Lupus & You is a free educational series where people with lupus and their family and friends can learn more about the latest in lupus research and managing the disease.

Our recent Lupus & You: Holistic, Integrative and Lifestyle approaches event highlighted strategies for identifying, personalizing, and integrating healthy approaches into both a person’s treatment plan and every day routine. Expert speakers Dr. Neha Shah, Dr. Kai Sun and Genny Mack shared valuable insights to empower lupus warriors to take a proactive approach in their health care..

If you missed the event, you can watch the video below and view the presentation slides here:

Our Health Education Specialists also compiled answers to attendees' most commonly asked questions from the event. Our expert webinar speakers provided insights and guidance on healthy strategies that can help create a well-rounded care plan that complements their current treatment plan. 

Can you explain lifestyle and integrative medicine?

According to the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions. Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle changes to treat or manage conditions. There are six pillars of lifestyle medicine: diet, exercise, toxins, stress, sleep and social connection.

“Integrative medicine includes holistic care that's patient-centered and holistically addresses the full range of physical, emotional, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person's health,” said Dr. Shah, a rheumatologist at Stanford University Hospital & Clinics.

Integrative medicine utilizes a wide range of interventions while working collaboratively with different disciplines with the goal of helping people regain and maintain optimum health, with a strong emphasis on lifestyle.

Lifestyle and integrative medicine are deeply connected.

Why should I consider integrative medicine?

There are many reasons why a person with lupus may want to consider integrative medicine.  Integrative medicine is effective, not just for autoimmune inflammation but it also helps the wide variety of symptoms that many people have that are not addressed by conventional medications such as fatigue, brain fog, and sleep disturbances.

“Having a way to improve your own health, to control your own lupus, in addition to the medications that you may need to take, gives a sense of self empowerment,” Dr. Shah said. “[Integrative medicine and holistic care] also has the potential to address a lot of health disparities through lifestyle medicine.”

Other reasons include patient demand, there’s less side effects than traditional medications, can sometimes help with current medication side effects, and can help lower risk factors for other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular heart disease. 

What vitamins and/or supplements should I take? 

It’s important to work with your doctor to determine what vitamins and/or supplements are right for you. Certain vitamins, supplements or herbs can have medication interactions or even make certain lupus symptoms worse. If you’re already taking vitamins or supplements, be sure to share this with your doctor to ensure that there are no interactions.

It is important to recognize the importance of conventional medications used to treat lupus.

“[Lifestyle and integrative medicine] practices are not in place of the medications that are life-saving for our patients, but in addition to,” Dr. Shah said.

Should I follow a special diet for lupus?

Healthy eating can make a big difference in your lupus symptoms and your overall health. It can also help prevent or manage other health conditions you may have. There have been studies looking at various diets (Mediterranean, plant-based, vegetarian) that have shown that they can help decrease disease activity and improvement in disease severity but there’s no special “lupus diet”.

“Focus on eating more anti-inflammatory foods that are whole in nature,” said Genny Mack, a certified holistic nutritionist. “Think about eating the rainbow – different colors provide different nutrients.”

It’s also important to work with your health care team to discuss any special considerations you have and determine what may work best for you. Overall, work on building a balanced diet with healthy foods you enjoy.

“Ask yourself what are you going to commit to to nourish our body,” Mack said. “Eating anti-inflammatory foods can lead to less pain, more energy and fewer flares.”

Can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)  practices such as acupuncture be helpful for someone with lupus?

“Certain types of exercises are especially good for relaxation,” said Dr. Kai Sun, a rheumatologist at Duke University. “Tai Chi is a form of martial art that combines meditation with slow, gentle movements, deep breathing and relaxation and [can be] effective for reducing pain and stiffness.”

There are few to no studies of TCM as a whole and limited studies of acupuncture. While there have not been any studies about acupuncture in the lupus community (that we’re aware of), there have been studies looking at acupuncture in osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and low back pain. Acupuncture was found to be helpful in these studies and is very safe. Many people with lupus find acupuncture to be helpful and it may be worthwhile to try.

Dr. Sun said that many of her patients have used acupuncture and have found it to reduce pain. Additionally, Dr. Sun noted that acupuncture is a safe form of alternative medicine.

How can I advocate for myself if I want to take a more integrative approach to my health?

More rheumatologists are open to an integrative approach since there’s an increasing interest and growing evidence that the integration of conventional medicine with lifestyle medicine can be effective in the management of chronic diseases such as lupus.

It’s important to be your own advocate - build a collaborative care team, track your symptoms and ask clear questions. Have an open conversation with your health care provider, they may not have the answers but they should be open and willing to have a conversation with you. If your doctor is not able to answer your questions, you can consider seeking out another provider such as an integrative rheumatologist or functional medicine provider. 

There are so many aspects to lifestyle medicine, where should I start?

The best advice is to go slow! Start with picking just one area of lifestyle to focus on - typically what you feel you would be most successful in achieving such as adding more movement, or increasing your vegetable intake. Rather than trying to do a major overhaul at once, take baby steps. Once you’ve successfully made changes in one area of your lifestyle, consider another area to focus on. 

Where can  I find a lifestyle and integrative medicine provider?

There are a few places you can start if you are looking for an integrative medicine provider. There’s the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), you can use their search to find a functional medicine provider.  Another option is the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, you can use their directory to search for integrative physicians and health experts. Or you can try  American College of Lifestyle Medicine to find a lifestyle medicine clinician. 

Authored by:
Ashley Holden, MEd, CHES, Nurse Health Educator
Ian Decker, Health Writer

The Lupus Foundation of America and our health education specialists have answered some of your most common questions. The provided answers are for educational and information purposes only. Consult with your doctor/health care team for medical advice.