"Why Write a Book on Lupus?"

Why Write a Book on Lupus?

(a review of an excerpt from Part 1 of Dr. Daniel J. Wallace's The Lupus Book: 4th edition)

"The first time someone hears the words "lupus erythematosus," he or she usually says, "what?" When I first started my practice, patients identified the term with Peter Lupus, one of the characters on Mission Impossible, a popular television series in the late 1960s. Sometimes it looks as though finding a cure for lupus is an impossible mission, but there is much we do know, and the aim of this book is to share that knowledge... (Wallace, p.4)"

Dr. Wallace is one of the world's leading "authorities" on Lupus and it's immunology, who has treated over 2,000 patients with Lupus as a clinician/Rheumatologist. He set out to write "The Lupus Book" as a way to educate those of us that do not speak "doctor-nese" as I like to refer to it, and to take away a lot of the intimidating medical jargon that leads to confusion, and misunderstandings with regards to Lupus.

I'd like to share a few bullets or key points as well from the first portion of Dr. Wallace's book, When he begins to list why lupus is an extremely important disease for many reasons (even though it is highly under-recognized!)

*In the US, nearly one million people suffer from lupus. It is more common than better known disorders such as leukemia, MS, Cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy combined.

*Those who develop SLE usually do so in the prime of their life.

* Understanding the immunology of lupus will help us better understand AIDS, infections in general, allergies and cancer. He even begins to state that medical students are often told, "Know Lupus and you know medicine."

* Lupus is the paradigm of AUTOIMMUNITY!

* The diseases of females are understudied by organized medicine. Diseases that affect primarily females are funded to a lesser extent than other less common disorders such as leukemia and Muscular dystrophy... "If the population of patients suffering from lupus were 90% male, I daresay that the medical community would be more responsive..." This quote from Dr. Wallace really triggered my thought processes and flipped a switch in my head that began a much deeper way of thinking and beginning to trying to understand lupus from the medical field's view.

I am only beginning to delve into section three, What causes Lupus, But thus far have taken away a whole new perspective and way of looking at Lupus from the eyes of a medical professional. Dr. Wallace brings up some very unique and intriguing points of interest that he continues to build upon as the book continues, but I have found that it is not a book that MUST be read from front to back, cover to cover, but rather can be used almost as a reference book, and you can jump around to your liking and read parts that may hold your interest more than others. I will continue to share my thoughts and some of the more interesting facts and opinions as I work my way through this new read!

Jolt-of-Java: The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder. ~Ralph W. Sockman