This is a very interesting and important article. It’s in keeping with my posts on how the autonomic nervous system is impacted in psychiatric drug withdrawal and how that is similar in many different chronic illnesses. This piece goes into a broader understanding of these issues. It’s very brief but encompasses much that is not explicitly discussed.
The author concludes that healing from these illnesses requires tending to the whole body/mind/spirit complex. This has become very clear to me as I continue to heal.
Frankly it’s also clear to me that understanding a whole host of chronic illnesses from this perspective could change the face of medicine. Right now western medicine tends to treat these illnesses in ways that exacerbate them in the long run because they are only treating symptoms without an understanding of underlying issues. Most MDs are completely clueless about all the factors mentioned in this article and are therefore often dangerous to many of us. See: We can know more about our bodies than our MDs do…trust that, develop it
This is the greatest and most profound lesson this illness has taught me. Having and healing from these illnesses offer a penetrating look into the nature of humans as holistic beings that exist as part of the world and greater universe.
So to repeat my mantra meme, Everything Matters. This idea also got extended into my very brief memoir on Mad in America. My healing has continued greatly since the writing of that article.
You can view the PDF below:
See also: Information and inspiration for the chronically ill
More on hypersensitivity here
More on the autonomic nervous system etc:
- Protracted psych drug withdrawal syndrome, chronic illness, CFS, Fibromyalgia: it’s autonomic nervous system dysfunction
- Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, protracted psych drug withdrawal, CFS, Fibromyalgia and why I still limit engagement on the internet
- Yoga back bends: feels yummy on the autonomic nervous system
- Oliver Sacks, the autonomic nervous system, and psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome
- Stimulate your vagus nerve and thus chill out: simple, natural, uninvasive methods
- About Yoga and the Vagus Nerve
*it is potentially dangerous to come off medications without careful planning. Please be sure to be well educated before undertaking any sort of discontinuation of medications. If your MD agrees to help you do so, do not assume they know how to do it well even if they claim to have experience. They are generally not trained in discontinuation and may not know how to recognize withdrawal issues. A lot of withdrawal issues are misdiagnosed to be psychiatric problems. This is why it’s good to educate oneself and find a doctor who is willing to learn with you as your partner in care. Really all doctors should always be willing to do this as we are all individuals and need to be treated as such. See: Psychiatric drug withdrawal and protracted withdrawal syndrome round-up
For a multitude of ideas about how to create a life filled with safe alternatives to psychiatric drugs visit the drop-down menus at the top of this page.
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Everything matters 