Uncovering the Causes of Chronic Physical Symptoms that do not have a Medical Diagnosis

Clifton K. Meador, M.D.

In the early 1960s, I was in private practice with a Dr. Doherty. He became ill and I covered his practice for several months until he recovered. I soon noticed that nearly half of his patients carried diagnoses of diseases they did not have – in other words false diagnoses. I thought it just a quirk of an old physician; however, when I moved into full time academics and began to see referrals from all over the state I found false diagnoses to be quite common. In fact, many patients with false diagnoses did not have any medical disease at all but they did have chronic physical symptoms.

I asked myself the question that has haunted and driven my professional life for the past 50 years:

“If patients with chronic physical symptoms do not have a medical diagnosis, then what is the cause of their symptoms?”

I began to see many patients referred to me with symptoms of unknown origin. I analyzed and catalogued these patient stories. From several hundred patients who had symptoms but no medical disease, here is what I have uncovered. I ask each patient to keep a careful diary – recording the symptoms, things they eat, have contact with, people they see and talk with or about, activities, etc etc etc. In other words I am urging them to make daily observations about their symptoms and the world around and inside them.

There are 5  broad categories

1. They are in a toxic or stressful relationship at home with a spouse, friend, child, parent or other. The stress of the relationship is causing the symptom.

2. They are in contact with a toxic substance by ingesting, inhaling, or by skin contact. The substance is causing the symptom.

3. They are self inflicting themselves in a wide variety of way such as burning themselves with cigarettes, injecting insecticides, taking toxic meds, causing themselves to bleed, secretly injecting insulin. It takes some one seeing them doing this to make this diagnosis. There are 4 types of self infliction that can be discussed.

4. They have the hidden disease – alcoholism. They are addicted to alcohol and denying it even on their death bed. The alcohol has causes serious bodily harm.

5. This last group has many symptoms and insists they are seriously ill when all tests are normal. These are considered to be hypochondriacs or to have a psychosomatic disorder, also known as a mind-body disorder.

Many of these patients in all 5 groupings carry a diagnosis of a false disease.  Removal of the diagnosis is very difficult. Some popular false diagnoses are hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. These diagnoses are barriers to finding underlying causes or triggers for the symptoms. These patients are having real symptoms in their bodies that are triggered or aggravated by some stimulus. The diagnosis blocks the search for underlying stressors.

To learn more and obtain books to assist in self observation and discovery of causes of symptoms,  go to: Clifton K. Meador

Clifton Meador, M.D. is a senior retired physician and author with experience in patients with symptoms of unknown origin.