Put on Purple

Hola chicas and happy hump day to all.  As May comes to a close, I decided I wanted to share something near and dear to my heart.  My sister and a good friend have Lupus so I always try to support the cause and get the word out.  May is Lupus Awareness Month and for those who aren’t familiar with the disease I wanted to share some information to increase awareness. 

Lupus ia a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body).  Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues and creates auto-antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue.  These auto-antibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.  This is why people with Lupus seem to be ‘sick’ all the time.  Far more common than many realize and most probably have someone in their life impacted by this disease. 

A few more quick facts:

• 90% of the people who develop lupus are female. Males also can develop lupus and their disease can be more severe in some organs.
• There is no single laboratory test that can determine whether a person has lupus. Diagnosing lupus involves analyzing the results of several lab tests, a review of the person’s entire medical history, and the history of close family members.
• People with lupus should eat a nutritious, well-balanced, and varied diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and moderate amounts of fish and lean meats.
• With current methods of therapy, 80 to 90 % of people with non-organ threatening lupus can look forward to a normal lifespan.
• Most people with lupus are able to continue to work. However, some people may require modifications to their work environment and schedules, such as flexible work hours, job-sharing, and telecommuting.

So what can you do to help?!?  Well to support and raise awareness you can ‘Put on Purple’ for Lupus.  The official day to wear purple was May 18th however I’ve been wearing some form of purple very often during May from the office to the gym. For more information please visit the Lupus Foundation of America.   

Thanks for stopping by and I would love to hear from you!