Stress a Main Component of Functional Somatic Syndrome

Do you have mysterious aches and pains that have modern medicine puzzled? Well, perhaps you have the latest buzz-word diagnosis in holistic medicine: functional somatic syndrome.

Functional somatic syndrome is a fairly new and encompassing medical term that describes a syndrome consisting of multiple persistent bodily complaints for which there is no reliable medical diagnosis. These disorders include diseases like fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, TMJ disorders, interstitial cystitis, PMS, chronic pelvic pain, chronic back pain, and food/chemical hypersensitivity. These disorders are seen all over the world, especially in industrialized countries where stress levels tend to be high.

A “functional disorder” used to imply a psychosomatic disorder _ a disorder that only existed in someone’s head. A lot of this has changed recently because of the work of Dr. Jeffrey Bland, founder and leading scientist of the Institute for Functional Medicine in Gig Harbor, Wash.

Functional medicine is a relatively new field of research that seeks to define how the many facets of a person’s life such as their physical environment, past health, emotional environment and lifestyle work in tandem with their genetics to produce a particular health outcome. Bland and other researchers suspect that while many of the above disorders may seem very different in terms of their presentation, they probably all share some common pathways.

The starting point for these disorders may be chronic stress. While some stressors may help us to survive and thrive, stressors that we perceive as persistent, difficult and undesirable produce unhealthy changes in our immune and other body systems. Although much of our stress may be mental or emotional in nature, many other things create stress on the body, including infections, unhealthy foods, nutrient deficiencies, inadequate rest and toxins in the environment.

Recent data has suggested that both environmental and psychological stressors can change how the genes in our cells get expressed day to day, and these changes may then lead to changes in physical symptoms and well-being. Bland suggests that functional pain syndromes like fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome probably begin with various stressors that alter DNA expression, leading to physical symptoms.

Based on the above, when somebody has chronic physical symptoms, then examining all their stressors may be the key to healing. This would include looking at current and past stressors, perception of difficult events, current environment and wellness practices. Treatment would therefore be aimed at not only improving the external environment (reducing workload, getting more rest, improving nutrient intake and removing toxins), but also improving the internal environment (resolving any difficult emotional experiences from the past that are impacting present well-being).

The Human Genome project, which has mapped out the entire sequence of human DNA, will start to help us understand individual genetic makeup and individual requirements for health. Dr. Michael Fenech in Australia has even suggested that we will eventually come up with RDAs (recommended dietary allowances) for individuals based on their genetic makeup, including any adjustments that might be needed to protect DNA during times of undue stress. This protection would hopefully lead to stabilization of DNA, and subsequent reduction in the risk of functional illnesses like fibromyalgia, as well as other illnesses like cancer and heart disease. In the future, knowing an individual’s DNA also will allow us to target specific medical therapies, such as medications for depression or high blood pressure.

We suspect that the medicine of the future will bridge this knowledge of the micro-environment of our DNA with the wisdom and healing capacity of the human mind and spirit, producing a symphony of resources that will guide each of us individually to the optimal health and well-being that we all seek.

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(Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden are medical directors of Sutter Downtown Integrative Medicine program. Have a question related to alternative medicine? E-mail adrenaline@sacbee.com.)

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