Eight Reasons Why Chronically Ill Patients Fail to Get Well

Do Any of These Apply to You?

Paul A. Goldberg MPH, DC, DACBN, DCBCN
Founder and Consultant to The Goldberg Tener Clinic
Chronic Disease Reversal

Why do patients with chronic diseases fail to get well? Fifty years of practice observing patients who reverse their chronic disease conditions and those who don’t reveals these eight reasons for failure. See if any are holding you back from good health.

Reason I:

Pursuing any type of Medical Care for a solution to a “chronic disease” whether Conventional, Functional, Integrative or Naturopathic Medicine.

Chronic diseases, by Medical Definition, are disorders one does not recover from under Medical Care.

The number of conditions listed as chronic diseases by the Medical Industry has grown exponentially since I studied chronic disease control at the University of Texas Medical Center. The growing number of patients suffering from “chronic diseases”, under Medical Care, bears witness to its failures. “Chronic diseases” include autoimmune disorders e.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diabetes and patients suffering with functional issues e.g. irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, digestive and skin disorders, etc.

Labeled with a medically defined chronic disease is your guarantee, issued by the Medical Industry, that recovery will not occur. It is an admission that following Medicine’s Pathway of pills does not result in health. A Medical Practitioner who defines your “condition” as a chronic affliction is declaring you can only be “managed”.

Many “chronically” ill patients go from one form of Medicine to another e.g. from Conventional Medicine to Functional Medicine, thinking these are fundamentally different. A Medical Approach is a Medical Approach and entails symptom suppression rather than the process we have long followed of causal identification followed by creating the right conditions to allow health to flourish.

Health cannot be recovered by inundating ourselves with pharmaceuticals or a myriad of supplements unrelated to why we became ill. Health cannot be restored if we fail to create the conditions that support health and reverse disease.

Read Article: “The Facade of Functional / Alternative Medicine”.

Reason II:

The individual identifies with a disease symptom as being the cause of their health issues or continues to chase “cures” as opposed to actual causes.

In the 1970’s it was hypoglycemia. In the 80’s and 90’s it was Candida. In the 21^st century it has been gluten intolerance, SIBO, Food Allergies, Dysbiosis, Leaky Gut and other titles patients attach themselves to. Alternative/Functional Medicine practices typically cater to patients with these symptoms. None of these symptoms, however, cause chronic disease and addressing symptoms will not reverse them. The causal factors behind the symptoms are responsible. These must be identified and addressed for chronic disease reversal.

Many patients have repeated visits to “specialists” and “Functional Medical” practitioners searching for “cures”. They arrive at our office with extensive medical notes, test results and treatments applied but no improvements to their health. The more medical practitioners seen and treatments given the further the chronic disease patient has often drifted from the shores of recovery. Treatment after treatment presents knots to untie. We must investigate not only the original causal factors of their disease but also mischief resulting from “treatments” that have compounded the problems.

A fruitful investigation requires a causal based perspective including a lengthy interview utilizing a clinical epidemiological approach.  We must know not just the patient sitting before us today but review the patient’s health/social, occupational/lifestyle/nutritional and environmental history for the factors that led to the problem.

We are less interested in knowing about the medical description of the “disease” and more interested about the patient having the disease and their life. A physical examination and laboratory studies are then employed. Lab Tests must be current, interpreted accurately and shared in detail with the patient.

Reason III:

The patient fails to understand symptoms and the process of healing.

Recovering from a chronic condition complicated by medical meddling requires addressing the damage done by prior treatments followed by constructing a renewed body. This generally involves breaking down old diseased tissues (catabolism) and allowing their replacement with new healthier ones (anabolism). We refer to this process as “Re-Creation”. The patient must understand symptoms the body expresses as it evolves into health and the time required to undergo its re-creative work. New symptoms or temporary exacerbations of old ones can be part of evolving out of chronic disease and emerging into a higher state of health.

Read more about The Bio-Hygienic Re-Creation Approach.

Reason IV:

The patient fails to give up old behaviors.

Some patients say they “really want to get well” …but fail to implement needed changes. They look for excuses to continue disease producing habits yet expect good results. Wanting to get well and exerting the will to get well are not the same. It is comparable to the person who wants to be wealthy but is unwilling to do the hard work required to earn it. Evolving out of chronic illness takes right actions. Old disease creating habits must be left behind and health-promoting habits implemented.

Reason V:

The Patient Remains With One Foot in The Medical World.

Falsely believing that the more treatments received the greater their chance for success some patients want to follow our instructions while hedging their bets and continuing to pursue programs of medical and alternative practitioners.

Some find it difficult to give up taking pills. They can’t resist trying new therapies/supplements/drugs they find on the Internet. This dooms the patient to confusion and failure. Multiple cooks in the kitchen will ruin any dish.

Read article “Escape the Treatment Mentality”.

Reason VI:

Focusing On Just One Element of a Health Reform Program.

To regain health from chronic disease requires identification of causes and addressing them through a comprehensive plan. Some patients cherry pick a health plan focusing on one element rather than the entire program. Most commonly this will be the diet, which some patients focus on obsessively while ignoring other important recommendations. Good health does not come out of diet alone or any single factor. A comprehensive approach is required to regain our well-being. Focusing solely on any single element of a program while ignoring others is an invitation to failure.

Read article “Diet Mania, Diet Confusion, Diet Frustration”.

Reason VII:

Patient Bargains as to What They Will or Won’t Do.

Some patients bargain with what is recommended as if we can give them permission to break the laws of nature and not suffer consequences. They won’t follow diet recommendations because they must have bread, hot sauce (or other item) but they will exercise a lot. They won’t give up coffee but will be careful about alcohol. They won’t go to bed before midnight but will get sunlight. They want to stay on immunosuppressants prescribed by their functional medical doctor, but they will take extra Vitamin C.

A variant of this is to inform us they have not been following their plan but had a reason e.g. they had to stay up late for a special event. The notion is that they should not suffer ill health effects from the violation of their plan because it was for a good reason.

We can’t bargain with nature. We do not make up biological laws and can’t circumvent nature simply because the patient contends it was for a good reason.

Reason VIII:

Not having The Will To Get Well.

Taking a halfhearted approach to reversing chronic disease will not yield success. We must enter the battle with both the intent to get well and the will to do so. To give up destructive habits and take the needed positive steps with perseverance to create the right conditions to recover our health.

Avoiding these pitfalls helps assure the positive outcome we desire. The reward? Good health, a high state of vitality and enjoyment of life.  The ability to help ourselves and others. It is worth the effort.

The Goldberg Clinic For Chronic Disease Reversal
Causes Identified…Causes Addressed…Health Restored.