Annie Lowrey

and explained the itch scratch cycle and sort of said, OK, we might not be able to treat your underlying itch, but at least we can break the itch scratch cycle and stop that kind of secondary itch that's coming on top of it. And when I talked to him, he sees people that are so miserable and they know they know that scratching is not going to help them. But at some point it's reflexive.

And I think that he felt like it was cruel to tell people to stop doing this thing that is so deeply irresistible and often the only source of relief that you might be getting, even if it's leading to a problem down the road.

And I think that he felt like it was cruel to tell people to stop doing this thing that is so deeply irresistible and often the only source of relief that you might be getting, even if it's leading to a problem down the road.

And I think that he felt like it was cruel to tell people to stop doing this thing that is so deeply irresistible and often the only source of relief that you might be getting, even if it's leading to a problem down the road.

So short of having like a nice ice cold bath for somebody to sit in, telling somebody with no other answers at that moment to stop scratching themselves might feel a little bit rude. But I would say that all of the dermatologists I've ever seen have been very, very sympathetic and Itch is something that they deal with on a daily basis. It's enormously common, and they mean well.

So short of having like a nice ice cold bath for somebody to sit in, telling somebody with no other answers at that moment to stop scratching themselves might feel a little bit rude. But I would say that all of the dermatologists I've ever seen have been very, very sympathetic and Itch is something that they deal with on a daily basis. It's enormously common, and they mean well.

So short of having like a nice ice cold bath for somebody to sit in, telling somebody with no other answers at that moment to stop scratching themselves might feel a little bit rude. But I would say that all of the dermatologists I've ever seen have been very, very sympathetic and Itch is something that they deal with on a daily basis. It's enormously common, and they mean well.

I'm certainly not trying to get on dermatologist's case for that.

I'm certainly not trying to get on dermatologist's case for that.

I'm certainly not trying to get on dermatologist's case for that.

Absolutely. So I have a poorly understood degenerative disease called primary biliary cholangitis. It's autoimmune in nature. It seems to be partially genetically, you know, you perhaps have a genetic predisposition, but then perhaps environmentally triggered. They don't really know why people get it. Right now, I believe that it's roughly 80,000 people in the United States total who have it.

Absolutely. So I have a poorly understood degenerative disease called primary biliary cholangitis. It's autoimmune in nature. It seems to be partially genetically, you know, you perhaps have a genetic predisposition, but then perhaps environmentally triggered. They don't really know why people get it. Right now, I believe that it's roughly 80,000 people in the United States total who have it.

Absolutely. So I have a poorly understood degenerative disease called primary biliary cholangitis. It's autoimmune in nature. It seems to be partially genetically, you know, you perhaps have a genetic predisposition, but then perhaps environmentally triggered. They don't really know why people get it. Right now, I believe that it's roughly 80,000 people in the United States total who have it.

About 9 in 10 of those people are women. And the disease is most common in adult women, somewhat 40 and older. And it is a disease in which the body mistakenly attacks some of the cells in your bile ducts, in the lining of your bile ducts. It causes them to inflame. It hurts your liver's ability to secrete bile into your digestive system, into your body.

About 9 in 10 of those people are women. And the disease is most common in adult women, somewhat 40 and older. And it is a disease in which the body mistakenly attacks some of the cells in your bile ducts, in the lining of your bile ducts. It causes them to inflame. It hurts your liver's ability to secrete bile into your digestive system, into your body.

About 9 in 10 of those people are women. And the disease is most common in adult women, somewhat 40 and older. And it is a disease in which the body mistakenly attacks some of the cells in your bile ducts, in the lining of your bile ducts. It causes them to inflame. It hurts your liver's ability to secrete bile into your digestive system, into your body.

And ultimately, if the disease is allowed to progress, will slowly progress towards cirrhosis. Disease used to be considered or was often considered fatal. They found a drug, an actually really old drug that dissolves gallstones, works really well to slow its progression. And so, yeah, so that's the condition that I had.

And ultimately, if the disease is allowed to progress, will slowly progress towards cirrhosis. Disease used to be considered or was often considered fatal. They found a drug, an actually really old drug that dissolves gallstones, works really well to slow its progression. And so, yeah, so that's the condition that I had.

And ultimately, if the disease is allowed to progress, will slowly progress towards cirrhosis. Disease used to be considered or was often considered fatal. They found a drug, an actually really old drug that dissolves gallstones, works really well to slow its progression. And so, yeah, so that's the condition that I had.

I was diagnosed with it during my second pregnancy, though I clearly had it in my first pregnancy. And I was young, although not unheard of, young to get it. And my OBGYNs had never had a patient with it. It took a while to get to a hepatologist who recognized it.