Ten natural cough remedies

Many people with Sjogren's develop a cough because of dryness in the air passages. 

Sjogren's is a systemic disease and treatment for a dry cough caused by SS should be treated by a medication/treatment that treats the whole body.

Many people, for a variety of reasons, do not fare well on these medications and choose to try complementary treatments. Here are 10 natural cough remedies (which were reviewed by a doctor):

1. Honey tea: mix 2 teaspoons (tsp) with warm water or an herbal tea. Drink this mixture once or twice a day.

2. Ginger: Brew up a soothing ginger tea by adding 20–40 grams (g) of fresh ginger slices to a cup of hot water. Allow to steep for a few minutes before drinking. Add honey or lemon juice to improve the taste and further soothe a cough.

3. Warm Fluids: beverages that may be comforting include:

• clear broths
• herbal teas
• decaffeinated black tea
• warm water
• warm fruit juices

4. Steam: Take a hot shower or bath and allow the bathroom to fill with steam. Stay in this steam for a few minutes until symptoms subside. Drink a glass of water afterward to cool down and prevent dehydration.

5. Marshmallow root: Add hot water to either dried herb or a bagged marshmallow root tea and then drink it immediately or allow it to cool first.

Marshmallow root is available to purchase in health stores or online.

6. Bromelain has anti-inflammatory properties. Some people drink pineapple juice daily to reduce mucus in the throat and suppress coughing. However, there may not be enough bromelain in the juice to relieve symptoms.

Bromelain supplements are available and may be more effective at relieving a cough. However, it is best to speak with a doctor before trying any new supplements. People who take blood thinners or specific antibiotics should not take bromelain.

7. Thyme is a common remedy for a cough, a sore throat, and digestive issues. To treat coughs using thyme, look for a cough syrup that contains this herb. Alternatively, make thyme tea by adding 2 tsp of dried thyme to a cup of hot water. Steep for 10 minutes before straining and drinking.

8. Dietary changes for acid reflux which is a common cause of a cough. Avoiding foods that can trigger acid reflux is one of the best ways to manage this condition and reduce the cough that accompanies it.

The foods and beverages that most commonly trigger acid reflux include:

• alcohol
• caffeine
• chocolate
• citrus foods
• fried and fatty foods
• garlic and onions
• mint
• spices and spicy foods
• tomatoes and tomato-based products

9. Slippery elm

Make slippery elm tea by adding 1 tsp of the dried herb to a cup of hot water. Steep for at least 10 minutes before drinking. It is important to note that slippery elm can interfere with the absorption of medications.

Slippery elm is available in powder and capsule form in health stores and online.

10. Probiotics

Probiotics do not directly relieve a cough, but they may boost the immune system by balancing the bacteria in the gut.

A superior immune system can help to fight off infections or allergens that may be causing the cough.

Supplements containing Lactobacillus and other probiotics are available at health stores and drug stores.

Some foods are also naturally rich in probiotics, including:

• miso soup
• natural yogurt
• kimchi
• sauerkraut

However, the number and diversity of probiotic units in foods can vary greatly. It may be best to take probiotic supplements in addition to eating probiotic-rich foods.

To read the full article with the reasons why these things are recommended please visit Medical News Today. 

Sjögren's syndrome affects more than exocrine glands!

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a common immune disease that mainly
affects the exocrine glands. That's what we usually read! But we sufferers know that it affects many, many other parts of the body.

What exactly though is an exocrine gland? These are glands that secrete a substance out through a duct. They include the salivary glands, sweat glands and glands within the gastrointestinal tract, which is the stomach and intestines. The exocrine glands are the "glands of external secretion." (medicinenet)

Xerostomia is the medical term for dry mouth. But it is so much more:

• reduced saliva 
• tooth decay 
• dental erosion 
• difficulty wearing dentures
• oral thrush  
• altered taste sensation 
• altered sense of smell 
• burning or tingling sensation in the mouth
• deep grooves in tongue 
• difficulty swallowing and chewing 
• dry, sore, and cracked lips and corners of the mouth 
• mouth soreness 
• dry throat 
• dry cough 

Keratoconjuctivitis sicca is the condition of having dry eyes. Symptoms include:

• eye irritation 
• redness 
• discharge
• easily fatigued eyes
• blurred vision
• scarring of the cornea may occur without treatment
• pressure behind the eye
• excess tearing

SS can involve many other organs including:

• lung (interstitial lung disease)
• kidney (renal tubular acidosis and hypokalemia)
• nerve (peripheral neuropathy) 
• vessel (vasculitis, Raynaud's phenomenon)
• bladder (interstitial cystitis)
• lymph node (lymphadenopathy)
• liver (autoimmune hepatitis)
• pancreas (pancreatitis) 
• GI (reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer)

New evidence in treating eye dryness in Sjogren's Syndrome

Emerging evidence suggests that B cell and co-stimulatory targeted therapy may be used in the future to treat eye dryness symptoms in Sjogren's Syndrome.
Recent developments in the understanding of SS show that eye dryness is associated with:

• dysfunction of the lacrimal glands
• changes in the tear composition
• abnormalities in chemicals secreted by nerve cells

"There is good evidence for the use of topical artificial tears, antiinflammatories and Cyclosporine, and oral Pilocarpine and Cevimeline in controlling the symptoms of ocular dryness associated with SS." See Reference below.

CONCLUSIONS OF THE RESEARCH:  Conventional DMARDs are not particularly effective in treating the symptoms of dryness in the eyes in Sjogren's Syndrome (SS). These drugs are commonly prescribed for SS. Emerging evidence suggests that B cell and co-stimulatory targeted therapy may play a role in the future.

B cell activation

B cell depletion has been associated with improvement in many (but not all) conditions associated with autoantibody production.

B cell targeted therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was developed with the objective of removing B cell clones responsible for the production of pathogenic autoantibodies. [1]. This has not been achieved yet but B cell depletion therapy has been found to have a major impact on RA in the short term.

This post is my attempts to simplify medical research into Sjogren's Syndrome so that people with SS can understand: Here is the REFERENCE: Advances in the treatment of ocular dryness associated with Sjögren׳s syndrome. PubMed June 2015 Ciurtin C, Ostas A, Cojocaru VM, Walsh SB, Isenberg DA.

Find out more about DMARD's: what they are and specific ones.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome sufferers prone to develop serious complications

I did not like the results of this study and found it quite depressing.

Patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome are prone to develop serious complications over the long term, despite the presumption that this is a relatively benign autoimmune disease, a 25-year review found.

For instance, fully half developed an additional autoimmune disease such as cutaneous lupus, and one in every 10 was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to Esha Abrol, BSc, of University College London.
 

The study was of only152 patients but they had been studied since 1986. There were other important facts that came out of this study as well:

• one quarter of the patients had nervous system involvement and peripheral neuropathy
• 18.5% of patients had died at an average age of 72, which is 10 years earlier than the average life expectancy of a woman un the UK
• the most common disease was non- Hodgkin's lymphoma

I am not sure what can be done about this except to enjoy life while we have it and have regular check ups by a specialist in Sjogren's Syndrome.

Do you feel that you have a good specialist who understands all this?

Read the full report from Medpage. Maybe we should be printing it out and taking it to our specialists.

 

Sjogren's fact of the week

Gluten: Wheat, rye & triticale

Biopsy of the small bowel revealed the occurrence of celiac like disease in 15% of Primary Sjogren's Syndrome patients.

Want more information: Institute of Medical Technology, University of Tampere, Finland: Celiac disease and markers of celiac disease latency in patients with
primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Read more about gluten (wheat, rye and triticale) and Sjogren's Syndrome and my personal story here.

Do you have a problem with gluten?

What affects your dryness in Sjogren's?

Have you noticed a problem with sugar and your health?

I have found a few things that increase my Sjogren's dryness in my mouth. Obviously salt and soy sauce and take away foods that are full of salt but also tea. Yes plain ordinary tea. I drink it with skim milk and almost 1 sugar. Whenever I have a cup of tea my tongue gets sore afterwards, almost as if the tea has burnt it but I am not drinking it very hot.
Now I have found something that actually decreases my mouth dryness! SUGAR. I don't mean eating sugar, I mean removing sugar from my diet. The added bonus is when I don't use sugar I don't enjoy tea so it kills two birds with one stone. The dehydrating effect of tea is gone and the sugar is gone too.
If you are interested in quitting sugar I have found a great book called The 21 Day Sugar Detox which gives a step-by-step program, recipes, guidance including daily emails and an online community. Click Here! if you want to find out more.

Do I have Primary or Secondary Sjogren's Syndrome?

Primary Versus Secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome

Sjögren’s syndrome is classified as either primary or secondary.
Both are systemic diseases, meaning they can affect many systems in the body, and they occur with about equal frequency.

The primary form causes early and gradually progressive decreased function in the lacrimal and salivary glands, and can include a variety of extraglandular conditions.

The secondary form occurs in people who already have another autoimmune connective tissue disease, most commonly rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. These people then develop dry eyes or dry mouth.

Some people with Sjögren’s syndrome have certain autoantibodies circulating in their blood called “anti-SS-A” and “anti-SS-B.” They are strongly but not exclusively associated with Sjögren’s syndrome. Other people with clear evidence of primary Sjögren’s syndrome do not have those antibodies.

Although people with secondary Sjögren’s syndrome generally have less severe ocular and oral problems than those with the primary form, they also have to contend with the effects of their primary disease (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.).

FROM: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Do you know if you have Primary or Secondary Sjogren's Syndrome?

Defining Sjogren's Syndrome

The Free Online Dictionary defines Sjogren's Syndrome as "A chronic inflammation of the lachrymal and salivary glands, often accompanied by rheumatoid arthritis and the presence of autoantibodies in the blood, occurring chiefly among women."

The Online Medical Dictionary says it's "An immunologic disorder characterised by progressive destruction of the exocrine glands (sweat glands, lacrimal glands, salivary glands). Symptoms include dry eyes, dry mouth, persistant cough (dry airways) and lack of saliva."

The lachrymal glands are the glands that produce tears and the salivary glands are those that produce saliva.

Does your Sjogren's affect your eyes and your mouth?
Do you have a persistant cough?
Do you have rheumatoid arthritis?

What are you doing to help your dry eyes in Sjogren's?

Man applying eye drops (not me)

Sometimes I am in the groove and remember to put my drops in regularly and other times I misplace them or forget and then I suffer! As I've mentioned before my eye problem is minor compared to some people with Sjogren's Syndrome. I get dryness and sometimes itching and I am mostly always sensitive to light. ( I use Systane, the regular one)

 

If I'm in a flare I get grittiness feelings and use ointments. (No particular brand).

 

What have you tried for your dry eyes? Have you had surgery on your tear ducts? Did it help?

Do you have any other tips you think help you eyes?

 

What Can I Do About Dry Eyes?  Has the following in detail:

 

• Eye ointment
• Artificial tears
• Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
• Surgery to close tear ducts
• General Tips for Eye Care

Sjogren's Syndrome awareness

Greater awareness about the condition would aid faster diagnosis. Once diagnosed, therapy for Sjögren's syndrome is possible. Dr. V.R. Joshi MD

Consultant Rheumatologist, Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai

 

 

Symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome

 

True stories about Sjogren's Syndrome at Lynne's Page about Sjogren's Syndrome.

Have you visited our facebook page which gives you resources to share about Sjogren's Syndrome?
Are you joining in to spread Sjogren's awareness and if so what are you doing? I would love to hear?

Sensitivity to light is a symptom of Sjogren's Syndrome

Did you know that people with Sjogren’s can react to the sun and other sources of ultraviolet light? Apparently this is a known fact and mentioned on many, many sites about Sjogren's Syndrome but no one says why! I am still searching for the reason why the sun affects me adversely, computer screens irritate my eyes and some with Sjogren's get migraines from bright lights. Anyone know?

Burning mouth in Sjogren's Syndrome

Lately my mouth symptoms have gotten so bad -
tongue tingling
burning feeling in whole mouth
loss of taste
feeling tongue is swollen
weird metallic taste in mouth
I drink alot of water but have learnt that while that is important it is not a cure. In SS, decreased exocrine gland function leads to the "sicca complex", a combination of dry eyes and dry mouth. An exocrine gland is not simply water. It is made up of complicated combinations of material for a particular task. For example tears are to lubricate, prevent bacteria and remove dirt and dust. So it is not just a matter
of replacing water in the diet.
So here are some things that I am trying to help control my extreme symptoms of dry mouth at present:

• I have noticed that sugar does aggravate these symptoms so I have eliminated it from my diet.
• I have been using lip balm daily.
• A gel-based saliva substitute at night or if I have a rest
• Mouthwash designed for dry mouth - I find this is the best relief (Make sure you never use ordinary mouthwash as this is extremely drying)

Here is some great information about treating dry mouth - What Can I Do About Dry Mouth?

Eye complications in Sjogren's Syndrome

When I came out of the anasthetic, after the operation, my eyes were really dry and sore, especially one of them. I thought I must have had my eye open or had been leaning on that eye or something as it just didn't seem right. I now know that Sjogren's Syndreome can have this complication and the surgeon and anesthetist should have been told I had Sjogren's. The moral of the story is no matter how mild or under control Sjogren's is these doctors need to know you have it if you are having any operation.
After my operation I needed to use eye ointments which are thicker than artificial tears. Because they moisturize and protect the eye for several hours. They may blur your vision so they are most effective during sleep.

Do you have digestion problems and a dry mouth?

Did you know digestion begins with the saliva in your mouth.
So it stands to reason if you have concerns with your salivary glands, as people with Sjogren's do and some other diseases, it may well affect the rest of your digestion.

"The largest of the salivary glands - the parotid - secretes important proteins into the saliva. As with all salivary glands, it has multiple secretion pathways, therefore it must sort proteins destined for saliva into the correct pathway for secretion. This can be tricky as there are seven possible pathways. One pathway takes proteins to the salivary duct, other pathways carry different proteins to the 'back' side of the cell to be secreted into the blood or to form a supportive matrix for the cells. Transport along these pathways occurs by sorting the proteins into vesicles (hollow membrane sacs) that carry their "cargo" to the correct destination." Medical News

So you can see this is a complex process and only the initial process of food digestion. Food is our fuel, and gives our bodies the substances they need to work well. But before food can do that, it must be digested into small pieces the body can absorb and use.

Eating With Sjogren's 

Changes in diet are often helpful in Sjogren's. Many people benefit from :

• choosing soft and smooth foods 
• moistening foods by adding sauces, gravies and dressings 
• avoiding salty, acidic, and spicy foods as they can irritate your mouth
• avoiding alcohol and caffeinated beverages as they can increase dryness
• avoiding vinegar
• sipping water regularly

If you having problems with swallowing and are looking for recipes I suggest this book:

The Soft Diet: For Chewing and Swallowing Difficulties: Nutritious, Appetising And Practical Recipes

So I have discovered that Sjogren's is now affecting my digestion and energy levels and I thought it was just the mouth and the eyes!

Venus William's about Sjogren's

"I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year's U.S. Open," Williams said in a statement. "I have recently been diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain...
I enjoyed playing my first match here and wish I could continue, but right now I am unable to. I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon." Venus Williams in USA Today. Dated 9/3/2011

SYMPTOMS OF SJOGREN'S SYNDROME

Symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) vary from person to person. No one person has all the symptoms listed. Some people have mild dry mouth and eyes and extreme muscle pain and others have only dryness and no muscle pain, making SS harder to diagnose.

Signs and symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome may include:

Dry eyes
Dry mouth
Light-sensitive eyes
Corneal ulcers
Fatigue
Enlarged glands — especially salivary glands, located behind your jaw and in front of your ears
Difficulty swallowing or chewing
Change in sense of taste
Hoarseness
Oral yeast infections, such as candidiasis
Irritation and dryness in your nose
Dry skin
Skin rashes
Vaginal dryness
Dental cavities
Dry cough
Joint pain, swelling and stiffness
Muscle pain - especially on use
Nerve pain
Damage to tissues of lungs, kidneys and liver

While Sjogren's Syndrome cannot be cured many of the symptoms such as dry eyes and mouth can be managed.

Dr Peter D'Adamo explains SS:

"Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic disorder of unknown cause characterized by a particular form of dry mouth and dry eyes. This loss of tears and saliva may result in characteristic changes in the eyes (called aqueous tear deficiency or keratoconjunctivitis sicca) and in the mouth with deterioration of the teeth, increased oral infection, difficulty in swallowing, and painful mouth. There are many different causes for dry eyes and dry mouth. When they occur as a result of an "autoimmune" process, the condition is called Sjögren's syndrome, which usually occurs in middle-aged women and has prevalence in about 1 in 500 persons. Patients may also have inflammation of the joints (arthritis), muscles (myositis), nerves (neuropathy), thyroid (thyroiditis), kidneys (nephritis), or other areas of the body. Also, patients may have severe fatigue and disruption of their sleep pattern. Also, the blood of Sjögren's patients may contain antibodies directed against normal cellular substances such as nuclear antigens and immunoglobulins. Therefore, this disease is termed an "autoimmune" disorder to denote the apparent reaction of the immune system against the patient's own tissues." Dr D'Adamo's site explains why he recommends the use of Fucus, Nettle Root and Probiotics to help ease the symptoms of SS.

What to do for dry eyes and dry mouth

Yesterday was extremely windy and it is the winter solistice here and people with Sjogren's do not cope well with heaters and wind as it dries them out even more. Today I have dry eyes, blurred vision, eye discomfort, dry mouth, swollen glands behind the jaw and difficulty in swallowing and I am very thirsty and fatigued.

I will use more mouth spray lubricants* for dry mouth and more drops for my eyes even though I always wonder if these things actually help much.
I definately need to get and use a humidifier.
More ideas for dry eyes.
More ideas for dry mouth both from (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
*The mouth spray lubricants are a saliva substitute that try to mimic saliva by making the mouth feel wet. You swallow them sooner or later. "It is best to use these products rather than water when awakening from sleep: They reduce oral symptoms more effectively, and they do not cause excessive urine formation." Interesting information from Is there any treatment? showing that they do have some benefit over just sipping water, but sipping water is important too.