Chronic Illness Is a Story We Can Rewrite with Karyn Shanks MD

Chronic Illness Is a Story We Can Rewrite with Karyn Shanks MD

From Broken to Brave | Guiding you to heal & break free from anxiety by Dr. Stephanie Lopez

February 17, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 136

About this episode

The episode explores the concept of chronic illness as a narrative we can change, featuring a discussion with Karyn Shanks, MD.

What if chronic illness isn’t just something to fix, but a story we’ve been taught to accept as truth? In this conversation, I sit down with Karyn Shanks, MD, to explore what healing really means when we stop treating the body like a broken machine and start listening to the whole person. We talk about disappointment in conventional medicine, the courage it takes to question the stories we’ve been given, and how trauma, fatigue, and even autoimmune symptoms can be invitations back to ourselve...

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Stephanie Lopez

Guest: Karyn Shanks MD

Topics covered

  • chronic illness
  • healing
  • conventional medicine
  • trauma
  • autoimmune symptoms

Keywords

  • chronic illness
  • healing
  • conventional medicine
  • trauma
  • autoimmune symptoms
  • mental health
  • self-acceptance

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