Can Sjogren's Syndrome Be Cured?
- Paloma Miquel
- Jul 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 21
If you’ve gone to see your doctor about your Sjögren’s symptoms, you might have heard disheartening statements from them, such as, “There’s not much we can do” or “You’ll just have to live with it.” It’s understandable to feel disheartened by these statements and to wonder - is there a cure for Sjogren's? And if there isn't, how much can my health actually improve? Is it a life sentence? In this blog we will address these and similar questions, based on research and our experience, so you can have a balanced and realistic view of what is possible for you.
The Reality of Sjogren’s: Curing vs. Healing vs. Remission
Before we dive into how you can live well with Sjögren’s, it’s important to understand the differences between a cure, healing, and remission:
Cure: A cure means completely eliminating a disease from the body, with no chance of it returning. Currently, there is no known cure for Sjögren’s syndrome (Vivino et al., 2016). However, that doesn't mean that healing or long-term remission are not possible.
Healing: Healing is an ongoing process of restoring and maintaining health and well-being. For those with Sjögren’s, healing can mean significantly reducing symptoms, improving quality of life, and reaching a state of balance where the disease’s impact is minimized. This process can include lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, and various strategies aimed at supporting the body’s natural healing mechanisms, including nutritional therapy and functional medicine (which is what we at Beyond Sjögren's provide).
Remission: Remission refers to a period during which the symptoms of a disease are reduced or disappear. This doesn't mean the disease is cured but rather that it’s under control. Some people with autoimmune conditions like Sjögren’s experience remission, where their symptoms become significantly less severe or may even vanish, either temporarily, or for a long period of time.
Although complete remission cases are not unheard of, they're also not very common. Healing is a much more common scenario - and in our view - a more realistic and less frustrating goal to pursue.
Getting a Balanced View: What’s Possible with Sjögren’s?
While no one can claim to cure Sjögren’s, we have seen remarkable healing in our clients over the years, which certainly gives us hope as to what is possible with the help of personalised nutritional therapy and functional medicine. Here’s what we’ve observed:
Reduced Fatigue and Increased Energy Levels: The most common improvement our clients report is a significant reduction in fatigue and a noticeable boost in energy levels. This enhanced vitality allows them to engage in everyday activities such as walking the dog, going to work, or spending quality time with grandchildren - things they were simply unable to do previously.
Leading a More “Normal Life”: We've seen clients who previously had to take disability leave, be able to return to work. Others, who couldn't leave their homes due to debilitating symptoms, are now able to go out daily, use public transport, travel, and enjoy social activities.
Reduced Flare-Up Frequency and Severity: Flare-ups can occur but tend to be less frequent, less severe and of shorter duration. And when they do happen, our clients are better equipped to manage them. We help them learn what their triggers and how to avoid them, as well as how to support their bodies with the right foods and care during a flare-up.
Reduced Medication and Side-Effects: Over 60% of our clients have been able to reduce or come off their medications as their symptoms have improved, while other's have been able to avoid medications entirely. This has also meant fewer side effects from those medications, leading to an overall better quality of life and less stress on their liver and detoxification systems.
Resolved digestive symptoms: Some of the most common symptoms of Sjögren's are digestive issues, which we regularly see reduce radically, often to the point that clients report that they are no longer suffering from any ongoing digestive symptoms, after years or even decades suffering with these issues.
Improved Immune Function: Our clients learn how to strengthen their immune systems through personalised nutrition and lifestyle changes. They report fewer illnesses and a quicker recovery from common colds and viruses, which is significant given the impact these infections can have on their Sjogren's symptoms.
Reduced Dryness: Through a combination of reducing inflammation internally as well as external remedies, our clients have managed to improve their dry eyes and mouth to the point where they no longer consider these symptoms as a significant ongoing discomfort.
Less Joint and Muscular Pain: Personalised nutritional and lifestyle changes have helped almost all people we've worked with significantly reduce their joint and muscular pain, allowing them substantially richer and more active day to day lives.
Enhanced Well-Being and Quality of Life: A significant number of our clients have expressed that they didn’t believe it was possible to regain a good quality of life after their Sjögren’s diagnosis. However with time and personalised guidance, they have found their well-being greatly improved.
Long-lasting Results: Our clients are able to maintain symptom improvements even after two years. This is because our programmes address the root causes of disease, helping the body heal and function better on its own, providing it what it needs on an individual basis, as determined through clinical assessments and lab testing.
If you’d like to hear more from our clients about their experiences, you can watch some of their testimonials here.
Is a Complete Long-Term Sjögren's Cure Possible?
Despite very significant positive outcomes, we haven’t seen a complete cure for Sjogren’s. Even during periods of remission, emotional triggers such as significant stress and other environmental triggers such as a virus can trigger a flare up. On the flip side, clients learn what steps to take to prevent, manage and mitigate these triggers, as well as how to manage their symptoms when they reappear.
The lack of a cure doesn't mean it's impossible though. We remain hopeful that with advancements in both conventional and natural medicine, significant improvements in the treatment of Sjogren’s will continue to emerge and that people with Sjögren's will have greater range of effective and safe treatment options depending on their situation and case.
To Summarize:
While there’s no cure for Sjögren’s, healing and significant symptom improvements are possible. Consistent changes to your diet and lifestyle can make a profound difference.
Our program "Healing with Sjögren's Naturally" guides you through these changes, giving you the tools and knowledge to support your body’s natural healing process. Whether it’s reducing inflammation, improving energy, or feeling more in control of your health, this program is here to help you thrive.
Learn more about the program here.
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About Us:
Beyond Sjögren's is an online functional medicine practice offering online nutritional therapy courses and programmes, specifically designed to help people suffering with Sjögren's regain their health and well-being.
Our flagship course, Healing with Sjögren’s Naturally, was created to bring together the most effective dietary, lifestyle, and supplement strategies we’ve seen help our clients, offering an easy-to-follow approach to help you feel more in control of your health and well-being.
Our program is available worldwide. Read more about it here.
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Article references:
Hackett, K. L., & Cartner, H. (2021). Nonpharmacological interventions for the management of fatigue and constitutional symptoms in Sjögren’s syndrome. Oxford Textbook of Sjögren's Syndrome, 189.
Rasmussen, H. N., O’Byrne, K. K., Vandament, M., & Cole, B. P. (2018). Hope and physical health. The Oxford handbook of hope, 159-168.
Vivino, F. B., Carsons, S. E., Foulks, G., Daniels, T. E., Parke, A., Brennan, M. T., Forstot, S. L., Scofield, R. H., & Hammitt, K. M. (2016). New treatment guidelines for Sjögren’s disease. Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America, 42(3), 531–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rdc.2016.03.010
