A recent 2023 study authored by Dr. Howard Schubiner in the Journal of Pain assessed 222 chronic low back and neck pain patients in a primary care clinic. A physician was trained to diagnose for structural nociceptive or neuropathic casues (clear peripheral etiology) vs non-structural (nociplastic or neuroplastic) causes to the symptoms. What they found […]
The role of mental and emotional stress in medicine has been by and large neglected and un-diagnosed as a primary cause of somatic symptoms and health illness in the body. Most primary health practitioners are not trained to assess and then treat stress as a factor in health conditions. It’s really incredible when here we […]
There’s been more and more research emerging on the role of what’s called alexithymia and it’s role in health complaints in the body. Alexithymia literally means “lack of words for emotions” or is defined as the inability to recognize or describe one’s own emotions. We know emotions can play a role in the production or […]
There is a bi-directional relationship between anxiety, worry, and functional somatic symptoms (FSS). This 2021 study concluded that: Previous studies have shown that anxiety and FSS are associated with each other at a group level. Individuals reporting high levels of anxiety are more likely to report high levels of FSS compared to individuals with low […]
The worldwide prevalence of back and neck pain is may be higher than you think- It has been found that upwards of 80 percent of all people experience back pain at some point in their lives and almost 25 percent of people live with chronic back pain, and 11 percent are disabled by it. A […]
I posted a few weeks back the prevalence rates of somatization or what’s called somatoform disorders is much higher than most know- upwards of 40% seen in general practice. Somatoform disorders comprise physical symptoms that are caused by neural circuit alterations in the brain vs structural issues in the body. This meta-analysis titled: ‘Stuctural neuroimaging […]
I’m excited to offer and to invite you to a limited time free screening of the documentary feature film This Might Hurt! The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Jim and film producer Kent Bassett about the role of the mind in neck and back pain symptoms. An official selection of the […]
I get a fair amount of people asking me if stress can cause or contribute to autoimmune conditions. The short answer is yes. This study completed in 2018 found ‘that exposure to a stress-related disorder was significantly associated with increased risk of subsequent autoimmune disease, compared with matched unexposed individuals and with full siblings.’ Each […]
Somatization is defined as the production of medical symptoms with no discernable organic cause. Another way to describe it is the tendency to experience psychological distress in the form of somatic symptoms and to seek medical help for these symptoms, which may be initiated and/or perpetuated by emotional responses such as anxiety and depression. You […]
Hwabyung is probably not a diagnosis you have ever heard of. In Korea though, it is diagnosable and seen as a valid medical and mental health condition. According to this research paper “the term Hwabyung originated from folklore, wherein a patient suffered from a physical or mental unhealthy condition caused by accumulated and unresolved anger.” […]
