Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affects moisture-producing glands throughout the body, can lead to chronic conditions such as dry eyes, dry mouth, and even can cause fatigue and joint pain.
At PrimeHealth, a functional medicine clinic in Denver, Colorado specializing in autoimmune diseases, we provide comprehensive and personalized care through leading science and root cause analysis, because the key to autoimmune disorder treatment isn’t just the symptoms, but the underlying conditions driving them.
Conventional Treatment of Sjögren’s Syndrome
Historically, conventional care has comprised two main treatments.
Symptom Management
Artificial tears, saliva stimulants, and other solutions can temporarily ease the symptoms and bring some relief. Since many patients mainly experience symptoms tied to the body’s moisture functions (dry eyes, dry mouth, and so on), many of the treatment solutions are centered on returning moisture to the body.
Here is a chart to help explain what treatments may be available for any symptoms you have.
| Symptom | How to Manage It |
| Dry Eyes | Use artificial tears, eye ointments, and special eye drops to keep eyes moist and protect the cornea. |
| Dry Mouth | Use saliva substitutes, mouth rinses, and medicines like pilocarpine or cevimeline to boost saliva flow. |
| Tooth Decay | Brush with special toothpaste and visit the dentist regularly to protect your teeth. |
| Dry Nose | Use nasal sprays and humidifiers to add moisture to the nasal passages. |
| Dry Skin | Apply moisturizing lotions to keep skin soft and prevent dryness or cracking. |
Immunosuppressants
Drugs like Hydroxychloroquine and corticosteroids inhibit the immune system and help prevent your body from mistakenly attacking the moisture-producing glands.
| Immunosuppressant | Function |
| Hydroxychloroquine | Manages symptoms, particularly fatigue, joint pain, and muscle pain. |
| Corticosteroids | Reduce inflammation, suppress the immune system, and mimic the effects of cortisol, the body’s adrenal hormone. |
| Azathioprine | Used in more severe cases to manage inflammation and tissue damage through inhibiting the immune system and reducing attacks on the body. |
| Rituximab | Helps stimulate the salivary glands to improve saliva production and reduce dry mouth symptoms. Also helps with fatigue and joint pain. |
While these conventional fixes may provide short-term relief, they can only mask symptoms, and can ignore the more dangerous impacts of the syndrome.
Why Root Cause Matters in Sjögren’s Syndrome
While dry eyes and dry mouth can annoy over time, Sjögren’s isn’t just about dryness. It’s a systemic autoimmune disease that attacks the entire body over time, not just the glands.
It can begin with inflammation and dryness, but can evolve to affect major organs like the lungs, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. Those with Sjögren’s also have an increased risk of developing lymphoma.
Some complications or conditions that might lead to Sjögren’s syndrome include:
Leaky Gut
A weak or improperly functioning digestive system can be one cause of Sjögren’s syndrome. The gut contains millions of helpful bacteria that should keep us healthy, but in Sjögren’s patients, this balance gets disrupted.
This imbalance can lead to inflammation that spreads throughout the body. The gut lining may become more permeable, allowing particles that should stay inside the digestive tract to leak into the bloodstream.
This “leaky gut” triggers the immune system to react, causing many of the symptoms we see in Sjögren’s syndrome. Improving gut health is often a key part of managing the condition.
Hidden Infections
Diseases and infections such as Lyme disease or Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) can go unnoticed and therefore untreated in Sjögren’s patients. Many of the symptoms for these conditions can become “hidden” amongst the flurry of symptoms caused by Sjögren’s syndrome.
When conventional treatments focus on managing Sjögren’s symptoms, it means other dangerous diseases can sneak by completely undetected, causing havoc on an already struggling and immunocompromised body.
Toxin Overload
While there is not currently a direct link between Sjögren’s syndrome and toxins, some research has suggested that overexposure to toxins might contribute to the progression of the disease or cause worsening symptoms and additional immune distress.
Mold, heavy metals, and chemicals commonly found in household products such as paints, glue, cleaning supplies, plastic products, and hair dyes are some of the possible toxins that may exacerbate symptoms.
Hormone Imbalances
Adrenal fatigue and low sex hormones caused by Sjögren’s syndrome can lead to other symptoms developing throughout the body. These symptoms, including muscle soreness, reduced libido, and additional hormone imbalances, can contribute to new or worsening symptoms of Sjögren’s.
Benefits of a Functional Medicine Approach to Sjögren’s Syndrome
A functional medicine approach to Sjögren’s syndrome not only manages your symptoms, it identifies and treats the specific triggers in your body.
A functional medicine approach to Sjögren’s syndrome can:
Reduce flare-ups
Symptoms can debilitate, but functional medicine can help reduce the number of acute symptom flares and get you back to enjoying everyday life the way you want to.
Slow disease progression
With this approach, it may be possible to slow the progression of your disease, helping you manage it long-term rather than with temporary, band-aid symptom solutions.
Restore energy and vitality
While fatigue can be one of the biggest and most debilitating symptoms of Sjögren’s, functional medicine can help you recover your energy and reduce symptoms of fatigue in the long term.
Key Treatment Options in Functional Medicine for Sjögren’s Syndrome
At PrimeHealth Denver, we approach each patient with a personalized care plan based on what is best for their condition. Here are a few of the treatment options that can help Sjögren’s syndrome.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
One factor that may contribute to your Sjögren’s symptoms could be a diet of highly inflammatory foods, like processed foods, high-sugar foods, and soft drinks.
By building a tailored elimination diet with focused, autoimmune-specific nutrition, we can work together to slowly remove foods that could harm your gut biome and replace them with foods that are better for your symptoms.
Gut Healing
Similar to the elimination diet, this form of treatment focuses on re-centering and prioritizing your gut healing. If necessary, probiotics are prescribed to help maintain good gut health, and more intensive treatment, such as leaky gut repairs, may be needed.
Diets and supplements designed to provide good microbiome support can help undo some of the damage caused by Sjögren’s and reduce symptom recurrence.
Immune Modulation
Rebalancing the natural chemicals in your body, and helping get healthy ones in your system, too, is a great way to treat Sjögren’s and help manage symptoms in the long term.
Medications such as low-dose Naltrexone can be prescribed for pain relief and inflammation recovery, and supplements such as Vitamin D and omega-3s, or foods rich in these vitamins, can also help mitigate the immune system response and repair any damage done.
Stress and Hormone Balance
Stress can play a big factor in Sjögren’s syndrome, and can, at times, worsen the symptoms you may experience as part of the condition.
Functional medicine can help treat the root cause of stress and rebalance the hormones produced by stress by providing adrenal support and cortisol management.
Detoxification
If toxins are identified as a major cause of your Sjögren’s symptoms, a detoxification plan can help reduce your exposure.
We can work together to find the source of these toxins in your system—your food, household products, your place of work, or elsewhere—and determine how to reduce exposure in the future.
Why PrimeHealth is the Best Choice for Sjögren’s Treatment in Denver
At PrimeHealth in Denver, we do in-depth testing to evaluate your immune function, gut health, hormone levels, and more to find out what triggers your symptoms.
We collaborate to create tailored solutions that leverage lifestyle, nutrition, and integrative therapies, targeting the unique symptom triggers for your Sjögren’s syndrome.
When working with us, you’ll receive:
Collaborative and Team-Driven Practice
Our collaborative and team-driven practice includes doctors, physician associates, and patient success managers all focused on your long-term healing.
Science-Backed Care
We combine cutting-edge science with individualized care, ensuring no overlooked contributors.
Proven Results
Specializing in autoimmune & inflammation, we empower you to make sustainable changes and move beyond symptom management to lifelong health.
