• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Chronic Illness Trauma Studies Logo_Mead

Chronic Illness Trauma Studies

How Adversity Shapes Health & Why It's Not In Your Head

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • My Story
      • My CFS Story
      • ACREs II: Food Intolerances
      • ACREs III: Triggers/ Flares
      • PreDiabetes Story
    • About My Blog
    • Biography & Events
    • 12 Best Posts
    • My Fav Blogs
    • FAQ
    • Glossary
    • Testimonials
  • Illnesses
    • Asthma
    • Autoimmune
    • Chronic Fatigue
      • All ME/CFS
      • 1. A State of Freeze
      • 2. Early Trauma
      • Generational Trauma
    • PreDiabetes / Weight
    • Diabetes, Type 1
      • All Type 1 Diabetes
      • Dan’s Story
      • Babyhood Events
      • Childhood Events
      • MDs Dismiss Trauma
    • Diabetes, Type 2
    • Irritable bowel (IBS)
    • Parkinson’s
    • Rheumatoid arthritis
      • All RA / RD
      • Babyhood Events
      • Childhood Events
      • RA Podcast
      • Triggers, Flares & RA
    • Other Diseases
  • Types of Trauma
    • Guide 1: Summary
    • Guide 2: 8 Categories
    • Guide 3: ANS Views
    • ABEs (Babyhood)
      • Intro
      • The Guide
      • Resources
      • Asthma
      • Chronic Fatigue
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis
      • Type 1 Diabetes
      • Epigenetics
      • Video Intro
    • ACEs (Childhood)
      • Summary & Get Score
      • Fact Sheets
      • Chronic Fatigue
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis
      • Type 1 Diabetes
    • ACREs (Parents)
    • AIEs (Discrimination)
    • AMEs (Generational)
    • APOEs (Onset)
    • Triggers & Flares
    • Being Sick
    • Covid
      • 1. Covid (Safety)
      • 2. Covid (Comfort)
  • Causes
    • Epigenetics I Intro
    • Babyhood
    • Cell danger response
    • Nervous System
    • Polyvagal Theory
    • Brain Plasticity
    • It’s Not Psychological
    • The Discovery Series
  • Tools
    • Best 11 Tools
    • Trauma Therapies
    • Heal Trauma (Books)
    • Healing Tips
    • Dietary Changes
    • Heal Your Vagus
    • How I Work Symptoms
    • How Trauma Heals
    • Your 1 Page History
    • Holidays (Tips & Stories)
  • #Chrillogs
    • Intro to Our Stories
    • All Chrillogs
    • 1 Marit: Parkinson’s+
    • 2 Harper: ME/CFS
    • 3 Avdeep: ME/CFS+
    • 4 Laila: Chronic Lyme
  • eBooks & Podcasts+
    • Podcasts & More
    • Free Fact Sheets
    • ACE Fact Sheets
    • Free Book 1 (Intro)
    • More Free eBooks
  • Surveys
    • Take CFS Surveys
    • HALE Results 1
    • HALE Results 2
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

FMS: Trauma Is A Risk Factor for Fibromyalgia and It’s Not Psychological (Free ACE Fact Sheets & Talk from The “Conquering Fibromyalgia” Summit)

Share

ACEs and Fibromyalgia

Welcome from my talk on ACEs and Fibromylagia at the free online summit “Conquering Fibromyalgia,” hosted by Dr. Maribel Aviles, who shares how she has improved from fibromyalgia. Even though the summit is over, you can still access resources below.

I talked about how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other types of trauma can increase risk fibromyalgia. ACEs are also risk factors for chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) as well as autoimmune illness and many other chronic diseases.

It’s not psychological.

The science explains why it’s not in your head, and what kinds of tools support healing.

Table of Contents

  • ACEs and Fibromyalgia: Free ACE Fact Sheets
  • How A Medical Appointment Can Incorporate Talking About ACEs and Past Trauma
  • Learn More About ACEs and Fibromyalgia
  • The Summit
  • Books and Therapies for Understanding and Healing Trauma

ACEs and Fibromyalgia: Free ACE Fact Sheets

[col_wrapper]
[col2][/col2]
[col2_last][/col2_last]
[/col_wrapper]

I’ve created two ACE Fact Sheets to summarize the hundreds of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) studies that validate how the effects of trauma are very real and affect our physiology.

There are at least 3 research studies showing that ACEs and other adverse events in childhood are risk factors for Fibromyalgia (1)Borsini A, Hepgul N, Mondelli V, et al. Childhood stressors in the development of fatigue syndromes: a review of the past 20 years of research. Psychol Med 2013;44(9):1809-23. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713002468, (2)Olivieri P, Solitar B, Dubois M. Childhood risk factors for developing fibromyalgia. Open access rheumatology : research and reviews 2012;4:109-14. doi: 10.2147/OARRR.S36086, (3)Varinen A, Kosunen E, Mattila K, et al. The relationship between childhood adversities and fibromyalgia in the general population. J Psychosom Res 2017;99:137-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.06.011.

There are also studies showing that ACEs are risk factors for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (4)Heim C, Nater UM, Maloney E, et al. Childhood trauma and risk for chronic fatigue syndrome: association with neuroendocrine dysfunction. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2009;66(1):72-80, (5)Heim C, Wagner D, Maloney E, et al. Early adverse experience and risk for chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006;63(11):1258-66. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.63.11.1258, (6)Borsini A, Hepgul N, Mondelli V, et al. Childhood stressors in the development of fatigue syndromes: a review of the past 20 years of research. Psychol Med 2013;44(9):1809-23. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713002468.

The fact sheets

  • include a reference to Dr. Borsini’s article reviewing 20 years of the research on ACEs and Fibromyalgia as well as ME/CFS
  • have a one page questionnaire to calculate your ACE score
  • can be used to share the science with a doctor or patient, family or friends, patients and clients, disability lawyers and insurance, and more

Remember: the good news is that it’s possible to heal the effects of trauma and that helping our bodies resolve trauma responses help with symptoms of chronic illness.

How A Medical Appointment Can Incorporate Talking About ACEs and Past Trauma

I misspoke in my talk about two different medical appointments that changed people’s lives.

The journalist I mention in my talk about “The Single Best Medical Appointment of My Life.” is Cissy White, who shares what it was like to talk with a health care professional about her very high ACE score without being judged. Her nurse practitioner had never heard of ACEs but was open to learning about it and incorporated it with what she already knew about the role of stress and chronic disease. The information was included with the rest of her history in a non blaming way and lead to a context for concrete tools to support her healing path.

The journalist who’s life changed when her doctor told her about the role of ACEs as a risk factor for chronic illness is Donna Jackson Nakazawa. She incorporated new tools for working with her health and improved from a number of autoimmune and other illnesses. She describes the appointment, some of the science behind ACEs, her journey and ACEs, and the approaches she implemented (which included meditation and a number of other mind body practices) in her book Childhood Disrupted:How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal.

Learn More About ACEs and Fibromyalgia

You can learn more about the science explaining how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase risk for chronic illnesses of all kinds, including fibromyalgia, in this introductory blog post.

My other ACEs post includes comments by Oprah Winfrey; important resources such as The Deepest Well, a book on how pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris applies the science in her medical practice; and a section describing how physicians and patients are finding it helpful to talk about ACEs during medical appointments.

My blog posts include a free downloadable ebook about ACEs and chronic disease.

I wish you all the best on your path of exploration. You’ll see just how far the science has come. You’ll also find support for what you may have suspected about how our past can affect our present health – and that there’s something we can do about it.

The Summit

Dr. Maribel Aviles, a family physician based in Orlando, Florida – hosted a series of free online presentations about Conquering Fibromyalgia from September 9th – 20th, 2019. It featured more than 18 of us, including other physicians, therapists, psychologists & more who share life-changing strategies to understand and heal from childhood trauma.

The conference included interviews with Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. and Dr. Jarred Younger Ph.D, who specialize in both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

My session discussed how childhood trauma is a risk factor for fibromyalgia, how healing trauma can help heal chronic illness, and why it’s not in your head.

Here’s a list of some of the speakers and their work:

  • Ginevra Liptan, M.D. author of The FibroManual
  • Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. author of The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution
  • Dr. David Brady, M.D. author of The Fibro Fix
  • Dr. Jarred Younger,  Ph.D. fibromyalgia researcher
  • Sue Ingebretson, C.H.C. author of FibroWHYalgia
  • Megan Densmore C.H.C. producer of Invisible: The Film
  • Dr. Jon Keiser, M.D.- Mitochondria role in FM
  • Dr. Ron Siegel Ph.D.- Mindfulness/ Fear amplification in FM

Books and Therapies for Understanding and Healing Trauma

Therapies for Healing Trauma and Nervous System Perceptions of Threat

Books and Exercises for Healing Trauma and Chronic Illness

10 Empowering Tools That Will Help You Heal

Free eBooks on the Chronic Illness and Trauma Connection

References[+]

References
↑1Borsini A, Hepgul N, Mondelli V, et al. Childhood stressors in the development of fatigue syndromes: a review of the past 20 years of research. Psychol Med 2013;44(9):1809-23. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713002468
↑2Olivieri P, Solitar B, Dubois M. Childhood risk factors for developing fibromyalgia. Open access rheumatology : research and reviews 2012;4:109-14. doi: 10.2147/OARRR.S36086
↑3Varinen A, Kosunen E, Mattila K, et al. The relationship between childhood adversities and fibromyalgia in the general population. J Psychosom Res 2017;99:137-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.06.011
↑4Heim C, Nater UM, Maloney E, et al. Childhood trauma and risk for chronic fatigue syndrome: association with neuroendocrine dysfunction. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2009;66(1):72-80
↑5Heim C, Wagner D, Maloney E, et al. Early adverse experience and risk for chronic fatigue syndrome: results from a population-based study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006;63(11):1258-66. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.63.11.1258
↑6Borsini A, Hepgul N, Mondelli V, et al. Childhood stressors in the development of fatigue syndromes: a review of the past 20 years of research. Psychol Med 2013;44(9):1809-23. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713002468
Share

Primary Sidebar

Contact or Follow Me on Social Media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Subscribe

About Me

Hello! I'm Veronique Mead. On my blog I look at how chronic illness may be a natural response to one or more overwhelming experiences of threat. While this includes infections and toxins, I specialize in the role of psychological and physical trauma. Because the research - still overlooked and underestimated by medicine - has knocked my socks off.

 

Symptoms, it is turning out, may not be caused by mistakes our bodies are making but because our nervous systems have gotten stuck in states of fight, flight or freeze. Our bodies are our best friends and risk everything to help us survive. We are designed to recover or at least begin to heal from the effects of those survival strategies. I never knew any of this as a family physician or assistant professor. And it’s not in your head.

 

I've been testing these ideas with my own disabling disease for the past 20 years (I am much improved and get a little better every year). I share the research, challenges, why some things that seem so logical do not work for everyone (or make things worse), as well as my favorite 11 tools. This is so you can explore what might help you stabilize, improve or possibly even begin to reverse underlying drivers of your chronic illness too. For an overview with links to my most important posts, start here.

Awarded Top 100 Chronic Illness Blogs

#WEGO Patient Leader 2019 Finalist

#WEGOHealthAwards 2019 Patient Leader Finalist for Best in Show Blog Chronic Illness Trauma Studies Veronique Mead MD, MA

I and we - it feels so much like a WE - were among 6000 nominees for 15 categories of patient leader awards and one of 5 finalists for Best in Show Blog at the #WEGOHealthAwards. Learn more here.

Footer

About

Testimonials

FAQ

Subscribe

Contact

My Story

My Chronic Fatigue

My Food Intolerances

My PreDiabetes

Shame, Flares & Triggers

Best Tips

16 Clues for Flares

22 Tips for Healing

7 Vagus Tips

18 Ways to Act Out

Fact Sheets

ABE Fact Sheets

ACE Fact Sheets

Healing Fact Sheet

Type 2 Diabetes

Chrillogs

Introduction

#1 Marit & Parkinson's +

#2 Harper & ME/CFS

All Chrillogs

I'm on Facebook

Free eBooks

Contact Me

© 2022 Chronic Illness Trauma Studies. All Rights Reserved · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Sitemap · Log in

 

Loading Comments...