Lupus Support Group
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Starting to get some press...I haven't heard anything about the abuse tie to lupus though? But I guess it could be relative to the stress which is a trigger. Hopefully the Jackson family or autopsy will confirm officially that he had lupus.
Heather
Spiritual teacher and medical doctor Deepak Chopra tells PEOPLE that his longtime friend Michael Jackson suffered from lupus, an autoimmune disease, and a skin disorder for many years.
"He had been diagnosed with lupus and he had vitiligo," Chopra says. "There's some recent research that suggests that if children have experienced either physical or verbal, mental, emotional or sexual abuse, then 20, 30 years later they can develop these autoimmune diseases including lupus."
He adds, "Michael, he was never sexually abused but according to him, he was traumatized verbally and physically in his childhood, and it was a big issue with him."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, and Chopra said it can cause skin discoloration known as vitiligo. "He had a lot of blotches on his skin, huge white patches all over his body. So he would cover up his body and that of course gave food for fodder to the press," Chopra says.
And Jackson was no stranger to pain medication. At various points in his life, he used Oxycontin, Vicodin and Demerol, Chopra said.
Chopra's son, Gotham, who was also close to Jackson, also says that the singer, 50, had lupus, but it was his skin disorder that bothered him.
"It was very disturbing to him that people thought he always wanted to be white and he was bleaching his skin. [But] he identified as being a black person and so it was troubling to him that everyone thought that he was a hater of his own race," Gotham explains. "And the lupus, why he didn't just come out more clearly and say that was the problem, I'm not sure. But I know it was something that bothered him a lot."
Heather
Spiritual teacher and medical doctor Deepak Chopra tells PEOPLE that his longtime friend Michael Jackson suffered from lupus, an autoimmune disease, and a skin disorder for many years.
"He had been diagnosed with lupus and he had vitiligo," Chopra says. "There's some recent research that suggests that if children have experienced either physical or verbal, mental, emotional or sexual abuse, then 20, 30 years later they can develop these autoimmune diseases including lupus."
He adds, "Michael, he was never sexually abused but according to him, he was traumatized verbally and physically in his childhood, and it was a big issue with him."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, and Chopra said it can cause skin discoloration known as vitiligo. "He had a lot of blotches on his skin, huge white patches all over his body. So he would cover up his body and that of course gave food for fodder to the press," Chopra says.
And Jackson was no stranger to pain medication. At various points in his life, he used Oxycontin, Vicodin and Demerol, Chopra said.
Chopra's son, Gotham, who was also close to Jackson, also says that the singer, 50, had lupus, but it was his skin disorder that bothered him.
"It was very disturbing to him that people thought he always wanted to be white and he was bleaching his skin. [But] he identified as being a black person and so it was troubling to him that everyone thought that he was a hater of his own race," Gotham explains. "And the lupus, why he didn't just come out more clearly and say that was the problem, I'm not sure. But I know it was something that bothered him a lot."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31594647#31594647
xox Sylvie
Ann x
I wander how they have tied that together. I think just emotional stress in general would be able to bring it out of you, but developing Lupus alone due to emotional trauma without some sort of genetic predisposition sounds like hogwash to me.
It bothers me that people say its from emotional causes. Thats almost like saying, if your life were different you wouldn't have this disease. Why 20, 30, years later? It makes no sense, as if there is a timeline for life events and then illness. His abuse is horrible but it did not cause his illness.
He certainly paid a big price for all the fame.
It is so sad and he was so talented.
Anyone else hear that he had discoid?
hope you are well,
paige
I agree....what is the connection between abuse and any kind of autoimmune disease?
I'd love to see some kind of hard evidence on that.
I really haven't read much of Deepak Chopra but thought he was a sensible person, but now I am wondering a bit.
Anybody else have any thoughts on this?
Hope everyone has had a good week-end.
Blessings to all.......
Virginia
As for abuse and it's connection to lupus, it's not the abuse, per se, that causes lupus, but it is ANY MAJOR STRESS that can trigger the disease. Certainly sexual or physical abuse is a major stress. But it doesn't trigger the disease 20 years in the future. I triggers it when the stressor occurs. However, it some times takes years for the disease to be diagnosed, years for enough symptoms to show up. So the "lag time" is deceptive; it's not really a lag time between the stress and the disease, rather a lag time between the first symptoms and enough symptoms for a diagnosis. We've all been there.....
Tracy
I personally know the effects of stress on our bodies and how it can severely effect our lupus. My lupus was in remission, I was off all medication, other than for my thryroid and fibro and I experienced an extremely stressful situation in 2007 which brought my lupus back full force and with vengence. My doctors have confirmed this as well.
The one thing I did not know however was the statement about children who were placed in these experiences, I find this most interesting and am going to speak further to my rheumy about the validity of this because I experienced a very unpleasant childhood which leaves me to wonder if there is a link. I can see how it is possible and as hard as lupus is to diagnose I can see why they say it shows up 20-30 years later. Many of us have experienced symptoms for many, many years prior to our diagnosis. I know as a child I had extreme intestinal issues, my doctor even told my mother it was a result of my nerves. Why was I always nervous? Because of the way I was treated, I did not know when the next outlash would be. Makes one wonder!
Melissa
Take care
Jackie