11/11/05 |
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The following
article appeared in the Summer
the Get Well Club Newsletter
Let’s knock the Stigma In the last issue we mentioned that the GWC Website had been posted on an Internet Newsgroup with a mixed reception. Most of the negative response seemed to come from one or two who were incensed that ME/CFS could involve the brain. I see this obduracy not only insulting to other sufferers but a major obstacle to the recovery of those bearing this attitude. As I, a layperson, understand it, the brain has two levels—conscious and sub-conscious. I think of the conscious level of the brain in terms of ‘the mind’. However, both levels depend on the same mechanics in order to function. The conscious ‘mind’ is the part of the brain with which I make decisions—whether or not to do something and, being a woman, I am entitled to change my mind as often as I like! The subconscious brain is that part of my brain which is working away, day and night, without my being aware of it. It keeps my digestion flowing, it keeps me breathing when I am asleep, it controls the precise amount of insulin to be secreted by my pancreas when I indulge in a sugar binge, it makes my heart beat faster when I run in the gym, goose bumps rise when I am cold. In fact, every single body function, however small, has a section, or sections of brain devoted to its control. An example of two levels of your brain working together can be illustrated by having a light shone into your face. Your conscious brain says “Ouch, that’s bright “ and you will turn your head away from it. What you are quite unaware of is that, at the same time, the iris in your eye quickly contracts to make the pupil smaller, to let less light through. This is something over which you have no direct conscious control. All you can do is close your eyes or turn your head. You cannot consciously control the muscles in your eye. If I develop a malfunction, due to a tumour or blood clot in that part of my brain which controls speech, for instance, I may articulate muddled and slurred as if I am drunk. No amount of conscious effort will change things until the problem is resolved by medical intervention, after which it may be possible to restore normal function with conscious effort. If I get flu or another affliction with a high temperature, my brain may malfunction for a while. It will be an effort even to walk to the bathroom as my legs will feel like lead. My head will throb, I may not be able to think straight and I will toss and turn all night. This is my immune system on red alert. No amount of willpower will change things -I should just lie back and let it do its job. The immune system is implicated in allergies and other sensitivities as well as defending us from viruses and bacteria. An example which immediately comes to my mind is a young lawyer for whom I worked many years ago. He suffered quite badly from eczema but when, sometimes, a Court List collapsed and we found ourselves first before the Judge for the following morning his face would erupt into a mass of angry, red, itching sores which caused him untold misery. This was his immune system’s way of reacting to stress. Other people experience other reactions depending on their make-up. The science of Genetics means we are not all the same and our bodies will have inherited certain characteristics from our parents, which is why it might be said of someone “He’s so laid back, like his dad” or “She’s just like her mother - no patience.” Each individual’s brain is like their own personal fingerprint. However, our life experiences can fine tune or sharpen the characteristics with which we are born. Someone who is born with a low capacity for tolerating stressful situations may become more sensitive if he has negative experiences as he is growing up, whereas someone who inherits a laid back attitude to life might come through similar experiences less affected. Whilst you cannot change the individual ‘fingerprint’ that is each person’s brain, destructive thought processes developed through adverse life experiences can be encouraged to change. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has much to offer an individual as he can be shown different ways of perceiving and understanding his stresses and better ways of dealing with them; i.e. he can use his conscious ‘mind’ to help his subconscious. The indignation and anger that is the reaction of many people who are told they or a relative have an illness affecting the brain is born purely of ignorance, fear of what other people might think, rejection by society and visions of Victorian asylums. The truth is that these people are afraid of being perceived as weak, less than perfect or not normal. What is normal, anyway? It could be said that people who are totally unable to understand how someone else may be suffering are the ones who are not normal. Someone who, along with those close to him, has understanding of his illness is likely to recover more readily than someone who is surrounded by prejudice and doubt. The first step is to want to get well. I have heard of quite a few well-known actors and actresses who have confessed to being physically sick before going on stage. This is the result of anticipation, adrenaline, or excitement triggering a reflex. We all know it is impossible to stop yourself from vomiting once you know it is going to happen. The actor who loves his craft knows that this is only a temporary hitch, and learns to live with it, because he knows that as soon as he has stepped onto the stage, he will be fine. However, if this reaction happened more frequently, say, every time he left the stage and had to re-enter he might cease to enjoy his craft and begin to find the whole thing a more unpleasant experience. At this point, he may decide he’d be happier selling programmes. Sadly, this option is not an easy one to take when he is the breadwinner or main carer and the family is dependent on him. He can feel trapped, which further compounds the stress he is already under. The brain is such a large, complex and amazing organ it has taken a long time to even begin to understand it and there is still much more to learn. It is the control centre for the whole of your body. If it gets sick it will either be referred to a Psychiatrist or a Neurologist, depending on the initial symptoms displayed but the aim of both disciplines is to discover what is wrong and correct it, if possible. However, just like all the other organs of your body, it needs treating with respect. Sometimes, for reasons only known to itself, it will develop problems but, like a computer, if you overload it, it will eventually crash. Whether a brain disfunction affects us physically or encroaches into our conscious ’mind’, disrupting thought processes, and thereby affecting the perception, by others, of our personality it is important to remember that this person’s personality is still the same underneath. He or she is just as deserving of our understanding, care, respect and love as any other - in fact, it is vital for their eventual recovery. Back to - GOLDEN RULES - NEWS & LINKS or HOME PAGE |