Alternative Lupus Treatments and Therapies

... Complementary medicine can be of assistance for both managing the symptoms of lupus and bolstering the immune system.  The word “alternative” might sound strange or even exotic to some, but you may be surprised to learn that many of these alternative treatment options and/or therapies are more familiar than you think. Alternative therapies can be of benefit, and are often used in conjunction with traditional medications. A better term than “alternative” is perhaps “complementary” since these therapies are typically used as a complement to traditional pharmaceuticals.

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A Pain-Drug Champion Has Second Thoughts

Two decades ago, the prominent New York pain-care specialist drove a movement to help people with chronic pain. He campaigned to rehabilitate a group of painkillers derived from the opium poppy that were long shunned by physicians because of their addictiveness.

Dr. Portenoy's message was wildly successful. Today, drugs containing opioids like Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet are among the most widely prescribed pharmaceuticals in America.

Opioids are also behind the country's deadliest drug epidemic. More than 16,500 people die of overdoses annually, more than all illegal drugs combined.

Now, Dr. Portenoy and other pain doctors who promoted the drugs say they erred by overstating the drugs' benefits and glossing over risks. "Did I teach about pain management, specifically about opioid therapy, in a way that reflects misinformation? Well, against the standards of 2012, I guess I did," Dr. Portenoy said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "We didn't know then what we know now."

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Fibromyalgia Includes Cognitive Symptoms

A new study confirms that people with fibromyalgia (FM) can experience objective impairments in cognitive and executive function independent of depression.

FM patients "often complain about the so-called 'Fibro-fog', a cluster of cognitive disorders not always reflected in poor test-based performance, but which strongly interferes with work and daily life," lead author Valentina Tesio, PhD, and colleagues write in an article published online July 21 in Arthritis Care and Research.

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