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Review
. 2013 Nov;15(11):378.
doi: 10.1007/s11926-013-0378-3.

Updated review of complementary and alternative medicine treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus

Carol M Greco  1 , Claire Nakajima, Susan Manzi
Affiliations
Review

Updated review of complementary and alternative medicine treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus

Carol M Greco et al. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

It is estimated that over 50 % of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have utilized complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments to reduce symptoms and manage their health. However, there are relatively few randomized controlled trials of CAM for SLE. This review describes recent studies of vitamins and supplements, acupuncture, and mind-body interventions in SLE patients. The recent trials of CAM treatments for SLE indicate that supplements such as vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, N-acetyl cysteine and turmeric show some promise for reducing SLE disease activity. In addition, mind-body methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and other counseling interventions may improve mood and quality of life in SLE.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Susan Manzi serves on the board for the Lupus Foundation of America, serves as a consultant for Exagen Diagnostics, and has been the co-holder of several patents.

Carol M. Greco and Claire Nakajima declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with animal subjects performed by any of the authors. With regard to the authors’ research cited in this paper, all procedures were followed in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 and 2008.

References

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