Quote:
Originally Posted by ERflyer
A severe rash very precisely where the uniform touchs the skin, and no where else, on two people I’ve known over a time span of 3-4 (I can’t keep up) Delta uniform changes. Started Day 1 and before the problem was publicly reported. Never any problems before the purple with any clothing.
We would not even be having this discussion if it was pilots getting rashes from their uniforms they were forced to buy from a specific vendor.
Additionally, no one would wonder if it was psychosomatic. If another pilot told us, “This new uniform is giving me a rash.” every one of us would think, “Well that’s f—-ed up. Let’s fix the problem.”
And now the problem is being fixed. Just took a bit of meandering.
If there is a group of people, and some people in that group are experiencing actual physical reactions to the uniform, then they tell other people in that group about their symptoms, some of the people who hear of their symptoms will develop similar symptoms through no other mechanism than their brain manifesting the symptoms. That is the definition of psychosomatic. Psychosomatic does not mean the symptoms are not present, it means that they would not be present had the sufferer not been told about the presence of the symptoms in others.
So your friends could be experiencing actual reactions, and the knowledge of those reactions could cause actual physical symptoms in people learning of your friends’ symptoms without those people having an actual adverse reaction to any chemical present in the uniforms.
The presence of psychosomatic reactions within the group also doesn’t mean that there isn’t a problem with the uniforms. It’s just not correct to say that they reactions definitely aren’t psychosomatic.
Psychosomatic:
1 : of, relating to, concerned with, or involving both mind and body
the psychosomatic nature of man
— Herbert Ratner
2 : of, relating to, involving, or concerned with bodily symptoms caused by mental or emotional disturbance
psychosomatic symptoms
psychosomatic medicine