Angel Lola Luvs Ass …

http://bioblog.biotunes.org/bioblog/2009/06/16/dont-take-multivitamins-during-chemotherapy/

My take on the supplement issue is that we are messing with stuff we know nothing about. A perfect example why people should get away from the idea that antioxidants are miracle anti-aging drugs was the controlled study showing that they interfere with the physiological response to exercise:

http://bioblog.biotunes.org/bioblog/2009/05/13/bring-on-the-free-radicals/

It is true that the interaction with chemotherapy is less straightforward, because we’re already putting something nasty in our bodies. It will be interesting if the studies are done to look at this question, but we have to face up to the fact that it will be a very long time before we fully understand how our bodies work in the first place, let alone what happens when we add drugs or large doses of vitamins.

I’m wondering if, in the case of exercise, antioxidants are playing more of a role in reducing the oxidative stress induced by the exercise…and therefore being unavailable to participate in the pathways involving insulin and the body’s relative sensitivity to it in the moment. After exercise, does the body expect to have glucose readily available to it? Maybe not. Then perhaps the need for relative insulin sensitivity is reduced at that point?

I’d also like to toss out an interesting book to read: Dibs, In Search of Self, by Virginia Axline. It’s a case study report regarding play therapy demonstrating “recovery” of a particularly intriguing case.

PS: Also found it interesting the Dr. Fein’s recovery rate was essentally the same as the spontaneous recovery rate of autism in general. I didn’t realize that the spontaneous recevery rate was so high in general. New fodder for my brain.

As someone with both a BS in Neuroscience and 5 years in the field as, among other things, an ABA therapist, I’m not convinced that ABA can effectively reconfigure cognitive neuronal pathways. Behavioral pathways, sure, absolutely. How people do things, sure. But not how they think about things.

I agree that ABA is clearly a useful therapy, generally to be implemented as early as possible. ABA provides a significant aource of structure, a way to make sense of a confusing and ovestimulating world. But it’s only one way. There’s no accounting for physiological imbalances or sensory integration concerns in ABA, and if those concerns aren’t addressed, ABA can become an absolute nightmare to implement.

To offer some clarity: ABA can teach a kid to brush their teeth in a 20-step protocol. But if the kid’s eyes are in so much pain from the bathroom lights that they start swinging at you and the bathroom mirror, ABA is likely to send them to a protective time out, and reinforce the fact that this is a painful and confusing world. Counterproductive to a child already so isolated, in my opinion.

There’s no telling where the “cause” of a person’s food intolerance truly lies. However, perhaps we can all agree that the system has been stressed to the point of significant psychological and, in this case, physical expression. Constitutionally speaking, stress will manifest its expression in different systems, and for these lucky folks, it happens to be the gut, as opposed to the skin, lungs, or CNS.

We’re seeing more and more literature these days on how our thoughts, particularly in relation to our emotions and reactions to the environment, have direct and significant impacts on our immune health. Metaphorically, our mental/emotional defenses mirror our physical defenses. They both represent being irritated by their environment. And I continue to wonder/investigate the possibility that as these folks “unpack their baggage”, their physical symptoms may come to pass.