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For More Information
Autoimmune Association
autoimmune.org
Global Vitiligo Foundation
globalvitiligofoundation.org
Lupus Foundation of America
lupus.org
National Psoriasis Foundation
psoriasis.org
National Scleroderma Foundation
scleroderma.org
PROVIDING COMPASSIONATE CARE
Most autoimmune diseases relapse, so
clients go through periods when the diseases
are worse and other periods when they seem
to be gone. It can be hard to predict when a
client will feel well and when they won't. In
addition, many people with these diseases
appear outwardly healthy, sometimes leading
to less understanding and support from loved
ones as well as untrained professionals.
Anyone coping with a serious medical
condition needs support, but this is particularly
true for those living with invisible disabilities.
In many cases, you will be limited to using only
the gentlest treatments on the client's skin, but
their faith in you will open doors to help them
live with their condition more easily. There are
many day-to-day coping and lifestyle skills that
you can safely share with your clients who are
living with autoimmune diseases. You can be
their compassionate coach, and they will find
healing in every way you touch their lives.
Most importantly, let your client tell you
about the condition they live with, because
their experience is unique to them. As my client
Rani told me, "This is not about vanity—this
is about identity." And you recognizing that
will help healing in every way possible.
Notes
1. Name has been changed.
2. Manole Cojcaru, Inimioara Mihaela Cojocaru, and Isabela Silosi,
"Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome," Maedica 5, no. 2 (April
2010): 132–4, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150011.
3. Lupus Foundation of America, "Understanding
Skin Disease in Lupus," May 18, 2022, lupus.org/
news/understanding-skin-disease-in-lupus.
4. National Psoriasis Foundation, "Psoriasis Statistics," last
modified December 21, 2022, psoriasis.org/psoriasis-statistics.
5. National Scleroderma Foundation, "Who Gets Scleroderma? "
accessed February 2023, scleroderma.org/who-gets-scleroderma.
6. Rubeta Matin, "Vitiligo in Adults and Children,"
BMJ Clinical Evidence (April 2008): 1717,
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907927.
7. Cleveland Clinic, "Vitiligo," last modified November 23, 2022,
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12419-vitiligo.
8. NHS, "Vitiligo," last modified March 22, 2023,
www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitiligo.
9. C. R. Pryce and A. Fontana, "Depression in Autoimmune
Diseases," Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 31
(2017): 139–54, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27221625.
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