Chapter 1: Does this website apply to me? Part I.
Most people assume that pain or illness are caused only by injury or disease. But for about 40% of people who go to a doctor, this is not the case. For them it is the brain that is causing their symptoms. These symptoms (described below) are as real as those from any other cause and can be located anywhere in the body.
The most well-known example of a brain-generated symptom is phantom limb pain. After an amputation, pain is sometimes felt at the location of the missing arm or leg. Clearly it is the brain (and not the absent limb) that is causing the pain.
“The most well-known example of a brain-generated symptom is phantom limb pain.”
Brain-generated pain or illness are called Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD) because they are a blend of Psychology (the mind) and Physiology (the body). Surprisingly to many, PPD can be every bit as severe or long-lasting as other forms of illness. Some examples:
A construction worker was in agonizing pain after impaling his boot on a nail. After he received morphine in the Emergency Room, the boot was carefully cut away. This revealed that the nail had passed between his toes and caused no damage. After seeing this, the man’s pain was relieved instantly (reported in the British Medical Journal).
Many of my 7000+ PPD patients were in the hospital.
I was asked to consult on an adolescent on her 70th day in the hospital for unexplained pain. She was receiving high doses of morphine by vein around the clock.
A clinic patient with 27 distinct symptoms simultaneously.
A clinic patient with intermittent pain for 79 years.
A patient hospitalized 60 times in 15 years for unexplained attacks of dizziness and vomiting. (There is more about this patient in Chapter 13).
The good news is that all these patients were successfully diagnosed and treated.
How does THAT work? We’ll go over the process later in detail. But right now, I am guessing you want to know if your brain could be contributing to your pain or other symptoms. The most straightforward situation is if your doctor tells you that your symptoms are fully explained by an injured structure or a diseased organ and that you are responding to treatment as expected. If you hear that you can click to other resources on the web for information about your condition. (But be aware that it is possible to have a medical condition and PPD simultaneously. For example, some people with arthritis, a diseased nerve, a spinal disc problem and other conditions can experience a significant contribution to their symptoms from PPD.)
If there is a possibility that disease or injury is not the whole explanation for your pain or illness, it is worth checking this list of symptoms to which PPD can contribute.
Chronic pain (longer than 2-3 months in duration) anywhere in the body including headache (migraine and others); spine pain; joint pain; fibromyalgia; pain in the chest, abdomen, pelvis or genitals etc
Ringing in the ears
Dizziness or poor balance
Visual disturbances
Pseudo-seizures
Some types of skin rash
Gastrointestinal Symptoms including:
Irritable bowel syndrome (a common condition with recurring abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation, often associated with stress, depression, anxiety, or previous intestinal infection.)
Reflux hypersensitivity (burning sensation in the chest without acid injury to the esophagus which is the muscular tube that connects your throat to your stomach)
Difficulty swallowing
A sensation of a ‘lump’ in the throat (globus)
Functional or non-ulcer indigestion (dyspepsia)
Nausea
Vomiting
Some (but not all) cases of gastroparesis (abnormally delayed emptying of the stomach)
Many (but not all) cases of food sensitivity
Abdominal Pain (either the entire abdomen or in specific areas)
Abdominal bloating or ‘gas’ sensation
Diarrhea (loose, watery bowel movements three or more times per day)
Constipation (fewer than three bowel movements per week that are usually firm or hard and often difficult to pass.)
Diarrhea alternating with Constipation.
Muscle spasm of the rectum (the last part of your large intestine that contains your bowel movement just before you defecate).
Difficulty breathing
Unexplained cough
Changes in the voice
Bladder spasm or pain
Fatigue
Brain ‘fog’ or difficulty with thinking clearly
Numbness, tingling or pain in the arms or legs (including small fiber neuropathy and functional neurologic disorder)
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Many more symptoms that are less common
The nature of the pain or illness is not the only clue to whether PPD is present. There are more indicators from the symptoms themselves. These are described in the next chapter.
Chapter 1: Videos
PPDA Co-Founder Dr. Howard Schubiner created the following six informative videos with Dr. Sohrab Gollogly. We recommend watching them in order.
