Health Educator's Perspective: The positive effects of true wellness with lupus

Dawn Isherwood, Health Educator

We hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying time outside with friends and family.

Even with the best medical technology available, true wellness must come from within. Genetics, environmental factors and hormonal factors can all be influenced by our everyday lifestyle choices. As we all know, current medication therapies for lupus can be difficult and may cause nausea, weight gain or loss as well as possible bone thinning. Learning to complement your treatment with healthy lifestyle choices may help decrease symptoms and may lead to minimizing the need for difficult therapies.

So why are lifestyle factors so important when treating the whole person who has been diagnosed with lupus? Lupus is a disease of the immune system which can result in inflammation and the pain and symptoms associated with it. The immune system is very sensitive to lifestyle factors and responds very favorable to healthier choices particularly when it comes to diet, exercise and stress management.

Eating for health: While there is no special diet for lupus, it is recommended that those with lupus should try to eat a nutritious, well-balanced and varied diet that contains plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains (barley, brown rice, flaxseed, whole wheat pasta), moderate amounts of meats, poultry, and oily fish (salmon, trout, sardines), as fish oil has been found to help reduce inflammation. Try to avoid processed foods, like flour and high sugar items.

Let’s get moving: I encourage you to exercise regularly or engage in some kind of movement. Most people with lupus can take part in some form of activity. Making exercise a regular part of your life has been shown to decrease heart and joint issues and control weight gain caused by the use of corticosteroids. Studies indicate that exercise can be as effective as anti-depressant medications in controlling depression and anxiety that are often associated with chronic illness such as lupus.

Inflammation from lupus in the muscles, tendons and ligaments can lead to stiffness, pain and decreased mobility. Non-weight bearing exercises such as swimming, biking, tai chi and yoga can help decrease pain and stiffness, increase cardiovascular health and decrease stress and anxiety. Weight bearing exercise such as the elliptical machine, treadmill, walking and light weight lifting can help maintain muscle strength and bone density.

STRESS: There is no getting around the fact that there is stress in life and living with a chronic illness like lupus only piles on to those everyday stressors. Managing stress can have a significant impact your life and your lupus and improve your overall physical and emotional health.

Some simple ways to start are to identify the stressors in your life. Remember that there are things in your life that you can control and things that you cannot. Place your energy in those things you can control such as asking for help, learning to say no when you have the choice (don’t let those around you make you feel bad about saying no), listen to your body and rest when you need to, and don’t expect too much from yourself all the time (give yourself an emotional break). If your feel really overwhelmed, you may want to talk to your doctor or a counselor.

At the Lupus Foundation of America, we encourage everyone to take a look at their overall health. True wellness has been shown to have a very positive impact on lupus, along with your overall well-being. Always remember to check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise routines. For more information or if you have any questions, we invite you to call one of our health educators. You can also visit the Lupus Foundation of America’s website at lupus.org to learn more.

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Dawn E. Isherwood, RN, BSN, is Health Educator for the Lupus Foundation of America. Dawn can be reached at 800-558-0121 or by filling out this contact form.

Aiden Gallagher: Youth Takes on the Cruel Mystery

Aiden Gallagher was 11 when she was diagnosed with lupus, after a spider bite triggered symptoms of joint pain, fatigue, and a rash that covered her nose and cheeks. In the eight years since, she has faced numerous health challenges, many debilitating. But she has used her experiences to raise awareness about lupus and improve the lives of others who live with the disease in her community and around the country, as an ambassador for the Lupus Foundation of America.

When Aiden, now 19, was first diagnosed, she was quickly treated with heavy doses of chemotherapy and other strong medications such as steroids to suppress her overactive immune system. The steroids caused her weight to balloon from 82 to more than 150 pounds over one summer. The treatments eventually began to affect her brain, nervous system, kidneys, and bones, to name just a few.

“Lupus just took over my life. I could no longer do the things I loved to do,” she says.

Once an avid softball player, she was forced to give that up as the disease progressed. Aiden suffers from central nervous system involvement, and when her school could not accommodate her special needs, the family decided to homeschool her.

Since her diagnosis, she has been hospitalized more than 100 times. More recently, she experienced serious seizures while away at college and was alone for more than 24 hours before someone found her and brought her to the hospital.

Despite the difficulties, Aiden, now a freshman at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., remains a fighter.

Because her chemotherapy treatments made her feel cold, she launched a project, Blankets for Chemo, to deliver blankets to children in local hospitals who are undergoing chemotherapy for diseases including lupus.
While undergoing chemotherapy herself, Aiden became friends with another young girl with lupus, Una-Marie. Together, they vowed to do whatever they could to educate the public about lupus. They contacted the Lupus Foundation of America and helped launch the first official lupus awareness bracelet with the inscription "Someone You Know Has Lupus.” The girls were named honorary ambassadors for the Foundation and the bracelets became a worldwide symbol for lupus. When Aiden turned 16, she decided to host a sweet 16 party and raise money for the Foundation and Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The event raised more than $16,000 for lupus research, education, and awareness efforts.

Last month, Aiden participated in a panel at a Lupus Foundation of America event in Washington, D.C., along with three-time Olympic gold-medalist Shannon Boxx and Dr. Susan Manzi, to speak about the cruel and devastating impact of lupus.

Aiden (center) with Shannon Boxx (L) and Dr. Susan Manzi in front of the Help Us Solve the Cruel Mystery™ tour bus.

“For me, life with lupus means never knowing what each day will bring,” she said. "My future has always been the most important to me and my biggest fear is that lupus will stop my dreams."

Join Aiden and Help Us Solve the Cruel Mystery™. Find out how you can get involved at www.cruelmystery.org.