DO EMOTIONAL FACTORS PLAY ANY PART AT ALL IN THE COURSE OF IBD (Inflammatory bowel di

[Ruth White]

Body and mind are inseparable and are interrelated in numerous and complex ways, something now
recognized in medicine. In many centers, mind-body institutes are flourishing. It has been observed that at times of physical or emotional stress, patients may experience flare-ups of symptoms, such as increasing abdominal pain or diarrhea.This relates to changes in the physiologic functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and decreased resistance to inflammation, rather than to increased inflammation. It has now been shown that severe chronic stress can lead to increased inflammation.These effects, however, should be carefully separated from the primary cause of IBD, which is not emotionally based.The symptoms of many diseases, even those with no known biologic cause, can get worse in stressful situations.

 

[Guest]

a resounding yes, from my experience, and of others i've known.

i have two 'weak spots' - migraines and crohns. i can bet money on having an attack of one, the other, or both, if i have been particularly upset or shocked about something. sometimes the effects dont hit straight away, they can appear after the initial catalyst has subsided, but sometimes they kick off more or less immediately.

 

[soupdragon69]

Yep I agree with that statement... and have found even though I was heading for remission last year everything went haywire with the stress put on me by my current boss. My guts just have not behaved my skin and asthma flared too as one will always trigger the other two with me as everything is weakened. As a result my thresholds are much lower.

For me though it has to be stress over a prolonged period of time - in the case of my boss its been going on since last October.. short term stressors I cope well with.

 

[Kev]

Well (and I didn't catch who published it or where.. think it may have been JAMA) a recent study, conducted over nearly a decade (think it was 9 years plus change) of heart attack survivors studied two groups... optimists and pessimists. Guess what? The optimists had a 30 - 50% better outcome... all other factors being equal. Now, it COULD be just the difference in emotional outlook, or it could be that optimists, with their positive attitudes, more likely strictly followed meds, exercise and rest regimens.. whereas pessimists MAY have been more inclined to think to themselves.. 'why bother, my heart will get me in the end'... Anyway, for the pessimists amongst us, there is good news.
apparently, perssimism isn't 'hard wired' into the brain, and there are simple methods to develop a more positive attitude... (may carry over to those who are more prone to deal poorly with stress). It's simply a matter of writing out worst case scenarios; THEN unbiasedly examining them to see just how many factors HAVE to come to the fore to make these doomsday prohecies come to life... THEN concentrating on those that don't... Each learned example of one of these doomsday predictions THAT don't/can't come to pass reinforces the principal that... planning/preparing for the worst is one thing, while 'expecting' the worst is another. Anyway, just tossing that out for food for thought, or if you think you are a pessimist; then tossing out a theoretical 'lifeline' of sorts...

 

[BWS1982]

Yeah, it's kinda common "Crohns" sense about stress aggravating the disease. I think it's one of the suspects in my most recent flare....

Damned thing is that this is a vicious cycle...upped stress....upped inflammation....oh great more stress because of inflammation.....oh great, now even more inflammation from all the stress....this seems to eternally be a lot of never ending fun....more stress.......................................

 

[D Bergy]

It is hard to break that viscous cycle that you mentioned.

I am still trying to reconcile why stress has this effect on our disease. I am sure it does, but cannot really come up with an explanation for it. I hate the unanswered questions that surround this disease.

I think the pessimism works pretty much how you described it Kev. It is hard to make progress it you are convinced nothing will help. Then your attitude affects your actions negatively. I remember a person I worked with discussing our 401-K plan which is basically a retirement plan we can contribute to. His conclusion that the government would tax it away in the future, so why bother contributing to it?
He assumed he would be broke when he retired and so he assured that it would happen by not contributing to the retirement plan. And, not surprisingly, he retired on a medical issue and he is living on very little.

Dan

 

[Kev]

Yeah, I think they refer to it as self fulfilling prophecy... As for direct proof that stress can accerbate health issues... I wonder what would happen to a person's blood pressure if emotional, rather than physical stress, was induced. Anyone w access to (I'm not even going to attempt spelling asphygmamamoter or whatever) a blood pressure cuff COULD try experimenting with it. The point of all that being I could see a direct correlation to increased blood pressure (if the stress we're talking about influences that) causing ulcerations to bleed more freely; and I would suspect inflammed areas would become more inflammed... (sp?). Or maybe that's a too simplistic view of basic physiological response?

 

[Jeff D.]

Yeah whenever I get stressed out I get a flare.

Kev I bet there would be a very good chance that blood pressure could have a direct corrolation making inflammed areas more inflammed. At least that was from a semester of college. Next year I'm starting a new degree studying kinesiology so maybe I can try some experiments involved with this. You would be amazed at how simple our bodies really are. If one bad thing happens it starts a chain reaction.
Example: If one walk with their feet pointing out, like a duck, that puts stress on the knee joints. The stress on the knee now puts more pressure on the IT tendon which connects the knee and the hip. This puts stress on the hips and now depending on how your feet are your hips could now be displaced or worse displaced unevenly. That puts stress on the lower back muscles, which puts pressure on upper back muscles, which then goes to the neck, then the jaw.

Now this is just an example of a real life situation of a stress factor, duck feet, causing problems for the rest of the body. If physical stress can cause problems I bet mental stress can as well, especially because it was proven that people under stress stand differently then a person not under stress. They may stand what looks like normal but under a trained eye, or just someone who notices things, they will have likely lifted their shoulders up towards their ears, tilted their head down or forward, and they may or may not walk with more pressure on their feet, especially if the stress is making them angry.

 

[Wiles]

I have IBS as well as IBD. Both are influenced by stress for me.

Just minor every day worries seem to have an effect on me. The other day I was feeling okay, then later in the day I was very worried about something and not too long after I was feeling not so well and running to the bathroom. More serious, long term stress has in the past led to flares ups.

I'm trying to take a more positive outlook on things, but it aint easy when you're a pessimist

 

[Crohn's in LA]

I always wondered about the link between stress and crohns.

When I'm stressed I flare. Guess I should've known.

I remember feeling GREAT. I exercised, and ate plenty f veggies, drank 64 ounces of water etc etc. My mom (56) had a sudden passing from pneumonia. I had an immediate flare up. An experience thatI didn't think I'd witness for at least 30 years had happened so abruptly. I flarred within hours of her passing. Sever bad complicated flare. It hasn't really stopped since Jan 2007.

If anyone has any stress relievers etc, please do share. Massage, mini vacations (weekend) etc etc???

 

[Sojourn]

One of my GI's told me that stress had nothing to do with it. But this was the same GI that told me I could eat anything and offered me coffee or soda when I came in for an appointment. I don't know. It seems like I can remember reading differing opinions about this on random googles.

Personally, I couldn't tell the difference. For some reason, though, it seems that whenever I went into a movie or bookstore it wouldn't be long before I'd have to be going to the stool. Come to think of it, I do get a little stressed out when trying to decide on a movie or book.

 

[Sojourn]

If anyone has any stress relievers etc, please do share. Massage, mini vacations (weekend) etc etc???

I do get massages sometimes and that helps, but only for a couple of days. Sometimes I check into a hotel for a couple of days, or "check-out" in other words.

 

[Jeff D.]

Do anything that makes you feel less stressful. If that's exercising, which is a known stress reliever, or going to a movie, or even eating a specific food that always makes you feel good inside you can relieve stress. Write down your favorite things and see which ones make you feel the best.

 

[Crohn's in LA]

Sojourn...

I like the idea about checking into a hotel. Maybe get an escape, take a swim, get a massage. BUT.....I'm a married man with a 5yr old daughter. My wife may or may not be too comfortable. Nice idea.

 

[BWS1982]

All I've read about Crohns and stress is the same as diet....it can make symptoms worse but it doesn't CAUSE it. Ie: Crohns can be existent already and food and stress can magnify symptoms, but it didn't bring on the disease itself in the first place. At least that's all the info I've encountered....

 

[Jeff D.]

Benson that's 100% correct. Stress does help bring out the disease in many people though. I know that was the case for me. Bringing your stess levels down can help to reduce flare ups in some people. I know when I'm just chillen and have no stress I feel much better then when I'm running around all over being freaked out about something.

 

[Kev]

Yeah, I think there's a lot of confusion over stress and this disease... Like, I read a report where researchers had failed to establish a link between stress and IBD. (no direct causal effect, no evidence it accerbated existing symptoms).. And I think this wasn't the 1st study to 'lean' in the direction... But I happen to believe that not everything in this world can be realized, or recognized, by 'medical' science. I point to the humble 'bumble bee' whose wings scientifically are insufficient to lift its' body weight. However, the blissfully ignorant bee has not paid attention to the scientists, and continues to fly wherever it wants to. I also draw folks attention to good old Leonardo Davinci... He drew diagrams of the circulatory system showing vertices (vortex) of blood in the heart... Science dispelled his drawings for 500 years as having no merit other than being antequated forays from medeval times of anatomy.
Then the scientists realized that the human heart was unable to pump blood in the volumes/pressure required USING 'their' understanding of it; and realized ol Leo had it right all along.. The 'vortex' gives the heart the ability to do the job.

Enuff rambling and babbling. I think positive attitudes affects all aspects of life, including health... and that stress detracts/affects our quality of life and health.

Course, I probably couldn't prove it to a lot of 'scientific' bodies, BUT I say to them.. "BUZZ OFF!"

 

[Jeff D.]

I would really like to see what the scientists did to stress participants out. Not everyone responds to the same stimulus. I don't really know how any scientific test could prove how stress is linked to diseases and the like. I personally know that if I get yelled at I have to run to the bathroom while they are talking. It's happened every time. People can't raise their voice to me because they know I get stressed out a lot by it and I will end up running to the bathroom so I won't listen to them. It's happened to me on 30 different occasions.