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Bablis P, Day RR, Bablis S, Pollard H. Treatment of Hypothyroidism and Stress Using Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET): A Case Study. Cureus 2024; 16:e58231. [PMID: 38745794 PMCID: PMC11092426 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypothyroidism is generally considered an autoimmune condition, and typical medical management involves taking levothyroxine (synthetic thyroid hormone) for life. This case report details the results of a mind-body intervention (MBI) called the Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) used to treat a 28-year-old Caucasian female presenting with symptoms and bloodwork markers associated with two years of hypothyroidism and a long history of stress. The patient's medical doctor provided a diagnosis of hypothyroidism after blood tests showed that thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were high at 6.87 mIU/L (where the acceptable range is 0.40-3.50 mIU/L) and free T4 (FT4) levels were low at 8.6 pmol/L (where the acceptable range is 9.0-19.0 pmol/L). Psychometric tests were completed at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment to evaluate changes in mental health and emotional well-being. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) revealed a high degree of childhood trauma that may have predisposed to the underlying autoimmune thyroid dysfunction. At the conclusion of the treatment period, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free T4 were within normal ranges and psychometric indicators normalized. We hypothesize that these changes may be due to the stress-reducing mechanism of NET and outline possible mechanisms via the Psycho-Immune-Neuroendocrine (PINE) network. The PINE network model asserts that chronic stress acts as a potential driver of pathophysiology that can lead to one or more medical and mental health conditions. While further studies with larger sample sizes are required to establish whether these results could be extrapolated to a wider population, the results of this case suggest that it may be pertinent to consider co-management of subclinical hypothyroidism with a relatively quick and cost-effective MBI such as NET.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Bablis
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, University Research Institute, Athens, GRC
- Department of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Universal Health, Sydney, AUS
| | - Ryan R Day
- Department of Chiropractic, Universal Health, Sydney, AUS
| | - Sophia Bablis
- Department of Psychology, Universal Health, Sydney, AUS
| | - Henry Pollard
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, ZAF
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Bussières A, Hancock MJ, Elklit A, Ferreira ML, Ferreira PH, Stone LS, Wideman TH, Boruff JT, Al Zoubi F, Chaudhry F, Tolentino R, Hartvigsen J. Adverse childhood experience is associated with an increased risk of reporting chronic pain in adulthood: a stystematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2284025. [PMID: 38111090 PMCID: PMC10993817 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2284025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to negatively affect health in adulthood. Estimates of associations between ACEs and chronic painful conditions are lacking.Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate associations between exposure to ACEs and chronic pain and pain-related disability in adults.Methods: We searched 10 electronic databases from inception to February 2023. We included observational studies assessing associations between direct ACEs (childhood sexual, physical, emotional abuse, or neglect) alone or in combination with indirect ACEs (witnessing domestic violence, household mental illness), and adult chronic pain (≥3 months duration) and pain-related disability (daily activities limited by chronic pain). Pairs of reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study risks of bias. Random-effect models were used to calculate pooled adjusted odds ratios [aOR]. Tau square [T2], 95% prediction intervals [95%PI] and I2 expressed the amount of heterogeneity, and meta-regressions and subgroup meta-analyses investigated sources of heterogeneity (PROSPERO: CRD42020150230).Results: We identified 85 studies including 826,452 adults of which 57 studies were included in meta-analyses. Study quality was generally good or fair (n = 70). The odds of reporting chronic pain in adulthood were significantly higher among individuals exposed to a direct ACE (aOR, 1.45, 95%CI, 1.38-1.53). Individuals reporting childhood physical abuse were significantly more likely to report both chronic pain (aOR, 1.50, 95CI, 1.39-1.64) and pain-related disability (1.46, 95CI, 1.03-2.08) during adulthood. Exposure to any ACEs alone or combined with indirect ACEs significantly increase the odds of adult chronic painful conditions (aOR, 1.53, 95%CI, 1.42-1.65) and pain-related disability (aOR, 1.29; 95%CI, 1.01-1.66). The risk of chronic pain in adulthood significantly increased from one ACE (aOR, 1.29, 95%CI, 1.22-1.37) to four or more ACEs (1.95, 95%CI, 1.73-2.19).Conclusions: Single and cumulative ACEs are significantly associated with reporting of chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Bussières
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Département Chiropratique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada
| | - Mark J. Hancock
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ask Elklit
- National Centre for Psychotraumatology, Department of Psychology, University of Southern DenmarkOdense, Denmark
| | - Manuela L. Ferreira
- Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, The Kolling Institute, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Paulo H. Ferreira
- Musculoskeletal Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Laura S. Stone
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Timothy H. Wideman
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jill T. Boruff
- Schulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Fadi Al Zoubi
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Fauzia Chaudhry
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Raymond Tolentino
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal
| | - Jan Hartvigsen
- Center for Muscle and Joint Health, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Chiropractic Knowledge Hub, Odense, Denmark
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