Not So Chronic

So many of us have had “uncurable” illness, where the medical establishment pins a name on it and manages symptoms for life. The number of us with “black box diagnosis” or something pegged on mental health disorders. There is a lot of profit in treatable symptoms but not much profit in effective cures.

One-shot cures for diseases are not great for business—more specifically, they’re bad for longterm profits—Goldman Sachs analysts noted in a 2018 report for biotech clients, first reported by CNBC.


The potential to deliver “one shot cures” is one of the most attractive aspects of gene therapy, genetically engineered cell therapy, and gene editing. However, such treatments offer a very different outlook with regard to recurring revenue versus chronic therapies… While this proposition carries tremendous value for patients and society, it could represent a challenge for genome medicine developers looking for sustained cash flow.

-Analyst Salveen Richter and colleagues

I am by no means discounting the usefulness of mainstream medicine, it has its place. If I were in a car accident, I would go to the emergency room. I have, however, been to the emergency room with a mast cell activation. I was sent home with a $3k bill (with insurance) and what the doctor told me she called a “black box” diagnosis. She basically shrugged her shoulders and sent me home.

I will follow with more of my story of a positive Lyme diagnosis, our sons PANDAS/PANS diagnosis, CIRS (mold illness), MCAS (mast cell activation), and many other things. I’m not the first person to bring their experiences online for all to see. I hope to, however, to branch beyond medical jargon and introduce a broad picture of what has brought me to health in the “not so chronic” diagnosis I have received through the years.

Below are some highly recommended reads. I can promise they will have lots of information for you if you suffer from chronic illness.

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