It has now been 3 weeks since writing to the First Lady in the Whitehouse regarding the plight of the patients with intractable pain not being able to obtain sufficient medication to effectively survive the pain of RSD. This problem is due to the DEA shutting down the doctors that have prescribed opioids and narcotics for pain relief. There is still as of yet - no response from the First Lady. Perhaps the folks in our government are much too busy or not concerned about this issue at all. To be seen.
Author's Opening Note: The first of a series of articles dealing with a most sensitive and controversial aspect of Chronic Disease in general and Neuropathic Diseases and RSD in particular. Sensitive - because I dare to enter the personal and private conscious and unconscious areas of the patients mind and mental state. To see what effects the disease has upon the patient's mental attitudes and state of mind. And - the corollary - what effects the patient's mind may have upon the disease. The material presented here is strictly of an introductory nature. These topics will be treated more in-depth in the subsequent articles.
DISCLAIMER - the discussion to follow is not only controversial - but it may be construed to be inflammatory. It is not meant to be at all. I refer to the case where RSD is affected by the mind-set and mental attitude of the patient. It may well be that the patient is able to affect the prognosis of his or her own disease to some extent. This means that such control - may be exerted in either direction - one to control and defeat the disease - the other to allow the disease to continue to ravage the patient. What we will examine here is the reasons why such an apparently absurd statement like this - is being made. This particular issue will prove to be the most pivotal and interesting aspect of the entire series.
Further - there is no denigration of the patients - who suffer RSD - intended. It is well documented and acknowledged by the author that RSD does exist and is real. And that there are those that have said that RSD is all in one's head. That is patently false. But there are those that speak to the "psycho-physiological" aspects of this disease. And yes - there is perhaps something to these arguments.
