I've read reams of articles about the medicinal qualities of garlic and never heard of this. I would question what the basis would be for this claim.

I use a lot of garlic in my food because of its antibiotic properties, and onions too. I have several chronic infections I'm always fighting. Personally I wouldn't take this at face value, not without some evidence to back it up.

It sounds like they're saying that garlic strengthens one's immune system, which they feel can hurt someone with an autoimmune disease. For myself--and this is a totally non-medical opinion--I feel like my immune system is malfunctioning and needs healed so that it can work correctly. I eat foods (like garlic, which I love) and take supplements to support my immune system. But I'm not saying that anyone else should. None of my doctors ever mentioned avoiding garlic, and they all were aware of my gluten-free and healthy diet. In fact, some encouraged me to keep eating well.

I'M SICILIAN!! i just ate a few cloves while making dinner .wow i felt like crap today and couldnt figure out why ....jeese ! glad but not glad you posted this , now i know why i feel so bad :(:(:( luv garlic :(
I agree that 's very hard to not eat garlic ! wow !

I think it is just the opposite, garlic would actually be good for someone with lupus. The reason is, garlic lowers "homocysteine" which is playing a very large role in lupus.Homocysteine damages the cells that line the blood vessels leading to increased rates of cell apoptosis, or cell suicide. These cells are called endothelial cells and they line the entire circulatory system, from the heart to the smallest capillary. Here is one study on this.


Homocysteine induces programmed cell death in human vascular endothelial cells through activation of the unfolded protein response.

Zhang, C, Y. Cai, M.T. Adachi, S. Oshiro, T. Aso, R.J. Kaufman, S. Kitajima. 2001. J Biol Chem 276(38):35867-74.
Severe hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with endothelial cell injury that may contribute to an increased incidence of thromboembolic diseasIn this study, homocysteine induced programmed cell death in endothelial cells


The following information from the University of Michigan highlights the increased risk of heart disease for lupus patients. The researchers concluded that something must be damaging the endothelial cell layer to cause the protective cells to commit mass suicide.

U-M study: high heart disease risk for lupus patients may be linked to rapid death of blood vessel lining cells.
Gavin, K., 11 November 2003.

Mass suicide by protective cells that line every blood vessel in the body may be to blame for the increased risk of heart and vascular disease faced by patients with the autoimmune disease known as lupus, new research suggests.

The new study suggests that lupus patients heightened heart risk may be due to the rapid death and much-too-slow replacement of endothelial cells, which normally keep plaques and clots from forming in blood vessels."

Here is one study that shows patients with lupus have elevated levels of homocysteine.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(96)03032-2/abstract


And here is a study that shows garlic lowers homocysteine.

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/3/745S.short


An understanding of the lupus disease process is a protection against "bad advice". There is a group here on DS that has some really good information on what is really going on in lupus. Here is a link if you would like to check it out.
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/curing-autoimmune-and-mimics-gaining-health

There are SO many counter-arguments for all things autoimmune related.

I never know who to trust, the naturopathic view (which makes a great deal of sense to me -- have you researched leaky gut/candida overgrowth?) versus the western medicine view.

Often in natural medicine they speak of a "healing crisis," where your body feels like total crap but it's a sign your body is detoxing and rebalancing. It makes sense to me, but at the same time, at what point are you completely bedridden and sicker than you've ever been, and trust that that means you're getting better (totally frowned upon by western medicine, but again, who do you trust?)

Garlic does have very strong antibiotic properties. From what I've gathered, you actually want to be taking PROBIOTICS and putting bacteria into your body, not killing more of it.

Perhaps you should invest in some high quality probiotics, and have your garlic too! =)

The conventional wisdom lays things like this on a background of modern medicine and science as opposed to natural remedies and folklore.

It sounds believable, but it's not based on anything factual. For example, uva ursi...a common remedy herbalists use for UTI's...is not folklore, it's mainstream medicine. It was formerly listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia as the recommended remedy for UTI's. The antibiotics replaced it, but most of them no longer work. So the doctors use more and more risky remedies like Cipro and oppose non-prescription remedies like uva ursi as being dangerous.

That's not based on science, it's based on self-interest. Remedies like uva ursi, garlic, cranberry juice, etc. have been used for a long time without harming people. The same cannot be said for the more expensive prescription remedies, which kill thousands of people. Try to keep these things in perspective and make decisions about your healthcare based on published facts, not on "authority".

I'm extremely suspicious about all the media buzz condemning older medical remedies as dangerous when there's no evidence for any of it...and a ton of money to be made from selling and prescribing the latest prescription remedies. It seems to be popping up everywhere. Of course as soon as the patents run out, there's something new that's the best remedy...and the most expensive.

Another example...a recent study showed conclusively that a simple remedy like candied ginger is at least as effective as Dramamine at controlling nausea from motion sickness. But do you think a doctor would prescribe ginger for sea sickness? I doubt it.

I have suffered from SLE/MCTD all my life (even though I was only diagnosed in 1995 with SLE and in 2003 with MCTD and I can say that I also have had allergic reactions to the garlic smell and garlic and in food all my life.... This explains - by the way - why I rarely can go to a Restaurant these days, because they all seem to cook with garlic...

Garlic has always been much too harsh for my body to tolerate and I makes me very sick. Because of that fact I have avoided garlic all my life. It even makes me sick when I sit next to someone who has eaten garlic and I have to move away quickly from the smell of garlic, otherwise I would be very sick...

I don't know whether my allergy to garlic has anything to do with my suffering from SLE/MCTD and being very sensitive...? Perhaps many other SLE/MCTD patients suffer from the same reaction to garlic as well?
Kristina

It's not that unusual to react that way to garlic. In China cooks always mix it with ginger to overcome the digestive upset it can cause. If I overdo garlic, I'm up half the night with indigestion.

My dad could not stand the odor of garlic, he was that way his whole life. Sometimes we develop a revulsion for foods that have made us ill in the past, sounds like some kind of protective mechanism to me.

Dad could eat Chinese takeout with no problems...they use a lot of ginger to cover it, but it's loaded with garlic. So maybe you and he got sick from garlic and always remembered that odor as something bad.

I've noticed that northern Europeans often dislike garlic intensely, while southern Europeans love it. I've also heard that rural people in China sometimes chew on garlic cloves like we chew on gum or candy. I'm not sure I could survive that.

Thanks Richie,
It is interesting that you mention Chinese food because it has made me very sick in the past and I had no explanation. Naturally, I have avoided Chinese food ever since. Perhaps there was some garlic in the food and it made me so sick, even though I cannot remember smelling it... otherwise I would not have touched it...

Another point is that I cannot eat any onions, leek and/or spring onions because my stomach does not seem to be able to cope with any of it and it would make me sick, so I avoid it.

Yes, you are right, I am a northern European with a touch of Russia...

... My regular blood tests show that I am not lacking anything and perhaps it helps me to get my fresh food only from the weekly market. I think I get enough vitamins and minerals etc. It may help that I am a vegetarian and I never touch any fast food, never touch tin-food and never buy pre-prepared food...
I cook my own food every day fresh... and I bake my own salt-free (kidney friendly) bread and have done so for many years... ...everything seems to help a little to keep "my" SLE/MCTD with kidney failure and "my" many allergies at bay...

Thanks again for the explanation about Chinese food, I was wondering why my body reacted so allergic to it...

Best wishes from Kristina.

This is the article to which I was referring. I'm not at all opposed to non-pharmaceutical treatments - I take quercetin with good results and I've seen acupuncture work wonders (if I can ever afford it I'll give it a go myself).

http://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-info/lifestyle-additional-information/avoid/