Friday, August 30, 2013

Their Vision of Your Future

Another brick in the matrix. 

Tooth sensors can aid weight loss and fight cavities
Scientists create a Wi-Fi-enabled mouth sensor that collects data to help improve eating habits and dental health.

Make sure you comply.
Do the wrong thing correctly.

Follow the Money

50M-70M U.S. adults have trouble sleeping, 9% use sleep aids

And that's just the insomniacs.  Add in the hypersomniacs and we're talking a pretty big chunk of people.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Microbiome Trifecta

There must be a gut conference going on...

One in four has alarmingly few intestinal bacteria
Intestinal flora determines health of obese people

Why Smokers Gain Weight When They Quit Smoking: Changes in Intestinal Flora

So what you're saying is smoking suppresses pathogenic bacteria?   Hmm.   Imagine that.

Tic Tic Tic Tic Tic

Wake Up Narcolepsy Funds Research at Stanford, Harvard, Sick Kids Hospital 

Please don't feed the Pharma Infiltrated Drug Pushing Sleep Medicine Cartel.
They are the reason you are still sick.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Or Maybe Not

Haters Are Gonna Hate, Study Confirms
A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology corroborates the hip-hop and Internet truism that you just can’t win with some people. 

They insinuate this is a fundamental trait.
I find that I am much less combative now that I'm not sick and my blood sugar is under control.
(hard to tell on this bitchfest blog, though)

One of my most memorable moments came at about 8 weeks gluten free-
My husband forgot to get something we needed at the store-  and I didn't scream at him.
It surprised both of us.   Unprecedented.

Errors and deficiencies just don't seem as urgent anymore.   

The State of the World

Mental Disorders Leading Cause of Nonfatal Illness Worldwide
Mental and substance use disorders are the leading cause of nonfatal illness worldwide, with a global disease burden that trumps that of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes, or transport injuries, new research shows.
A team of investigators from the United States and Australia led by Professor Harvey Whiteford found that in 2010, mental and substance use disorders were the fifth leading contributor to death and disease worldwide and that at 40%, depressive disorders account for the largest proportion of this burden.

The State of the Art

Compare:
Researcher Controls Colleague's Motions in First Human Brain-To-Brain Interface

Miniature 'human brain' grown in lab

Contrast:
Oregon homeless man, robs bank for $1 to access health care

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Geez Miley

You're making hypersexuality look like a bad thing...

Monday, August 26, 2013

Passive Aggressive Public Service Announcement


This information cost me and my insurance company about ten thousand dollars in services and testing. So I am going to share it with everyone.

How to Treat Clogged Sinuses



This is a pretty fun pic.   It shows how the maxillary sinus drains at the top.
What usually happens is that little duct section swells and backs up the whole thing. But since it's off on a branch it doesn't block the air passage. Your whole sinus can be full and you can still breathe through your nose.
This is what nobody tells you-
Using saline will just flow right past the blockage, or often fills up the sinus even more.
But inhaling Afrin into the sinuses dries out the tissues which facilitates reinfection.
The proper method involves both.

If you squirt a little Afrin up high into the nostril or put it on a q-tip and stick it up there, and breathe gently rather than snort it- you can get it right on that duct. Wait ten or fifteen minutes- it will shrink and then you can rinse out the sinus.
Put a few squirts of saline up there, tip your head different directions, including bending over, and blow it all out. The salt water will loosen the biofilm. Rinse repeat. (works way better in the shower.)  Then breathe quickly in and out of your nose to dry it and check for remaining debris.

Blowing your nose removes mucous from your sinuses, but deposits it in your nostrils.
And every time the mucous dries and cracks the skin, the infection starts over.
There are also pockets in there that collect mucous, and perpetuate the immune respone.  Swells the tissues, especially in the bulby end.

After rinsing your sinuses, put some saline on a q-tip and wash out your nostrils too.
If you still have drying problems after that, put some olive oil on a q-tip and wipe that up there.   Moisturizes the tissues and soothes the nerve.  Very nice.

Proper periodontal care is also crucial.   Your upper teeth and nose share the same nerves.
This is what happened to me-  a bad tooth tweaked the nerve, which closed the duct, which backed up the sinus and my whole face was affected and it took me months to sort it all out.

Seriously- I went to four ENT's to learn this.  The first three gave me MRI's and offered me surgery.   The last one was retiring and actually had no computer and looked in my nose (with a regular not camera scope). immediately found the lesion , and gave me a photocopied sheet of paper with nose cleaning instructions.
She was so old-school she recommended a rubber bulb and cooking your own salt water, but saline is cheap.

Way cheaper than MRI's.

Update:  please use saline without benzalkonium chloride.

For the record-  I snored from the time I was an infant until I was 50.  That's the reason I went to ENTs and why they wanted to cut out my swollen turbinate tissue.
Once I started doing this-  I was able to sleep with my mouth closed.  I still marvel every day.

Edit #3:  here's a fun video about sinus anatomy... heh.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Fun with Obsession

When it is good it is very, very good.

Zombie Shopping

FDA Discusses Banning Online Sales of E-Cigarettes

Time to stock up...

Scary Smart

Sorry, many contractors this week, maybe will post later.
Have a nice weekend.




















She got bored with herself immediately, was watching me take the picture in the reflection.   Looked me right in the eyes as if to say "I'm not fooled". 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Louis Aronne, M.D.
The New Theory On Weight Loss: Your Bad Diet Has Damaged Your Brain

He's hawking his new book.  Go figure.
Same Assumptions, Different Day.

I don't care how much you fancy talk about the hypothalamus-  if your diet plan does not account for glucose suppressing orexin activity, you are full of shit.

I Wonder Why

Alcohol abuse, eating disorders share genetic link
She believes physicians and therapists who treat people for alcohol dependence and eating disorders should be more aware that the problems can occur together. "When you go to an eating disorder treatment center, they don't often ask questions about alcoholism. And when you go for alcoholism treatment, they don't generally ask questions about eating disorder symptoms," she said. "If centers could be aware of that and perhaps treat both problems at the same time, that would be a big help."
Ya think?

Before Freud, all doctors assumed these were the same digestive disorder.
Psychs came up with the crazy idea it's a flaw in people's psyches.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Oh Irony

Good article.
A Dry Pipeline for Psychiatric Drugs
After a series of failed clinical trials in which novel antidepressants and antipsychotics did little or no better than placebos, the companies seem to have concluded that developing new psychiatric drugs is too risky and too expensive. This trend was obvious at the 2011 meeting of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, where only 13 of 300 abstracts related to psychopharmacology and none related to novel drugs. Instead, they are spending most of their research dollars on illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, which have well-defined biological markers and are easier to study than mental disorders. 
Yes, well nothing in the pipeline seems like a great improvement over the output so far.
And I'm quite sure those diabetes researchers are closer to the answer anyway.

My hypothesis regarding Ketamine.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Duh Science

Researchers debunk myth of 'right-brain' and 'left-brain' personality traits

Yes well, the math mistake is hilarious, but they were obviously overreaching from the very beginning.

Semi-Concious Life Forms

Study shows differences in brain waves between people who recall dreams and those who don't
 In studying the data, the researchers found that both groups responded when their names were called when they were sleeping, but the high recallers responded more. Quite unexpectedly, the same group also showed brain wave spikes when hearing their name spoken when wide awake. The team also found that the high recallers spent more time awake on average during their sleep cycle than did low recallers (30 minutes compared to 15).
The researchers speculate that high recallers are more reactive to environmental stimuli in general, which explains why their brains would respond more in response to hearing their name called when awake. Why they respond more when sleeping, they add, likely means they are more responsive when dreaming as well, which may or may not be connected to why the same group spends more time awake at night.
Higher stress response associated with sleep disorders.   Wonder what it could be.

For the record, LUCID DREAMING IS A SIGN OF ACUTE INFECTION, not superhuman mind control powers.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Yo Jazz

If you knew anything about narcoleptics-  you wouldn't screw them over.

You take advantage of their disability.  I know exactly what they are capable of.

I'm glad they're on my side.   Heh.

An Infectious Idea

Teaching neuroscience using Zombies. 

They got the hypothalamus thing wrong though...

Friday, August 16, 2013

And So It Goes

Kansas Sportswriter Posts "Suicide Website" 

Thus proving his "rational decision" was actually mania.
Rest in Peace, dear man.

Gluten Free Sanity

Seattle cops to deal Doritos and information at Hempfest

Have a nice weekend.

(ooh look, Zombies this weekend too!)

As I was Saying

Viral Infection Linked to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Smoking associated with Chronic Lung Diseases.
Which came first?

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Quickies

Exercise Is No Quick Cure for Insomnia
You're right. It's a quick fix for Hypersomnia, which is a blood sugar problem.
Insomnia is not. It's an infection. I'm guessing the long term results are a result of increased hygiene.
(edit- and lymphatic system stimulation.)

Colorectal cancer may be triggered by mouth bacteria
Put another one in Koch's column.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Oh My Heavens

New Zealand woman drives for hours sending texts while asleep at the wheel
A New Zealand woman drove for hundreds of kilometres while asleep at the wheel, sending texts from her mobile phone along the way, police said.
Clearly she doesn't have a driving problem.  She has a memory problem.

Can you imagine how wired that woman is normally?   Behold the power of dopamine.

Hoist Hoist Hoist

Public Meeting on Narcolepsy Patient-Focused Drug Development

 On September 24, 2013, FDA is conducting a public meeting on Patient-Focused Drug Development for narcolepsy. FDA is interested in obtaining patient input on the impact of narcolepsy on daily life and the available therapies for narcolepsy.
This website will be updated as registration and additional meeting information become available.
Date: 
September 24, 2013 
Time: 
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Location:
FDA White Oak Campus
10903 New Hampshire Ave.
Building 31, Room 1503A
Silver Spring, MD 20993  
(Information about arrival to FDA's White Oak campus)
Registration:  To register for this meeting, visit: http://patientfocusednarcolepsy.eventbrite.com  
Registration will close on September 13, 2013.

Submitting comments to the docket:
In addition to providing input at the public meeting, patient stakeholders are invited to provide their perspectives on the discussion questions through the public docket. Visit the following website to provide electronic or written comments: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2013-N-0815-0001

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Bring It On

Okay People.  Here it is.   Sorry it's not a gluten-free low-carb cheesecake.
How Narcolepsy Drugs Really Work
It's a rough draft.  I got a couple more links to plug in.    It needs some better verbiage and transitions and stuff.   I know some of the table formatting is wrong. I am busy and really would appreciate it if you guys made suggestions.   I'm also guessing there are more studies I didn't think of. (edit, it's better now.)

I won't be able to attend, but I am planning to send it to the FDA for their Patient Drug Initiative. 
(Thus only very subtle snark.  Ha. )

Six Years

Happy Glutenversary to me.

I am making you a gift.   It's not done yet though.

In the meantime you can watch the video from last year...

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Exciting News

But this would make the drug pushing sleep medicine cartel irrelevant so you know it will never happen.

Orexin gene therapy restores the timing and maintenance of wakefulness in narcoleptic mice.
These substantial improvements in sleepiness and other symptoms of narcolepsy demonstrate the effectiveness of orexin gene therapy in a mouse model of narcolepsy. Additional work is needed to optimize this approach, but in time, AAV-orexin could become a useful therapeutic option for patients with narcolepsy.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Zombie Ground Zero

Yo Scotland. 
It's starting.

An Offhand Hypothesis

The reason people smoke after eating-
Nicotine inhibits the activity of the microbes that eating stimulates.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Old Song of the Day

Free Your Mind

Dear Young Lady

Please read my websites.
1.  I do not argue the validity of my research with people who don't bother to read it.
And certainly not with someone who believes the American Sleep Societies' diagnostic criteria reflect reality.
2.  I also do not argue the efficacy of the diet with people who haven't tried it.  If you still have the excessive sleepiness after a rigorous GFLC trial-  let me know, and I will help you figure out your comorbid illness.   Judging by your compulsive urge to write, it's strep.

Thanks.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Paul K. Crane, MD

Dementia risk tied to blood sugar level, even with no diabetes
"The most interesting finding was that every incrementally higher glucose level was associated with a higher risk of dementia in people who did not have diabetes," said first author , MPH, an Associate Professor of Medicine at the UW School of Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Services at the UW School of Public Health, and Affiliate Investigator at Group Health Research Institute. "There was no threshold value for lower glucose values where risk leveled off."
No, actually the really interesting part is this:
So should people try to eat less sugar—or foods with a lower "glycemic index"? Not necessarily, Dr. Crane said: "Your body turns your food into glucose, so your blood sugar levels depend not only on what you eat but also on your individual metabolism: how your body handles your food." But he does suggest that taking walks couldn't hurt: The ACT study has previously linked physical activity to later onset and reduced risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
Furthermore, Dr. Crane emphasized that these results come from an observational study: "What we found was that people with higher levels of glucose had a higher risk of dementia, on average, than did people with lower levels of glucose," he said. "While that is interesting and important, we have no data to suggest that people who make changes to lower their glucose improve their dementia risk. Those data would have to come from future studies with different study designs."
 I am going to go stain the deck and inhale the fumes.   Better for my brain. 

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Virender K. Rehan, MD

Great-Grandmother's Cigarette Habit Could Be the Cause of Child's Asthma

That's ridiculous.   That's beyond Lamarckian.
Your correlation is probably real,  but your biases are glaring.
Asthma is known to be caused by a number of infections.
Albuterol, the standard treatment for asthma- exhibits antimicrobial properties.  
Nicotine strongly inhibits the growth of many microbial pathogens too.
Smoking is very likely a self medicating behavior.  Granny apparently didn't have asthma symptoms. I haven't had it since I started smoking either.
This correlation, as well as the first and second generation study results, are easily explained by a familial genetic predisposition to a respiratory illness.  
And that infection is the likely agent of those epigenetic changes you find.

The long term problems with smoking affect the smoker.  And anyone in contact with the smoke. 
The short term benefits are probably why they survive to have great grandchildren.

Your simplistic advice probably wouldn't change a thing.
But let's try it for a decade just to see, okay?
Oh wait, I just remembered-  in the last thirty years, US smoking rates have fallen sharply, but asthma rates have risen dramatically...
Is that your reason for reaching back three generations?  Can't find enough smokers to account for your assumptions anymore?   Really clever math, if it was.

Such a shame you got the whole cause-effect thing wrong.  Good effort, though.

Bwa ha ha ha ha

Team discovers potential new way to treat anxiety
Chemically modified inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme relieve anxiety behaviors in mice by activating natural "endocannabinoids" without gastrointestinal side effects, Vanderbilt University scientists will report next week.

Endocannabinoids are natural signaling molecules that activate cannabinoid receptors in the brain, the same receptors turned on by the active ingredient in marijuana.
These receptors are also found in the gastrointestinal system and elsewhere in the body, and there is evidence that they play a role in wide range of physiological and pathological processes, in addition to modulating stress and anxiety.

I've been doing that experiment since the seventies. You're right, it's very effective.

Quick question-  why should you be able to patent and sell your cannabanoid receptor stimulating molecule without medical acceptance of the one existing in the public domain?

Monday, August 5, 2013

Or Maybe Not

A Gene May Cause Impulsive Behavior During Bad Economic Times

DRD2 is a gene for the D2 dopamine receptor.
You wanna know what else affects that and causes an increased stress response?  Strep Infections. 
And you know what gets sidelined in bad economic times?   Non Emergency Medical Care.

Pop Quiz

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day
Keri Gans

Will Eating Late at Night Make You Fat?

There are at least five dietary fallacies in this article.   I found a different one in each paragraph.
Maybe you can find more.

I got nothin

Got a couple documents in the works, but also massive home renovation.   Sorry it's taking so long.

“Pastafarian” wins right to wear strainer on government ID 
I gotta admire that kind of manic dedication to oppositional defiance.  That pic is awesome.

And meanwhile in Seattle-   I am voting for GoodSpaceGuy for King County Executive.  I vote for him a lot (he runs for something in every election, but never seems to win). 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

The World we have Created

In Nursing Homes, an Epidemic of Poor Dental Hygiene

If you consider the inevitable vitamin D deficiency and constant supply of drugs and effin pancakes...
Maybe they don't really need a "nursing home".

And I'm guessing the "next big thing" will be tons of invasive dental care for those tormented people.  Make it worse.  Maybe induce some heart attacks and strokes too.

More misery, more money.

(edit- they could get some psychs in there to brush those people's teeth...)

Quote of the Day

Jennifer Anniston Says It's Our Fault We're Not as Happy as She Is
"If you're not happy, you can become happy. Happiness is a choice. That's the thing I really feel. Like with friends who refuse to get happy, who refuse to rise above the discomfort of where they're at"
Yes, it's all our fault we aren't as beautiful as her too.
Funny thing-  strong teeth make a pretty face, a healthy body and a cheerful disposition...

The bias of the blessed.   Perpetuating insanity throughout history. 

Yes, Yes, No.

Tired, Moody and Pregnant? Exercise May Be the Answer
Exercise may improve the mood of pregnant women and help to reduce levels of fatigue reports new research published in Psychology & Health The study, by Anca Gaston and Harry Prapavessis at the University of Western Ontario, examined whether a four week exercise intervention programme would result in improvements in the psychological well-being of previously inactive pregnant women. The results were clear, with participants reporting significant improvements in their mood during the programme. They also saw reduced levels of fatigue, suggesting that pregnant women should be encouraged to engage in regular exercise to improve both psychological and physical well-being.
This also strongly suggests that this is a glucose metabolism problem.
Pregnant women produce more insulin, which definitely affects moods and causes fatigue.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Doctor Assisted Dieting

Wow.  Just Wow.

Pain = Weight Loss: The Tongue Patch Diet
The tongue patch is a short-term weight-loss aid. The patch is sewn onto your tongue, then it makes eating unpleasant, allowing you to stick to a regime of weight-loss shakes. Then it is removed.

Asked if sewing a foreign object into somebody's mouth was healthy, Chugay said, "Well, it's not unhealthy."
Wanna Bet?
Invasive oral surgery is very likely dangerous for obese people.
I am guessing most of the effect is from a massive immune response-  there's nothing like a little mania to shed some pounds... but really, skipping tooth brushing works about as well and doesn't cost two thousand dollars.

As I was saying

Alcoholism Could Be Linked to a Hyper-Active Brain Dopamine System
Research from McGill University suggests that people who are vulnerable to developing alcoholism exhibit a distinctive brain response when drinking alcohol, according to a new study by Prof. Marco Leyton, of McGill University's Department of Psychiatry. Compared to people at low risk for alcohol-use problems, those at high risk showed a greater dopamine response in a brain pathway that increases desire for rewards. 
Thank You So Very Very Much.
Higher dopamine not only means more reward, it means Less Insulin Production.
Explains a lot.

Friday, August 2, 2013

More Fruits and Vegetables!

“Marijuana Is a Vegetable” and Belongs in the Farmers’ Market

Have a nice weekend. 

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Dr Peter Jonason
Study finds night owls more likely to be psychopaths
Dr Peter Jonason, from the UWS School of Social Sciences and Psychology, assessed over 250 people's tendency to be a morning- or evening-type person to discover whether this was linked to the 'Dark Triad' of personality traits. The results, published in Personality and Individual Differences found students who were awake in the twilight hours displayed greater anti-social tendencies than those who went to bed earlier. "Those who scored highly on the Dark Triad traits are, like many other predators such as lions and scorpions, creatures of the night," he says.

You know who else are creatures of the night?   Frakkin Insomniacs.  Geniuses.   And artists.  And musicians.  And writers.  And scientists.  And computer geeks.  And soldiers.  And nurses.  And ambulance drivers.  The opposite of predators.
And you know who does seem to universally have the Dark Triad traits?   Psychs.  Righteous and imperious and exploiting the most vulnerable of us all.

This observation has been obvious since the dawn of civilization.
Your urge to identify and magnify the importance of correlations is a symptom.
Heal Thyself, Maniac.

Do the Right Thing

Dear Anthony Weiner-
Please have your head examined-  see a urologist.
Thanks.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

The Circle of Insanity

NSA at work? Writer says house raided after online browsing
Music writer Michele Catalano wrote Thursday about a personal experience that may show, to bizarre but chilling effect, the government’s online surveillance in action. Catalano writes that her home was visited and searched by members of the Joint Terrorist Task Force — a fact she attributes to having searched online for pressure cookers, while her husband searched for backpacks.
Blame Psychs.
This is what happens when a few of us are sick and we can't figure out which ones.
The maniacs somehow become the ones in charge.

The Root of the Problem

Living in America will drive you insane
Examining the scientific literature that now extends over 50 years, Whitaker discovered that while some psychiatric medications for some people may be effective over the short term, these drugs increase the likelihood that a person will become chronically ill over the long term. Whitaker reports, “The scientific literature shows that many patients treated for a milder problem will worsen in response to a drug—say have a manic episode after taking an antidepressant—and that can lead to a new and more severe diagnosis like bipolar disorder.” With respect to the dramatic increase of pediatric bipolar disorder, Whitaker points out that, “Once psychiatrists started putting ‘hyperactive’ children on Ritalin, they started to see prepubertal children with manic symptoms. Same thing happened when psychiatrists started prescribing antidepressants to children and teenagers. A significant percentage had manic or hypomanic reactions to the antidepressants.” And then these children and teenagers are put on heavier duty drugs, including drug cocktails, often do not respond favorably to treatment and deteriorate. And that, for Whitaker, is a major reason for the 35-fold increase between 1987 and 2007 of children classified as being disabled by mental disorders.
This author covers a lot of reasons why there is an "epidemic of mental illness" in America.
It boils down to this:  Because Mentally Ill People Go To Psychs.
Psychiatric Treatment does NOT address the CAUSE of Mental Illness.
Their criteria and classification are  based on symptoms, and that's what the drugs amerliorate.

If you don't address the Cause of the illness, your patients will get worse.   It's as simple as that.