Effects of early childhood trauma on HPA axis function in CFS patients

[Snow Leopard]

Stress HAS been linked with CFS/ME for decades. To deny that is ridiculous. Whether you agree with it or not is another point.

The same way psychological stress has been similarly linked with many autoimmune disorders, certain cancers etc. It doesn't really mean much in terms of pathology. Risk factor perhaps, but not much more than that I'm afraid.

 

[Jon_Tradicionali]

How many sufficiently severe diseases aren't associated with psychological stress?

Invalid.

I can name 50 diseases which are associated with fatigue.

 

[Jon_Tradicionali]

The same way psychological stress has been similarly linked with many autoimmune disorders, certain cancers etc. It doesn't really mean much in terms of pathology. Risk factor perhaps, but not much more than that I'm afraid.

Yep. Stress is very vague. All I am saying is to not dismiss it as freely as many on this thread seem to be.

Van ElZakker and Pridgen are of the belief that a severe stress, coupled with other biological factors, combine to trigger the reactivation of a herpes virus.

Just a quick pubmed search and read this:

"In this model, a stressful life event leads to microdamage in the brain. This damage triggers an injury repair response consisting of a neuroinflammatory phase to clear cellular debris, and a spontaneous tissue regeneration phase involving neurotrophins and neurogenesis."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777427/

 

[Sean]

It could easily be that the underlying disease impairs patients ability to handle stress or responsibilities of daily living so that they do indeed experience more psychological stress.

It could also be that having a disease like this, which is stressful enough in and of itself, but which is also treated very shabbily by society, is enough to explain any stress related symptoms patients are exhibiting.

I, for one, certainly don't deny having huge stress loads to deal with, and its appalling consequences, especially after more than 30 years of it.

But that doesn't mean stress has a primary causal role (predisposing, precipitating, or perpetuating, to use the stress-ophiles jargon), or that superficial psycho-behavioural therapies are of any substantial value in relieving it.