How to Treat Netflix’s “Afflicted” Chronic Illnesses: Amen Clinics

Blog - How to Treat Netflix’s “Afflicted” Chronic Illnesses Amen Clinics

Chronic illnesses are often misunderstood. On the Netflix series, “Afflicted,” the show presents patients experiencing mysterious chronic illness and follows these patients as they manage symptoms, from depersonalization to chronic fatigue.

While the show has drawn criticism for turning patients into a spectacle, some of the illnesses described are often found here at Amen Clinics. Similar to how Netflix’s “Afflicted” patients underwent a psychiatric evaluation prior to signing on, every patient at Amen Clinics is thoroughly examined to identify the root of their ailment.

We take a four-pronged method to evaluate the biological, psychological, spiritual and social factors in each patient’s history, and then specialize in brain SPECT imaging for deep insight into abnormalities of the brain. We treat for many complex chronic illnesses with this knowledge.

1. Chronic Mold Sensitivity

Mold is a toxic found in many homes with poor circulation. Netflix’s “Afflicted” follows a story about one patient with severe chronic mold sensitivity. People with mold sensitivities often experience upper respiratory problems including nasal stuffiness, wheezing, eye irritation, coughing, skin irritation, and sometimes upper respiratory infections. These are all initial reactions to mold, and repeated exposure to mold for those with mold sensitivities can have lasting effects on the brain and other bodily functions.

When toxins enter the body, they are carried through the bloodstream and to the brain, creating brain injury. Patients can experience many cognitive problems, dizziness, headaches, pain, fatigue and drastic personality changes when exposed to mold. Brain SPECT scans are able to identify overall patterns of high or low blood flow which mimic this ailment.

There are several common toxins that can lead to brain injury, including mercury, pesticides and asbestos. Parasites, bacteria, viruses and infection can also release toxins which impair brain function and are often confused with symptoms of mental health disorders.

2. Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia bacteria found in deer ticks. Patients afflicted by lyme disease may never realize they contracted the bacteria prior to experiencing unusual illnesses. The CDC estimates 20-30% of patients never experience the tell-tale bullseye rash. Netflix’s “Afflicted” includes mention of lyme disease in a variety of cases, as this disease has become more commonly known and leads to mysterious symptoms.

Patients may experience many unexplained physiological symptoms including fevers, swollen glands, sore throat, headache, and joint pain along with common neuropsychological issues including impaired attention, impaired speech, poor decision making, and psychosis.

Amen Clinics is equipped to evaluate for lyme disease, and with brain SPECT imaging, can identify damage to the brain caused by the inflammatory response to help repair damage.

3. Autoimmune Disease & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

One patient on Netflix’s “Afflicted” experiences a range of autoimmune disorders and found hyperbaric oxygen therapy helpful for healing. This type of therapy can boost the immune system, decrease inflammation, and boost stem cell and ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) production.

Laying in a pressurized chamber allows the lungs to gather more oxygen to supplement the body’s damaged tissue. Amen Clinics offers both hard and soft chambers. Hard chambers deliver 2.7 times atmospheric pressure while soft chambers deliver 1.3 times.

In addition to autoimmune disease, the following ailments are sometimes treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

Traumatic Brain Injury
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Sports Injuries
Autism
• Cerebral Palsy
Alzheimer’s Disease
• Stroke
• Lyme Disease
• Migraine
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Vascular Dementia

Find a Chronic Illness Clinic Near You

Mold toxicity and lyme disease require an Integrative Functional Medicine Specialist to treat these illnesses, found in Costa Mesa, CA, Bellevue, WA and Reston, VA.

Hyperbaric chambers are offered at all eight of our locations across the country.

Call 888-288-9834 and schedule and appointment with us today to find the treatment you deserve. See the video below for more on how the Amen Clinics approaches brain health.

9 Comments »

  1. My granddaugter, 9 years old,2 weeks ago started limping with her right leg, she was tested for apendicities, they scanned her and said it was ‘adenitis
    Mesenterica ‘ but after 5 days her leg still hurt she cannot even step with it . Her pedriatitian hospitalized her for exams. Ecography, exrays to see her back & column, MRI, centigrafia osea. Nothing shows up , the neurologist doctor finally says its a Complex Pain Syndrome. We live in Chile and im scared ths will not dissapear. She is having pain killer every 12 hours. What do you suggest we do?

    Comment by Francesca Horn — October 15, 2018 @ 3:54 AM

  2. There is not a clinic close to my hometown. So I’m wondering if you have affiliated clinics you work with?
    I’m located in Brighton Michigan, just north of Ann Arbor.
    I have a father with NPH, and a brain shunt, who still experience issues. And a mother in a care facility after a stroke left her right side non functioning.
    And my husband has RLS, is on a dopamine drug, is augmented and fearful
    of going off the drug due to the severity of his symptoms.
    I so desperately want to help them.

    Thank you!
    Cindy

    Comment by Cindy — October 15, 2018 @ 4:09 AM

  3. I would like to participate in any research project because while I feel my life crisis is valuable, I cannot afford the cash payments to get this service! This service is only available to the rich & famous or those with excellent credit! I see a therapists almost weekly and while they admire your work, they say that you are the only one who makes this method work & the rest is hype! I do not believe that! I have suffered from depression as a child! Now Depression, Anxiety, Addiction & then Memory problems that is affecting my life severely! So, Help! Please Help! Are there any researches coming up that I can participate in? I just turned 65. Thank you!

    Comment by Carolyn P. — October 15, 2018 @ 4:29 AM

  4. Please I have Bipolar and PTSD Amen Clinics get the Veteran Affairs Administration what you know about MENTAL HEALTH CARE.

    Comment by Concernd Veteran Arnold Cabral — October 15, 2018 @ 5:51 AM

  5. If your doctor said that your daughter has “Complex Regional Pain Syndrome” please take hear to a Pain Management specialist and also look for an inpatient pain rehabilitation program at a major children’s hospital. I leave in a mid-size Midwestern city in the US and our “Children’s Hospital” has this program. (Typically the limb with CRPS will be discolored and either cold or old, which is a hallmark sign along with the intense pain.)

    Comment by Debra Wiggins — October 17, 2018 @ 12:45 PM

  6. Hi Carolyn — Regarding the cost of these services, they do partner with Care Credit who will pay the Clinic and then you can pay Care Credit, interest free, for up to 18 months. It can still be a stretch, but it is possible. This face makes it clear that they want to reach as many folks as they can who need help. Get in touch with a Care Coordinator at the 800 number and talk it out with them and see what you can come up with. It’s not hopeless. 🙂

    Comment by Glenda Miller — October 19, 2018 @ 2:34 PM

  7. Thanks

    Comment by Francesca Horn — October 24, 2018 @ 8:00 AM

  8. I have been having trouble getting into the Atlanta office to be treated. it seems that there is a new set if employees meanwhile the time is ticking and they only give you a reduced price the first year after diagnosis.

    Comment by Kathie — October 24, 2018 @ 4:13 PM

  9. Hello Kathie, thank you for reaching out. We will pass this along to Amen Clinics Atlanta and someone will be in contact with you shortly.

    Comment by Amen Clinics — October 25, 2018 @ 8:41 AM

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