‘It’s All in Your Head’
Women are disproportionately affected by invisible illnesses, often turning to alternatives when conventional medicine falls short. Some symptoms aren’t always measurable — but that doesn’t make them imaginary.
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In 2017, Melanie Hogan’s nervous system started breaking down. At only 27 years old, she couldn’t eat without her throat closing up or take full, deep breaths. Melanie tried everything her doctors suggested, from allergy and asthma tests to a nerve conduction velocity test, where they zapped her arms and legs to test nerve and muscle health. Despite every effort, she never got a diagnosis or an explanation of her symptoms.
Unanswered questions, mysterious symptoms, and discomfort is a shared experience among people with “invisible illnesses” — health conditions that are difficult to diagnose due to the internal manifestation of symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, tremors, and joint pain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, common invisible illnesses include chronic fatigue syndrome, digestive disorders, and multiple sclerosis; all of which affect more women than men.
Symptoms aren’t always physically measurable, so patients must communicate them through words alone. This means diagnosing someone with an invisible illness is like piecing together a puzzle without a reference photo. And, sometimes, doctor’s appointments and prescriptions don’t provide relief. Many people turn to alternative practices like switching their diets or experimenting with plant medicine when conventional (Western) medicine can’t provide satisfying answers to symptoms or effective treatments to relieve them.
In 2022, Tara Horne, 33, started feeling an uncomfortable change in her right eye.
“You know how those old televisions from the 80s had a really grainy picture to them? And they were kind of blurry and the colour was off? That’s what I was starting to see.”
Concerned, Tara visited her optometrist. Despite the optometrist showing concern for her vision and well-being, her doctor couldn’t detect any abnormalities. For the next two months, Tara’s vision continued to come and go. She had multiple tests, each with normal results.
“I felt confused and at a loss too,” said Tara. “I could tell there was something wrong, but conveying it was impossible with the testing they were doing.”
Her optometrist eventually referred her to an eye specialist whose tests also showed no abnormalities. The specialist was dedicated to finding an answer and probed her with endless questions to better understand her situation. He continued running new tests before finally noticing a visible and thinned-out optic nerve — a common indication of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It damages the myelin — a protective coating on the nerves — which disrupts the nerves’ ability to conduct electrical impulses throughout the brain. It’s an unpredictable disease that affects everyone differently. Some people with MS primarily struggle with fatigue while others might lose their ability to see, speak, or walk. Although MS detection continues to improve, the disease can develop slowly, making it difficult for doctors and patients to identify its onset.
There are three main types of MS: relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. According to MS Society, around 85 per cent of people with MS have relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, the consistent attack of new and old symptoms and relapses. Both secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and primary progressive multiple sclerosis move beyond relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis through worsening neurological symptoms ranging from coordination problems to numbness to electric shock sensations.
In 2020, the MS International Federation released the Atlas of MS 3rd edition, Part 1: Mapping multiple sclerosis around the world – key epidemiology findings which reported that 2.8 million people worldwide have MS, 90,000 of them Canadian. Of those 90,000, 75 per cent are women. Research shows that this correlation relates to hormones like estrogen, a stronger immune response, and the genetic makeup of the X chromosome. Regardless of sex, autoimmune diseases are often associated with genetic and lifestyle factors like stress, diet, and exercise.
Both sides of Tara’s family have a history of MS and other autoimmune diseases like lupus — a chronic disease causing inflammation and pain. Tara’s diagnosis left her shell-shocked and in denial despite watching her grandmother, aunt, and cousin live with their diagnoses. She spent the first few weeks post-diagnosis comparing her symptoms to her aunt’s.
“She was already [using a wheelchair], she couldn’t eat on her own, and she couldn’t vocalize very well,” said Tara. “I didn’t know what to think.”
Once the shock passed, Tara reminded herself how lucky she is to live in a time where MS is well-researched with many effective treatments.
MS isn’t a modern disease, with its first accounts dating back to the late 1300s. In 1868, famed French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, known for his groundbreaking work on hysteria, gave it its name. Throughout the 1800s until the mid-1900s, researchers treated MS patients with deadly nightshade, arsenic, mercury, and malaria parasite injections, all extremely dangerous and ineffective.
It took scientists nearly two centuries to develop the first effective drug against MS symptoms — interferon beta-1b. It reduces the disability and frequency of relapses and was the first therapy approved for the treatment of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. As of 2025, MS patients have multiple treatment options: disease-modifying therapies, symptom management therapies, and relapse management therapies. These treatments provide some control over inflammation and relapses while easing the impact of symptoms. Nowadays, when patients are diagnosed with MS, they can choose between three treatments: an injection, oral tablet, or infusion.
After some deliberation, Tara opted for the at-home injection. She noticed a significant reduction in the number and severity of her relapses after starting the treatment about a year ago.
A 2024 National Academies report shows women are more likely than men to have multiple chronic conditions simultaneously. However, the cause behind this recent observation remains unknown since autoimmune research has “systematically excluded women with multiple chronic conditions from participating in studies.”
For Penelope (a pseudonym), 47, symptom management is the hardest part of living with three autoimmune diseases: type 1 diabetes, MS, and celiac disease. On any given day, her fatigue could be from her blood sugar levels, MS, an accidental gluten ingestion, or a mix of all three. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells — the body’s sugar-regulating hormone. Celiac disease damages the small intestine following gluten ingestion.
Penelope moved into a part-time position at her job and developed a strict schedule following her diagnosis to manage her fatigue.
“I go to bed every night at 8:30 p.m. because I need my rest. I need regular sleep. I need regular eating habits,” said Penelope. “If I don’t get enough sleep, I get over exhausted, nauseous, lose my ability to verbalize my thoughts, and get tipsy with my balance.”
At first, the fatigue severely affected her emotional and mental state. She spent a lot of time stuck in catastrophic thinking. She’d find herself spiraling, thinking it’ll never end, and she won’t make it through.
In 2021, the Mental Health Commission of Canada reported that between 25 to 50 per cent of Canadians living with a chronic disease will experience depression. People with one or more autoimmune diseases are often overwhelmed navigating their diagnoses, going to frequent medical appointments, and balancing everyday responsibilities like family, friends, and work. Suffering from a disease like MS can leave people feeling isolated or misunderstood because its invisibility may be difficult for others to grasp.
Pre-diagnosis, Tara said she enjoyed going out and spending time with her circle of friends — always finding something to do in her free time. But following her diagnosis, she realized this lifestyle was unsustainable.
“It didn’t come up right away. I kind of had to come to terms with the diagnosis before I explained to my friends why I had to start slowing down and declining to do certain things,” she said. “And unfortunately, in the process, my circle got smaller.”
Despite the occasional downward spiral, Penelope said she’s been able to find comfort and acceptance among friends, family, and the healthcare system — something she understands isn’t a universal experience. With a general practitioner and a group of nurses at the MS Clinic who listened to her concerns and validated her struggles with pre- and post-diagnosis symptoms, she’s careful not to take it for granted.
“You know, some of these kinds of illnesses, having somebody on your side can verify that how you’re feeling is legitimate,” said Penelope. “The nurses knew me by name. They knew my story … It was like having a friend.”
Payton Pereux, 30, spent seven years struggling with and recovering from chronic brain fog, exhaustion, bloating, and food sensitivity to “almost everything.” Throughout the height of her gut issues, she moved between Kelowna, Tofino, Winnipeg, and Toronto as a distraction from her health falling apart.
“My nervous system was a wreck,” said Payton. “I wouldn’t stop moving even when I really needed to slow down.”
When she started losing her appetite and was chronically constipated during a round of antibiotics to treat her acne, Payton paused her treatment hoping the discomfort would subside. It did — until she contracted a urinary tract infection a few months later and had to take another round of antibiotics.
“Suddenly, it was like my body was on a downslide,” said Payton. “When I ate food, something just felt wrong. It felt like my food wasn’t being metabolized or digested properly … And then I started to feel constipated. No matter what, I couldn’t go to the washroom.”
She finally decided to seek medical treatment at a walk-in clinic after she developed a candidiasis infection, a type of yeast infection, around the corners of her mouth. The doctor gave her an antifungal cream and sent her on her way.
“There was no telling me why this might be happening, or any uncovering of any deeper process about why I would suddenly have yeast around my mouth,” she said.
Candidiasis is a fungal infection that comes from an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a type of yeast naturally living inside our bodies. This infection usually manifests on the skin, vagina, or mouth. Stress, a poor diet, or a weakened immune system disrupts our body’s ability to balance yeast in our bodies, increasing our susceptibility to yeast infections. Though these infections are well understood, without your full medical, diet, and habit history, it’s unlikely a doctor can pinpoint why a yeast infection develops.
Six months later, Payton consulted another doctor because her gastrointestinal symptoms (GI) weren’t going away but left the appointment feeling dismissed.
“He suggested that the symptoms were just psychosomatic … basically implying that it’s all in my head.”
Payton spent the next six years of her life exploring different types of alternative medicine hoping to heal her body — something her doctors couldn’t do.
The term “alternative medicine” refers to medical treatments and practices outside of Western medicine. Healthcare professionals and online communities disagree on a single, all-encompassing definition. Some opting for terms like “complementary,” “unconventional,” “traditional,” “functional,” or “integrative” instead.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NIC), complementary and alternative medicine is the term for medical treatments and practices that don’t fall under standard medical care or Western medical practices. Complementary and alternative medicine practices fall under five categories: mind-body therapies, biologically based practices, manipulative and body-based practices, energy healing, and whole medical systems. Some common complementary and alternative medicine therapies include meditation, following specialized diets, massage therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care.
Dissatisfaction with conventional medicine and a desperation to relieve chronic pain are the most common reasons why patients turn to complementary and alternative medicine. Many patients who seek alternative treatments are in distress and simply want to feel better.
Adding onto her nervous system dysregulation and breathing problems, Melanie struggled with a wide range of GI issues. Following eight years of endless prescriptions and an unsuccessful upper gastrointestinal endoscopy — a procedure where doctors look at the inside of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine — she redirected her time, energy, and money into alternative medicine.
“I’ve been put on things like serotonin reuptake inhibitors because ‘maybe your problems are coming from depression’,” said Melanie. “Then the acid reducers were just a wild guess.”
Melanie connected with Chad Cornell, the herbalist at Hollow Reed School of Healing Arts & Herbals during the COVID-19 pandemic. She signed up for a $500 course, eager to learn everything about “natural healing.” Within days of her first lessons, Melanie found something that helped her symptoms: a glass of room-temperature lemon water.
According to Cleveland Clinic, lemon water introduces more vitamin C and antioxidants into your diet, and supplements stomach acid levels by breaking down food in the digestive system. However, research surrounding the benefits of lemon water varies. Some specialists view it as a myth, while others, a fact.
One year after Payton’s initial gastrointestinal breakdown, a naturopath diagnosed her with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and leaky gut syndrome. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth happens when there’s an abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine, especially if it’s foreign bacteria. Leaky gut syndrome is a theory where the intestinal lining becomes more permeable — the intestinal lining is naturally semi-permeable to absorb water and nutrients — and releases foreign substances into the bloodstream. For Payton, both diagnoses manifested in extreme brain fog and chronic exhaustion from her food intolerances.
“I cut out all fruits to keep my diet sugar levels to a minimum,” said Payton. “But no matter what I ate, unless it was plain white rice with olive oil, it exhausted my body.”
According to Digestive Health Specialist, a gastrointestinal clinic in North Carolina, women are more likely to experience gut issues like constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, gallstones, and pelvic floor dysfunction. With organs like the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries sitting closely to the colon and small intestine, women are more likely to have trouble absorbing nutrients and forming stool. Menstrual cycles, hormonal changes, pregnancy, childbirth, and chronic conditions continue to impact the GI tract’s functioning over time.
Healthcare professionals around the world continue to dismiss and minimize women’s pain despite recent research highlighting their susceptibility to gut and stomach issues. The gender pain gap — the phenomenon where women’s pain is misunderstood, dismissed, or undertreated compared to men — continues to increase. According to SW Londoner, women reported their general practitioners using phrases like “overly emotional” and “overly dramatic” during appointments in a 2024 survey.
Three years into her recovery journey, Payton’s close friend suggested she speak with a quantum healer and offered up their next appointment slot. Payton eagerly accepted, desperate for any kind of help despite knowing very little about the practice.
Quantum healing is based on the principle of quantum physics, which suggests that everything in the universe is made up of energy, and how we interact with that energy plays a significant role in shaping our reality. Counterarguments around quantum healing focus on the misinterpretation of quantum physics. The broader scientific community generally refers to the practice as pseudoscience — statements, beliefs, or practices claiming to be factual without scientific proof.
“At the time, the quantum healer was booking like six months in advance, so I was really happy to get a session with him,” said Payton.
In this first session, Payton felt minor improvements in her symptoms and booked a second session immediately, hopeful something positive would come from more appointments. In the second session, just a few weeks later, the quantum healer found a roundworm parasite, a harmful parasite, living in Payton’s intestine. He cleared it during the appointment and warned Payton she’d see blood and residue from the parasite in her stool — something she found difficult to believe since she struggled to go to the washroom over the past three years.
“Lo and behold, there was blood in my stool and all the little like egg things coming out of me,” said Payton. “The fact that I could even have bowel movements … I just hit a huge milestone, and it really accelerated my recovery.”
According to Chris Kehler, a Winnipeg-based quantum healer, quantum healing manifests in many ways, and each healer has their own way of interpreting it.
Chris’s practice revolves around intent, a modality he created himself in 2009.
“The strongest energy in the world is not love, it’s not hate, and it’s not war,” he said. “It’s the intent of love, the intent of hate, and the intent of war.”
He uses charts and his “higher self” to investigate the cause of a client’s discomfort — whether it’s a migraine or digestive issues — then makes the intent to redirect the energy. As part of his practice, Chris doesn’t meet his clients in person, opting for a phone or video call.
“It’s just energy. So, by having a client’s voice, the sound of them, or even their frequency, I can just make the intent to move energy, and it moves,” he said. “It’s all manifestation of consciousness.”
Tara believes managing MS means finding the perfect balance between medications — like Advil and disease-modifying therapy injections — and long-term diet and lifestyle changes. Following her diagnosis, her neurologist assigned her a dietitian and suggested investigating alternative practices to manage her symptoms. The dietitian encouraged Tara to avoid preservatives like salt and vinegar, fried foods, and anything with saturated fats. Independently, Tara conducted research and found a possible connection between pork and beef contributing to inflammation, a leading cause of MS relapses.
“I’ve generally stayed away from them,” she said. “I’ve noticed my symptoms have improved and sticking to anti-inflammatory foods have been a real help.”
In a 2018 Current Nutrition Report, researchers found a higher intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with increased MS disability while vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing MS. In the same report, research links saturated fats to inflammation and attributes it to the rise in cardiovascular diseases in North America. On the other hand, polysaturated fatty acids naturally found in fish, walnuts, and flax seeds decrease inflammation — decreasing MS relapses in the process. Other studies related to these fatty acids and MS are conflicting, some say it reduces relapses while others disagree.
At 36 years old, Melanie’s diet consists of mostly organic and whole foods: rice, meat, raw milk, sweet potatoes, and stews. Although she’s a strong believer in maintaining a strict diet to keep her body happy, she occasionally makes exceptions.
“I do my best not to indulge because I know what’s going to come back,” said Melanie. “But we’re all guilty of it right? We’re human.”
Her biggest pet peeve about “normal” diets is having a meal with a “tall glass of ice-cold water.” Melanie believes the coldness of the water slows down the digestive system, leading to gut issues.
“So, picture a compost — your stomach — with all these yummy foods like beef, some squash, some rice, sauerkraut, and you’ve had your lemon water. Now, your stomach is ready to digest all that food, and it’s warm — it needs the warmth to digest it. So, as soon as you have that big glass of water at the end of your meal, you’re putting out your fire.”
For Penelope, following a strict diet is the core of managing her celiac disease. Her doctor initially prescribed vitamin B12 and vitamin D to help her body recover from its self-inflicted gut damage. Penelope later adjusted her diet and lifestyle to manage symptoms for all her diagnoses.
“I found a lot of people had experience that animal protein was really hard on the body, so I stopped that and basically went vegan for six months,” said Penelope. “I took probiotics too, and I healed so fast.”
She continues to believe in using food as medicine and listening to her body to determine its limits for the day.
“I think it’s a really important skill that lots of people need to learn better … I know so many people who like procrastinating and don’t get the sleep they need,” said Penelope. “But it takes effort to really learn to listen to your body and heed to its advice.”
Just like how MS manifests differently in different people, the effectiveness of a treatment varies depending on your body. No two bodies are the same — like fingerprints or personalities — and treatment that works wonders for one person might do close to nothing for another.
Studies around invisible illnesses continue to develop, some focusing particularly on “why” and “how” they affect women. There is still a long way to go to backfill the gap left from women being excluded in years of medical research. Doctors might never find a cure for MS or the complex list of gastrointestinal issues many people face, but showing empathy, validating that conventional medicine doesn’t have all the answers, and suggesting appropriate complementary options is a good start. No one wants to feel isolated when dealing with chronic brain fog or unexplainable indigestion. For those managing an invisible illness, having healthcare providers who take the time to really listen is essential.
