My sister who is currently 16 years old has undergone a gruesome 4 years of her life suffering from reactive arthritis , due to which she had to sacrifice a lot in her life from changing her old school to starting a new lifestyle .
Reactive Arthritis occurs as an autoimmune response which was triggered by a bacterial infection but the body even after eliminating the bacteria , keeps on responding to it leading to painful swelling in joints , eyes and urinary tract . The bacterial infection mainly occurs at stomach or intestine due to food poisoning .
Changing the environment showed great improvement on her health , the academic pressure along with peer pressure from her old school was one of the factors which intensified her reactive arthritis .
Changing the school reduced psychological stress lowered inflammation , the Improved physical accessibility like fewer stairs , shorter transit time and better seats in class played a vital role in her recovery process. Better institutional support with flexible attendance policy and fewer books to carry to class enhanced her mental recovery.
Sleep cycle restoration and proper self-care routines were also made possible due to the change of school and recovery was seen very early on .
What are your views on how we can integrate lifestyle , environment or other modifications into the a patients care plan ?
Healing is not always about treatment alone. Sometimes, reducing physical and psychological stress through the right environment can be an important part of recovery.
A good and positive environment plays an important role in recovery of patients. There are various factors that matters in patient recovery rather than clinical treatment in which environment is a very important factor. Sometimes change in environment makes a positive effect.
An eye-opening post which clearly shows how a patient’s environment can influence their recovery.Sometimes a stress free environment is all that is needed to ensure faster recovery of patients.
As the definition of health goes, “a state of complete mental, physical, social well-being and not merely the absence of disease”. It becomes very important for a person to have a positive environment as it directly affects emotional well-being. A positive environment provides the emotional strength to recover, even when the patient has given up internally.
Thank you for sharing this. Sometimes healthcare professionals only target specific problems or focus on treating the illness but forget about holistic care of the patient. It’s important for them to feel mentally better or if small changes can change things for them , then we should support them