

• Resveratrol: Each lozenge packs the health benefits of 2-4 glasses of red wine without the alcohol, sugar, or risk of yeast overgrowth. Resveratrol is an extremely powerful free radical fighter and also helps support inflammation levels.
• L-Glutamine: L-Glutamine is an essential amino acid that helps maintain a healthy intestinal barrier and beat sugar cravings.
• Glutathione: The body’s most potent free radical fighter and detoxifier; critical for a strong immune system and clearing toxins from your body.
• Curcumin Super Soluble: My doctor-designed fat-soluble formula supports a healthy inflammation response and immune system function.

The Final Word on How To Reverse Lupus

Lupus may be a challenging diagnosis, but it’s not the end of your journey. Think of it as the beginning of a new path to reclaim your health. By addressing the root causes of lupus, such as toxins, leaky gut, stress, and food sensitivities, you can reverse lupus naturally and get back to enjoying your life. 

I have seen thousands of patients reverse lupus using my proven approach. I created The Myers Way® to empower you to regain your health by getting to the root cause of lupus so you can live a normal life. In addition, The Myers Way® Autoimmune Kit will give you the support you need to take back your health.

You don’t have to settle for just managing lupus symptoms or a lifetime of medications. You can take control of this situation — I’m here to guide you every step of the way!