Lupus

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disorder with varied manifestations, commonly affecting the skin, joints, and internal organs like kidneys and heart (Tsokos, 2011, The New England Journal of Medicine). There are four recognized types: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most prevalent; cutaneous lupus, affecting only the skin; drug-induced lupus, resulting from specific medications; and neonatal lupus, affecting infants born to mothers with lupus (Kiriakidou & Ching, 2020, Rheumatology). Its etiology remains uncertain, but it is not contagious. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identifies three disharmony patterns associated with lupus: 1) Excess heat, causing symptoms like fever and skin rashes (Zhao et al., 2016, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine); 2) Spleen and kidney yang deficiency, necessitating the warming and tonification of these organs (Liang et al., 2019, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine); and 3) Empty heat due to yin deficiency, characterized by an imbalance between yin and yang energies, often leading to pathological heat (Zhang et al., 2017, Journal of Ethnopharmacology).