Healthy Habits: Motherhood and Autoimmune Diseases

The storm began as an innocent flutter beneath Dr. Cynthia Li’s breastbone. A new mother and a young doctor, she shrugged it off. Soon, insomnia, irritability, and rapid weight loss followed. She sought out a top-notch specialist who diagnosed her with postpartum thyroiditis, and took her medicines as prescribed. In a year’s time, her lab tests were normal. Though her symptoms persisted, she assumed she was cured. Her life continued as it always had: a world traveler, a wife to an active husband, a devoted doctor to the underserved.

But Dr. Li found herself housebound for years following. Finding no real answers, she saw her illness strip her of her identity and voice, and strain her marriage down to the last threads. She vowed to get through this, for her two daughters, husband, and her life. Dr. Li asked herself one primary question to begin this new, transparent journey: How to get off the couch?

She became her own expert and discovered a new paradigm that integrates the art and science of medicine.

I had a chance to interview her to learn about her journey.

How do autoimmune diseases affect motherhood?
Beyond leaving a woman with pain, exhaustion, and irritability, having an autoimmune disease can compound the responsibilities of motherhood. Brain fog can make it twice as hard and twice as long to get simple tasks done. The standard tiredness of motherhood can become a debilitating fatigue. Changes in the body can create the experience of dissociation from the self, further driving the vicious cycle of inflammation.

How can mothers balance priorities when they are also struggling with autoimmune conditions?
No one else will get taken care of if we don't take care of ourselves first. That's the Golden Rule of Motherhood, regardless of health or illness. Often, mothers can find ways to take care of themselves along with their children: take a nap when they nap, eat the same nutrient-dense food we feed them, play with them instead of watching on the sidelines, get a daily dose of nature together. These are many of the same prescriptions I give my patients.

What are some tips for maintaining strong relationships with family and friends?
There are times in life when we give, and others when we receive. The notion of incurring "debts" is a great disservice to all of us. Give yourself permission to receive, and you may find yourself surprised by how others want to provide support. This allows partners to feel useful, to have some agency over an otherwise unpredictable autoimmune illness.

What is the difference between treating and healing?
Treating is unidirectional, from doctor to patient, and usually involves a drug or a procedure. Healing is anything that activates the body's innate intelligence to restore balance and function. It can happen within a person, can be bidirectional (between doctor and patient, for example), or multi-directional (when a mother heals herself, she also heals her children). A true sign of healing is a sense of self-empowerment.

How can mothers with autoimmune diseases make sure they are taking time to take care of themselves?
It has to start with a commitment to yourself. For me, I wrote myself in as my first patient of the day, ate a good breakfast, and practiced qigong. No one else can do this for you.

CYNTHIA LI, MD graduated from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and has practiced internal medicine in settings as diverse as Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital, St. Anthony Medical Clinic for the homeless, and Doctors Without Borders in rural China. Her own health challenges led her to functional medicine, a paradigm that addresses the root causes of chronic conditions. She currently serves on the faculty of the Healer's Art Program at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and has a private practice. She lives in Berkeley, CA with her husband and their two daughters.

Connect with Cynthia Li, MD on Facebook @dr.cynthia.li and visit www.cynthialimd.com.

Brave New Medicine: A Doctor’s Unconventional Path to Healing Her Autoimmune Illness is available September 1, 2019 in paperback at Amazon and other retailers.