Lifestyle
If you consider the recommendations in this found on this website closely, you should be well on the way to taking control of your Still’s Disease. The final component of your management plan is to make a few small - but important - changes to your lifestyle.
We’re not talking about major, life changing things here either. There are just a few well considered choices that you can make that will make living with still’s disease much easier.
Exercising Your Body
The last thing that you will want to do when you are in the middle of a flare up is to exercise. With that said, exercise remains one of the most powerful preventative practises that you can do to protect your joints and manage your symptoms. Exercise stimulates the body’s systems, removing toxins and restoring the chemical balance of your body’s inflammatory systems. It also aids in the mobility of the major joints. You know what happens if you let a door’s hinges rust with disuse… it becomes pretty darn difficult to open the door! The same is true for your joints. If you don’t test their full range of motion regularly, they also become stiff, difficult and painful to move.
With all that said, I wouldn’t recommend that you join the wrestling squad or taking up high-impact aerobics. You need to choose something that is low impact and relatively gentle. That’s not to say that you can’t have a good workout, though!
Here’s a rundown of my top Still’s Disease exercises.
Qi Gong
Qi Gong is a lesser known, but well established Traditional Chinese Medicinal discipline. It works by cultivating chi, or life force in your body by the practise of meditation and a series of slow, graceful movements. Qi Gong is causing quite the stir in the orthodox medical community over the last few years thanks to some large trials on cancer patients that has yielded some very promising results. People that regularly practise Qi Gong report an increased feeling of peace and wellbeing, as well as seeing relief in a wide range of ailments, including rheumatoid conditions. The best thing about Qi Gong is that it can be practised at home in as little as 20 minutes a day.
I have personally seen a lot of benefit by using Qi Gong as part of the management plan of my own Still’s Disease symptoms. I find the simple exercises fantastic therapy on my joints and after practising, I am always instilled with a deep feeling of peace and contentment - even on my bad days.
Walking
Yep, the thing that you’ve been doing since you were twelve months old still serves as one of the most popular and most effective exercises on the face of the planet. Set a brisk pace - just enough to get you breathing hard - and keep it up for at least 30 minutes. Aim to get out for a walk at least four times a week.
Like anything, it is important that you have the right equipment. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes and you will enjoy walking more and it will be much easier on your body. Many exercise shoe stores have special equipment that can analyse your footprint. With this information, a good store clerk will be able to recommend you the best pair of shoes for you. Make sure that you tell them that you need extra support for your knees, hips and ankles.
When you walk, don’t make it a chore. Load up your iPod with music or podcasts. Go to the pound and adopt a dog. Walk with your partner or a friend. Buy a pedometer for $40 and challenge yourself to beat your record.
Yoga
Yoga is a very effective method of stretching your entire body, strengtheing your core and harmonising mind, body and spirit. There are several different schools of yoga that are practised in the west. The most common type of Yoga, and the one most suitable for sufferers of Still’s Disease is Hatha yoga. Hatha Yoga classes will take you through a series of asanas (poses) where form and breath are very important. Most classes are suitable for beginners, and a good instructor will show you easier alternatives to the more difficult postures. It should be noted that the more vigorous forms like Astanga and Bikram Yoga should be avoided - they can be pretty tough on your joints.
When practising yoga, always talk to the instructor before the class and discuss your condition with them. There are certain postures that should be avoided, especially when strain is placed on the wrists, knees or neck. They will give you alternative postures to practise that reduce the pressure on your vulnerable joints.
There are dozens of yoga classes in your local area that will be suitable. I can personally recommend the Yoga in Daily Life school that holds classes in most major cities.
Swimming
Swimming is the ultimate non-contact exercise. If walking is uncomfortable for you, definitely consider swimming as an alternative exercise. Many people find cool water soothing to their joints and the water’s buoyancy allows you to move through a greater range of motion.
While you’re down at the pool, why not check out and see if they hold aqua-aerobics as well? Especially if you used to participate in more vigorous workouts, this could be the thing for you - believe me, it’s a heck of a workout.
The most important thing to keep in mind when exercising is to get to know your limits. Sure, you could probably go down to the gym and hammer through a weights session or a Spin class and get through it okay. But is that worth spending the next three or four days laid up in bed because you over did it?
Aim for gentle, sustainable exercise that you can practise on a regular basis. Just remember to listen to your own body - it has a very good way of telling you to slow down!
Exercising Your Mind
Exercising your mind is not really about making you smarter, quicker or wittier (although exercising your mind often has these positive side-efffects!). This is about your coping strategy. It is very difficult when you suffer from a chronic disease. Your body and mind are almost constantly under stress of some description, and that stress can spill over and flow into your family life, your relationships and your work.
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of having a strategy to manage your stress threshold. There are some very effective techniques that you can implement that will reward you in truckloads as part of your Still’s Disease management plan.
Meditation
We have what is known as a ’stress threshold’. Have you ever noticed how something is very stressful to you, but it doesn’t bother someone else at all? Have you ever looked at those people with amazement - nothing ever seems to phase them? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to increase your stress threshold so that the “little stuff” just doesn’t sweat you at all?
Meditation has this incredible side effect. With dedicated practise, you actually increase your stress threshold. The effect for you and the management of your illness will be profound: you will be given skills to actually live with your illness and constructively process the stress of having a chronic illness.
I cannot more strongly recommend the excellent meditation product offered by Centrepointe. It takes all of the hard work out of meditation (would you believe that sitting quietly is actually really challenging to do?). What this technology does is to coax your brain waves down to the lowest reaches of the delta state - this is where you go in deep, peaceful sleep - and where the therapeutic effect of meditation occurs.
This is a life changing product, and I mean that with all sincerity. I strongly encourage you to take a moment and check out the Centrepointe website for some more information.
Planning your day
By now, you should have the following things working for you in your management plan:
1. A carefully considered and responsible medication regime
2. The practise of an alternative therapy to address your illness holistically
3. Effective high-dose fish oil and multi-vitamin supplementation
4. A diet that controls the inflammation in your diet.
5. A light and enjoyable exercise routine
6. The dedicated practise of some sort of meditation
With all of these things working for you, you will be well on the way to taking control of Still’s Disease. The final piece of the puzzle is to plan your day so that you can avoid flare ups and stay in the optimum of health.
The key to remember here is that you can do most things - just don’t try and pack them into one day!
If you know that tonight is the night that you are going to the U2 concert and you’re going to be out until midnight, don’t also make that the day that you go for the two hour walk in the country side. If you are going for a long weekend mini-break, make the preceding week as stress-free as possible. You would also be best to pay special notice to your diet through this week - that way your body is in peak condition to enjoy your holiday.
There’s not really any secret to planning your day. Of course the last thing that you want to be doing is spending all of your energy focussing on your illness - you need to be spending that energy focussing on your life. [...Home]
What is the long term prognosis of Still’s Disease?
How is Still’s Disease diagnosed?
How is Still’s Disease treated with medication?
What are the best supplements to take?
