How medical doctors and the hospital ruins the lives of hidradenitis suppurativa patients

My name is Jaap, and I am a biomedical scientist that also used to live with severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa, the kind that takes over your life. Today, I am completely asymptomatic because I learned how to heal Hidradenitis Suppurativa from within. More importantly, I’ve had the privilege of helping many other individuals with HS get their lives back too.

Have you ever left a doctor’s office feeling more like a statistic than a person? You get the diagnosis, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, and are handed a pamphlet of options that feels like a predetermined script: antibiotics, biologics, maybe surgery down the line. You try one, then another, and maybe you get some temporary relief. But the flares keep coming back, sometimes worse than before. You start to wonder, “Is this it? Is this all there is?”

If this sounds familiar, I want you to know you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy for feeling like something is fundamentally missing. The truth is, the problem might not be you. The problem is the system itself.

“There is no food in the supermarkets and no healing in the hospitals. Our systems are failing and people are dying.“

the sad truth is that you were made sick by your own bad lifestyle habbits, unwillingly nonetheless but still. then you see medical advice but there is no true healing in the hospitals for you. It’s a world where you face surgeries that can leave you physically and emotionally scarred for life, all while the root cause of the disease is never addressed. Millions of people suffering from Hidradenitis Suppurativa feel trapped in this cycle, their health, hope and soul slowly eroding.

This has to stop. And it absolutely can. How can the very system we trust to heal us seem so broken, so unable to offer a real solution when we get sick? That is the frustrating paradox we will dig into together today. The issue is complex, with deep systemic problems that aren’t going away anytime soon.

But that’s okay. Because you don’t have to wait for the system to fix itself. Here at HS Armor, we don’t wait any longer. We provide you with the scientific, professional guidance on how to treat hidradenitis suppurativa naturally and take back control.

“”A bad system will beat a good person every time.” – W. Edwards Deming

The Silo Trap: Why Medicine Sees a Skin Problem, Not a Body Problem

The first and biggest hurdle we face is how conventional medicine is structured. It’s a system of silos. You have a cardiologist for your heart, a rheumatologist for your joints, and a dermatologist for your skin. When you present with hidradenitis suppurativa symptoms, you are sent to the skin specialist. And from their perspective, the problem is in the skin (but the true cause is actually not in the skin).

It’s a whole-body, problem. The painful lesions in your hidradenitis suppurativa armpit or groin are just the “smoke alarm” telling you that deep inside, there’s a raging fire. The conventional approach focuses on silencing the alarm (with creams, injections, and excisions) but it rarely asks: what’s causing the fire?

This siloed approach misses the bigger picture entirely. It fails to connect the dots between HS and its known comorbidities, like metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and even depression. It treats the body like a collection of disconnected mechanical components that can be manipulated rather than the beautifully interconnected system it is. This is a fundamental flaw, and it’s why just treating the skin will NEVER (!!!) lead to a true long lasting healing for hidradenitis suppurativa.

“The specialist learns more and more about less and less, and finally knows everything about nothing.” — Dr. William J. Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic

The indoctrinated and constrained Psychology of the Modern Medical Doctor

The amount of mental and physical suffering these hidradenitis suppurativa patients endure is staggering, a reality made infinitely more tragic by a maddening information vacuum. The detailed, effective guidance needed to navigate a natural healing process is absent from scientific literature; even the papers that touch upon lifestyle and diet lack any real-world, practical advice. This forces a desperate patient population to look elsewhere, creating a tragic disconnect between mainstream medicine and tangible results. It is a void that patient-led movements, such as the HS armor community, are forced to fill, providing the clear, step-by-step information that clinicians do not. As a result of this systemic failure, countless patients are left trapped in an outdated cycle of symptom management, perpetuating their pain and despair.

“The medical establishment has become a major threat to health. The disabling effect of professional control over medicine has reached the proportions of an epidemic.“ — Ivan Illich, philosopher and social critic

To understand why this happens, we must look past individual blame and explore the psychology of the modern doctor, a mindset forged and constrained by the very system designed to train them. Many of these well-meaning clinicians are operating from within a kind of mental prison, an intellectual framework where true “health” is no longer the goal; managing “pathology” is. Their training drills into them a rigid, protocol-driven approach. They become masters of pattern recognition, identifying a symptom and matching it to a pre-approved pharmaceutical from their limited playbook. This is not a failure of intelligence, but a failure of the system’s philosophy. Common sense and holistic intuition are trained out of them, replaced by a rigid adherence to the “standard of care,” a concept that is often years, if not decades, behind the science.

“The part can never be well unless the whole is well.“ — Plato

This creates a practitioner who is often overwhelmed, risk-averse, and cognitively narrowed. Faced with crushing time constraints, they don’t have the time and space to investigate the complex, upstream drivers of disease like gut health, metabolic function, or environmental triggers. It is far faster and safer, from a liability standpoint, to prescribe the latest biologic than to guide a patient through a difficult but potentially curative lifestyle transformation.

Ultimately, the 40,000 dermatologists worldwide aren’t individually malicious; they are products of an ecosystem saturated by pharmaceutical influence. They operate within a paradigm that views the body as a collection of isolated parts to be drugged, rather than a single, interconnected system to be healed. This pharmaceutical-based conditioning is so complete that it renders them blind to the possibility that millions of patients are being led into a lifetime of misery, a misery that, with a different, more integrated approach, could be profoundly mitigated, and even entirely PREVENTED!.

“If you have a heart condition, you have a body condition. If you have a skin condition, you have a body condition. Every specialty in medicine, including dermatology, must be viewed through the lens of whole body health.“ — Dr. Ben Bikman, Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology at BYU

Follow the Money: Why Your Doctor Rarely Discusses a Natural Treatment of HS

So if a personalized approach is better, why isn’t it the standard of care? One of the reasons, unfortunately, comes down to money.

Funding a massive RCT for a new, patentable drug can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but the potential profit is in the billions. This creates a powerful financial incentive to focus on pharmaceutical solutions.

Beyond the research funding, there’s a more uncomfortable economic reality at play: the business model of chronic illness. A patient who is healed is no longer a customer. A patient who successfully manages their disease with a lifetime of prescriptions and specialist visits, however, represents a predictable revenue stream for the next 30 or 50 years. When the system is structured to profit from sickness, there is a powerful, systemic disincentive to promote true healing that could take a person out of that system entirely.

“The drugs that are blockbuster drugs are the ones that you have to take every day for the rest of your life… The drug companies are not really interested in finding a cure. They are interested in having a treatment.“ — Richard J. Roberts, 1993 Nobel Laureate in Medicine

Now, consider a hidradenitis suppurativa appropriate lifestyle and skin care. At HS Armor, our approach is built on a powerful combination of personal experience and a deep understanding of the underlying science of HS. We’ve seen that a targeted lifestyle and skincare protocol can lead to profound, lasting remission in the vast majority of hidradenitis suppurativa cases. But who is going to fund this study? There’s no patent. There’s no blockbuster product to sell and resell over and over. true For hidradenitis suppurativa true healing is found in simple, powerful, and natural interventions but this is not known by most medical doctors and not persued by pharma because the economic incentives aren’t there.

This disparity is staggering. The processed food and pharma industry, strongly control the government bodies on medical and nutrition research, allowing them to shape public health narratives in their favor. This is why the focus of our system remains on profitable drugs and surgeries, while foundational, root-cause strategies (the very things that can put out the inflammatory fire for almost al patient with HS) are often dismissed as “alternative” or “unproven.”

“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.“ — Dr. Marcia Angell, Former Editor-in-Chief of one of the best medical journals, The New England Journal of Medicine

A New Dawn: The “Physiology-First” Approach to Treating HS Naturally

While the world of medicine slowly pivots towards personalized care, we believe waiting for that shift isn’t an option. Our approach goes beyond the buzzwords. We practice a inflammatory HS armor model, which means we start with the most important question conventional medicine often ignores: “Why is this disease happening in the first case?” We don’t just see a collection of symptoms; we see an entire, interconnected system that has been pushed out of balance. Our focus is holistic, addressing the root causes, not just chasing the downstream effects.

“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.“ — Dr. William Osler, a founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital

But you don’t do it alone. Becoming a detective of your own health can be overwhelming, which is why we guide you through the process. We leverage our deep experience from successfully guiding countless hidradenitis suppurativa warriors to remission. We show you how to use simple, natural and powerful tools to heal hidradenitis suppurativa for the rest of your life.

This philosophy is the heart of what we do in the HS Armor community. It’s not just a theory; it’s a battle-tested system. We’ve developed a deep well of knowledge that you simply won’t find in a textbook or your hospital visit. We don’t offer a generic, one-size-fits-all cure. Instead, we give you a proven framework and the expert guidance to build your own personalized healing protocol, layer by layer.

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.“ — Thomas Edison

Building Your Defenses, Layer by Layer

Think of HS Armor not as a single cure, but as a protective shield you build for yourself, piece by piece. Each choice you make is another layer of that armor. It’s a holistic (multidisciplinary) approach that recognizes that managing an autoimmune condition like hidradenitis suppurativa requires more than just one solution. It’s about combining multiple powerful strategies to create a comprehensive defense.

“Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work.“ — Albert Schweitzer, M.D.

These layers include:

• Foundational Nutrition: Identifying and removing triggers while providing your body with the nutrient-dense foods it needs to heal and reduce inflammation.
• Strategic Lifestyle Changes: Incorporating practices that reduce systemic inflammation, manage stress, improve sleep, and reduce exposure to environmental toxins and many more.
• Natural Therapies & Skincare: Harnessing the power of nature from both the inside and out. This layer focuses on potent, science-backed natural compounds and supplements that reduce systemic inflammation and support immune balance, key strategies for building your armor internally. This inside-out approach is complemented by targeted natural remedies and skincare routines to soothe the skin, aid wound and scar healing, and manage hidradenitis suppurativa symptoms externally.
• Accountability & Support: Recognizing that this healing journey is challenging. True, lasting change requires personal commitment reinforced by a strong support network. This layer is about staying in contact with Jaap to build resilience, stay on track, and adjust your health plan. Your journey and challenges will also be supported by a community where you can connect with others who understand and can lift you up when you need it most.
• Targeted Medical Testing: We also provide guidance on medical tests you can take to speed up your healing process by identifying key hurdles, triggers, and problems that can arise when dealing with Hidradenitis Suppurativa. We also empower you with information, enabling you to have more effective discussions about treatment options with your medical practitioner.

“Food is not like medicine, it is medicine. And it’s the most powerful drug on the planet. It can improve the expression of thousands of your genes.“ — Dr. Mark Hyman

Choosing Your Path: Two Ways to Approach Healing

Ultimately, you stand at a crossroads with two very different paths before you.

Path 1: The Conventional Road. This is the path of symptom management. It relies on a rotating cast of pharmaceuticals and surgeries to keep the smoke alarms quiet. It’s a passive approach where you hand over your power to a system that sees you as an average. For some, this provides necessary relief, and we should be grateful these tools exist. But it always leads to pain, missery and mutilation, and no one achieves long lasting remission….

Path 2: The Foundational Road. This is the path of root-cause resolution. It’s proactive and empowering. It views your body as an intelligent, interconnected system. Here, diet, lifestyle, and targeted natural therapies are the primary pillars of treatment. Pharmaceuticals and surgery are not rejected; they are seen as powerful, temporary shields to be used strategically while you do the deep, foundational work of building health from the inside out. This is the core principle we practice every day at HS Armor.

The goal of the foundational path is to build such a strong and resilient body that the “smoke alarms” no longer need to go off.

Key Takeaways

For those of you who skim (I get it!), here are the most important points:

• HS is a Systemic Disease: The conventional approach of treating HS as just a “skin problem” is a fundamental flaw that ignores the root cause of systemic inflammation.
• Evidence-Based Isn’t Always Best: Standard treatments are based on average results from clinical trials and may not work for your unique biology. You are not an average.
• Follow the Incentives: The medical system is economically incentivized to prioritize profitable, patentable drugs over powerful, low-cost natural interventions like diet and lifestyle changes.
• A New Path Exists: A physiology-first approach empowers you to become a detective of your own body, using personalized data to find and address your unique inflammation triggers for lasting healing.

Your Health is in Your Hands

The message I want to leave you with is one of profound hope and empowerment. If you feel let down by the medical system, it’s not because your body is broken beyond repair. It may be because the system itself is built on a flawed, outdated model.

You have the power to step onto a different path. You can choose to look deeper, to ask “why,” and to start building your foundation of health today. Can you cure HS? I believe that by addressing the root cause and giving your body what it needs to heal, you can achieve a state of lasting remission where the disease no longer controls your life. You can get your life back.

It’s not the easy path, but it is the path to true, sustainable healing.

References

1. Vekic, D. A., & Cains, G. D. (2017). Hidradenitis suppurativa – a review of pathogenesis, associations and management. Internal Medicine Journal, 47(10), 1107–1115.
2. Shalom, G., Horev, A., Almog, M., Ben-Amitai, D., & Ziv, M. (2020). Hidradenitis suppurativa and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatology, 236(2), 131–139.
3. Leucht, S., Helfer, B., Gartlehner, G., & Davis, J. M. (2015). How effective are common medications? A perspective on the number needed to treat. BMC Medicine, 13(1), 253.
4. Prens, E. P., & Deckers, I. E. (2020). Antimicrobial resistance in hidradenitis suppurativa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 83(5), 1334–1345.
5. Schäcke, H., Döcke, W. D., & Asadullah, K. (2002). Mechanisms involved in the side effects of glucocorticoids. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 96(1), 23–43.
6. Kolli, S. S., Pecone, D., & Pona, A. (2019). Psoriasiform Eruptions from Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitors in Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 12(3), 39–41.
7. Danby, F. W. (2015). Diet in the prevention of hidradenitis suppurativa. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 73(5 Suppl 1), S52–S54.

Important Medical Disclaimer

1. Not Medical Advice: All content and information on this website is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or consultation with a qualified healthcare provider.

2. My Role and Qualifications: I am a biomedical scientist and PhD candidate and share information from that perspective, combined with my personal experience as a patient with Hidradenitis Suppurativa. However, I am not a medical doctor, physician, or registered healthcare professional. Do not consider our relationship a doctor-patient relationship.

3. Consult Your Doctor: Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or another qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. If you suspect you are experiencing a medical emergency, or a severe infection, do not rely on this website or the HS Armor community, please call your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.

4. A Critical Warning on Medication: Pharmaceutical drugs are a crucial tool in managing Hidradenitis Suppurativa for many people. Under absolutely no circumstances should you ever alter, reduce, or stop taking your prescribed medication without the explicit direction of the doctor who prescribed it. Doing so can be dangerous. Always consult with your doctor before doing anything related to your treatment plan.

5. No Liability: Your use of this website and reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk.

6. Individual Results May Vary: Every patient’s biological baseline, genetics, and adherence to the protocol is different. Therefore, I cannot guarantee specific results, cures, or timelines for your Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

7. Scientific and Expressive Freedom: The articles published on this blog are distinct from formal peer-reviewed academic literature. They serve as an independent platform for my personal viewpoints, scientific hypotheses, and philosophical reflections as an independent scientist and HS patient. While grounded in biomedical research, I exercise a degree of expressive freedom to translate rigid academic data into insights from a patient perspective. These writings are my personal meditations on the science of HS and should be read as my individual perspective, not as universally accepted clinical consensus or formal peer-reviewed literature.