How psychosomatics works and what to do with diseases from stress. Told by a doctor

certified clinical geneticist, nutritionist, expert of UniProf Academy of Physicians

“Does psychosomatics exist? Is it true that our experiences can affect our health?”

In recent years, among different segments of the population and age groups there are more and more diseases that are commonly attributed to psychosomatic. Often general practitioners do not pay due attention to such patients and give them a “diagnosis” that has no medical logic, instead of timely referral to a specialist who can solve the problem in the very beginnings of its formation.

What is psychosomatics

Psychosomatics is a broad group of disorders that arise due to the interaction of mental and somatic (physical) factors.

Emotions are reflected in bodily well-being. The body reacts to stresses, and to both “bad” and “good” stresses. Only some people show it more vividly than others.

Why is that? It’s all about the biochemistry of neurotransmitters – substances that help control the body.

Everyone inherits a special genetic code, including behavioral traits. The exchange of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, adrenaline, epinephrine and other neurotransmitters – all of this is embedded in us from the moment we are born.

A simple example: at school, before a test, going to the blackboard or performing on stage, someone’s stomach turns or heart beats faster, eyes darken. And someone completely calmly experiences such events. It’s the serotonin metabolism. Let’s translate it from “scientific” to Russian. In people with a certain gene is disturbed metabolism of this hormone, and its release in the body will be brighter and stronger than in other people.

Such children, as a rule, are more modest, shy, emotionally fragile, they may be prone to tearfulness, “flying in the clouds”, fantasies, violation of emotional balance. And physiologically – to irritable bowel syndrome during stressful situations, even if it is a pleasant excitement.

This occurs due to the involuntary release of serotonin, and its highest concentration is just in the GI tract. Because of this, muscle organs relax or, conversely, contract: intestines, gallbladder, esophagus – and food can “fly” or “stuck” in the digestive process.

Adults with this disorder may “binge” on worries or overreact emotionally to stressors. However, unlike children, they tend to adapt to such features of their body.

How to treat psychosomatic disorders

Such disorders and disorders are really corrected with the support of a psychologist, neurologist or even a psychiatrist. In some cases, certain medications are prescribed to improve emotional status and reduce the reaction to stress. But often it is also necessary to correct digestion, the work of the gallbladder and intestines.

Such conditions usually occur against the background of stress and nervous overstrain and manifest themselves in the form of various somatic complaints, such as pain in the heart, head or abdomen. In fact, the organs may not be affected in any way, but as a result of disorders in the autonomic nervous system, unpleasant sensations appear in them.

What are conversion disorders

Another striking example of neurotransmitter disorders can be conversion disorders – when a person in certain (usually “conditionally favorable”) situations has pronounced symptoms. In particularly vivid cases, sensitivity and motor function of limbs may be temporarily lost, and vision may be lost. As a rule, this condition is associated with dopamine metabolism.

In people with disorders of certain receptors, dopamine does not reach the brain in the proper and necessary for calm satisfaction. In childhood, this manifests itself in the fact that the child constantly brings out the parents’ emotions – whether positive or negative. The latter, such as aggression, increase dopamine levels much faster and brighter, and sometimes it is “more profitable” to use them for a sharp spike in this hormone.

In adulthood, such dopamine addiction manifests itself in a craving for extreme – dangerous sports, extreme travel, gambling on the stock market. Such people are addicted to emotions.

What other psychosomatic disorders there are

In a separate group of psychosomatic disorders are distinguished so-called classical psychosomatoses, that is, diseases, the treatment of which is already engaged in somatic doctors, not psychiatrists.

These disorders include:

• ischemic disease;
• peptic ulcer disease;
• diabetes mellitus;
• psoriasis;
• neurodermatitis;
• arthritis, etc.

These diseases are the result of long-term neglect of the importance of psychological and emotional state. But so vividly manifest these problems can only in people who are genetically predisposed to it.

When treating psychosomatic disorders, the main thing is to correctly understand what exactly the patient suffers from, whether the neurotransmitters are disturbed or the matter is in another way. For example, a psychological breakdown can occur:

• due to persistent physical pain in a particular organ;
• due to chronic fibromyalgia (a condition that causes pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons);
• due to functional disorders of digestion and assimilation of various substances, etc.

Chronic stress and nervous system response play a key role in the development and maintenance of psychosomatic disorders.

In what exactly develops psychosomatic disease, of course, play a role genetic prerequisites, some of which are mentioned above. And the so-called weak spot theory states that against the background of overstrain in the risk zone fall genetically the weakest organs and systems.

A significant role in the development of these disorders play personal psychological characteristics of patients, social environment, place of residence, surroundings and their individual ways to respond to stress and cope with it. On how to fight stress, read in the material at the link.

Is it possible to get sick on nervous ground?

All good, as well as all the bad in human life, is a consequence of a certain way of thinking. Positive emotions create a favorable environment and improve well-being, negative – destroy and lead to unpleasant results. In addition, negative feelings have the most direct impact on the human body. All because our body doesn’t see the difference between an objective threat and the thoughts in our head, and if we are gripped by wrong emotions, we get sick.

When we get sick because of wrong emotions

All negative and destructive thoughts lead to physical illness, as detailed by psychosomatics, which studies the influence of psychological factors on a person’s “bodily” state. This means that most of the diseases that come into our lives are related to bad emotions.

This trend is especially true if you have a long history of problems with a particular area of the body. Let’s take a look at the most common complaints and the true causes of some illnesses.

How character causes neck pain

If you often suffer from neck pain and constant “draughts” at work, think about it. In psychosomatics, the neck is responsible for flexibility in decision-making and the ability to seek compromise, so with constant complaints about this part of the body, it is important to look at some of your actions from the outside.

As a rule, such a problem is faced by inflexible and too stubborn people who do not know how and do not want to look for new approaches. By developing a flexible mindset, you are building a good foundation for improving your well-being.

Anger and Cancer: When Hate Kills

Of all emotions, the most destructive in terms of power is, of course, anger. This feeling has such a powerful force that when a person succumbs to the habit of constantly being angry at the world around him, he begins to get very sick. The chronic discontent inside us causes chronic diseases.

If we talk about such a terrible diagnosis as cancer, it is safe to say that it is the result of human resentment. Strong emotions begin over time to “eat” the body, literally, provoking the formation of a deadly fungus.
In this case, it is very important to abandon the destructive feeling in time and learn to love ourselves, before hatred and resentment consume our health.

Fears, fright and GI problems

A lot of people complain about problems with the gastrointestinal tract, not realizing that the roots of poor health should be sought first of all within themselves. Most GI-related illnesses are caused by internal emotions.

This does not mean that any illnesses should be attributed to bad thoughts, but keep in mind that destructive thinking worsens the existing condition and aggravates it.

So, the GI area is responsible for feelings of intense fear, when people literally cannot “internalize” and accept certain events. Experiencing internal resistance, mixed with fear and non-acceptance of life, we thereby earn ourselves problems with the stomach and intestines.

In such a case, the best solution is to reconsider your attitude to the world around you and change your habitual reaction to things that cannot be changed.

In fact, there are no unhealable diseases, because in order to cure a certain disease, it is enough to look inside yourself and find the “cure” there. There are known cases of healing from many ailments, which are considered to be a verdict. The main question is only whether we are ready to change our thinking and give up emotions that suck all life energy.