Can a Chronic Illness Be Cured?

Chronic illnesses come in all shapes and sizes, from arthritis to depression to kidney disease. Unfortunately, most aren’t curable. But effective treatment can reduce their impact on your overall health and quality of life. 

However, a few chronic illnesses are reversible; some might say curable.

Family medicine doctor Poonam Malhotra, MD, at Central Clinic in Spring Hill, Florida, is a female physician specializing in chronic disease management, women’s health issues, substance abuse disorder, and medically supervised weight management. 

Dr. Malhotra is also genuinely passionate about preventing and reversing chronic illness whenever possible.

Read more from Dr. Malhotra about chronic illnesses, which ones you can reverse, and steps you can take to prevent them.

What is a chronic illness?

An acute illness is something like a cold. The symptoms occur suddenly, follow a specific course, and then disappear — hopefully, leaving you feeling like your usual self.

On the other hand, chronic illnesses are long-lasting, often develop slowly over time, and are usually controlled with medication and lifestyle changes rather than curable.

A few examples of chronic illness include:

• Arthritis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Chronic back pain and other pain disorders
• Parkinson’s disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Type 1 diabetes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Heart disease
• Bipolar and other mood disorders
• Epilepsy
• Cancer
• Substance abuse
• Heart failure

Some illnesses categorized as chronic are reversible if you’re willing to commit to healthy nutrition, routine exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

Which chronic illnesses can be cured or reversed?

There aren’t a significant number of reversible chronic illnesses currently. However, the list may grow as medical understanding, technology, and treatments continue to advance.

Chronic illnesses already known to be curable or reversible include:

Skin cancer

Basal and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common types of skin cancer. They’re also curable with early diagnosis and treatment.

Hypertension

Elevated blood pressure is a common disorder often related to lifestyle choices such as smoking, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and excess weight. Usually effectively managed with medication, lifestyle-related hypertension is reversible by choosing healthy habits.

However, to prevent stroke, heart attack, and other serious complications of uncontrolled hypertension, you must continue your medication as prescribed until Dr. Malhotra adjusts the dose or discontinues the drug.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is also reversible with weight loss, improved diet, increased exercise, and other healthy habits. Certain types of weight loss surgery can also reverse Type 2 diabetes.

Never discontinue diabetes medications without Dr. Malhotra’s approval. And Type 1 diabetes can’t be reversed. 

Preventing chronic illness

You can’t prevent every disease. However, hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and numerous other chronic illnesses are preventable. Dr. Malhotra creates comprehensive preventive care strategies tailored to fit your needs.

Because many chronic illnesses are related to weight and diet, services at Central Clinic include medically supervised weight management. Dr. Malhotra also customizes meal plans appropriate for your health and weight loss goals.

We also offer access to specialists to optimize strength training and weight loss.

Schedule your evaluation with Dr. Malhotra today by calling Central Clinic or requesting an appointment online.