06.22.2022 •

How Reishi Mushrooms Can Help Fight Scleroderma

June 29 is World Scleroderma Day.

Scleroderma is a rare, chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body’s connective tissue to harden and form scar tissue. Scleroderma can affect any part of the body, including skin, blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and internal organs.

Scleroderma can cause joint pain due to fibrosis (scarring) of the tissue around joints. This can lead to a limited range of motion in affected joints as well as muscle weakness or atrophy. In some cases, scleroderma can cause permanent disability due to its effects on multiple organs throughout the body.

While there is no cure yet for scleroderma, there are treatments available that can help manage symptoms, reduce their severity, slow the progression, and in some cases, help put the disease into remission.

Taking Reishi for Scleroderma

Reishi is an incredible mushroom that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. It’s been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but it also has some surprising health benefits that you might not have heard of before.

Reishi is a powerful immune system regulator, which makes it great for people who are struggling with autoimmune disorders like scleroderma.

Here are some of the benefits of taking reishi for scleroderma:

Reduce inflammation: Reishi contains triterpenes and other bioactive compounds that have been shown to have beneficial effects on the immune system. It can help fight inflammation by reducing cytokine production (cytokines are small proteins that send messages between cells). Reishi contains antioxidants that fight free radicals – unstable molecules that can damage cells – which may also contribute to its anti-inflammatory effects.

Balance immune system activity: Reishi also has immunomodulatory effects, which means it helps regulate your immune system. Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system overreacts to something like an allergen or mistakenly attacks its own tissues and organs. But reishi doesn’t just suppress the immune system, which could lead one susceptible to infections. A healthy immune system should still react to pathogens like viruses and bacteria to fight off infections like colds and flu, so having a supplement that creates a balanced immune response is helpful, especially for those living with scleroderma because their immune systems may be compromised.

Improve circulation: Sclerosis means “hardening” or “tightening.” The main cause of this condition is poor circulation due to reduced elasticity in blood vessels caused by inflammation. This results in restricted blood flow through veins and arteries, causing them to become weak and fragile.

Reishi contains many different compounds, including triterpenes, polysaccharides, and fatty acids. These compounds can improve circulation and help people with scleroderma.

Reduce pain and stiffness in joints: One of the benefits of taking reishi for scleroderma is that it reduces pain and stiffness in joints. Scleroderma is a condition that causes your skin to become thickened, which can make moving your joints more difficult, especially if you have arthritis.

Slow down the progress of the disease: Reishi mushroom is one of the most potent medicinal mushrooms for scleroderma. It can help slow down the progress of this disease and may even be able to reverse some of the symptoms.

When you’re suffering from scleroderma, it can be difficult to control your symptoms on your own. Luckily, there are natural remedies like reishi that can help you reduce these symptoms and make living with this disease much easier.

Ultimately, scleroderma is a difficult disease to live with. It can impact the quality of many peoples’ lives, but there is help. Reishi mushroom is a useful supplement for many people diagnosed with scleroderma. It can not only help relieve current symptoms but protect against future ones as well. Make sure to talk to a qualified professional and your doctor if you are taking medication to ensure reishi is a good fit for you.

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Dr. Melissa Carr is a registered Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a B.Sc. in Kinesiology. In practice since 2001, Dr. Carr has a passion for sharing health information. She has been a nutrition instructor and a health consultant, lecturer, and writer for 24 Hours Vancouver newspaper, Fraser Health Authority, UBC, and the David Suzuki Foundation, amongst others.