Lupus Encyclopedia

Below is a copy of an email I received from the Sjogren's Foundation on 10/14/2020. I wanted to share this offer with others who could benefit:

The Sjogren's Foundation recommends BasicBites to help decrease the risk for dental cavities and tooth loss for people with decreased saliva formation. Below is a copy of an email I got from them about the product. (note that I get no compensation for making this recommendation. I just happen to think it is a good one). MAKE SURE TO USE PROMO CODE: sfsave5

The Sjögren’s Foundation is excited to share with you information about the revolutionary product BasicBites®. These delicious 15 calorie chocolate soft chews are clinically shown to maintain enamel health.

As you know, the Foundation likes to share with you information about new products and services that are available for Sjögren’s patients as well as those that offer discounts to Sjögren’s patients. We hope you’ll take time to learn more about this product and learn if it is right for you!

​Take $5 Off Your Purchase - Use Promo Code sfsave5

Offer ends Oct. 31st, 2020
All other discounts still apply.

Recommended by leading dental professionals, multi-action BasicBites® are essential for individuals with dry mouth. Dry mouth can wreak havoc on your teeth by creating an acidic oral environment that also favors harmful plaque bacteria. BasicBites® work differently than other oral care and dry mouth products. These delicious soft chews coat and replenish teeth with key nutrients also found in healthy saliva - arginine bicarbonate and calcium carbonate. These vital teeth protecting nutrients can be in very short supply if you have dry mouth. 

​BasicBites® nourish the beneficial pH-raising bacteria discovered in dental plaque. This natural prebiotic approach instantly activates and boosts your mouth’s natural defenses that nurture the beneficial pH-raising bacteria discovered on tooth surfaces, while crowding out the harmful acid producing plaque bacteria. BasicBites® immediately counteract and buffer harmful plaque acids, enrich and fortify enamel and support a sustained healthy oral environment. 

Just two BasicBites® a day are clinically shown to maintain enamel health. The revolutionary saliva mimicking technology in BasicBites® was developed by internationally recognized scientists in the Department of Oral Biology at Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine.

BasicBites® supercharge your mouth’s natural defenses... just like healthy saliva.

• Nourish beneficial pH-raising bacteria discovered in dental plaque
• Counteract and buffer harmful sugar acids
• Enrich and fortify enamel
• Maintain a healthy oral pH environment
• Now available in chocolate and caramel flavors

Treat yourself and your teeth! To learn more and purchase BasicBites® soft chews, please visit www.basicbites.com/sjogrens or call 800-863-9943. Free shipping and discount offers available. Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Please comment by clicking "Comments" at the top then fill out "LEAVE A REPLY" ... Please share this with others who have lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, or dry mouth

After you take the survey, please consider commenting about the survey and about your experience with getting diagnosed. Newer and better tests are being developed. Doctors know that it can be very hard and frustrating. Using surveys like this can help us track over time how long it takes and what the diagnostic journey is like.

Lupus patients are more likely to have allergies to antibiotics

​Many systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients report numerous drug allergies. However, studies do not show an increased amount of allergies than non-lupus patients (other than antibiotics). SLE patients have higher rates of allergies and intolerances to penicillins, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, and the antibiotic erythromycin. The most important antibiotic intolerance is that of sulfonamide (often called “sulfa”) antibiotics. This most commonly refers to the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim and Septra).

Sulfur versus sulfonamides versus other sulfa drugs and lupus

The element called sulfur exists in all of us, so none of us are allergic to sulfur. Many different molecules contain sulfur to include sulfates, sulfites, and sulfonamides. Lupus patients have an increased risk of antibiotic sulfonamides (specifically Bactrim, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) flaring their lupus. Sulfonamide antibiotics are very different than sulfates, sulfites, and others. These are safe for lupus patients to take. There are some non-antibiotic sulfonamides (furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, acetazolamide, sulfonylureas used for diabetes, and celecoxib). However, these do not appear to increase lupus flares and are safe for lupus patients to take (unless they just happen to have an allergy to that particular drug). 

Sulfa antibiotics can cause significant lupus flares (list is as an allergy!)

Around one-third of lupus (SLE) patients have reactions to Bactrim, and it can cause lupus flares as well. These reactions are more common in Caucasians, those with low lymphocyte counts (lymphopenia), and anti-SSA positive patients. Still, they can occur in any lupus patient. They especially can cause flares of fever, sun-sensitive rashes, and low blood cell counts. Sometimes these flares can be severe. There are so many other antibiotics now available that sulfonamide antibiotics can usually be avoided in SLE patients. 

I, and most lupus experts, recommend that all lupus patients always carry an up-to-date medication list (similar to the first image, above) and that it also includes an allergy list that includes “sulfa antibiotics.” This can protect you if you ever get sick and end up in the emergency room where it can be hard to remember to tell your entire medical history. While lupus patients are more likely to be intolerant of the antibiotics penicillin, cephalosporins, and erythromycin, these do not typically cause lupus flares, and the vast majority of SLE patients tolerate them well. Therefore, they do not need to be avoided in lupus patients who are not allergic to them.

Background of "The Lupus Secrets":

A long time ago, I realized that most patients and most physicians were not familiar with all the important things that lupus patients can do themselves that improve their health and lives. So, I made a list and called them “The Lupus Secrets" that addresses these important things. I called them "The Lupus Secrets" not because I wanted them to be a secret, but because they appeared to be a secret since most people (and doctors) did not know about all of them.

I regularly update this list as our knowledge of lupus improves. I give this list to all my patients, and encourage them to follow it. Most of my SLE patients are in remission or low disease activity, and I care for over 200 people who have SLE. I attribute my patients’ utilization of “The Lupus Secrets” as an important tool in achieving this goal. Please download a copy. Each recommendation has medical literature to back it up (check out the references below for this "Secret"), though each varies in the strength of evidence. 
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References:
Petri, M, Allbritton, J. Antibiotic allergy in systemic lupus erythematosus: a case-control study. J Rheumatol 1992; 19: 265–269.​
​Wozniacka A, Sysa-Jedrzejowska A, Robak E, Samochocki Z, Zak-Prelich M. Allergic diseases, drug adverse reactions and total immunoglobulin E levels in lupus erythematosus patients. Mediators Inflamm. 2003;12(2):95-99. doi:10.1080/0962935031000097709