| Stress and anxiety are an unfortunate,
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| | the labeling that was common with
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| but sometimes necessary and inevitable
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| | previous generations which took the basic
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| feature of modern life.
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| | premise that "stress, depression and
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| As with diet, obesity, alcohol and
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| | anxiety are all in the mind and are a
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| smoking I am afraid that the news is
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| | sign of weakness"
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| simple. They have to be addressed.
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| | How stress can maintain and exacerbate
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| Learning to deal with stress is something
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| | CFS and Fibromyalgia
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| that can be consciously learned and
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| | Stress, depression and anxiety are known
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| practiced and new techniques have proven
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| | to slow down and in severe cases prevent
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| very effective.
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| | recovery from infectious illnesses, and
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| A higher than average percentage of
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| | this is partly where the confusion and
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| patients undergoing Fibromyalgia and
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| | malpractice surrounding the CFS
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| Chronic Fatigue treatment are, or were,
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| | depression arena was instigated and fed
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| engaged in high stress environments.
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| | by general practice and psychologists
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| This may be or have been at home, as
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| | over the last few decades.
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| carers of relatives or young children. It
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| | The dividing line between the two
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| may have been in work detail or during a
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| | conditions can appear very close to the
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| divorce or home move.
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| | untrained eye, but on closer inspection
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| Whatever the cause a significant increase
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| | CFS and Fibromyalgia do in fact have a
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| in stress is frequently cited at the time
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| | totally unique subset of features when
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| of onset of the sufferers Fibromyalgia or
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| | compared to depression of any type.
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| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms.
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| | To further muddy the waters both CFS and
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| As well as being implicated pre-onset,
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| | depression cause physical symptoms which
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| stress reactions are involved in the
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| | can be similar to each other on initial
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| maintenance and exacerbation of the
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| | presentation and also there is crossover
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| Syndrome post-onset.
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| | with the symptoms of various infectious
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| Blood pressure, heart rate, the entire
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| | illnesses of the rheumatic and
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| endocrine system which controls hormone
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| | auto-immune spectrum.
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| production are all implicated and
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| | As I have mentioned several times in my
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| involved during stress reactions.
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| | text, establishment apathy and
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| Unfortunately, the system that directly
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| | nonchalance about the true nature of CFS
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| controls all these systems, the Autonomic
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| | and Fibromyalgia have lead to it being
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| Nervous System, in particular the
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| | sidelined as a subdivision of psychology
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| Sympathetic Nervous System or "day nerve"
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| | and particularly depression.
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| remains malfunctional post-onset.
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| | Historically, when help is sought,
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| The result, unfortunately, will be an
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| | sufferers are left feeling isolated and
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| exacerbated negative reaction of your
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| | misunderstood to the extent that they
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| Fatigue and Fibromyalgia symptoms to
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| | will begin to hide their symptoms, live
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| stress and anxiety producing situations.
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| | in denial worried about other peoples
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| To make matters worse there is evidence
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| | reactions, and press on regardless while
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| that once activated the stress reaction
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| | understating their illness.
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| lasts abnormally longer in patients
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| | Unfortunately, these typical reactions
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| afflicted with Fibromyalgia and Chronic
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| | only serve to heighten overall stress
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| Fatigue Syndrome.
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| | levels which is precisely the opposite of
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| Is CFS more common in stressed people?
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| | the reaction needed for recuperation and
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| Let me first give a very broad outline of
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| | so leads to a further exacerbation and
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| how general medical advice is presented
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| | worsening of symptoms.
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| to Healthcare providers in diagnosing
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| | A lot of sufferers understandably avoid
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| Fibromyalgia and CFS patients:
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| | further professional help.
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| "frequently seen characteristics of CFS
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| | Some work very hard to find a cure and
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| and Fibromyalgia patients
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| | convince people that CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia
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| * People who through their own personal
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| | is a real illness. This leads to
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| attitudes and anxieties tend to make
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| | sufferers experiencing a desperate
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| their own lives mores stressful.
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| | urgency to recover which is met and fed
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| * People who are highly ambitious, they
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| | by a cynical and irresponsible health
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| appear to be always active physically and
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| | industry full of fake cures, miracle
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| mentally.
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| | pills and treatments.
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| * People whose lives are fully absorbed
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| | All this while sufferers are feeling
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| coping with the needs and requirements of
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| | threatened, scared, angry, stigmatized
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| others.
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| | and generally ill.
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| * People who avoid taking the time they
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| | The stress cycle goes even higher, and
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| need for themselves to rest, relax and
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| | the result, sufferers sink even lower.
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| recuperate and build supportive
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| | There are times in a person life when it
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| relationships that are entirely their
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| | may become particularly difficult to
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| own.
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| | actually be ill at all.
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| *People who have difficulty finding
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| | For example as a carer of an ill
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| others to confide in, so bottling up
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| | relative, or a baby or young children,
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| years of emotions and pain at times of
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| | during a period of house renovation or
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| bereavement or loss. "
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| | construction, the demands of work as
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| In itself this is not an inaccurate
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| | primary source of income.
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| description of frequently seen
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| | In the absence of people that can help
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| characteristics of Fibromyalgia and CFS
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| | practically and emotionally in these life
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| sufferers. However it is so broad that it
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| | scenarios it can be very difficult to
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| can describe patients with a multitude of
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| | actually say "STOP".
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| other conditions.
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| | Traditional medicine understood the
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| As I have said many times the human body
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| | importance of recuperation, rest,
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| is a remarkably resilient organism, able
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| | relaxation and contemplation as an
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| to accommodate fantastic pressures and
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| | important therapeutical facet of
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| stresses, but as with all machines and
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| | overcoming serious illnesses and
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| organisms there comes a breaking point.
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| | infections.
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| Stress appears to be a very large
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| | In the presence of a frightening array of
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| facilitating factor for people who become
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| | diseases which are now largely purged
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| the unfortunate ones to develop CFS and
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| | from modern society, and the absence of
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| Fibromyalgia post "trigger" infection or
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| | powerful antibiotics and antivirals,
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| trauma.
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| | painkillers and analgesics, the body was
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| A lesser, but still analogous example of
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| | largely left to its own devices.
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| stress related conditions is frequently
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| | In Traditional medicine patients were
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| referred to as "burnout", or simply
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| | often treated with herbal tonics and
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| "stress" and I quote.
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| | natural cures, a lot of these were
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| "A series of personal life circumstances
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| | incidentally quite effective but have now
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| combine to create a "breaking point", for
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| | been largely forgotten, dismissed or
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| example; death of a close family member,
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| | dismantled and reproduced in synthetic
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| chronic pain, moving house, bullying at
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| | form to provide the basis of 75% of
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| work, divorce, separation, financial
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| | modern pharmaceuticals.
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| loss or redundancy have all been linked
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| | However the primary strategy of the era
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| to detrimental changes in health "
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| | involved long periods of rest and
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| How stress can become a causal factor in
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| | recuperation.
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| Fibromyalgia and CFS
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| | By contrast, modern medicine and society
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| The initial trauma that was the notable
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| | place more importance on masking the
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| "trigger" of your CFS or Fibromyalgia is
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| | symptoms, " keeping a stiff upper lip",
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| usually cited as a bacterial/viral or
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| | "knocking it on the head" and "getting
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| chemically invasive attack of some kind,
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| | back on the job" as quickly as possible.
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| but it has been noted that in some
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| | A "get well quick" protocol which
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| sufferers extreme acute stress, such as
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| | unfortunately is completely at odds with
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| bereavement, divorce, bullying, extremes
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| | a recuperative strategy for illnesses
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| of overwork may also be a trigger for CFS
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| | such as CFS and fibromyalgia.
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| symptoms in the absence of a notable
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| | Learning to control and reduce stress is
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| infection or exposure.
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| | an important and essential adjunct to any
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| This makes sense in that scientific
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| | CFS and Fibromyalgia recovery strategy.
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| evidence has shown conclusively that
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| | You will need to learn how to recognize
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| stress lowers our immune defenses against
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| | stress and how to short circuit the
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| infection as witnessed by white blood
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| | sequence of events that leads to a
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| cell and lymphocyte counts.
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| | "stress spiral".
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| Also, stress has been shown to directly
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| | Techniques of physical and psychological
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| affect the body in the short to medium
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| | relaxation are essential and very
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| term causing extreme fatigue and more
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| | effective.
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| disabling problems such as migraine,
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| | Learning when to say NO is essential and
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| impairment of concentration and memory
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| | avoiding all events and activities that
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| and interrupted sleep patterns.
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| | place you under unnecessary stress or
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| Fortunately, as a society we have been
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| | anxiety are essential in the short to
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| woken up to the negative effects of
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| | medium term.
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| stress.
| |
| | In my next article on this subject I will
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| As is often the case it has taken the
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| | be talking about techniques that can be
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| negative economic implications of stress
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| | used effectively to short circuit and
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| to spur employers and healthcare
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| | alleviate stress and anxiety at home, in
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| providers into action.
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| | the car and at the workplace.
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| Sufferers no longer have to fight against
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| |
|