Learning Methods

A somewhat lengthy, but quite worthwhile essay on posture, movement, gravity, and awareness:

http://www.learningmethods.com/statlect.htm

Thanks Pauliina

MSG and Brains

A well meaning relative, who is also a fantastic cook, sent the following to me.
Take a good look at the line in red. This statement is completely false.

The person who wrote this is simply going by wht he has heard and what he believes, and is not trying to deceive or harm anyone.

The recipe is taste great, I've eaten a lot of it. I've also had a lot of physical and neurological issues that may have been exacerbated by consumpton of MSG. I know that I have noticed dramatic improvements in mTBI related issues now that I have made it a point to eliminate as much MSG from my diet as possible. It is nearly impossible to eliminate completely without going strictly Organic/Vegan, but it can be reduced dramatically by careful purchasing and label reading.

Here is the recipe:

Hundreds of my adoring fans have asked me to share my mighty meat (steak/pork chop/hamburger/etc) marinade recipe.

Since I am approaching retirement and want to share good things with the rest of the world, I will let this secret out of the bag. It is very simple and quick to make and guarantees a fantastic flavor for meat you broil on a grill.

Combine and mix together in a shallow dish (glass pie plate, deep plate, platter, etc) the following ingredients:

1/2 cup oil (I use peanut oil, but other cooking oils will do)

1/2 cup paprika (I use sweet paprika that I buy at Sam's)

2 heaping tablespoons of dried or fresh basil (sweet, if possible)

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of MSG (Accent) -- This really is a natural ingredient and won't hurt you.

2 tablespoons of Worchestershire Sauce (even the cheap stuff works in this marinade)

2 tablespoons of Dale's Steak Seasoning liquid. (I think this is available in all grocery stores?)

DIRECTIONS:

You can apply this 15 minutes before grilling -- but it is best to marinade the meat several hours before cooking.

Put the meat in the marinade mixture and turn it over several times. Spoon up the "paste" on the bottom of the dish and rub it on the top side of the meat.

Turn the meat several times during the marinade process.

Do not drain the marinade when you start to grill.

CAUTION: The marinade will cause big flame ups for the first two or three minutes of grilling -- you will have to move the meat around until the flaming dies down. But, the final results are worth it.

DO NOT SAVE OR RE-USE MARINADE -- THROW IT AWAY AND MAKE A FRESH BATCH NEXT TIME YOU GRILL. (Unless you enjoy being sick from a food borne illness.)

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Individualize your marinade. Maybe you like more garlic or want to add soy sauce, ginger, etc, etc. Whatever -- try it and develop your own distinct grilling marinade and maybe you'll have hundreds of fans, like I do, begging for your recipe!

Good luck.
It would still be a good recipe without the MSG, and I'm pretty sure that the brand of Steak Seasoning mentioned also contains MSG, and would need to be substituted. It might not get the "rave reviews" without these ingredients, and based on animal studies, the people that ate meats marinated in this recipe would probably be satisfied portions about 30% smaller. In a country that has an amazing obesity problem, I think recipes that satisfy you with smaller portions are probably a very good idea. Here is some info on MSG that you may find useful: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/l-append.html

The above link discusses the way the FDA defines MSG, and undr what conditions it can be called "Natural" and under what conditions it can't. As you can see, it is a word game, it is the same substance whether it is called "natural flavoring" ,"hydrolyzed vegetable protein", "sodium caseinate" or anything else from the long list of psuedonyms.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

"Much of the argument for the safety of MSG is based on this meaningless distinction between food additive monosodium glutamate and other hydrolyzed protein products. The distinction is meaningless in a discussion of adverse reactions to processed free glutamic acid because glutamic acid that has been freed from protein or excreted by bacteria through a manufacturing process causes brain lesions, neuroendocrine disorders, and adverse reactions regardless of the method of processing, regardless of the source of the protein, and regardless of the name of the ingredient that contains it."

The article also discusses the banning of MSG in U.S. manufactured baby foods and the reasons behind it. What i can't figure out s why the same logic hasn't been applied to "adult foods".


Somone else who receive the recipe by Email wrote a response that I think is wonderful.

It also applies to the recent "Indigo" topic.

Here it is:

Dear ******,
You're scaring me here!
I have been pondering over your e-mail on Indigo Children in combination
with conjunction with some research I've been doing on excitotoxins.
Short answer:

1. "Indigo Children" are the response to 20th century environmental
assaults never before experienced in the history of the species.

2. One of these assults is MSG (and other excitotoxins such as
aspartame, NutraSweet, etc.)

Yes, glutamates are natural, but never never NEVER in the concentrations
now put in food.
They're put there because they DO create wonderful taste.
They DO that by over-exciting the braincells -- to death, hence the term
"excitotoxins."
They cross the blood brain barrier AND the placental barrier.
The hypothalamus (which controls appetite, the endocrine
system/hormones, etc.) has no blood-brain barrier at all because its job
is to monitor everything in the blood and respond accordingly.

MSG actively destroys brain neurons, and is now linked by researchers to
thyroid / endocrine problems, obesity, AND to Parkinson's, ALS,
Alzheimers (known in Europe as "the American Disease") and other
neurodegenerative diseases.
It is not a huge leap to the current autism epidemic.
Consider the pattern -- normal baby, normal developmental progress until
around age 2 when there should be an explosion of growth and neural
wiring AND when infants are graduating from baby food up to eating adult
food. And strangely the neural connections don't get made.

MSG was removed (we think) from baby food in about 1970 thanks to the
grim determination of a Dr. Olney, a neuroscientist -- over the screams
of the food industry. They (and the FDA) didn't seem to care that MSG
actively destroys the arcuate nucleus of the infant brain. So Olney went
to Congress.

Yes it is natural, tho it never occurs naturally in the quantities that
are now pumped into our food supply so that Consumers will consume more
and more and more.
The damage it causes is precisely BECAUSE of its "naturalness": the
brain, and the hypothalamus in particular, has zillions of glutamate
receptors. What the hypthalamus does not have is a blood / brain barrier
-- because its job as CEO of the body is to monitor everything in the
blood and respond accordingly.

Yes, the FDA has long said that it's safe -- but it turns out that the
pamphlet they gave out for years was actually written by the Glutamate
Council. It's one of the tragic problems of our system that the
understaffed and underfunded FDA has turned safety testing over to the
companies themselves who are hardly objective -- not with billions of
dollars in potential sales at stake. Safety testing seems to have become
an exercise in: "How can we best fudge the data before we turn in the
glowing $afety report$?"

Of all test animals, human brains are the most sensitive to glutamates
(and children's brains are at least 4x more sensitive than those of
adults).
Monkeys aren't much bothered.
Mice are closest to (tho less sensitive than) humans, therefore the test
animal of choice -- IF you are looking for REAL results.

So . . . for the definitive study for a Generally Recognized as Safe
(GRS) decision, what would you pick for study subjects?

The most-quoted safety study used MONKEYS, fed them huge amounts which
induces VOMITING, then kept them sedated during the course of the trial
with a compound which is known to be the most powerful GLUTAMATE
ANTAGONIST known. Not surprisingly, they didn't find much damage after
the chemical was vomited out and the remaining material safely
neutralized.

The definitive book on the subject is by Dr. Russell L. Blaycock,
neurologist and neurosurgeon. -- someone who actually SEES the damage
done by these compounds. You need not take his word for it: it includes
full references to all the studies so readers can make their own
educated decisions.

Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Excitotoxins-Taste-Russell-L-Blaylock/dp/0929173252/sr=8-1/qid=1172762698/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-8905431-1491263?ie=UTF8&s=books

I know what MSG does to me.
What really scares me is what I don't know about what it does or has
done to me -- or what it will do. It's almost impossible to avoid in any
processed food.
I hope you will look at this.
When you do your consulting, when you write your book, when you feed
your grandchildren, you of all people are in a wonderful position to
save so many people so much grief and pain.

Blessings!
***** *********

Something I have never seen discussed extensively amid the concerns
over excitotoxins in the diet (primarily glutamates from MSG and
aspartates from aspartame)is the effect of elevated glutamate/aspartate
levels on TBI, either immediately following an injury or during
recovery.

Fortunately, high plasma levels of these excitotoxins are blocked from
entering the brain by a healthy blood/brain barrier (except at the
hypothalamus, but that's another discussion)

How about when the blood/brain barrier isn't healthy...TBI or stroke?

Would getting into a car accident on the way home from an MSG loaded
Chinese Buffet result in a more severe brain injury?

How about damage to the HPE axis?
More severe if loaded up with nacho cheese tortilla chips and diet
soda?

And what about recovery?
Can an existing injury be exacerbated and recovery slowed by an
excitotoxin loaded diet?

just random thoughts.

From Wikipedia (which is has become an amazingly handy source of quick
info in the last couple of years):

"Excitotoxicity can occur from substances produced within the body
(endogenous excitotoxins) . Glutamate is a prime example of an
excitotoxin in the brain, and it is paradoxically also the major
excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian CNS.[10] During normal
conditions, glutamate concentration can be increased up to 1mM in the
synaptic cleft, which is rapidly decreased in the lapse of
milliseconds. When the glutamate concentration around the synaptic
cleft cannot be decreased or reaches higher levels, the neuron kills
itself by a process called apoptosis.

This pathologic phenomenon can also occur after brain injury. Brain
trauma or stroke can cause ischemia, in which blood flow is reduced to
inadequate levels. Ischemia is followed by accumulation of glutamate
and aspartate in the extracellular fluid, causing cell death, which is
aggravated by lack of oxygen and glucose. The biochemical cascade
resulting from ischemia and involving excitotoxicity is called the
ischemic cascade. Because of the events resulting from ischemia and
glutamate receptor activation, a deep chemical coma may be induced in
patients with brain injury to reduce the metabolic rate of the brain
(its need of oxygen and glucose) and save energy to be used to remove
glutamate actively. (It must be noted that the main aim in induced
comas is to reduce the intracranial pressure, not brain metabolism). "

On a related note:

The symptoms of brain wave slowing are part of a continuum. In the
extreme how are they different from a lowered GCS score other than in
degree?

Can severe apraxia be viewed as a loss of the ability to multi-task
taken to the extreme?
Taken to the point that the client is unable to cordinate the multiple
muscles involved in a complex movement?

Too much coffee on a quiet, snowy, Pittsburgh Sunday,
Wiley

Indigos and Autism

Over the past couple of days, I've been having an email exchange with my parents about the "Indigo child" phenomenon. They apparently saw a film about it, and decided to ask me about it... because I tend to be the one in the family that knows about "all that weird stuff".

Actually, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought. I don't have any children. Have never raised any children either (but I was one once, and I've met a few). I never really felt that my opinion on the matter would have any weight.

I have been 'accused' of being an Indigo, and after thinking about it, I didn't really take it as a compliment.

Here's why:

They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it)

They have a feeling of "deserving to be here," and are surprised when others don't share that.

Self-worth is not a big issue. They often tell the parents "who they are."

They have difficulty with absolute authority without explanation or choice).

They simply will not do certain things; for example, waiting in line is difficult for them.

They get frustrated with systems that are ritually oriented and don't require creative thought.

They often see better ways of doing things, both at home and in school, which makes them seem like "system busters" (nonconforming to any system).

They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.

They will not respond to "guilt" discipline ("Wait till your father gets home and finds out what you did").

They are not shy in letting you know what they need.

This is one of the most common lists of traits.
To me, it sounds like a child who has been raised by T.V. (hence the "old eyes")and video games. They have the attention span of a gnat. They expect instant gratification.They are poorly socialized and haven't learned to share. They are indulged to the point of truly believing they are the center of the universe, so they haven't learned to cooperate and make the compromises that are part of being in a social "team".

At least those would seem like a reasonable explanation for all the traits on this list.

I'm a big fan of Occam's Razor:

This is often paraphrased as "All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one." In other words, when multiple competing theories are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the theory that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest hypothetical entities. (from wikipedia)

I don't think that a 'leap in human evolution' is needed to explain why children being raised in a dramatically different technological, sensory, and social environment from their parents might act a little different than parents did at the same age.

That being said, there is also an electromagnetic environment that may be worth considering in the phenomenon.
Some of the Indigo traits have been compared to Autism Spectrum traits, and it is true that autism rates seem to be rising. A criticism of this has been that the testing is better now, and more traits are recognized....but if this is true, where are all the autistic adults?

As I understand it, autism doesn't tend to clear up spontaneously.

There is a type of Neurofeedback called LENS (Low Energy Neurofeedback) that uses very weak electromagnetic pulses to carry the biofeedback signal back to the subject. Most people respond to a couple of seconds of per session. The situation is different with autistic subjects they may require much more feedback before they show a response...as much as several minutes of feedback signal per session.

See:
http://www.neuro-muscular.com/glossary.htm
for a brief description or,
http://ochslabs.com
for more detailed information about LENS

I want to propose a hypothesis for the increase in autism based on this observation.

The background electromagnetic soup that we live in has increased massively, a thousandfold, in a few short years.
Cellphones and wireless networks are now part of our ecology. The current generation of small children were gestated, and probably conceived, within a few feet of a cellphone, and have been immersed in a sea of wireless networks since birth.

LENS has demonstrated how remarkably sensitive our nervous systems can be to tiny radio frequency signals...the feedback signal that LENS emits is a tiny fraction of the output that is produced by that cellphone in your pocket, but can measurably change brainwave amplitudes with only a couple seconds of exposure.

Could it be that the increase in autism is an attempt by a developing nervous system to adapt to the cacophony of background RF that is now part of our environment?

There is something about an autistic brain that makes it resistant to low level LENS type stimulation, Is it also more resistant to the electromagnetic soup that we live in?

Is it physiological response; an attempt at a functional adaptation?

In that sense it could be considered "evolutionary" but more in a Lamarckian sense than in a Darwinian sense.

If this is the case, then perhaps the Autism-like Indigo traits are a step in evolution, but maybe not exactly what the more mystical of the New Agers are looking for.

Solitons and cognition

Since the the ice storm given me a chance to catch up on reading, I've been taking a deeper look at a couple of websites.

Minds, Brains & Catalysis:
A theory of cognition grounded in metabolism

http://www.psy.cmu.edu:16080/~davia/mbc/index.html


The Geometry of Anatomy – the Bones of Tensegrity

http://www.intensiondesigns.com/itd-biotensegrity/biotensegrity/papers/geometry_of_anatomy.html


The physical models used to explain intent, motion, anatomy, and perception are evolving at a dizzying speed. But then, what isn't?

We are living at the edge...of something. Of a major shift. This is the first time in history of humanity that there is no real projection of what the world will be like in 50 years.

Our views of time and space are shifting. Distance has lost almost all relevance in commerce, communication, or access to knowledge.

National borders seem to be on the way to becoming anachronisms.

Even language itself is no longer a significant barrier, at least in elecronic communications.

In ways we are becoming amazingly wealthy in terms of access to technology. Yesterday I saw a pocket camera for $2.50, the packaging included a thumb-size AM/FM radio as a free gift if you purchased the $2.50 camera.

Look at this in terms of the cost in labor for an average person.
It is less than a half hour's labor for someone making minimum wage.

25 years ago, if the technology in these items even existed, it probably would have taken someone making much more than minimum wage several days of labor to afford these items, at least.

Yet in this worlld of phenomenal access, wealth and technology, we have more stress than ever. We are aging faster. Our diets are poorer. We are more obese. We can't seem to afford adequate health care. Many can't afford health insurance. We don't have time to take care of ourselves properly.

what is the problem here?

Al Gore owes me a set of snow tires

The last couple of days have destroyed my faith in Al Gore. I didn't put snow tires on my truck because I believed in Al Gore.

I didn't buy that coastal property in Florida because of Al Gore and Global Warming.

IF AL GORE IS READING THIS, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF HE WOULD SEND ME A SET OF SNOW TIRES.

On the plus side, I have been able to catch up on my reading. I certainly haven't had any business.

The world outside the window is all sparkly, the bush next to the window is glazed like a doughnut ...that has been gently dusted with powdered sugar...
I REALLY need to make a trip to the grocery store. I didn't stock up for the storm, the world is a sheet of ice....AND MY TRUCK DOESN'T HAVE ANY FREAKIN' SNOW TIRES!


I just got through playing with the new digital camera that Jill got for Christmas. I carried it with me while I walked to the grocery store.

It takes pretty good pictures.
Does anyones have Al Gore's email address?
I'll attach the images to the email that I'll be sending him.

;-)

Tensegrity and back pain

Today I spent a bit of time on the aikido-L mailing list ( http://www.aikido-l.org ) discussing movement, tensegrity and back pain.

I think the section on back pain is relevent to the blog...actually, a lot of the movement stuff is as well. Much of my knowledge of movement, and my approach to movement therapy is based on aikido and Judo.

Feldenkrais based much of his system on Judo principles, so I guess I'm not in bad company.

Here is what posted to the email list:

>Lately I've been doing a lot of hands-on work with people with back
injuries.
What I've found is that if you treat the vertebral column and associated
myofascia as a tensegrity structure rather than a stack of blocks, people
recover more quickly from injuries, and suffer fewer chronic residual
effects from their injury. They also move more lightly with better posture,
and often gain an inch in height.

There are definite, real world, macro-structure applications.

For example:

Low back pain and bulging discs in the lumbar region.

Traditionally the bulging discs were viewed as the creating the pain due to
nerve entrapment. The traditional treatment approach has been surgical
removal of the disk...with a low enough success rate that "Failed Back
Surgery Syndrome" has become an actual medical diagnosis.

If you view the back as a tensegrity structure rather than a stack of
articulating blocks or a tent pole, the situation changes.
The bulging disk become a *symptom* of inappropriate tensions that have been
distributed across, and compressed the entire structure. The pain itself can
usually be explained and treated in terms of myofascial referral patterns,
also a symptom of inappropriate structural tensions.

If the tensions are correctly balanced, the bodies of the vertebrae will
actually lift off of each other, and minimal pressure will be exerted on the
intervertebral discs.
Range of motion improves, along with improvements in balance and
proprioception. Since the tensions throughout the structure have been
reduced, and the structure has actually lengthened (This is one of the
characteristics of a tensegrity structure, tighten one aspect, the entire
structure constricts, loosen any aspect, and the overall structure expands),
motion is more fluid and resilient.

It seems blatantly obvious when you look at it in retrospect. The vertebral
bodies are composed of light spongy bone, they aren't designed to be load
bearing. The bony projections (spinous and transverse processes, neural
arch) are dense, strong, compact bone. These bony processes are the load
bearing members. They are the rigid components floating within the
tensegrity structure. The intervetebral disks can be viewed as similar to
the bumpers on your car...there if needed, but not really intended for
load-bearing.

A simple shift in paradigms, a huge potential difference in the quality of
life of someone with chronic back issues.

Of course, if you had brought this up twenty years ago, it would have been
considered preposterous...after all,the mechanical models that were in place
at the time adequately described all the motions of the spine. (And from a
certain perspective, they still do) >>

If you aren't familar with the concept of a tensegrity structure, here is a good site:

http://www.anatomytrains.com/explore/tensegrity/explained

This is on Tom Myers' site. Myers is a phenomenal writer and lecturer, as well as a direct student of Ida Rolf, Buckminster Fuller, and Moshe Feldenkrais.

I strongly reccomend that anyone interested in the topics discussed here take a look at his material.

Reply to Cynthia and New Hope

Thanks for the comments folks, and sorry about the slow reply. I've been on the road a lot the last couple of days.

Cynthia,

Are you in Pittsburgh?
What kind of practice do you have?

I'm planning on keeping a running commentary of the happenings here, with images...assuming I can develop a reasonable degree of skill web publishing skills. This is the first blog that I've ever set up.

New Hope,

You mention a whiplash injury, could you provide a little more detail?
When did the injury happen? And what was injured?
What was the angle of impact and which way were you facing?
You have mentioned back surgery...what type of surgery has been proposed?
What are your current symptoms and pain patterns?

Let's start with that, let me build a better picture of what is going on with you.

email me if you don't want to discuss this in a public forum.

Triggerpoints@verizon.net

Since I don't know much about you yet, or your condition I'll just make a few general comments about whiplash injuries.

One aspect that tends to be overlooked, after the shift from the "acute injury" stage to the "chronic condition" stage, are the changes that occur in the nervous system as a result of the injury.

The high amplitude, noxious, neural impulses from the injury can have profound central effects.

The pain can cause an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, keeping your body in a "fight or flight mode".

In "fight or flight" mode (a shift toward Sympathetic nervous system dominance), blood pressure is up, breathing patterns change, peripheral blood vessels constrict, stress hormones such as cortisol are released, digestion slows, sleep becomes lest restful. Your body is stuck in an "emergency response". This can be benefit during an actual crisis...but your body can't function effectively long term in this condition.

During an emergency, your body is tryng to maximize the mobilization of resources...cutting loose energy to burn. It isn't important to be building muscle, healing, or absorbing nutrients while, for example, a tiger is chasing you. What is important is freeing up nutrients to burn as energy.

The other side of this phenomena is the effect of Parasympathetic nervous system dominance.
This is the "rest, digest, and recover" branch of the Autonomic nervous system.

Normally, your body shifts back and forth between a parasympathetic state and a sympathetic state in a slow tide-like flow. Exertion...relaxation......tension...release...contraction....extension.

There is a balanced rhythm, just like in any other healthy physiological process. Just like the the balanced inhale-exhale of breathing, and the sleep wake cycle.

If your body becomes stuck in a state of sympathetic activation, you can't heal properly, you can't rest properly, you can't digest and absorb nutrients properly. This can lead to a wide variety of issues...including depression and exhaustion, as well as exacerbating existing pain issues. It is common for the perception of pain to change from localized pain to widespread, diffuse body pains. Immune reponses can be lowered.

Some people even experience disruption of endocrine functions. As your body attempts to compensate for this altered autonomic state, thyroid function may be inhibited. it isn't uncommon for people to gain a significant amount of weight after a whiplash type injury, even though diet and activity levels may not have changed significantly.

Fortunately, there are manual techniques and exercises that can help restore function in the damaged myofascia and calm the innapropriate nervous impulses.

Here is a good article on the theory behind the techiques:

http://www.neuro-muscular.com/Part2.pdf


In my opinion, however, the most exciting results in the treatment of the chronic effects of whiplash are coming from the field of neurofeedback, and it seems that myofascial bodywork amplifies the effect of the neurofeedback

This article focuses on post traumatic fibromyalgia, but there is a lot in it that applies to whiplash in general:

http://www.fmpartnership.org/Files/Website2005/Learn%20About%20Fibromyalgia/Articles/Neurotherapy%20Treatment%20of%20Fibromyalgia.htm

I hope something here is useful to you.


If you provide me with a few more details, I may be able to provide you with some information that is more specific to your condition.

And if you are in the area, feel free to stop by and visit. There is no charge for a consultation.


Wiley