Interesting Piece in Guardian About Mind/ Body Connection. FND Mentioned

[Sparklingsunshine]

I wondered if this might be of interest to members

theguardian.com/society/202...

[GeeBee11]

Thank you for this. Very interesting and helpful piece.

G

[Lady4]

Thanks for sharing. I learn't alot of this over the last few years but this stood out:

"The first is that if inflammation can cause what we recognise as depression (alongside many other drivers, such as stress or trauma, or genetic factors), there is a significant number of people for whom the current standard treatments – SSRIs, talk therapy – do not make sense.

The second arises from the idea of being stuck: stuck in a pattern of reaction to pain, mental threat, trauma or stress. And, given the way the brain works, being stuck, and reacting over and over in the same way, only exacerbates the problem: the brain gets better and better at producing that reaction.

But stuckness also gives a clue to possible treatments. If “the specific way that your brain changes depends on what you were expecting to happen”, Nord writes, it follows that anything that dislodges that expectation, even a little, can make space for other, more positive expectations to creep in – and these, in turn, can be fortified by repetition."

So lets reverse those negative predictions. ...

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Lady4]

Its tough though because those negative reactions arent something we can necessarily control. In relation to FND and other conditions its seems there's an issue with predictive processing in the brain. Same as chronic pain.

The brain gets reprogrammed by stress, trauma, physical injury, medication, genes or just bad luck to start wrongly predicting threats or seeing harms where there arent any. And adjusts how the body reacts into dysfunctional patterns. Its on a subsconcious level of course so not something that is easily resolved.

When I was investigating PPPD one of the things I saw many times was the concept of neuroplasticity. The idea that the brain is constantly changing, evolving and that its possible to make new neural pathways to change how the body behaves. If this is true then this could be a valuable treatment option. I'd like to see more emphasis on what can be done in cases like this. More treatment options.

[Lady4 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Absolutely and its harder when the patterns are ingrained/happening for some time now but its not impossible to reverse. Recognising whats going on in our bodies is important because we can take action to reduce the stressors.

[Shimmyaway in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

I agree, we need more help on how we can reprogram our reactions to unwanted stimuli .. so which set of medics are going to put their hands up for this ?? One good thing that could come from Camilla Nord's work is that if more of the neuro science community come to see that FND is a window, and maybe the only open window, to exploring the direct impact of how, by creating/ manipulating different neural pathways, the brain can affect/change behaviour patterns, then more of them might be inclined to research in this area, because of its potential significance in more mainstream conditions.

[Shimmyaway]

The article is hopefully an indication of the way the wind is blowing, and one which may benefit FND patients, provided the message gets through and is acted upon. Although we have long been aware, it was good to hear from Prof Edwards the opinion that mental health patients get a raw deal when it comes to other physical complaints, and have to pay for this in life years. Little attention is given to seemingly small issues such as an FND patient needing dentistry, but who is plagued with tongue tremors or head shaking. The main 'take away' seems to be in using the power we have to harness the therapeutic use of our own expectations of what we can do, and learn to play down reactions we need to rid ourselves of . So thanks for the tips on the never ending DIY project to get us all sparkling away.

[Van604]

This is the part I found very upsetting:"People with major mental health disorders (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression) often die years earlier – up to a decade or even two earlier – than those who do not. “People often think, ‘Well, that’s because they’re committing suicide,’” says Mark Edwards, a professor of neurology at King’s College London. In fact, “they’re dying of cancer, heart disease, complications of diabetes and respiratory problems”, in part because they are not able to access adequate physical care (they may also be unable to comply). Even if they do access treatment, they are often treated differently enough – in cancer services, for instance – to have measurably worse outcomes."

This has been my experience after being diagnosed with FND. I haven't been able to get follow up for abnormal test results. Luckily, I'm now seeing a great nurse-practitioner who is investigating everything!

[Shimmyaway in reply to Van604]

This is my experience too, because I cannot tolerate the telephone noises in medical reception areas, without shaking/shouting, or tolerate the small, overheated, ill ventilated consultation rooms. I am obliged to wait outside, and sometimes ask get my vaccinations outside. On one occasion, during a GP consultation, whilst exhibiting my ' FND behaviour', a nurse came in to check up on things .. no ...not on me, it was the Dr she was worried about !! LoL