The Comprehensive Guide To Chronic Illness

If you’re struggling with chronic illness, visit our treatment center in Nashville, Tennessee for help!

Receiving a diagnosis of chronic illness is never easy. How long will it last? Will I ever be normal? Will I be able to keep up with my friends? Will I have to bow out of my everyday activities? The list of questions and concerns is endless, as it can sometimes take years to settle into a new reality—one that accommodates a condition that many do not understand. Keep reading to learn more about what it’s like to suffer from a chronic illness. If you or someone you know is struggling with a chronic illness, please let them know about our chronic illness treatment center in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. We would love the opportunity to help!

Chronic Illness Defined

Despite the over 133 million Americans who suffer from chronic conditions, very few are aware of what actually classifies an illness as “chronic”. The term chronic illness applies to any human health condition, symptom, or disease that persists for longer than three months. You would be surprised how many patients visit Nashville’s Chronic Illness Center, Biologix Center For Optimum Health, unaware that their symptoms are in fact chronic. In other words, even if you have not been diagnosed with a formal condition or pathology, if your symptoms have persisted for more than three months, you suffer from chronic illness and should be treated as such.

Types of Chronic Illness

As stated above, not everyone with chronic illness is given a formal diagnosis. However, the following chronic conditions are among the most well-known chronic illnesses and symptoms treated at our center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Even if you do not see your disorder or symptom on this list, we most likely can help you with your unique case at Biologix Center in Franklin, Tennessee. We have helped people with nearly every chronic condition imaginable and if your symptoms have persisted for longer than three months, we most likely want your case. Click here to learn more!

Misconceptions Regarding Chronic Illness

The majority of people with chronic illness deal with invisible symptoms. This means that the majority of their symptoms are unable to be seen by the naked eye, which often leads to a lack of understanding and support from friends, family and even doctors. Keep these misconceptions in mind when you encounter people struggling with chronic illness. A little compassion and understanding can go a long way!

We do not want to feel sick.

No patient enjoys feeling ill. However frustrating it may be to watch someone deal with chronic and invisible illness, it is a million times more frustrating to actually be the one struggling with the disease yourself. Most patients desperately try to seek help for their chronic illness, despite few resources and doctors who are willing to go the extra mile. (See below).

Many doctors do not understand chronic illness.

For many years, doctors misunderstood chronic illness to be the result of depression and anxiety, which is absolutely not the case. Despite new medical evidence that disproves this misperception, some doctors are either set in old ways or completely at a loss for how to appropriately address the majority of chronic conditions. In fact, most chronic illness patients see several doctors and specialists before finding one who understands their illness and provides appropriate support. If you are looking for a doctor who will not only believe your symptoms, but also stop at nothing to solve your case, please call our Patient Care Coordinator at 615-680-9918 to learn more about how to become a patient at Biologix Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Taking a sick day is not a vacation.

Many chronic illness patients struggle in the workplace because they are unable to function normally for days, weeks, or even months at a time. Simple tasks such getting out of bed, bathing, getting dressed, and cooking a meal are next to impossible, leaving patients homebound except for when they need to visit the doctor. However, since many symptoms are invisible, chronic illness patients are often met with skepticism when the discuss a need to stay home. However, it is important to understand that “sick days” are not at all the same as “vacation days.”

Chronic illness symptoms are very complex.

Though symptoms vary, most chronic illness sufferers notice that their symptoms wax and wane over time—sometimes even within the hour. This makes planning activities very difficult as it’s unknown how a chronic illness patient will be feeling when the moment comes.

Most people who suffer from chronic illness notice extreme fatigue, chronic pain, headaches or migraines, brain fog, nausea, and dizziness.

Chronic fatigue is so much more than feeling tired. It is often so debilitating that patients have to pay a steep price of days, weeks, or even months of recovery for engaging in everyday activities. Keep this in mind when someone with chronic illness declines an activity, as this does not mean that he or she is lazy or unmotivated.

Chronic pain comes in the form of headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, nerve pain, back, pain, and more, depending on each unique case of chronic illness.

Brain fog is incredibly frustrating. Common in chronic illness, brain fog can include issues with word finding, recall, memory, and concentration. It’s the reason many chronic illness patients have trouble communicating effectively.

People with chronic illness are put at greater risk for dangerous infections.

The immune system can only take so much. Some may experience an overactive immune system that wastes time fighting the body’s own organs, joints, nerves, and muscles instead of active infections. Since many with chronic illness are on medications that suppress an overactive immune system, they may need to avoid sick people in order to avoid getting sick.

Certain foods and smells can aggravate symptoms.

Gluten, dairy, sugar, soy, yeast, alcohol and processed foods may trigger inflammation and as such, a significant increase in symptoms that can last for hours, days, or even weeks. Additionally, perfumes, cleaning agents, colognes, and smoke can increase brain fog, nausea, headaches, and other symptoms.

It’s difficult to manage a chronic illness.

People with chronic illness have to be especially careful and regimented in their daily lives to avoid flare-ups. However, sometimes they slip up, want to feel “normal,” and stay up late eating junk food, even though they know they will pay for it later. Be patient with your friends who are dealing with chronic illness and never make them feel bad about their choices or their diagnosis.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chronic Illness

To help you understand how to cope with a chronic illness—be it a loved one’s diagnosis or your own—here, we have answered some of the most common questions surrounding chronic conditions.

How can patients tell they have a chronic illness?

Remember, a chronic illness is defined as a condition or symptom that persists for longer than three months. While many are diagnosed by a primary care doctor, several others are unable to find doctors who recognize the severity of their condition. If you need help with your chronic illness, please click here to learn more about our chronic illness treatment center in Nashville, Tennessee.

How can patients manage their chronic illness?

We encourage all patients to take direct control of their illnesses, especially those who have trouble finding a doctor who will advocate for them and their symptoms. Learn everything you can about your condition and find a center like ours, that will never give up on you. Visit our blog for more information and tips about your specific disorder.

Can I be cured?

The term “cure” is almost taboo in the medical community. However, our goal at Biologix Center is to help restore your body’s perfect design and function. Once a cut finger has healed, it never needs to be treated again. The same is true throughout the organs and systems of your body. We believe that when the correct remedies are identified, they will only be needed for a set amount of time. Once you understand the philosophy and techniques implemented at Biologix Center, then you begin to realize that virtually any condition can be helped.

What makes Biologix different?

Typically our patients have exhausted all that natural and mainstream medicine has to offer and still have found no relief. Our doctors go above and beyond to help the body restore its design. To do so, we have found that a highly individualized and comprehensive approach is absolutely critical to finding success. Everyone is different, so every chronic illness symptom must be addressed differently within each patient’s unique body. Canned drug protocols are not an option at Biologix Center.

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If you are struggling with a chronic illness, please do not suffer alone. Our state-of-the-art facility in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, is here to help you! We are doctors of last resort because we will never give up on you or your case, and look forward to working with you. Call our Patient Care Coordinator at 615-680-9918 to schedule treatment!