Highest Rated Comments


skazki354337 karma

Why do you always do that? Whenever I'm getting married, you don't believe me.

skazki35495 karma

Hell yeah you did. You the shit, Retta.

skazki35491 karma

Retta, when's the last time you treated yo self? And to what?

skazki35416 karma

Suggesting a psychological root doesn’t mean that they think you are crazy or that you aren’t actually experiencing the physical symptoms you describe to them. And it may seem that you’re getting the run-around, but it must be said that there aren’t that many evidence-based standards of care for patients with such disorders that doctors can go off.

skazki3545 karma

I'm fortunate that I've never been in your situation. I haven't had doctors doubt me when I tell them what is wrong, and I really cannot imagine what a frustrating experience that would be. It's absolutely a good thing that you take such an active role in your health; nobody could debate that.

My sole point is that CFS is not something that can be reliably tested (physicians rely solely on reported symptoms), and there is not an agreed-upon physiological mechanism--and by extension there are no sure-fire treatments. The CDC recommended for a while exercise and CBT. They dropped that and have redirected their recommendations towards treating the symptoms that those suffering from CFS find the most debilitating. As I said in my first comment, I don't believe that exploring a psychiatric/psychological in any way discounts what the patient is going through. It's not some attempt by docs to prove that it's "all in their heads." There are lots of studies supporting the idea that psychological factors (e.g., chronic stress) can in fact trigger changes to the immune system (e.g., inflammatory response), and I would say that--on the whole--physicians are keenly aware that psychological problems (especially those that are chronic) may manifest in physical ways. In the absence of any reliable metric for CFS, why shouldn't doctors explore all possible etiologies?