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Slide 1: ==== ==== Win a $250 Starbucks Card by just entering!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/StarbucksContest/372678136097847?sk=app_349776408401303 ==== ==== This isn't a physical virus; it's an ideological virus called "Doubt or Downplaying of Contested Illness." Just as some infections don't do much unless their host is immunosuppressed, this virus doesn't harm people unless they have a contested illness. If your healthy friends and family are exposed to this virus, they won't come down with it and it won't harm them, but if you are exposed to it, it can have many devastating effects. The dangers of "Doubt or Downplaying of Contested Illness" Virus While doubting and downplaying contested illness might seem harmless, it can have devastating consequences. Here are some things that might happen if you or your loved ones come down with "Doubt or Downplaying of Contested Illness"when you are experiencing a contested illness. -It can distract and dissuade you from seeking adequate treatment. -You might start to doubt your sanity if you believe you are physically ill when no one around you seems to agree. -An unprecedented number of people will tell you that you're just depressed, anxious, or otherwise mentally ill. -People will think that your symptoms are actually character problems, and you'll deal with accusations of laziness, trying to avoid work, a bad attitude, or other faults. -You might develop self-doubt, constantly wondering whether you're pushing yourself hard enough and whether the things people say about you are true. -Instead of the respect and deference that society gives to people with accepted illnesses, you might experience scorn, insults, and jokes at your expense. -You'll be grouped with other scorned segments of society, such as hypochondriacs, malingerers, and conspiracy theorists. -If social respect and connection is good for the immune system, feeling like a societal outcast and lacking respect might harm your immune system.
Slide 2: -Depression, low self-esteem, or shame about your illness can afflict you. -Loved ones might withhold support because they doubt whether you're actually sick. -Loved ones might not show enough concern for how you are doing and whether you are getting the right medical treatment. -The turmoil and emotional difficulties above can steal scarce energy from the task of coping with your health condition. --Indeed, this "virus" can cause many difficult problems for people with contested illness. Some people report that as bad as their main illness was, the difficulties posed by the secondary infection with the "doubt or downplaying of contested illness" virus were almost as difficult. Physical illness can take a heavy physical toll, but the "doubt and downplaying of contested illness" virus can take a heavy emotional toll. In this era of mind-body medicine, perhaps we can venture that the emotional toll of doubt might also have physical effects on the body. --How do people catch this virus? Just like many physical viruses, the "doubt and downplaying of contested illness" virus is present at high levels in the general population, but it doesn't cause problems unless someone comes down with contested illness. People catch it from news articles, comedy shows, and casual conversation. Medical schools and hospitals are major sources of the virus. People can be more susceptible to the virus if they are very mainstream, if they have never had reason to question doctors (or are doctors themselves), or if they tend to be very skeptical or analytical. It is hypothesized but not proven that the virus affects men more strongly than women. Carriers of the virus can pass it to others. --How can you protect yourself from this virus while sick with contested illness? Protecting yourself will help to preserve your mental well-being, your relationships with loved ones, and your health. Here are some tips for keeping the "Doubt and Downplaying of Contested Illness" virus from affecting you:
Slide 3: -Learn its myths. For example, it's a myth that CFIDS/ME patients have no abnormalities in blood tests. Go through the major arguments of those who question your contested illness and determine why each one is invalid. -Call your illness by a convincing name, even if it is not the usual name given to the "contested" version of your illness. For example, rather than saying you have "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," call it "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis." -If you need to be reminded that your illness is serious and real, put a note somewhere that you can see it to say these things to yourself, e.g."I have a serious illness. I am not making it up. I need treatment for this physical illness." -Collect and inform others of abnormal lab tests. Your standard lab tests might be normal, and you might need to look to more specialized lab tests or testing companies to get your problems diagnosed. -It's been said that the difference between a malingerer and a very sick person can be just one lab test. Learn that having normal standard lab tests (CBC, liver enzymes, etc.) doesn't mean that you're healthy. -Read about how many of today's accepted illnesses (such as multiple sclerosis, premenstrual syndrome, and AIDS) used to be contested or unrecognized. -If you start to be affected by others doubting you, share what you are going through with other patients with the illness, who most likely have experienced the same thing. -Avoid carriers of the "Doubt" virus, who can spread it to you while you are sensitive to it. If people refuse to be treated for the doubt virus (see below), limit contact with them in which the virus could affect you (e.g. don't talk about the illness). -Don't give strangers a chance to pass the virus to you. Unless you are ready to treat the virus in others (see below), refrain from mentioning it to people who might doubt you, or use a vague description such as "health problems." --How do you treat the virus in others? There are ways to try to treat this virus. The treatment is costly in terms of energy and time, and you probably can't afford to treat everyone you meet. You'll have to focus on treating the virus in the people who are most important in your life or who have the most impact on you, such as your partner, people who live with you, and your family and closest friends. Some cases of the "Doubt and Downplaying of Contested Illness" virus prove treatment-resistant. No matter what treatments are applied, some people might remain resolute in their doubt. in these cases, you might resort to treating the symptoms of the virus rather than trying to eliminate it.
Slide 4: Note that whenever you try to treat the virus in others, you need to be free of it yourself and your emotional immune system needs to be bolstered so that you can be safe. There is no sure-fire way to treat this tricky and hard-to-eradicate virus, but here are some methods that have worked for some people: -Identify where and when the person caught the "Doubt and Downplaying of Contested Illness" virus. Is it a serious or minor case? Does knowing where the doubt comes from help you to target your treatment? -Invite the person to watch respectable documentaries about the contested illness, if any exist. Documentaries about Lyme disease and CFIDS/ME include Under Our Skin, I Remember Me, and the trailers for What About ME? -If the person with the virus is very logical and analytical, identify the person's specific concerns or doubts, and like a lawyer, provide convincing counter-arguments. -Think about what types of evidence or sources the person tends to believe, and provide evidence of those types or from those sources in support of the contested illness. -Share letters from recovered "Doubt" virus patients who state that they, too, used to doubt the contested illness, but they have since realized that it is actually real and serious (and that their doubt was harming their family members with the illness). -Show the person your abnormal laboratory tests. -Talk (or write) about your symptoms and how you are dealing with them in a way that the person can overhear, so that she or he can learn about how you feel without the pressure of direct confrontation. (In my own case, writing this blog helped me to explain things to my dad, who received the blog posts by email and could choose whether to read them and had no need to respond.) -Argue back if the person suggests untrue alternate explanations such as malingering, hypochondria, or mental illness, or demonstrate that these are inadequate explanations. -When you think someone's case of the doubting virus has been cured, check back regularly to make sure it has not recurred. The person might have been re-infected by doubting peers, a newspaper article, friends or family, etc. --It's hard to deal with an additional "infection" on top of whatever contested illness you're experiencing. It's unfortunate that various sectors of society spew out this virus of doubt that proves so harmful to those of us who are dealing with contested illness. Perhaps the best we can do is to deal with this additional tag-along virus with the same forbearance and skill that we develop in dealing with our physical illnesses.
Slide 5: Finally, just as dealing with illness can bring strength, dealing with the virus of "Doubt or Downplaying of Contested Illness" also can build fortitude. From dealing with this virus, you might develop greater self-confidence and the ability to do what you know is right for you regardless of what people think. Andrea Runyan is a writer in Boston, MA. See her web site at: http://andrearunyan.webs.com/. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Runyan ==== ==== Win a $250 Starbucks Card by just entering!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/StarbucksContest/372678136097847?sk=app_349776408401303 ==== ====