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(garbage) "Body Reprogramming for Functional Disorders: A New Paradigm"

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
Copy of 'abstract':
Body Reprogramming for Functional Disorders: A New Paradigm
  1. Tony Davies
-Author Affiliations

  1. Pain Management, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth, UK
Overall, 20–40% of patients attending hospital clinics will have symptoms that defy an anatomical, physiological or pathological explanation. In primary care consultations, this proportion is even higher. Many will include a pain-related presentation. Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain has a community prevalence of ∼11–13% and these patients, sometimes alternatively labelled as FM or chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis will have a significant impact on resources within the health community. There is often an uncoordinated approach to diagnosis
 

Sean

Senior Member
Messages
7,378
Overall, 20–40% of patients attending hospital clinics will have symptoms that defy an anatomical, physiological or pathological explanation.

Amazing how much difference changing just one or two words can make to a sentence. If he had said:

Overall, 20–40% of patients attending hospital clinics will have symptoms that currently lack an anatomical, physiological or pathological explanation.

he would be on safer ground.

But then that doesn't make for a nice neat psychosocial fairytale.
 

Large Donner

Senior Member
Messages
866
How about:

Overall, 20–40% of patients attending hospital clinics will have symptoms that either currently lack an anatomical, physiological or pathological explanation or doctors are just to incompetent to diagnose them correctly.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Copy of 'abstract':
Body Reprogramming for Functional Disorders: A New Paradigm
  1. Tony Davies
-Author Affiliations

  1. Pain Management, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth, UK
Overall, 20–40% of patients attending hospital clinics will have symptoms that defy an anatomical, physiological or pathological explanation. In primary care consultations, this proportion is even higher.

of cause we wont see these people add to something like this that its medicine itself which still has a long way to go to find the actual anatomical, physiological or pathological explanations for this... they'd rather just blame our thoughts. It makes me feel like im back in the dark ages.
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
@Jonathan Edwards do you have a subscription to Rheumatology (journal)? I just wondered if a comment would be worthwhile?

I have to say that it annoys me when an author starts an article with a comment about how functional disorders such as CFS 'defy' physiological explanations.

This is presumably an abstract for a presentation at a conference - maybe EULAR, the European rheumatology body. It sounds like an invited review talk judging by the waffly nature of the lead in.

From what we can see it looks like drivel made up by the author. I never used pain management teams when I was in rheumatology because they always seemed to be run by people who had no idea what they were doing. There is no point in commenting, it would be a bit like writing to the Pope and saying that you had not seen God recently, so was he sure He was still alive.
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
Having looked a bit further it looks as if this may be drivel made up by someone else called Hyland - it is not clear. It certainly looks like drivel. It is apparently something invented in Plymouth. There is a study going on:
Body reprogramming for fibromyalgia: initial evaluation

Full title Body reprogramming for fibromyalgia: initial evaluation of patient acceptability and feasibility
Research type Research study
IRAS ID 159186
Contact Name Anthony F Davies
Contact Email Anthony.Davies3@nhs.net
Sponsor organisation Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Eudract number
ISRCTN number
Clinicaltrials.gov identifier
Additional reference number fields
Research summary
Fibromyalgia is disorder of unknown biological etiology that affects about 2% of the population. Treatment options are limited to lifestyle modifications, including exercise and psychological interventions. Patients with FMS are typically under-treated. Under-treatment occurs for two primary reasons: First, provision is variable across and within developed nations, and patients may not be able to access any intervention. Second, providers may fail to optimise treatments for patients’ preferences and ability, as recommended by recent guidelines. A failure to optimise leads to poor engagement with treatment, and poor outcome. Body reprogramming is a conceptual model that justifies the existing evidence-based treatment options for therapists and patients alike so as to achieve comprehensive multi-component provision. Patients are provided with a seven week course (one and a half hours per week) supplemented by a 25 page patient guide and a relaxation CD. During the course patients are introduced to evidence-based lifestyle modifications, including exercise relaxation techniques, and positive psychology interventions such as acceptance and commitment therapy. In contrast with existing provision, body reprogramming is a comprehensive package that focuses on individualising treatment to the patient with an emphasis on patient preference within the various options for relaxation, physical exercise and psychological practice. The aim of this research is to collect preliminary research evidence for this intervention, to explore patient preference and to refine the provision accordingly. Outcome measures will be collected using standard scales used in fibromyalgia. In addition, patients will be asked to evaluate each of the seven sessions and will be invited to attend a focus group after the seventh session at which their experience of the course is explored.
REC Name South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC Reference 14/SW/1040
REC Opinion
Favourable Opinion

Date of REC Opinion 25 July 2014
- See more at: http://www.hra.nhs.uk/news/research...lgia-initial-evaluation/#sthash.pOPWwjTL.dpuf

What becomes more and more clear is that the psychological fraternity have no idea how to do research - much i the way that physiotherapists have tended to have no idea how to do research.

It is 'theory based' in the sense that they are handing out something for which so far there is no practical evidence of value. Yet we are given no idea what the 'theory' is - surprise surprise. The strangest thing is that they are not using CBT and GET - I wonder why since there was a trial by psychiatrists that showed how good they are. They seem to think current treatments are no good.
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
Body reprogramming is a conceptual model that justifies the existing evidence-based treatment options for therapists and patients alike so as to achieve comprehensive multi-component provision.

Everyone clear on that?

On edit: having thought about it, I'm horribly afraid they're saying that what they're doing here is cobbling together an ex post facto conceptual model to justify carrying on with a range of therapies for which there is no justification.

It is apparently something invented in Plymouth.

Can I like this twice?
 
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A.B.

Senior Member
Messages
3,780
In contrast with existing provision, body reprogramming is a comprehensive package that focuses on individualising treatment to the patient with an emphasis on patient preference within the various options for relaxation, physical exercise and psychological practice.

Sounds like a method to please patients. At least a portion of them. That will surely lead to patients positively rating the intervention (especially since skeptical patients won't participate in such studies in the first place), but is it actually a treatment for any illness?

All these psychotherapeutic approaches for physical symptoms seem to be nothing more than various ways to produce placebo effects and calling it treatment.
 
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alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
I'm guessing the article could be summed up with: we don't know what's wrong so it must be a miracle. A miracle of the mind affecting the body. One doesn't need to understand, just believe.
... it must be ... evil spirits ... demons ... the work of Satan ... miasma ... possession ... a curse ...

I have called it an invocation of magic, and some really don't like me saying that.

History is full of this type of reasoning.
 
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Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
Sounds like a method to please patients. At least a portion of them. That will surely lead to patients positively rating the intervention, but is it actually a treatment for any illness?

All these psychotherapeutic approaches for physical symptoms seem to be nothing more than various ways to produce placebo effects and calling it treatment.

Nicely summarised.
Sort of 'do you think the blue pill or the orange pill would be better for you - whichever you prefer will cure you'.
 

Living Dead

Senior Member
Messages
199
The weird part is that the people who claim that "mind and body are connected" always draw the conclusion that the mind must be the target for treatment. If they are connected, why not treat the body?

Another weirdness is that these people are the ones with the least knowledge about the connection between mind and body. For instance, relaxation exercises could slow down breathing, which lowers CO2, which lowers NO, thus treating Martin Pall's NO-hypothesis. However, they apparently haven't even thought about investigating these types of relationships.
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
re Hyland: That name was familiar, and it seems that he's one of the 'powerful placebo' therapists:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/plymouth-cfs-talk-on-the-development-of-‘body-reprogramming’.35993/

Well remembered. I discovered this:


If you want some light evening entertainment it could be good - a bit like Monty Python really - sort of Ministry of Funny Treatments.

I was going to make a comment about how these people are no better faith healers, but it seems they are faith healers. It is certainly a pity that this gets an airing in what used to be a reasonable Rheumatology journal.
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Complex systems theory is fine if applied intelligently,
The first and most fundamental rule of systems modelling is summed up in the adage "The map is not the territory". Any systems model must ultimately be tested against reality. Avoiding reality checks seems to be the hallmark of either very bad science, or science in claim only, and so really pseudoscience.