Hypermobility, RCCX Theory and One Journey From Illness Towards Wholeness

by Courtney Snyder, MD

The human body is a mystery.  As much and as fast as we’re learning, we still know very little.  This post is about a recent discovery.  I call it a “discovery,” because I’ve lived out what this theory holds to be true, as have a number of patients I work with, and perhaps some of you reading this.  RCCX theory is quite complex.  The best I can do is share my personal experience with the hope that doing so will help make this information more accessible.

We all have traits that make us different - whether it’s our appearance, how we react to our world or the natural abilities we possess.  Some traits, we may take pride in, others not so much.  Ask me why I’m flexible and I’ll tell you I did gymnastics when I was young.  Why do I have low blood pressure? I exercise regularly.  My flat feet?  Just one of those genetic things.

​As a child I worried...a lot.  In my second year of college, I could have been diagnosed with depression.  I’m the kind of person who can’t watch Cirque du Soleil without turning away for fear I’ll witness someone plunge to their death.
 
Never had I imagined each of these traits could be related, or that they would foreshadow a ten year health struggle that I’m only recently coming out of.

Read More