Simplifying your thought burdens

[pinkytoe]

I put this under health as a recent mysterious health situation made me ponder the topic. Saw the usual doctors and was sent for invasive tests with nothing conclusive to explain the symptoms and even more invasive testing recommended. I am not sure if doctors doctor anymore; they just send you for tests and prescribe pills. So I decided to learn more about the mind-body connection. One of the things that spoke to me after reading up on it was how pesky internal thoughts can manifest as physical symptoms. Especially when you haven't pondered how to address the "troubles". So I made a list of all the things that are bothering me and ways of ameliorating them and sure enough just putting them on paper made me feel a lot better...as if I had gathered them in one spot to sort through. Wondering if others here have realized how un-simple our burdensome thoughts can become? Do you have burdensome thoughts you might unload?

[catherine]

The mind-body connection is unbelievable. Everyone knows about the placebo effect, but not everyone knows how BIG an effect it is. In clinical trials, as a hypothetical example, the FDA might examine scientific studies that show 25% patients had a certain level of symptom relief while taking the drug being tested, but 12% of patients in the placebo group (half of them!) might have had the same level of symptom relief! And the drug will be considered a success!

I was reading how the placebo effect even extends to arthoscopic surgery on people with bad knees! Take a look at this study in the New England Journal of Medicine. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013259

The conclusion:
CONCLUSIONS
In this controlled trial involving patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, the outcomes after arthroscopic lavage or arthroscopic débridement were no better than those after a placebo procedure.

Isn't that wild??

But even more closely related to pinkytoe's comment is how burdensome thoughts are manifested. One of my friends, a clinical psychiatrist, was speaking to a woman who was experiencing extreme vertigo. When my friend explored the client's situation, this woman was working, had kids, was caring for parents, and was completely overwhelmed--her world was literally "dizzying" to her.

I always felt my MIL was severely ambivalent about moving to NJ. A month or two before the move she experienced extreme gout in her feet that landed her in the hospital--she literally couldn't "move".

The mind is a mysterious thing.

[flowerseverywhere]

Pinky toe, I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Think of well established and accepted things
For instance white coat syndrome, where people experience blood pressure rise when the MD walks in.

compounding this is decreasing personal connections. Communicating via Facebook instead of calling and personally talking to someone. One of my sibs found out the sex of a grandchild on Facebook. How hard would it have been to make that personal connection and share the joy with the grandparents and siblings?
Even at my old age many people far prefer to communicate by text and email instead of phoning or even walking down the street and knocking on a door. All of these examples isolate and make people lonely. Loneliness is a huge contributor to psychological and physical symptoms.

i think that is why forums like this continue to exist. It is a connection with others.

[herbgeek]

Even at my old age many people far prefer to communicate by text and email instead of phoning or even walking down the street and knocking on a door.

For me, texting and emailing is far more respectful of another person's time. Phoning demands that you stop what you are doing (no matter how important it is) because /I/ want to talk. Same with knocking on someone's door (assuming without letting them know first, and making sure its a convenient time). Knocking on someone's door tells the other person that I feel my time is more important than yours.

Perhaps in long ago times, women didn't really have much on their plate and an interruption was welcomed, but I know of no people (regardless of age, gender etc) who doesn't have a lot going on. I'd rather email them and have them get back to me when it is convenient FOR THEM.

[JaneV2.0]

I MUCH prefer email to the phone or even in-person conversations. I can arrange my thoughts and there's even a chance my correspondent will read and pay attention to what I am trying to convey. I'm usually talked over and ignored in phone calls. Clearly, I'm a bore.

But psychoneuroimmunology! (Read Bill Moyers' Healing and the Mind)--the very best treatments are an inside job. Modern medicine is OK when it comes to strictly mechanical cures, but overpriced pills are no match for the wonders of the mind-body connection. (Including the mind-gut connection.)

[pinkytoe]

Another thing I did was sort the troubles into things I can actually do something about vs things I have no control over - those I can get off my plate.

[razz]

I so agree with the mind-body connection. I watch people talk themselves into old age but limiting themselves because they have reached a certain birthday. Suddenly their major interest in life is talking about their ailments and doctors' appointments. Men, despite great success in their work, in their 50's seem to suddenly doubt their worth and struggle with depression and doubt.
Taking charge as you have done, pinkytoe, is the best medicine. Keep it up! You have dominion.

[SteveinMN]

Even at my old age many people far prefer to communicate by text and email instead of phoning or even walking down the street and knocking on a door. All of these examples isolate and make people lonely. Loneliness is a huge contributor to psychological and physical symptoms.
Maybe it was too many years of doing telephone tech support but I loathe having to call people. If you're lucky, they're there and you can discuss the topic(s) at hand. If you're not, you get voicemail which they may or may not retrieve for some time or (increasingly rare these days) a human who cannot take any kind of detailed notes and, instead, just marks down that Steve called; call him back. >8) On a pink slip of paper that may not be retrieved for some time.

And knocking on the door? How is one expected to lounge in their underwear enjoying the comfort of one's own home when someone can be at the door at any time? ;) (Note: I do not do this but I know people who do.) I do believe that "presence = priority" is a huge imposition on others.

Not to say the human touch is bad. Some people thrive on it alone. And I will admit there are days I get out of the house to do some errand I could easily bundle into another day, simply because I feel the need for some (relatively anonymous) human contact.

But I don't think it's anywhere near universal these days (at least in our society) that people want someone literally at their doorstep or breathing on a phone line waiting for personal interaction. If that's what one wants for themselves, by all means say so. But I don't believe it's a universal desire any more.

[SteveinMN]

Men, despite great success in their work, in their 50's seem to suddenly doubt their worth and struggle with depression and doubt.
My experience with men of that age (including myself) is that they've been brought up in a world that values them largely in terms of the work they do. Sure, parenthood is revered, too, but not as much by the world. It does not seem that the reputations of people of huge wealth and power are often knocked down by "but he's a lousy (workaholic/absent/whatever) dad".

For most men in their 50s, their career (as far as the greatest earning potential and recognition) is largely set. Moving hugely in another direction or to a very different career comes with significant risk and, sometimes, significant reeducation and changes in the social circle that was built around the previous career. So while a man's career may be going okay, there's the growing individual knowledge or realization that one is a lot closer to the finish line than the starting line, and the analysis of whether one's time and energy were well-spent begins. It doesn't always end with a thumb up.

[JaneV2.0]

If he's lucky, that fifty-year-old man hasn't just been canned.

[Teacher Terry]

When my friend was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer she had a 14 hour surgery and then told she had 6 months to live. She was 45. She said I want chemo and I have too much to live for to die. She lived 20 years. Her cancer came back 8 times. She was the most positive person I have ever known.

[ApatheticNoMore]

If he's lucky, that fifty-year-old man hasn't just been canned.

+1 And of course there are studies on age discrimination in employment and women, it hits women earlier and it hits them worse. But that 50 year old man is by no means home free either. Most people over 50 if they still need to work and are still employed are like "thank you universe that I have a job", if they do.

If journaling about bothersome thoughts or whatever helps then great (I think most of this is much less proven than all that to really weight in on it conclusively or blame anyone for their thoughts. As this idea has been floated many times in various formulations and some of them disproved several times - like a cancer type of personality etc., but I don't know all the latest on it, since it keeps going back and forth). If symptoms go away great, if they don't, then one weights whether to have more tests or not. I mean pain is mysterious.

[Rogar]

Krista Tippet does a weekly spiritually based program on many NPR stations and also as free podcasts. A few weeks ago (9/!9) there was a program titled "The Drugs inside Your Head' with Erik Vance. He is a brain scientists and writer, and the program was mostly on the placebo effect. He goes into some studies on where it seems to work and where it doesn't. He has roots in Christian Science but now pretty much endorses some modern medicine. I listened to it twice. It should not be hard to find on her web site or a podcast menu for anyone who is interested. It's about an hour and is based on some studies rather than opinion.

[iris lilies]

I love Krista Tippet. My local NPR station used to play her show during church time on Sundays, but they have moved it, I believe,

[Rogar]

IL, I’m pretty sure you can stream all of her recent programs free any time you would like. Her web site is onbeing.org.