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avik
128 Posts |
 Posted - 06/20/2012 : 10:58:24
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So ive written numerous posts regarding my ongoing battle and concurrent success, in dealing with roughly 20+ forms of TMS (yes, 20).
There has been one major issue that I have had for the past 8 years that I never even considered putting into the "possible TMS" category: CHRONIC SWOLLEN PAROTID GLANDS.
These are the glands right under your ears and behind your jaw; mine constantly go up and down, swelling to the point that I cant talk and to where I closely resemble a chipmunk.
I have had EVERY TEST known to man, including some fairly serious surgery, 6 weeks ago (done by one of the best Parotid focused surgeons in the world). It appears that the surgery has not worked (I had a Sialendoscopy along with stents put into the glands).
The Dr's and the Surgeon are stumped.
MRI's, CAT Scans, Biopsies, Galiam Scan, countless blood samples, allergy tests, countless medications...all show/do NOTHING.
As I read Steve's Pain Deception I am thinking to myself...is it possible that my brain is doing this to me? Such an outright and blatant visibly, physical issue? Why attack the Parotids??
I am at a complete loss and I fear that after 8 years, the Dr's are giving up.
Any thoughts/ideas are welcome. Thanks. |
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drh7900
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 13:28:47
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Caveat...I'm not a doctor.
That said, I would say take heart that the doctors can't find anything...sounds to me like a mindbody syndrome. I had to do a little bit of quick research to be sure of what I'm saying. According to my brief research, the parotid glands are the two largest salivary glands. It's apparently not uncommon for there to be benign tumors and infections in these glands. However, you say yours are swollen and that test after test shows nothing.
Is it possible your brain is doing it? Yes. "Such an outright and blatant visibly, physical issue? Why attack the parotids??" You can answer that best if you dig really deep, I'm sure. Did you ever have mumps? If not, were you ever exposed to it? Are there reasons (such as even mild physical vanity) that your brain might choose this highly visible place to cause symptoms? The brain knows what's going on in your body or has happened in your body. It's capable of using the ANS to control blood flow to every point in the body. Too little and there's pain...too much and there may be pain and swelling. There could also be latent virus exposure that, because of the tension, is causing the immune system to under or over react.
How were your allergy tests conducted? Pin-prick or blood?
As it relates to allergies...and really stress in general, what we eat affects us. I know I'm getting off the TMS path here, but bear with me...for this is my theory. I believe that how we feed ourselves can affect our psychology. Yes, the events we endure shape our personalities, but there has been a lot of research and people overcoming things like asthma or even autism by going on what's called the GAPS diet (Gut And Psychology Syndrome). That is...the mindbody communication path is not necessarily one-way. If you put diesel in a gasoline engine, you can destroy it. In the same way, if you're fueling your body with things that it's not meant to burn as fuel, it can affect the overall well-being of the mind. I think we must think "holistically"...and treat and treat the mind and body together...by following SteveO's advice on what to do mentally and emotionally, and make sure we're properly fueling this machine that houses our mind.
Please understand, I'm not suggesting that your diet is causing your parotid glands to swell...I am suggesting that your diet and what's going on in your unconscious mind could be working together.
If I may ask...what kind of diet do you typically eat? Have you ever looked into GAPS?
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Dustin |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 17:09:05
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quote:
Originally posted by avik
As I read Steve's Pain Deception I am thinking to myself...is it possible that my brain is doing this to me? Such an outright and blatant visibly, physical issue? Why attack the Parotids??
SteveO page 71, quoting Dr. Sarno:
"It is my impression that virtually any organ or system in the body can be used by the mind as a defense against repressed emotionality. These include disorders of the immune system..." --John E. Sarno, MD, "HEALING BACK PAIN"
==================================================
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
======================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 17:21:34
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quote:
Originally posted by drh7900
Caveat...I'm not a doctor.
That said, I would say take heart that the doctors can't find anything...sounds to me like a mindbody syndrome. I had to do a little bit of quick research to be sure of what I'm saying. According to my brief research, the parotid glands are the two largest salivary glands. It's apparently not uncommon for there to be benign tumors and infections in these glands. However, you say yours are swollen and that test after test shows nothing.
Is it possible your brain is doing it? Yes. "Such an outright and blatant visibly, physical issue? Why attack the parotids??" You can answer that best if you dig really deep, I'm sure. Did you ever have mumps? If not, were you ever exposed to it? Are there reasons (such as even mild physical vanity) that your brain might choose this highly visible place to cause symptoms? The brain knows what's going on in your body or has happened in your body. It's capable of using the ANS to control blood flow to every point in the body. Too little and there's pain...too much and there may be pain and swelling. There could also be latent virus exposure that, because of the tension, is causing the immune system to under or over react.
How were your allergy tests conducted? Pin-prick or blood?
As it relates to allergies...and really stress in general, what we eat affects us. I know I'm getting off the TMS path here, but bear with me...for this is my theory. I believe that how we feed ourselves can affect our psychology. Yes, the events we endure shape our personalities, but there has been a lot of research and people overcoming things like asthma or even autism by going on what's called the GAPS diet (Gut And Psychology Syndrome). That is...the mindbody communication path is not necessarily one-way. If you put diesel in a gasoline engine, you can destroy it. In the same way, if you're fueling your body with things that it's not meant to burn as fuel, it can affect the overall well-being of the mind. I think we must think "holistically"...and treat and treat the mind and body together...by following SteveO's advice on what to do mentally and emotionally, and make sure we're properly fueling this machine that houses our mind.
Please understand, I'm not suggesting that your diet is causing your parotid glands to swell...I am suggesting that your diet and what's going on in your unconscious mind could be working together.
If I may ask...what kind of diet do you typically eat? Have you ever looked into GAPS?
--
Dustin
You ask an interesting question here: "Are there reasons (such as even mild physical vanity) that your brain might choose this highly visible place to cause symptoms?"
YES YES YES.
The chipmunk thing not only makes me look ridiculous but it covers my jawline, which is one of the things I like about my face. From a vanity perspective, I have been mildly depressed for years over the fact that I am just not as good looking as I once was (and I wasnt that great to begin with-HA!)I have OBSESSED over my looks relative to this problem for years now; there are times when it keeps me at home (am embarrassed to be seen in public like this) and it does "protect me" from some of my baseless fears of being in public, being social, etc.
I have considered that this might be TMS before, but never took into consideration what you mention above. I AM totally distracted and focused on this...so if it is indeed TMS, it is incredibly effective. Its just that I have had such a slew of other TMS equivs that I never considered this to be one of them.
Holy crap.
I dont even know where to start with this...
As for your other questions; the allergies have been both pin and blood.
As for diet, I eat VERY well. I am an ex-personal trainer, am very aware of what goes in/out of my body.
You know what puzzles me here...if it is TMS, why didnt the surgery serve even a mild placebo effect? I was SURE it would work. And considering the procedure was so serious and it took me so long to come to the conclusion that I wanted to get it done, you would think I would have seen a real decrease in swelling following the procedure. |
Edited by - avik on 06/20/2012 17:23:19 |
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 22:27:09
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quote:
You know what puzzles me here...if it is TMS, why didnt the surgery serve even a mild placebo effect? I was SURE it would work.
I've had this experience lots of times - various minor surgeries or treatments over the years and the doc is saying "but it always works!" But it didn't on me. Because it was TMS. One example was a shoulder "thing" that seemingly disabled me and after various attempts to resolve it I got several cortisone shots, which should have at least lessened the pain temporarily. Nada.
The one time it worked, prior to my knowing about TMS, was when about 20 years ago I wrote a letter to my dad to try to clear our relationship and he sent me a very nasty note. Within a day my slight hemorrhoid had me on the floor with a severe anal fissure. I went to a nice doc called "Bazelgette," which seemed such a good name for a bum doctor, and he was English (like my dad) but very very sweet. His surgery fixed it, forever.
But other than that, I haven't found that even the placebo effect is effective. The only thing I've had a bit of luck with in the fantasy department has been the "white coat" effect - where I feel a bit better temporarily from interacting with a nice, caring doctor. But the stuff they do, other than real basics like bioidentical hormones, has been useless, whether naturopathic or allopathic or somewhere in-between. I'm amazed. I'm the poster child for absolutely nothing working.
Except for doing absolutely nothing about a condition and moving on with my life purpose. Oops - the condition has gone!
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 23:47:02
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quote:
Originally posted by avik
You know what puzzles me here...if it is TMS, why didnt the surgery serve even a mild placebo effect? I was SURE it would work. And considering the procedure was so serious and it took me so long to come to the conclusion that I wanted to get it done, you would think I would have seen a real decrease in swelling following the procedure.
Page 75 SteveO:
"The temporary fix I experienced...the first time around is also common with epidural injections and surgeries, which have little on no effect after the initial placebo effects of the first round." |
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drh7900
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2012 : 08:17:56
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I'm going to hop on this band-wagon and reply to the surgery question as well...with a thought...
You know about TMS. You are aware of the surgical placebo affect. It's possible that as this information has absorbed into your subconscious, the surgery was unable to be effective because you already KNEW (even if you were already SURE it would work) that it would be nothing more than placebo...even if only at an unconscious level.
As for diet and spending time as a personal trainer...I do not intend to sound like I'm challenging your knowledge and experience...I only intend to turn your attention to something that may lead you down a possible path of healing. There are large communities that have studied the effects grains and sugar on the human body. Grains contain anti-nutrients that not only cause damage to the body, but in some cases actually prevent the absorption of nutrients consumed along with them. Even with the best of intentions, if the fuel isn't the right fuel, damage can be done.
As I mentioned in Mala's post...the possibility of a perforated stomach lining (leaky gut) can introduce a host of psychological issues. While conventional "medical" wisdom suggests x number of whole grain servings per day...there is mounting evidence that this is not only "not beneficial" but potentially even harmful. TMS goes against the grain for the conventional medical community...I'd argue it's not a stretch that they don't really know what they think they know about a healthy diet for the human body either. I'm not saying I have the answers...I'm suggesting you consider looking into it and see if gut healing could be of benefit to you. A Primal/Paleo diet has made a tremendous difference in my overall sense of well-being and how I feel physically most of the time since I've been doing it for the last 5.5 months. I wonder how much a GAPS diet might benefit me even further, but I don't feel quite ready to do that (it's intended to be temporary [as far as I know] for gut healing).
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Dustin |
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drh7900
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2012 : 08:29:55
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Oh...and as far as your statement of "Holy crap...I don't even know where to start with this..." I might suggest looking into the whys regarding your self-admitted vanity. Aside from the built-in excuse to avoid going out in public and being social (do you have any insight on those "baseless fears"?), are there any experiences in your life that may have given you an "unhealthy" obsession with how you look? Any possible fears of rejection and/or loneliness because someone might not think you look perfect due to something someone once said or did? You mentioned in Mala's post that you were abused until you were 18. You mentioned a traumatic loss of your brother-in-law when you were 17. You mentioned drug abuse (which I see as a symptom, not as a cause)...in the midst of all this tragedy that shaped you in your formative years...did anyone ever even insinuate that the way you look could be a cause for any of the crap you had to deal with? Have you had a chance to properly discharge negative emotions surrounding such suggestions and ultimately come to forgiveness?
I do feel compelled to say...I'm not a doctor or therapist and do not intend to lead you down a path here...I'm just a thinker and love "puzzles"...and I love to help others...if there's any way I can combine the three, I usually jump on it. So if any of my suggestions here are off-base...disregard. They are just questions I have that I hope can help provoke thought and lead you toward healing.
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Dustin |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2012 : 22:07:45
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quote:
Originally posted by drh7900
Oh...and as far as your statement of "Holy crap...I don't even know where to start with this..." I might suggest looking into the whys regarding your self-admitted vanity. Aside from the built-in excuse to avoid going out in public and being social (do you have any insight on those "baseless fears"?), are there any experiences in your life that may have given you an "unhealthy" obsession with how you look? Any possible fears of rejection and/or loneliness because someone might not think you look perfect due to something someone once said or did? You mentioned in Mala's post that you were abused until you were 18. You mentioned a traumatic loss of your brother-in-law when you were 17. You mentioned drug abuse (which I see as a symptom, not as a cause)...in the midst of all this tragedy that shaped you in your formative years...did anyone ever even insinuate that the way you look could be a cause for any of the crap you had to deal with? Have you had a chance to properly discharge negative emotions surrounding such suggestions and ultimately come to forgiveness?
I do feel compelled to say...I'm not a doctor or therapist and do not intend to lead you down a path here...I'm just a thinker and love "puzzles"...and I love to help others...if there's any way I can combine the three, I usually jump on it. So if any of my suggestions here are off-base...disregard. They are just questions I have that I hope can help provoke thought and lead you toward healing.
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Dustin
Dustin-good question and one that I cannot unfortunately answer right now.
I will journal about this over the weekend and hopefully it will bring up some things in my past related to the points you make above. I need to put some real time into this as I have never even considered any of this in the past.
Also, I very much appreciate your desire to help-I feel the same way with others.
Finally, regarding your diet question, if you dont mind, take a look at the last response I wrote to Mala. I am at a point where I dont want to be distracted by any other "culprit/reason" other than TMS. I do not doubt the advantages of changing ones diet but I feel that doing so will allow me to "blame" some, if not all of some of my remaining ailments, on my previous diet. I feel that by even considering my diet as a culprit, that is my brain once again distracting my from TMS or, from dealing with my repressed emotions.
Its a tough one...but I need to be diligent with one modality right now but will likely go back to considering dietary changes once I am at a more comfortable level with my present situation.
I am almost there. |
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drh7900
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 08:15:48
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I read your response there right before reading your response here. And I can't say that I blame you. My only "argument" is that the approach I'm using is intended not to blame the diet, but to view diet as one of the key roles in being completely healthy (which I know you already consider). For science to be making the "discovery" that mind-gut communication is a two-way street is, in my mind, great news for the mindbody community. I would "argue" that a perforated stomach lining (or "leaky gut") caused by a diet which our stomachs don't really handle well (which, given the evolutionary perspective of Sarno's argument that our backs evolved over thousands of years to be strong and that it wouldn't make sense to suddenly have the human race plagued with weak and fragile spines, falls in line with the "evolutionary" diet as well) is not so much a place of blame for issues, but another issue to be addressed to ensure total mindbody health. Since one of the biggest effects of this is psychological and it goes "undetected" most often, I would tend to argue that it's not a result of TMS, but may go hand-in-hand with it. My wife would argue that diet is the primary cause...but I would argue that the overall experience of our Self, including diet, is the cause.
That said, I don't intend to try to sway you...rather explain my stance. Having gone from 315 lbs to 240 in the last year (still working on at least another 50) and having seen a big difference in the way I feel after eliminating certain things from my diet (before I came across TMS and without the intent to feel more even emotionally, just get physically healthier), I can't help but feel a little passionate about it and want to spread the dietary gospel lol. To me, coming across the TMS concept when I did was perfect because I feel I was already on my way to bettering my total mindbody condition. But you are definitely right in considering that when trying to overcome TMS, one modality at a time may be a better approach for many.
I'd be interested to hear any feedback you're comfortable sharing through your new efforts. Here's to hoping you lock on to something worthwhile soon!
--
Dustin |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 08:47:42
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Good points DRH! Obsessing about diet is another obsession and a distraction from the TMS/psychological issues. One does feel better, when their body conforms to the cultural values, more confident to be active, overcoming TMS fears of doing structural damage. In our culture skinny is in because food is so plentiful. In cultures where food is scarce, the fatter the better. In Polynesian native cultures the king wanted fat wives.
Our evolutionary ancestors ate everything they could get their hands on to keep from starving. I'm sure vegan, vegetarian, gluten were not in the ancient's vocabulary. A fire roasted hunk of protein in the form of elephant, rattlesnake or a plump rat was quite a treat. |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 09:25:58
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Dustin/Tom-
You both directly/indirectly comment on our inability to process certain types of foods.
Doesnt this fall in line with the same old "our bodies arent strong enough" mentality (which Dustin-you directly comment on, but im not sure I understand your "evolutionary" point)and insinuate that our stomachs our now not strong enough too?
Is the acid in our stomachs (in the 1-3 range, just below battery acid) really not sufficient in breaking down glutens, dairy, etc??
I have great respect for both of you via the numerous posts that I have read that you have posted in the past but I think this whole digestive thing is yet another TMS equivalent.
I do believe diet plays a role but I think our stomachs (relatively speaking) are probably even stronger than our backs, spines, necks, etc. This is the one area of the body that has had to constantly adapt...not only to the ever-evolving foods that we have consumed over thousands of years but more so to the associated bacteria. My guess would be that second only to the brain, the stomach is the most evolutive part of the body.
I had horrible IBS for 6 years that pushed me to try some new diets. Just so I am clear here, this was one of my worst TMS equivs; it literally changed my life and occupied my mind all day and night. I tried the gluten-free diet (amongst others), and I definitively felt better.
When I finally freed myself of say 80+% of my physical pains last year, I decided to drop all diets completely (to try to stay true to only the TMS explanation) and DELIBERATELY ate whatever the hell I wanted for the first 2-4 wks. I scarfed down the specific foods that used to bother me most: chocolate, red meat, white bread and ice cream. I didnt have a single issue. Not a single pain ensued; no gas, no constipation...nothing. I have been eating all of it ever since, albeit in moderation. This test/realization, blew my mind. I went from thinking that I had to be very careful about what I eat to my mentality now: I can eat ANYTHING. Its been a liberating discovery, to say the least.
All that said, once I am at or about 99% pain free, I will look into cutting out some of the things that have been proven to cause the body issues (although finding reliable proof in this country is a whole other story).
Anything and everything we do to make our bodies stronger and more resilient, will do just that. The question is and still remains, how much of the end result is attributed to me "thinking" that I am getting stronger?
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Edited by - avik on 06/22/2012 09:32:08 |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 10:04:09
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quote:
Originally posted by avik
(although finding reliable proof in this country is a whole other story).
Reliable food is anything that won't kill you within hours.
EDIT: I reread my reply and saw you wrote "reliable proof", I misread and thought you said "reliable food". I still like my answer, so I'll leave it.  |
Edited by - tennis tom on 06/22/2012 18:58:15 |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 12:31:53
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i88888quote:
Originally posted by tennis tom
quote:
Originally posted by avik
As I read Steve's Pain Deception I am thinking to myself...is it possible that my brain is doing this to me? Such an outright and blatant visibly, physical issue? Why attack the Parotids??
SteveO page 71, quoting Dr. Sarno:
"It is my impression that virtually any organ or system in the body can be used by the mind as a defense against repressed emotionality. These include disorders of the immune system..." --John E. Sarno, MD, "HEALING BACK PAIN"
==================================================
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
======================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html
I don't know TT. I'm agreeing with you all over the place these days. I'm starting to wonder if it's some sort of TMS :-)
But seriously (folks), the longer I spend with this stuff and the more experiences I have, the more I believe in the sheer pervasiveness of psychosomatic effects. The danger is that it becomes tempting to self-diagnose everything under the sun as TMS. I've not posted about my misadventures in this regard as I don't want to be discouraging to newcomers. but the risk of hurting ourselves is real (if small) . I know because I've done it. And more than once.
The number one rule that shouldn't be broken is that if something can be symptomatic of serious injury or illness, that needs to get ruled out be a competent physician. |
Edited by - art on 06/22/2012 12:35:30 |
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MatthewNJ
USA
691 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 17:20:15
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Avik,
you ruled out the physical. you even had surgery that did not solve the issue. The doctors tell you they are stumnped. Sounds Like a TMS equvilant to me. I too have many manifestations of TMs and it's equivilants. I have solved all the "big" ones, now I am working on the little ones.
Try the things that have worked before for you! You HAVE had success. You WILL have more successes!
Matthew
Ferretsx3@comcast.net
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Less activated, more regulated and more resilient. |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2012 : 18:35:51
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quote:
Originally posted by MatthewNJ
Avik,
you ruled out the physical. you even had surgery that did not solve the issue. The doctors tell you they are stumnped. Sounds Like a TMS equvilant to me. I too have many manifestations of TMs and it's equivilants. I have solved all the "big" ones, now I am working on the little ones.
Try the things that have worked before for you! You HAVE had success. You WILL have more successes!
Matthew
Ferretsx3@comcast.net
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Less activated, more regulated and more resilient.
I appreciate that Matthew-I think I just dont know "how" to go about tackling this one.
It doesnt seem to fit in the same category as any of my other equivalents and behaves differently than any other distraction.
Its a crafty one, for sure. |
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MatthewNJ
USA
691 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2012 : 19:51:14
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Avik,
I am not a doctor, I am a Peer. This works for me, if you are comfortable you have ruled out the physical and want to treat this as TMS give this a shot. The next time you have a symptom of these swollen parotid glands, just stop and observe it. don't try to fix it. Just "be with it". and see what happens. Sometimes I have a reduced symptom, sometimes the symptom goies away. Sometimes I get an image: Momn, Dad, Siuster, what ever is at the root of it. This will give you a clue to solving it.
The other thing I noticed is you could re phrase some of your verbiage. Your thoughts create your life! For example, I would change "ongoing battle and concurrent success" to "My current opportunity to solve an interesting equivalent of TMS. My multiple successes at solving other equivalents of TMS leads me to believe I will be successful soon"
And I would change "CHRONIC SWOLLEN PAROTID GLANDS", to "Chronic swollen parotid glands". Don't give it so much power over you by capitalizing it.
Have you read "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz? Toltec wisdom. The agreements help me rephrase words, and say things differently.
Feel free to email me.
Matthew
Ferretsx3@comcast.net
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Less activated, more regulated and more resilient. |
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drh7900
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 08:59:18
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When I speak of the "evolutionary" point, what I mean is what we "evolved" to eat. Just because we can consume something without dying doesn't mean we have evolved to eat it (I realize I'm in controversial territory here...please understand that I'm not necessarily specifically advocating evolution other than the fact that Sarno cites millions of years of evolution of a strong back as an argument that our backs can't suddenly be weak).
There's a lot about cereal grains that, depending on the material you read, are harmful to the body. Regardless of how you feel about millions of years of evolution, there is the fact that humans in the last several thousand years have lived in many different parts of the globe and diets have adapted to their environment. The introduction of certain foods to certain civilizations can prove harmful if their bodies are not adapted to eating them. Yes, we have had grains around for a long time...and they do well for feeding large amounts of people on the cheap, but the antinutrients that are in them that keep us from absorbing much needed micro-nutrients can keep us from being as healthy as we need to be. In addition, the balance of gut flora has been shown to be important for phsychological health.
Is it ALL TMS? Could be...I can't say for sure...but "early man" certainly would have eaten whatever he could get his hands on...if it wasn't a waste of energy to consume it. Plus, the way grains are grown and processed these days is vastly different than the ancient grains and the preparation methods that were used back then (soaking, fermenting, sprouting). It's not JUST how the stomach processes it, but the body in general. Take sugar for example...too much sugar for too long results in insulin resistance...ie diabetes (at least type 2). It's a physiological response to having something in the blood that shouldn't be there (high glucose levels). Since that isn't, in and of itself, something that the conscious mind can be aware of without testing (as Sarno argues for hypertension), it can't be completely TMS. The glucose and insulin spikes in the body are damaging and a great scenario for systemic inflammation...which if it also screws with the mental state of a person, leaves them more prone to immune problems.
That was way more than I meant to say.
Anyway...I don't mean to continue harping on the subject...I just meant to address the question you asked me. Since man became agricultural and started growing grains en masse and had more communities and whatever (again, evolutionary perspective), there hasn't been a need to continue to evolve in the sense of survival of the fittest. Then we continue to get sicker and go to doctors and get medicines that are also not good for our bodies and they cycle continues. It's not a matter of what our guts are strong enough to handle, it's a matter of it not killing us off anymore because we have means to "combat" it...but we are chronically sick as a species it seems. Just because vultures can eat road kill that's been rotting in the sun doesn't mean we ought to try...our bodies aren't meant to handle it...at least not these days!
BUT
I don't intend for that to be the focus of my argument. My argument is simply that I believe that the gut and brain depend on each other...I don't think it's a one-way street and if one's gut IS damaged, it needs to be given opportunity to heal which it can't do if there are harmful substances that are going through it and the proper balance of gut flora (good bacteria vs. bad bacteria) isn't restored (which science is finding affects mental health). I think it's important to keep the whole mindbody healthy. Good mindfulness...getting physical...proper fuel...it's like a "circle of life" lol. Cue Disney music from "The Lion King"
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Is it even possible that this is TMS?
