Daily Fact #21 - Anxiety and IC - IC Awareness Month

Got Anxiety AND IC? You are not alone!

Do you struggle with anxiety disorder? Catastrophic thinking? Chronic overlapping pain conditions (IC, IBS, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, TMJ, migraines, etc.)? New research from the Chronic Pain Research Alliance has identified that these patients struggle with a central nervous system maladaption (aka injury) that has left the brain in a constant state of “fight or flight.” 80% of the children who developed COPC experienced a major physical injury or trauma while 20% were the victim of bullying and abuse. The end result? Prolonged “fight or flight,” characterized by anxiety disorder. Patients struggling with anxiety disorder are encouraged to use various “mind body” medicine techniques that will deactivate “fight or flight,” reduce heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension.

When anxiety starts to dominate daily thoughts and/or prevents someone from receiving good health care or enjoying life, it’s time to do something about it. There’s no shame in having anxious thoughts but we each have the responsibility to learn anxiety management skills so that we can live a full life and don’t become isolated from family and friends. There are many resources that can help! Check out the ICN’s Resources on Mind Body Medicine and How to Reduce Central Nervous System Windup!

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@icnetworkjill IC Awareness Month Daily Fact 21 – Many IC patients struggle with anxiety and we now know why and how to treat it #ic #pelvicpain #icawareness ♬ original sound – IC Network