Venus Williams & Autoimmune?

Article about Venus Williams possibly having Sjogren's (autoimmune):

http://arthritis.about.com/b/2011/08/31/sjogrens-syndrome-knocks-venus-williams-out-of-the-game.htm?nl=1


Here's is an article that theorizes it may have been more than Sjogren's, maybe fibromyalgia also:

http://blogs.prevention.com/prevention-news/2011/09/02/venus-williams-is-it-sjorgens-syndrome-or-something-else/


I think it will be interesting to see how this develops for Venus, as we all know how both Sjogren's and Fibro are life-altering chronic illnesses. It's hard to find celebrities who are open about facing such challenging autoimmune illnesses, and its because of the same fears that we all face - the stigma of not being well enough, not being perfect, not being able to perform to the best of our abilities, looking well but not actually feeling well. As a celebrity, sports figure or famous person they are constantly in the spotlight and are under an even higher level of scrutiny than most. So being open about a chronic, debilitating illness could often be a career killer for them, thus they often feel a better move is to keep it quiet.

In a way I feel it is a shame, as I feel we need more on our side who can use their powers of influence to communicate the seriousness of the conditions and the challenges we face, and to inspire. I am proud that Phil Mickelson has come out and been so open about his struggles with psoriatic arthritis (also autoimmune.) So again, I am very curious to follow Venus Williams and her health, I hope she can also (unfortunately) highlight the struggles of chronic illness and be an inspiration to understand and manage chronic illnesses.

"Is disease in your future? How to outsmart your family health history" by Leslie Goldman

Natural Health (Magazine) - April/May 2011 issue


"Is disease in your future? How to outsmart your family health history"  by Leslie Goldman - p. 66

This is a GREAT article. If you can get ahold of this issue def read. If not, I can post and share a pdf scan of it here. This magazine is just a great magazine overall, I subscribe to it :)

From the article:

"Research shows that dietary and lifestyle measure have an almost threefold greater impact on long-term health and the way we age than our genes....Most studies suggest 30 to 40 percent of our health is genetically determined, leaving a substantial 60 to 70 percent in our hands. Genetics are the gun, but your lifestyle pulls the trigger."

"Brent Bauer, MD, Director of the Mayo Clinic Department of Internal Medicine's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, believes a commitment to the four pillars of health — diet, exercise, stress management, and spirituality — can prevent 90 percent of the health care problems in the U.S. The emerging field of epigenetics suggest a happy trickle-down effect. Those same lifestyle choices may help silence bad genes while supporting the activity of good genes. And that's a healhth benefit that can be passed on to children and grandchildren."

"The good news is that lifestyle can trump genetics."

"In general, women are more prone to autoimmune disorders, described as 'your immune system growing overzealous and attacking things it shouldn't.'... While numbers are hard to come by, autoimmune disorders are now known to have a genetic component. A doctor's first reccomendation for autoimmune patients — or those looking to thwart genetics — is to go gluten-free. Gluten often causes the body to flood with inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, sending an already wound up immune system into hyperdrive, attacking tissue. And experts agree that its a smart move to follow your gluten-free goodies with a vitamin D chaser."

"Energentically speaking, doctors urge women to treat ourselves a little more gently, especially when it comes to warding off disease. Autoimmune disorders are a form of self-attack, yet women are constantly attacking themselves for not being able to do it all — have a great job, great body, great relationship, great kids. Stop punishing yourself for being human, and you might give your body a leg up on healing."

"In the months and years following my Mom's diagnosis, I felt almost resigned to a similar future. What I'm learning, though, is that my intense fretting might be wreaking far more havoc than any genetic risk. While I'm spending a lot of time worrying about MS, my brain is responding as if someone were coming at me with a knife, jazzing up my adrenal glands and suppressing immune system. In other words, my nerve-rattling anxiety has been laying down the red carpet not only or autoimmune disease, but cancer and heart disease, along with nuisances like migraines, ulcers and delayed wound healing."

"While we all take health missteps, our bodies are incredibly resilient."

Working With Fibromyalgia

These are good blogs for insights on joining or re-joining or surviving in the workplace with a chronic illness, like FIbromyalgia and/or Chronic Fatigue:

http://workingwithchronicillness.com/
http://cicoach.com/

She is also the author of this book:

  Has anyone read or resourced this book?