At church several weeks ago, I heard a beautiful image that has stayed with me:

Getting closer to God is like peeling an onion…but in reverse.

Instead of becoming smaller, life with God gets bigger. The more we delve into the word of God, the richer our lives become. Instead of losing layers, we discover more: more love, more depth, more wonder than we ever imagined.

In medicine, and especially in rheumatology, we are trained to think like detectives.

We peel back symptoms one by one.

We search for patterns hidden beneath the surface.

We aim to narrow things down, to find the root cause by stripping away the noise.

But life with autoimmune disease/chronic illness doesn’t always follow the rules.

It’s not just about peeling back until there’s “nothing left.”

It’s about realizing that as we go deeper, things get bigger, not smaller.

The deeper we go, the more we discover, such as more complexity and connections. We also discover emotional, physical, and spiritual layers that matter just as much as lab values and diagnoses.

It’s like peeling an onion in reverse.

Instead of collapsing into a tiny core, the story expands.

Each new layer reveals more of the patient’s world beyond their disease: their struggles, their worries, their hopes.

In rheumatology, we don’t just treat joints or lab numbers.

We are invited into the whole person: Their mind. Their body. Their spirit. Their community.

Each clinic visit is a chance to step deeper into their story and deeper into the hope that healing is never just about shrinking disease, but about expanding life and potentials.

At thaotranmd.com, I share what it means to live and work in that space:

Where science meets story.

Where peeling back the layers doesn’t end in emptiness but in more.

More understanding.

More compassion.

More healing.

Because with God, and in the work of true healing, there is always more.

Please share where in your health journey have you encountered "more"?