Scleroderma is a name given to a group of symptoms pertaining to an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder. This disorder can lead to skin, lung, joint and kidney problems.
Often time’s scleroderma will be associated with other chronic functional disorders like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), depression, anxiety and hormonal imbalances.
One of the underlying causes of scleroderma is excessive inflammation in the body.
There are many inflammatory agents in our food supply and these must be strictly avoided by patients that have scleroderma. Many patients with scleroderma are over consuming carbohydrates, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). They may also be consuming fried foods, polyunsaturated vegetable oils, and food additives like nitrates, nitrites, MSG, and artificial sweeteners. These substances are highly toxic, and cause inflammation.
There is substantial evidence that scleroderma is related to abnormal vitamin D levels and vitamin D metabolism. Low levels of vitamin D can contribute to this disease, however many patients with scleroderma have hyperactive immune systems which can cause excessive vitamin D. Excess vitamin D will increase calcium levels in the cells, which will activate the nerve cells and cause excess inflammation, leading to more damage. Calcium deposits in tissues like skin and kidney are the hallmark of scleroderma. These calcium laden lesions are named granulomas. Therefore vitamin D supplementation should be very carefully monitored. In fact some patients need to be on a low vitamin D diet and even avoid sunlight!
Scleroderma patients may have food allergies contributing to their problems. They also have a high incidence of bowel flora imbalances with excessive levels of pathogenic bacteria and low levels of beneficial bacteria. Often times the patient will also have leaky gut syndrome. These imbalances can over activate the immune system, and add to inflammation.
In summary, scleroderma is always multi-factorial and only by finding the root cause of the problem through functional testing, including a metabolically directed functional testing, can this problem be solved.
Dietary Recommendations
