4 ms·

The link between depression and inflammation is news to me. Is it fully accepted, or still being worked on? I've had bad run-ins with both, sometimes, at the sa

The link between depression and inflammation is news to me. Is it fully accepted, or still being worked on? I've had bad run-ins with both, sometimes, at the same time. A particular case was a bad burnout incident I endured a few years ago. I saw many doctors trying to figure out why my hands and wrists had enormous amounts of tension. MRIs, x-rays, and conduction tests showed no issues. I had to leave my job and rest for several months entirely to be able to use them again. Because of this, I've always suspected a stronger mind-body link than traditional Western medicine currently admits to (obvious caveat of n = 1). It seems that whatever state my mind is in, my body follows soon after. Mental anxiety begets physical tension. It's like my whole body downclocks itself to deal with things. The mind will get it's way, no matter how much you resist.

aestra 13y ago
>Because of this, I've always suspected a stronger mind-body link than traditional Western medicine currently admits to (obvious caveat of n = 1). It seems that whatever state my mind is in, my body follows soon after. Mental anxiety begets physical tension. It's like my whole body downclocks itself to deal with things. Um every western medical practitioner "admits" to this kind of mind body connection.
dllthomas 13y ago
I think western medicine is pretty on board with the notion that significant stress causes (or exacerbates) other issues. As just one random example: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your-body http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your...
- mattgreenrocks 13y ago
  Yeah, but no doctors asked about my stress, or emotional health, or anything that could have started me down the line of investigation. I treated it as an isolated physical problem, not a symptom of stress/mental issues. The response was always the same: "we don't know...sorry." Maybe I should've realized that stress was killing me, but I was severely depressed. It's not like I could see myself objectively.
  - cpncrunch 13y ago
    I think the problem is that many patients prefer the idea that they have a physical illness, so some doctors don't even consider emotional causes. Also, doctors simply don't have the time needed to deal with these kinds of issues.
    - dhoulb 13y ago
      Yeah, I imagine most good doctors know full well it's emotional/stress, but avoid telling the patients because it's not what patients like to hear, or they don't think it'll be helpful. Pharmaceutical treatments for stress have some harmful side effects, whereas just sending them away with "don't worry about it" and a lollipop might go a good way to alleviating some of it.
  - saraid216 13y ago
    That's because popular culture believes that there's a separation, which means that if a doctor of your physical health asks you about your emotional well-being, the typical response isn't, "Gee, he must need some relevant information" but rather "Oh, my doctor is being inappropriate; maybe I ought to get offended and sue".
  - wdewind 13y ago
    > Yeah, but no doctors asked about my stress, or emotional health, or anything that could have started me down the line of investigation. That's pretty shocking. Even a family GP should be asking about that stuff. I've never had one not. When I had GI issues the specialist I saw went as far as to say "We're going to do more tests, but I can explain all your symptoms with physical response to stress." Ended up being a stomach ulcer.
stan_rogers 13y ago
There are quite a few physical conditions that are commonly accepted to be largely psychosomatic in origin, including things like osteoarthritis. While it's probably true that the term translates to "it's all in your head" to most folks, a better translation is probably "it's mostly from your head". Stress and tension aren't just metaphorical; they're usually accompanied by actual physical/mechanical manifestations that can sometimes have a devastating and irreversible effect on joints, tendons and other assorted bits of framing, machinery and plumbing. (It shouldn't be surprising to find that the discomfort and dysfunction feed back into the emotional state, compounding the problem.) And that's just from long-term, low-level stuff that people tend to try to ignore. I can't recall running across a physician with any real experience (interns are another matter) who hasn't had a solid grasp of that concept.

aestra 13y ago

>Because of this, I've always suspected a stronger mind-body link than traditional Western medicine currently admits to (obvious caveat of n = 1). It seems that whatever state my mind is in, my body follows soon after. Mental anxiety begets physical tension. It's like my whole body downclocks itself to deal with things. Um every western medical practitioner "admits" to this kind of mind body connection.

dllthomas 13y ago

I think western medicine is pretty on board with the notion that significant stress causes (or exacerbates) other issues. As just one random example: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your-body http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your...

mattgreenrocks 13y ago
Yeah, but no doctors asked about my stress, or emotional health, or anything that could have started me down the line of investigation. I treated it as an isolated physical problem, not a symptom of stress/mental issues. The response was always the same: "we don't know...sorry." Maybe I should've realized that stress was killing me, but I was severely depressed. It's not like I could see myself objectively.
- cpncrunch 13y ago
  I think the problem is that many patients prefer the idea that they have a physical illness, so some doctors don't even consider emotional causes. Also, doctors simply don't have the time needed to deal with these kinds of issues.
  - dhoulb 13y ago
    Yeah, I imagine most good doctors know full well it's emotional/stress, but avoid telling the patients because it's not what patients like to hear, or they don't think it'll be helpful. Pharmaceutical treatments for stress have some harmful side effects, whereas just sending them away with "don't worry about it" and a lollipop might go a good way to alleviating some of it.
- saraid216 13y ago
  That's because popular culture believes that there's a separation, which means that if a doctor of your physical health asks you about your emotional well-being, the typical response isn't, "Gee, he must need some relevant information" but rather "Oh, my doctor is being inappropriate; maybe I ought to get offended and sue".
- wdewind 13y ago
  > Yeah, but no doctors asked about my stress, or emotional health, or anything that could have started me down the line of investigation. That's pretty shocking. Even a family GP should be asking about that stuff. I've never had one not. When I had GI issues the specialist I saw went as far as to say "We're going to do more tests, but I can explain all your symptoms with physical response to stress." Ended up being a stomach ulcer.

stan_rogers 13y ago

There are quite a few physical conditions that are commonly accepted to be largely psychosomatic in origin, including things like osteoarthritis. While it's probably true that the term translates to "it's all in your head" to most folks, a better translation is probably "it's mostly from your head". Stress and tension aren't just metaphorical; they're usually accompanied by actual physical/mechanical manifestations that can sometimes have a devastating and irreversible effect on joints, tendons and other assorted bits of framing, machinery and plumbing. (It shouldn't be surprising to find that the discomfort and dysfunction feed back into the emotional state, compounding the problem.) And that's just from long-term, low-level stuff that people tend to try to ignore. I can't recall running across a physician with any real experience (interns are another matter) who hasn't had a solid grasp of that concept.