Explore this loving-kindness practice variation to cultivate more ease and openness within the moment-to-moment unfolding of life.
One of the hardest parts of life for me, and I think for everyone I know, is that it’s always changing—and sometimes in unpleasant, unpredictable, and unplanned ways. And when changes happen like this, things that we don’t want to happen—someone we love dies or we have a breakup or a divorce, maybe an injury or an illness of ourselves or others, or even getting fired—then we struggle not only from the pain of this loss, but from the unexpected nature of it. Part of the reason for this upset is because so little is in our control.
One of the hardest parts of life for me, and I think for everyone I know, is that it’s always changing—and sometimes in unpleasant, unpredictable, and unplanned ways.
Everything is impermanent. It’s always changing, coming together and falling apart. And it’s frustrating to not be able to make things go our way. But paradoxically, when we can accept that everything is not up to us, and we stop trying to control what we can’t change or trying to predict what we can’t predict, then we can feel a lot more at ease and more open to the moment-to-moment unfolding of our lives. By accepting change, we can bring kindness to our experience, even if it’s painful and sad at times, and we can feel more at peace with changes in life.
Key Summary
Benefits of Acceptance:
Reduces suffering caused by resistance to inevitable change
Builds resilience for navigating life transitions
Develops psychological flexibility
Creates space for new possibilities to emerge
Key Principles:
Distinguishing between acceptance and resignation
Working with impermanence as a natural law
Cultivating an open attitude toward uncertainty
Practicing letting go as an active, compassionate choice
Application: Particularly helpful during major life transitions, loss, relationship changes, and when facing situations beyond our control.
Guided Meditation: Let Go and Accept Change
First, find a place where you can just sit down and be still. Turn off your devices, close your eyes, and just take a few breaths. Noticing your feet, your seat, your belly. Bringing your attention to your forehead, your cheeks, your jaw, allowing sound to enter your ears, allowing taste to enter your mouth.
Put your hand on your belly. Just notice how you feel your belly inflates as you inhale and how it contracts when you exhale.
Call to mind someone you know who’s struggling right now. You could maybe imagine that they’re here with you, visualize them, or just have a sense of their presence. If you like, put your hand on your heart and silently offer them this phrase: May you be at peace with the changes in life. May you be at peace with the changes in life. May you be at peace with the changes in life. Continuing silently repeating this, as though you’re giving a gift to this struggling being.
Notice: Where is your attention? If you’ve lost the connection with this struggling being, reconnect, begin again. May you be at peace with the changes in life.
Let go of this connection with this other being. Noticing your feet, feeling your seat, relaxing your shoulder blades, bringing your attention to your breath, to the light entering through your eyelids.
Next, put your hand on your heart and connect with yourself. You can imagine that you’re looking in the mirror, imagine yourself as a child, or just connect with your beautiful presence. Give yourself the same wisdom: May I be at peace with the changes in life. And continue here just for a minute or two, giving yourself this compassion and wisdom.
Notice where your attention is. If you’ve lost your connection to yourself, and gently come back, reconnecting. May I be at peace with the changes in life. Just for one more minute, giving yourself this kindness. May I be at peace with the changes in life.
Keep this connection with yourself, and now include that first being and perhaps everyone that you know and love. May we be at peace with the changes in life. May we be at peace with the changes in life.
Expand the phrase to include all of the beings. All of the living creatures in this ecosystem we call Earth. All of us struggle with change, with loss, with impermanence. Giving your wisdom and your kindness and your good heart to all of us, including yourself. May we all be at peace with the changes in life. May everyone be at peace with the changes in life.
When you’re ready, conclude your meditation. You can close your practice by thanking yourself for your good intention, for your beautiful heart, for these joyful efforts.
Remember that you can practice in this way whenever you need to. Stop, feel your feet, put your hand on your heart, and say to yourself, May I be at peace with the changes in life. If you’re struggling with an unexpected loss, be sure to be patient and kind with yourself, and check in with your good heart as often as possible.
By drawing our attention to endings and our developed habits about the way we meet endings, we can learn how to step fully into our lives with appreciation and gratitude, says Frank Ostaseski. Read More
Every breath taken indoors carries more influence on well-being than many realize. The air circulating inside homes, offices, and schools can quietly affect overall health, especially concerning indoor air quality and inflammation.
Researchers have found that microscopic pollutants trapped indoors can trigger or worsen chronic inflammatory conditions, influencing everything from respiratory health to heart function.
Since people now spend most of their time inside, understanding the connection between household air and inflammation has become essential for protecting long-term health.
What Is Indoor Air Quality and Why Is It Important?
Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the cleanliness, safety, and chemical composition of air inside enclosed spaces.
While outdoor pollution receives plenty of attention, indoor air can actually harbor higher concentrations of harmful substances. Factors such as cooking fumes, cleaning products, synthetic furnishings, pet dander, and mold contribute to the buildup of pollutants.
Indoor air matters because pollutants in sealed spaces accumulate easily and disperse slowly, especially in poorly ventilated areas.
Prolonged exposure to these contaminants can cause respiratory irritation, oxidative stress, and even chronic inflammation throughout the body. When IAQ is maintained well, the risk of developing long-term health problems decreases significantly.
How Does Indoor Air Quality Affect Inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s natural defense mechanism against harmful external agents. However, when this process becomes chronic, it can silently damage cells and tissues.
Polluted indoor air can act as a constant trigger for inflammatory responses. Once inhaled, airborne contaminants stimulate immune cells to release inflammatory molecules, keeping the body in a continuous state of alert.
This process explains the connection between indoor air quality inflammation and chronic conditions. Research shows that exposure to particles and gases found indoors increases levels of inflammatory biomarkers like cytokines and C-reactive protein.
Over time, this chronic low-grade inflammation can contribute to health issues such as asthma, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease.
PM2.5 Indoor Exposure: Tiny Particles With Big Health Impacts
One of the most harmful indoor pollutants is PM2.5, shorthand for fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers. These tiny particles are invisible to the eye but easily penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
PM2.5 indoor exposure comes from everyday activities like cooking with oil, burning candles, using fireplaces, smoking, or even running certain household appliances.
Once inside the body, PM2.5 generates oxidative stress, which activates mechanisms that sustain inflammation.
Over time, repeated exposure can lead to metabolic dysfunction, vascular inflammation, and elevated risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Studies have also associated PM2.5 with worsened symptoms in people already suffering from inflammatory or autoimmune disorders.
VOCs and Systemic Inflammation: The Hidden Chemical Threat
While PM2.5 represents a physical pollutant, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemical ones. VOCs are gases released from everyday items such as paints, cleaning sprays, air fresheners, adhesives, and furniture, according to the World Health Organization.
Often invisible and odorless, these compounds contribute significantly to VOCs and systemic inflammation, especially in energy-efficient buildings where air exchange is limited.
Once VOCs enter the human body through inhalation, they can disturb metabolic and immune processes.
Some VOCs, such as formaldehyde and toluene, promote oxidative stress and interfere with the body’s antioxidant systems. Long-term exposure has been linked to chronic headaches, fatigue, respiratory issues, and heightened inflammatory reactions.
Sensitive groups, including children and older adults, may experience more pronounced effects, as their immune systems are less efficient at regulating persistent inflammatory stress.
Indoor Pollution and Chronic Diseases: The Long-Term Connection
The relationship between indoor pollution and chronic disease is increasingly well-documented. Airborne contaminants are now recognized as active participants in long-term health decline, not just temporary irritants.
When pollutants persist in household air, they trigger chronic immune activation that slowly wears down bodily systems.
For instance, PM2.5 particles and VOCs can both damage blood vessel lining through constant inflammation, paving the way for conditions like hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Similarly, long-term exposure to mold spores or dust can worsen respiratory inflammation and weaken lung function over time. Chronic low-grade inflammation, sustained by household air pollutants, also contributes to insulin resistance and other factors underlying metabolic diseases.
This consistent activation of the immune system means the body never fully returns to its baseline state. As a result, tissue repair slows down, oxidative stress increases, and susceptibility to chronic illness rises.
Vulnerable groups, particularly children, older adults, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, face heightened risk from continuous indoor exposure.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality for Better Health
Air Quality Pixabay, ashwanillc
The fight against household air and inflammation starts with recognizing controllable factors within the living environment. Improving ventilation is one of the simplest ways to lower pollutant buildup. Regularly opening windows or using exhaust systems helps circulate fresh air and reduce concentration of indoor contaminants.
Installing HEPA air purifiers can capture fine particles and allergens, including PM2.5, effectively improving air quality. Choosing unscented or natural cleaning products, along with low-VOC paints and materials, further limits exposure to chemicals that cause inflammation, as per Harvard Health.
Maintaining moderate indoor humidity between 40% and 60% helps prevent mold proliferation and dust mite activity, both known contributors to chronic respiratory irritation.
Minimizing sources such as cigarette smoke, paraffin candles, or aerosol sprays also yields immediate benefits. Indoor plants may offer mild supplemental filtering effects and contribute to emotional well-being, but they should not be viewed as replacements for mechanical ventilation or air filtration.
Monitoring devices that measure PM2.5 levels or VOC concentrations provide real-time insight into household air conditions and can guide targeted improvements.
Breathe Cleaner for a Healthier, Less Inflamed Life
Growing evidence shows that managing indoor air quality and inflammation is as vital to wellness as managing nutrition or physical activity. Every source of cleaner air contributes to a calmer, more balanced immune system. Reducing pollutants like PM2.5 and VOCs lowers internal stressors that drive chronic disease, enhancing overall vitality.
Healthy indoor air fosters easier breathing, better concentration, and more restful sleep, all indicators of reduced inflammatory burden. For individuals seeking to lower their risk of chronic inflammation and associated diseases, monitoring and improving environmental air should become an everyday priority.
By addressing indoor pollution and chronic disease through cleaner air habits, households can support long-term health and create environments where each breath truly nourishes rather than harms.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can air purifiers completely eliminate indoor inflammation triggers?
No. Air purifiers reduce particulates and VOCs but can’t remove gases or biological pollutants entirely. They work best alongside proper ventilation and low-emission household practices.
2. How quickly can indoor air quality improvements affect inflammation symptoms?
Many people notice respiratory or fatigue improvements within days to weeks. However, measurable changes in systemic inflammation markers usually take months of consistent exposure to cleaner air.
3. Are newer buildings healthier in terms of indoor air quality?
Not always. Modern buildings are often sealed tightly for energy efficiency, which can trap VOCs and fine particles unless equipped with adequate mechanical ventilation systems.
4. Can indoor plants significantly lower household air pollution?
Their effect is modest. While some plants absorb small amounts of VOCs, the level of purification is minimal compared to what filters or open-air circulation can achieve.
Let’s talk about treating weight loss, cholesterol, and PCOS with diet. What can an eighth of a teaspoon a day of onion powder do for body fat, and what can raw red onion do for cholesterol?
In one of my previous videos about onions, I talked about the data supporting—or not supporting—the role of onions in boosting testosterone in men, protecting bone health, controlling allergies, and dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy. What about weight loss? Enter the “Effect of Steamed Onion (ONIRO) Consumption on Body Fat and Metabolic Profiles in Overweight Subjects.” Researchers used steamed onions, which aren’t as spicy and have a weaker smell, so they could better disguise them as a placebo. They dried them into onion powder and gave people a minuscule amount—about an eighth of a teaspoon (300 mg) a day. Surely, a little daily dusting of onion powder wouldn’t affect people’s weight. But check out the results reported in the abstract: Measurements using a DEXA scan showed a significant reduction in body fat mass, and a CT scan revealed a significant decrease in whole, visceral, and subcutaneous fat areas.
Hold on. If a little onion powder is so effective for weight loss, why wasn’t it featured in my book How Not to Diet? Because, as so often happens in studies, the spin in the abstract doesn’t accurately represent the actual data. The DEXA scan results measured no significant change of fat in the group that got the placebo capsules. They only appeared to lose about a spoonful (7 g) of fat, whereas the group unknowingly taking an eighth of a teaspoon of onion powder stuffed into capsules lost nearly one and a half pounds (0.64 kg) of body fat—a significant drop from baseline, but not a statistically significant drop compared to the placebo group, meaning the loss could have just been due to chance. Same thing with the CT scan results: 5 times more loss of overall fat and over 30 times more loss of the dangerous visceral fat, but the results did not reach statistical significance compared to placebo.
A more recent study tried four teaspoons (9 g) of onion powder a day and similarly failed to accelerate the loss of visceral, total, or subcutaneous fat compared to placebo—but the placebo was also four teaspoons (9 g) of onion powder a day. They used yellow onions versus white onions, and it seems they both may have caused a loss of abdominal body fat, without a significant difference between them. Either way, you might look at these two studies and think, sure, but what are the downsides? It’s only an eighth of a teaspoon of onion powder a day, so why not give it a try? It can’t hurt, but we just don’t have enough evidence to be confident it will actually help.
Let’s talk about polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS. It’s one of the most common hormone disorders, affecting 5% to 10% of reproductive-aged women. In addition to causing symptoms like irregular periods, “PCOS is a pre-diabetic state, with decreased insulin sensitivity.” PCOS treatment is challenging due to medication side effects. So, are there dietary options? How about a randomized controlled clinical trial of raw red onion intake?
Why onions? Well, onion extracts can evidently improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity in rats with diabetes and, more importantly, were found to reduce blood sugar levels in humans with diabetes, but evidently not in non-diabetic humans. People with PCOS are kind of pre-diabetic, so would it work for them? First, let’s look at those other two studies. To study the “Metabolic Effects of Onion and Green Beans,” people with diabetes spent a week eating either a small onion (60 g) each day or the same diet with about six cups (600 g) of green beans instead—and both approaches worked. The onion lowered people’s blood sugar levels by about 10% compared to a non-onion control diet, while the green beans lowered them by roughly 15% compared to the control.
Here’s the study that supposedly shows no blood sugar benefits for people without diabetes. It’s true—onions don’t seem to lower normal blood sugar levels, which is a good thing, but check out what happens when you feed people sugar. Have people consume about two and a half tablespoons (50 g) of corn syrup, and their blood sugar levels shoot up over the next two hours before their body can tamp it back down. But give people the exact same amount of sugar along with more and more onion extract, and the blood sugar spike is significantly dampened, almost as much as if you had instead given them an antidiabetic drug, as you can see below and at 4:00 in my video Onions Put to the Test for Weight Loss, Cholesterol, and PCOS Treatment.
We see the same blunting effect on blood sugar when people get a shot of adrenaline and eat onion extract, compared to receiving adrenaline without the onion extract, as you can see below and at 4:11 in my video.
So, are there blood sugar benefits for both people with and without diabetes? No difference was found in blood sugar levels or other markers of insulin resistance between the high-onion and low-onion groups of PCOS patients, nor were there any differences in a marker of inflammation between the two groups. But women with PCOS aren’t just at higher risk for diabetes and inflammation—they are also at higher risk for high cholesterol.
Women with PCOS are over seven times more likely to have a heart attack and develop heart disease, the number one killer of women. But consuming raw red onion appears to be effective in lowering cholesterol, though the group that ate more onions only dropped their LDL cholesterol about 5 points (5 mg/dL), which was not significantly different than the group that ate fewer onions.
I did find this study from 50 years ago where researchers fed people nearly an entire stick (100 g) of butter, and their cholesterol shot up about 30 points within hours of consumption but by only 9 points or 3 points when combined with about a third of a cup (50 g) of raw or boiled onion. The moral of the story: Don’t eat a stick of butter.
In the fast-paced rhythm of modern life, skipping meals has become a common habit. Whether it’s rushing to work, managing tight deadlines, or trying to cut calories, many people forgo breakfast or delay lunch without realizing the physiological consequences.
Yet each missed meal can subtly influence body energy, metabolism, and even cognitive performance. Understanding what happens inside the body during these gaps reveals how fundamental regular nourishment is to physical stamina and mental clarity.
What Happens to Your Body When You Skip Meals?
When a person skips a meal, the body immediately begins to adapt. The primary energy source, glucose, starts to drop after a few hours without food. In response, the liver releases stored glycogen to maintain blood sugar levels.
However, once glycogen reserves run low, the body shifts toward breaking down fat and muscle protein for energy.
This process triggers hormonal changes. Levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and adrenaline rise to keep energy production going.
While effective in the short term, this reaction often causes irritability, lightheadedness, and fatigue. Over time, frequent meal skipping can lead to slower metabolism, nutrient deficiencies, and weakened immune function.
The combination of these factors highlights a central issue: skipping meals’ effects are not limited to hunger pangs, they influence every system that depends on steady energy and balanced nutrition.
Does Skipping Meals Affect Your Energy Levels?
Energy regulation depends largely on blood sugar stability. When food intake stops for too long, glucose levels drop, leaving the body without its main energy fuel. This is particularly noticeable during morning hours when the body expects fuel after an overnight fast.
People who skip breakfast often experience mid-morning fatigue or brain fog. Their bodies switch into an energy-conserving mode, slowing physical and mental activity to protect remaining stores. As insulin, cortisol, and adrenaline fluctuate, feelings of sluggishness, dizziness, or low motivation emerge.
The link between skipped meals and tiredness also stems from disrupted glycogen cycles. Muscles rely on glycogen for physical strength, while the brain depends on consistent glucose to function efficiently.
Without these, people typically describe feeling drained or unable to concentrate, a direct example of how low energy causes often trace back to erratic eating habits.
How Skipping Meals Impacts Brain Function
The brain consumes about 20 percent of the body’s total energy output, almost entirely powered by glucose. When that supply drops, neurons react quickly. Low blood sugar can impair cognitive processes like focus, memory recall, and decision-making. Even short-term fasting may make it harder to stay on task or maintain emotional balance.
A lack of steady fuel can also alter neurotransmitter production. Chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine depend on amino acids and micronutrients derived from food, accordion to News Medical.
Missing meals limits these resources, affecting mood and attention span. Some studies link chronic undernutrition to higher irritability and reduced cognitive performance.
In essence, nutrition and brain health are inseparable. The pattern of regular, balanced meals ensures that neural circuits continue to communicate efficiently and that mental endurance remains stable throughout the day.
Is Skipping Meals Bad for Mental Health?
Beyond immediate fatigue, hunger can influence emotional stability. When blood sugar drops too low, the brain triggers stress responses similar to those activated during anxiety. Cortisol levels rise, producing tension, restlessness, and sensitivity to minor frustrations, sometimes referred to as “hanger.”
Skipping meals habitually may also disrupt the brain’s neurotransmitter balance. Serotonin, the “feel-good” chemical, requires certain amino acids and carbohydrates to remain at optimal levels. When these nutrients are missing, mood dips can follow.
Over time, meal skipping may exacerbate symptoms of stress or depression, particularly in individuals already susceptible to mood fluctuations. Researchers studying nutrition and brain health consistently find that undernourishment or inconsistent eating patterns correlate with poorer emotional resilience and reduced cognitive flexibility.
Common Low Energy Causes Beyond Skipping Meals
While skipping meals is a major factor in fatigue, it’s not the only one. Several overlapping conditions can lead to persistent tiredness or burnout:
Dehydration: Even mild dehydration slows metabolism and impairs focus, mimicking the sensation of low energy.
Sleep deprivation: Insufficient rest reduces glucose tolerance and lowers alertness, compounding the effects of a missed meal.
Nutrient deficiencies: Iron, B vitamins, and magnesium are critical to energy production. Lacking these minerals limits oxygen transport and mitochondrial efficiency.
Stress and inactivity: Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels while sedentary routines weaken metabolism, leading to persistent lethargy.
These low energy causes often interact. For instance, skipping meals while running on little sleep can amplify brain fog and diminish reaction speed. Understanding overlapping lifestyle factors helps distinguish between temporary fatigue and systemic nutritional issues.
How to Maintain Energy and Brain Health Throughout the Day
A stable daily rhythm of balanced eating is the foundation for consistent energy and mental performance, as per the World Health Organization. Here are science-backed strategies to support both body and mind:
Eat breakfast within two hours of waking. This replenishes glycogen depleted overnight and jumpstarts metabolism.
Combine macronutrients at every meal. Include complex carbohydrates (whole grains, oats, or fruits), lean protein (fish, poultry, tofu), and healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil) to sustain glucose release.
Incorporate brain-boosting nutrients. Omega-3 fatty acids from salmon or chia seeds enhance cognition, while antioxidants from berries protect neural tissue.
Stay hydrated. Water assists in nutrient transport and temperature regulation, directly affecting concentration.
Plan smart snacks. Pairing protein and carbs, such as yogurt and fruit, provides quick refueling without spiking blood sugar.
Prioritize meal regularity. Eating every three to four hours prevents dramatic energy crashes and minimizes cravings later in the day.
Even simple planning, like carrying a compact meal or healthy snack, prevents the downward spiral of hunger, distraction, and low motivation. These approaches promote sustainable patterns that strengthen both physiological energy cycles and mental clarity, a tangible benefit of supporting nutrition and brain health jointly.
Why Balanced Nutrition Fuels Body and Mind
Eating is more than satisfying hunger; it’s an energy management system that keeps the body and brain performing in harmony. When meals are skipped, hormone balance shifts, glucose control weakens, and emotional resilience declines. Over time, fatigue, irritability, and slower cognition become familiar companions.
Maintaining steady nourishment, on the other hand, supports every aspect of well-being.
Glucose keeps muscles active and neurons firing. Essential nutrients replenish neurotransmitters that influence focus and mood. Hydration sustains endurance. These interconnected processes highlight why consistent nutrition is fundamental to long-term brain and body vitality.
The modern world may reward productivity and speed, but sustainable energy relies on respect for biological rhythms. Regular meals, mindful hydration, and nutrient-dense food choices provide the stable foundation for sharper thinking, elevated energy, and improved emotional balance.
By viewing eating habits not as chores but as essential maintenance for both brain performance and physical resilience, the full picture of skipping meals’ effects becomes clearer, and far more manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can skipping meals slow down metabolism permanently?
Occasionally skipped meals won’t cause lasting damage, but repeated fasting without proper nutrition can lower metabolic rate over time as the body adapts to conserve energy.
2. What should you eat first after skipping a meal?
Choose foods that are easy to digest and rich in nutrients, such as fruit, yogurt, or whole-grain toast with protein. Avoid heavy, greasy foods that can strain digestion.
3. Does drinking coffee replace the need for breakfast?
No. Coffee may suppress appetite temporarily, but it doesn’t supply essential nutrients or glucose the brain needs for energy and focus.
4. Are there benefits to planned intermittent fasting?
When done safely and with balanced meals during eating windows, intermittent fasting may improve insulin sensitivity and focus. However, it isn’t suitable for everyone and should be guided by a healthcare professional.
Cardiac arrest can strike without warning. Do you suspect someone is experiencing cardiac arrest? The signs are:
Sudden loss of responsiveness – The person doesn’t respond, even if you tap them hard on the shoulders or ask loudly if they’re OK. The person doesn’t move, speak, blink or otherwise react.
No normal breathing – The person isn’t breathing or is only gasping for air.
What to do
If you think the person may be suffering cardiac arrest and you’re a trained lay rescuer:
Ensure scene safety.
Check for responsiveness.
Shout for help. Tell someone nearby to call 911 or your emergency response number. Ask that person or another lay responder to bring you an AED (automated external defibrillator) if there’s one on hand. Tell them to hurry. Time is critical. If you’re alone with an adult who has signs of cardiac arrest, call 911 and get an AED (if one is available).
Check for no breathing or only gasping. If the person isn’t breathing or is only gasping, begin CPR with compressions.
Administer CPR. Push down at least two inches in the center of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 pushes a minute. Allow the chest to return to its normal position after each push.
Use an AED. As soon as it arrives, turn it on and follow the prompts.
Continue CPR. Administer it until the person starts to breathe or move, or until someone with more advanced training, such as an EMS team member, takes over.
What treatment will I receive in the hospital?
Tests will be done to assess your condition. The test results can help the health care team decide on a treatment plan to reduce your risk of long-term health problems and death.
Your health care team will closely monitor your heart. They will also focus on preventing organ damage, especially to your brain.
You may receive one or more of the following treatments:
Targeted temperature management (TTM) is a treatment to lower the body temperature to help protect the brain. Cooling blankets, cooling helmets, ice packs or other cooling methods may be used.
Oxygen therapy helps you get enough oxygen so your organs continue to work as you are recovering.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment pumps your blood through an artificial lung. It adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from your blood before returning it to your body. The ECMO takes the stress off your lungs and heart to promote healing.
What other tests and treatments may I receive?
Your health care team will try to find out what caused your cardiac arrest. Some tests you may have include:
If you are diagnosed with coronary heart disease, treatment may include:
These treatments help restore blood flow through narrowed or blocked coronary arteries.
Genetic testing may be recommended for you and your blood relatives. This testing is done because some conditions that can increase the risk of cardiac arrest run in families.
It’s important to find out what caused your cardiac arrest. It’s also important for your family members to find out if they may be at risk of cardiac arrest due to an inherited condition or a gene that puts them at greater risk for one.
Am I at risk of another cardiac arrest?
If you’ve had one cardiac arrest, you may be at risk of another.
Your health care team may advise that you get an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This may happen during your hospital stay or shortly after. Or you may be asked to wear an external cardiac defibrillator. Either can save your life by providing a low-energy shock to your heart to restore a normal heart rhythm if ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia occurs.
People with an ICD have some restrictions, though many can resume their normal activities.
How do I live with an ICD?
ICD batteries usually last four to seven years. Your health care professional should check them every three to six months.
Talk to your health care team about your activities. Ask them what you can and can’t do. Also ask which types of machines or equipment you should avoid. Those with magnets and strong electrical fields may interfere with your ICD’s operation.
You should also:
Tell airport security guards that you have an ICD. Ask them not to use handheld metal detectors on you.
Tell your other health care professionals, including your dentist, that you have an ICD.
Tell the doctors and nurses that you have one anytime you go to the hospital.
Always carry a card with the details about your ICD and emergency contact information so others know that you have one in case of a medical emergency.
What if I’m anxious about living with my ICD?
It’s common for people to feel anxious or depressed, especially in the first months or year after they get their ICD. You need to know that you are not alone or without support. If you have these feelings, talk with your health care team and get help.
Three weeks ago, I ended up in the emergency room convinced I was having a heart attack.
The chest pain had started days earlier—a tightness that wouldn’t release, difficulty taking a full breath, pain radiating down my left shoulder. I told myself it was nothing. Maybe I’d overdone it at the gym. Maybe I’d slept wrong.
I kept meditating. I kept teaching. I kept holding space for others.
I tried to breathe my way through it, the way I’ve taught thousands of people to do. But on Sunday, when my doctor’s office was closed and the pain refused to let up, my husband said gently but firmly, We’re going to the ER.
After five hours of tests and long stretches of waiting, the cardiologist came back with relief in his voice: my heart was fine.
I should have felt grateful—and I did. But I was also confused.
If my heart was healthy, what was my body trying to tell me?
Recognition: The Role of Vicarious Trauma In Bearing Witness Without Choice
If you have been paying attention to the world around you over the past months, you may be carrying more than you realize.
Images of devastation in Gaza. Israeli families living with constant fear of attack. Political violence and ICE shootings at home. Rising Islamophobia and antisemitism fracturing communities, relationships, and public life. The countless Black, Indigenous, and other people of color whose deaths rarely make headlines, whose names we never learn. And the ongoing humanitarian crises in places like Sudan, Yemen, and Iran—where suffering continues largely outside the frame of sustained media attention.
If you find yourself feeling unusually tense, exhausted, reactive, numb, or unable to turn away—even when you want to—it may not be a personal failing. It may be a natural response to prolonged exposure to suffering.
For many of us, this witnessing is relentless. Each morning brings new stories, new images, new reasons to feel alarmed or heartbroken. Even when we are not directly affected, our nervous systems are taking it in.
If you find yourself feeling unusually tense, exhausted, reactive, numb, or unable to turn away—even when you want to—it may not be a personal failing. It may be a natural response to prolonged exposure to suffering.
There is a name for this: vicarious trauma.
Vicarious trauma refers to the psychological and physiological impact of sustained empathic engagement with others’ pain. Our bodies and minds do not clearly distinguish between what we experience directly and what we absorb through continuous media exposure, graphic imagery, and ongoing moral urgency.
For others, the constant stream of suffering can feel overwhelming or futile, leading to disengagement instead. We scroll past headlines, turn off the news, or tell ourselves we need to focus on our own lives. At times, this discernment is necessary. Rest, boundaries, and self-care matter. But when disconnection becomes our primary response to vicarious trauma, something else quietly erodes.
Many people turn away not because they don’t care, but because they feel powerless. What difference could I possibly make? In the face of global crises, individual action can seem insignificant, even naïve. Shutting down can feel like the only way to survive.
Yet we live in an interconnected world where complete disconnection is an illusion. And when we disengage for too long, we don’t just lose information—we lose contact. Contact with what is happening. Contact with our own values. Contact with the small but meaningful ways care can move through us. What begins as self-protection can quietly become a loss of agency and connection.
Vicarious trauma doesn’t just make us sad or tired. It reshapes how we see the world.
Research shows that it disrupts core beliefs about safety, trust, control, intimacy, and meaning. It shows up cognitively, emotionally, physically, and behaviorally.
People experiencing vicarious trauma often report:
Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
Heightened anger, anxiety, or emotional numbness
Sleep disturbances and chronic exhaustion
Hypervigilance—always bracing for the next blow
Physical symptoms like headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and chest pain
And yes—ER visits.
But there is something more essential that is lost when we burn out or shut down.
Vicarious trauma explains the cost to our nervous systems. But underneath that is something more subtle—and more consequential: a loss of contact with our capacity to respond.
What gets lost when we engage on default—whether by over-consuming information about suffering or withdrawing from it—is not just nervous system regulation.
We lose contact.
Contact with the body as a source of intelligence. Contact with our felt sense of what is actually needed now. Contact with our agency, beyond outrage or withdrawal. Contact with our capacity to sense where our care is most skillful. Contact with our ability to stay human without hardening.
This isn’t just trauma.
It’s a disconnect from our humanness.
Oppressive systems don’t need to silence us when exhaustion and reactivity will do the job for them.
We find ourselves caught in cycles of constant witnessing or reactive outrage, or else turning away and numbing out.
And when contact is lost, connection suffers.
Connection with others. Connection with purpose. Connection with the part of ourselves that knows how to respond wisely.
Vicarious trauma explains the cost to our nervous systems. But underneath that is something more subtle—and more consequential: a loss of contact with our capacity to respond.
When we’re dysregulated:
We confuse intensity with impact
We lose the ability to imagine creative responses
We default to attack, despair, or withdrawal
What’s at stake isn’t just our well-being. It’s our capacity to imagine—and enact—responses that actually reduce suffering.
Oppressive systems don’t need to silence us when exhaustion and reactivity will do the job for them.
Collective Capacity: How Not to Lose Each Other
When this loss of contact happens at scale, movements fracture. Allies turn on one another. Nuance feels like betrayal. Strategic thinking gives way to moral reflex. The very capacities required for sustained change—discernment, patience, relational trust—begin to erode.
When we are no longer in touch with our discernment, everyone can start to look like a threat. The act of listening itself can feel like moral failure. We confuse intensity with impact, and urgency with wisdom.
This loss of contact doesn’t just exhaust us personally. It diminishes our ability to work together.
When we are no longer in touch with our discernment, everyone can start to look like a threat. The act of listening itself can feel like moral failure. We confuse intensity with impact, and urgency with wisdom.
I’ve seen this up close.
At one point, someone was publicly attacking me online—not because we disagreed about the need to end suffering, but because I was trying to hold complexity rather than take a single side. I was called complicit. My integrity was questioned. Moral failure was assumed.
Instead of reacting, I practiced inner calm, compassion, and equanimity—not to bypass harm, but to stay in contact with my own values of deep listening and seeking to understand. The next day, that same person reached out to say: “I’m sorry to have misjudged you so harshly. I’ve been exhausted, and I lashed out.”
This person wasn’t malicious. They were overwhelmed. I recognized that feeling immediately—that same overwhelm is what had landed me in the ER. The suffering they had been witnessing was real. The vicarious trauma is real. Without tools to return to contact, that pain had nowhere to go but outward.
I’ve witnessed this pattern repeatedly.
When I had tried to draft a Town Council resolution that called for ending violence while also acknowledging security concerns on all sides, it was rejected—not because people disagreed with the facts, but because in the midst of collective disconnection, holding both-and felt impossible.
This is how movements lose their strength—not through genuine disagreement about goals, but through operating from disconnection rather than from our deepest wisdom that comes from listening with care and seeking solutions that include all.
Sustained change requires more than passion. It requires capacity: the ability to engage and retreat, to stay open without collapsing, to remain connected to one another even when the work is hard.
When we lose that capacity, we don’t just lose effectiveness. We lose each other.
Recently, I was invited to a friend’s house for dinner. Simple food. Easy conversation. Board games. And yet, as I sat there, I felt a wave of guilt. How could I be laughing when so many are suffering? I noticed a flash of irritation toward the others at the table—why didn’t they seem as affected as I was? Didn’t they care?
Then I caught myself.
This guilt, this judgment—it wasn’t skillful. It wasn’t making me more effective or more compassionate. It was simply isolating me, pulling me away from the people right in front of me.
Rest is not what we do when the work is finished. It is what makes sustained engagement possible. When we gather, we are restoring contact with the aliveness that oppressive systems rely on extinguishing.
So I made a choice. I allowed myself to be there. To taste the food. To play the game badly and laugh at myself. To let the warmth of friendship soften something that had gone rigid inside me.
It was quietly liberating.
The next day, I returned to my work with more energy, clarity, and steadiness—not because anything had been solved, but because I had remembered what it feels like to be human alongside other humans.
This is not escape. This is restoration.
Rest is not what we do when the work is finished. It is what makes sustained engagement possible. When we gather with like-minded people—not to organize or persuade, but simply to cook together, laugh, play, or enjoy one another’s company—we are not avoiding the work. We are restoring contact with the aliveness that oppressive systems rely on extinguishing.
Sometimes, what returns us to contact isn’t a formal practice at all. It’s a shared meal. Music, art, or movement that reminds us we are alive. A walk where we remember that trees still grow and birds still sing—even now.
These moments are not indulgent. They are essential.
From this restored place, certain skills can help us stay in contact when we re-engage with difficulty.
Skills: Returning to Contact in Real Life
Over years of teaching and research, I came to see that mindfulness as it’s often taught—focusing primarily on meditation and non-judging awareness—is necessary but insufficient for times like these.
Calming the nervous system with meditation is only the first step. Once we re-engage, our default habits return. Without skill, we slide back into reactivity. Even if we can return to a calm, non-judging awareness, it is not enough to navigate nuanced, complex situations, often involving competing needs and worldviews.
Through my study of early Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology, I began to understand mindfulness as a set of trainable skills—skills that help us stay in contact with what’s alive, even in the midst of suffering. They disrupt our default reactions and help us discern what is needed to respond skillfully.
Three skills become especially essential when we are bearing witness to ongoing crisis:
Inner Calm — Creating Space Without Disengaging
Inner calm is the art of stopping, looking, and letting go for purposes of healing and clarity. It softens the grip of our attachments to habitual hurrying, beliefs, and expectations that hinder our inner equilibrium.
Inner calm involves physical composure and mental tranquility, bringing ease to body and mind alike. In the body, composure is experienced in the muscles and as an overall feeling of ease. In the mind, inner calm creates the space to hold everything without attachment and resistance.
Compassion — Seeking to Understand
Compassion is our innate ability to feel, understand, and be motivated to alleviate suffering in ourselves and others. It disrupts our tendency to act on our automatic judgments about ourselves and others by seeking to understand.
When we lose compassion, we see enemies instead of fellow humans struggling. We attack allies for not being pure enough. We forget that we, too, are worthy of care. We lose our relational intelligence—the capacity to sense how we are affecting others and how to stay connected across differences.
Curiosity — Returning to Creative Capacity
Curiosity is our ability to be genuinely interested and care with the purpose of understanding the situation, even when it’s challenging. It disrupts our confirmation bias by staying open and patient in the face of uncertainty and new information.
Curiosity widens the lens trauma narrows. It restores contact with complexity and helps us sense what might actually help. It’s not about being right. It is about being effective.
Together, these skills interrupt default patterns and reopen the channel between knowing what matters and being able to act on it.
Based on our resources, capacity, and unique gifts, what’s ours to do will be different. There isn’t one right way to meet the darkness. Only many necessary ones.
But here’s what practice has taught me: Skillful response doesn’t look the same for everyone.
Based on our resources, capacity, and unique gifts, what’s ours to do will be different. The parent raising children who can hold complexity. The artist creating work that helps others process grief. The organizer building coalitions. The healer tending to those on the front lines.
There isn’t one right way to meet the darkness. Only many necessary ones.
Reaching to Poetry As Another Anchor
I too have been learning to live with this question—how to stay engaged without collapsing. Sometimes the sifted language of poetry can speak to our deeper needs and longings. This poem by Michael Dubois captures this truth beautifully and resonates deeply.
When Things Feel Dark by Michael Dubois
When things feel dark, remember what the world needs: More healers, more helpers, more hate exorcisers. More artists and poets, more parents ruled by love. More cycle breakers, more radical resters, more warriors of peace. More gardeners who fall deeply in love with the earth beneath their feet. More meditators, more educators, more people willing to use failure as a tool to learn. More thinkers, more thankers, forgivers and apologizers. More builders of bridges and homes with open doors and minds.
The world needs you— because only the ones who see the darkness know the importance of turning on the light.
An Invitation to Practice: 3 Ways to Reconnect
In times like these, practice is an invitation to return to what is already alive in us, and to offer that wisely.
Below are three micro-practices from my book, Return to Mindfulness, to foster inner calm, compassion, and curiosity.
May we have the courage to notice when we’ve lost ourselves—and the skill to return. May we offer what is uniquely ours to give, trusting that the world needs exactly that. May our practice benefit us and all beings.
Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which the body’s own defense system mistakenly targets healthy cells, tissues, and organs. These immune disorders can affect nearly any part of the body and are often lifelong, making them a major cause of chronic illness. Understanding how they develop, how they are treated, and how they affect daily life helps patients, families, and caregivers make informed choices.
What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
In a healthy person, the immune system protects against viruses, bacteria, and other harmful invaders. In autoimmune diseases, this system misidentifies the body’s own tissues as threats and attacks them. The result is ongoing inflammation, pain, and, over time, possible organ or tissue damage.
Autoimmune diseases can be organ-specific, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which mainly affects the thyroid, or systemic, like systemic lupus erythematosus, which can involve multiple organs.
Common immune disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune thyroid conditions. Most are chronic illnesses requiring long-term monitoring and management rather than a one-time cure.
What Causes Autoimmune Diseases?
The causes of autoimmune diseases are complex and not fully understood. Most evidence points to an interaction between genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers. People with a family history of autoimmune or related immune disorders are at higher risk, though not everyone with a genetic predisposition will develop disease.
Environmental factors seem to act as triggers in those who are vulnerable. These may include infections, smoking, certain medications or chemicals, prolonged stress, and hormonal changes.
Many autoimmune diseases occur more often in women, suggesting a link with hormones and sex-related immune differences. Ethnicity and family patterns may also influence risk, but autoimmune diseases can affect people from any background.
Symptoms and Daily Life Impact
Different autoimmune diseases damage different tissues, but they share many core symptoms. Common early signs include:
Persistent fatigue that rest does not relieve
Joint pain, stiffness, or swelling
Muscle aches
Low-grade fevers
Skin rashes
Digestive problems or abdominal pain
Symptoms often wax and wane. People may go through flares, when symptoms suddenly worsen, and remissions, when they ease. This unpredictability can make daily planning difficult.
Pain and stiffness can limit mobility and make routine tasks like walking, cooking, or working on a computer more challenging. Fatigue and “brain fog” can impair concentration, memory, and decision-making, affecting performance at work or school.
Beyond physical effects, autoimmune diseases can take an emotional and social toll. Invisible symptoms may lead others to underestimate the severity of the illness. People may feel misunderstood, frustrated, or isolated.
Adjusting social activities and roles within the family to match changing energy levels can be stressful for both patients and loved ones.
Diagnosis and Medical Management
Diagnosing autoimmune diseases can be challenging, according to Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms may resemble those of infections, other chronic illnesses, or even stress-related conditions. A diagnosis usually relies on a combination of:
Detailed medical history and symptom review
Physical examination
Blood tests (for antibodies, inflammation markers, and organ function)
Imaging or biopsies when needed
Because signs can be vague, diagnosis may take time and sometimes involves ruling out other possibilities.
Most autoimmune diseases cannot currently be cured, but they can often be controlled. Treatment generally aims to reduce inflammation, relieve symptoms, and prevent long-term damage. Common medications include:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain and inflammation
Corticosteroids to control stronger flares
Disease-modifying drugs and biologic agents that target specific parts of the immune response
Since these conditions are chronic, regular follow-up care is important. Treatment plans are tailored to the individual, based on the type of autoimmune disease, severity of symptoms, and other health factors. Over time, medications may be adjusted to balance disease control with potential side effects.
Living With Autoimmune Diseases Day to Day
Living with autoimmune diseases often requires ongoing adaptation. Many people need to manage medication schedules, medical appointments, and symptom changes while also handling work, school, and family responsibilities.
Good days may allow for a fairly typical routine, while flare days may require extra rest, reduced activity, or assistance with daily tasks.
Work can be especially affected. Fatigue, pain, and cognitive issues may reduce productivity or make certain jobs difficult. Some people benefit from flexible hours, the option to work from home, or changes to duties.
Simple accommodations, such as ergonomic equipment, rest breaks, or modified physical tasks, can help someone with a chronic illness stay employed and engaged.
Relationships may also shift. Family members and partners may need to adjust expectations around energy, household chores, and social plans. Open communication about limitations, needs, and feelings can reduce misunderstandings and strengthen support.
Many people find comfort and validation by connecting with others who live with similar immune disorders, whether through in-person groups or online communities.
Coping Strategies and Lifestyle Support
Medical treatment is only one part of managing autoimmune diseases. Practical self-management strategies help many people function better and reduce flares. These can include:
Pacing activities and prioritizing essential tasks
Planning rest periods and avoiding overexertion on good days
Using assistive devices or adaptive tools to protect joints and conserve energy
Lifestyle factors can influence symptom levels. Although there is no single “autoimmune diet” that works for everyone, many healthcare professionals encourage a balanced, nutrient-dense eating pattern, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding smoking.
Gentle, regular physical activity, like walking, swimming, or yoga, can support joint mobility, strength, mood, and sleep, as long as it is adjusted to the person’s current condition. Stress management is also important because long-term stress may worsen inflammation and flares for some people.
Techniques such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, counseling, and support groups can help individuals cope with the emotional side of chronic illness.
Mental health care is an essential part of long-term management. Anxiety and depression are more common in people with chronic illness, and addressing them through therapy, medication when appropriate, and social support can significantly improve overall well-being.
When to Seek Help and How to Advocate
Persistent or recurring symptoms, such as unexplained fatigue, ongoing joint pain, chronic digestive problems, or rashes, should prompt a visit to a healthcare professional, especially if they interfere with daily life. Sudden, severe changes, like new neurological symptoms or significant breathing difficulties, need urgent evaluation.
Self-advocacy can improve care. Keeping a symptom diary, noting triggers and patterns, helps both patients and clinicians understand the condition more clearly.
Bringing questions to appointments, asking for explanations of test results, and seeking second opinions when necessary can lead to more accurate diagnoses and better treatment plans. Learning about one’s specific autoimmune disease from reliable sources supports meaningful participation in decisions.
Autoimmune Diseases and the Future of Care
Research on autoimmune diseases is evolving rapidly. Scientists are uncovering more about how the immune system works, why it turns against the body, and how to interrupt this process more precisely.
New targeted therapies and biologic drugs are already improving outcomes for several conditions, and more treatments are under development.
While autoimmune diseases remain a major cause of chronic illness, many people are able to build satisfying, productive lives.
Early diagnosis, tailored medical care, realistic lifestyle adjustments, and strong social and emotional support all contribute to better quality of life. As understanding of immune disorders grows, so does the potential for more effective, personalized care in the years ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can stress alone cause an autoimmune disease?
Stress by itself is unlikely to be the only cause, but long-term or severe stress can act as a trigger or worsen symptoms in someone who is already genetically susceptible.
2. Are autoimmune diseases contagious?
No. Autoimmune diseases are not infections and cannot be passed from person to person, although they can run in families due to shared genetic risk.
3. Can autoimmune diseases go into remission?
Yes. Some people experience periods where symptoms lessen or disappear, especially with effective treatment and lifestyle management, but monitoring is still important.
4. Is it possible to have more than one autoimmune disease?
Yes. Some individuals develop more than one autoimmune condition over time, which is why regular follow-up and broad monitoring are important.
Healthcare delivery often unfolds across multiple clinical touchpoints, yet continuity between those touchpoints can remain difficult to sustain. According to Rachael Rivero, nurse practitioner and owner of Kansas Care Connect and ChronicWELL, for patients managing chronic conditions, care frequently involves several specialists, primary care providers, and diagnostic pathways that do not always communicate in real time.
From her perspective, these structural disconnects can leave patients navigating complex treatment plans alone while providers manage growing administrative strain. “When patient data is fragmented, follow-up between visits is limited, care teams are stretched thin, and small issues can escalate into preventable complications or even hospital stays,” she says.
Kansas Care Connect emerged as her response to those systemic gaps. Built around Medicare’s Chronic Care Management framework, the organization operates as a nurse practitioner-led coordination partner supporting patients between office visits. Its model centers on structured check-ins, care plan oversight, and remote patient monitoring, designed to surface risks earlier.
According to Rivero, proactive monitoring allows care teams to identify changes in condition trends, medication adherence, or lifestyle factors before they evolve into higher-acuity events. Research has noted that structured chronic care coordination programs are associated with reductions in hospital admissions and improved patient engagement, reinforcing the value of sustained between-visit support in complex populations.
Rivero’s pathway into this work was shaped by more than a decade of practicing as a nurse practitioner specializing in pulmonary, sleep, and critical care. Her early clinical foundation began in intensive care settings, where she developed an appreciation for high-acuity problem-solving and interdisciplinary coordination. Over time, she expanded into the outpatient environment, where long-term patient relationships revealed a different set of challenges.
“In the ICU, you are solving immediate crises,” she explains. “But in outpatient care, you begin to see the long story, what happens between visits, what gets missed, and how easily patients can feel lost in the system.”
Those longitudinal relationships became formative. Rivero notes that many patients expressed confusion about treatment sequencing, follow-ups, and specialist coordination. She recalls that care plans could stall when diagnostics were delayed, results were siloed, or communication loops remained incomplete.
Kansas Care Connect
“Patients would come back without answers, and providers were just as frustrated because the information, testing, or follow-up they needed hadn’t come together in time to move care forward,” she says. “That cycle kept revealing operational blind spots, even in systems delivering high-quality treatment.”
Drawing on both her clinical exposure and an early academic background in entrepreneurship, Rivero began exploring care coordination frameworks that could operate locally. In 2023, she saw an opportunity to design a nurse-led model tailored to community practices rather than national call-center structures. Launching Kansas Care Connect required balancing full-time clinical responsibilities with business development and family life, yet she viewed the effort as mission-aligned. From her perspective, the need for coordinated support outweighed the uncertainty of building an independent organization from the ground up.
Since its founding, Kansas Care Connect has expanded through various phases. Rivero credits early growth to outcomes-driven trust rather than traditional marketing channels. She explains that the relationship credibility within the medical community played a central role in adoption and growth.
Leadership philosophy has also shaped the organization’s culture. Rivero emphasizes a team-first operating model grounded in collaboration across nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and support staff. “No role is more important than another,” she explains. “We function as one care team, and the work only succeeds when everyone feels ownership in the mission.” She pairs that philosophy with flexible structures that allow many clinicians, particularly working parents, to operate in hybrid or remote formats while maintaining continuity for patients.
Compassion and accountability remain core pillars. Rivero notes that many team members were drawn to the organization through personal caregiving experiences, reinforcing empathy as a hiring lens. She believes those shared motivations translate into deeper patient rapport and sustained engagement, particularly for individuals managing multiple chronic conditions.
Kansas Care Connect
Looking ahead, Rivero’s long-term vision extends through ChronicWELL, a broader ecosystem designed to support individuals living with chronic disease beyond traditional coordination services. She explains the initiative as a network model encompassing education, wellness resources, and additional care pathways aimed at helping patients maintain quality of life alongside clinical treatment.
Rachael Rivero’s journey from critical care clinician to healthcare founder reflects an effort to close operational gaps she witnessed firsthand. Through Kansas Care Connect and the developing ChronicWELL platform, Rivero continues to build models centered on coordination, continuity, and human connection, principles she believes remain essential as chronic care needs expand nationwide.
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