Who decides when a medical condition is progressive – the doctor or patient?

Neither, in my view; especially when a person or service provides, or plans to provide, valued #personcentredcare. Perhaps more significantly, also neither, if they wish the person to have #hope, that by attending the service, they will receive the highest standard of care to live their best life.

To explain, the following are two contrasting statements written about Type 2 Diabetes. They were published in two highly respected medical journals, over 20 years apart:

“Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease in which the risks of myocardial infarction, stroke, microvascular events, and mortality are all strongly associated with hyperglycemia” 2000;

“Sustained remission of T2D [Type 2 Diabetes] is now well established, but is not yet routinely practised” 2023

I don’t know about you, but reading those statements lead me to consider the following:

Over 20+ years, how many millions of people, across the world, have received/read & continue to receive/read, arguably inaccurate & misleading information, which is based on the first statement, because of one single word?

That word? “is” i.e. I believe it should have always read Type 2 Diabetes “can be” progressive.

I would like to relate this to the term “…progressive neurological condition”

If a person were to read or were told that a condition such as #multiplesclerosis “can be” progressive, and not “is” progressive, that, I believe, can transform lives, as someone like Chris Freer, who has a #livedexperience may wish to comment on.

But the main point of writing this post, which is connected to a previous post on “progressive” is to emphasise the major impact we could have by simply switching one word “is” for “can be”. This may be the single most, simplest of all changes brought into our language that could not only transform, but potentially save lives (if you believe a person diagnosed with a medical condition like MS might contemplate #suicide).

I would like to add that there is growing evidence, through living experiences (and I heard of one person just yesterday) to indicate that it may be possible to halt the progression of other neurological conditions, such as #parkinsons, thanks to a most enlightening conversation with Dr Nur Ozyilmaz.

Please can I ask for your help in sharing this simplest of changes. I really don’t believe people need to wait 20+ years of living experiences to bring in that change. It could happen today, and we might just save a life.

Thank you to all who share this message. With all our connections across LinkedIn, who knows, together we might just connect with a person who can describe their success in not only halting a neurological condition but has, like Type 2 diabetes, placed it in remission.
🙏 ❤️