‘Your heart needs to be broken—and broken open—at least once to discover what your heart means and to have a heart for others.’ -Richard Rohr
My heart breaks…with each new person I speak to on the phone, sharing life stories of trauma, illness and injury as well as the frustration and humiliation of being bounced around, medicated, and dismissed by the medical systems.
My heart breaks… as I work with patients who have been diagnosed with progressive neurological diseases, and despite all of the work they are doing…eating well, exercising, receiving treatment…their disease continues to progress.
My heart breaks… when people tell me the doctor dismissed them when they told him her headaches were better after changing her diet and offers a medication instead.
There are some genies you cannot put back into the bottle once they are out.
Some people will still need back surgery due to extensive damage over a lifetime.
Alzheimer’s can still progress once the disease process is up and running.
(There is still great value in supporting one’s body, nutritionally, structurally, emotionally, and spiritually, when disease processes are advanced, but it is significantly harder once the fire of disease is burning hot.)
What breaks my heart even more is so many of today’s diseases and degenerative joint problems can be prevented.
CDC estimates that 1 in 5 (or 53.2 million) US adults have some form of arthritis
Autoimmune disease affects 5-10% of the population and is expected to increase 12-19% each year
But it takes guidance…from professionals who understand the whole body, and it’s amazing, brilliant, intricate, interconnected systems instead of the “parts” approach of the medical systems. It takes investments of time and money. It takes commitment and consistency. It takes support.
Over 25 years of treating patients with knee pain to Parkinson’s, from “fibromyalgia” that has its roots in child abuse to autoimmune disease, to the medical mysteries who keep searching for help, and through the work and research through the Institute for Functional Medicine, there ARE common, foundational aspects of our health that we need to prioritize. Not just one thing. I see these common needs in my patients, in the people I observe at the gym, the airport, my children, their friends, and myself.
Inflammation and cellular health
Structural health of our fascia, joints, muscles
Our nervous system health and feeling safe
And I will add to be loved, valued, and have purpose...
While my heart continues to break, it is held together by hope that person by person we can help people restore their health and wholeness.
Articles
OA Prevalence and Burden
Allen KD, Thoma LM, Golightly YM. Epidemiology of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2022 Feb;30(2):184-195. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2021.04.020. Epub 2021 Sep 14. PMID: 34534661; PMCID: PMC10735233.
Miller FW. The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: an urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Curr Opin Immunol. 2023 Feb;80:102266. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2022.102266. Epub 2022 Nov 26. PMID: 36446151; PMCID: PMC9918670.
Cooper, G. S., Bynum, M. L., & Somers, E. C. (2009). Recent insights in the epidemiology of autoimmune diseases: improved prevalence estimates and understanding of clustering of diseases. Journal of autoimmunity, 33(3-4), 197–207