Someone the other day maintained that a bee sting was TMS because it was taking too long to heal. I'm not an expert, and maybe bee stings
are attributable to TMS, but I'm not sold on the idea. One time when I was about 10 years old I sat on an old stump and several bees went in my shorts. Suffice it to say, I got stung a few times and when I frantically took my shorts off, everyone was laughing. (except me...I was quite mortified).
I think you're missing the context of the bee sting; this is what I said to the poster:
Remember that TMS is not an actual medical condition - it's a natural bodily response to emotions that every single human being experiences at some point. Emotions interrupt the immune system from doing its job, leading to prolonged colds, resurfacing Epstein-Barr symptoms, tissue and wound healing, etc. This has been scientifically documented. If you're dealing with negative emotions and find yourself not healing as quickly as you used to, never forget the power of the mind-body connection. This whole notion of "Is X symptom/condition TMS or structural?" isn't always the most accurate way to view it.
Definitely use the baking soda and calamine if it helps - sometimes the body does need a little extra "push." Just don't forget to make sure you're in a good place emotionally, too. Your immune system's response to bites isn't going to benefit from negative emotions.
Here's one example of delayed wound healing from emotional stress - this goes beyond wound healing and can also include other conditions and symptoms :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3052954/ (The Impact of Psychological Stress on Wound Healing: Methods and Mechanisms)
Interestingly, elevated mental stress is one of the risk factors for sting-related anaphylaxis. While this isn't your specific issue, it does show how mental stress worsens bodily responses:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3334720/ (Insect Stings: Clinical Features and Management)
I feel the need to mention this since we're all participants of a TMS forum where powerful emotions, obsession, fear, etc. are common.
I will tell you right now that I 100% believe that the severe case of mono I once got weeks after a nervous breakdown is no coincidence. It took me forever to heal, and my case was particularly ugly according to the doctors. It's quite evident that my immune system was completely screwed from stress, and science has shown that this is indeed possible. As mentioned in my post above, studies demonstrated that physical wounds heal much more slowly when one is stressed. We're more likely to pick up infections because our bodies aren't fighting them off or healing from them as quickly as they normally would be.
Until people understand that TMS isn't an actual medical condition (meaning that nobody "has TMS" like they would have pink eye), and that it's simply referring to the mind-body connection that affects every single person on this planet (think about your eyes twitching when you're upset or getting a headache after a stressful work deadline), it will be difficult to accept what this means. The only difference between all of us on these forums versus everyone else on the planet is that many of us have gotten so stressed out (or whatever emotion you want to say), our bodies are reacting more strongly. But we aren't unique, and our bodies are simply doing what nature has programmed them to do. I think that's the biggest hurdle. Also, Steve Ozanich is the first person to say that you need to get a medical exam to make sure you know what's going on.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again:
remember that every disease has a psychogenic component, meaning that our emotions play a major role in how we feel and thrive, no matter what the diagnosis is. I remember reading that gay AIDS patients from the 1980s died much quicker if they weren’t out to their families and felt ashamed of themselves; alternatively, gay AIDS patients who received strong familial support and loved themselves often lived years longer. And this was before working medications were available to AIDS patients. Now, of course stress didn’t cause AIDS, but it ultimately impacted the quality of the patients’ lives and made them more suspectible to opportunistic infections. Breast cancer patients who practice mindful meditation and self-love also lived longer than those who didn’t in multiple studies. There are so many other examples of this. This is because emotions can further suppress our immune systems, nervous system function, hormones, etc.
The body is designed to respond to our emotions: this is the placebo effect, this is how spontaneous recoveries/remissions from serious issues occur (fun fact: the recoveries/remissions aren’t so spontaneous after all!), this is fight-or-flight mode turning on during a threat, this is the release of happy neurotransmitters when you smile, this is the release of adrenaline while upset, this is why cancer patients die quicker when they’re depressed and believe they’re going to die, etc. From stomach pain when you’re angry to full blown CRPS or PTSD after a traumatic event, we’re all affected. Don’t view this as anything other than a fact of nature.
This is scientifically documented and not junk science. Always check in with a trusted and knowledgeable medical professional, see what they have to say. If the symptoms are deemed to be psychogenic, then work on eliminating your fear of and obsession with them, managing your emotions toward life in general, and going out and living a great life. That's all you need to do. If the symptoms are not deemed to be psychogenic but rather a structural condition, understand the mind-body connection, and remember that stress will break you down not only mentally and emotionally, but also physically.
TL;DR: "TMS" is nothing more than the mind-body connection. The "what is TMS and what is not?" conversation will always be skewed because the mind-body connection affects everything. People on these forums tend to obsess over things and not deal with emotions very well, and even if you have a "structural" issue, that will likely make what you're dealing with much worse - whether it's AIDS, cancer, mono, etc. And remember that weakened immune systems from stress can be the reason why you keep getting sick and/or aren't healing from issues (even slow-to-heal broken bones).
