It is often difficult to identify the underlying drivers of complex illness. You may have reviewed with a range of doctors and specialists who have either told you that all your investigations are normal, or alternatively, have given you a collection of diagnoses that don’t explain why they have developed over a similar timespan.

Patients with complex illnesses may have been diagnosed with:

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

• Fibromyalgia

• Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) - resulting from environmental mould exposure or other factors

• Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)

• Lyme disease, Ross River fever or other tick and/or insect-borne infections, parasites and other pathogens

• Neurological disorders, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, or Motor Neuron Disease

• Long COVID

• Autoimmune disease

On the other hand, patients with complex illnesses may present with a complicated set of symptoms that other medical professionals and healthcare practitioners have not been able to diagnose.

Every complex case is unique and requires a long-term commitment to unpacking and understanding all of those factors that have contributed to the development and progression of symptoms.

I have found that complex illnesses tend to have several important commonalities and that addressing these results in good clinical outcomes. These factors include:

• Inflammation

• Gut health

• Stress and emotional

• Immunological factors

• Nutrition and dietary sensitivities

• Environmental exposures

Treating complex illness requires an in-depth understanding of physiology and disease states and, ideally, a team of health professionals working together in partnership with the patient. As a clinical naturopath, I work in close collaboration with my patient’s existing health teams and specialists to offer the best health outcomes.