| mikeearnsh@yahoo.co.uk.
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| | As is often the case it has taken the
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| Best regards
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| | negative economicimplications of stress
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| Mark Shaw
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| | to spur employers and healthcareproviders
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| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia
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| | into action.
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| and the Stress Spiral
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| | Sufferers no longer have to fight against
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| Stress and anxiety are an unfortunate,
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| | the labeling thatwas common with previous
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| but sometimesnecessary and inevitable
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| | generations which took the basicpremise
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| feature of modern life.
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| | that "stress, depression and anxiety are
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| As with diet, obesity, alcohol and
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| | all in themind and are a sign of
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| smoking I am afraid thatthe news is
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| | weakness"
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| simple. They have to be addressed.
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| | How stress can maintain and exacerbate
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| Learning to deal with stress is something
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| | CFS and Fibromyalgia
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| that can beconsciously learned and
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| | Stress, depression and anxiety are known
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| practiced and new techniques haveproven
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| | to slow down andin severe cases prevent
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| very effective.
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| | recovery from infectious illnesses,and
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| A higher than average percentage of
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| | this is partly where the confusion and
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| patients undergoing
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| | malpracticesurrounding the CFS/depression
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| Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
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| | arena was instigated and fedby general
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| treatment are, or were,engaged in high
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| | practice and psychologists over the last
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| stress environments.
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| | fewdecades.
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| This may be or have been at home, as
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| | The dividing line between the two
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| carers of relatives oryoung children. It
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| | conditions can appearvery close to the
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| may have been in work detail or during
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| | untrained eye, but on closer inspection
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| adivorce or home move.
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| | CFS and Fibromyalgia do in fact have a
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| Whatever the cause a significant increase
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| | totally uniquesubset of features when
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| in stress isfrequently cited at the time
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| | compared to depression of any type.
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| of onset of the sufferers
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| | To further muddy the waters both CFS and
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| Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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| | depression causephysical symptoms which
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| symptoms.
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| | can be similar to each other oninitial
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| As well as being implicated pre-onset,
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| | presentation and also there is crossover
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| stress reactions areinvolved in the
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| | with thesymptoms of various infectious
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| maintenance and exacerbation of the
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| | illnesses of the rheumaticand auto-immune
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| Syndrome post-onset.
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| | spectrum.
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| Blood pressure, heart rate, the entire
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| | As I have mentioned several times in my
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| endocrine systemwhich controls hormone
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| | text, establishmentapathy and nonchalance
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| production are all implicated andinvolved
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| | about the true nature of CFS and
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| during stress reactions.
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| | Fibromyalgia have lead to it being
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| Unfortunately, the system that directly
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| | sidelined as asubdivision of psychology
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| controls all thesesystems, the Autonomic
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| | and particularly depression.
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| Nervous System, in particular the
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| | Historically, when help is sought,
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| Sympathetic Nervous System or "day nerve"
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| | sufferers are leftfeeling isolated and
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| remainsmalfunctional post-onset.
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| | misunderstood to the extent that theywill
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| The result, unfortunately, will be an
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| | begin to hide their symptoms, live in
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| exacerbated negativereaction of your
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| | denial worriedabout other peoples
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| Fatigue and Fibromyalgia symptoms
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| | reactions, and press on regardlesswhile
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| tostress and anxiety producing
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| | understating their illness.
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| situations.
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| | Unfortunately, these typical reactions
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| To make matters worse there is evidence
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| | only serve toheighten overall stress
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| that once activatedthe stress reaction
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| | levels which is precisely theopposite of
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| lasts abnormally longer in
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| | the reaction needed for recuperation and
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| patientsafflicted with Fibromyalgia and
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| | soleads to a further exacerbation and
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| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
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| | worsening of symptoms.
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| Is CFS more common in stressed people?
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| | A lot of sufferers understandably avoid
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| Let me first give a very broad outline of
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| | furtherprofessional help.
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| how generalmedical advice is presented to
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| | Some work very hard to find a cure and
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| Healthcare providers indiagnosing
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| | convince people that
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| Fibromyalgia and CFS patients:
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| | CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia is a real illness.
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| "frequently seen characteristics of CFS
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| | This leads tosufferers experiencing a
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| and Fibromyalgiapatients
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| | desperate urgency to recover whichis met
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| * People who through their own personal
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| | and fed by a cynical and irresponsible
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| attitudes andanxieties tend to make their
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| | healthindustry full of fake cures,
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| own lives mores stressful.
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| | miracle pills and treatments.
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| * People who are highly ambitious, they
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| | All this while sufferers are feeling
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| appear to be alwaysactive physically and
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| | threatened, scared,angry, stigmatized and
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| mentally.
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| | generally ill.
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| * People whose lives are fully absorbed
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| | The stress cycle goes even higher, and
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| coping with theneeds and requirements of
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| | the result,sufferers sink even lower.
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| others.
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| | There are times in a person life when it
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| * People who avoid taking the time they
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| | may becomeparticularly difficult to
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| need for themselvesto rest, relax and
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| | actually be ill at all.
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| recuperate and build
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| | For example as a carer of an ill
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| supportiverelationships that are entirely
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| | relative, or a baby oryoung children,
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| their own.
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| | during a period of house renovation
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| *People who have difficulty finding
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| | orconstruction, the demands of work as
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| others to confide in,so bottling up years
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| | primary source ofincome.
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| of emotions and pain at times
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| | In the absence of people that can help
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| ofbereavement or loss. "
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| | practically andemotionally in these life
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| In itself this is not an inaccurate
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| | scenarios it can be verydifficult to
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| description offrequently seen
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| | actually say "STOP".
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| characteristics of Fibromyalgia and
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| | Traditional medicine understood the
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| CFSsufferers. However it is so broad that
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| | importance ofrecuperation, rest,
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| it can describepatients with a multitude
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| | relaxation and contemplation as
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| of other conditions.
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| | animportant therapeutical facet of
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| As I have said many times the human body
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| | overcoming seriousillnesses and
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| is a remarkablyresilient organism, able
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| | infections.
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| to accommodate fantastic pressuresand
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| | In the presence of a frightening array of
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| stresses, but as with all machines and
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| | diseases whichare now largely purged from
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| organisms therecomes a breaking point.
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| | modern society, and the absenceof
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| Stress appears to be a very large
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| | powerful antibiotics and antivirals,
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| facilitating factor forpeople who become
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| | painkillers andanalgesics, the body was
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| the unfortunate ones to develop CFS and
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| | largely left to its own devices.
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| Fibromyalgia post "trigger" infection or
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| | In Traditional medicine patients were
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| trauma.
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| | often treated withherbal tonics and
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| A lesser, but still analogous example of
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| | natural cures, a lot of these
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| stress relatedconditions is frequently
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| | wereincidentally quite effective but have
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| referred to as "burnout", orsimply
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| | now been largelyforgotten, dismissed or
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| "stress" and I quote.
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| | dismantled and reproduced insynthetic
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| "A series of personal life circumstances
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| | form to provide the basis of 75% of
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| combine to createa "breaking point", for
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| | modernpharmaceuticals.
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| example; death of a close familymember,
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| | However the primary strategy of the era
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| chronic pain, moving house, bullying at
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| | involved longperiods of rest and
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| work,divorce, separation, financial loss
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| | recuperation.
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| or redundancy have allbeen linked to
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| | By contrast, modern medicine and society
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| detrimental changes in health "
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| | place moreimportance on masking the
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| How stress can become a causal factor in
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| | symptoms, " keeping a stiff upperlip",
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| Fibromyalgia and
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| | "knocking it on the head" and "getting
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| CFS
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| | back on thejob" as quickly as possible.
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| The initial trauma that was the notable
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| | A "get well quick" protocol which
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| "trigger" of your
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| | unfortunately iscompletely at odds with a
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| CFS or Fibromyalgia is usually cited as a
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| | recuperative strategy forillnesses such
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| bacterial/viralor chemically invasive
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| | as CFS and fibromyalgia.
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| attack of some kind, but it has beennoted
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| | Learning to control and reduce stress is
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| that in some sufferers extreme acute
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| | an important andessential adjunct to any
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| stress, such asbereavement, divorce,
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| | CFS and Fibromyalgia recoverystrategy.
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| bullying, extremes of overwork mayalso be
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| | You will need to learn how to recognize
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| a trigger for CFS symptoms in the absence
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| | stress and how toshort circuit the
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| of anotable infection or exposure.
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| | sequence of events that leads to a
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| This makes sense in that scientific
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| | "stress spiral".
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| evidence has shownconclusively that
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| | Techniques of physical and psychological
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| stress lowers our immune defenses
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| | relaxation areessential and very
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| againstinfection as witnessed by white
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| | effective.
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| blood cell and lymphocytecounts.
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| | Learning when to say NO is essential and
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| Also, stress has been shown to directly
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| | avoiding allevents and activities that
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| affect the body inthe short to medium
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| | place you under unnecessarystress or
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| term causing extreme fatigue and
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| | anxiety are essential in the short to
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| moredisabling problems such as migraine,
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| | medium term.
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| impairment ofconcentration and memory and
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| | In my next article on this subject I will
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| interrupted sleep patterns.
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| | be talking abouttechniques that can be
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| Fortunately, as a society we have been
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| | used effectively to short circuitand
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| woken up to thenegative effects of
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| | alleviate stress and anxiety at home, in
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| stress.
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| | the car and atthe workplace.
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