This is a fascinating, fascinating report.
It seems that doctors suggest that this could be a psychosomatic symptom, compounded by a distrust of doctors and the viral nature of the internet. Quoting from the story:
The internet has allowed large numbers of people who are frightened but have little expertise to share their fears and in the process heighten them.
In this story I am most interested in the psychological aspect because the mind is a powerful thing. A few years ago there was a story of a man who for years could feel severe pain in an amuptated right arm - he felt that the fingers on his missing right hand were clenched so tight that it was giving him consistent migraines. After loads of visits to doctors (who told him what he already knew, i.e. he had no right arm), one doctor finally fixed his condition by getting the guy to look at his left hand in a specially arranged mirror.
Looking in the mirror the left hand looks as if it is your right hand, The doc then asked the patient to clench and unclench his fingers, and watch himself doing so. The patient 'saw' himselves unclenching his 'right' hand. The migraines vanished within the day!
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Last edited by Neithernor at 11-2-2010 11:06 ]