Lupus or Fit Mama

Lupus: Everything You Need to Know

Author: Sasha Bernatsky

An essential reference for patients and their caregivers.

The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 million people in the United States are currently grappling with lupus.

Lupus is a chronic disease caused by inflammation in one or more parts of the body. It can target any of the body's tissues, and its symptoms are many. Because every lupus experience is unique, it's often called 'the disease of a thousand faces.'

Written for non-medical readers, this authoritative reference provides clear, detailed information on:

• How lupus works within the body


• What can be done to manage and minimize symptoms


• Drug treatments


• Alternative therapies


• Concerns particular to women and children.

Lupus is an essential guide for patients diagnosed with this disease as well as their caregivers.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Celia J Fang, MD (Washington University Medical Center)
Description: This is the perfect resource for a lupus patient and/or family member or friend. This easy-to-read book is surprisingly comprehensive considering the complexity of lupus itself and its rippling effects on lupus patients and those around them.
Purpose: For the newly diagnosed patient and family members, this book provides the basic information on how SLE affects the body, managing and minimizing symptoms, dealing with various drug treatments, and in general, ways of coping with the disease. Armed with this comprehensive resource, patients will have the knowledge, wording, and context to ask more questions to seek the best care for themselves.
Audience: This book is clearly written for patients and their loved ones. Because the book does a particularly good job of explaining the intricacies of lupus in layman's terms, this book is invaluable to students, residents, and practitioners alike. All subspecialists taking care of lupus patients (rheumatologists, nephrologists, ophthalmologists, etc) would benefit from reading this book. The authors are credible authorities.
Features: The book covers basic information about lupus not only in the organs the disease affects, but also from the viewpoint of how it affects different phases of life. It also provides a solid foundation about the medications used in treating the disease. The "Further Resources" section is also excellent.
Assessment: I was impressed with the quality of information, both its concise and clear wording and its up-to-date nature. Lupus is a complex disease that is not easy to distill into words in order to convey its heterogeneous nature with a clarity that will help the patient cope. This book will be extremely useful to the reader to go use time and time again.

Rating

3 Stars from Doody

Table of Contents:

Foreword

Acknowledgements


1. SLE: An Autoimmune Disease


• The Healthy Immune System


• What Causes SLE?





2. The Diagnosis of SLE


• Who Gets SLE


• How Is SLE Diagnosed?


• Living with SLE





3. The Signs and Symptoms of SLE


• SLE and the Kidneys


• The Nervous System and SLE


• Blood Clotting or Antiphospholipid Syndrome


• SLE and the Skin





4. Treatments, Drugs and Side Effects


• The Role of the Patient and Doctor


• Antimalarial Drugs


• Corticosteroids


• Steroid-Sparing Drugs


• NSAIDs and COX-II Inhibitors





5. Complementary Care and Alternative Therapies


• What Are Alternative Therapies and Complementary Care?


• If You Want to Consider Complementary Therapies


• Exercise


• Diet


• Vitamins





6. Women -- From Puberty to Menopause


• From Childhood to Adulthood


• Menopause





7. Children and Teens


• Helping Your Child to Understand and Cope with SLE


• Emotional Impact of SLE on a Young Person


• How to Know if a Child Has Depression


• Effects on the Whole Family


• Young People with SLE and Their Peers


• Important Signs and Symptoms of SLE


• Adolescent Problems





8. Coping with SLE


• Disease-Related Challenges


• What IsCoping?


• Stress


• Dealing with Life's Big Questions





9. What Does the Future Hold?


• The Search for a Cause


• Diagnosis


• Advances in Therapy


• Combating Complications




Further Resources

Table of Drug Names

Glossary

Index

New interesting textbook: Straight Talk from Claudia Black or Sensing the Self

Fit Mama: A Real-Life Fitness Guide for the New Mom

Author: Stacy Denney

From simple exercises to do with baby to full body cardio workouts, Fit Mama offers an effective, holistic approach to postpartum fitness. Stacy Denney and Kate Hodson know from experience that it doesn't happen overnight. They offer wise counsel on finding the time and energy to shape up gradually at fi rst, and they motivate moms to amp it up as time goes by. With fully illustrated step-by-step directions and lots of encouragement along the way, Fit Mama delivers!