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Well-being and qua­li­ty of life

Qua­li­ty of Life (QoL)

Health-rela­ted qua­li­ty of life is now taken into account in the heal­th­ca­re sec­tor by being recor­ded and mea­su­red. It refers to the sub­jec­ti­ve per­cep­ti­on of how health and ill­ness affect various aspects of life. 

Health-rela­ted qua­li­ty of life is influen­ced by an individual’s health sta­tus and medi­cal tre­at­ment. The suc­cess of a tre­at­ment also depends on qua­li­ty of life. The­re are assess­ment methods desi­gned to cap­tu­re pati­ents’ sub­jec­ti­ve reports. The­se are incre­a­sing­ly being used in nur­sing and medi­cal care and com­ple­ment tra­di­tio­nal phy­si­cal para­me­ters (e.g. labo­ra­to­ry results). 

The fact that qua­li­ty of life is now taken into account in medi­ci­ne marks a para­digm shift. Chro­nic con­di­ti­ons are on the rise, and their impact on qua­li­ty of life and well-being is now reco­g­nis­ed and measured. 

Par­ti­cu­lar­ly in the case of chro­nic con­di­ti­ons such as lupus, the aim of tre­at­ment is to ensu­re the best pos­si­ble qua­li­ty of life.

Exer­cise despi­te pain

Exer­cise is very important for peo­p­le with lupus.

Many peo­p­le with lupus suf­fer from pain and fati­gue and the­r­e­fo­re stop exer­cis­ing. Howe­ver, exer­cise is very important! It helps to pre­vent mus­cle wasting, impro­ve over­all phy­si­cal fit­ness, main­tain joint func­tion and – even though it may sound coun­ter­in­tui­ti­ve – redu­ce fati­gue. Strength trai­ning can also help to increa­se bone den­si­ty and redu­ce the risk of osteoporosis. 

Tail­or your phy­si­cal acti­vi­ties to your needs! Listen to your body! Dis­cuss the right type of exer­cise, fre­quen­cy, dura­ti­on and inten­si­ty with your doc­tor or phy­sio­the­ra­pist.
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Low-impact sports sui­ta­ble for peo­p­le with lupus: e.g. swim­ming, yoga, wal­king, Pilates.
Do not take part in stre­nuous exer­cise during an acti­ve fla­re-up; do not over­ex­ert yourself!

Exer­cise plays an important role. Here are a few rea­sons why exer­cise is important for peo­p­le with lupus and can lead to impro­ved well-being: 

  • Impro­ving over­all phy­si­cal fit­ness: Regu­lar exer­cise can impro­ve stami­na, strength and fle­xi­bi­li­ty, which can help peo­p­le with lupus cope bet­ter with their dai­ly acti­vi­ties and impro­ve their qua­li­ty of life.
  • Main­tai­ning joint func­tion: Exer­cise can help to main­tain joint mobi­li­ty and redu­ce stiffness.
  • Sup­port­ing the immu­ne system: Mode­ra­te exer­cise can sup­port the immu­ne system and redu­ce inflamma­ti­on, which is important for peo­p­le with an auto­im­mu­ne con­di­ti­on such as lupus.
  • Redu­cing tired­ness and fati­gue: Alt­hough rest is important, mode­ra­te exer­cise can help redu­ce tired­ness and boost ener­gy levels, which can impro­ve your gene­ral well-being.
  • Pro­mo­ting men­tal health: Exer­cise can redu­ce stress, impro­ve mood and boost self-esteem, all of which con­tri­bu­te to bet­ter men­tal wellbeing.

Nut­ri­ti­on

The importance of a healt­hy diet

An anti-inflamma­to­ry diet is recom­men­ded for peo­p­le with lupus (and for peo­p­le with rheu­ma­tic con­di­ti­ons in gene­ral) becau­se it redu­ces inflamma­ti­on and sup­ports the immu­ne system. Sym­ptoms such as fati­gue, joint pain and skin ras­hes may improve. 

Avo­id foods that pro­mo­te inflamma­ti­on! Anti­oxi­dants, omega‑3 fat­ty acids, and vit­amins C, D and E, as well as zinc and sele­ni­um, are important nutrients! 

When you first start chan­ging or adju­sting your diet, it is advi­sa­ble to seek gui­dance from a die­ti­ti­an. They will work with you to draw up a per­so­na­li­sed meal plan and ensu­re that it con­ta­ins all the essen­ti­al nut­ri­ents in the right amounts. 

Here you will find recipes and fur­ther information:

Recipes from Rheu­ma­li­ga D
Rheu­ma­tism League Switzerland
Bro­chu­re

LUPUSLOG

Dia­ry func­tions and trend graphs

You can find more infor­ma­ti­on about down­loa­ding LUPUSLOG in your mobi­le phone’s app stores.

Dia­ry func­tions and trend graphs

Thanks to its intui­ti­ve user inter­face, simp­le icons and clear gra­phics, the dia­ry is easy to use. You can com­pi­le a list of the per­so­nal sym­ptoms you wish to track or tho­se you have agreed with your doc­tor. This gives you and your doc­tor a clear over­view of chan­ges in your health in rela­ti­on to your gene­ral well-being. 

Export func­tions

The PDF export func­tion allo­ws you to save and archi­ve your per­so­nal dia­ry ent­ries. All data can be expor­ted as a PDF file and sent by email, for example. 

You can find more infor­ma­ti­on about down­loa­ding LUPUSLOG in your mobi­le phone’s app stores.

Click here for the Android app.

Click here for the iPho­ne app.