WHAT IS CHRONIC ILLNESS?
Chronic illness refers to a group of illnesses that are permanent or long lasting. Unlike acute illnesses, which often come on suddenly, are short lived, and have an identified cause and cure; chronic illnesses often develop gradually, have periods of worsening and improvement, and have no identified cause and cure. Patients with chronic illness are often given treatment to help manage their illnes and prevent flares.
CAN CHRONIC ILLNESS BE PREVENTED?
Yes and No! Many chronic illnesses can be prevented through proper nutrition, lifestyle changes, and early treatment for an acute problem. However, even despite the best preventative measures, some chronic illnesses will develop regardless. Many chronic illnesses, particularly autoimmune and related diseases, often run in families.
WHAT CAUSES CHRONIC ILLNESSES?
The answer is..we don't know yet. Unfortunately, that's why many of them are chronic and without cure. However, research is revealing that many chronic illnesses are brought about by the interplay of genetics, lifestyle choices, lack of nutrition, and the toxic environment.
WHO LIVES WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS?
Despite popular misconceptions, chronic illnesses do not only affect the elderly. They can affect anyone at any age, including children. In fact, more and more younger adults and those of childbearing age are being diagnosed with chronic illnesses than ever before. Chronic illnesses can also affect persons at any income levels and any ethnicity, though some chronic illnesses are more common in certain ethnic groups. Most people know at least one or more people who currently live with a chronic illness.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CHRONIC ILLNESSES?
There are many types of chronic illnesses, however what they all have in common is that they will last throughout a person's lifetime and have no known cure. However, some chronic illnesses are better understood as far as possible causes and are more manageable than others. For example, those living with Diabetes must manage their illness through diet and often medication to control blood sugar, however it is a manageable disease if patients adhere to treatment and dietary restrictions. There are many other chronic illnesses that are very manageable through medication, supplements, and lifestyle changes.
However, many chronic illnesses are not as clear cut as to the cause and course of treatment and even diagnosis. For these types of chronic illnesses, there is often no definitive test to diagnose the disease and the course of the disease is often unknown as symptoms often come and go. For patients with these illnesses, they can (and often do) go many years without a diagnosis and are left untreated. Even after recieving a diagnosis, management and improved health are not always achieved. These are the types of chronic illnesses our organization focuses on the most since these patients are often neglected by much of the establishment and they also tend to be the most disabled. Some examples of these types of conditions include Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS or CFS), Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and many autoimmune diseases such as Hashimotos, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, among others. (Please see our list for other illnesses that fall into this category)
Diseases such as Fibromyalgia, CFS, Lyme Disease and related illnesses are among the most debilitating of all chronic illnesses. While they are not always life threatening (but can be, especially Lyme Disease), these illnesses cause a multitude of symptoms, especially profound fatigue, pain, and cognitive problems, and therefore can result in SEVERE functional disability for sufferers, meaning patients are often unable to work, maintain relationships, and carry on other normal activities. Autoimmune diseases can also be very disabling and more often, life threatening. They arise when the body makes antibodies against a certain organ of the body or certain cells it sees as foreign. It is like a soldier trying to defeat its own army. Symptoms vary greatlyy from person to person and can vary depending on the organs affected. Autoimmune diseases tend to strike women more often than men and often develop during the childrearing years, wreaking havoc on a person's life.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP A PERSON WITH A CHRONIC ILLNESS?
Since many people with chronic illness, particularly those whose illness is contested or misunderstood, have experienced first hand the negative ways they are often viewed by others, the most important thing you can do is to reassure them that you still care about them even though they are chronically ill. Try to be as non judgemental as possible. Also, helping a chronically ill person to find resources such as doctors, support groups, etc and helping them with practical every day tasks, such as running errands, cooking, and anything that will make life easier for them is often the best kind of help you can give them beyond words of support and encouragement.
WHAT ARE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE CHRONICALLY ILL?
Myths:
Many chronic illness sufferers are often made to feel that they caused their illness, that they are lazy, and that their symptoms are psychological. . It is understandable that others may see people with chronic illness this way since their illnesses are invisible. Those with complex and misunderstood illnesses can also take a long time to get diagnosed, leading others, including their doctors, to think their symptoms are in their head.
Facts:
Despite popular belief, most people with chronic illness are highly driven, goal oriented people whose lives have been limited by their disease. Although many chronic illnesses have psychological components, these symptoms are often directly physiologically caused by the illness due to changes in brain chemistry or they occur as a secondary reaction to living with a chronic and disabling illness.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST STRUGGLES FOR A PERSON WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS?
Although all people with a chronic illness are unique individuals with their own personal concerns, many with chronic illness (and particularly those with contested and misunderstood illnesses) commonly struggle with lack of acceptance by others, inability to work, loss of self esteem, anger about their illness, loss of or strained relationships and marriages, financial issues (especially if one is no longer able to work or if their illness is not covered by insurance), loss of freedom to do the things they used to, and a struggle to accept limitations forced upon them as a result of their disease. Many chronic illness sufferers have been forced to re-define their lives, change or give up careers, give up the idea of childrearing, give up hobbies, and find an overall new place for themselves in the world.
Despite popular misconceptions, chronic illnesses do not only affect the elderly. They can affect anyone at any age, including children. In fact, more and more younger adults and those of childbearing age are being diagnosed with chronic illnesses than ever before. Chronic illnesses can also affect persons at any income levels and any ethnicity, though some chronic illnesses are more common in certain ethnic groups. Most people know at least one or more people who currently live with a chronic illness. However, on the positive side, for many people with chronic illness, this transformation can lead them on exciting paths they would not have chosen had it not been for their illness. This was the case for the founder of this organization whose disease was the impetis for its development. Many with chronic illness have new found friendships through support networks, new hobbies, and most of all, a realization of an inner strength they never realized they had. With that said, living with a chronic and disabling disease is a very difficult challenge and all the more reason these individuals need compassion and support.