Develop your Emotional Intelligence or Die Early
August 10, 2007 1:11 PM   Subscribe

I ignored stress related health issues in the workplace until three months ago, when my lungs stopped working. Gasping for air and barely able to swallow solid food, I tried the emergency room, my M.D., an acupuncturist, and finally my chiropractor, who told me, "I can adjust you so that you can breathe, but only you can heal yourself and stop it from happening again." Since then, I've learned that even though my symptoms were physical, my illness was mental. I cured myself (with help) by developing my emotional intelligence. I share this with you because, even though work-related stress is old news, I don't want it to sneak up on you as stealthily as it did me. Previously.
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot (14 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: I'm glad you're doing well, but this a really weird blog-entry thing to post to Metafilter. -- cortex



 
Karoshi
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:26 PM on August 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


*IN BLIND #&*%$#@!*&?*&^ RAGE ... violently throws massive frickin' stapler in direction of new office assistant's head ... realizes mid air that new office assistant is nephew of the boss.... NOOOOOO!!!!!!
posted by R. Mutt at 1:34 PM on August 10, 2007


Karoshi?
posted by ba at 1:36 PM on August 10, 2007


Sounds like you had a panic attack. Very common and very treatable. New age jargon and chiropractic quackery, however, won't help.
posted by aladfar at 1:37 PM on August 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


This Emotional Intelligence business seems an unnecessarily complicated solution when alcohol is so perfectly simply.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:43 PM on August 10, 2007 [3 favorites]


Aladfar, do you have any citations to studies that demonstrate manipulation is not an effective treatment for hiatal hernias?

In my googling I was able to find plenty of claims, both from very quacky sources and from some less suspect sources for manipulation as a treatment for hiatal hernias. None of the medical sources I looked at mentioned manipulation as a treatment. I was not able to find any studies.

Since a hiatal hernia is a mechanical problem, it seems plausible that mechanical manipulation could affect it. Since there is no good reason to dismiss mechanical manipulation prima facie, it is inappropriate to label it quackery. You could say it is unproven, or you could say "I know of no studies which support its efficacy", but the term quackery should be reserved for things which can be dismissed prima facie because they rely on supernatural or implausible effects.
posted by lastobelus at 1:54 PM on August 10, 2007


lastobelus, why does quackery require 'supernatural' or 'implausible' effects? It's certainly plausible that Uncle Bob's home-style snake Oil contains some ingredient that can cure cancer, but that doesn't mean a doctor who proscribed it to treat cancer wasn't a quack.
posted by delmoi at 1:58 PM on August 10, 2007


As far as all the standard ways of reducing stress (new age or not) they WERE mentioned as useful by all the medical sources I looked at it minimizing the effects of and preventing the recurrence of a surgically treated hiatal hernia (along with proper lifting technique, elevating the head of your bed, and a few other things not directly related to stress reduction).

In particular, the deep breathing techniques regarded as essential by most relaxation or stress reduction techniques (new age or not) is regarded as important.

Debunking quackery is important. Mocking techniques and treatments which have efficacy in the name of debunking quackery because you didn't bother to take 10 minutes to do some research first is stupid.

It seems that in actual fact anything which results in increased relaxation and deeper abdominal breathing is likely to reduce the symptoms of hiatal hernias.
posted by lastobelus at 2:05 PM on August 10, 2007


It is NOT plausible that Uncle Bob's snake oil contains an ingredient that can cure cancer.

Cures for cancer have been extensively sought after. Their elusiveness demonstrates that they are, at least, very rare.

Therefore it is very improbable that Uncle Bob stumbled on one.

Not plausible at all.
posted by lastobelus at 2:06 PM on August 10, 2007


On the other hand, the idea that mechanical manipulation can affect a physical problem that is mechanical in nature is plausible.

It may not be true, it should be studied to find out.

But it is plausible.
posted by lastobelus at 2:08 PM on August 10, 2007


mehfilter
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 2:14 PM on August 10, 2007


The distinction between plausible, but unproven claims, and claims which can be reasonably dismissed prima facie is very important in the battle against quackery.

It is a distinction that I see people failing to make over and over again and it really bothers me.

You have two camps: the all things are possible and scientists are evil squelchers in the pay of big pharma camp, and the armchair skeptic who insists that everything that is not already proven is quackery camp.

Both are equally stupid IMO. The second camp involves no critical thinking at all. The none-skeptics recognize that the position of the second camp of kneejerk skeptics is flawed and write skepticism off altogether, thus the cause of legitimate skepticism is damaged.
posted by lastobelus at 2:16 PM on August 10, 2007


Sounds like you had a panic attack. Very common and very treatable. New age jargon and chiropractic quackery, however, won't help.

Aladfar, I felt exactly like you until the new age quacks cured me. I posted this because, if it happens to you, I don't want your opinions to get in the way of your cure.

Incidentally, my doctor did prescribe several hundred dollars in meds, including an inhaler. They did nothing but make me poorer. I threw them out.
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2007


What's this? Dr. Bronners gives both physical and spiritual cleansings?
posted by klangklangston at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2007


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