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The 2013-2014 Fund Campaign: JOIN US
We will be candid. One of the things it takes to keep us going is money. Our annual fund campaign is geared to raise a good amount of those funds while giving you the opportunity to show your support. This year, our goal is to raise $50,000.  Click Here to Give Now and Show Your Support. What your gift means:
A PLATINUM ($1,000) gift will enable 20 patients to attend an all-day medical conference.
A GOLD ($500) level gift will enable 16 newly-diagnosed patients to attend a patient education class.
A SILVER ($250) level gift will enable 10 patients to receive a free copy of the LFNC's twice-yearly newsletter.
A BRONZE ($100) level gift will pay for lunch for 12 volunteers to help with office projects.
A FRIEND ($50) level gift will enable 5-8 patients participate in a support group.
A SUPPORTER ($25) gift will help pay travel expenses for a patient to take part in a clinical trial.
These are just examples of the kind of difference your gift makes. Whatever level you commit at, please rest assured that your fully tax-deductible contribution is being put to great use as the LFNC spends more than 90% of its funds directly to support programs.
So please give today.
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Information contained in this e-Newsletter should not be considered a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment or management of S.L.E. and symptoms by a physician.
Missed a previous issue of this e-Newsletter?
You can now view our ARCHIVES.
Editor: Spandan Chakrabarti
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Researchers Say Sun Sensitivity in Lupus Patients Caused by DNA Crash
 Within the lupus community, it's a commonly known fact that exposure to sunlight often causes skin irritation, severe rash and bad flare-ups in lupus patients. But why? It's an autoimmune response among lupus patients, but just what causes response? Scientists in Germany may be closer to an answer after a study reveals that the ultra-violate (UV) rays in sunlight breaks down and damages DNA which produces a "false alarm" in the immune system, causing it to react with flare-ups and rashes.
High-energy UV irradiation damages DNA in the nuclei of living cells that in consequence perish, and release the UV-altered DNA. In lupus patients this triggers a troublesome signaling cascade: "The innate immune system usually detects viruses via their nucleic acids. Here however, this state of emergency is declared erroneously due to the crash in the body's own DNA," says Dr. Barchet. The majority of the innate immune receptors that detect viral nucleic acids and in consequence activate inflammatory immune defense mechanisms are now known. [...]
The researchers were also able to support this concept with a mouse model in which a gene defect makes them prone to develop lupus-like autoimmune disease. When the immunologists injected DNA damaged by UV-light into the skin, the animals locally developed typical lupus symptoms: skin swelling and inflammation, infiltration of immune cells that eventually attacked skin tissue. Control injections of intact DNA, in contrast, did not cause such skin alterations.
Read the full press release on the study to learn more about the research. Researchers say this and further studies may eventually lead to the development of an inhibitor that may suppress severe sun sensitivity among lupus patients.
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LFNC Youth Support Group Lead Featured in Women's Magazine Lifescript
 The Lupus Foundation of Northern California is fortunate to work with courageous lupus survivors who are telling their stories. Sandra Lopez, our Youth Support Group facilitator, is fast becoming one of the faces of lupus in the Bay Area. Sandra was interviewed by Lifescript, a women's online magazine, to detail her experience with the disease.
"Lupus has changed my life completely - I don't even know what 'normal' is anymore," says Lopez, now an ophthalmology technician. "I always have some pain. It's something you get accustomed to, but it's not easy."
In the full interview, Lopez talks about her experience, what she does to cope with it throughout the workday (she is an ophthalmology technician), her trials and triumphs. She finishes with a word of advice (highlight ours):
Stay positive - [it] makes you feel less sick and frustrated. The lupus is still there, and you have to battle it all day. But if you look at it from a positive place, your day goes quicker and better.
When I lost my hair, I bought wigs with different styles. Some days I wanted curly hair, sometimes long hair. Make yourself beautiful.
It's tough to battle, but lupus doesn't define me. It's just something I happen to have.
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Support Groups Meet: Mid-Peninsula, Marin
Mid-Peninsula Lupus Support Group will meet Wednesday, September 11, 2013 from 12:30PM to 2:30PM at El Camino Hospital, 2500 Grant Road, Mt. View, CA, conference room B on the lower level. Bring your lunch or pick something up at the cafeteria or bistro. Valet parking is available in front of the hospital. No speaker is scheduled. We will be catching up after our summer break.
Marin Support Group: Our newly formed Marin County Support Group meets on the third Saturday of every month. Here are the details of the next meeting:
DATE: Saturday, September 21
TIME: 10 am to 12 noon
PLACE: TBA
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Fall Lupus Medical Conference
C. Michael Neuwelt, MD, Professor of Medicine at UCSF, will headline the conference.
Dr. Neuwelt is a clinical professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, Chief of Rheumatology at Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland and Director of Rheumatology Core Curriculum at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco. He has been challenged and fascinated by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) since 1973 during his third year of medical school. This challenge has persisted in his private clinical practice and teaching at a county hospital since 1979. Dr. Neuwelt will discuss latest trends in disease management of lupus and present an update on several lupus research projects he is involved in.
The conference will also feature a presentation on the psychological problems commonly associated with SLE by LFNC Board Member and pain psychology therapist, Sarah S. Goozee, Ph.D.
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2013
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Venue: Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. 350 Hawthorne Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
Registration: Please register online or complete the form on the back of this flyer and mail or fax it with your payment to the LFNC.
Fee: $50 for California Registered Nurses (5 CEU credits) | $30 for non-credit attendees. Includes refreshments; Current LFNC members are entitled to $10 off the registration fee.
The Lupus Foundation of Northern California wishes to thank the following for their assistance in making this conference possible: Lupus Research Institute and GlaxoSmithKline.
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LFNC's Social Media Program is funded through a generous grant from THE HENRY L. GUENTHER FOUNDATION GEORGE H. SANDY FOUNDATION GLAXOSMITHKLINE |
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