Please consider that the following article is hypothetical. It is based on research, however.
Based on things that I have read, there are natural ways to prevent Alzheimer's. It takes some information synthesis to get there, so please hang-on. The most amazing link that has been found is a relationship between the herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-I) and Alzheimer's amyloid plaques. The article can be found summarized at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081207134109.htm The team conducting the research discovered that HSV-I DNA is "located very specifically in 90% of plaques in Alzheimer's disease sufferer's brains" (Wozniak, Mee, and Itzhaki, 2008).
The researchers hypothesized that antivirals can be used to inhibit the harmful consequences of HSV-I action. However, there is another, more inexpensive and effective possibility. The amino acid L-lysine has been demonstrated to inhibit HSV-I (Griffith, 1987, 1978; Kagan, 1974). The naked virions of HSV-I contain protein VII, which is arginine rich, at the core. The virions contain significantly less lysine (Olshevsky and Becher, 1970). Adding lysine inhibits viral replication.
Now, the logical conclusion needs to be investigated. It is a reasonable proposition that prophylatic loading of L-lysine in people who have the genetic prospect of developing Alzheimer's. Further, people with a history of HSV-I outbreaks as cold sores need to be investigated as potential subjects for such a study.
References
Griffith, R. S. (1987). Success of L-lysine therapy in frequently recurrent herpes simplex infection. Dermatologica 175 183-190.
Griffith, R. S. (1978). A multi-centered study of lysine therapy in herpes simplex infection. Dermatological 156 257-267.
Kagan, C. (1974). Lysine therapy for herpes simplex. The Lancet 1 137.
Olshevsky, V. & Becher, V. (1970). Virology 40 948.
Wozniak, M. A., Mee, A. P. & Itzhaki, R. F. (2008). Herpes simplex virus type I DNA is located within Alzheimer's disease amyloid plaques. The Journal of Pathology 217(1), 131-138.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Abdominal No Man
The therapist was doing an intake of an 11 year old male who was in a school program for emotionally disturbed students. He allegedly had a problem with explosive outbursts of aggression and anger. He was being treated with psychoactive medication that apparently had no impact on his behavior. The fellow was born to a drug using mom, tested positive for drugs at birth, was taken at the hospital by a community social worker. He was fortunate because he was adopted.
His adoptive father came in for the first visit. A psychologist needs to ask medical questions because these are infrequently considered significant by medical mental health professionals when treating and diagnosing. Billy had a very significant problem with constipation. His father reported that it was not unusual for him to go longer than a week or two to have a bowel movement. These were difficult events for him. His parents tried to help by providing over-the-counter laxatives. They talked to his pediatrician, who informed them that there were no pediatric gastroenterologists in the area.
The therapist easily convinced the father to take him to one of the closest medical teaching hospitals. A pediatric gastroenterologist diagnosed his problem and has been treating him. He does not have constipation any longer. Here is the surprise (perhaps) - his behavior problems have disappeared.
His adoptive father came in for the first visit. A psychologist needs to ask medical questions because these are infrequently considered significant by medical mental health professionals when treating and diagnosing. Billy had a very significant problem with constipation. His father reported that it was not unusual for him to go longer than a week or two to have a bowel movement. These were difficult events for him. His parents tried to help by providing over-the-counter laxatives. They talked to his pediatrician, who informed them that there were no pediatric gastroenterologists in the area.
The therapist easily convinced the father to take him to one of the closest medical teaching hospitals. A pediatric gastroenterologist diagnosed his problem and has been treating him. He does not have constipation any longer. Here is the surprise (perhaps) - his behavior problems have disappeared.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Red Lipstick
Way back in 1968, the student in Abnormal Psychology class was working on an on-going project to get a 19 year old institutionalized autistic female to say a specified sound. The technique used was to hold an M & M close to his mouth to get her attention, say the sound, and when she said it, give her the candy. Repeat throughout the session. The young woman had others doing the same thing. The class never got to learn whether she could ever speak on her own.
One thing that we have known about autistic children for a long time is that they frequently have disordered/disrupted sensation/perception. Some clinicians have used this to help people with autism.
It is now 2010. Methods for getting autistic children to look at a mouth have not changed much. It is especially difficult for young children. There has actually been research with two to four year old children that found (using sophisticated equipment) that focusing on the mouth is diagnostic. Regardless of age, children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder spent significantly less time looking at the mouth than typically developing children (Chawarska and Shic, 2009). When a person considers that the research is basically an expansion on the theme of figure ground perception, a perceptive person can consider ways to enhance the facial features so that they may stand out from ground. Doing this can, and should help autistic children learn.
I recently began mentioning the use of red lipstick by parents and therapists to acquire and maintain the attention of autistic children on the mouth for the purpose of conducting speech therapy. A parent of a set of autistic children (not from twin or other multiple births) reacted to my suggestion with astonishment because she does not ordinarily wear lipstick. She bought some bright red lipstick on a whim, applied it, and was amazed at how much attention her children were paying to her mouth. Her children ranged in age from 8 years old to 13 years old. One child was a girl, and the others were boys.
There is a shortcoming with red lipstick. Male therapists are unlikely to use it. Fathers working with their children are unlikely to use it. There are two possible solutions. Men can apply the lipstick and wear it only during therapy. That is an easy solution, but one that is unlikely to sit well with many of them.
The second solution would involve the purchase of a small theatrical moustache that can be worn multiple times on the upper lip. The hair should be dyed the same shade of red as lipstick. Men can use this to draw their child's/client's attention to the mouth. As much as many men are loath to wear red lipstick under any circumstances, women are likely to reject the option of wearing a bright red colored theatrical moustache on their upper lip. However, when a woman does not want to wear red lipstick, the bright red theatrical moustache can be an option for them.
A secondary aspect of speech therapy can involve having the child look in the mirror. An autistic child is unlikely to look at themselves AND their mouth to practice speaking. When the child does not have a sensory sensitivity to wearing lipstick, it may be possible to apply bright red lipstick to them to wear during speech practice in front of a mirror. Of course, under the same awareness of possible sensory sensitivity, they could also wear a bright red colored moustache during practice sessions. Perhaps having the parent use either option during speech practice would make the use of the same option on them in front of mirror more acceptable.
It would be excellent to get some feedback on the use of red lipstick. Please respond with comments.
Reference
Chawarska, K. & Shic, F. (2009). Looking but not seeing: Atypical visual scanning and recognition of faces in 2 and 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 1663-1672.
One thing that we have known about autistic children for a long time is that they frequently have disordered/disrupted sensation/perception. Some clinicians have used this to help people with autism.
It is now 2010. Methods for getting autistic children to look at a mouth have not changed much. It is especially difficult for young children. There has actually been research with two to four year old children that found (using sophisticated equipment) that focusing on the mouth is diagnostic. Regardless of age, children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder spent significantly less time looking at the mouth than typically developing children (Chawarska and Shic, 2009). When a person considers that the research is basically an expansion on the theme of figure ground perception, a perceptive person can consider ways to enhance the facial features so that they may stand out from ground. Doing this can, and should help autistic children learn.
I recently began mentioning the use of red lipstick by parents and therapists to acquire and maintain the attention of autistic children on the mouth for the purpose of conducting speech therapy. A parent of a set of autistic children (not from twin or other multiple births) reacted to my suggestion with astonishment because she does not ordinarily wear lipstick. She bought some bright red lipstick on a whim, applied it, and was amazed at how much attention her children were paying to her mouth. Her children ranged in age from 8 years old to 13 years old. One child was a girl, and the others were boys.
There is a shortcoming with red lipstick. Male therapists are unlikely to use it. Fathers working with their children are unlikely to use it. There are two possible solutions. Men can apply the lipstick and wear it only during therapy. That is an easy solution, but one that is unlikely to sit well with many of them.
The second solution would involve the purchase of a small theatrical moustache that can be worn multiple times on the upper lip. The hair should be dyed the same shade of red as lipstick. Men can use this to draw their child's/client's attention to the mouth. As much as many men are loath to wear red lipstick under any circumstances, women are likely to reject the option of wearing a bright red colored theatrical moustache on their upper lip. However, when a woman does not want to wear red lipstick, the bright red theatrical moustache can be an option for them.
A secondary aspect of speech therapy can involve having the child look in the mirror. An autistic child is unlikely to look at themselves AND their mouth to practice speaking. When the child does not have a sensory sensitivity to wearing lipstick, it may be possible to apply bright red lipstick to them to wear during speech practice in front of a mirror. Of course, under the same awareness of possible sensory sensitivity, they could also wear a bright red colored moustache during practice sessions. Perhaps having the parent use either option during speech practice would make the use of the same option on them in front of mirror more acceptable.
It would be excellent to get some feedback on the use of red lipstick. Please respond with comments.
Reference
Chawarska, K. & Shic, F. (2009). Looking but not seeing: Atypical visual scanning and recognition of faces in 2 and 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 1663-1672.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Do asthma medications cause behavior problems?
A nurse at work recently asked for a consultation. She was concerned about a 2 year, 4 month old boy who was displaying extreme mood swings, and very aggressive behavior. The nurse casually mentioned that the child was taking Singulair for breathing treatments. I casually asked if she thought that the behavior might be related to the Singulair.
The thought really concerned me so I researched the web. Behavior problems are listed as a rare but serious side-effect of montelukast sodium (aka Singulair). There were blogs written by parents who noticed this problem and reported that the behavior problems disappeared when they discontinued the medication. One such blog could be found at www.drugs.com/sfx/montelukast-side-effects.html
Another horrible thought crossed my mind. What if other asthma/allergy meds did the same thing? Take a look at www.medications.com/effect/tag/pulmicort I also found similar, disturbing notes about Advair.
I talked to the pediatrician at work. Her first response was classical (for her). She asked if I thought that she did not know about it. I said, that this was not the point. The question was, "What should we tell parents who bring their child to us because of severe behavior problems, and we learn that they take medication?" She suggested that we tell them to talk to their pediatrician. There is a problem here - many pediatricians do not believe that a child could be having this side-effect. She then said it came down to a choice between wheezing kids who had trouble breathing, or violent kids with severe mood swings. There is another way.
A number of years ago, I read that children in Israel are rarely prescribed asthma medications. Instead, they are given behavioral treatment. They are taught to "belly breath" their way through an asthma attack. Would you be surprised if I told you that I did this with a kid? I did. The child's mother was in my waiting room with a rescue inhaler. I put him through the process of learning belly breathing while he was having an asthma attack. His attack subsided.
Now, about twenty years after the therapist stopped an asthma attack in his own patient, there was an article that was summarized at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100212141108.htm
This presents a summary of Anbar et al. (2010) Adding hypnosis to the therapeutic toolbox of pediatric respiratory care. Pediatric Asthma Allergy Immunology
Questions: Why is it that we do not treat asthma by teaching belly breathing instead of prescribing medications that can change their behavior in such a way that they seek psychiatric or psychological assessments often resulting in the prescription of psychoactive medications that cause other side-effects (ad nauseam, ad infinitum)? Why not try hypnosis?
The thought really concerned me so I researched the web. Behavior problems are listed as a rare but serious side-effect of montelukast sodium (aka Singulair). There were blogs written by parents who noticed this problem and reported that the behavior problems disappeared when they discontinued the medication. One such blog could be found at www.drugs.com/sfx/montelukast-side-effects.html
Another horrible thought crossed my mind. What if other asthma/allergy meds did the same thing? Take a look at www.medications.com/effect/tag/pulmicort I also found similar, disturbing notes about Advair.
I talked to the pediatrician at work. Her first response was classical (for her). She asked if I thought that she did not know about it. I said, that this was not the point. The question was, "What should we tell parents who bring their child to us because of severe behavior problems, and we learn that they take medication?" She suggested that we tell them to talk to their pediatrician. There is a problem here - many pediatricians do not believe that a child could be having this side-effect. She then said it came down to a choice between wheezing kids who had trouble breathing, or violent kids with severe mood swings. There is another way.
A number of years ago, I read that children in Israel are rarely prescribed asthma medications. Instead, they are given behavioral treatment. They are taught to "belly breath" their way through an asthma attack. Would you be surprised if I told you that I did this with a kid? I did. The child's mother was in my waiting room with a rescue inhaler. I put him through the process of learning belly breathing while he was having an asthma attack. His attack subsided.
Now, about twenty years after the therapist stopped an asthma attack in his own patient, there was an article that was summarized at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100212141108.htm
This presents a summary of Anbar et al. (2010) Adding hypnosis to the therapeutic toolbox of pediatric respiratory care. Pediatric Asthma Allergy Immunology
Questions: Why is it that we do not treat asthma by teaching belly breathing instead of prescribing medications that can change their behavior in such a way that they seek psychiatric or psychological assessments often resulting in the prescription of psychoactive medications that cause other side-effects (ad nauseam, ad infinitum)? Why not try hypnosis?
Friday, December 11, 2009
New Resources - www.disease.com & www.hospital.com
I would like to thank the editor of http://www.disease.com/ for recognizing thebehaviorbypsychol. One of my favorite sayings related to any specialty, but more for my mental health brethren is, "If you think that you are a hammer, you see everything as a nail." Too often people who have behavior problems immediately choose to go to a mental health practitioner when the first choice should be to look for a physical cause that can be easily treated.
Thank you, Lisa Hope, for recognizing this.
I would also like to thank the associate editor of www.hospital.com for recognizing thebehaviorbypsychol
Thank you Kathy Sanders.
Thank you, Lisa Hope, for recognizing this.
I would also like to thank the associate editor of www.hospital.com for recognizing thebehaviorbypsychol
Thank you Kathy Sanders.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thinking to think
Ya gotta love functional fixedness. Actually, it is probably the single biggest obstacle to making new discoveries and solving problems. People joke about women who use a butter knife as a screw driver, but this is actually a fine example of moving away from having to use an object for its intended purpose.
One of the best ways to exercise your brain is to think of new ways to use things that have a stated purpose, or to move away from the same old stale practices. One of my earliest memories of cognitive flexibility had to do with paper. My father was an artist. He received a black piece of paper from a commercial printer as a type of advertisement. The title of the black paper was, "Only God can see black ants, on a black rock on a moonless, cloudy night." Just that one stimulus elicited my father's response, which was to send them a white piece of paper with the title, "Only God can see albino elephants eating marshmallows in a blinding snow storm." Years later, I saw an article in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" that consisted of a totally blank page that was entitled, "A case of unsuccessful treatment of writer's block." This was followed by a rather clever reviewer's comment, "I can see nothing wrong with this article."
Sometimes having a disorder causes people to move away from functional fixedness. This is particularly true for alcoholics. Most people think of flavor extracts as a way to bake or cook. Not many of these tiny bottles have more than four ounces in them. Alcoholics who have limited access to "real liquor" find flavor extracts quite handy. Better yet, were the alcoholics who were discussed in an old issue of the "Journal of the American Psychological Association." These folks were in a facility with extremely tight controls over alcohol and the means to distill their own alcoholic beverages (as happens in prisons). They succeeded in becoming intoxicated by the unlikely means of super hydration. They took up residence in the facility bathrooms at night so that they could consume enough water to lower their blood ph levels enough for acid intoxication (a dangerous activity).
Let's get back to those flavor extracts. They actually smell quite good. Does anyone think that vanilla extract would make a fine perfume or cologne? How about cherry flavor extract? Why not mix cherry extract and vanilla extract to create Cherry Vanilla? That type of excursion away from functional fixedness might cause a significant other to exclaim, "You smell absolutely delicious!"
How functional fixed is it to think that the only way to assess a child's progress in the schools is with tests?
One of the best ways to exercise your brain is to think of new ways to use things that have a stated purpose, or to move away from the same old stale practices. One of my earliest memories of cognitive flexibility had to do with paper. My father was an artist. He received a black piece of paper from a commercial printer as a type of advertisement. The title of the black paper was, "Only God can see black ants, on a black rock on a moonless, cloudy night." Just that one stimulus elicited my father's response, which was to send them a white piece of paper with the title, "Only God can see albino elephants eating marshmallows in a blinding snow storm." Years later, I saw an article in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" that consisted of a totally blank page that was entitled, "A case of unsuccessful treatment of writer's block." This was followed by a rather clever reviewer's comment, "I can see nothing wrong with this article."
Sometimes having a disorder causes people to move away from functional fixedness. This is particularly true for alcoholics. Most people think of flavor extracts as a way to bake or cook. Not many of these tiny bottles have more than four ounces in them. Alcoholics who have limited access to "real liquor" find flavor extracts quite handy. Better yet, were the alcoholics who were discussed in an old issue of the "Journal of the American Psychological Association." These folks were in a facility with extremely tight controls over alcohol and the means to distill their own alcoholic beverages (as happens in prisons). They succeeded in becoming intoxicated by the unlikely means of super hydration. They took up residence in the facility bathrooms at night so that they could consume enough water to lower their blood ph levels enough for acid intoxication (a dangerous activity).
Let's get back to those flavor extracts. They actually smell quite good. Does anyone think that vanilla extract would make a fine perfume or cologne? How about cherry flavor extract? Why not mix cherry extract and vanilla extract to create Cherry Vanilla? That type of excursion away from functional fixedness might cause a significant other to exclaim, "You smell absolutely delicious!"
How functional fixed is it to think that the only way to assess a child's progress in the schools is with tests?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Anticipation
Anticipation is something that is important to all people. It means thinking about something before it happens. Some of us are a lot better at it than others. The youngest children often can't wait for things, so anticipation is difficult for them. Anticipation can be a good thing. This happens when we think of some positive events that can happen in the future. It also happens when we have had an experience with some event or person and become excited in a happy way, or nervous in a bad sort of way. It also happens when we do something that might be wrong in the eyes of another person or other persons, and we anticipate a response or consequence. Telling a lie or a fib is something that involves an incredible amount of anticipation once the fib or lie has been told. The anticipation is the tremendous amount of anxiety that exists from the time the lie has been told until the time it is discovered. Discovery, oddly enough, can be such a relief that it functions as a reward for telling another lie.
Planning for something that has a good chance of happening helps take the edge off the anxiety particularly if the future event has a chance of repeating something unpleasant that has happened in the past. Many people approach a holiday with anxiety because they plan on being with family members that they both love and fear. They recall all of the good times that they have had with those family members, but some things just get in the way of making them comfortable about being together with them. The more intense prior events were, the more conflicted people are about having something social with those family members. What can be done? What would you want to do? What family members are most harmed by doing nothing at all, and chancing a repetition of prior events?
Those people who are planners have the potential of being good behavior engineers. Behavior engineers set up situations to minimize negative things. They are good at anticipating. Suppose, for example, we know that some family members don't like being near others. Planned seating arrangements are a really great way to reduce potential problems with that one. Suppose we know that some guests have the potential for breaking family heirlooms. Moving those to a safer location prior to their arrival is a great idea. Now, here is the difficult one. Suppose we are having company, and one or more of the guests is a person who has gotten into trouble because of alcohol.
There is NOTHING wrong with eliminating all alcoholic beverages from the home prior to the arrival of alcoholic family members. They might even thank the host for doing it. This might mean moving liquor bottles from the home to places like an office, or a storage facility. Serving non-alcoholic facsimiles at dinner might be a reasonable addition to moving all alcoholic beverages, or it might cause a reaction. Actually doing it (serving non-alcoholic beer or wine/fancy grape juice) might send a great non-verbal message. Plan for any verbal response to the non-verbal message that you are sending with a good deflection or positive response such as, "We have planned for a loving and positive family gathering this year." A repeated (though different) negative response should result in the same response, "We have planned for a loving and positive family gathering this year." Keep saying the same thing until the negativism stops, or make a non-alcoholic toast, "A happy, and healthy year for all, until we get together again." Many alcoholics bring a bottle of an alcoholic beverage to family gatherings as a "gift." This should be accepted gracefully and quickly brought to the place outside of the home where the other beverages are hidden. Never hide the alcohol at the home where the event is taking place. Alcoholics are good at finding it. They might even go so far as drinking cooking extracts (vanilla extract, almond extract, etc. all contain alcoholic - true alcoholics know this and will empty them), mouthwash, aftershave (yes, even though the alcohol in that is poison), cough syrup, etc.
Involving all members of the host family in planning can help reduce anxiety. Remember to have one last meeting before the arrival of guests to go through a checklist of the plan. Scripting or anticipating what might be said in various circumstances might be a good idea. One anticipated remark from a guest might be, "I am sorry about what happened. Can we please have fun?" The response might be, "We accept your apology. We love our family. That is why we have planned to have a loving family event this year." Repeat as necessary.
Another form of anticipation has to do with punishment. Anticipation can be used a part of a program of consequences. This is part of the Love and Logic behavior management system (refer to http://www.loveandlogic.com/). Suppose a child has done something, and there is a need for some kind of organized punishment from ALL caregivers (both parents, grandparents, extended family, etc.). It is perfectly reasonable to say, "You know that we love you. What you have done has caused me to have discuss your consequence with (family members). We will let you know what we have decided. Until then, don't worry about it." That last part is what creates the anticipatory anxiety that serves as punishment.
Planning for something that has a good chance of happening helps take the edge off the anxiety particularly if the future event has a chance of repeating something unpleasant that has happened in the past. Many people approach a holiday with anxiety because they plan on being with family members that they both love and fear. They recall all of the good times that they have had with those family members, but some things just get in the way of making them comfortable about being together with them. The more intense prior events were, the more conflicted people are about having something social with those family members. What can be done? What would you want to do? What family members are most harmed by doing nothing at all, and chancing a repetition of prior events?
Those people who are planners have the potential of being good behavior engineers. Behavior engineers set up situations to minimize negative things. They are good at anticipating. Suppose, for example, we know that some family members don't like being near others. Planned seating arrangements are a really great way to reduce potential problems with that one. Suppose we know that some guests have the potential for breaking family heirlooms. Moving those to a safer location prior to their arrival is a great idea. Now, here is the difficult one. Suppose we are having company, and one or more of the guests is a person who has gotten into trouble because of alcohol.
There is NOTHING wrong with eliminating all alcoholic beverages from the home prior to the arrival of alcoholic family members. They might even thank the host for doing it. This might mean moving liquor bottles from the home to places like an office, or a storage facility. Serving non-alcoholic facsimiles at dinner might be a reasonable addition to moving all alcoholic beverages, or it might cause a reaction. Actually doing it (serving non-alcoholic beer or wine/fancy grape juice) might send a great non-verbal message. Plan for any verbal response to the non-verbal message that you are sending with a good deflection or positive response such as, "We have planned for a loving and positive family gathering this year." A repeated (though different) negative response should result in the same response, "We have planned for a loving and positive family gathering this year." Keep saying the same thing until the negativism stops, or make a non-alcoholic toast, "A happy, and healthy year for all, until we get together again." Many alcoholics bring a bottle of an alcoholic beverage to family gatherings as a "gift." This should be accepted gracefully and quickly brought to the place outside of the home where the other beverages are hidden. Never hide the alcohol at the home where the event is taking place. Alcoholics are good at finding it. They might even go so far as drinking cooking extracts (vanilla extract, almond extract, etc. all contain alcoholic - true alcoholics know this and will empty them), mouthwash, aftershave (yes, even though the alcohol in that is poison), cough syrup, etc.
Involving all members of the host family in planning can help reduce anxiety. Remember to have one last meeting before the arrival of guests to go through a checklist of the plan. Scripting or anticipating what might be said in various circumstances might be a good idea. One anticipated remark from a guest might be, "I am sorry about what happened. Can we please have fun?" The response might be, "We accept your apology. We love our family. That is why we have planned to have a loving family event this year." Repeat as necessary.
Another form of anticipation has to do with punishment. Anticipation can be used a part of a program of consequences. This is part of the Love and Logic behavior management system (refer to http://www.loveandlogic.com/). Suppose a child has done something, and there is a need for some kind of organized punishment from ALL caregivers (both parents, grandparents, extended family, etc.). It is perfectly reasonable to say, "You know that we love you. What you have done has caused me to have discuss your consequence with (family members). We will let you know what we have decided. Until then, don't worry about it." That last part is what creates the anticipatory anxiety that serves as punishment.
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