Religion and Ethics Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Bubbles on October 20, 2015, 07:35:08 AM
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Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
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Yes. I've studied it and use it for both anxiety as a part of CBT and for long-term musculoskeletal pain.
This organisation is a good starting point to find information and I use their resources.
http://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk
The best authors and teachers are Professir Mark Williams, Dr Danny Penman, Vidyamala Burch and Jon Kabat Zinn.
However, there is a caveat, one which I know is acknowledged within the therapy profession. The evidence is that mindfulness is at least as good as pills for both depression/anxiety and pain relief, but it is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. We have what Zinn describes as Full Catastrophe Living; the way in which we are taught how to live right from childhood, our education system, media, even our family life is very often the opposite of mindful. Mindfulness only works if practiced regularly, day after day, requiring a minimum of half an hour a day depending on the materials used and how deep you want to go. I know I don't practice enough so I don't get the full benefit. It requires a rethink on the part of both the medical profession and patients about going to the doctor to get fixed; mindfulness is about being given the tools to fix ourselves.
Another recommended read is one I suggested to O yesterday - Teach Us To Sit Still by the novelist Tim Parks, who cured his chronic pain with meditation in spite of being a complete sceptic.
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Thanks.
It looked really interesting on the BBC.
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Our dependency on chemical treatments, combined with the pseudo-medical industry's attempts to medicalise every aspect of life, means that the more non-pharmaceutical treatments we can come up with the better.
O.
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Meds have their place. For someone in a bad way they can calm things down enough (mentally and/or physically) for other therapies to work. But they generally aren't effective on their own, which is how many GPs prescribe them, especially anti-depressants. From what I can gather they are also often prescribed in far higher doses than is usual when SSRIs are used alongside CBT. The aim should be to use an SSRI or pain relief whilst starting out with therapies/mindfulness/rehab and then adjust the balance until the meds are no longer needed or are only required in small doses.
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Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
Is there any scientific evidence to indicate that it is anything other than equivalent to acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, etc?
-
Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
Is there any scientific evidence to indicate that it is anything other than equivalent to acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, etc?
I would have thought Mindfulness was in the same category as the above, as is prayer.
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Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
Is there any scientific evidence to indicate that it is anything other than equivalent to acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, etc?
I would have thought Mindfulness was in the same category as the above, as is prayer.
No, it isn't a form of prayer, it is a form of refocusing the mind to be fully aware of the present rather than fretting over past or future. Through this people often find that the present is better than they thought it was, too.
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Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
Is there any scientific evidence to indicate that it is anything other than equivalent to acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, etc?
http://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/research
http://marc.ucla.edu/workfiles/pdfs/MARC-mindfulness-research-summary.pdf
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/mindfulness/research.php.en
This is just a brief Google. There's a lot more out there if you want to look.
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Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
Is there any scientific evidence to indicate that it is anything other than equivalent to acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, etc?
I would have thought Mindfulness was in the same category as the above, as is prayer.
No, it isn't a form of prayer, it is a form of refocusing the mind to be fully aware of the present rather than fretting over past or future. Through this people often find that the present is better than they thought it was, too.
I was referring to the placebo effect.
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Except prayer is a non naturalistic claim and doesn't really lend itself to science. All we can really do is investigate if a certain method performs better than (a) doing nothing and (b) the placebo effect.
If it does, even were we to not understand why, we would be obliged to call it medicine. The complexity is added to when it comes to mental issues since we struggle to really define functioning in that field. In that regard mindfulness, CBT, talking therapies can be partially compared with drug therapy but the clarity of results in the field of study is difficult.
The way to determine this is testing. On that basis if you accept the definition of functioning then it may well perform better than drug therapy but that does not mean it is a panacea, if there is any such thing. Further, given the complexity of this, there is a sense in which it may effectively be a form of drug therapy.
I rarely agree with Sriram on stuff like this, for example homeopathy is just snake oil to me or at least the memory of snake oil, but we are other than in a few specific circumstances, at the same stage in mental health as we were pre vaccination. (I will refrain from my opinion on the mental health of the anti vaxxers movement)
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Mindfulness
Was on BBC breakfast this morning.
It has been suggested the Gov invest in it rather than handing out pills.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04xmqdd
What do you think? Is it helpful?
Is there any scientific evidence to indicate that it is anything other than equivalent to acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, etc?
I would have thought Mindfulness was in the same category as the above, as is prayer.
No, it isn't a form of prayer, it is a form of refocusing the mind to be fully aware of the present rather than fretting over past or future. Through this people often find that the present is better than they thought it was, too.
I was referring to the placebo effect.
There's no placebo in mindfulness. If you don't practice it, it doesn't work. It's like going to the gym or learning times tables, you need to actually do something in order for it to have an effect.
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And let's be careful about the rather casual use of the term placebo effect, as if all, or indeed, any of us really understand it. In many ways it would be better if we called it the Fuctivanov effect (named after the Bulgarian who scored in a muddy goalmouth stramash against Scotland by an excited but short sighted commentator).
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Except prayer is a non naturalistic claim and doesn't really lend itself to science. All we can really do is investigate if a certain method performs better than (a) doing nothing and (b) the placebo effect.
If it does, even were we to not understand why, we would be obliged to call it medicine. The complexity is added to when it comes to mental issues since we struggle to really define functioning in that field. In that regard mindfulness, CBT, talking therapies can be partially compared with drug therapy but the clarity of results in the field of study is difficult.
The way to determine this is testing. On that basis if you accept the definition of functioning then it may well perform better than drug therapy but that does not mean it is a panacea, if there is any such thing. Further, given the complexity of this, there is a sense in which it may effectively be a form of drug therapy.
I rarely agree with Sriram on stuff like this, for example homeopathy is just snake oil to me or at least the memory of snake oil, but we are other than in a few specific circumstances, at the same stage in mental health as we were pre vaccination. (I will refrain from my opinion on the mental health of the anti vaxxers movement)
I think what we do know is that some mental health issues such as schizophrenia and psychosis do need meds and may be made worse by visualisation, meditation etc.
I think what we are beginning to learn is the relationship between the mind and illness. Stress and tension is a major factor in my own musculoskeletal problem, although not the only cause. In Parks' book he recounts how surgeons were ready to operate on his prostate even though there was no evidence of a pathology; learning to relax muscles tightened over years of chronic stress meant he not only avoided surgery but cured the problem.
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That's why I was careful to point out that there are exceptions but those exceptions are both the way we use to advance knowledge and an indication that it can be advanced that doesn't mean that the idea of functioning mentally is not hugely problematic and it is based an idea that is much harder to define than physical illness.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
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We always have focussed on that. The problem in the area of mental health though is the question of what 'works' means. If we could have stopped Van Gogh committing suicide would we have stopped the painting? How about the use of frontal lobotomy? Did it work, or did it just reduce the individual.
I see there are moves to get homophobia designated a mental illness; not that long after we regarded homosexuality as one. Do we even see through this glass darkly, or are we just fumbling in the dark?
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
There is some limited evidence to suggest that acupuncture can be effective for certain circumstances - ironically, if I recall correctly, pain relief is one of them.
Individual anecdotes, aside, however, I'm not aware of any reliable evidence that reiki is in any way effective.
O.
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We always have focussed on that. The problem in the area of mental health though is the question of what 'works' means. If we could have stopped Van Gogh committing suicide would we have stopped the painting? How about the use of frontal lobotomy? Did it work, or did it just reduce the individual.
I see there are moves to get homophobia designated a mental illness; not that long after we regarded homosexuality as one. Do we even see through this glass darkly, or are we just fumbling in the dark?
Homophobia is a phobia - a mental illness - but we very often call people who are prejudiced, blinkered and nasty 'homophobes', when they aren't.
I think we need to ensure that wherever we go with mental health, we don't enforce a uniform idea of 'well' and 'normal' on people. Would neutering Van Gogh's visionary talent have been an equally unendurable hell for him?
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
Personal testimony doesn't cut it here. You need a study. As per previous comments it would have to show better than nothing and placebo. Your attestation in and of itself is worthless.
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A phobia is defined as irrational based on an idea of normality, it is not an easy term to define. We could have called homosexuality heterophobia, it does not make it anything other than a classification.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
There is some limited evidence to suggest that acupuncture can be effective for certain circumstances - ironically, if I recall correctly, pain relief is one of them.
Individual anecdotes, aside, however, I'm not aware of any reliable evidence that reiki is in any way effective.
O.
There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts. Reiki does the job for me. I've now trained in it but I don't practice it for others.
The important thing is to bear in mind that while effective for some it's complementary to medicine, not alternative to.
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A phobia is defined as irrational based on an idea of normality, it is not an easy term to define. We could have called homosexuality heterophobia, it does not make it anything other than a classification.
Did you know there's no name for driving phobia?
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That feels like a joke. I am sure a word could be made up. After all as a a sufferer from coulrophobia, these things can be named - even if called IT
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
There is some limited evidence to suggest that acupuncture can be effective for certain circumstances - ironically, if I recall correctly, pain relief is one of them.
Individual anecdotes, aside, however, I'm not aware of any reliable evidence that reiki is in any way effective.
O.
There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts. Reiki does the job for me. I've now trained in it but I don't practice it for others.
The important thing is to bear in mind that while effective for some it's complementary to medicine, not alternative to.
My husband and I had a Reiki session each a good few years ago now. A former colleague of my husband had trained as a Reiki specialist, and she was eager to try her skills on us. Against our better judgement we allowed her to practice her 'skill' on us, and our Down's Syndrome son. My husband and I found it a very unpleasant experience. Our son didn't seem to mind, but the woman said she was aware of two hearts beating our son's chest, YEH RIGHT! ::) Needless to say, we didn't invite her to our home again!
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There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Which explicitly says: "The researchers stated that all the trials were small and there is no strong evidence that Reiki is an effective treatment for any condition."
Noticably, the best supported position in their seems to be an extract from a paper on 'touch therapies' - there's plenty of evidence supporting the idea that hormone balance and general wellbeing are improved by physical contact (both with people and animals), which has been used to support the idea of things like massage-therapy and animal-therapy - I wonder if there's anything out there differentiating reiki from other touch therapies?
That said, I'm a little confused, I thought reiki was all about almost but not quite touching...? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts.
And much like a TENS machine, that pain in one place actually dulls pain being sensed from other sources in some instances.
O.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
There is some limited evidence to suggest that acupuncture can be effective for certain circumstances - ironically, if I recall correctly, pain relief is one of them.
Individual anecdotes, aside, however, I'm not aware of any reliable evidence that reiki is in any way effective.
O.
There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts. Reiki does the job for me. I've now trained in it but I don't practice it for others.
The important thing is to bear in mind that while effective for some it's complementary to medicine, not alternative to.
My husband and I had a Reiki session each a good few years ago now. A former colleague of my husband had trained as a Reiki specialist, and she was eager to try her skills on us. Against our better judgement we allowed her to practice her 'skill' on us, and our Down's Syndrome son. My husband and I found it a very unpleasant experience. Our son didn't seem to mind, but the woman said she was aware of two hearts beating our son's chest, YEH RIGHT! ::) Needless to say, we didn't invite her to our home again!
Unfortunately reiki attracts some nutters who try to claim things it isn't for it - or more importantly themselves. It's not a spiritual path for a start.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
There is some limited evidence to suggest that acupuncture can be effective for certain circumstances - ironically, if I recall correctly, pain relief is one of them.
Individual anecdotes, aside, however, I'm not aware of any reliable evidence that reiki is in any way effective.
O.
There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts. Reiki does the job for me. I've now trained in it but I don't practice it for others.
The important thing is to bear in mind that while effective for some it's complementary to medicine, not alternative to.
My husband and I had a Reiki session each a good few years ago now. A former colleague of my husband had trained as a Reiki specialist, and she was eager to try her skills on us. Against our better judgement we allowed her to practice her 'skill' on us, and our Down's Syndrome son. My husband and I found it a very unpleasant experience. Our son didn't seem to mind, but the woman said she was aware of two hearts beating our son's chest, YEH RIGHT! ::) Needless to say, we didn't invite her to our home again!
Unfortunately reiki attracts some nutters who try to claim things it isn't for it - or more importantly themselves. It's not a spiritual path for a start.
Funnily enough we wouldn't have describe the woman as a nutter, she seemed quite sane when she was one of my husband's teaching staff, when he was head teacher.
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There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Which explicitly says: "The researchers stated that all the trials were small and there is no strong evidence that Reiki is an effective treatment for any condition."
Noticably, the best supported position in their seems to be an extract from a paper on 'touch therapies' - there's plenty of evidence supporting the idea that hormone balance and general wellbeing are improved by physical contact (both with people and animals), which has been used to support the idea of things like massage-therapy and animal-therapy - I wonder if there's anything out there differentiating reiki from other touch therapies?
That said, I'm a little confused, I thought reiki was all about almost but not quite touching...? Maybe I'm thinking of something else.
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts.
And much like a TENS machine, that pain in one place actually dulls pain being sensed from other sources in some instances.
O.
It's a bit of both - hands on and hands off. Depends on the individual - what they feel comfortable with - and where on the body is being treated. I experience reiki as extreme heat, a weird trippy feeling (a bit like having too much scotch) and light shows (think lava lamp). It's very nice. :) And no doubt you'll say it is autosuggestion or something. And that's fine, I have no rational explanation anyway.
I hate TENS machines with a passion, in fact I think I broke one during labour trying to rip it off.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
There is some limited evidence to suggest that acupuncture can be effective for certain circumstances - ironically, if I recall correctly, pain relief is one of them.
Individual anecdotes, aside, however, I'm not aware of any reliable evidence that reiki is in any way effective.
O.
There's a bit here.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/reiki
Personally I tried acupuncture, which hurts. Reiki does the job for me. I've now trained in it but I don't practice it for others.
The important thing is to bear in mind that while effective for some it's complementary to medicine, not alternative to.
My husband and I had a Reiki session each a good few years ago now. A former colleague of my husband had trained as a Reiki specialist, and she was eager to try her skills on us. Against our better judgement we allowed her to practice her 'skill' on us, and our Down's Syndrome son. My husband and I found it a very unpleasant experience. Our son didn't seem to mind, but the woman said she was aware of two hearts beating our son's chest, YEH RIGHT! ::) Needless to say, we didn't invite her to our home again!
Unfortunately reiki attracts some nutters who try to claim things it isn't for it - or more importantly themselves. It's not a spiritual path for a start.
Funnily enough we wouldn't have describe the woman as a nutter, she seemed quite sane when she was one of my husband's teaching staff, when he was head teacher.
It's not difficult to acquire 'specialist' status in reiki, which isn't the same thing as having years of training or experience. It sounds to me like there was a bit of an ego thing going on but I may be wrong. However, she should not have pressured you and your family into having treatment when you weren't comfortable with it, however well-meaning she may have been.
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It's a bit of both - hands on and hands off. Depends on the individual - what they feel comfortable with - and where on the body is being treated. I experience reiki as extreme heat, a weird trippy feeling (a bit like having too much scotch) and light shows (think lava lamp). It's very nice. :) And no doubt you'll say it is autosuggestion or something. And that's fine, I have no rational explanation anyway.
If it works for you, great - I would suggest that it's psycho-somatic, but given that it's for pain-relief that's absolutely fine; some pain, whilst absolutely genuinely painful, is 'only in your head'. That fact doesn't stop it hurting, and if reiki works for you, then the fact that reiki doesn't actually work for itself doesn't stop it working for you :)
I hate TENS machines with a passion, in fact I think I broke one during labour trying to rip it off.
And yet my wife swore by hers... ?
O.
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It's a bit of both - hands on and hands off. Depends on the individual - what they feel comfortable with - and where on the body is being treated. I experience reiki as extreme heat, a weird trippy feeling (a bit like having too much scotch) and light shows (think lava lamp). It's very nice. :) And no doubt you'll say it is autosuggestion or something. And that's fine, I have no rational explanation anyway.
If it works for you, great - I would suggest that it's psycho-somatic, but given that it's for pain-relief that's absolutely fine; some pain, whilst absolutely genuinely painful, is 'only in your head'. That fact doesn't stop it hurting, and if reiki works for you, then the fact that reiki doesn't actually work for itself doesn't stop it working for you :)
I hate TENS machines with a passion, in fact I think I broke one during labour trying to rip it off.
And yet my wife swore by hers... ?
O.
I felt like I had a fly buzzing on my back. Stupid machine.
I have trapped nerves and muscle tightness in my back due to it having a very marked curve, which in turn is due to my being hyperflexible - nobody noticed until this year why I was getting the problems I do - I was diagnosed because my daughter was. The back problem refers pain into my legs and pelvis so I'm in discomfort pretty much most of the time - not agonising, more like toothache. The back problem was made worse by three pregnancies and the c-sections in four years.
So no, not psychosomatic.
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These days I have a horror of any medication, and have to be really bad before I even take paracetamol. I can't imagine taking any sort of illegal drug, or overdosing on alcohol. I wouldn't want to do anything which would put me in an otherworldly state of mind. I like to be in full possession of what faculties I have left.
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
And as a personal anecdote of little consequence to anyone except myself, I can attest that the former is utterly useless in that regard; indeed, its main effects are to empty one's bank account (in the long term), and to make one feel considerably worse than before (in the short term).
Strange, when one is clutching at straws, how one can be strung along by such ideas as "It's got to feel worse before it gets better".
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I hate TENS machines with a passion, in fact I think I broke one during labour trying to rip it off.
And yet my wife swore by hers... ?
O.
I wore one on my left groin for months. Seemed to help - better than the groin pain anyway. I remained celibate at the time - I can't think why :)
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150819120750.htm
Patients with hypertension treated with acupuncture experienced drops in their blood pressure that lasted up to a month and a half, researchers have found. This work is the first to scientifically confirm that this ancient Chinese practice is beneficial in treating mild to moderate hypertension, and it indicates that regular use could help people control their blood pressure and lessen their risk of stroke and heart disease.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150721134820.htm
In animal models, acupuncture appears to impact the same biologic pathways ramped up by pain and stress, analogous to what drugs do in humans. The researchers say their animal study provides the strongest evidence to date on the mechanism of this ancient Chinese therapy in chronic stress.
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I felt like I had a fly buzzing on my back. Stupid machine.
I have trapped nerves and muscle tightness in my back due to it having a very marked curve, which in turn is due to my being hyperflexible - nobody noticed until this year why I was getting the problems I do - I was diagnosed because my daughter was. The back problem refers pain into my legs and pelvis so I'm in discomfort pretty much most of the time - not agonising, more like toothache. The back problem was made worse by three pregnancies and the c-sections in four years.
So no, not psychosomatic.
"More like toothache" - ye gods, as if that weren't bad enough! Well, I had abominably sensitive teeth that ached all the time for years (until I 'dispensed' with them), so I've some idea what you're going through.
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That feels like a joke. I am sure a word could be made up. After all as a a sufferer from coulrophobia, these things can be named - even if called IT
I had to look that up. Fear of clowns. It doesn't seem so absurd - I'm sure they've always had a sinister aspect associated with them. That's been exploited in a number of horror films, I think. And "The League of Gentlemen", if I'm not mistaken.
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I felt like I had a fly buzzing on my back. Stupid machine.
I have trapped nerves and muscle tightness in my back due to it having a very marked curve, which in turn is due to my being hyperflexible - nobody noticed until this year why I was getting the problems I do - I was diagnosed because my daughter was. The back problem refers pain into my legs and pelvis so I'm in discomfort pretty much most of the time - not agonising, more like toothache. The back problem was made worse by three pregnancies and the c-sections in four years.
So no, not psychosomatic.
"More like toothache" - ye gods, as if that weren't bad enough! Well, I had abominably sensitive teeth that ached all the time for years (until I 'dispensed' with them), so I've some idea what you're going through.
I used to get sensitive teeth - praise be for Colgate Pro Relief. Not nice at all.
The worst pain though by far that I've had in recent times (labour etc aside) has been tonsillitis, of which I now seem to get 1-2 bouts each winter. I find myself seriously considering whether cutting off my own head would work as pain relief.
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That feels like a joke. I am sure a word could be made up. After all as a a sufferer from coulrophobia, these things can be named - even if called IT
I had to look that up. Fear of clowns. It doesn't seem so absurd - I'm sure they've always had a sinister aspect associated with them. That's been exploited in a number of horror films, I think. And "The League of Gentlemen", if I'm not mistaken.
I was terrified of them as a child, but I outgrew it. I never liked watching my mum putting on make-up either (she didn't look like a clown btw)
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Increasingly I think we will be looking at doing what works rather than needing to show why it works, at least for now.
That's been the case for quite a while. Unless something's changed fairly recently, for instance, we still don't know exactly why many anaesthetics actually work, we just know that they do - but we need them, and so we use them.
O.
In which case we are opening up to acupuncture and reiki on the NHS. Both 'work' for some people (I can attest to the latter being very good for pain relief)
And as a personal anecdote of little consequence to anyone except myself, I can attest that the former is utterly useless in that regard; indeed, its main effects are to empty one's bank account (in the long term), and to make one feel considerably worse than before (in the short term).
Strange, when one is clutching at straws, how one can be strung along by such ideas as "It's got to feel worse before it gets better".
I have physio which includes trigger point therapy. If what I normally gave is toothache then this feels like a raging abscess. But then it sort of melts the pain away for a bit. I think it's helping, but along the way I'm becoming more aware of the damage that's been done.
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I hate TENS machines with a passion, in fact I think I broke one during labour trying to rip it off.
And yet my wife swore by hers... ?
O.
I wore one on my left groin for months. Seemed to help - better than the groin pain anyway. I remained celibate at the time - I can't think why :)
I want to say I hope you've recovered now but given your last statement that sounds wrong coming from me. Anyways, Mr Park's book might have been worth a read at the time.
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I also have a form of pediophobia which I suspect is related. My problem with hidden expression extends to Helen George being in the Uncanny Valley
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley
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I'm not frightened of them but I do find puppets freaky. Obviously the thing with my mum and her make-up was something to do with masks.
Now it's just heights that really get me. I can't go higher than the first rung on a stepladder.
Eta I do sometimes - not often - have horrible dreams of people without mouths.