Beat Lupus

Resources Available to Lupus Patients:

MIZUNO MOVES:  Join me in Mizuno Moves, exercises designed for those with chronic conditions to get toned.  Muscle strength is increased so that mobility can be regained.  Exercises include 17 short segments of light free-weights alternating with low impact aerobics.  The free-weight segments involve joint-friendly and muscle-friendly moves, and the aerobic segments include simple step work.  All exercises are modifiable to include chair work up to a more intense workout.  Work at your own pace.  We begin and end with stretching, and perform core work before the cool-down stretch.  Appropriate for all ages and fitness levels.  Persons of every walk of life are welcome.  Get strong in a group environment where we are all working together towards the same goal.    Sign up by contacting Regan at:        or rmizuno@comcast.net.

LUPUS-SMART DIET:  Learn how to reduce the inflammation in your body and the pain that can be associated with inflammation.  This diet helped me, and following it allowed me to regain energy so that I could start exercising.  Learn about this diet at:  http://beatlupus.com/smart-nutrition.

ARTICLES:

Michael Jackson had Lupus   copyright Regan Mizuno, Harmonics Engineering LLC, 2009, all rights reserved

Holy Smokes.  You know, I did not know that Michael Jackson had Lupus.  A friend of mine, Dr. Christine Dumas, recently pointed me to a press release by Dr. Deepak Chopra, who announced on June 27 that Michael had Lupus.   

I was shocked to learn this.  And it’s funny – just one evening before learning this information, (and after hearing some reported details of Michael’s passing), my mother was surmising that perhaps Michael Jackson had Lupus.  I considered that.  He did, after all, have hair loss, he apparently suffered from fatigue and extreme pain, and it seemed as though his body and his organs simply gave out.  “Nah”, I thought.  It can’t be – he would have said, we would have known, etc.

And then I came to find out that is exactly what he had.

Knowing this, I now have to wonder, why didn’t he come out and say he had it?  Well, it turns out he never really hid the fact he had Lupus.  I read a 2003 article about his presence at a Lupus LA fundraiser, and that the media had disclosed his Lupus several years ago in many different publications.

But it never made headline news.  Was the world not ready to hear it?  Did we not understand (or care to understand) Lupus?  Did people brush it off or simply feel disbelief?   Did we simply not know of the nature or gravity of Lupus?

I think all these scenarios were present.  Before I was diagnosed, I really didn’t know much about Lupus either.  And after I was diagnosed, I was in denial.  Yikes!

Deepak Chopra had said, in the referenced PEOPLE magazine article:  [http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20287787_20288162,00.html], “I know it (Lupus) was something that bothered him a lot.”  That’s an understatement in terms of how I personally have previously felt about having Lupus.  And I too kept the fact to myself for years.

I know I’m not the only one to who neglected to speak up. 

Perhaps for these quiet reasons, combined with the fact that Lupus is very difficult to understand (not only for health professionals but also for lay-persons like me), Lupus has, until recently, remained in the shadows.

THE GOOD NEWS is that Lupus is gaining national attention.  Websites like this one ensure Lupus is getting the attention it deserves.  And I’d like to play my part in that by being a face for Lupus.  Hi!  I’m real!    (Please see an upcoming article about my relationship with Lupus – what involvement I have with it, and how I have been treated).

The thing that really excites me is the research that is changing the landscape of Lupus’ presence in our world today.  For example, the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) has announced on its website [http://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org/research] that LRI scientists have made breakthroughs in:

-Genes that increase susceptibility to Lupus

-How Lupus damages organs—kidneys, heart, brain, skin

-Pathways that enable misguided antibodies to attack

-Molecules that determine control of the immune system

-Targets for new treatments

-Biomarkers for diagnosing, monitoring and treating Lupus.

And of the LRI’s $26 million invested so far, millions more have been secured at the National Institutes of Health and other agencies to expand on the research.

Yippee!  As a patient and advocate, this makes me very optimistic about my future. 

And Michael Jackson, may he rest in peace, has impacted me, as I’m sure he has impacted other Lupus patients, and the world, by increasing knowledge about Lupus.   

Copyright © 2009, Harmonics Engineering Services, LLC, all rights reserved

 

EXCELLENT LUPUS LINKS:

Empowher:  http://www.empowher.com/users/regan

Lupus Research Institute:  http://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org/ 

Lupus Foundation of America:  http://www.lupus.org/newsite/index.html 

Lupus Foundation of Northern California:  http://www.lfnc.org/

Lupus LA:  http://www.lupusla.org/ 

Lupus Canada:  http://www.lupuscanada.org/ 

Lupus and Kidney Disease:  http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_aboutdiagnosis.aspx?articleid=100&zoneid=15

Lupus Foundation of Colorado:  http://www.lupuscolorado.org/

Kelowna’s Walk a Block for Lupus video, featuring my Mom and Dad!:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H78zpwfNlrA 

 

REGAN’S UPCOMING BOOK:

Methods to Beat Pain and Fatigue:  I’ve created successful treatment methods to virtually eliminate pain and increase energy.  Please stay tuned for my book, Lupus Lifestyle.

Diet:  I developed a very specific, yet easy to follow, common-sense approach to wellness.  Using food to stabilize the molecular reactions in my body, my pain plummeted and my energy increased dramatically.  It has changed my life.  These life-changers of course enabled me to exercise, which has also served to increase my energy.  It is a complete circle, and I hope you will benefit from these methods as I did.  These methods will also be included in my book, Lupus Lifestyle.

Exercise:  The book will also contain an exercise DVD showing easy-to-do exercises that range in intensity from floor-inspired exercises to weight lifting and low-impact, high-energy aerobic exercise.

                      ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Beat Pain and Fatigue:

I have created unbelievably effective methods that have helped me recover from the fatigue and joint pain that came with my severe organ involvement (kidney) and a two-and-a-half year treatment of chemotherapy.  Now, these crucial survival tools help me maintain an energetic, physically fit, pain-free existence and remain on an even-keel.  A must-read for everybody with lupus!  And nothing “woo-oo” or “out-there” is involved.  It’s all common sense, diet and some supplement as well as exerciseand mentaland spiritual strategies.  And they are strategies that can be modified to your own liking to work for you.  They are specific, but not regimented enough such that they can’t be tweaked to seriously work for you.  For your situation and your person.  Trust me.  You’ll be glad you did.  Here they will reside, pretty unique ideas that are combined in a comprehensive package that when followed, result in an improved energy level and quality of life.  Here they are, tied up in a shiny red bow.  Stay posted for the new updates.  Regan  

∞RED BOW∞ :       © Regan Mizuno

I found a way to exercise gently despite pain.  The pain soon went away, partially because the exercise benefitted my body, and partially because I lost weight.  Then I was able to do different exercise - exercise that was more fun and more challenging yet still involved no impact on the joints, (no impact on the knees), which resulted in continued increase in strength.  With that, my energy really started to climb, my weight went down further, I was able to breathe and sing and walk up stairs more easily, and I felt stronger.  Physically and mentally.  Now that was the true beginning of the success story, the happy ending, total recovery.  I will include these methods here and in my book.  Please stay tuned.

Information About Lupus:  

Lupus is a potentially life-threatening disease that can affect the organs (heart, kidneys, lungs, brain, skin) and joints.  It is an auto-immune disease and involves a large amount of inflammation.  It causes debilitating fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, blood disorders and other hard to manage symptoms.  There is currently no known cure, but some companies are making promising head-way.  In the meantime, please refer to the following links below for more information about lupus:

The national awareness month for Lupus is October.

The first month-long observance occurred in 1986 when President Reagan signed Public Law 99-365, designating October 1986 as Lupus Awareness Month.

For more information visit:

Lupus Research Institute:  http://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org/