Sjogren’s syndrome, manifested as dryness of mouth, eyes and other organs, is a chronic and inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the exocrine gland is involved. Up to now, there is no effective treatment in modern medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine treats it as “dryness syndrome” and differentiated it as “deficiency of body fluid” and “exhaustion of Yin and blood.” However, because its etiology is still unknown, the therapeutic effect is not very successful either. In TCM it is treated using the principles of regulating Sanjiao and removing obstruction of water passage.

The fact is excessive dryness brings about deficiency of body fluids. Liu Wan-Su, a famous doctor in the Jin Dynasty, explained: exhaustion of body fluid is due to dryness. Some of his patients had a history of acute febrile diseases, such as pneumonia, gastroenteritis, liver and gall bladder diseases, urinary infection and other inflammatory and infectious diseases. The development of Sjogren’s syndrome is slow. Although an obvious dryness is present clearly at the beginning, its pathological changes are not due to the deficiency of body fluids. The reasons are:

1. Even if some of the patients had a history of febrile diseases, its duration is not too long. So, it does not seem possible that within such a short period of time the body fluids are exhausted and difficult to restore.

2. Some of the patients had no history of acute febrile diseases, i.e., no history of exhaustion of body fluids.

3. For most patients, simply replenishing Yin and reinforcing the production of body fluids is not effective in practice.

4. Some of the patients had dryness in the mouth, eyes and genitals. At the same time, they exhibited puffiness in the extremities, the face or the entire body. Instead of being thin, the tongue proper is flabby.

5. The swelling and pain of the joints of extremities, swelling and hyperplasia of the salivary gland and lymph nodes are the chief pathogenic changes and clinical manifestations of Sjogren’s syndrome, serving as evidence that body fluids are not exhausted.

The above can explain the pathological changes of Sjogren’s syndrome from the dysfunction of Sanjiao, obstruction of water passage and maldistribution of body fluids.

Sjogren’s syndrome is related to evil heat, but at the beginning, the patients have no excess fire. Some tissues and organs have symptoms of dryness, but there are no signs of body fluid deficiency. Since the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations are mainly of the maldistribution of body fluids, the emphases in treatment must be placed on regulating Sanjiao and distributing the body fluids. Simultaneously dissolving phlegm and removing stasis, treating the affected channels and reinforcing the body resistance should be done accordingly. Only in this way, can the water passage be regulated, obstruction of channels and collaterals be removed, Zang-Fu organs be harmonized, Qi circulation be improved, body fluid be distributed, tissues and organs be moistened, so dryness can be treated.