Living with an autoimmune disease can be a challenge. When a flare up decides to wreak havoc in your body, even the simple things can be very difficult. These conditions – where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues, encompass a wide range of disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Sjogren’s Syndrome, and Psoriasis. Individuals diagnosed with autoimmune diseases often face symptoms that impact various aspects of their lives, from physical well-being to emotional and social aspects. In this article, we’ll explore ways to manage autoimmune diseases through a comprehensive approach to health and wellness.
Understanding Autoimmune Diseases:
Autoimmune diseases attack healthy cells and tissues. The exact cause of these conditions remains complex and can involve genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, like most other diseases. Managing autoimmune diseases requires a thorough understanding of the specific condition and its triggers, as each disorder can present with varying symptoms and challenges.
1. Education and Communication:
Empowerment begins with knowledge. Understanding the fundamentals of your autoimmune condition, its symptoms, triggers, and treatment options is crucial. Regular communication with healthcare professionals, including specialists, can help you make informed decisions about your health. Establishing a strong patient-doctor relationship fosters open dialogue, allowing you to work together in creating a personalized treatment plan.
2. Diet and Nutrition:
A balanced diet plays a pivotal role in managing autoimmune diseases. Certain foods can either exacerbate inflammation or promote healing. Adopt an anti-inflammatory diet rich in whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some individuals may benefit from eliminating specific trigger foods, such as gluten or dairy, while others might find relief from incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric, ginger, and fatty fish.
3. Physical Activity:
Regular exercise offers numerous benefits for individuals with autoimmune diseases. Engaging in low-impact activities like yoga, swimming, or walking can help improve joint mobility, reduce inflammation, and boost mood. It’s important to find an exercise routine that aligns with your condition’s limitations and your personal preferences. Consulting a physical therapist or trainer experienced in working with autoimmune patients can help design a safe and effective exercise plan.
4. Stress Management:
Stress has been linked to exacerbating autoimmune symptoms. Incorporating stress management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, mindfulness, and progressive muscle relaxation can help reduce the impact of stress on the immune system. Prioritizing self-care and finding activities that bring joy and relaxation are essential components of managing autoimmune diseases. For more on this, please read my next article: My Favorite Apps for Autoimmune Warriors.
5. Sleep Hygiene:
Quality sleep is crucial for overall health, especially for those with autoimmune conditions. Poor sleep can negatively affect the immune system, exacerbate inflammation, and amplify symptoms. Establish a consistent sleep routine, create a comfortable sleep environment, and practice relaxation techniques before bedtime to improve sleep quality.
6. Social and Emotional Support:
The support of friends and family is so important when you live with chronic illness. But, living with an autoimmune disease can sometimes feel isolating. So, connecting with others who share similar experiences can help you feel less alone in your journey. It’s healthy to find your tribe and create a sense of community to help in navigating the challenges that come with these conditions. There are facebook groups, and there are other #AIWarriors who share theirs stories on social media, so if you need a little understanding but can’t get out of bed, it’s easy to access. Also, seeking support from in person support groups, or therapists can provide emotional relief and help in finding tools to manage every day life.
7. Medication and Treatment:
In collaboration with healthcare professionals, individuals with autoimmune diseases may require medication to manage symptoms and slow disease progression. Adhering to prescribed treatment plans and attending regular medical appointments are essential for optimal health outcomes. It is also important for you to communicate clearly with your health care professionals about what you are taking, including supplements to make sure the medications are being optimized specifically for you.
Conclusion:
Autoimmune diseases require a comprehensive approach to health and wellness that encompasses physical, emotional, and lifestyle factors. By educating yourself, communicating effectively with healthcare professionals, adopting a nourishing diet, staying active, managing stress, prioritizing sleep, seeking support, and adhering to treatment plans, you can take proactive steps towards managing your condition and enhancing your overall well-being. Remember, every individual’s journey is unique, so crafting a personalized approach that suits your needs is key to achieving a fulfilling life despite the challenges posed by autoimmune diseases.
For more lifestyle and wellness tips, follow us on social media:
Dr. Amen is one of America’s leading psychiatrists and brain health experts. He has authored or coauthored 9 professional book chapters, 85 scientific articles, and more than 40 books, including New York Times mega-bestseller Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. He has appeared on numerous television shows including Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, Today Show, Good Morning America and The View.
Carrie Ann: Welcome to the first ever episode of Carrie Ann Conversations, Journey to Wellness! I’m so excited that you have all joined me here today. If there’s anything that I’ve learned in the past year, it’s that in order to achieve wellness, you have to do the work. That’s why I decided to start this new series, Journey to Wellness, because I wanted to share what I have learned from this experience with you. I have thought leaders, doctors, experts, influencers, and friends. All have helped me on this incredible road to wellness, and the goal is to share it all with you.
I’m kicking things off today with someone that was by my side during my own road to recovery in 2021. He’s a physician, an author, and a brain health specialist who forever changed the way I approach my own health. He has been so important and such a great friend through all of this. Please welcome founder of Amen Clinics and author of the new book, You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type, Dr. Daniel Amen!
Thank you so much for being my first ever guest on Carrie Ann Conversations Journey to Wellness. And happy 2022! Let’s start with this – what is your goal for 2022?
Dr. Amen: To keep doing what I do. To make a difference in the lives of a lot of people, to love my family, and to live forever. So, to make decisions so that I have clarity and energy.
Carrie Ann: Alright y’all, did you hear that? We are going to get to how we make those things happen in a second. And Dr. Amen, I wish all of that for you. I know you know how to achieve it because you have helped me achieve these goals in my own life as well.
So let’s get started. To get everyone on the same page, I met Dr. Amen last year in May, right when I had taken my hiatus from The Talk because I was very ill. I wasn’t able to go to work and that was the first time in my life that something like that had happened. And when I came to him, I was in the worst flare up of my life. It was terrible. I had been to see all of these specialists, including a craniosacral specialist, gotten 7 MRIs, and did neurological testing, but the pain was still so immense. They were trying to put me on Percocet, and that didn’t even work so I knew I had to make a shift and make a change. Then I remembered a friend of mine who knows Dr. Amen talking about this man who did brain scans. At the time I thought it was so interesting, but I wasn’t in need. But in that moment I remember thinking to myself, I am in need. Because something is wrong, and I’m not okay. So I got your number and I reached out to you, and you were watching Game of Thrones, do you remember?
Dr. Amen: I do, and I was watching it for like the third time so I was like, oh, Carrie Ann Inaba, I’d much rather talk to her.
Carrie Ann: You were so sweet, you took the call and we started talking. And then before we even met, you asked me to go get my brain scan. Which I did, and it’s called a SPECT scan, so let’s start with that. Dr. Amen can you tell everybody about the SPECT scan and why you scan peoples brains?
Dr. Amen: I’m a psychiatrist by training, and most psychiatrists never look at the brain. Which, 30 years ago I thought, well that’s insane because it’s the organ I’m trying to help. So I was introduced to this technology 30 years ago, and now have a database of 200,000 scans of people from 155 countries. And SPECT basically tells us 3 things. Good activity, too little activity, or too much activity. And my job is to balance it. At the time you came to see me you were anxious and you were sad, your life was overwhelmed, and you felt awful. So I wanted to get a look at how your brain worked. You could tell me your symptoms but you couldn’t tell me how your brain was functioning. And we discovered it was hurt. It was really sleepy in activity, and that gave us direction on some of the things we would then do for you.
Carrie Ann: Yeah, I was confused. And I also had COVID brain, and I didn’t know what to do. After we saw my brain scans, I was blown away. I will post them later so you guys can see what we are talking about. You can also watch Dr. Amen’s show, Scan My Brain, which I will be on, and we will be sharing the scans there. So we scanned my brain, and found evidence of a traumatic brain injury – a concussion in the prefrontal cortex. We also found that my frontal lobes, which should look like puffy clouds, looked like little nubs or claws, and that there was not a lot of activity where there should be. Most of my activity was in my limbic brain. So Dr. explain what that means and what you diagnosed me with at that time.
Dr. Amen: The limbic part of your brain is your emotional brain. So it was like the emotional part of your brain was on fire. But your temporal lobes, which control learning, memory, and mood stability, were really low in blood flow and activity. Your frontal lobes were also really low in activity. So then we began to go huh, I wonder if she has ADD? And that actually became very important over time. So you had a concussion, depression, ADD, and COVID brain. And what I’ve seen with COVID brain is it can really fire up your emotional brain. About 20% of the people who have COVID will then develop anxiety or depression, or both. I have before and after scans, before people got COVID and after, and I was shocked that the inflammation actually happens in the emotional part of the brain. So, we had work to do.
Carrie Ann: He’s being kind, we had to pull out the bulldozer and the big guns and get to work! And we did. What you taught me is that the most important thing about what we know as mental health, is actually what you like to call brain health. And focusing on the wellness of your brain. For someone like me and a lot of my followers who have autoimmune conditions – I have Lupus, fibromyalgia, Sjogren’s syndrome, and antiphospholipid syndrome – we tend to try really hard to get well. But we’re going all over the place, we’re reaching for anything that could make us feel better. And what was so powerful is that you helped me to focus all of my efforts in one area. Which was to focus first and foremost on my brain health. In doing that we were able to create a plan to get myself back together, which we can go over because it was so powerful that I want to share it with everybody. It just made it very cohesive for me. And I’m so grateful for that, because I was putting the effort in but was going nowhere. Would you mind sharing how you helped me and the plan you put me on?
Dr. Amen: Well, whenever someone is diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder it tells you what it is, it doesn’t tell you why it is. And I think one of the most important things we did is we got curious about what was happening to you, and not furious. We began to see what triggers it and what settles it down, and for you food was a really big part of what triggers it. I mean obviously all of us during the pandemic were under a lot of stress, but you were in a very stressful time in your life, so it’s not a big surprise that the flare happened. So, our plan was basically 3 things. The first thing was love your brain. So now we could see it, and it’s a concept I call brain envy. Freud was wrong, penis envy is not the cause of anybody’s problems, it’s brain envy! I want you to love your brain. So before you do something, ask yourself, is this good for my brain, or bad for it? Then, you and I spent a lot of time talking about certain things that were not really good for your brain, whether its alcohol, sugar, not sleeping, or believing every negative thought you have. So brain envy was number one. Two was let’s start avoiding anything that hurts our brain, and we talked about that. And then engage in regular brain healthy habits. So looking at what medicines can help, what supplements can help, what’s the right food, the right exercises. For you I think one of the most powerful things we did was go through every year of your life and look at what was stressful, but also what was great, what was awesome. Too often when people do therapy they talk about all the garbage in their life and they end up feeling worse. Well you are so accomplished that it’s critical to not let your mind just go to what’s dark, but also to balance it with the light.
I also figured out that because of the concussion you also had something called Irlen Syndrome, which is a visual processing disorder. We found that certain colors of light would irritate your brain and trigger headaches. And you’re trying to read teleprompters but the lights from the studio were making you miserable. So I sent you to my friend Helen Irlen, and that made a big difference. So as you can see, this is a not well you’re depressed, take an antidepressant approach. It’s like no, no, no, let’s really understand Carrie Ann and get all of these factors working together. With repairing the concussion with hyperbaric oxygen, to treating the depression and the pain, which was really important, to diagnosing and treating Irlen Syndrome. Then you became a master ANT eater, where you learned not to believe every stupid thought that came into your head.
Carrie Ann: Right, and speaking of every stupid thing that came into my head, one of the things you mentioned earlier was making the list of my life. It’s funny because I had mostly focused on the traumas. Which was fascinating to me and I thought that’s what you were looking for, but what you were really trying to teach me was to look at my life in a better, more balanced way, and not be a negative thought queen. I mean Dr. Amen had me name the negative part of my brain, we named her Psycho Sandy. And whenever something came up, I would tend to look for the negative, as a survival instinct, a survival mechanism. I would also be kind of mean to myself when I was talking to myself. So when all of this was happening I was a mess, and when I was considering whether I should go back to The Talk because I was on hiatus when I came to you, we discussed it at great length. I wasn’t treating my brain so I hadn’t been treating the ADD, I hadn’t been doing enough physical exercise to keep my brain balanced, I wasn’t eating well to keep my brain balanced, I wasn’t eating well to keep my inflammation down, and I wasn’t doing anything with discipline for my brain health.
A lot of people have tuned in to find out why I left The Talk, and the reason why I left The Talk was I wanted to focus on my health. I did the math, is there going to be enough hours in the day to focus on what Dr. Amen has taught me to do? Which I had started to do and was having great results with. Could I go back to The Talk in time for the fall season? And I had to decide that I couldn’t. I realized if I wanted to live a great life, the life that we all deserve to live, the life that we all have a right to live, I would have to take the time to focus on my health. With all of your guidance I’ve been able to do that.
And going back to the automatic negative thoughts, I just wanted to ask you something. When I left The Talk one of the automatic negative thoughts that I had, otherwise known as ANTS, was that it was my fault that the show kind of imploded. And you helped me understand that that was a negative thought. And why does our brain do this? It wasn’t my fault. And after all the therapy I’ve been doing with you – by the way he’s been working with me this whole time, he’s my psychiatrist as well. I want you all to know the real relationship here, it’s been amazing and it’s such a blessing. But why does our brain do this? Why do we have these negative thoughts? Why did I do that to myself instead of just seeing it for what it was?
Dr. Amen: You know thoughts come from all sorts of places. They come from our genes, they actually get transmitted through generations. They come from the news we listen to, they come from voices like our mom, our dad, our friends and foes, etc. And when there is early trauma we develop magical thinking. Like I’m so powerful if something good happens it’s because of me and if something bad happens it’s my fault. Even though if you were talking to a friend about the situation, because you’re a very kind loving person, there’s no way you’d go “You’re right! That was your fault!”. You would help walk them through it in a rational way. But you weren’t able to do that with yourself. And that’s one of the most important strategies. Learn how to step out of yourself. Sandy the Psycho actually comes from a technique I use called Give Your Mind a Name. So you can psychologically distance from the noise in your head, so that you don’t have to believe every stupid thing you think.
How to question your negative thinking is just such an important concept that we should actually teach to children. I actually have a book called Captain Snout and the Superpower Questions and it’s a kids book that teaches them how to question those thoughts. But as you can see we’re working on brain health, we’re working on psychology, social connections, and ultimately spiritual connections like “So why am I on the planet? What’s my sense of purpose?”. And I mean doing this is totally at the center of your purpose because you are a healer and you’re sharing your healing journey with other people.
Carrie Ann: Yes, I am definitely sharing my healing journey with other people. Thank you for all that you just said. Dr. Amen put me to work, I just want to tell you guys. Like he put me to work and offered these things that would be helpful and I chose to do it, and it was amazing. One of the first books he asked me to read – well, first of all I suggest reading all of his books. They’re so much fun, and they’re not difficult reading. Simple solutions to complex problems. One of his books is Your Brain Is Always Listening. And he talks about what we just discussed, which are the dragons and how we have ancestral dragons and all of these different ways that lead to negative thoughts. So, Dr. Amen I just want you to share the 5 questions. When somebody is having a negative thought, you taught me these questions that really help you challenge yourself. Because we have to challenge ourselves when we’re being negative. So what are those questions and how can we avoid a negative thought?
Dr. Amen: So, the thought might be “I made things at The Talk worse”, and the first question is “Is that true?”. So you might say yes because you’re believing Psycho Sandy. The second question is “Is it absolutely true with 100% certainty?”. It just makes you really reflect on it and maybe you’re like no, it’s way more complicated than that. And the third question is “How do I feel when I believe the thought?” and you’d say awful. The fourth question is “How would I feel without the thought” and you would say free. And the fifth question is take the original thought, “I created these problems” turn it to the opposite, which is “I didn’t create these problems” and then look for truth in the opposite of the thought that is actually bothering you.
I got these questions from my friend Byron Katie, they’re so powerful. They’re so good. You know I don’t have any tattoos on my body, but if I got one, I’d get a tattoo of these five questions. Because that gives you happiness, that gives you peace when you don’t have to attach. It’s not the thoughts you have that make you suffer, it’s the thoughts you attach to that make you suffer. And if you can learn not to attach to the lies, you’re just going to be a happier human.
Carrie Ann: I want to move on to your newest book that’s coming out on March 1st, You, Happier – The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type. I just think about this title and it makes me happy. Because I know you’re going to help so many people with this book and everyone I talk to would love to be happier. We have been through such a difficult two years and some of us have been struggling even longer than that. And the tools you have given me have helped so much. So I want to ask you about this book. First of all, what are some of the warning signs that indicate that your brain health needs attention?
Dr. Amen: Well, if you’re unhappy. Happiness is a brain function. If your memory is worse than it was 10 years ago, if you have low energy, if you’re making bad decisions because ultimately it’s the quality of your decisions that determine your health and happiness. Decision making is a brain function. If you’re not sleeping, if you’re snoring loudly at night, all of those things.
Carrie Ann: Wait, why snoring?
Dr. Amen: Because sleep apnea actually triples the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Carrie Ann: Oh wow, so basically you’re saying if you snore a lot you might want to go get that checked.
Dr. Amen: You might want to get it checked, it’s very important.
Carrie Ann: Okay, so what can someone do today to start being happier?
Dr. Amen: In the book I talk about 7 things. The most important of all of them, the foundational secret of happiness that virtually none of the happiness books, because there are a lot of happiness books out there, talk about is brain health. I actually did a study of 500 consecutive patients, and I gave them my Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and I compared the high happiness people with the low happiness people. And the low happiness people had low activity in their frontal lobe. Sort of like you when I first met you. What people don’t realize is if I get my brain better, well, I’m happier. And happiness is a moral obligation. It’s not a nice thing to do. It’s a moral obligation because of how you impact other people. Just ask anybody who was raised by an unhappy parent, or married to an unhappy spouse, whether or not happiness is a moral obligation and I guarantee you they will say yes. This is not about selfishness, it’s about altruism because of how we impact other people.
Carrie Ann: Oh I love that, I so agree with that. When you’re happy, you spread happiness! It’s contagious. If you want to be a good person in this world start with you. Start with you. You’ve really taught me that. I thought I was dealing with me but I think I was making everybody else first in line, and I was actually back of the bus thinking I was taking care of myself. Let’s do a rating thing, on a scale of one to ten, where was my happiness when I first met you, before the work?
Dr. Amen: 2. Yeah, it was pretty bad.
Carrie Ann: Yes, I filled out all the forms and did the happiness challenge which we’ll talk about, and yeah I was about a 2. So where do you think I am now after 8 months of working together?
Dr. Amen: I think you’re an 8. I mean ultimately you should say it, but you know, there’s still ups and downs. But every time there’s a down we investigate it. We’re like detectives on Carrie Ann. You are such a good patient, I mean I adore you for so many reasons, but you do what I ask you to do. And you know that’s what I tell my patients it’s like just do it, because you know I have 40 years of experience so if you do this we’re going to make progress. And you do it, which just makes my work so much easier.
Carrie Ann: Thank you, so what grade level do I get, or on a scale how do you rate me as a patient?
Dr. Amen: Oh you get an A, you’re a 10.
Carrie Ann: Bruno, Len, watch out I got a 10! Thank you for that. And I will tell you that Dr. Amen was incorrect about one thing though. He said I’m about an 8, but the truth is I feel a 10 right now. And that’s because I’m doing this interview with you right now and we’re getting to share all of these amazing things. Ok, I know you’re short on time so we’re going to end with a viewer question. Here it is, from Melanie: “My thought patterns and therefore actions have been described to me by people more than once as all over the place. I’m not sure why I am this way, but I would like to understand it better and fix it”. What do you say to that Dr. Amen?
Dr. Amen: Well, Carrie Ann you understand about having your thoughts all over the place, it’s a common symptom of ADD. So I’d get that checked. And it could also be from a potential head injury. So one of the things you can do, a simple thing, is go to youhappier.com and pre-order the book and get a whole bunch of immediate benefits. Including my wife’s new cookbook, the You, Happier Cookbook. And get enrolled into our 30 day challenge, which you have done Carrie Ann. And I saw one question in the feed, it was “Did you get your brain scanned again?” and the answer was yes, and hopefully you’ll post the before and after, which are amazing. As your brain heals, your mind heals as well.
Carrie Ann: Yes, my brain is so much better you guys and you’ll see the scans right after this. I want to remind everyone that Dr. Amen’s new book comes out in March and is currently available for pre-order. Dr. Amen, I just want to thank you so much. You’ve helped me immensely and I do believe that with this Carrie Ann Conversation today you’ll be helping many more people. And I wish you the best 2022 and thank you so much for all that you’ve done for me, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
Dr. Amen: You’re so welcome, and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Carrie Ann: Dr. Amen is fantastic, don’t you think? I want to thank you all for joining me on my first ever episode of Carrie Ann Conversations Journey to Wellness. This has been an exciting day for me and I really appreciate that you all tuned in. Dr. Amen was fantastic, I hope you all gained something and learned something for your own journey of wellness. And I hope that you will continue the dialogue. I wish you all a wonderful 2022! Stay well, and be kind to yourselves.
You can find Dr. Amen’s social media, resources, books, and more information on his SPECT scans at these links:
Going through life with an autoimmune condition, or several, like I do, can be a difficult process. Over the years I’ve been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and I have the markers for antiphospholipid syndrome, which can lead to blood clots. When many of us start our health journeys, even if we are fortunate enough to get a diagnosis, we can quickly end up with more questions than answers. Often when it comes to autoimmune conditions there is no perfect solution or clear path forward. Coping with autoimmune conditions can sometimes feel quite lonely. When I first got diagnosed, some encouraged me to keep my struggles to myself, but I’ve found that it’s always been better to be honest about my needs and realities than to stay silent. I believe strongly in sharing my journey, my solutions, and the things that have helped me with anyone who could use it— this is how communities are formed.
If you’ve been struggling with the symptoms of an autoimmune condition, and experience anything from dryness to soreness to an upset stomach, hopefully something on this list can make your life with autoimmune a bit more manageable. Keep in mind that not everything in this list might make a good fit for you, and you might have discovered solutions I haven’t even heard of yet and would love to hear. When it comes down to it, you get to make your own rules for your life with your autoimmune conditions. I hope you get something out of my routine and that you’ll share your own tricks and tools for staying healthy!
With Sjogren’s Syndrome, dryness of the eyes is a never-ending problem. It’s important to keep my eyes properly lubricated all day and all night to avoid painful dryness, redness, and irritation. I use these lubricant eye drops throughout the day so that I never have to deal with the pain that dry eyes can cause; I’m also allergic to preservatives so these drops are safe for me to use.
These eye drops are a bit thicker, which prevents me from using them during the day when I’m wearing contacts. However, they’re perfect for use just before bed, giving me relief from irritation so I don’t wake up with any painful dryness in my eyes.
One of my favorite night time rituals is after I have put in my last round of eye drops is to use this Japanese eye mask. The lavender scent is my favorite but there are chamomile and citrus and non scented ones as well. They are disposable and I usually wake with them rolled up in a ball, but my eyes always feel much better. Putting heat on my eyes increases circulation and just keeps them feeling fresher and healthier.
Dryness can be such an issue with my autoimmune conditions, and truth be told, I just feel old when my skin shows dryness, so it’s always been important to me to make sure my skin stays properly moisturized. I have a few products to help keep my skin hydrated throughout the day; one of my favorites is FIJI Body butter.
For added smoothness and moisturization, I apply this oil after using lotion on my skin. A tip I learned from working with dancers is to put the oil on the outside as the final step to keep the moisture in. Sealing your lotion with an oil is incredible, and nothing feels better than feeling fully hydrated.
Because I use my hands a lot, keeping my cuticles healthy is important to me. After lotioning up I use a cuticle oil; Opi’s is my favorite. Even though I may not be getting to the nail salon like I used to, I am still able to keep up my cuticles at the very least. It helps me have the confidence to use my hands without having to look at the dryness all the time and be reminded of my condition.
If you ever come to a taping of one of my shows, you’ll see that I’m always using sprays. This is because, as a Sjogren’s Sister, I’m always battling dryness and do whatever I can to keep myself feeling comfortable. I love these sprays because scents are very important to me and I love coconut and rose. I spray one of these on my face when is start to feel dry. I also like to spray it into the air and walk through it, which always makes me feel like I just walked through a little breeze.
I can always trust this mist to freshen up my space, and its simple bottle fits into any environment without clashing. It can also be used over make up or during your facial cleansing routine. I always carry it in my purse for the times that I need a bit of refreshment.
Whenever I travel to a new space and the air feels dry to me, I use a mixture of lavender essential oils and distilled water in a spray bottle to help hydrate and refresh the air. It’s a great way to take control of the energy in a space, making sure it’s fresh and welcoming.
For Dry Hair
I’ve been dealing with dry hair due to my autoimmune conditions for years, and since having COVID it’s become even more delicate. I have an entire article detailing my favorite products to help lock in moisture and keep hair feeling fresh, soft and healthy that you can read here.
Sjogren’s can also leave my mouth feeling uncomfortably dry; because so much of my career involves talking to people, it’s always important to me to have a mouth spray like this one on hand to get rid of any dryness.
These mints are great to keep on hand; they are sugar-free, taste great, and help with saliva production. I like the fruity flavor of the berry mints, but they have many different flavors. You can find your own favorite to have on hand to keep your breath fresh and your confidence up.
For Muscle Soreness,Aches and Pains
Muscle pain, joint pain and aches are a body’s worst nightmare. Even small aches and pains for a person with autoimmune conditions can signal much worse developments on the horizon; soreness in one spot can lead to immobility elsewhere, and flare ups are always a concern. Because of this, much of what I do in life is to avoid pain, minimize it, or nip it in the bud so that I can continue to live my best life. These are some of the products that I use regularly to help me avoid and manage pain.
I get flare ups all the time, and physical activity always increases the odds of a bad flare up. When I work out, my muscles tighten up so much that the pain can prevent me from getting into a consistent schedule. Using a massage gun right after I work out helps reduce the risk of muscle pain and flare ups. Full disclosure: Muscle Hammer is owned by my brother, so of course it’s my favorite!
The Muscle Hammer helps to prevent lactic acid buildup (which is what causes post-workout soreness) so that I can work out again the next day. This has become especially important during the pandemic, as I used to rely on personal massages to keep autoimmune related inflammation at bay. This massage gun helps to fill that need while we all stay safe at home. It saves money in the long run and helps you feel good about taking care of yourself. The Muscle Hammer is also much quieter than many similar products on the market, meaning you can use it around other people whenever you need without worrying about disrupting anyone.
Another natural remedy that I use quite often is epsom salts. I take epsom salt baths anytime I feel a flare coming, or have any muscle tightness. Sometimes I use it just to calm my senses. The ones I use have lavender essential oils in it, because I love lavender. Eucalyptus is a great addition if you’re dealing with clogged pores or sinuses— I used to use it until I found out it’s toxic to cats and now I keep eucalyptus out of my home entirely.
Epsom salt baths are a great way to combine physical healing with emotional and spiritual self care, and all are important for living a full, balanced life with autoimmune conditions. Light a candle, turn on some music and calm your spirit. If you need a wake-me-up, you can throw some lemon or orange or lemongrass essential oil in the bath as well to help your senses come alive.
After taking a warm bath, I often will rub Traumeel on my legs, neck and shoulders. I have found it helps with pain and inflammation. I keep it in my nightstand because often nighttime, before falling asleep, is when pain tends to be hardest to ignore. I like Traumeel specifically because, unlike Icy Hot or Tiger’s Balm, it’s almost scentless, making it a nice subtle choice for my evening routine. I use Traumeel almost every night for muscle discomfort; so much of my routine is built around pain management and preventing flare ups, and using Traumeel daily is a big part of this routine.
As my fellow autoimmune warriors know, fatigue is always at the top of the list of concerns. When I feel fatigue coming on, I’ve found that energy drinks leave me worse for the wear. One remedy that I use when I am feeling depleted and just need a boost to get through my day is Bach Flower’s Olive Remedy. Bach Flower Remedies are homeopathic tinctures developed by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930s, and each one has a different application. I’ve been using these products for years to treat everything from stress to sleeplessness. It does contain alcohol, so if you can’t use alcohol because of medications or any other reason, just check with your doctor. It’s always a good idea to check with your doctors before mixing anything with your medications.
Ever since I was a child, I have had to deal with a stuffy nose. I’ve struggled with allergies all my life. Sinus health is an issue for me, because infections can be painful and draining. I use a neti pot every morning in the shower to clear my sinuses and keep them moist. This one is great because it comes with the saline packets; you just have to mix warm water with the packet, tilt your head and pour…one nostril at a time. Gravity does all the work, and the process will leave you feeling clear and refreshed.
I’ve been using Afrin to treat stuffy noses since I was a child. This pump isn’t meant for long term use, but when you need to open your nasal passages quickly, this works the best. I always carry one in every set bag and in every purse I own; this small pump is small and easy to transport and use.
I have a sensitive stomach. Recently I was diagnosed with IBS, and I’ve been going through an antibiotic treatment that’s improved my system a lot so far. However, my stomach is still sensitive, so when I’m not feeling great, or just when I want a hot drink in my mug, I use these packets. I stock them in every dressing room and always have them at home. This drink tastes great. It does have a lot of sugar so it might not be right for those of you who are on a no-sugar diet, but I’ve found that these are a great remedy for upset stomachs.
For Avoiding Flares
For me, autoimmune flares often come when I’m overwhelmed or trying to take on too much. In many ways, I think that flares are signs from the universe to slow down and treat yourself with more care. This is one of several reasons that I keep a big dry erase wall calendar up at all times. Not only does it help me keep track of my work schedule and reiki and acupuncture appointments, but it also helps me schedule in days for rest. These are days that I’m not allowed to work or even make plans with anyone else. Planning ahead to give yourself time to recharge without feeling bad is vital to a healthy life balance for me. Because I’ve suffered from insomnia for the past few years, naps have become a big part of ensuring that I get the amount of good sleep that I need to thrive. Even if you’re not big on taking naps during the day, even just taking ten minutes to grab some headphones, put on a meditation from Insight Timer or Calm, and shut out the world can have such a positive impact on how you feel for the rest of the day.
For Brain Fog
I often find myself grappling with the “fibro fog” that comes along with my fibromyalgia diagnosis; this fog can make anything from reading the teleprompter at The Talk to remembering appointments very challenging. I try to keep notepads all over my house to jot down things as they come to me. I also keep a Moleskine journal in my purse and am constantly making to-do lists. Sometimes I don’t even need to come back to these lists but the process of writing them down helps it stay in my memory easier. Another thing I’ve found is helpful when dealing with these fogs is simply to be honest about them with those around me, and forgive myself for having them. When I’m able to have empathy and compassion for myself instead of shame or disappointment, it helps to create a more supportive and understanding environment around me as well.
I’ve known that apple cider vinegar is good for digestion, but I’ve always avoided it because of the taste. I was so thankful when we started trying these gummies at The Talk; they’re delicious and they’ve really helped to improve my digestive system.
I’ve always used L Carnitine to help me have more energy when I work out but a friend of mine who has lupus uses it on a daily basis to keep up her energy.
Carrie Ann’s Stay Healthy Shake Recipe
I also use probiotics in a shake to get maximum nutrients and immune defense. Just blend and enjoy!
A gentle reminder: when it comes to autoimmune conditions, there is no one perfect solution. Everyone’s path to healing is deeply personal, and usually it’s a mix of several remedies and practices mixed together. Each person is different, and you always need to listen to your own body when it tells you what it needs. Over the years, these are all products and practices that I’ve found bring me relief and allow me to live a more balanced and full life, and I wanted to share these with you. If you have your own solutions, please leave them in the comments below— the tip you share might change someone else’s life for the better, and we could all use that.
It took twenty eight years of testing for doctors to draw their first conclusion from a myriad of life-altering symptoms I’d experienced since birth, starting me on a path that would end with a diagnosis for a terminal illness. Nearly three decades would pass before any medical professional could offer an explanation for the mysterious aches, pains, and reactions I’d withstood since a child. From ages 28 to 32, I would finally rack up several diagnoses thanks to a team of physicians at Cedars-Sinai who were willing to think outside the box, encouraging my instincts and trusting my knowledge of my own body.
Within a span of four years, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos, Dystautonomia – POTS, Mastocytocis, Vascular Ehlers-Danlos, Lupus, Sjögrens, and eventually, due to high dosage steroid treatment, Cushings.
While all of these diagnoses affect my life and some even put it at risk, one of them is a terminal illness. Most people with the subtype of Ehlers-Danlos that I have don’t survive their third decade due to arterial or organ rupture.
I’m 36.
The moment the geneticist revealed what would likely be my drastically shortened lifespan, a high pitch sound began ringing in my ears as if a bomb had exploded in front of me. Fragments of my life, like shards of broken glass, seemed to cover the floor of the conference room at the hospital. I always had a premonition that I would die before my time, but I never knew that validation could feel so heartbreaking. My vision instantly began to blur but then narrowed, closing in on a tunnel. Everyone I loved and every dream I had ever dared to hope for filled that tunnel. However, a light blazed at the end of it. My heart had stopped years back, so I had enough near death experience to recognize the “other side.” Immediately, a clock started ticking in the back of my head. It’s incessant ticking drowned out every other sound.
The sound of that ticking clock has never once stopped. I have found ways to mask its volume, but I am unable to find its mute button. It grows louder with every passing day, driving me to work, create, and write at an untouched speed— loving and living with a velocity that knows no bounds while I still have the chance. That clock rules me; its unyielding rhythm dictates my every move.
According to the Kübler-Ross model of grief, there are five stages of loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I have experienced all of these stages, though not linearly. Sometimes I think I’m done confronting a stage, only to be nearly obliterated from behind by a second or third wave of it. There are days that grief pours out of my eyes like an endless faucet: moments when the unfairness of it all utterly overwhelms me, rage filling my heart, spilling out into areas of my life I wish it wouldn’t.
There are days when I can be in a room surrounded and loved by hundreds of people, yet feel desperately alone in my personal experience. At times, even pre pandemic, it felt like I might as well be isolated on a deserted island, thousands of miles from civilization.
But there are also beautiful days. Magical moments doing what I love most, spent in the company of the people I love most. The darkness in my life has given me the ability to instantly recognize light. What might be a flicker to some looks like the whole sun to me. When the background is dim, color pops. Laughter is louder, happiness bolder, sunshine brighter, gratitude deeper, ability abundantly over-appreciated.
I know the full value of time because I’m running out of it. I know the full value of relationships because one day I will not be here to experience them in the same way. I know the value of human life because I could lose mine at any moment. I know the depths of gratitude because I know what it is to be without so much that goes unappreciated by most.
I wish there was a way to appreciate what you have without losing it, but I have yet to identify an illuminator to gratitude greater than loss. The trick is finding that appreciation while you’re still here. If you allow it, a terminal illness diagnosis gifts you a bird’s eye perspective of life. It finally floats you to a high enough altitude to see the full picture. Your priorities shift, and your vision sharpens. You see straight to the heart of people and things, suddenly speaking without reservation, making sure your love for people is heard loud and crystal clear.
Every encounter, opportunity, embrace, and moment becomes a possible “last”. You find yourself taking so many photographs, attempting to stop the clock by mentally freezing snapshots of the moments you wish could last forever.
That clock ticking, of course, grows loudest when I’m stopped by something out of my control. So you can imagine how my clock sounds at a full stop in a pandemic. For every one second in real time, it clicks at least thrice that; its volume sometimes reaches a deafening threshold. I have never once stopped myself of my own accord. It has always been my body that slams on the breaks, rendering me unable to move forward when I reach my limits.
In a break from the norm, COVID-19 has made me pull the breaks. Never once in my life have I put my foot down on my own will, but I have lost perfectly healthy, young friends to this awful virus. I have been told that, as immunocompromised as I am, I don’t stand a chance at beating it. Today marks 167 days since I’ve left my apartment. I live alone, so it’s been 167 days since another human being has been in my home, 167 days since my skin has felt human touch or a hug, 167 days without my friends of family, 167 days without the outlet to create, 167 days without an income. 167 days without the career and art I have built my life around and without the people for which I have consistently fought to leave a legacy for. Imagine what it’s like to be running out of time during a pandemic, losing 167 days of your life that’s already been sliced to one third.
Full stops aren’t new to the chronically ill, but the majority of the world feeling it with us is. In the beginning of the pandemic, it admittedly felt oddly comforting for our country to see life from the perspective that the chronically ill often do. Everyone looked at the world through the lens of thankfulness because they were experiencing that same loss of basic necessities and the connection to the people they loved that is so constant for people in my shoes. These losses resulted in so many heartfelt vows to seize gratitude to its full power when life and experiences finally resumed and returned. We may have been in isolation, but for the first time, I didn’t feel alone.
But with mounting pressure, rules preemptively lifted. Many have grown understandably impatient, stir crazy, and restless, even with far more freedoms than what the elderly and immunosuppressed have been afforded. The pandemic rages on, pushing the day further and further away that the immunosuppressed and elderly will be able to leave isolation. That tunnel I saw that fateful day of diagnosis is getting shorter, and the clock I constantly hear grows faster and faster. While I know many of you have more freedoms than I do and are far closer to “business as usual” than I am, you have your own dreams to manifest, too.
Four years have passed since hearing the words that would change my life forever. Even without the threat of COVID-19, any one of my organs could rupture anywhere from the next moment as I write this to my prescribed expiration date just three years and four months from now. While I very much plan on shattering this prospective timeline and living to 110, on the off-chance that I don’t, I have so much more to give and do. I have so many people I want to love, so many dreams I wish to see unfold. The majority of these goals cannot be met from the confines of my apartment in LA.
It is my greatest hope that my words have not led to sympathy but instead perspective, a perspective from someone who happens to be dying during a pandemic but not because of one. The curious thing is, you’re dying too. We all are. In fact, it’s the only thing we are born knowing for certain. You have a clock, too; mine just screams louder. We’re all living our own “dash.” This pandemic does not discriminate between the healthy, sick, poor, rich, or celebrity. It does not care. It wreaks havoc on all.
Please, wear a mask. Social distance. Protect our most vulnerable. Step back only to move forward together, and leave fewer behind. This pandemic prevents us all from safely and fully resuming the beautiful life that we’ve worked so hard to create, or prevents us from fully moving forward within this beautiful life that we’re all hoping to build. We all have so much to give, do, dream, and love. I want to see every one of you fulfill your authentic purpose ; I hope you’ll help me fulfill mine while I’m still here to do it.
As someone who struggles with several autoimmune conditions, my health journey has looked a bit different from many others’. As so much remains unknown about autoimmune syndromes, many people struggling with them begin doing their own research to find treatments that work. Often, people like me end up working with holistic medicines that that go beyond typical Western medicine. Over the course of my research I’ve found several alternative treatments that have brought relief, balance, and healing to my life.
Starting the process of finding treatment outside of the usual routes can sometimes be overwhelming or scary, but finding the practices that work for me and designing a life that allows me more freedom from my symptoms has been more than worth it. If you’ve been curious about pursuing holistic medicine for your own healing journey, consider some of the alternatives below. Having access to new avenues for pain management might change your life as much as it’s changed mine.
Reiki is a form of energy healing that originated in Japan. The word “reiki” is a combination of two Japanese words that mean “God’s wisdom” and “life force energy;” together they signify a kind of energy that is guided by a higher spirit. Reiki believes that many illnesses are the result of disrupted energy in the body. In reiki, healers work to undo disturbances in the energy fields in a person’s body, promoting balance, health and good energy flow.
Reiki works with the qi (or chi), the energy that flows along pathways (or meridians) through a person’s body like blood flows through our veins. A reiki healer either hovers their hands above a client’s body or lightly touches them to help engage their natural healing capabilities, clear blocked energy and help promote a healthy flow. The reiki healing process is one that aims to work in every area of the client from the physical to the spiritual and emotional.
Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that involves inserting very thin needles at strategic points on the body to help with the flow of the qi. The acupuncture needles help to unblock places where qi is stagnant and increase circulation through the body. It’s often used to relieve pain that stems from headaches, blood pressure problems, and other issues. Some studies say that acupuncture might be additionally helpful because it increases blood flow while triggering the body’s natural painkillers.
I’ve been using acupuncture for over twenty years; I started using it to treat dance injuries and muscle pain, but over time it’s become a regular tune-up for my overall wellness. For people who are especially in tune with their bodies and can sense when there is a blockage or imbalance, I’ve found the relief that acupuncture provides to be especially helpful. It’s not terribly painful, although if you have a fear of needles acupuncture might not be for you. Acupuncture has had miraculous results for me while dealing with autoimmune conditions, and I know others with autoimmune disorders who have found the practice useful as well.
Shiatsu is a form of massage that originated in Japan; its name comes from the Japanese words for “finger pressure.” It focuses on applying deep pressure to points along meridians in the body. This pressure does the work that needles do in acupuncture, reducing blockages and allowing energy to flow freely. In addition to greater balance, shiatsu can help with neck and back pain, arthritis, headaches, and sinus problems. It’s also useful for stress management, helping to undo the damage that stress often brings to the nervous system.
Reflexology is another form of massage that focuses on the ancient Chinese belief in connections between our different body parts. This practice believes that applying pressure to your feet, hands and ears can bring healing and relief to different organs and systems all over the body. Healers work to correct internal balances using the pressure points in your feet and hands like a map to your body. A masseuse uses pressure on these connections to send healing energy to the parts of the body that need it the most. The most common benefits of reflexology are stress relief, anxiety reduction and pain management.
Even if you’re not sure about reflexology as a method of healing, getting a foot massage once in a while is a great form of self care.
Chiropractors work with your bones and muscles, making sure your body’s structure is properly aligned. I’ve seen a chiropractor for most of my dancing career because dance can be very hard on the body. When one part of your body, like a rib, a shoulder or an ankle, is pulled out of alignment, it can cause the rest of your body to overcompensate in a harmful way. As your body works to compensate for the injury it causes more aches and pains in other places, causing a feedback loop of pain.
Much of the work I do for my health as I live with autoimmune conditions is for pain management, which is why taking care of pain as soon as it happens is so important. If left unchecked, these small misalignments can cause flare-ups, so getting adjusted by a chiropractor is a regular part of my self care.
Taking the first step toward alternative healing can feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but so many of these practices can have great results. If you’ve been looking for ways to manage pain or promote healing, I’d encourage you to give holistic medicine a try. You might be surprised at what works for you. I always believe fi you seek, you shall find; if you have a problem that isn’t being solved by Western medicine I always encourage people to dig a little deeper. After all, it’s your life, and you deserve to live it at its healthiest and most fulfilling.
There’s a reason they’re called invisible illnesses. People with autoimmune disorders don’t always appear sick to the outside world, even if they’re struggling with problems like fatigue, soreness and aches on a daily basis, and as a result, more people are impacted by them than you might think. According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 23.5 million Americans struggle with autoimmune disorders. Many people struggle for years to get a diagnosis and proper treatment, and for many more there is still not always a clear path toward healing.
As a society we tend to link success and health, forgetting that celebrities often have their own private battles to face. Many celebrities with autoimmune disorders have been open and brave about their journeys with diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogrën’s and Hashimoto’s disease. Often, their openness can be a gift for others, letting those of us who have been struggling with autoimmune conditions know that we aren’t alone in our experiences.
Here are eleven celebrities who have spoken about their autoimmune journeys, their struggles and their successes.
In a 2011 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian revealed that she had been diagnosed with psoriasis, an autoimmune condition that affects the skin, along with psoriatic arthritis. Since her diagnosis she’s been candid about how the condition affects her life, sharing photos of flare ups on her face and keeping her followers updated on treatments she’s trying. Last September, she even wrote an essay for Poosh where she detailed her experiences living with the disease. “If you have psoriasis,” she wrote, “You can’t let it ruin your life or get the best of you. You have to do what you can to make sure you are comfortable but not let it take over.”
In 2015, Selena Gomez revealed that she had to take a break from touring in order to receive chemotherapy treatment for lupus. Two years later, she took to social media after a period of silence to let fans know she had undergone a lupus-related kidney transplant. In an Instagram post about the surgery she thanked her family, friends and doctors as well as her close friend who had donated the kidney. “Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made,” the singer wrote. Last year, on the Giving Back Generation podcast, she also spoke about how lupus had caused her weight to fluctuate, and how the public response had been difficult for her: “I really started to notice when people started attacking me for that… That really messed me up for a bit.”
In 2017, just before the release of her documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two, Lady Gaga tweeted out an announcement that she’d been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and would be postponing her upcoming tour as a result. The documentary, which came out shortly after, follows Gaga through the highs and lows of living as a star with chronic pain, showing the moments of strain and exhaustion that are often hidden from the public eye.
In an interview with Vogue the following year, the performer expressed frustration at people who try to invalidate her experiences with her autoimmune condition. “I get so irritated with people who don’t believe fibromyalgia is real. For me, and I think for many others, it’s really a cyclone of anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and panic disorder, all of which sends the nervous system into overdrive, and then you have nerve pain as a result. People need to be more compassionate. Chronic pain is no joke. And it’s every day waking up not knowing how you’re going to feel.”
The most decorated female tennis player to compete at the Olympic Games, Venus Williams has accomplished many of her athletic victories while also grappling with an autoimmune disorder. The athlete told Prevention.com that her symptoms began back in 2004, and she would frequently struggle with fatigue and shortness of breath that kept getting worse. Williams waited seven years before she was able to get a proper diagnosis: Sjögren’s Syndrome, which often causes dryness of the mouth and eyes as well as muscle pain, sore joints, and inflammation of major organs.
In 2011 her symptoms became so severe that she had to pull out of the U.S. Open and dropped out of the top 100 tennis players for the first time since 1996. She told Prevention.com that at first living with the disease was frustrating and challenging. “Before I was on medication, the quality of my life wasn’t as good because I was extremely uncomfortable,” Williams said. “Just being alive was very uncomfortable. I was exhausted to the point that I was just always uncomfortable or in pain.” She says her path to wellness is one with ups and downs as she works to manage her symptoms. “There are times when things are better and times when they’re not as good, that’s when you have to listen to your body and understand that.”
In 2019, actress Selma Blair made headlines for her stunning photos from the Vanity Fair Oscars Party where she used a custom monogrammed cane with a pink diamond. The year before she had revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in an Instagram post full of humor and hope. “I have #multiplesclerosis,” she wrote. “I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken gps. But we are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best.” Since then she’s been open about her journey with MS, sharing photos of herself using a cane and speaking on the anxiety that the disease can cause.
In 2016, Zoe Saldana announced in an interview with The Edit that she had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid system. She said she’s been predisposed to thyroid issues for most of her life, and her mother and her sisters also have Hashimoto’s. “Your body doesn’t have the energy it needs to filter toxins, causing it to believe that it has an infection, so it’s always inflamed. You create antibodies that attack your glands, so you have to eat clean,” she told The Edit. She said that taking an active role in wellness since her diagnosis had been helpful: “I learned the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, to avoid certain foods, and to make sure not to be deficient in selenium and vitamin D to assist my body so it doesn’t feel like it has to fight.”
During an interview with Good Morning America in 2012, Nick Cannon revealed that he had been diagnosed with lupus nephritis, a lupus-related disease that affects the kidneys. Earlier that year, he had been hospitalized after experiencing fatigue and swelling in his knees during a trip to Aspen; he was diagnosed with lupus shortly after. Cannon was honest with Lupus.org about his adjustment to his new normal: “I was constantly struggling with trying to have the same type of endurance and stamina that I had before the diagnosis,” he said, “and that made me have another setback that was even more serious.”
The following year he was hospitalized again for a pulmonary embolism caused by kidney malfunction, and had to be put on a special low-sodium diet and over twenty medications. He also left the radio show that he had hosted until 2009 to get more rest and make his health a priority. Cannon has since worked hard to learn as much as he can about lupus and connected with a community of others living with the same condition. “I try to be as optimistic and as hopeful and full of faith as possible. I truly believe those are the things that help. Faith changes things,” he told Lupus.org.
In 2018, Wendy Williams took three weeks off from her talk show after receiving a diagnosis of Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid and can cause anxiety, hand tremors, fatigue and heat sensitivity. “My thyroid has been totally caddywampus,” she told her audience when she announced the doctor-prescribed hiatus. “What I must say, as women, when we have families we put everything before us… What I want to say to women is stop putting everyone else first because if we’re not good, they’re not good. Get stuff checked out.” The Wendy Williams Show, which has been filming remotely during the pandemic, paused again earlier this year to allow Williams to rest after experiencing Graves’-related fatigue.
Jane The Virgin star Gina Rodriguez told Self that she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at 19 and Hashimoto’s disease at 26, but that it took her longer to come to terms with the her illness. The actress said she spent several years denying herself care, getting frustrated with weight fluctuations and diet restrictions. Eventually though, she decided to take a stand for her health. ““[Hashimoto’s] affects so many aspects of your life. I’ve had it for so many years…that rebellion of not taking care of myself can’t exist anymore,” she said. Recently, she’s been working with a nutritionist to narrow in on the foods that affect her negatively to improve her quality of life.
In 2018, model Gigi Hadid took to Twitter to educate some followers about her experience with Hashimoto’s disease. In a thread, she expressed frustration at strangers speculating about her weight changes and body shape. “Those of you who called me ‘too big for the industry’ were seeing inflammation and water retention due to [Hashimoto’s],” she tweeted. She explained that over the past few years she had gotten proper medical treatment to help with symptoms that included metabolism issues, fatigue and heat retention. Later in the thread, she said that this was the last time she’d be explaining the way her body looks to anyone. “Please, as social media users and human beings in general, learn to have more empathy for others and know that you never really know the whole story. Use your energy to lift those that you admire rather than be cruel to those you don’t,” she concluded.
And of course, there’s me. I’ve been diagnosed with several autoimmune conditions: lupus, Sjogrën’s, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and, most recently, vasculitis. For many years now, my life has been full of ups and downs, and lots of hard work to help me to feel my best, to land at a new normal that’s comfortable and sustainable. It hasn’t always been an easy or straightforward journey, but one of the things that’s always made the difference for me is community. Knowing that there are others out there, more than we think, all working hard to find solutions and make tomorrow better than yesterday was, is a thought that gives me comfort even when coping with my conditions is hard. Whether you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition or you’re still struggling to find answers, you’re not alone, and we’re all in this together.
We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.
