The era of "just use eye drops" is coming to an end. In this opening session of the 5th Annual Virtual Sjögren's Summit, Dr. Kara Wada, a board-certified pediatric and adult allergy, immunology, and lifestyle medicine physician who also lives with Sjögren's disease, welcomes you into a new era of treatment and self-management.Dr. Kara begins by saying plainly what so many with Sjögren's need to hear: your symptoms are real, even when the labs come back normal. She reframes Sjögren's as far more than dry eyes and dry mouth, a condition rooted in an immune system that has started to misbehave, reaching into energy, sleep, pain, mood, and digestion. She then maps the three days ahead and introduces the thread that runs through all of Day 1: the nervous system, and the quiet, powerful role it plays in how Sjögren's disease feels and behaves.What you will take away- Why your symptoms deserve to be taken seriously even with "normal" labs, and why care that stops at eye drops misses the fuller picture- The summit theme, Stronger with Sjögren's: Thriving in a New Era of Treatment and Self-Management, and how the three days build from clinical science (Day 1) to practical daily-life tools (Day 2) to mind, community, and care teams (Day 3)- How the nervous system connects to symptoms that are often treated in separate rooms, previewed ahead of the opening keynote on calming the immune storm- Permission to pace yourself: sessions remain available for about two weeks, and the community hub is open throughout the summit for questions and connectionAbout Dr. Kara WadaDr. Kara Wada is a board-certified pediatric and adult allergy, immunology, and lifestyle medicine physician, founder of the Immune Confident Institute, and host of the annual Virtual Sjögren's Summit. She comes to this work as both a physician and a patient, a perspective that shapes everything the summit is built to offer.Not registered yet? If you want to join the conversation live, July 16 to 18, 2026, register for the free Virtual Sjögren's Summit: https://sjogrenssummit.comConnect with Dr. KaraWebsite: https://drkarawada.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/immuneconfidentmdTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@immuneconfidentmdLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/karawadamdFacebook: https://facebook.com/karawadamdThreads: https://threads.net/@immuneconfidentmd
