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What Is Chronic Disease? 

Chronic disease includes long-term health conditions for which some patients have a diagnosis and some do not, but have long-term health issues that have yet to be explained or diagnosed.

Some chronic disease conditions are invisible and some can be seen. Chronic disease can cause great disruption in life, sometimes making it challenging to impossible to function and can be significantly impactful, resulting in the need to slow down. There are many different types of chronic illnesses, so it’s very important not to judge a book by its cover. 

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What You Need to Know About Chronic Disease

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Chronic Illness Doesn't Always Have A Label

People with chronic illness sometimes are not able to access treatment or have a diagnosis, often for prolonged periods of time, and sometimes they do not have access to medical care at all.

Some chronic illnesses haven’t been researched, discovered, or defined yet.  Patients struggling with illnesses that have yet to have a formal diagnosis or explanation for their symptoms, doesn't mean a pathology does not exist, so it can be discouraging and damaging when they are treated as such.  Patients with chronic disease should have their symptoms and their personal life experience validated even when there is no current diagnosis or explanation for their symptoms.  Just because you don’t have a diagnosis, doesn't mean you are not sick and you are still worthy of getting your medical care needs met

Some Important Things To Know...

#1 - You are worthy of support. It is not your fault that most of the world doesn't understand what it is like to live with chronic illness. Often the misunderstanding of others ends up being a burden those with chronic illness have to live with and it can make it even more exhausting and challenging. If you are reading this and have chronic health issues yourself it is important to remember that you are not alone, there are people that understand what it is like and getting support for the mental health challenges that chronic health brings is important and can be instrumental in improving quality of life. 
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Patients With Chronic Illness Often Are Treated Like Hypochondriacs

As health care professionals, I believe that we need to stay curious with our patients and do our best to understand what our patients are going through in their day to day lives.  When we don’t know, we need to do our best to find an answer or explanation and work with patients to find a diagnosis or decide on a good rational plan for treatment.

It is really rare to have a patient that is truly a hypochondriac. Unfortunately, I am hearing what I feel are way too many stories from patients who are being unfairly mistreated. Patients struggling with excessive worry or anxiety about their condition can still be validated, educated, and collaborated with regarding their diagnosis and treatment.  They don’t need to be judged, bullied, put in their place, gaslighted, or rejected. Patients with chronic illness often have to advocate for their medical needs and they do their own research because they have to. There seems to be a disconnect between patients educating themselves and then asking questions and collaborating with their healthcare professionals. This type of collaboration is part of a healthy therapeutic relationship with your healthcare team that is both educational and builds trust and should be encouraged. On the other hand, no patient should be pressured to do research and everyone’s healing path is different and considering each patient’s unique needs is important in conscious healthcare.

Some Important Things To Know...

#2 - The Undiagnosed Have The Same Right To Care As Those Who Have More Well-known Conditions. Depending on the type of condition you have, many types of chronic diseases are often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.  Patients with chronic illness that have a diagnosis that is more well known, accepted by the medical community, or has more research behind it, have a better chance of being treated better by health care professionals.  

The truth is that whether or not a condition is more well known or more accepted by the conventional medical system should have no bearing on how we treat our patients.  This is a form of bias that we should do our best to eliminate in healthcare so all patients are treated fairly and without judgment, which is truly the essence of conscious healthcare.
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Common and evolving conditions that are often overlooked in conventional medicine:
  • Mast Cell Activation Syndrome/ Mast Cell  MCAS/MCAD

  • Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Endometriosis

  • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder PMDD

  • Chronic Infectious Diseases

  • Chronic pain

  • PTSD

  • Complex Chronic Disease
& Many more conditions, this is no means an exhaustive list.
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Bias in Chronic Healthcare Is A Real Struggle

Women are often met with a lot of bias in healthcare especially if they have a chronic condition. There is a study that was completed out of BC Women's hospital called “In Her Words” that found that there are staggering challenges for women with chronic health challenges and accessing healthcare. Women across the province are struggling to get access to healthcare providers and 51% of 1000 women surveyed said a physician had dismissed or overlooked their symptoms.

The study further highlighted that systemic racism may also be a barrier to getting adequate healthcare even when your condition is well researched and understood. 

This shows that the training of healthcare providers needs to change and improve to be more conscious of these biases in order for patients to receive appropriate health care.

Some Important Things To Know...

#3 - It’s about progress not perfection Living with chronic illness can be challenging because sometimes progress feels slow.  It’s important to celebrate both big gains and small wins as they come. The journey of someone with chronic illness will have its ups and downs.
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Some Important Things To Know...

#4 - It’s up to the patient to decide whether focusing on improving quality of life or focusing on overall health will be a helpful part of their journey.  Some patients might just want symptom relief, for others they might want to figure out the root cause.  Neither desire is better or worse than the other.  Both are reasonable approaches.
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Signs you might need to get some help with your chronic health condition:

  • It is preventing you from employment.

  • It is preventing you from spending time with friends and family 

  • You are experiencing pain 

  • You are tired more often than normal or more often than not

  • It is preventing you from enjoying things you usually take pleasure in

  • If you have any symptoms that are progressing or worsening

  • You have unexplained changes in weight

  • Atypical mood changes
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A Mind Body Spirit Medicine Approach Can Have A Big Impact On Chronic Health

While there is significant research funding for specific and more well known chronic disease conditions, many conditions that are less known or not as well accepted are being neglected or underfunded.  Optimistically there seems to be some progress being made with conditions like ME/CFS gaining more mainstream attention with documentaries like, Unrest & Afflicted on Neflix.  Dr. Ron Davis, a genetics professor at Stanford University also appears to be making progress in his research on ME/CFS.  Chronic Infections are considered legitimate diagnoses in some European countries which shows how behind we are here in Canada in getting patients, who are suffering, the help they desperately need.

As a practitioner of Mind,Body, Spirit Medicine, I know that physical treatments and solutions are a crucial part of the puzzle but we must not forget there are other significant aspects of healing that include the mental, emotional, and spiritual.  In my experience, working holistically with chronic disease is empowering and offers a different experience for patients where they can feel heard, seen, cared for, and also have choice in the direction of their treatment.
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How We Can Help
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Why I Can Relate And Am Dedicated To Helping You

As a patient myself who struggled for a long time without feeling like I had options or answers, I have a great deal of empathy and compassion for those that are struggling in a similar position with their health and might not feel supported in the healthcare system.  I know that for patients struggling with debilitating symptoms without answers or maybe even being dismissed by multiple health care professionals how discouraging that can be.  This is where I think conscious healthcare from a mind, body, spirit perspective can be really helpful to explore.  I’ve seen time and time again how patients feel more validated and empowered with this approach and in turn feel more hopeful.  Even if we don’t have all the answers yet, we can still keep looking, learning, and trying until we do find some improvement and answers.  If this approach sounds like it might resonate for you, feel free to book a complimentary meet & greet to see if we might be a good fit to work together.