Scholar's Paper Example: McCoy 01-21-05

Amanda McCoy

01-21-05

The effects of Pleneurethics on Dermatomyositis

There are many treatments for the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis, but few are completely successful. Though, according to public record, pleneurethic therapy has not been

used as a treatment for dermatomyositis, pleneurethic therapy could be beneficial to patients that are diagnosed with dermatomyositis. To understand how pleneurethic therapy could be helpful in the treatment of the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis, it is important to first understand what the phrase “autoimmune” means, how autoimmune diseases work, and what are some well known autoimmune diseases. Once that is understood it is then important to know what is dermatomyositis, what are its symptoms, and what are the cause and treatment of dermatomyositis. Only then can one understand the relivence of what is pleneurethics, how does

pleneurethics see chronic illness, and why is it important that pleneurethics finds the root of the problem. This leads to the understanding of how pleneurethics can help treat dermatomyositis,

does an illness that effects the whole body need a holistic treatment, and how has pleneurethics helped in similar cases. It is also important to know whether pleneurethics treat illness other

than physically, and in what way does pleneurithics treat the mind and body together. Furthermore, it is important to understand what mind structures are, does pleneurethics create a sense of well being. how does a positive attitude make a person healthy, and how is positive and negative attitudes, and their effect on health, commonly experienced. After these elements are analyzed, it will become clear that when pleneurethics is applied to the treatment of the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis the patient can receive a more complete form of healing.

First of all, what are autoimmune diseases? What does the term “autoimmune” mean? How do autoimmune diseases work? And what are some well known autoimmune diseases?

The term “autoimmune” in the phrase “autoimmune disease” is derived of two basic or root words, auto and immune. According to the website www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/ autoimmune.htm “The word auto is the Greek word for self. The immune system is a complicated network of cells and cell components (called molecules) that normally work to defend the body and eliminate infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and other invading microbes.”¹ So in essence, “autoimmune disease” means that the immune system works independently with out considering the body’s best interests.

When a person has an autoimmune disease the person can develop a variety of different symptoms depending on which autoimmune disease they have. A person with an autoimmune

disease’s symptoms occur when ”. . . the body’s immune system, which normally fights infections and viruses, does not stop fighting once the infection or virus is gone. The immune system then attacks the body’s own normal, healthy tissue through inflammation . . .or

swelling.”² Without proper treatment the immune system, of a person with an autoimmune disease, can cause serious and permanent damage to a body’s healthy tissue.

There are a variety of autoimmune diseases that can attack a body’s healthy tissue, in lots of ways. Some of the most well known autoimmune diseases are: Multiple sclerosis, Lupus, and type one diabetes. According to www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/autoimmune.htm,

in multiple sclerosis, the autoimmune reaction is directed toward the brain. In the case of lupus, the effected areas can vary from person to person. With type one diabetes, the immune system destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.³

Now that the phrase “autoimmune disease” has been identified, the next questions are what is dermatomyositis? What are the symptoms of dermatomyositis? What is the cause and treatment for this disease? Like the phrase “autoimmune”, dermatomyositis is also made up of two root words “derma” and “myositis”. The first word ,derma, means skin. The second word, “myositis means inflamation of the muscle . . .”⁴ So, the term Dermatomyositis means the

inflamation of muscle and skin.

The symptoms of dermatomyositis can vary from person to person, though people usually have a few symptoms in common. According to the A.A.R.D.A., most patients suffer from a skin

rash on their upper chest and face. Muscle pain and swelling are also common symptoms of dermatomyositis. Weakness of the neck and limbs is often seen as a “hallmark” of dermatomyositis and related conditions. ⁵

The cause of dermatomyositis is unknown, partly because dermatomoysitis is a very rare condition. Though the cause of dermatomyositis is still not completely clear, many speculate that

it is caused by a genetic weakness. It is believed that this genetic weakness can be passed down from generation to generation, usually through female members of a family.

Dermatomyositis is usually treated by the suppression or by restraining the immune system. According to M.D.A. diseases, the first treatment used is usually oral prednisone, a corticosteroid hormone that suppresses the immune system. Though oral prednisone is effective when treating dermatomyositis, it can also have negative side effects. Some of the side effects of predinsone are: weight gain, osteoporosis, diabetes, and mood swings. Several other treatments exist, but are only offered as a last resort. These treatments include : whole body irradiation, and thymus gland removal.⁶

Now it is important to know, what is Pleneurethics? How does Pleneurethics perceive chronic illness? How does Pleneurethics find the root of the problem?

Like the terms “autoimmune disease” and “dermatomyositis”, the term “Pleneurethics” is also made up of basic or root words. The term pleneurethic is derived from three words: plenary

meaning completely competent, neural relating to the brain, and ethic having to do with responsible behavior.⁷ So, pleneurethics is a complete understanding of the brain, and its related systems’ correct behavior.

In pleneurethics it is believed that all illness or disease is in some way linked to the workings of the brain. “Chronic illness, which is the primary concern of pleneurethics is a degenerative disturbance to the brain.”⁸ With the pleneurethics way of treating chronic illness, it’s believed that it is impossible to effectively treat the chronic illness without first finding and correcting the mis-workings of the person’s brain. Without correcting these mis-workings of the brain, it is very unlikely that the person would return completely to the state of good health.

Pleneurethics gets to the root of a chronic illness by “. . . correcting the prime source of the disease process.”⁹ Because in pleneurethics it is understood that a person’s body and brain have an inseperatable link, pleneurethic therapy does not treat only an

illness’s symptoms; it also treats the source of a person’s symptoms found in the person’s brain. It is because of the way pleneurethics perceives chronic illness, that pleneurethics therapy can get to the root of the chronic illness.

Now that it has been stated what pleneurethics is, the next questions should be: how can pleneurethics help treat dermatomyositis? Does an illness that effects the whole body really need a holistic treatment? How has pleneurethics helped in similar cases?

Patients with dermatomyositis often suffer from muscle pain, fatigue, and depression. With traditional medical treatment each of these symptoms would most likely not be seen as connected, and would be treated separately. Because symptoms are treated individually, most people do not receive full relief from their symptoms. In pleneurethics, all the symptoms are thought to be connected and treatment would be specialized so all the symptoms and the source of the problem (the mis-workings of the brain) could be treated. It is because “Pleneurethics is a way of life and a system of therapeutics based on a balanced view of the whole person.”¹⁰, that it can help to treat dermatomyositis better than traditional medical treatment.

An illness, like dermatomyositis, that effects the person’s whole body does need a holistic treatment. With traditional medical treatment a patients symptoms are often treated with an unbalanced priority basis, and some symptoms , which doctors believe are unimportant or life threatening, can go neglected or completely untreated. Many patients with dermatomyositis never return to full health. These patients spend the rest of their lives, after diagnoses, suffering from the side effects of their medication, lesser symptoms from their condition, and from exacerbations and remissions of their illness. Because it gets to the root of the problem, pleneurethics leaves no symptom untreated or neglected. “Pleneurethics also seeks to preserve structural integrity to foster the biological basis for spontaneous health.”¹¹ This form of therapeutics allows the patient to return to full health and stay there.

Though there is no public record of a person with dermatomyositis being treated with pleneurethic therapy, there are instances of people with similar symptoms being treated with

pleneurethics. These cases resulted in positive outcomes. In one account, according to Collier, a young boy was suffering constant fatigue and illness. “. . . afflicted with one cold after another

and just did not have any energy . . . He just seemed to blossom out over the weeks of (pleneurethic) therapy.”¹² In a short amount of time the patient began to see positive results with no sign of reoccurrence of his illness. If pleneurethic therapy can improve

the health of patients with similar symptoms as people with dermatomyositis, there is little reason to doubt there would be similar results for people with dermatomyositis.

Because pleneurethics treats not only the physical, but also the source of the problem in the mis-workings of a person’s brain, it is important to understand how pleneurethics treats illness other than physically. How does pleneurethics treat the mind and body as one unit? What are mind structures? Does pleneurethic treatment create a sense of well being?

Pleneurethics treats illness in more ways than physically by finding the root of the problem, which could be a malstructure of a person’s brain or it could be a physical injury in the brain and related systems. “Structural distortion produces functional abnormalities that is the primary cause of both mental and physical health problems.”¹³ By correcting malstructures or treating injuries in the brain and related systems, pleneurethics treats both physical and mental health problems at the same time. This allows people treated with pleneurethic therapy to return to physical health and to be in a state of mind to enjoy their good health.

Pleneurethics can find the source of a person’s illness and treat both physical and mental problems at the same time because of its understanding of mind structures. According to Collier the “. . . mind is divided pleneurethically into three sectors: infrallect, intellect, and ultrallect. The infrallect is related to that part of the brain that controls body maintenance, the intellect receives sensory stimuli, and produces mentality, the ultrallect is involved with ethics, equality

and welfare of other life.”¹⁴ Because pleneurethics understands that a person’s body, mind, and understandings of ethics are connected, it can treat a person completely without any remaining symptoms or side effects of the person’s illness.

People who are diagnosed with dermatomyositis often suffer from depression, which is indirectly caused by their condition. If people with dermatomyositis were treated with pleneurethic therapy they would receive relief from both the symptoms of their illness and from their depression. According to Collier “During the first few weeks of care, an individual will usually experience a feeling of well-being, clear headedness, renewed energy, and optimism.”¹⁵

This natural feeling of well-being, for the patients, is almost never achieved with more traditional forms of medical treatment.

A person’s attitude can effect his or her health both positively and negatively. There are definable reasons why a positive attitude can improve a person’s health. In contrast, many people have experienced for themselves that a negative attitude, depression, or a lot of stress can negatively effect a person’s health. People with weakened immune systems, like people with dermatomyositis, need to be very careful about their attitudes because they are already

vulnerable to viruses and infections. Because pleneurethic therapy naturally gives a patient a feeling of well-being, it helps to promote a positive attitude and it helps eliminate already existing negative attitudes.

It is very important that people with dermatomyositis keep a positive attitude. A positive attitude, for people with dermatomyositis, can help with their body’s healing processes and even strengthen their immune system. “A positive mental out look can actually promote your body’s healing. During the last few years doctors and researchers have explored the interconnectedness of a person’s immune system and mental state.” ¹⁶ One of the many researchers studying the connection between positive attitude and a person’s health is the “CHEER” project. In research done by the “CHEER” project “it was found that when you laugh your body sends some

incredibly great chemicals into your humor or fluids of your body. They fight disease, reduce the effects of aging, and kill various cancers.”¹⁷

Many people have experienced for themselves that negative attitude, depression, or a lot of stress can negatively effect their health. In ,1999, I was diagnosed with dermatomyositis; and

ever since, any time I experienced a period of high stress or depression it was soon followed by several days of various kinds of viruses, infections, or an exacerbation of my condition. For

example, like clockwork I seem to catch a cold or flu during every final exams for school. In contrast, I rarely become ill or experience exacerbations of dermatomyositis during my summer vacations. Though my condition is rare, my examples are not unique. Many people with autoimmune problems are needlessly afflicted with one cold after another, a problem that could be solved quickly and easily with pleneurethic therapy. This form of therapy would encourage a

person to naturally develop an optimistic attitude. When one understands what is an autoimmune disease, what is dermatomyositis, what is pleneurethics, and how pleneurethic therapy can help treat a patient with dermatomyositis, it

becomes clear why pleneurethic therapy could offer a patient with dermatomyositis a more complete form of healing. People suffering from dermatomyositis often have minor symptoms of their illness or emotional that are neglected or even not treated when the person is treated with traditional medical practices. Because of pleneurethics gestalt way of viewing a person with an illness, pleneurethics treats the person’s physical and emotional problems. Because pleneurethics

treats the source of the problem, pleneurethics can return a person with dermatomyositis to full health and keep them that way. This is almost never achieved when a patient is treated with traditional medical practices.

Notes

1. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Allergy. Infectious Diseases.

Autoimmune diseases (General). June 25 2004. Jan 20 2004. www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/autoimmune.htm

2. Myositis Association, The. About Myositis. 2004. Jan 20 2004

www.myositis.org

3. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Allergy. Infectious Diseases.

Autoimmune diseases (General). June 25 2004. Jan 20 2004

www.niad.nih.gov/publications/autoimmune/autoimmune.htm

4. Muscular Dystrophy Association. Disease: Dermatomyositis (DM). 2004. Jan 15 2004. www.mdausa.org/diseases/pmdmd.html

5. American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis. 1997-2003. Jan 15 2004. www.aarda.org

6. Muscular Dystrophy Association. Disease : Dermatomyositis (DM). 2004. Jan 15

2004. www.mdausa.org/diseases/pmdmd.html

7. Bangs Collier, Richard. Essential Pleneurethic. Tacoma, Wa: Pleneurethics society,

1987,1

8. Ibid pg. 2

9. Ibid pg.4

10. Ibid pg. 1

11. Ibid pg. 1

12. Bangs Collier, Richard. Pleneurethic Vol. 1. Tacoma, Wa: RB Collier, 1969,6

13. Bangs Collier, Richard. Essential Pleneurethic. Tacoma, Wa: Pleneurethics society,

1987,1

14. Bangs Collier, Richard. Essential Pleneurethic. Tacoma,Wa: Pleneurethic society,

1987

15. Bangs Collier, Richard. Pleneurethic Vol.1 . Tacoma, Wa: RB Collier, 1969

16. Femhealth. The Health Benefits of a Positive Attitude. 1997-2004. Jan 20 2004.

www.femhealth.com

17. Cheers project, The. References and Research. 2002. Jan 20 2004.

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NOTE: The spacing issues in this post are problems related to posting on the Blog and not the responsibibility of the author. (rok)