5 ms·

I suggest the possiblity that this is a manifestation of TMS. Check out John Sarno's The Mindbody Prescription.

cpncrunch 12y ago
Everything I have read about CRPS suggests that it is essentially the same as FMS, i.e. a psychosomatic pain disorder caused by stress. The unexplained weight loss experienced by the patient in this article would also be consistent with this.
- tptacek 12y ago
  What unexplained weight loss? He was diagnosed with a bacterial infection at the Mayo Clinic.
  - cpncrunch 12y ago
    Stress is likely one of the main causes of SIBO.
lukestevens 12y ago
Your suggestion is uninformed; and John Sarno's advice is pure quackery. Please don't speculate like this on severe medical conditions.
- cpncrunch 12y ago
  How much research have you done on this? If you dig into the research you will see that Sarno's theory is the best explanation for these conditions. (I've suffered from one of these conditions myself, and done extensive research).
  - lukestevens 12y ago
    I've been looking into these issues for over a decade. Sarno's theory is psychobabble: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome. "The treatment protocol for TMS includes education, writing about emotional issues, resumption of a normal lifestyle and, for some patients, support meetings and/or psychotherapy" For general back pain, I wouldn't be surprised if this "treatment" involves some very simple stress relief mechanism that relaxes muscles and reduces muscular pain for some people, some of the time. The theory, however, is nonsense, and you could just as easily substitute "demons" and "exorcism" for "emotions" and psychotherapy" and get the same results. "TMS" is a made up term with no science behind it, just wilful speculation from a professional who should know better. To suggest it has anything to do with the unremitting pain described in the OP is deeply irresponsible. It's like suggesting homeopathy for cancer. In fact it's probably worse, as it amounts to victim-blaming because the patient isn't dealing with their "repressed" rage/emotions. Awful.
    - cpncrunch 12y ago
      It's not psychobabble. There is extensive evidence showing that stress and depression result in pain, that FMS is triggered by stress, and that psychosocial factors are important in recovery. The same is true for CFS and IBS, which overlap with FMS. And the pain isn't muscular in nature, it is neurological. I've done extensive research into this area for 15 years, written a book about it, and published research, as well as suffering from it myself (and recovering). Although I haven't digged very deeply into Sarno's theories, I can tell you that from what you have posted above, it is right on the money. However it's not simple 'stress relief' or 'relaxing muscles'. It's more to do with rewiring your brain through changes in behaviour.
      - lukestevens 12y ago
        I'd be interested in your studies and book - can you share a link? I follow the research. Psychosocial factors have been studied to death and certainly aren't important for recovery, particularly given recovery is not a particularly common outcome (for CFS/FM at least). (If only they were, it would make recovery a lot easier.) They are, however, peddled by people giving false hope to the vulnerable and desperate. IMO your certainty about what is or isn't the cause of all those conditions is certainly not justified. For example, how can you be so sure Sarno is "right on the money" when you admit you haven't looked into it very deeply? And Sarno's theory is very much about emotional release, that's the whole point. Gotta get that repressed rage out.
        cpncrunch 12y ago
        All the reviews show that CBT is moderately effective for CFS. Unfortunately the effectiveness is quite modest, possibly due to the fact that CBT is based on faulty assumptions. I'm actually in the process of getting a paper ready for publishing which gives an updated overall theory of the illness, plus a proposed treatment. However because I've been busy working on my business, this has sat on the back-burner for the last few months. Also, there is so much hate out there for this kind of research that there is no way I'm going to post my name here.
    - 12y ago

Everything I have read about CRPS suggests that it is essentially the same as FMS, i.e. a psychosomatic pain disorder caused by stress. The unexplained weight loss experienced by the patient in this article would also be consistent with this.

tptacek 12y ago
What unexplained weight loss? He was diagnosed with a bacterial infection at the Mayo Clinic.
- cpncrunch 12y ago
  Stress is likely one of the main causes of SIBO.

lukestevens 12y ago

Your suggestion is uninformed; and John Sarno's advice is pure quackery. Please don't speculate like this on severe medical conditions.

cpncrunch 12y ago
How much research have you done on this? If you dig into the research you will see that Sarno's theory is the best explanation for these conditions. (I've suffered from one of these conditions myself, and done extensive research).
- lukestevens 12y ago
  I've been looking into these issues for over a decade. Sarno's theory is psychobabble: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome. "The treatment protocol for TMS includes education, writing about emotional issues, resumption of a normal lifestyle and, for some patients, support meetings and/or psychotherapy" For general back pain, I wouldn't be surprised if this "treatment" involves some very simple stress relief mechanism that relaxes muscles and reduces muscular pain for some people, some of the time. The theory, however, is nonsense, and you could just as easily substitute "demons" and "exorcism" for "emotions" and psychotherapy" and get the same results. "TMS" is a made up term with no science behind it, just wilful speculation from a professional who should know better. To suggest it has anything to do with the unremitting pain described in the OP is deeply irresponsible. It's like suggesting homeopathy for cancer. In fact it's probably worse, as it amounts to victim-blaming because the patient isn't dealing with their "repressed" rage/emotions. Awful.
  - cpncrunch 12y ago
    It's not psychobabble. There is extensive evidence showing that stress and depression result in pain, that FMS is triggered by stress, and that psychosocial factors are important in recovery. The same is true for CFS and IBS, which overlap with FMS. And the pain isn't muscular in nature, it is neurological. I've done extensive research into this area for 15 years, written a book about it, and published research, as well as suffering from it myself (and recovering). Although I haven't digged very deeply into Sarno's theories, I can tell you that from what you have posted above, it is right on the money. However it's not simple 'stress relief' or 'relaxing muscles'. It's more to do with rewiring your brain through changes in behaviour.
    - lukestevens 12y ago
      I'd be interested in your studies and book - can you share a link? I follow the research. Psychosocial factors have been studied to death and certainly aren't important for recovery, particularly given recovery is not a particularly common outcome (for CFS/FM at least). (If only they were, it would make recovery a lot easier.) They are, however, peddled by people giving false hope to the vulnerable and desperate. IMO your certainty about what is or isn't the cause of all those conditions is certainly not justified. For example, how can you be so sure Sarno is "right on the money" when you admit you haven't looked into it very deeply? And Sarno's theory is very much about emotional release, that's the whole point. Gotta get that repressed rage out.
      - cpncrunch 12y ago
        All the reviews show that CBT is moderately effective for CFS. Unfortunately the effectiveness is quite modest, possibly due to the fact that CBT is based on faulty assumptions. I'm actually in the process of getting a paper ready for publishing which gives an updated overall theory of the illness, plus a proposed treatment. However because I've been busy working on my business, this has sat on the back-burner for the last few months. Also, there is so much hate out there for this kind of research that there is no way I'm going to post my name here.
  - 12y ago