As I sat dazed and confused in yet another specialist's office today, I came to a conclusion on an issue that I have pondered. I decided that today's visit was with a doctor who honestly believed what he said. He truly believed that none of my stress, traumatic brain injury, or genetic glitches mattered. He truly thought that my diet was the cause of all of my challenges. The fact that I didn't consume any of the foods that he mentioned was apparently beside the point. I don't drink soda, any soda, and haven't for years. This fact seems to puzzle doctors especially those who see case after case of health issues related to eating high sugar/highly processsed foods. It seems inconceivable to many doctors who believe this way that traumatic stress could damage the endocrine system significantly or that head trauma could unbalance the major hormones of the body.
I listened, though reluctantly, to a doctor who prided himself on taking a drug to lower his already normal cholesterol even though there is significant research that offers a different perspective. Inflammation, aggravated by stress along with numerous other things, is being shown more and more to be a major indicator of illness. My inflammation level has been elevated for years. Because of my years of elevated stress along with the long term effects of my traumatic brain damage, I have had quite a hit to my adrenal glands which I believe are contributing to my array of symptoms. As I search more and more for natural answers to my challenges, I am sad to say I am seeing a very disturbing pattern.
More and more medical professionals are not only not talking about the effects of trauma but they are out and out denying it. When I asked this specialist about the effect of stress on someone's health, his response was: "It's minimal at best." I almost could not believe what I had heard! Is anyone truly so vain that they would walk up to anyone with traumatic brain damage and say: "Yea, so that war, abuse, humiliation, beating, neglect thing, it doesn't matter. Just suck it up." Stress, if prolonged and/or severe enough, can tax the adrenal glands to the degree that they stop working entirely and then hormones need to be replaced for the rest of one's life. To suggest that the pain of trauma is a minor disruption is to be closed off from the reality that is! Trauma is real! It's life altering! It disrupts our body in a myriad of ways and to be blind to it is nothing short of criminal in my opinion!
I have almost given up the concept of a family doctor who knew the history of his/her patients, their families, and the stresses of life. I don't expect a visit with a psychologist when I see a physician, but I do expect that my trauma which has forever changed my life not be overlooked! It's painfully clear that human suffering is often dismissed in a way that seems quite beyond humane! The medical profession is so divided into specialties that few doctors even have a basic understanding or appreciation of head trauma and its prevalence in our society.
I remember seeing a poster that showed different faces of people of various ages and ethnicities with the caption of "what alcoholism looks like". It stays as a very powerful part of my memory. The arrogance and ignorance of believing that someone, anyone, knows what disabilities look like takes me somewhere deep into my own rage. Invisible disabilities are everywhere. Just because there is not a cane, a wheelchair or a walker does NOT mean there is not a disability! How dare anyone be so conceited as to determine the worthiness of disability based on age, gender, ethnicity, military service, or physical size!
The US is now a country that is seeing very young veterans returning home disabled. This is not the first time in history when this has occurred. Veterans of another time are often shocked to see the results of those coming back from down range. Civilians disabled by the abuse, addictions, and mental illness of others is a nasty blemish on the perfect American dream. Those of us who are forever changed by the behavior of others have been silenced for too long, least of which is by the medical professionals trained to supposedly help us! Enough!
I am aware of the Hippocratic oath which seems to be lost somewhere in the chaos of insurance, pharmaceuticals, office appointments, arrogance, and entitlement. There are some genuinely kind and compassionate physicians for whom I am most grateful. As for those, both medical and non medical persons, who choose to believe that they know all of what is wrong with another without even considering the traumatic side of life, I wish you insight. I wish you compassion and in order to do so, I must find a place inside for my own compassion to grow. Perhaps my own arrogance has limited my ability to see the compassion in others, if so, I sincerely apologize. If not, I seek to offer a different perspective and one that needs to be seen, heard, and felt. Let us take time to acknowledge the pain in another and that does not happen by assuming we already know.
http://www.sott.net/article/242516-Heart-surgeon-speaks-out-on-what-really-causes-heart-disease
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/sep2002/nichd-09.htm
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