Re: CFS Linked to Childhood Trauma?

[Guest guest]

This article could just as well refer to ANY STRESS (not just childhood

trauma).

" Chronic fatigue syndrome remains a poorly understood disorder, and the

suggestion that early-life STRESSES play an important role in the

disease remains controversial. "

" The researchers also tested all participants for levels of the hormone

CORTISOL, which is associated with stress and the so-called " FOGHT OR

FLIGHT " response.

Low CORTISOL levels may indicate that the body does not respond to

STRESS normally, CFS researcher Reeves, MD, of the CDC tells

WebMD. "

The article is referring to only a certain type of STRESS (childhood)

but note how STRESS and LOW LEVELS OF CORTISOL and FIGHT OR FLIGHT

response is mentioned here just as it is being mentiioned in many other

writings on CFS.

Instead of mentioning just childhood STRESS, the article could have

been on any STRESS, such as a viral illness or an operation or a

stressful work situation, that overwhelmed your body's stress handling

ability.

[Guest guest]

I understand your point of view. I also understand that the affects of long term

stress on a

child whose body is growing, developing and changing can have a profound, long

term

effect. I think this type of stress and its possible effects should be

specifically addressed.

As a mother, it hurts to read it but it must be discussed and brought to

everyone's attention.

When reading the many articles about childhood trauma/stress and CFS, I try to

put my

parental ego aside. It's another piece in the CFS puzzle.

My 2 cents

P.J.

>

> This article could just as well refer to ANY STRESS (not just childhood

> trauma).

>

> " Chronic fatigue syndrome remains a poorly understood disorder, and the

> suggestion that early-life STRESSES play an important role in the

> disease remains controversial. "

>

> " The researchers also tested all participants for levels of the hormone

> CORTISOL, which is associated with stress and the so-called " FOGHT OR

> FLIGHT " response.

>

> Low CORTISOL levels may indicate that the body does not respond to

> STRESS normally, CFS researcher Reeves, MD, of the CDC tells

> WebMD. "

>

> The article is referring to only a certain type of STRESS (childhood)

> but note how STRESS and LOW LEVELS OF CORTISOL and FIGHT OR FLIGHT

> response is mentioned here just as it is being mentiioned in many other

> writings on CFS.

>

> Instead of mentioning just childhood STRESS, the article could have

> been on any STRESS, such as a viral illness or an operation or a

> stressful work situation, that overwhelmed your body's stress handling

> ability.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi PJ, I don’t think anyone is questioning the long term effects of

childhood abuse on later life. But, and it is a BIG but, childhood abuse is

an incredibly accurate predictor for illness in adults – ALL illness, ALL

diseases, are hugely over-represented in this population, I believe the

figure I read once was 7 or 8 times the rate, compared with non-abused

children. On the other hand, lots of abuse survivors do not go on to develop

“CFS” or anything else either. Just to be perfectly clear, this is not

specific to CFS, but for all disease!

So to me, this is just another psychiatric shell-game, meant and only meant

to emphasize the psychological as usual, and just look at the author, that

REEVES from the CDC, who has already done irreparable harm for PWME <sigh>.

The quality of the “research” is only as good as the intention of the

researcher. Aylwin xox

[Guest guest]

> reading the many articles about childhood trauma/stress and CFS, I

> try to put my parental ego aside. It's another piece in the CFS

> puzzle.

> My 2 cents

> P.J.

Hi P.J.,

I admire your courage reading about childhood stress and CFS from a

parent's perspective. I applaud your willingness to consider as many

of the pieces of the CFS puzzle as possible. I appreciate your

description of CFS as a puzzle.

All illnesses are puzzles. People with the " same " illness, whether

diabetes, cancer, CFS etc., suffer differently, express illness

differently, have different outcomes, different levels of suffering or

debilitation.

Chronic or life-threatening illnesses offer opportunities for

examining our lives for what is most important, what is most valuable,

what is worth doing, what is worth skipping, who are friends are, who

will travel our journeys with us and who will not. We may be

devastated by those we love who we most want with us who may keep

their distance after diagnosis. Even devastating disappointment offers

opportunity to learn patience and appreciation for whatever

relationships we are able to maintain after disappointment.

I understand the psychic pain and depression from life circumstances

and disappointing relationships go hand in hand with CFS even for

people with no evidence of early trauma. This is hard, this set of

symptoms and difficulties not to mention confusing and long lasting

for many. The study states only 62% of study participants with CFS

also experienced early trauma. A large number of CFS patients did not

experience early trauma. An association has been made by a simple

majority in one study.

It's a puzzle. I find it helpful to look at it this way. Thank you P.J.

toni

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFAlliance/

[Guest guest]

CFS is an illness under researched and widely misunderstood as well

as disrespected by the medical society and by the general public.

Childhood trauma and/or stress are serious elements that may

contribute to the onset of CFS for an individual (even if the amount

affected are few).

Childhood trauma and/or stress should be addressed specifically in

regards to CFS. If you take issue with this particular article than

read the others that have been posted on this website and the many

others that are available publicly.

However if you do not consider it a serious contributing factor even

if only for the few, that's your right but all aspects whether large

or small need to be investigated in my opinion.

P.J.

>

> Hi PJ, I don't think anyone is questioning the long term effects of

> childhood abuse on later life. But, and it is a BIG but, childhood

abuse is

> an incredibly accurate predictor for illness in adults – ALL

illness, ALL

> diseases, are hugely over-represented in this population, I

believe the

> figure I read once was 7 or 8 times the rate, compared with non-

abused

> children.

[Guest guest]

Well, that’s what makes this such an interesting group – we all do have

different opinions! I’m an ME hard-liner, in that I go by Hummingbird or

Hyde’s definition, and either you have ME or you have something else. There

is no increased incidence of psychiatric disease or a background of abuse in

people with strictly defined, sudden onset, infectious, neurological, ME,

than in the general population.

And I for one wish with all my heart, that “they” (all the researchers

looking at ME in various ways, and “CFS” too) would put a tad more emphasis

on true biomedical research into real treatments for the neurodegenerative,

cardiac/circulatory, mitochondrial dysfunction, disautonomia, immune etc.

aspects of ME, before more people die of cardiac/organ failure/neural

inflammation/brain injury.

There should also be a comprehensive medical assessment of people who have

been told they have CFS, to see what they really do have. Much of this

research was conducted on a population that only said in a phone survey that

they had fatigue, which is patently ridiculous and unscientific.

Meanwhile, these guys can blow smoke about psychiatric history and fill the

journals with their self-serving bullhockey (a psychiatric population needs

psychiatrists at a time when their patient base is rapidly shrinking, its

simple economics to find new populations to lure into their lairs).

The main stressors of having ME are a) being horribly, disablingly ill,

losing one’s livelihood and income and subsequent plunge into poverty,

chosen lifestyle, most of one’s friends and too often, the support of one’s

family, c) being disbelieved and scorned in doctor’s offices, and

psychiatrized without ever being given a proper psychiatric assessment or

diagnosis, and d) dying from this disease, medically and socially

unsupported, while the shrink researchers fiddle while Rome is burning. And

that’s my opinion! Aylwin xox

[Guest guest]

If this is true should there not be a lot of CFS in

the obvious groups - such as children who grew up near

battle areas of World War 2, or children who grew up in

areas severely devastated by the 1930s depression ?

You probably already know I wish there was a lot more

research into the locations co-relation than the

psychological side.

- B.

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi PJ, I don't think anyone is questioning the long term effects of

> childhood abuse on later life. But, and it is a BIG but, childhood

abuse is

> an incredibly accurate predictor for illness in adults – ALL

illness, ALL

> diseases, are hugely over-represented in this population, I believe

the

> figure I read once was 7 or 8 times the rate, compared with non-

abused

> children. On the other hand, lots of abuse survivors do not go on

to develop

> " CFS " or anything else either. Just to be perfectly clear, this is

not

> specific to CFS, but for all disease!

I agree with Aylwin 100%. I too recognize the importance of these

factors in disease, but the intent here is suspicious.

Personally my disease has nothing to do with (psychological) stress,

and everything to do with viral injury to my neurological system.

It wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't the ONLY area they seem to be

focusing on and pouring all the money into. Just another way to make

us seem 'crazy'.

take care, ness.

[Guest guest]

Hi, PJ!

You are right. In addition, childhood trauma or stress does NOT always mean

abuse. The

death of parent could cause long term stress even if the child is surrounded by

love and

support and counseling.

Also even if this is a small or rare contributing factor to CFS, it's a vaild

one in the complex

web of this illness.

Ursula

[Guest guest]

I was born 3 months premature and was therefore a " special baby "

weighing only 2 pounds and a few ounces. My personal opinion, shared

by my mother, is that this has been a large contributing factor to my

development of fibromyalgia (diagnosed in my early twenties but I

distinctly remember suffering from various aches and pains from the

age of 11, possibly even before!). I am now 30 and in more pain than I

could ever have imagined. The doctors in Salisbury (UK) are not

particularly helpful and continually tell me that I am being

pessimistic. My husband tells a different story - I am actually very

optimistic and keep myself busy in an attempt to ignore the pain that

the pills don't kill - I'm busy learning various linux operating

systems, knitting, cross stitching, baking (when I'm able!), reading

(six books of different topics and genres depending on my mood), card

making, beading, etc etc.

Whenever I have raised the possibility of premature birth in relation

to fibromyalgia, doctors give me a funny look as if to say " who has

the medical degrees here? " or " sweet little girl thinks she might have

an opinion " - which is REALLY frustrating!!!

[Guest guest]

I have been reading the posts about the study linking childhood trauma

to CFS, FM & the like. I like what a lot of you have said in response

to that. I feel as if I have to add in my two cents…and write up some

of this, not so much for the group, but for myself, so bear with me.

I was a battered child. My mother also committed suicide when I was

12. I know that I have suffered long term effect from the constant

overdose of cortisol running through my system as a child and the

trauma of the loss. I see the dysfunction in the way I react to lots

of things. I have also suffered a huge amount of stress as an adult

(raising three disabled children, one seriously mentally ill, abusive

husbands, etc). However, I also think the research is a bunch of hooey.

First of all, how does one define abuse? And secondly, how does a

researcher know that when a person says they weren't abused as a child

that they indeed were not? I have heard lots of people tell me they

weren't abused then talk about going out and having to " cut a switch "

or being thrown through a while. Denial runs deep. And, 62% is

certainly not an overwhelming majority. It is barely significant. And,

as someone said, abuse/stress leaves us vulnerable to all sorts of

disease.

I feel that my CFS/FM was caused by a combination of things. I am sure

that my childhood played a huge part in it. I also think it was the

type " A " personality thing too. It was making the decision to have

FIVE children (obviously crazy! LOL).

Also creating an environment for all this were many other things:

moving, at 30, so a climate that was VERY different from one I grew up

in and spent most of my life (moved from So Calif to Oregon); exposure

to large amts of DDT as a child, raising a very mentally ill daughter

who was in and out of institutions, was abusive, manipulative, cruel,

and exhausting; multiple surgeries in my 30s; going to college in my

30s! (counseling degree, then a pysch degree, then two years of law

school – I know, what was I thinking!, and then a PhD program which I

left after I got my masters...got too sick to continue); A

tubaligation causing lots of problems with hormones; a tubaligation

reversal (not truly correcting the problem as shortly thereafter I

lost one tube due to an ectopic pregnancy, then had two babies within

two years and ended up having a hysterectomy); the hysterectomy; AND

living in a very moldy house for 9 years.

Not as simple as just my childhood trauma!

DonnaL

[Guest guest]

>

> Well, that's what makes this such an interesting group – we all do

have

> different opinions! I'm an ME hard-liner, in that I go by

Hummingbird or

> Hyde's definition, and either you have ME or you have something

else. There

> is no increased incidence of psychiatric disease or a background of

abuse in

> people with strictly defined, sudden onset, infectious,

neurological, ME,

> than in the general population.

Hi Aylwin,

As always, couldn't have said it better myself!

take care, ness