Healing Autoimmunity & Navigating The Medical Industrial Complex
A few weeks ago I sat down for a candid and intimate conversation with a dear friend, Lilly King. We talked about the realities of navigating mental and physical health concerns within a fractured healthcare system. Read more and watch the video to find out our best tips for advocating for yourself, how to talk to doctors, and how to build a care team.
In this episode of Depth Work - holistic mental health podcast you will learn about:
Living with Ehlers-danlos syndrome, celiac disease, ibs, and chronic pain
Childhood illnesses and autoimmunity
Taking a functional medicine or holistic approach
Chronic inflammation and its role in mental health issues
Community support and prevention for chronic illness
Listen to the episode 18. of Depth Work - Chronic Health Conditions and Navigating The U.S. Medical Industrial Complex with Lilly King:
Talking To Doctors About Pain & Autoimmunity
I asked Lilly about different aspects of talking to doctors - how is she managing finding the right doctor and communicate her needs.
Lilly: “In the current system that we have in America, you get about 10 minutes to speak with your doctor, and more often than not, I go in with a list of things that I am experiencing, and the reaction I get back is that it is impossible to experience all these things at once. My advice here is to cherry-pick, especially when you’re talking with your GP. Explain what is the highest level priority for you at the moment.”
Tips for talking to doctors
Be clear about what you have already tried or have already done.
Get in touch with advocacy organizations such as Community Health Advocates. They are working with people to be a medical advocate for lowering any medical bills or hospital bills.
Functional medicine approach
Last year, I got introduced to functional medicine. You have to be an MD in order to get trained in functional medicine, however, but the biggest difference I think is that they want to know your entire health history. It is very comprehensive, including tests that more traditional doctors are not necessarily willing to do. Through functional medicine I was able to get other really helpful clarifying diagnoses. It was by far the best medical experience I’ve ever had. Read more about the functional medicine approach to mental health here.
Watch the video:
Watch the full talk on Youtube where we dive into more interesting topics such as mental health and psych meds, community and prevention.
Help Lilly get her service dog: Venmo: @Lillking
