-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
musculoskeletal system
fibromyalgia
psychospiritual approaches
metaphors and correlations
Chronic pain syndrome develops as a result of having chronically negative attitudes and/or unconscious emotional response mechanisms that keep a person continually in stress. Chronic attitude problems are so much a part of a person's self-image that he or she does not recognize them as separate from the personality. Nothing is more difficult to identify than our assumed 'natural' ways of being in the world that are essentially patterns we have developed to help us cope. Certain body parts susceptible to chronic negative patterns include the spine, the stomach (as in ulcers), and the head (tension and migraine headaches). (Shealy, p. 256-266)
6:1 in females; 25-50 years old, who tend to present as stressed, tense, depressed, anxious, striving
Stiffness represents thinking in a rigid, stiff manner. (Hay, 1984, p. 184)
Low intensity exercise may improve fibromyalgia symptoms, and patients who exercise regularly suffer less severe symptoms than patients who remain sedentary. (Wilke, W, p. 153-170; Carette, S, p. 590-594; Mengshail, AM, et al, p. 345-349)
Inflammation: fear; inflamed thinking; seeing red; anger and frustration about conditions in one's life. (Hay, 1984, p. 170-171)
Overwhelming life circumstances. (Epstein, p. 103)
Emotional needs repeatedly violated; in unproductive relationship patterns where needs not met; "sick and tired of whole situation" feel incapable of challenging source through which anxiety is generated, primarily due to fear of rejection; dynamic of emotional violation; insecurity, inability to challenge, followed by inability to speak up followed by more violation. (Shealy, p. 212)
Resistance, boredom; lack of love for what one does. (Hay, 1984, p. 164)
Chinese psychophysiology:
Liver ~ Gan is the home of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; stores and cleanses the Xue (Blood); maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); controls the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, especially the contractility of the muscles and moistening of the sinews; and reflects emotional harmony and movement.
» Healthy expressions are kindness, spontaneity, and ease of movement.
» Liver Xu (Deficiency) signs include impotence; frigidity; pain in thighs, pelvic region, and throat; ready tendency to "the blahs" (Seem, p. 28); timidity; depression; irritability; vertigo; pruritus; dry eyes, skin, and/or tendons; asthma; aching at the waist; hernia; and difficulty raising head up and down. Liver Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) predisposes to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis).
» Liver Qi Stagnation reflects and accentuates emotional constraint as the Liver's function of facilitating smooth flow in the body is constricted. Stagnation is associated with frustration, irritability, tension, and feeling stuck. With time this pattern tends to produce a gloomy emotional state of constant resentment, repressed anger or depression, along with tightness in the chest, frequent sighing, abdominal tension or distension, and/or a feeling of a lump in the throat with difficulty in swallowing. (Maciocia, p. 216) Xue Yu (Blood Stasis) often begins with Qi Stagnation.
» Mental signs of Liver channel disorders include irritability; difficulty developing ideas; depression; and lack of energy. (Seem, p. 28)
Gall Bladder ~ Dan is the source of courage and initiative, and is responsible for decision-making as the bodily Minister of Justice; controls circulation of the nourishing and protecting energies [Ying Qi and Wei (Protective) Qi]; and expresses itself through the sinews (ligaments and tendons). Its channel purifies Yang energy in the body.
» Healthy expressions are kindness, decisiveness, control, and spirit of initiative.
» Gall Bladder Xu (Deficiency) signs include insomnia; wandering pains; chest and side pains; swollen breasts (Seem, p. 29); weakness in muscles and tendons of the legs; difficulty standing; asthenia; vertigo; chills; timidity; cowardice; indecisiveness; and excessive sighing.
San Jiao ~ Triple Warmer regulates the relations among the three regions roughly delimited by the chest, abdomen, and pelvis; influences the supply of Xue (Blood), Qi and Fluids; is the source of Wei (Protective) Qi; and relates to the function of heat regulation.
» Mental signs of Triple Warmer channel disorders include emotional upsets caused by breaking of friendships or family relations; depression; suspicion; anxiety; poor elimination of harmful thoughts. (Seem, p. 28)
Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion and manifests in the muscle tissues; transforms food into Qi and Xue (Blood); governs the Xue (Blood); resolves Dampness, and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel balanced and centered.
» Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence; » Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; easy bruising; pale lips; loose stools; and muscular weakness.
» The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen. This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise, overexposure to external Dampness, and excess consumption of sweet and/or Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen.
» Mental signs of Spleen channel disorders include mental sluggishness; vertigo; melancholia; obsessions turned toward the past; fixed and rigid ideas; sleepwalking; agitated sleep; and nightmares. (Seem, p. 27)
Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will) and supports the core vitality; expresses ambition and focus; produces the bone marrow and thereby much of the immune system; and displays the effects of aging, chronic degenerative processes, and extreme stress.
» Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance.
» Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); hearing loss; fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch.
» Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Often chronic anxiety may induce Xu (Deficiency) and then Fire within the Kidney. (Maciocia, p. 250) Overwork, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).
» Mental signs of Kidney channel disorders include anxiety; fear in the pit of the stomach; sadness; mental and physical fatigue; antisocial tendencies; and laziness. (Seem, p. 28)
therapies
meditation:
Stress reduction techniques, such as meditation, can be helpful. (Kaplan, KH, et al, p. 284-289.)
exercise:
Low intensity exercise may improve fibromyalgia symptoms, and patients who exercise regularly suffer less severe symptoms than patients who remain sedentary. (Wilke, W, p. 153-170; Carette, S, p. 590-594; Mengshail, AM, et al, p. 345-349)
imagery:
Go into pain, and see, hear, feel what happens (pressure, pulling, rigidity) and follow to symbolic meaning. (Bry, p. 76)
beaver dammed (Chavez): liver-related tension
fire and ice (Chavez): thyroid
affirmation:
(Inflammation) My thinking is peaceful, calm, and centered. I am willing to change all patterns of criticism. I love and approve of myself. (Hay, 1984, p. 170-1)
I am safe enough to be flexible in my mind. (Hay, 1984, p. 184)
I am enthusiastic about life and filled with energy and enthusiasm. (Hay, 1984, p. 164)
theotherapy:
Apollo, Artemis (Lemesurier, p. 101)
psychotherapy:
Those who are prone to inflammations are attempting to avoid conflicts. The following questions may be useful:
» What conflict in my life am I failing to see? hear? feel? move?
» What conflict am I dodging?
» What conflict am I failing to admit to? (Dethlefsen, p. 108)
process paradigm: (experientially oriented)
What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do? (related materia medica listings: musculoskeletal system interview)
related materia medica listings:
the shadow and physical symptoms
body reveals: the spirit
converting a symptom to a signal
state-dependent learning
imagery for immune enhancement
imagery: precautions
imagery: techniques
affirmations: guidelines and precautions
theotherapy
hypnotherapy
process paradigm
footnotes
Reprinted from The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Maciocia, Giovanni, 1989, by permission of the publisher Churchill Livingstone, a division of Elsevier Limited.
Bry, Adelaide; Visualization: Directing the Movies of Your Mind, Harper & Row, New York, 1978.
Epstein, Gerald; Healing Visualizations, Bantam Books, New York, 1989. p. 103
Carette, S. Fibromyalgia 20 years later: What have we really accomplished? J. Rheum. 1995;22(4):590-594.
Hay, Louise; You Can Heal Your Life, Hay House Inc., Santa Monica, California, 1984., p. 164.
Kaplan, KH, Goldberg, DL, Galvin-Naduea, M. The impact of a meditation-based stress reduction program on fibromyalgia. Gen. Hosp. Psychiatry. 1993;15:284-289.
Maciocia, Giovanni; The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Churchill Livingstone, New York, 1989
Mengshail, AM, Komnaes, HB, Forre, O. The effects of 20 weeks of physical fitness training in female patients with fibromyalgia. Clin. Exp. Rheum. 1992;10:345-349.
Seem, Mark, and Kaplan, Joan. 1992. Body/Mind Energetics: Toward a Dynamic Model of Health. Rochester, VT: Thorsons Publishers, Inc.
Shealy, C. Norman, and Myss, Caroline; Creation Of Health: Merging Traditional Medicine with Intuitive Diagnosis, Stillpoint Publications, Walpole, New Hampshire, 1988, p. 212.
Wilke, W, Fibromyalgia. Recognizing and addressing the multiple interrelated factors. Postgraduate Med. 1996:100(1):153-170.