The Chicken and Egg Paradox of Chronic Illness

For patients living with multiple chronic illnesses, getting an explanation for new symptoms can be an infuriating endeavor, to say the least. Determining the cause can be frustratingly circular, like the paradox of whether the chicken or the egg came first (in my case, an arthritic chicken and an egg with a mood disorder). Healthcare providers are quick to place blame on an existing chronic physical illness…