The Gupta methods and beliefs - PART TWO

[Guest guest]

......So it's not a paper on CFS and ME after all. Reading the paper

showed that it was on patents that met the ACOR criteria for

Fibromyalgia.....

Mr Gupta then goes on to say

" Any physical or chemical stressor on the body which occurs while the

mind is experiencing acute psychological stress, may potentially

trigger ME/CFS. "

AS usual there is no reference to prove this and Mr Gupta ignores the

epidemic nature of ME. He is quite specific about the Psychological

stress, which is central to his theory. We don't need any lectures

here about different forms of " stressors " .

Then he makes a major jump. Having said that " Many ME/CFS patients

generally recall a period of acute psychological stress " , (or life

event)

He then applies that to whole group (!) and says

" During the period of stress before the onset of the illness

therefore, I hypothesise that the amygdala is highly aroused "

What about all the people who were not under stress? What about the

millions who are also under stress and don't get CFS or ME.

Are their amygdalae somehow different?

He doesn't tell us because in Mr Gupta's world all people with CFS

and ME are having this supposedly stressful event and all of them

have amygdalae producing the same response

What happens next?

" Whilst the psychological stress is being experienced, there are

physical symptoms which are being endured simultaneously "

Oh - what about those who have no psychological stress etc. Do we not

exist again?

" However, I believe that there is a significant subset of ME/CFS

patients for which the following etiology unfolds "

Here we go - a significant subset - with no proof and no references.

Remember, these are Mr Gupta's beliefs here - no science needed.

" The limbic structures gradually attribute the source of the danger

to the physical symptoms the body is experiencing "

..... and then what happens

" Certain personality characteristics may contribute to this bodily

introspection "

Aaah, so it's certain personalities then?

" The person may begin to monitor the body for the symptoms of stress

and the virus in anticipatory concern, especially given the prolonged

nature of the illness, and the person's urgency to return to full

health in order to deal with the source of the psychological stress "

So that's clear. It's the same introspection so loved of anti-ME

Psychiatrists.

" There may be associated anxieties about the prolonged length of the

period of post-viral fatigue, and anticipatory concern about long-

term illness. These concerns contribute to fear conditioning in the

Amygdala "

So it's back to people being anxious, even at an unconscious level

and of course, none of us know what our unconscious is doing. Very

convenient for Mr Gupta.

After all can you prove that your unconscious is doing, can you prove

that your unconscious is even there?

" Adrenaline indirectly " stamps " and strengthens memories in the

amygdale via the viscera, meaning that if the same stimuli present

themselves again, the amygdala can recognise them and react to them "

No references to this as usual and no references to CFS or ME, as

usual. No explanation of how this could be a problem for a type acute-

onset person with ME.

" In the future, a detection of negative bodily symptoms by the

amygdala via the thalamus will elicit a stress response which is out

of keeping with the danger the symptoms actually present "

Sorry Mr Gupta, how do you know the symptoms are not dangerous? My

symptoms are dangerous but then again I have ME. How do you know my

amygdala isn't working very well and dealing with my ME symptoms very

well. You have no research and no proof.

" The amygdala has strong interconnections with the hypothalamus,

which itself is implicated in activation of the immune system in

association with the pituitary gland "

So if that is the case Mr Gupta, why do people with CFS have levels

of the low stress hormone cortisol and people with depression have

high?

Or are you really dealing with people with depression? The only

other " researcher " who finds high cortisol is Prof. Wessley.

Is the similarity between the two of you, because they are both

dealing with mentally ill people under the CFS umbrella and any cure

based on the same similarity?

Negative bodily symptoms in the future act as conditioned stimuli for

the unconditioned stimulus of being in the throes of a debilitating

illness.

And what's wrong with this? All people with a debilitating illness be

it cancer or CFS, will then be in this position. Are you curing all

debilitating illnesses this way, if so, how and what?

" This explains the hyper-vigilance or " symptom monitoring " observed

in some patients "

Once again, if this is occurring and it may be to a subset what can

be the problem? People with cancer will do exactly the same thing.

" The cortex is " arrested " or " emotionally hijacked " by the

amygdala.... The patient simply has to consciously believe that the

symptoms are negative or of concern "

There is no proof that people with CFS and ME are no more in this

position than any other disabled and ill group.

It is entirely accurate for people with CFS and ME to think that

there symptoms are " of concern " - because they are. It's appropriate

and not a bad thing.

Mr Gupta believes that he is the ONE who says that it of concern and

what isn't. The patient cannot be trusted to make the same decision.

My amydala is probably making the right decision for me. Mr Gupta

cannot prove otherwise.

" Given the debilitating nature of the illness, it is no surprise that

patients are concerned or anxious about the symptoms "

Notice like a true anti-ME Psychiatrist, that the patients

are " concerned or anxious "

" The amygdala then orchestrates a chronic stress response via the

conditioned network which is out of keeping with the very minor

danger which the symptoms might pose to the patient "

So we come to the real crux of the matter - silly people with ME and

CFS imagining that their symptoms were other than a " minor danger " .

That's us, blowing things out of proportion and bothering the poor

old Amygdala over nothing.

" The chronic long-term stress response becomes pathological to the

body, and contributes to the myriad of different symptoms and

secondary illnesses observed in patients, of which fatigue is but

one. "

Wow, so its long term stress response making us will. Funny that, my

illness started overnight with a virus. No time then to build up to

that " chronic long term stress response then " , but that's just we

pesky acute onset people with ME disproving Mr Gupta's lovely theory

again.

The long term stress response causing all those over-night symptoms

that never went away.

" A patient's heightened perception of the symptoms, and increased

symptoms in response to effort, can further contribute to avoidance

behaviour and symptom distress "

So it's back to the familiar Psychiatric lobby belief that it's

avoidance behaviour and " symptom distress " . The theories so loved of

the insurance companies. Remember that you are not ill you are merely

displaying " sickness behaviour " .