Medical Resources Specific for People with Chronic Illness

By Dr. Kathleen Cannon, ND, and Julie Stankiewicz, M.A.  

There are a variety of chronic and invisible illnesses. Symptoms of chronic and invisible illnesses can vary widely and frequently overlap, making definitive diagnosis often difficult. The list of symptoms below is by no means exhaustive. 

Chronic and invisible illnesses are inherently complex in nature. Given the challenges in diagnosis and the individualized care that is needed in treating these conditions, we encourage you to seek help from your own health care provider. The information in this article is for general educational purposes only. We have included additional resources to help you find a practitioner below.

Common symptoms of chronic and invisible illness can include:

• Fatigue
• Altered mood, depression
• Anxiety
• Muscle aches, pains, soreness
• Joint pain, discomfort
• Tenderness anywhere in body
• Headache, migraine
• Visual changes
• Numbness, tingling anywhere in body
• Imbalance
• Gut issues
• Low libido
• Palpitations
• Hypersensitivity to smell
• Bad taste in mouth
• Ringing in ears
• Skin sensitivity, rash, itching
• Hair loss
• Susceptible to common illnesses like cold/flu
• Temperature sensitivity
• Lightheadedness
• Difficulty walking, moving, or changing positions
• Seemingly random fevers and/or sweating

There can be many causes for these symptoms, and there are usually multiple factors or causes involved. For example, an undiagnosed underlying condition coupled with an old infection and a new trigger, like exposure to an allergen or bacteria, can create a unique combination that manifests as a chronic and/or invisible illness. The list below is also not exhaustive.

Common causes can include:

• Chronic infections
• Lyme disease
• Bartonella
• Babesia
• Ehrlichia
• Anaplasma
• Epstein-Barre Virus
• Herpes viruses
• Mold, mycotoxins
• Candida
• Environmental pollutants, toxins
• Environmental allergies and/or sensitivities
• Autoimmune conditions
• Gut microbiome dysbiosis
• GI issues like “leaky gut”
• Underlying conditions, often undiagnosed
• Prior injury 
• Trauma
• Unresolved mental/emotional concerns

It is important to know that your current health may be impacted by infections, environmental toxins, and even prior injuries, that you may not be aware of. Most people who have chronic infections are not aware that they have them, and most people who live or work in water-damaged buildings don’t know that they are being exposed to mold and mycotoxins. Conventional medicine typically does not look for the common causes of chronic illness listed above, and that is why it is so important to seek help to find and address the underlying causes of illness.

You know yourself best, so listen to what your mind, body, and spirit need. 

In terms of finding a provider:

It’s important to find a healthcare provider who is trustworthy, listens, and is successfully helping you to become well. Your healthcare provider should allow you to feel seen, heard, and accepted as you are. For many people experiencing chronic and invisible illness, the first doctor you see is not necessarily the best fit. Often, it takes meeting many providers to find one that has the skillset needed to help you and with whom you are comfortable working. 

At CARE, we recommend finding providers with functional and integrative medical perspectives who look for the underlying causes of chronic illness. This could be a naturopathic physician (ND), or functionally trained MD, DO, DC, or APRN. You always have the right to verify your provider’s credentials. 

If you feel a provider is not listening to you or not helping you achieve results in a realistic timeframe, you have the right to move on and find someone else to help you. The mind plays a very powerful role in healing and it is important to move on from anyone who makes you feel negatively about yourself or your condition.

It is ideal if you can find a primary care physician (PCP) who has a functional or integrative perspective, or who is at least open to alternative approaches and will work integratively with your functional providers. With chronic and invisible illness, it’s important that you have providers who are looking at your health from a comprehensive viewpoint, and they may also make helpful referrals. 

Wonderfully supportive therapies can include reiki, acupuncture, acupressure, therapeutic massage, craniosacral therapy, and more. It’s a good idea to check with your PCP and your integrative provider, as relevant, before starting a new therapy, to ensure there are no contraindications to be concerned about.

Getting clear on the symptoms you are experiencing is a great step - if you haven’t already, write down your symptoms along with when they started, how frequently you experience them, and any treatments you’ve tried with the resulting effect.

Keep records of all of your test results. Always ask for a copy of any labwork, imaging, functional or other testing, and store these in a central place. Keeping electronic copies of all of these is a good way to ensure they don’t get lost and allows you to easily share with providers as needed. If you only have hard copies, you can use a scanner app on a smartphone to scan them into your computer. 

Track your current symptoms in a way that works for you. Keeping a daily journal of your symptoms can be very helpful. You may notice patterns, like a flare in symptoms every time you eat a certain food or go to a specific place. Share this tracking information with your provider regularly. 

Additional Resources for Finding a Provider

Integrative medicine: 

• There are several Functional Medicine training and certification programs for providers. A well-known and respected program is The Institute for Functional Medicine. Search their provider directory online: https://www.ifm.org
• The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians allows you to search their online directory of members: https://naturopathic.org. You can also search your state’s naturopathic association’s website. Note that many NDs are not members of these optional groups. You can always verify an ND license on their state’s department of health website (ask the ND what state they are licensed in to make sure you’re checking the correct place, as even in unlicensed states, practicing NDs should have a license from another state).
• If you are looking for a specialist who practices or has an interest in integrative medicine, the Andrew Weil Center at the University of Arizona allows you to search for practitioners by specialty in your area: https://awcim.arizona.edu/publicListingSearch/fip.html

Lyme disease: see a Lyme literate doctor. Look for doctors who are members of ILADS and/or IDSA. 

• The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) provides specialty training for physicians.  ILADS allows you to search for a Lyme literate doctor near you: https://www.ilads.org/patient-care/provider-search/
• The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) also provides training for physicians, but does not offer an online provider search. 
• Acute differs from chronic infection: If you are newly diagnosed, have had a recent tick bite, or have newly concerning symptoms, see your doctor immediately - antibiotics are the best first-line of defense for new or suspected acute Lyme disease and co-infections.

Complex chronic illness, including mold/mycotoxin illness: 

• The International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI) provides a directory to locate physicians and other healthcare professionals with an interest in complex chronic      illnesses in your area, as well as a directory of indoor environmental professionals who can assess your home for mold and remediate it, if needed. https://iseai.org/find-a-professional/
• The American Academy of Environmental Medicine allows you to search for a physician specializing in environmental illnesses. https://www.aaemonline.org/find-a-practitioner/
• And Dr. Jill Crista, an ND who specializes in mold, provides a directory to find Lyme literate physicians, mold literate physicians, and clinicians who specialize in neuroimmune and inflammatory brain conditions including PANS and PANDAS. https://drcrista.com/

Never be afraid to get another opinion. With chronic and invisible illness, no two doctors will give you the same approach or plan. Keep searching until you get the help you need, because you deserve to be well!

This article is not medical advice. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Always check with your own healthcare provider before taking a new supplement and before making any significant diet, lifestyle, exercise or other changes. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on this site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.