Some of my own rambling here…
An incredibly difficult decision made by those wrestling autoimmune disease is committing to medications. While some make the decision without hestitation, it is important to recognize and respect different neurotypes, philosophies, traditions and preferences. Additionally, the overwhelming amount of information we have at our fingertips with the internet, the doom and gloom story painted by some with respect to side effects, empty promises by those to eschew all medicine and everything else in between, it’s even easier to become further muddled.
I am not pushy with my patients. I have patients for whom my firm belief based on their disease status, prognostic markers via antibodies, imaging, etc. is that they start medication.
It is a decision that is ultimately yours. Please be mindful of the fact that the history of rheumatology reveals that many patients struggling with rheumatologic disease have a much greater chance these days living a normal life largely in part because of human ingenuity and more recent developments in pharmacology.
That does not mean we do not try and go after the root cause or include alternative measures. There is no reason we cannot consider both!
Eileen Laird’s experience
Eileen is the founder of a project called Phoenix Helix, an incredible resource for those diagnosed with autoimmune disease. Bookmark the website!
My favorite thing about Eileen is she is very open minded and couples that openness with a very balanced perspective. We’ve had a few conversations via her podcast and she is always a joy to talk to. Further, she is an autoimmune patient herself, has walked the walk and knows her stuff!
You can read about Eileen’s experience in coupling lifestyle, nutritional and other measures with medications.
Click here to read part two of her blog “Medication update: Remission?”