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"Getting to Know You...Urs Nater" (CFS researcher, works with CDC, etc)

Snowdrop

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
The quote near the beginning of the presidents message suggests that psychosomatic medicine was mostly about PTSD as it related to the war (1942).

Nothing personal @Dolphin but I find a lot of your postings utterly depressing. Having said that I think in this instance the rising tide of 'we don't have an illness for your symptoms so it must be psychogenic' must be fought with some urgency until it is subdued.

A post script to that is: My opinion is that it is much more reasonable to assume that physical and psychiatric symptoms are manifestations of physical illness.

There is a gray area--between symptoms that can be physical manifestations of illness as opposed to mental/emotional manifestations of challenges to living (anxiety would be an example of this gray area but hearing voices that are not there would not)

That gray area helps allow pyschosomatism a foothold to make rather bold and unfounded claims IMO.
 
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ash0787

Senior Member
Messages
308
well its natural for a scientist to be interested in things that seemingly cannot be explained by science ...
I wouldn't even say that his field of research is necessarily entirely useless either since many people do have issues with stress due to work etc and a lot of what he is doing sounds like general biological mechanics exploration so no problem with it really. If I spoke to this guy I would assure him that my stress level wouldn't even register on his test thingy even though I have a terrible disease etc.
 
Snowdrop

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
ash0787 said:
well its natural for a scientist to be interested in things that seemingly cannot be explained by science ...
I wouldn't even say that his field of research is necessarily entirely useless either since many people do have issues with stress due to work etc and a lot of what he is doing sounds like general biological mechanics exploration so no problem with it really. If I spoke to this guy I would assure him that my stress level wouldn't even register on his test thingy even though I have a terrible disease etc.
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Some amount of stress is quite normal and even beneficial in life. There has never been a time when people weren't stressed by life or in their jobs. It's when stress overwhelms the person that either social circumstances need to change (lower stress) or our physical system needs to be made more robust (cured of illness) or better psychological adaptations to normal stress made. I can't really see where psychosomatism enters into it.
 
Woolie

Woolie

Senior Member
Messages
3,263
Snowdrop said:
Some amount of stress is quite normal and even beneficial in life. There has never been a time when people weren't stressed by life or in their jobs. It's when stress overwhelms the person that either social circumstances need to change (lower stress) or our physical system needs to be made more robust (cured of illness) or better psychological adaptations to normal stress made. I can't really see where psychosomatism enters into it.
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Yea, stress is such a handy little concept, because it can mean anything you want it to! Feeling overworked? That's stress! Don't have a job? That's stress! Feel pressured to perform - stress! Don't feel challenged enough? Oh, yea, stress! Too many choices - that's so stressful! Not enough options - how very stressful!

I also have to laugh at the idea of the "stresses of modern living". Working 18 hours a day and fearing that you still may only just manage to put food on your family's table at the end of it - that's sounds pretty stressful to me.
 
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anciendaze

anciendaze

Senior Member
Messages
1,841
Woolie said:
...
I also have to laugh at the idea of the "stresses of modern living". Working 18 hours a day and fearing that you still may only just manage to put food on your family's table at the end of it - that's sounds pretty stressful to me.
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My family has a story about one relative who lost an arm in the American Civil War. (He was a drummer boy.) He went on to work as a cowboy with one arm. At one point while trying to round-up strays alone he was thrown when his horse shied at a rattlesnake, landing on the stump. He then had to catch the damn horse, mount up, and ride three days to reach a surgeon.

I wouldn't try to argue about the stresses of modern life with such a character, who normally got rid of rattlesnakes by spitting chewing tobacco on them.

Ancient history? Much more recently I had another relative killed in his 60s when he was thrown by a horse. Did you think your beef came plastic-wrapped from a factory?
 
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Hajnalka

Senior Member
Messages
910
Location
Germany
Very sorry for our German export Urs, guys!

One of the saddest things is, that he is still in his late 30ies - should be a little more open minded.
 
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