Arthritis Life

How to Track Symptoms Without Getting Stressed & Overwhelmed, with Dr. Millie

Episode Summary

Have you ever been overwhelmed with how to track your symptoms? In this episode, Dr. Millie Lytle (ND) and Cheryl share their best tips to make symptom tracking more manageable. They also discuss the importance of qualitative data and how symptoms affect participation in daily activities. They explore what it means to be a naturopathic doctor and how Dr. Millie’s work at Mymee aims to personalize patient care for people living with symptoms resulting from autoimmune rheumatic disease and long-COVID. Unpredictability is hard, but being open to change for things that are controllable, accepting things that can’t be controlled, and practicing self-compassion can help you cope.

Episode Notes

Episode at a glance:

• What is a naturopathic doctor? Naturopathic doctors use a holistic approach to patient care. They often include nutrition, mind-body medicine, exercise, and natural approaches to their treatment. Naturopathic doctors must take professional board exams in order to be licensed to practice.
• Mymee: Mymee aims for personalized care for people with autoimmune rheumatic disease and symptoms resulting from long-COVID, aiming to track variables that may make symptoms better or worse.
• Symptom Tracking 101: With Mymee, tracking pain focuses on quality vs quantity - so it’s not just the average 1-10 pain scale. The importance of context and ability to participate in activities is taken into consideration.
• Coping with unpredictability: Part of being human is dealing with the unknown. Control can also be a double-edged sword: it can be empowering, but also overwhelming if obsessed over and freeing to let go over.
• Tips for exercise & fatigue: Overexertion can be trigger, so pace your movement! Incorporating snacks with your exercise may help with fatigue, and calisthenic exercise can be beneficial for strength training with the bonus of having minimal equipment requirements.
• Words of wisdom: Some things aren’t modifiable / controllable, but be open to possibilities for the things that can be controlled. Practice self-compassion and take care of yourself, first! You don’t have to know it all.

Medical disclaimer: 

All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Episode Sponsors:

Rheum to THRIVE, an online course and support program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected. See all the details and join the program or waitlist now! 

For Full Episode Show Notes + Transcript:

Go to the Arthritis Life Website at: https://arthritis.theenthusiasticlife.com/