Would you object that I use your comment in my courses as a typical illustration of how our Cartesian dualism is still dominating our thinking about the mind-body relationship and – as a result – may have a detrimental effect on the course of an illness and on the therapeutic options that can be taken. I am used to comments like yours, but I have not received one so short and clearcut. So, it is quite useful as an example in my classes.
I don’t want to start a hopeless discussion on this issue. Let me just add one clarification : Also in respiratory, cardiovascular and other diseases we know that a large part of the variance in symptoms is explained by perceptual-cognitive processes that are subject to pavlovian conditioning (see attached paper as an example). The observation that in 1 out of 2 asthmatics there is a poor relationship between theur symptoms and their pulmonary status does not imply that there is no measurable pathogenic pulmonary process involved. More generally, our thesis does not imply that somatic processes are not involved. Or once again, an either – or perspective is a fortiori not fruitful on MCS.
I wish you the best,
Omer Van den Bergh, Ph.D.
Research Group on Health Psychology
University of Leuven
Tiensestraat 102
B-3000 Leuven (Belgium)
Tel. 32-(0)16-32.60.58
Secr. 32-(0)16-32.60.03
Fax 32-(0)16-32-61.44
Meine Email an diesen "Experten"
Sent: zaterdag 22 september 2007 19:03
To: omer.vandenbergh@psy.kuleuven.ac.be
Subject: Pavlovian Perspective of MCS
Dear Sir,
It's a long time I was living in a flat contaminated by moulds and permethrin and since then I developed not only multiple allergies e.g. against moulds but also chemical intolerances such as VOCs. The inhalation of solvents, perfumes etc. has adverse inflammatory effects on my health. My allergies and MCS are not at all self-reported but have been diagnosed by a physician over here in Germany and moreover it has been diagnosed by a human genetic institute that I'm suffering from functional disturbances of my metabolism of xenobiotics.
Sorry, but this only for your information and in order to tell you that your Pavlovian hypothesis is NONSENSE!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Amazone