The Healing Chronic Ills

12/11/2025

Interesting article on insulin resistance and fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a complex, chronic condition primarily characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive disturbances. While the exact causes of fibromyalgia remain unclear, its symptoms can be severely debilitating, affecting the daily lives of those who suffer from it. Among the numerous se...

13/10/2025

This situation has been a huge struggle for me for sure.
Having had severe allergic reactions to meds, hospitalised many times, in constant debilitating pain, severe and irreversible hand deformation (and this is only in the last 4 years) and having to wait 10 months to see my specialist even when the last letter he writes says 2-3 month recall and my GP is frantically sending urgent emails and phoning the hospital asking for me to be urgently seen.
Simply theres no one. Infact my specialist is based in Nelson and gets flown to Invercargill to do clinics at the hospital.
The lack of specialist services is now creating patients who are getting sicker and more disabled who will, in the long term, be a burden on both the healthcare system because of complications of their chronic illnesses that could have been prevented if the proper services were available.

Rheumatology patients with inflamed joints are being forced to suffer at home, a new report warns. The report, published in the New Zealand Medical...

29/09/2025

Juicing up the super powers.
Poor old veins were not happy about the idea but after several attempts and vein collapses we got there in the end 🥴
Looking forward to a cuppa and a lay down after this!

29/08/2025

Saturday morning rambles 💛

11/08/2025

Its been a while….

10/08/2025

This is huge.
I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis when I was only 18.
My hope is that now, with this new uncovered biological evidence, all the negative stigma and medical gaslighting ceases and new treatments are developed to help improve lives.

Chronic fatigue syndrome also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) is not “just in your head.” A landmark genetic study has uncovered compelling biological evidence that the illness has deep roots in our DNA. Researchers identified eight regions of the human genome that differ significantly between people with and without ME/CFS, with many of these areas tied to immune system function and nervous system signaling.

The DecodeME project, led by the University of Edinburgh alongside patient groups and charities, analyzed genetic data from more than 15,000 ME/CFS patients and over 250,000 healthy controls. The findings suggest certain genetic variants may increase susceptibility by weakening infection-fighting abilities or altering chronic pain pathways. For millions of people living with debilitating fatigue, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise, these results offer long-awaited validation and a new direction for scientific research.

While there’s still no cure or definitive diagnostic test, this is a turning point in how ME/CFS is understood and treated. The results could lay the groundwork for genetic screening, targeted therapies, and deeper studies into why the condition disproportionately affects women and how it differs from illnesses like long Covid. Above all, it’s a powerful step toward ending the stigma and ensuring ME/CFS is recognized as a serious, biologically driven disease. Source: DecodeME Consortium (2025). Genetic associations with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.