BeWell Blog

10 Ways to Be One Step Ahead of Germs This Cold and Flu Season

10 Ways to Be One Step Ahead of Germs This Cold and Flu Season

When you're fighting chronic illness, autoimmune disease, or chemo, "it's just a cold" doesn't even cross your mind. What is so bothersome to everyone else can take you out of commission for weeks or hospitalize you. Your immune system is...

Read more

Fall scene in a cozy living room with autumn leaves outside the window at dusk.

Fall Light Science: How Autumn Days Could Re-Set Your Spoonie Sleep Cycle

Fall's changing light patterns can naturally help reset disrupted sleep cycles common in chronic illness. As days shorten and sunsets arrive earlier, your body produces melatonin sooner, making it easier to fall asleep at a reasonable hour. Simple changes like getting 10-15 minutes of morning sunlight and dimming lights after dinner can work with autumn's natural rhythm to improve sleep quality for those managing fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, POTS, and other conditions.

Read more

A picture of a bright and cheerful classroom. It appears to be elementary school.

Back-to-School & the ADA: Know Your Child's Rights (and Reduce Stress)

Ill back-to-school? Learn about your child's ADA rights and 10 reasonable accommodations that make school less stressful and safer

Read more

Flat lay of a planner, writing utensils, medications, pill holders and a water bottle. This depicts back to school for chronically ill.

Back-to-School Preparation When You're Chronically Ill

Back-to-school preparation with chronic illness? These are some tips to reduce stress, organize medication, and prepare school or college essentials.

Read more

close up picture of a peach on a peach tree

August's Natural Medicine Cabinet: What Late Summer Foods Can Teach Your Chronic Illness

There's something strangely earthy about strolling through a farmer's market in August. The harvest is so abundant on the ground, it's almost shy—tables brimming with colors I'd forgotten to expect of the gray winter months. But for patients of chronic...

Read more

Women in a wheel chair painting a colorful mural on a wall.

Beyond Visibility: Reframing Wellness Through the Prism of Disability Pride

Disability Pride Month is in July, and visibility is vital, but I just can't stop thinking about something more. What if we're not just asking to be included in wellness conversations—what if we're actually pioneering them? After decades of navigating...

Read more

Picture of the ocean in evening light. Blue water, blue sky, gentle surg and warm clouds.

Salt, Sun & Spoonies: In Which the Ocean Enables Chronic Illness Wellbeing

Have you ever noticed how your mood improves when you've spent some time by or in the sea? There actually is some scientific basis to this. The ocean is not just a pleasant picture to us chronically ill folk—it possesses...

Read more

Picture of a summer evening on a walking path with green trees and green grass. The sun is setting.

Summer Wellness Reset: 7 Science-Backed Habits to Reboot Your Health in August

When August Sneaks Up on You Wow, August already? I swear I was just making New Year's resolutions five minutes ago. Now here I am, sitting in this ridiculous heat, wondering where the first half of the year went. Anyone...

Read more

women laying on couch in the air condition

The Health Benefits of Air Conditioning for Chronic Illness: Stay Cool, Stay Safe

Why Cooling Matters for Chronic Illness Living with a chronic illness means constantly navigating a world that often doesn’t accommodate your needs—especially during the summer months. When the temperatures rise, so do the challenges. For many of us dealing with...

Read more

women looking at the food table at a 4th of july picnic

Freedom to Live Full: Adaptive Clothing Provides Independence for All

What Freedom Truly Is When You're Fighting Your Body Every Day July rolls around, and everyone is talking about freedom and independence. Reminds me of my own conception of freedom—which really has nothing to do with fireworks or parades. It's...

Read more

The Subtleness of Spoonie Dads: Honoring Fathers in the Chronic Illness Community

The Subtleness of Spoonie Dads: Honoring Fathers in the Chronic Illness Community

Father's Day is coming up, and while social media is abuzz with photos of dads driving off at golf courses and firing up grills, there is a group of fathers whose stories rarely make the cut into these highlight reels....

Read more

Built From the Battle: How IBD Shaped BeWell Products

Built From the Battle: How IBD Shaped BeWell Products

A view into how IBD shaped BeWell for World IBD Day. When I Was First Diagnosed with Crohn’s... ...I thought my life would be divided in two: before IBD and after IBD. But what I didn’t expect—what no one tells...

Read more