http://www.lcmedia.com/mind457.htm (Repeat of Mar 29 2006)

This week on The Infinite Mind, a woman travels from doctor to doctor complaining of aches and pains, confusion and depression, and is told repeatedly that there’s nothing wrong with her. But there’s something seriously wrong. It’s Lupus, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the body’s soft tissue and can dramatically affect the brain and behavior as well. Guest host Dr. Fred Goodwin explores a disease known as “The Great Pretender,” a disease with an array of baffling symptoms that make accurate and timely diagnosis difficult. Lupus is one of many autoimmune disorders including Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid arthritis which affect more than 8.5 million people in the United States. Dr. Goodwin’s guests include Amy Butler Greenfield, a Massachusetts-based writer with Lupus, and Virginia Ladd, president of the Autoimmune Disease Association. Lupus expert Dr. Daniel Wallace discusses the effects of Lupus on the brain and behavior as well as potential new therapies. We hear from actress Kellie Martin whose younger sister, Heather, died in 1998 of complications from Lupus. We also speak with Gail Bruner and Dr. Robert Scofield of the National Native American Lupus Project, about the impact that Lupus has on Native Americans and John Hunter Bear Gray, a Native American civil rights activist who is living with Lupus. Dr. Ann Traynor of the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center talks about the exciting results from stem cell transplants in people with severe Lupus symptoms. And commentary from Eugenie Seifer Olson, a Boston- based writer whose real-life experiences with Lupus turn up in the pages of her novel, The Pajama Game.

The show begins with Amy Butler Greenfield, a Massachusetts-based writer with Lupus, who talks about the effect the disease has had on her mind and mental functioning. Her latest book is A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire. For more information visit Amy Butler Greenfield's website.

Then, Dr. Fred Goodwin looks at what we know about Lupus and the physical, emotional, and mental challenges faced by Lupus sufferers. We hear from Virginia Ladd, president of the Autoimmune Disease Association, about her personal experience with Lupus, and her efforts to provide a voice for other women who are living with the disease. We also hear from leading Lupus expert Dr. Daniel Wallace about diagnosing Lupus, its overlap with other autoimmune disorders, and the range of medical treatments and potential new therapies available. Dr. Wallace is the author of The Lupus Book.

Next, we hear a personal story from television actress Kellie Martin in an interview with The Infinite Mind’s Pamela Ferdinand. Martin’s younger sister, Heather, died in 1998 from complications from Lupus. Now a national spokesperson for the Autoimmune Disease Association, Martin shares her family’s courageous struggle to cope with the mystery illness and their sudden loss.

We explore the disproportionate impact of Lupus on Native Americans, for whom it affects at up to 10 times the rate in the general population. We speak with Gail Bruner and Dr. Robert Scofield of the National Native American Lupus Project, who are studying the genetic components of Lupus in Native Americans and Alaskan natives and John Hunter Bear Gray, a Native American civil rights activist who is living with Lupus.

Next, Dr. Anne Traynor of the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center outlines the future of Lupus treatments. She discusses the results of stem cell transplants in people with severe Lupus symptoms.

We conclude with commentary from Eugenie Seifer Olson, a Boston-based writer whose real-life experiences with Lupus turn up in the pages of her novel, The Pajama Game. For more information visit Eugenie Seifer Olson's website.