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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
 Posted - 04/09/2006 : 23:30:06
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Has anyone read the "hypertension" chapter in Sarno's new book (by another doctor)? I read about half so far and saw myself all over it. The author says 20-25% of hypertension could be caused by psychosomatic reasons. The other 75-80% of cases are due to the familiar genetic, dietary, exercise...reasons.
What's different about this doctor's opinion vs most others is that he thinks it is not the conscious tension and worry that cause long-term hypertension in the 20-25% of susceptible people. It is the repressed unconscious tension (this is definitely the TMS party line) that does it. The author says that there has never been any proof that anxiety prone or angry people are even more likely than others to end up with long-term hypertension. Yes, bp will rise in the moment. It may rise over and over, but this still does not lead to long-term hypertension. Apparently most of the medical establishment believes the opposite; that chronic worry, tension, anger do eventually lead to hypertension and their treatment is to learn to manage stress. Nothing wrong with that, except, according to this author, there is no proof that it will lower the risk of hypertension.
This chapter was very interesting to me because I am the typical anxiety-prone person. Most of the time when I have my bp measured in a doctor's office it is well within normal, but there have been a couple of times when it has been high. And very often when I use those bp machines in stores, it is high. I'm sure I have some "white-coat" anxiety which affects the results too. Here's why: When I have it checked in a doc's office as a matter of course when I am there for SOMETHING ELSE it is almost always normal because I am thinking about that something else rather than my bp. But when I check it in a store I am totally focused on the bp and anxious about the result.
If anyone else has read the chapter in question I would be interested in what you thought. Thanks. |
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n/a
374 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2006 : 02:11:16
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I'm looking forward to reading this chapter, Wrldtrv. Dr Sarno's book has not been released in the UK yet - mine is due from Amazon UK the last week of this month.
Hypertension is something that is of interest to me. We've discussed this before, but its connection with TMS is something that I have thought about many times. I have a strong family history of hypertension and have it myself. Since diagnosis, my doctors have treated it pretty aggressively with high doses of anti-hypertension meds.
I'll come back on this topic after I've read the chapter.
It's a bit annoying - if I'd ordered the book via amazon.com instead of amazon.co.uk, I'd have received it a few days after publication in the USA. |
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FlyByNight
Canada
209 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2006 : 12:39:29
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Something confusing is this chapter is that the author does not present TMS work and emotional release or awareness as something that can help improve or prevent TMS related hypertension. Rather, he talks about new generation of drugs that could target the autonomus nervous system .....
Food for thoughts
P.
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2006 : 23:23:52
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You're right, "fly-by-night"; after reading the rest of the chapter I can see where the author still saying meds are necessary in almost all cases of long-term hypertension. It seems the only point of distinguishing between psychologically caused hypertension and the ordinary kind is to steer the patient to the more effective meds (alpha or beta blockers rather than ACE inhibitors or diuretics).
At first, I had thought my occasional borderline bp was psychological; conscious and unconscious, but after reading further I find I do not at all fit the personality type described. My anxiety and tension is conscious and expressed, which the author says does not lead to hypertension.
Though probably not a candidate for the type of repression-caused hypertension, I think my occasional high bp is most likely psychological. The "white coat syndrome." Or simply the tension that I feel consciously almost all the time. Further evidence is that I have none of the usual risk factors--family history, obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet...in fact, my risk factors are almost non-existent.
Yes, the hypertension chapter seemed kind of pointless in the sense that it didn't offer anything new. More information, a new perspective, but to what end? |
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miehnesor
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2006 : 16:42:46
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quote:
Originally posted by FlyByNight
Something confusing is this chapter is that the author does not present TMS work and emotional release or awareness as something that can help improve or prevent TMS related hypertension. Rather, he talks about new generation of drugs that could target the autonomus nervous system .....
Food for thoughts
P.
FlybyNight- I just finished this chapter and I have to say it did piss me off somewhat. My BP has finally come down to normal and its been borderline high all my adult life. I believe its down because of all the feeling work i've done. Now I could have gone the drug route but then I would be taking a drug with whatever side effects it would have. It's much more safisfying to realize that I got it down by getting to the route of the matter. For me this reduced BP was a pleasant surprise. I did and am doing the feeling work for TMS not for BP relief. |
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Hypertension Chapter--New Sarno Book
