Just Because It Doesn't Have A Name, Doesn't Mean It's Not Real
I have Restless Leg Syndrome.
I always knew it was something. It just didn't have a name until recently.
From early childhood on, I've had a this itchy, crawly, need-to-move-my-legs-thingy that would occur at night. I was told it was "nothing" and the old stand-by that the symptoms were just "in my head".
Despite being told that my symptoms were imagined, I always believed they had a neurobiological origin. I learned to cope with my "Jimmy Legs" (Seinfeld, 1997)and went on with life. But Restless Leg Syndrome is a real disorder. Recent research tells us that it is genetic in origin and is associated with low iron counts. See, it was real!
Many other illnesses and syndromes that now have names, used to perplex doctors and patients alike. Often, individuals were told that their symptoms had no medical underpinnings and were of mental origins. Here are just a few:
Fibromyalgia
Epstein Barr
Colitis
Chronic Fatigue
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Celiac Disease
The reason for this post is to help empower readers to know their bodies and trust their instincts. It is important to learn how to describe symptoms, in detailed and expressive ways, so the person listening can understand the phenomenon. Research your symptoms with the help of the Internet, find support groups and most of all, understand how your psyche can press on the workings of your body.
It takes time for the medical and health fields to recognize, name and treat illnesses. For example, Parent Alienation Syndrome is not yet recognized diagnostically in the DSM-IVTR , but it certainly is an observable symptomatic phenomenon. And though many 9/11 first responders were told that their life threatening illnesses were stress related, data now shows that there's a medical reason for their suffering.
Just because it doesn't have a name, doesn't mean it's not real.
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