A new paper (on-line only at the moment) (1) reports a prospective epidemiological study that examines the association between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the subsequent occurrence of painful medical conditions. The role that mood and anxiety disorders play in this association is also carefully assessed.
Archive for the ‘Stress Illness Causes’ Category
ACEs and the Epidemiology of Psychophysiologic Disorders
Thursday, June 8th, 2017Patients Who Have “Nothing the Matter with Them”
Tuesday, June 9th, 2015Among physicians with a humanistic soul, perhaps no quotation is more fondly remembered than one from Dr Francis Peabody. He was born in 1881 to a prominent New England family, trained at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital and was the first director of the Thorndike Laboratory at Boston City Hospital. Tragically, he died of sarcoma at age 46.
One Approach to Psychophysiologic Disorders
Sunday, May 31st, 2015Recent on-line and in-person discussions with my colleagues who care for patients with Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD) make it clear that there are many successful approaches to diagnosis and treatment. What these techniques have in common is clarifying for patients that psychosocial stress can cause real pain and/or other physical symptoms and that uncovering and treating these issues can relieve the illness (partially or completely). Our discussion led me to summarize my approach: (more…)
A Physiologic Basis for Fibromyalgia
Tuesday, March 24th, 2015A study of the brain (published on-line Jan 2015) has uncovered an important difference in the processing of pain signals between people with fibromyalgia (FM) and those without FM.(1) Participants with FM had brain imaging with functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) while a blood pressure cuff on their leg created pain at a level (determined by each person) of 40 out of 100.
Psychophysiologic Disorders: Distracted by Theory
Sunday, March 15th, 2015Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD) consist of pain or other physical symptoms that are partly or completely relieved when underlying psychosocial issues are uncovered and treated. The process that produces this form of illness is an area of active investigation.
ACEs and Illness in Primary Care
Tuesday, February 10th, 2015New DVD on Adverse Childhood Experience
Monday, August 27th, 2012There is a new compilation of the latest research on the long-term impact of childhood adversity. I have written about this key subject in earlier blogs (here and again here). Now there is a new DVD where the latest research and its implications for policy are presented by those who conducted the studies.
Adverse Childhood Experience
Monday, April 2nd, 2012A therapist recently posed a key question about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): what is the benefit to a patient of their family doctor knowing this information?
