Thirty five years ago, Robert Ader, PhD serendipitously discovered a key part of our physiology that was not thought to exist. The story begins with rats drinking water sweetened with saccharine. Half the rats were simultaneously given low doses of Cytoxan to cause stomach pain. (Cytoxan is a chemotherapy drug for cancer.) It was no surprise that soon the rats associated the sweetened water with the pain and refused to drink it.
Archive Categories
- Changing the System (29)
- History of Stress (8)
- Lectures (18)
- Patient Stories (15)
- Stress Illness Causes (54)
- Stress Relief (25)
- Stress Research (45)
- Words of Wisdom (24)
Stress and the Immune System: Dr Robert Ader
December 27th, 2011Integrating Medical and Mental Health Care
October 30th, 2011I attended the 13th Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA) meeting in Philadelphia last week. A prominent theme was difficulty gaining acceptance from medical clinicians about the role of mental/behavioral health practitioners in the primary care setting. These practitioners provide skills helping people with complex medication regimens (insulin for example), weight management, smoking cessation, exercise regimens, substance abuse and stress management as well as help with mental health disorders. But these resources are not used nearly as well as they could be.
Stress Illness and CBT
August 1st, 2011Stress Illness (also known as Psychophysiologic Disorder or PPD) is one of the most common causes of Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS). These are symptoms for which no link to a diseased organ or structure can be found after diagnostic testing. Javier Escobar, MD and colleagues (1) at the Robert Wood Johnson medical school in New Jersey, USA, decided to try a treatment called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for these patients.
The Psychophysiologic Disorders Association is Launched (3)
July 4th, 2011Continuing the review from the last post of Pathways for Growth for the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association (PPDA).
The Psychophysiologic Disorders Association is Launched (2)
July 1st, 2011Continuing the discussion from the last post of the launch of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association (PPDA), which plans to become the leading source of evidence-based information about PPD for health care professionals and the public. Potential donors will be interested in our plans for the future and how their money will be used.
The Psychophysiologic Disorders Association is Launched (1)
June 30th, 2011I am pleased to report exciting news for everyone concerned with breaking down the silos that divide Mind from Body in our health care system. The Psychophysiologic Disorders Association (PPDA) was incorporated in the U.S. State of Oregon on March 17, 2011 and, two months later, was granted tax-exempt status under Chapter 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service. This means that donations by U.S. citizens are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Stress Illness and Arthur Miller (2)
June 15th, 2011Here we continue the discussion from the last post of Arthur Miller’s play Broken Glass which he wrote at age 78. The play with my commentary will be broadcast the weekend of June 18-19 on many NPR stations around the US and is available on the web site of the LA Theatre Workshop. See the last post for links.
