The study, conducted by researchers at the gastroenterology unit of IRCCS-Ca Granda in Milan, found that only one-third of patients who report gas, pain, bloating, and nausea after consuming dairy actually suffered lactose intolerance; the rest are just inexplicable “psychological issues.” The study findings themselves are quite interesting — something serious is going on with patients if that many are having a reaction to dairy that’s not cause by actual lactose intolerance — but the conclusion seems like pretty lazy medicine, to me.
The study author, Dr. Guido Basilisco, says that patients who reported false lactose intolerance are often people suffering from “altered somatization” — a type of “somatoform disorder” by which patients experience targeted physical pain that has a psychological root. Some patients also reported anxiety, but there wasn’t as strong of a link.
The AP reported that Dr. Mary Maish, surgical director of the Center for Esophageal Disorders at the University of California, Los Angeles, confirmed the study findings with anecdotal evidence:
‘It’s a real thing, they really do have these symptoms,’ she said. Most experts in the field, she said, do think many of the symptoms linked with what is called lactose intolerance are probably more related to other kinds of psychological issues that have not been addressed. ‘It’s good to see some science behind it,’ she said.
All too often, if a problem isn’t easy to pin down, doctors treat patients like they’re going mad; how many times have we all heard that we should take a Tylenol and get some rest? Thankfully, I haven’t experienced major gastrointestinal problems (knock on wood), but I’ve had my share of frustrations visiting doctor after specialist after doctor to resolve my mystery back pain, and after several expensive visits, temporary fixes, and specialists who literally gave me a prescription for Tylenol and rest (this is back pain that’s sometimes debilitating, and started in my early 20s), I’ve finally given up on finding a doctor who would take my problem seriously. It might be comforting to doctors that there’s science backing up their inability to solve patient problems, but for patients, it’s just one step further from effective patient care.
Perhaps some of us would benefit from stressing a little less (if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my health, it’s that stress and anxiety almost guarantees that I get sick), and probably a lot of us would physically benefit from working through major psychological issues like depression. But we still need doctors who are willing to take our side and find solutions to our (real) physical problems, instead of telling us it’s all in our head.
Post from: BlissTree
Lactose Intolerance: Just Your Imagination, Study Says
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