May is Lupus Awareness Month, and even though it’s the end of the month, I wanted to do my part to bring more attention to this devastating disease and some of the brave women living and blogging with it.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects many more women than men. In fact, ninety percent of people who develop Lupus are women. The scary part about Lupus is that it can damage any organ in the body (including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin) causing life-threatening complications.
The most common symptoms of lupus are: extreme fatigue or exhaustion, headaches, painful or swollen joints, fever, a butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose, sun- or light-sensitivity, and hair loss.
Approximately two-thirds of people with lupus will develop some type of skin complication. This often is in the form of a rash or sores, most of which will appear on sun-exposed areas, such as face, ears, neck, arms, and legs.
There is no single laboratory test that can determine whether a person does or does not have lupus. Diagnosing lupus involves analyzing the results of several lab tests that are used to monitor the immune system, along with a review of the person’s entire medical history.
Systemic lupus is the most common type of lupus. Systemic lupus can affect any organ system of the body, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, blood, joints, and skin.
In lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances, such as viruses or bacteria, and the body’s healthy tissue. The result is the production of auto-antibodies that attack healthy tissue.
Since many symptoms of lupus mimic those of other illnesses, lupus often can take three to five years to diagnose. Symptoms of lupus can come and go over time, which makes a definite diagnosis more difficult.
There are many courageous women living and blogging with Lupus, and May is the perfect time to check out their blogs and show them some love and support. If you know a woman blogging with Lupus please share their link in comments.
Did you know that 57.7 million Americans suffer with mental illness? That’s 1 in 4 of us. Chances are, if you’re not one of those four, you most likely know someone who is. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve had my bouts with depression and anxiety over the years. Thankfully, I always recognized when I needed to reach out for help, and when I did, I got it.
But because of the stigma associated with it, it’s not always easy for people to reach out for help. That’s why it is so important to shed light on this issue and help eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and on May 18th bloggers were encouraged to come together through a Blog Party and help bring awareness to the issue of mental health. The goal was to help educate the public, decrease stigma, and to discuss strategies for making lasting lifestyle changes to promote overall health and wellness.
Take a little time and visit some of the blogs that participated in the Mental Health Blog Party…
I’m happy to report that even with additional temptations this weekend [It was my mother's birthday and we got her an ice-cream cake, chocolate volcano cake, and cheese cake.] I was still successful in my goal to not eat sugar. It actually wasn’t hard at all to resist, I think because it’s been over two weeks, I’m just not craving the sugar the way I normally do. So that’s a plus!
Off topic: Do you want to see the Birthday Dance of my mother that I made with the American Cancer Society’s new dance application? Here’s the link – Frances Ellen Disco Dancing (Feel free to tease her about it in comments, she loves all the attention).
OK, back to my post.
Since I was so successful with my first (two week) commitment, I decided to make a longer and more difficult commitment next. For the next six weeks I will be continuing to avoid sugar, but I will also eliminate high fat/calorie snacks and junk food, and lose 5 pounds.
That’s a lot…But you think I can do it, right?
So that’s my new commitment. Now for the giveaway.
Did you see the headlines linking sunscreen to skin cancer? Are you feeling confused about how to protect yourself and family from the dangers of sun exposure? These stories stem from a report by the EWG (Environmental Working Group). Many of these “fear driven” headlines would lead you to believe that it might be more dangerous to use sunscreen than not. Let me assure you, it is still best to use sunscreen, but you should use it wisely.
A statement from The American Academy of Dermatology says, “scientific evidence supports the beneficial effects of sunscreen” and sunscreen is “an important tool in the fight against skin cancer.”
It seems like a real shame to me that these reports are coming out now, at the beginning of the summer season, when we should all be doing everything we can to protect ourselves and our families from the dangerous effects of the sun. We need to take every measure possible to reduce our risk for developing skin cancer, and using sunscreen is still the first line of defense.
One thing you don’t want to do is buy into claims of 50, 80, and up to 100 SPF. These claims lead consumers into a false sense of security. And many people believe that if they use these high SPF sunscreens, they can put it on once and be protected for the entire day. This is not true.
I contacted the American Cancer Society for a comment. Here is the statement they sent me, from Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer…
I’m happy to report that I have had a successful week avoiding sugar, but it hasn’t been easy. The first few days were the toughest, and filled with temptations. Usually when I start something like this, the first thing I do is clean out the kitchen of all temptations and stock it up with healthy alternatives. But this time is a lot different. You see, we’ve recently become a multi-generation household, and my mother is an out of control snack-a-holic. This poses a bit of a dilemma, and since purging the house of all my mother’s treats isn’t really an option, I am forced to live with the temptation.
For me, the biggest temptations are in our freezer. Snickers, TastyKakes, ice pops, fudgesicles, chocolate ice-cream, and more.
Imagine how hard it would be to suffer with daily pain that can effect your entire body, unrelenting fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, along with depression and anxiety? Now try to imagine feeling this bad only to have friends, family, and even doctors tell you, “You don’t look sick!” or “It’s probably all in your head”. Sadly, this is what it’s like to be a person who suffers with Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a misunderstood, complicated, painful, chronic medical condition that affects millions of Americans, and May is devoted to bringing more awareness to it. It’s not known why, but women are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia much more often than men. Many women are not only suffering and living with Fibromyalgia but they are also blogging about it. You can learn more about this disease by reading some of the funny, frustrated, and sometimes heartbreaking posts written by these incredibly strong women. I hope you’ll take some time to check them out and show them some love.
I’m honored to have been asked to be part of the “Choose You” Blog, and I’ll be posting there every Tuesday. My first “Choose You” commitment is to say “no” to sugar.
How many times in the course of a day do you put yourself first? Let’s face it, women have a lot of trouble doing that. Somewhere along the line we became convinced that putting ourselves first was taboo, and rather than see the benefits of taking time for ourselves, we instead chose to feel guilty about it. In the long-run this type of behavior can catch up with us in the form of poor health, chronic illness, and even cancer.
The American Cancer Society wants us to stop ignoring ourselves, and start caring about ourselves and our health. But that’s easier said than done. So to help, they’ve launched the Choose You campaign, and it’s all about helping us keep our individual commitments to healthy living.
So…What is the Choose You campaign all about?
Choose You is a movement created by the American Cancer Society that encourages women to put their own health first in the fight against cancer. The movement challenges women to make healthier choices, and supports them in their commitment to eat right, get active, quit smoking and get regular health checks.
The Choose You Movement shines a light on a hidden issue: that while one in three American women will get cancer in her lifetime, about 50% of cancer deaths could be prevented if more emphasis were placed on early detection and healthier lifestyles including maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise and avoiding tobacco.
Ellen Pompeo, star of Grey’s Anatomy, is the official ambassador of the Choose You campaign…
Would you like to know how you can get started? It’s easy and fun, here’s what you do…
Are you thinking you should lose a few pounds to look your best this swimsuit season? If so, now is the time to get started. Don’t worry, it’s not necessary to go on a crash diet. The best thing you can do is make healthy food choices that will contribute to weight loss.
So rather than starving yourself on fad diets, make positive changes in your eating habits to look and feel great. It’s not about trying to look like a swimsuit model, it’s about feeling good in your own skin…I’ll start by getting a bathing suit that flatters my curves, along with a nice sarong, and I’ll also try losing a few pounds.
If you’re like me, and you want to shed a few pounds before getting in your swimsuit this summer – Here are ten dieting tips that might help you…
1. Make fruits and vegetables a big part of your diet.
Try to eat at least two servings of fruits or vegetables with each meal.
If you’re not a big fan of vegetables, ease your way into them. Start with one serving a day, and work your way up from their. If you hate vegetables, try doctoring them up a bit with cheese, sauces, or dips.
For a quick healthy snack – Dip raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, or other vegetables into your favorite low calorie salad dressing. It helps if you keep a stash of fresh vegetables cleaned, cut, and ready to eat in your frig at all times. In a pinch, buy bags of ready-to-eat cut vegetables (they even make carrots that are cut to the size and shape of chips).
When possible, eat an all veggie lunch.
Always have several bags of frozen vegetables and frozen fruit on hand.
My name is Catherine Morgan...I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. I'm also a contributing editor for BlogHer Health & Wellness.
Welcome to my blog...I write a little bit of everything with an emphasis on healthy living, inspiration, nutrition, and health news. I hope you'll find topics that interest you here, and I would love to know what you think in comments. Thanks for stopping by.
