Lupus is part of you not all of you. Loss of identity to chronic illness

Lupus is part of you not all of you. Loss of identity to chronic illness

When asked to describe themselves people often say they are someone’s mother/father/sister/brother/wife/husband, maybe what they do for a living, where they live and so on, but how would you describe yourself? In amongst the words would lupus or pain or exhausted etc be part of the description? Think about the quiz shows where the teams introduce themselves, “My name is John, I’m 51 and a Managing Director from Essex”, not once do they say “and I have lupus (or any other chronic illness)”.

New Year Resolutions, friend or foe?

New Year Resolutions, friend or foe?

As New Year approaches people are thinking of making resolutions. Personally I never bother, if I want to change something I do it no matter what time of year it is, especially if I think it will benefit my health. Also you make a resolution and don’t follow it through you might feel you’ve ‘failed’ which isn’t a good thing. Studies have shown that less than 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8% accomplish them.

However, if you’re absolutely committed to New Year resolutions you should consider in advance which you might be able to achieve and avoid those which you know will be doomed to failure from the start.

LGBT activists in China seek to change marriage civil code

LGBT activists in China seek to change marriage civil code

It was only after her partner´s death that He Meili realized the full meaning of marriage.

As a lesbian couple in China, He and Li Qin kept their ties largely unspoken, sometimes introducing themselves as cousins. This rarely bothered He until Li succumbed to complications from lupus in 2016, and Li´s parents demanded that He hand over the deed for their apartment and other property documents under Li´s name.

Woman battling Lupus will get a kidney from her daughter's teacher

Woman battling Lupus will get a kidney from her daughter's teacher

Tracy Shearin-Drayton, a preschool teacher and mom from Greensboro, North Carolina, thought she'd have to wait five to eight years to get a kidney transplant. Shearin-Drayton was diagnosed with Lupus in 2009, and in August, she made public plea for a kidney donation, sharing her story with local news station WFMY.

Fatigue v Tiredness

Fatigue v Tiredness

People often say they’re exhausted when in reality they’re just tired, caused most likely by something such as working or playing too hard, or being stressed. People lead very busy lives these days, so tiredness is not unusual. What people don’t understand is that tiredness isn’t the same for everyone, it’s very different to the fatigue caused by chronic conditions such as lupus.

China launches new programme to help lupus patients

China launches new programme to help lupus patients

The launch of China’s first patient-assistance program boosting drug availability for needy patients with systematic lupus erythematosus was announced in Shanghai.

Treatment costs for the disease are high. Annual medical bills for SLE patients in Shanghai last year ranged from 34,000 yuan (£3,843) to 107,000 yuan (£12,100)..

"Many patients are in financial crisis due to the disease and some have to quit taking medication due to the expense,” said Hu Ningning from China Primary Healthcare Foundation.

Kim Kardashian believes she has lupus

Kim Kardashian believes she has lupus

Season 17 of Keeping Up With The Kardashians airs on Sunday on E! A new promo for season 17 was released on Thursday, which shows Kim Kardashian getting emotional as she has a major health scare. Kim is shown at the doctor's office getting X-rays and testing for lupus.

"I feel this in my bones. I probably have lupus," the 38-year-old reality star tells her mom, Kris Jenner, as she wipes away tears and shots of Kim at the doctor's office flash on the screen.

Snob World's Cole & Kelsea Moscatel donate to Lupus LA

Snob World's Cole & Kelsea Moscatel donate to Lupus LA

Cole Moscatel and his wife Kelsea, creators of new luxury, lifestyle platform Snob World, recently donated a generous sum to Lupus LA, a non-profit health organization in Los Angeles. Lupus hits close to home for the couple as Cole was diagnosed with the inflammatory disease six years ago at 15. Since then, he and his wife Kelsea have experienced first-hand the everyday struggles lupus brings.

The Art of Napping

The Art of Napping

Naps are not only beneficial because they make us feel less sleepy and more alert, but because they improve our cognitive functioning, reaction times, short-term memory and even our mood. Research also found that found that motor learning, which is where brain pathways change in response to learning a new skill, was significantly greater following a brief afternoon nap for regular nappers when compared to non-nappers.


If you have lupus you know all about napping, infact we’re professionals. So could we improve the quality of our napping? Here’s a few tips to get the best from your nap.

Chinese husband ready to sacrifice cancer treatment so wife and daughter can receive care

Chinese husband ready to sacrifice cancer treatment so wife and daughter can receive care

A Chinese husband was forced to pass up treatment for cancer so that his wife and daughter could both receive the medical care they needed.

Ke Meinan, 42, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2015 and his 46-year-old wife Wang Huaying diagnosed with breast cancer a month later.

But when their 16-year-old daughter was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus, the family, from the eastern province of Jiangxi, realised that they could not afford to pay for all three of them to be treated.

Sleeping in the heat

Sleeping in the heat

We’re just not used to hot weather in the UK so when we get a sudden heatwave our body struggles to cope with it, especially sleeping. In countries that have more heat than we do they have air conditioning but it would be used so rarely here that the vast majority of us don’t have it. So what can we do to help us sleep in the hot weather?