A guide to the most common conventional and natural Sjogren's treatments

If you’re living with Sjögren’s disease (formerly known as Sjögren’s syndrome), you already know how complex this condition can be. Sjögren’s goes way beyond "just" dry eyes or mouth and can affect your whole body and impact severely on quality of life, including fatigue, brain fog, joint aches and pains, and more. Not only that, Sjögren’s, if not treated and addressed in a comprehensive way, can lead to complications which are much better prevented.

That's why finding the right treatment or approach is absolutely essential.

In this guide, we’ll cover the most widely used treatments and approaches to address Sjögren’s in both the conventional and natural health spheres, to help you make informed choices about your health.

Note: This article is for educational purposes only. Always speak with your doctor before starting any new treatment, including natural treatments.

Understanding Treatment Goals with Sjogren's

Whether you’re looking for conventional or natural treatments for Sjögren's, the overall goals of treatment should be to:

• Reduce symptoms, such as dryness and fatigue

• Reduce frequency and severity of flare-ups

• Reduce inflammation and regulate immune system activity

• Prevent potential complications of both the disease, as well as side effects of medications, including infections, joint damage, or systemic effects

• Support overall physical and emotional health for improved quality of life

  
  

Bear in mind that Sjögren’s has no known cure. Therefore, take claims of miracle treatments or cures with skepticism (that doesn’t mean, however, that significant improvement isn’t possible - it is (see our articles for real examples of what's possible).

Conventional and Holistic Approaches

When it comes to addressing Sjögren’s, both conventional and holistic or natural treatments offer unique benefits and important considerations. And it isn't a case of one being better or worse than the other. In our experience, combining the best of both worlds provides the best chance of improving your symptoms and supporting your long-term health.

Before we look at specific treatment options, let’s briefly review the two approaches:

Conventional Medicine Treatments for Sjögren's

Conventional treatments often provides relief for specific symptoms and can be particularly helpful for managing acute flare-ups or more severe manifestations of the condition. However, their effectiveness over the long-term is limited, since they don't typically help address the underlying root causes of Sjögren's. These treatments are typically prescribed by a medical doctor and include pharmaceutical medications in most cases, and/or targeted surgical interventions in a smaller number of cases.

Potential Benefits:

✔ Can offer relatively quick relief of some symptoms

✔ Can help reduce inflammation and regulate immune system activity

✔ Can help reduce complications of Sjögren's

Considerations:

✖ Many possible side effects

✖ Long-term use of medications can be associated with health concerns such as weakened bones or organ damage

✖ Typically focused on symptom control rather than addressing underlying root causes

Holistic, Natural and Complementary Treatment Approaches

An effective holistic approach to treating Sjögren's should focus on supporting the body as a whole rather than focusing on symptoms alone, addressing underlying imbalances, and promoting overall well-being. These approaches often involve specific dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, stress management, and other natural therapies that can complement conventional care, or offset side effects medications.

Potential Benefits:

✔ Addresses the underlying root causes of Sjögren's (rather than just the symptoms)

✔ None or minimal side effects when applied correctly

✔ Can help even when medications do not

✔ Contributes to long-term health improvements in symptoms and quality of life

Considerations:

✖ Results can take longer in some cases (not always though)

✖ Requires commitment and consistency

✖ Is not typically available through conventional healthcare providers or covered by insurance

Now that we have looked at the two main types of approaches, lets have a look at the most common treatments for each of these approaches.

Most common Conventional Treatments for Sjogren’s

1. Over-the-counter products

• Artificial Tears and Eye Drops: Over-the-counter preservative-free eye drops help manage dry eyes and can reduce inflammation on the eye surface. These products are essential in most cases, however are often not sufficient in cases of more significant dry eyes. Some individuals may experience irritation or a burning sensation with certain formulations, so some trial and error is usually required to find the right produce for you.

  
  

• Saliva Substitutes: Lozenges, gels, sprays, and specialized toothpaste or mouthwashes help relieve dry mouth and support oral health. These products may provide temporary symptom relief but do not address the underlying cause of dryness.

• Nasal Sprays: Such as saline sprays can help ease nasal dryness, reducing irritation and improving comfort. With frequent use, mild irritation is possible.

2. Common Prescription Medications

• Cyclosporine (Restasis): Prescription-only immunosuppressant eyedrops, for severe dry eyes.

  
  

• Pilocarpine (Salagen) and Cevimeline (Evoxac): These medications stimulate saliva and tear production, helping to relieve dryness symptoms. Common side effects include sweating, nausea, and flushing.

• Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil): Commonly used to help manage joint pain, muscle discomfort and fatigue, this medication can help reduce inflammation and regulate the immune response. However, it carries a risk of gastrointestinal side effects and damage to the retina with long-term use - so ongoing monitoring is essential.

• Corticosteroids (such as prednisolone): In cases of significant inflammation or systemic involvement, corticosteroids may provide rapid relief. However, since long-term use is associated with side effects such as weight gain, elevated blood sugar, and reduced bone density (osteoporosis), low-dose options are sometimes used long-term.

• Immunosuppressants (such as methotrextate): Sometimes prescribes to individuals with more severe or systemic manifestations of Sjögren’s. These treatments help suppress the immune responses but carry the risk of increased susceptibility to infections. May also sometimes be prescribed in low-doses for long term use, with decreased risk of side effects.

3. Minor Surgical Interventions

• Punctal Plugs: For individuals with severe dry eyes, tiny silicone or collagen plugs can be inserted into the tear ducts to reduce tear drainage and improve eye moisture. In some cases this procedure can cause irritation or infection.

4. Managing Specific Complications

• Infections: Antifungal medications and topical creams for thrush or antibiotics for bacterial infections are usually prescribed to manage complications associated with dryness. Although these work for some people, they don't address the underlying bacterial/fungal imbalance that caused the infection in the first place, and some people can experience recurrent infections as a result.

• Acid Reflux: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2 blockers are prescribed to help manage digestive symptoms linked to dryness or inflammation in the esophagus. While they can be effective in the short-term, long-term use of PPIs may be associated with nutrient deficiencies or concerns related to bone health.

• Vaginal Dryness: Lubricants, moisturizers, or estrogen-based creams can relieve discomfort and improve intimacy. However, hormone-based treatments may not be suitable for everyone and should be discussed with a healthcare provider.

Most common Natural and Holistic Approaches to Treating and Addressing Sjögren’s

1. Dietary changes

Nutrition plays a central role in supporting the body’s natural defences, managing inflammation and supporting the immune system. While there are many possible dietary approaches to managing Sjögren’s, a Sjögren’s-friendly diet should generally focus on:

✔ Reducing inflammation and pro-inflammatory foods

✔ Supporting nutrient digestion and absorption

✔ Identifying and addressing food sensitivities

See the following link for more info on diet changes for Sjögren's.

2. Detoxification and toxin reduction

While the human body has built-in detoxification systems, modern life exposes us to more environmental toxins than ever before - whether through food, water, air pollution, or household and cosmetic products. This extra burden can contribute to inflammation and hormonal imbalances, both of which may play a role in autoimmune conditions like Sjögren’s.

Dietary and lifestyle changes, such as supporting liver health, reducing toxin exposure, and improving gut function, can help the body eliminate excess hormones and harmful substances more effectively, and help reduce symptoms associated to these toxins.

3. Supplementation

In Sjögren’s, chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, and tissue damage can increase the body’s demand for certain nutrients. At the same time, nutrient deficiencies (whether from poor digestion/absorption, dietary gaps, or the disease process itself) can worsen symptoms and slow recovery.

Targeted supplementation can help fill these gaps by:

✔ Supporting the immune system and helping to regulate overactivity

✔ Reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the body

✔ Promoting tissue repair and protecting mucosal surfaces, such as the eyes and mouth

✔ Supporting gut health, which plays a key role in immune balance

While supplements play an important role in healing with Sjögren's, they are most effective when used in a targeted way, used alongside dietary and lifestyle changes, and under professional guidance.

See the following link for more info on effective supplementation for Sjogren's.

4. Testing

Addressing the underlying root causes or contributing factors that are driving or triggering your Sjogren's can make treatment more effective. While conventional testing focuses on diagnosing Sjögren’s and monitoring disease progression, additional functional medicine testing can provide insights into important areas that are generally overlooked in conventional healthcare.

Functional medicine tests may help to:

✔ Identify nutrient deficiencies that can worsen symptoms

✔ Assess hormone balance, including factors like oestrogen metabolism

✔ Detect gut health imbalances, such as dysbiosis or leaky gut

✔ Uncover hidden sources of inflammation, including food sensitivities or toxin exposure

There are a wide range of functional tests, and they can be costly, so identifying which tests would be most helpful in your case is something that would be done through a functional medicine practice that specialises in Sjogren's (such as Beyond Sjogren's).

5. Stress Management, Sleep optimisation and other lifestyle changes.

Lifestyle factors play a key role in how your body manages Sjögren’s disease. Chronic stress, poor sleep, poor hydration and other daily habits can directly impact immune function, inflammation, and symptom severity.

By making consistent changes to your lifestyle, you can help to:

✔ Reduce the frequency and severity of flare-ups

✔ Improve energy levels and reduce fatigue

✔ Support immune regulation and tissue repair

✔ Enhance resilience to physical and emotional stressors

Areas to focus on often include stress management techniques, optimising sleep quality, regular gentle movement, and creating daily routines that support balance and recovery.

Conclusion

Managing Sjögren’s often requires more than one approach. While conventional treatments can provide some fast short-term symptom relief but offer more limited support for long-term chronic symptoms, effective holistic approaches can help address the underlying imbalances that contribute to the condition and support your long-term health.

Rather than viewing these options as separate, combining both can offer a more complete and sustainable way to manage symptoms, reduce complications, and improve overall well-being. With the right combination of treatments, it is possible to relieve discomfort, reduce inflammation, and support your body in the long term.

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The 5 Fundamental Factors for Healing with Sjögren's

Having worked with Sjögren's exclusively since 2021, we have found that there are five key fundamentals that need to be included in every effective healing plan.

To learn what these fundamental factors are and how you can implement them in your life - along with practical exercises - register for our free "5 Fundamentals to Healing with Sjögren's" webinar.

What you'll learn:

• How to address the root causes of Sjogren's

• The five key components of an effective healing plan

• Practical exercises and actionable takeaways

• Real life patient examples

Register for free via this link.

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About Us:

Beyond Sjögren's is a functional medicine practice, offering online programmes and courses specifically designed to help people suffering with Sjögren's regain their health and well-being, using a natural approach.