The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness

A disease O’Rourke is diagnosed with early in the book, in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. Also called “autoimmune thyroiditis,” this disease causes a decline in hormone production that affects the metabolism, often leaving people sluggish and devoid of energy.

Generally speaking, inflammation is a word that describes what happens when the body’s immune system detects a problem and responds to heal wounds and fight infections. Although inflammation can be a helpful mechanism for healing, chronic inflammation is harmful to the body and is related to autoimmunity. In O’Rourke’s experience, inflammation is a word she first learns when exploring the nuances of integrative medicine.

An early 19th-century idea that initiated Western medicine’s move away from holistic approaches to health and toward measuring the effects of particular germs on the body. The theory assumes that infectious diseases are caused by a single observable pathogen that will produce predictable symptoms, and for which a specific solution can be devised. Because autoimmune conditions do not fit this “tidy” form of thinking about disease, the American medical establishment is still struggling to develop effective ways to treat them.

This term was coined in 1993 to denote collective wear and tear on the body as it tries to maintain balance in a stressful modern world. Allostatic load is an important aspect to consider when examining how each individual person responds differently to pathogens and viruses. Depending on the nature of their allostatic load, they may have vastly different symptoms and experiences.

These are medical doctors who incorporate aspects of both Western medicine and alternative medical practices. They seek to treat the patient as a whole person, viewing the body as a complex web as opposed to offering a quick, localized fix. These types of practitioners also seek to treat the body before it becomes ill by instituting practices of preventative care. O’Rourke seeks out both conventional medicine doctors and integrative and functional doctors throughout her book.

The HPA Axis, or the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis, is the term for interconnected systems by which the body responds to and tends to stress. This axis regulates immunity, hormones, metabolism, and the automatic nervous system. Disorders of the HPA Axis can lead to diverse but connected symptoms among those with chronic illness, like O’Rourke.