The Mysterious Disease Joni Mitchell Is Convinced She Has

Joni Mitchell's name is writ large in the annals of popular music. Born Roberta Joan Anderson in Canada in 1943, she survived a childhood bout with polio, in part by singing and performing for other patients in the hospital. Mitchell then taught herself to play guitar, before heading off to art college.

Her long and varied career includes publishing volumes of her art and illustrating her poetry, which includes her 2019 release, Morning Glory on the Vine. Mitchell's first album was released in 1968, produced by none other than David Crosby, and her second album, Clouds, brought her the first of her eight Grammy Awards.

From her folk roots she branched out into jazz and jazz fusion. Some of her recordings have been hits all in and of themselves, and others have been strong sellers for other artists covering her work. "Clouds" and "Big Yellow Taxi" are just two that have been discovered and rediscovered by generations of artists to the present day, interpreted by everyone from Judy Collins to Harry Styles.

Mitchell has always been outspoken, which tends to make for good interviews. For instance, in an interview with Canadian Radio, Mitchell claimed Bob Dylan was not very musically gifted, but that he borrowed his voice from, quote, "old hillbillies." She's also candid about the health difficulties she's experienced in her later years, including a brain aneurysm in March 2015.

But that's on top of a condition that is at best regarded as indefinite: Morgellons Disease. Billboard quotes her 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times, in which she described the disease as being weird and quote, "like it's from outer space." Meanwhile, the Mayo Clinic calls the disease uncommon and poorly understood.

Sufferers like Mitchell say that the main symptom manifests as fibrous threads, almost like strings, growing from the skin. Mitchell says it strikes areas that were affected by her childhood polio. Further confounding the issue is that Morgellons isn't just a matter of a few tests. Unlike Mitchell's childhood polio diagnosis, Morgellons isn't quite so cut-and-dried in the eyes of the medical community.

WebMD uses the phrase, quote, "unpleasant skin sensations" to describe the symptoms, and so they must be. Indications of the disease include a feeling that bugs are crawling on the skin. Patients also report sensations of burning, or stinging, under the actual skin, along with intense itching on top of the skin. Some patients are also said to have sores on the skin that seem to suddenly and quickly appear, but are slow to heal.

Even when the sores finally heal, they leave behind bright red scars. There are also reports of other kinds of attacks conducted by Morgellons, including problems with short-term memory and concentration, joint pain, hair loss, problems with sleep, and even tooth loss.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information, also known as the NCBI, subtitles its Morgellons article, quote, "From delusion to definition." According to the NCBI, the first written record of the condition was reported back in 1674 by an English physician, Sir Thomas Browne. In his report, Browne noted:

"Hairs which have most amused me have not been in the face or head, but on the back, and not in men but children [...]"

Brown then went on to say that children afflicted by the disease,

"[...] critically break out with harsh hairs on their backs, which takes off the unquiet symptoms of the disease, and delivers them from coughs and convulsions."

The agency says that it was first reported in the United States in 2002. A disease with as many potential symptoms and manifestations is bound to be regarded as suspect, at best, and that's the case with Morgellons Disease. In its report on the disease, the NCBI writes:

"[...] individuals afflicted with the disease may have crawling or stinging sensations and sometimes believe they have an insect or parasite infestation, most medical practitioners consider [Morgellons Disease] a purely delusional disorder."

On a more positive note, NCBI reports that further studies indicate that Morgellons Disease may be a physiological response due to the, quote, "presence of an infectious agent." In plain words, the studies make clear that the disease is indeed happening, and something's causing it. There's even been some research indicating that there's a connection between Morgellons and tick-borne diseases like Lyme Disease.

So what's the truth? Well, as the Mayo Clinic concluded, further research on the disease is still needed. Either way, though, we hope Mitchell — and everyone else suffering from Morgellons — gets better soon.

#JoniMitchell #Morgellons

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