Do you suffer from chronic symptoms?
In a study analyzing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found that approximately 45% of Americans have at least one chronic disease. These included diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, obesity, and respiratory diseases. In a 2021 study, it was found that 50.2 million US adults suffer from chronic pain. Back, knee, foot and hip pain were the most reported. These studies didn’t even mention digestive issues, fibromyalgia, and migraines.
I’ve had my share of symptoms over the years. I have been diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Rosacea, hypothyroidism, and plantar fasciitis. I haven’t even seen a doctor for tension headaches, and hip pain. I was told that I did not have celiac disease, (but elimination got rid of many of my symptoms).
If you believe these myths, you probably won’t heal
Myth #1: A pill will fix it- Most of the time, a pill will mask symptoms and relieve pain. It may reduce inflammation, but as soon as you stop taking the pill, the inflammation may come back. Medications often offer temporary relief. They don’t get to the root cause of why you are experiencing symptoms in the first place. It may be common to have pain, but it is not normal.
Myth #2: Surgery is the answer- Again, surgery will most likely be a temporary fix. The pain may move to another spot or come back in time.
Myth #3: Doctors know more than you about your pain and symptoms- I found out the hard way that doctors don’t always know best. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for all the wonderful professionals that spend countless hours learning and helping people, but they are still human. Their brains can only hold so much knowledge. In fact, they are so busy, that usually their education after medical school comes mostly from the pharmaceutical companies (that have a conflict of interest).
When medical intervention goes wrong
My mother had a rare autoimmune disease. She finally found a specialist to diagnose her, but there were not any success stories of healing. She was given strong steroids to suppress her immune system, which ended up causing her to get cancer. She passed away in 2009.
In 2013, my son was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. He had emergency surgery the next morning because of intense pain and fear of seizures. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to research the neurosurgeon that performed the surgery. I went against my intuition, out of fear, and agreed to the procedure. (I really wanted to go to the world renowned medical center in Houston, TX.) After an intense week of pain, we learned that the surgeon had only removed half the tumor and wanted to go back in to get the rest. That’s when I refused. We made some calls and got him to another hospital, (in the Medical Center) which ended up being a great experience, and I am thankful to that new neurosurgeon every day. He was much more experienced and professional. Thankfully, my son is healthy and thriving today.
My son absolutely needed surgery, so I am not saying there is never a time for medical intervention. I am also for medication to help with symptoms in some cases. What I am saying, is that it is not always necessary, and to do your research first, if at all possible, especially for chronic symptoms.
I could list many other reasons I know that medical intervention doesn’t always work, but this would become a very long article.
More myths about chronic symptoms
Myth #4: Rehabilitation is the answer- Rehabilitation can be wonderful for managing symptoms, but again, it doesn’t get to the root cause for why you are having symptoms in the first place.
Myth #5: You think you know exactly why you have symptoms- Maybe you do know why, but if you think your back is hurting because you tweaked it bending over wrong, you may not be correct. It’s possible that stress made you tense your muscles way before you ever got hurt, which caused you to have pain when you bent down. Or, you think your digestive symptoms are caused by something you ate, but you’ve been anxious for weeks, which has put a strain on your adrenal glands, causing digestive symptoms and exhaustion, for example.
Myth #6: You need to stay in bed to heal- While this may be true for a time period, you cannot heal by staying bedridden. At some point, you have to get up and do the work. You can take baby steps.
Myth #7: You will never run, climb, eat out, etc. ever again- I’ve worked with and learned about so many people that were able to reach the root cause of their chronic symptoms and go back to the exercise and activities they loved. If you don’t believe you can heal, chances are, you won’t.
What does work to help you heal?
- Changing your thoughts from negative to positive. I know that seems really simple and like a pie in the sky wish, but it’s true. Thoughts are energy. Having a negative outlook on life and your symptoms will keep your mood down and make you feel hopeless. When you start catching every negative thought, and replacing it with a positive thought, you raise your energetic vibration, which can lead to healing.
- Trusting your intuition. You’ve probably learned to ignore your intuition from your parents, your school, and possibly your job. You were taught to listen to those in authority. “They know best.” The truth is, no one knows your body and your lifestyle the way you do. Even a medical specialist cannot understand everything you are feeling, and they don’t know everything that has ever happened to you. In fact, they probably will only have 10 minutes with you at a time, max. Absolutely consult with medical professionals, but in the end, only you know what will work best for you.
- Reducing stress. Not just getting a massage or taking a vacation, although, those are helpful too. But, I mean, getting toxic people out of your life, setting boundaries, changing a job you hate, and finding your true purpose.
Where to find support
I did a lot of my work to heal by taking courses, reading books, watching YouTube videos, and getting my certification as a Transformational Nutrition Coach. I won’t lie, it took me years, and I’m still healing. I’ve had several coaches that have helped me move forward quicker, and I wish I had known coaching was a thing when I first started out. My therapists helped me too, but none of them worked with chronic symptoms or trauma survivors.
So that’s why I morphed from a nutrition coach, (nutrition is still part of my program) to an empath coach that works with chronic symptoms. I’ve been through the trauma myself, and have had my share of chronic symptoms over the years. I’ve created various resources for you, some free, and some at a cost. Check out my resources and coaching at https://beautifulimmunity.com/programs/
