How to Naturally Support Sjögren’s Syndrome

Do you or a loved one have a diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome? Are you curious to know more about the condition, why it occurs and how it can be managed? Read on for answers to these questions along with natural strategies to reduce the impact of Sjogren’s on your life.

What is Sjögren’s Syndrome?

Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease. This means the immune system, intended to protect you from external threats, has lost some of its selectivity. The result is the fighting army of your immune system mistakenly attacking your body’s own cells.

There are over one hundred autoimmune diseases, including well-known conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes. Sjögren’s syndrome is less familiar to many people. It occurs when the immune system attacks the glands producing secretions. These include the tear and salivary glands, and the mucous membrane lining the gastro-intestinal tract.

Sjögren’s affects more women than men (around 90% of patients are women), and approximately 0.6% of the UK population. It commonly occurs alongside one or more other autoimmune conditions, and it most frequently appears between the ages of 45 and 55.

What are the Symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome?

Symptoms can vary widely between person to person. However, you may experience the following:

Dry eyes
Dry mouth and nose
Dry or itchy skin
Aching joints and muscles
Fatigue
Difficulty swallowing
Tooth decay or gum issues
Persistent cough
Swollen glands in your cheek, neck or under the jaw
Vaginal dryness
Bad taste in the mouth, or alternatively loss of taste
Hoarse or quiet voice
Brain fog
Heartburn or indigestion
Sensitivity to light

Many people find their symptoms come and go. Because symptoms overlap with other potential diseases, it often takes some time to obtain a Sjögren’s diagnosis.

How is Sjögren’s Syndrome Treated?

Conventional medicine can only offer treatments to alleviate symptoms. These may include eye drops, mouthwashes, vaginal lubricants, painkillers, steroid drugs to alleviate inflammation, and drugs to suppress the immune system. However, these treatments often come with side effects. In any case, they don’t address the underlying reasons why the immune system has lost its selectivity.

What Causes Sjögren’s Syndrome?

Why the immune system chooses to attack a specific part of the body is still unclear. However, certain factors are associated with a general lack of selectivity of the immune system, in common with all autoimmune conditions. Autoimmune diseases tend to run in families, but environmental factors are responsible for triggering these genetic tendencies.

Lifestyle factors greatly influence your immune system. Ongoing stress and poor sleep significantly affect its function and trigger a rise in inflammation.
Many people don’t realise the vast majority of the immune system is located in the gut. Poor gut health causes the immune system to become imbalanced. Furthermore, dysbiosis in the bacterial community resident in the gut, the microbiome, is associated with increased prevalence of Sjögren’s symptoms (1). Meanwhile, many practitioners notice Sjögren’s sufferers tend to have an overly permeable gut lining, known as leaky gut. This makes sense as pathogenic bacteria and other foreign substances are then able to enter the bloodstream where they’re not meant to be, triggering the immune system. An immune system constantly on high alert can mean it loses its selectivity over time.
A bacterial or viral infection, particularly one lying dormant in the body, may spark off an autoimmune disease such as Sjögren’s.
Because so many Sjögren’s sufferers are female and of perimenopausal or menopausal age, it’s extremely likely hormones play a role. The balance between sex hormones including oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone has been found to be a factor (2).
Your immune system needs sufficient nutrients to thrive. For example, low levels of vitamin D have been linked with complications of Sjögren’s disease (3). Meanwhile, omega 3 fats (4), as well as vitamin B6 and C (5), not only help counter inflammation, but in research helped reduce eye dryness.
Exposure to toxins such as moulds, environmental pollutants and plastics may adversely affect immune system function.

Help and Support Towards Managing Sjögren’s Syndrome

An anti-inflammatory diet, packed with plant foods containing natural fibre, healthy fats and polyphenols can help to lower inflammation and support healthy immune activity. A Functional Nutritionist can evaluate how your diet and nutrient status may be impacting your body.

Stress management techniques are crucial to managing Sjögren’s. Here at the Forbes Clinic, we can recommend mind/body therapies appropriate for you, including Emotional Freedom Technique or Integrative Hypnotherapy.

Micro-Immunotherapy is a clinically proven, cutting-edge treatment designed to naturally recalibrate your immune system, restoring healthy function.

Because of the complexity of an autoimmune disease like Sjögren’s syndrome, a great place to begin your natural health journey with us is with an Integrative Health Assessment. This takes an in-depth look at your diet, lifestyle, and health history to dig down into the causes of your condition, going beyond simply looking at your symptoms. This enables imbalances in your body to be corrected, promoting lasting health.

Alternatively, you may prefer to start by ordering one of our convenient, at-home Functional self-test kits. A GI Map test assesses your gut health, including microbiome balance and intestinal permeability, while an Adrenal Stress and Cortisol test can reveal whether ongoing stress may be impacting your health.

Start your natural health journey today by booking a Discovery Call.