Can cptsd affect metabolism?

[Kizzie]

So, maybe I'm just being thick, I still don't understand how educating doctors about trauma is going to provide that evidence or be helpful, if only to let them know what state we're at now. Because even if trauma is the source of the disease we're carrying, how does that help them treat the disease that has developed?

I don't think I ever said that the reason for those in medicine for learning about complex trauma was to treat those of us who have already developed disease/illness (although to have a GP who knows about trauma and its impacts on my health as a senior would be awesome). It's mostly so that medical providers can inform patients as early on as possible about potential health risks and make a plan together to try and prevent, mitigate or reduce the damage. Of course this means that patients have to feel safe and open about telling healthcare providers about their trauma, and that providers need to offer trauma informed care and a safe space for survivors to disclose. 

Similarly I would hope that mental health providers would be better trained about complex trauma (surprisingly we found in the healthcare project that universities do not include much about complex trauma in mental health programs either), so they can also educate us about both the mental and physical health damage of ongoing traumatic stress.   

[Kizzie]

Hey Zen Racer - sometimes it happens that an issue comes up like it did on this thread and members get into a bit of a debate about it and essentially take the focus away from the original post. We try not to do so but there are just some things that are important to work through IMO. Personally I don't see it as piling on so much as trying to sort something out but that's me.

That said, please know I'm sorry you were triggered and I hope you don't shy away from posting

[dollyvee]

So, maybe I'm just being thick, I still don't understand how educating doctors about trauma is going to provide that evidence or be helpful, if only to let them know what state we're at now. Because even if trauma is the source of the disease we're carrying, how does that help them treat the disease that has developed?

I don't think I ever said that the reason for those in medicine for learning about complex trauma was to treat those of us who have already developed disease/illness (although to have a GP who knows about trauma and its impacts on my health as a senior would be awesome). It's mostly so that medical providers can inform patients as early on as possible about potential health risks and make a plan together to try and prevent, mitigate or reduce the damage. Of course this means that patients have to feel safe and open about telling healthcare providers about their trauma, and that providers need to offer trauma informed care and a safe space for survivors to disclose. 

Similarly I would hope that mental health providers would be better trained about complex trauma (surprisingly we found in the healthcare project that universities do not include much about complex trauma in mental health programs either), so they can also educate us about both the mental and physical health damage of ongoing traumatic stress.   

No Kizzie, you said the below, which is why I was asking for clarification as to what the below means because my initial post was on the lack of evidence linking everything to trauma in the body and that advocating to the medical community about trauma actually looks like in a nuts and bolts way. So, if the medical community had more training around trauma, it would find a way to link trauma to ZR's metabolic disorder? As I posted on the morbid obesity thread, I think there's a need to detail what exactly you are looking for to happen and what this looks like because it feels like a vague and ephemorous action. What concerns me is that there is no actual study linking trauma to a metabolic disorder, so how does the medical community being better educated actually address that? Again, there are vague causal links, but to me, the clincher would be a genetic study something that Mate dismisses.

"Trauma is a possible explanation for your symptoms Zen racer, but the medical community receives little to no training about complex trauma so right the moment you aren't likely to find informed care. (See our healthcare project "Closing the Gap"). Were healthcare professionals better trained, they just might have some real answers for you."

I will also reiterate the part of the thread that was missing from the part you quoted above because I think it's important:

Again, I think the more pertinent part of what I wrote was, "what is important is to what extent the evidence exists to support all these claims, and is not just an idea to give one emotional comfort, which can then lead to misinformation." So, in that it would be the nuts and bolts of how this works. Yes, trauma does lead to increased cortisol etc, but how that cortisol then effects people with different genetic inheritability needs to be studied and not dismissed, which people like Mate do. Yes, he's one person, but a powerful voice in the community that many point to for "evedence" of the link between trauma and health.

[dollyvee]

I also agree that it is a good mindset to not always look at everything medical through a trauma lens.  Of course treatment of anything could be better for the patient if protocols can be shifted in a trauma-informed way if needed, but that's not how I took that statement.  To me, that was more a way of saying to keep an open mind when finding the root cause of an issue, for finding what needs to actually be treated.

Thanks for saying this as well ZR. This is the spirit in which I intended the original post and I do hope that you are able to find someone to help you understand the source of your high metabolism.

I would be curious if you had your hormone levels tested? It's interesting that this started when you were a teenager, which is when a lot of hormones can go into overdrive.

I also had an inexplicable appendix "attack" when I was around 18 after eating some ice cream. I went to the hospital because of the pain and have never had anything like it since. It was a werid, one off thing that I've never been able to place. I also know that the gall bladder can filter a lot of toxins and mycotoxins. Perhaps break down may be related to having lived in a moldy environment at one time? Also, my next thought would be to look into methylation and proper detoxification. For example, a choline deficiency can be related to impaired bile flow, which can then show up as reduced calorie absorption (doing a quick AI --choline deficiency can sometimes look like a high metabolism because of poor fat absorption/bile problems which then leads to reduced calorie absorption). I have mutations in my PEMT enzyme and have been taking extra choline for a year or so. Can I feel it helping? I don't know as I've made other changes as well.

[zen_racer]

I want to apologize. No one has made me feel bad for saying anything, but I do anyway. Someone in a message also correctly identified the effects of being the family scapegoat, which I kind of already knew, and being the caretaker or mediator of the family, which I had forgotten about and is also true. I'm not trying to control anyone here. I'm sorry that my triggers seem to have been disruptive.

[dollyvee]

Hey ZR,

I want to say that I'm not offended by anything that you have said or done and don't think that you're trying to control anyone. I think you've been clear on what you think and feel about the matter and I appreciate that.

Sending you support,
dolly

[NarcKiddo]

I want to apologize. No one has made me feel bad for saying anything, but I do anyway. Someone in a message also correctly identified the effects of being the family scapegoat, which I kind of already knew, and being the caretaker or mediator of the family, which I had forgotten about and is also true. I'm not trying to control anyone here. I'm sorry that my triggers seem to have been disruptive.

You did well to voice your concerns. That's brave and I'm sorry you are feeling bad about it.

 

[zen_racer]

You did well to voice your concerns. That's brave and I'm sorry you are feeling bad about it.

 

Thank you NK. Looking at the silver lining, now I'm more aware that I have problems standing up for myself, less so standing up for others, and regardless of that, I feel much worse for having done so. I at least know a few more things I have to work on. Thank you for reassuring me, and the hug. 

[Blueberry]

I want to apologize. No one has made me feel bad for saying anything, but I do anyway. Someone in a message also correctly identified the effects of being the family scapegoat, which I kind of already knew, and being the caretaker or mediator of the family, which I had forgotten about and is also true. I'm not trying to control anyone here. I'm sorry that my triggers seem to have been disruptive.

You did well to voice your concerns. That's brave and I'm sorry you are feeling bad about it.
 

  x 100

  

The amount of forgotten or repressed stuff that resurfaced in you as a result of the somewhat off-topic discussion on this thread is immense. Family scapegoat, caretaker/mediator... I honestly think if all that had come up for me in my first few weeks on the forum back then when I joined, I might well have left the forum. I'm glad you did not!! You are a welcome member here on the forum!

Is there anything any of us can do or write or... to help you feel less bad? I can't promise that anybody can help but afaic you're welcome to ask. And no, I don't normally make this offer on the forum. I just feel so bad the way this thread took off and went so far off your topic, especially with you being new. I don't think I'm really triggered tho, there's maybe a tiny little bit in my feeling bad, but nothing like it used to be. So please don't add that to your reasons for feeling bad.

I could only suggest off-hand that you head back to the Healing Porch because it's magic. It gives you whatever you need - just imagine it, it's there. Company who's not going to say anything triggering, a group of people of whom nobody is going to get into a 'discussion', people's pets of all types, none of whom would contemplate attacking anybody else's pet, if somebody's dog barks and that would disturb you, you simply won't hear it  

[zen_racer]

Thank you Blueberry.  I'd have to say that last night, I was planning on staying away from the forum for a little while.  If there had been any bad reactions to things aside from just how I feel, that would've been a certainty, and I knew if I stayed away for a little bit, I likely wouldn't have come back.  Everyone's responses and or messages have gotten me to try to ignore how bad I still feel for it, and all the things my brain is making up to make me feel this horrible.  It's a very familiar feeling, but I had never noticed it this strong before.  It's obvious to me now that my own brain making me feel bad for saying anything is worse than what initially triggered me.

I appreciate the offer, and I wish there was something that would make my brain stop.  Everyone here has already been pretty good about it, and I don't want to be more of a bother.

[Blueberry]

I don't want to be more of a bother.

You're not a bother! I offered after all... But I can sadly very much relate to feeling like a bother and not being able to take any words to the contrary on board. It has got a lot better though, and it will for you too sometime, bit by bit. There is a lot of potential healing to be had from cptsd, but I don't seem to have much control over what heals first and at what pace.

It is worth trying to heal what can heal in my opinion. iirc you wondered about that a few days ago.