Wednesday, August 14th
Another beautiful cool morning! It's 51 degrees this morning. Brrrr!
Kaylee stayed overnight last night and today we are thinking about running over to Faribault to visit grandmas... :-)
I have bursitis and neuropathy and have been swollen and in a lot of pain again...thought we would see how the morning goes. If my pain and swelling continues we will have to run over another day :-( Hopefully it settles down for me after I take my pills. Yesterday the pills didn't help.
My bones have been cracking a lot and I noticed recently that anytime I move my neck it makes cracking noises also. :-(
I will make the best of each day!
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Additional information...
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.
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Today's Meditation
"You must be the change that you wish to see in the world."
—Mahatma Gandhi
Miraculous Attraction Meditation
The secret of attraction is remarkably simple. It can be summarized in a single line from the Latin poet Ovid: “To be loved, be lovable.” A lovable person is natural and authentic, radiating the light of awareness and love that we explored in yesterday’s meditation. The second “secret” is one we have already discussed at length: You are already lovable. There is nothing you have to do make yourself more lovable or attractive other than to let go of any unloving thoughts that you have about yourself. That which you seek you already are.
In today’s meditation we will put our attention on the divine qualities that are closest to our heart and that we wish to attract in our relationships—including love, peace, trust, compassion, joy, passion, inspiration, thoughtfulness, and generosity.
Our centering thought for today is:
I attract that which I am.
MINDFUL MOMENT
The spiritual Law of Giving and Receiving teaches us that in order to attract or receive something in our lives, we need to give it freely and without expectation. If we want to experience more love, we need to be lavish in our own expression of love. To receive acceptance, we need to be open and accept others. Today choose one quality that you want to expand in your experience and find as many opportunities as you can to share that same quality with others.
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Today's Bible Study
The Offer of a Second Chance
Read | John 8:1-11
I’ve never met a person who didn’t have a past. Never have I spoken with a man or a woman whose life didn’t include a “yesterday”, a “last week,” or a “last year.” And if someone has a past, you can be sure he or she has some mistakes scattered throughout it.
If every one of us has a past, then why do we so often feel isolated, alone, and ashamed of what was done “once upon a time”? Why do we allow the shadows of our long-ago to darken our today?
The answer is a matter of perspective. When we look back at our lives, we usually see mistakes through the lens of guilt, remorse, or fear of judgment. The old axiom says that hindsight is 20/20—what we once accepted as permissible behavior may now shock us as we realize the gravity of those actions.
But how does our heavenly Father perceive us? Is He hampered or even influenced by the same dirty lenses through which we tend to look? No, He sees us with crystal clarity. That means He sees us completely, but He is free of the guilt and remorse that tend to color our perceptions.
More than that, our loving Father looks upon us with the perfect grace and forgiveness that only He can offer. Though our mistakes may hurt Him, the Lord regards us in love. If you have faced your sin problem and accepted the forgiveness that is available in Jesus Christ, then you can be certain you are now living a life of second chances. For the rest of your days on earth, you can have the joy of knowing that you are forgiven.
Another great day!
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