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