Dear Community,
The Earth is not yet flat and we have not fallen off its edge!
But if you’ve tried to access healthcare recently, it might feel like we’re sliding perilously close. Day in, day out, headlines scream that the NHS is on the brink of collapse. You don’t need to have a long-term condition to notice — even the fit and healthy are struggling to book a GP appointment.
And still, prevention is a whisper in the wind. As Lord Darzi said years ago, and Wes Streeting echoed recently: the NHS can be extraordinary in a crisis, but for many of us living with long-term illness, it rarely feels like we get its best. Cancer, autoimmune conditions, pain syndromes, asthma — these aren’t edge cases. They are common. And still, the system doesn’t feel built for us.
But don’t worry, AI will save us.
Except… humans need humans to care. That is what we’re missing most care; real, human, consistent care. We know it because we’ve felt it — over and over — at InflamMed. The loneliness of misdiagnosis, the gaslighting, the silent waiting lists. The ache of being seen as complicated rather than complex. Would it be too much to talk of medical abuse?
It’s not just patients who are burnt out. Healthcare professionals are too. So while we wait for the tech revolution, how about we invest in the humans who still show up? Let’s resource the ones who care enough to ask the second question, to read the notes, to say, “I believe you.”
What We’ve Been Up To
Smarter Tracking for Flare-Aware Movement: Our Collaboration with Mana Medical
We recently published an article about the invisible minefield that is physical activity when you live with chronic inflammation. You know the game: push too hard, flare. Rest too much, stiffen. Move carefully, still flare. No one wins.
Mana Medical is running a beta trial of their new app designed for people with inflammatory conditions who want to better understand how their body responds to physical activity.
The beta uses your wearable and a daily symptom check-in to help you recognise patterns, avoid flare-ups, and regain a sense of agency.
You’ll receive:
Free 6-month InflamMed premium subscription
£20 Amazon voucher
Early access to a tool designed for people with inflammation, with people like you
It takes seconds a day. You just need:
An iPhone
A wearable device
Willingness to share honest feedback
Spots are limited — sign up here. Don’t have an iPhone (like us)? Don’t worry. Mana is already working on other operating systems as part of phase 2.
Pregnancy & Inflammation: What We’re Building
We’re deepening work on our Pregnancy & Inflammation series.
We’re curating powerful first-person stories — from surrogacy struggles, autoimmune flare-ups, fertility challenges, and complicated choices around meds and motherhood, from people who’ve lived it.
We’ll also feature expert input to ground these stories in clinical context.
Why are we doing this? Because chronic inflammation and pregnancy is not a niche. And yet, so many of us are left in the dark. We want better information, yes. We also want honesty, empathy and solidarity.
Finally…
Natasha will be speaking at the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine conference later this year. Ever wondered what lifestyle medicine actually means when you live with unpredictable health? Stay tuned.
We wanted to acknowledge that we’ve been quiet lately — not because we’ve fallen off the edge of the Earth (though it’s felt close at times), but because like many of you, we’ve been managing our own health. InflamMed is run by people living this reality — the flare-ups, the fatigue, the constant recalibration. That’s why we disappear sometimes.
Thanks for sticking with us.
Warmly,
Team InflamMed