Invisible Illnesses Artwork

Invisible Illnesses

Invisible Illnesses explores why so many people experience real, sometimes severe symptoms—like back pain, headaches or fatigue—yet medical tests come back normal. Hosts Alex Ward-Booth, who’s been through his own personal medical journey, and his cousin Dr. Stephen Ward-Booth, a practicing GP, shed light on “functional illnesses” like IBS and fibromyalgia. Through real stories and expert voices, they reveal the surprising mind-body connections and share practical strategies for feeling better—even when the causes and answers aren’t obvious. Not medical advice; speak to your GP.


#mental health

Episode 4: Ciaran's Story - The Reflection Section (Part 2 of 2)

"What do I do differently in order to stay upright? There’s no silver bullet. One of the main things is acceptance that I can’t do all of the things I used to do. Also getting comfortable in asking for and accepting help” 


We’re now at Episode 4 in our eight-part series. In this follow-up to Episode 3, Dr Stephen Ward-Booth and I reconnect with Ciaran to reflect on his story, exploring the practical strategies he relies on to manage his continued recovery on a day-to-day basis and how stigma shaped his experience of functional illness. 


We feel this latest conversation will provide some valuable ideas, hints and tips that anyone can use; whether it’s supporting colleagues or taking gradual steps for your own recovery.  We hope you find it helpful. 


NOTE: We are aware of sound issues on this episode. Unfortunately we had a bit of a tech fail and ended up having to re-record some of our audio. I’m hoping you will bear with it on this one; we did our best and hopefully it won’t impact on your listening experience too much!


New episodes will be released at the end of every week. 


Episode 4: Ciaran's Story - The Reflection Section (Part 2 of 2) Artwork
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