How to live with LUPUS - and nail it!

“I’ve lived with it since I was a kid. Everyone can do it, with the right attitude and discipline. Fitness isn’t just a cliché, it really works!” Madeline told me with a grin during a consult in my occupational medicine practice.
At nearly 60, she emanated the vitality of a 30-year-old: long, beautiful hair, a lively spark, and a lupus diagnosis almost 50 years ago that rarely flared beyond mild rashes. Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, can ravage organs with fierce symptoms. As her doctor, I had to find out: how did she tame this immune system that failed to recognize self?
She laid it out for me: it all started with food. She adopted an anti-inflammatory diet, ditching sugar, alcohol, and gluten, while cutting back on salt and meat. Then, she prioritized sleep, which, paired with nutritious food, boosted her energy and mood. That energy fueled daily exercise: swimming (she got damn good at it), hiking the mountains with her beloved Golden Retriever, and sometimes flowing through yoga or Pilates. "Whatever moves the bones serves," she said. Her optimism and tight-knit social relationships added up to her not only living, but thriving.
There it was, the simple recipe right out there for anyone to steal: ditch the junk, rest well, move your body daily, lean on your crew. Small changes can tame beasts. With the right moves and philosophy, even fancy-named, scary-symptoms diseases can be kept at bay, allowing you to enjoy life.
I always advise my patients: try it, you might be surprised. Madeline surely was!