"Ask Me Anything" With a Health Coach
*Updated at 4:00 PM EST on 6/20/2024*
The live event is now over. Thank you for participating in our Ask Me Anything! This thread will be kept open for a few more days for anyone who missed our live event. Feel free to leave a comment below!
Thanks for joining us!
*Updated at 3:00 PM EST on 6/20/2024*
Hi AxSpa community! For the next hour, health coach Lana Buettner will try to answer as many questions as possible.
As a friendly reminder, Lana *cannot* post medical advice.
To see new replies, please refresh this thread consistently.
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Are you living with AxSpA and looking for ways to improve your quality of life? Do you have questions about how lifestyle changes can help manage your symptoms? We are excited to announce a special event just for you!
Lana Buettner, a functional health coach who has axSpa and has extensive experience working with people with chronic conditions, will answer your questions live on June 20th from 3:00-4:00 PM EST, in this forum thread!
This is your chance to ask questions on various aspects of lifestyle management, including exercise and physical activity, diet and nutrition, stress management, sleep hygiene, daily living, and more!
There are two options for participating in this live AMA.
1. Submit your questions: Can't make the live event but still want to participate? You can send in your questions in advance by posting them below.
2. Join the live session: Mark your calendars and join us live on June 20th from 3-4 PM EST. Be ready to ask questions in real-time and engage with Lana right here!
As a friendly reminder, Lana cannot provide medical advice. For clinical questions, we strongly encourage you to speak with your doctor.
Please adhere to the community guidelines, which can be found here: https://health-union.com/community-rules/
Why send me this on July 2nd? It was held on June 20th.
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The thread and comments were left up after the event for conversation and questions.
I cannot explain why you did not receive the info prior to the event.
Perhaps it was a glitch in the system as emails and reminders were sent out prior to the event. When you get a chance please double check your profile page that we have your correct email information as well as your spam/junk mail as it may have gone there.
We hope you will be able to catch another event soon.
~Doreen (Team Member)
Agreed-it is very individual. I've had a very healthy diet for years (whole food plant based) which I think has helped me manage fairly well. I've developed a fear of different foods now because of reading so many approaches, restricting certain foods, elimination diets, etc which has definitely put things out of balance. I'm coming to the conclusion that I may need to focus on stress more and continue with my anti-inflammatory diet (and stop obsessing.) Have you been able to stay off biologics with your lifestyle management? I was managing well with NSAIDS but my rheumy kept pushing for Humira so I've taken 2 doses but may end up stopping them because I actually feel fine even off NSAIDS at the moment. The medication management causes extreme anxiety. Mindset management is so important with this condition!
I understand how you feel. There is a lot of information out there about diets which can be confusing and stressful. An elimination diet like AIP may be useful at first to pinpoint trigger foods, but should be done for a short time only, to then reintroduce more foods. It is about balance with food. Stress is definitely an important factor, as this impacts us on all levels, such as gut health, sleep and inflammation overall.
Yes I am off biologics or any other medication. Great that you feel ok without medication. Important that you are your own best advocate when it comes to your health and not get pushed into anything (which of course is also difficult).
Mindset management is indeed important! A big topic I address with all my clients, especially the ones who are just newly diagnosed. The goal is to feel empowered and to trust that things will get better.Thank you for your insights and I'm glad you can relate! 😀
Hi Katie,
Thanks for your great question! There are several lifestyle factors which all have a big impact and they are all connected. A nutrient-dense and anti-inflammatory diet, daily movement, good sleep, addressing mental health (inner critic, difficult thoughts and emotions), stress management (learning to rest, to do less), having a supportive community. Overall it's about reducing inflammation in the body.Hi Lana,
In your experience, what lifestyle factor has had the biggest impact on keeping low levels of pain with AS?in addition to my above response, I would add that the biggest lifestyle factor varies from person to person, based on their current situation and lifestyle. For example, when I first got diagnosed, I completely changed my diet and addressed my stress levels, this then helped with the other factors (sleep, social connections etc).
