|
· Arousal · Hearing · Posture · Sleep · Vision
|
The Cause of Internet and TV Addiction? |
|
Research Topics
· Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) · Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization (EPD) · Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) · Model of Stages in Object Perception · Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) · Similarities with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) · Theory of Perceptual and Cognitive Pleasure (Dr. Irving Biederman)
At best, eye drops and artificial tears can temporarily soothe only a few of the symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome. Dry Eye Syndrome: Related Conditions
Eye Drops: Preservative-Free To replace natural tears an artificial tear solution can be effective. Artificial tears are available with and without preservatives. Preservative-free artificial tears are recommended for people who can't tolerate preservatives or who must use these solutions many times per day.
Eye Drops: Lubricating/Lubricant vs. Addictive "Use eyedrops as needed. Look for the ones marked "lubricating" or "lubricant," as other kinds can be addictive, even in over-the-counter strength."
Eye Drops: Side Effects "Surprisingly, even the small amount of medication in an eyedrop can create significant side effects in other parts of the body. It is important to remember that all medicines have side effects."
Dissociation and Coping Project
Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization (EPD) "Enzyme potentiated desensitization, also called low-dose immunotherapy, uses very small doses of allergen along with an enzyme called b-glucuronidase. Proponents of this treatment claim that EPD can be used to treat a broad range of allergens without the need for weekly shots. This includes allergies to foods, which generally are not successfully treated with traditional allergy shots. This approach is still considered experimental." The Cleveland Clinic: Allergy Shots
"The most effective therapy ever developed is Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization (EPD). This is a vaccine that can, over time, cure allergies."
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
"For five years, I had chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia, photo sensitivity, and hyperacusis (hypersensitivity to sounds). I was weak and extremely tired and I couldn't concentrate on school work. I tried every kind of traditional Western doctor and drugs." Acupuncture.com: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2 (testimonial)
"I came to my acupuncturist with chronic fatigue syndrome, sensitivity to cold, and painful, light-sensitive eyes. I had had these conditions for six years. I'd been through conventional medicine and physical therapy." Acupuncture.com: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (testimonial)
"The use of acupuncture for the treatment of drug and alcohol dependency (Acudetox) is a recent development in the history of this ancient art. For centuries, Asian cultures have placed needles in precise locations on the body to relieve pain and treat disease. Only since 1972, when a Hong Kong neurosurgeon, H.L Wen M.D., discovered that acupuncture could alleviate the symptoms of drug withdrawal, has this method been used for detoxification and relapse prevention."
"Maravino (1994) and Schwartz (1988), claim that acupuncture, especially laser acupuncture, using the ear points provides the most effective response in stabilizing endorphin levels." Stop Smoking Using Laser Acupuncture
"When information is familiar to the organism it is immediately meaningful and its recognized and acted upon without effort expended to classify or understand it. The response pattern in this case is mainly motor (action) with little need for the autonomic changes which an especially novel environment stimulates through the arousal system. If the information is not familiar and is confusing, threatening, or overwhelming to the organism, a different brain process is engaged which includes arousal, frontal organization and vigilance (the information will be processed until it is understood). The frontal system includes the frontal cortex as well as the amygdala and the reticular system of the hypothalamus and brain stem (Pribram, 1971). This frontal system is intimately related to the arousal-orienting response reactions of the organism. When an animal is alerted by a novel situation the frontal system is engaged and the visceral-autonomic centers in the core brain are stimulated. Changes occur in breathing, heart rate, blood flow, pupil size increase, skin resistance, etc., and the motor system orients (turns towards the action and then freezes). There are also changes to electroencephalographic measurements; the brain wave rhythm increases in frequency and becomes desynchronized. If the stimulus is unusually strong, surprising, or appears especially dangerous, the reactions of fight or flight take place." "…The eye movement patterns characteristic of poor vision are similar to those of experimental subjects who are involved in situations of visual overload. Mackworth (1976) used sophisticated eye movement measuring devices to record the visual characteristics of subjects in visual tasks at various levels of difficulty. He described [ascribed?] the adjustments made by the visual motor system to conditions of visual overload. The major adjustment was seen to be a narrowing of the size of the useful field of view. This was true not only during the active search of too much material in too short a time, but was also true during tasks requiring vigilance, or waiting for a visual stimulus event to occur. He also found the size of movements was reduced and become more stereotyped; despite the decrease in useful field of view, the subject tried to include more stimuli in each fixation. The visual fixation time was lengthened to account for the increased number of items encompassed in a single fixation indicating increased cognitive difficulty processing complex visual material. Finally, there was a breakdown or failure of adjustment to increasing complexity under visual overload."
Theory of Perceptual and Cognitive Pleasure (Dr. Irving Biederman) Dr. Biederman's theory explains how certain images can cause a release of endorphins.
Note: The following files require the Adobe Acrobat reader. They are also very large. If you don't have a fast connection to the Internet it may be wise to download them instead. To download, with Internet Explorer, right click on one of the links below, then click 'Save Target As', choose a directory to save the file to, then click 'Save'. [PDF
optimized for on screen viewing] 1.77 MB
Model of Stages in Object Perception "Thus, especially with unfamiliar objects, objects viewed under degraded conditions, or very complex objects, we may move around the object, tilt our heads, shift our gaze to particular regions, approach, withdraw from, or manipulate the object, physically rotating it, adjusting visual angle, and so on. All of these potentially initiate a new series of processes of object recognition." A Model of Stages in Object Perception
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) What is SAD? · "Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time each year. · SAD most often begins in the fall or winter and then subsides in the spring. It sometimes is called the 'winter blues' because most people with seasonal affective disorder have an episode of depression during the winter months, although it is possible to experience SAD during summer months. · A diagnosis of SAD is made when a pattern of depression and remission from depression is present for at least two consecutive years." WebMD: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
· "Female. 60% to 90% of people diagnosed with SAD are women · An older teen or young adult. Young people are at higher risk for winter depressive episodes. The risk of developing SAD for the first time decreases as you grow older. · Living far from the equator. People who live in the northern hemisphere develop seasonal affective disorder more often, although you can develop SAD no matter where you live. · Working at a certain job or living in a situation that keeps you out of sunlight (such as working at night and sleeping during the daylight hours)." WebMD: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Topic Overview
Serotonin, Melatonin "The reason why our moods slip and our appetites take over by midwinter could be simply that we're cooped up, bored, and restless, or it could have a deeper cause, resulting in a drop of serotonin or melatonin, brain chemicals that regulate sleep, mood, and hunger. (Page 139)" Book: Somer, Elizabeth, M.A., R.D. Food & Mood. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 1999.
Serotonin and Carbohydrates "Since carbohydrate-rich foods stimulate the production of serotonin, SAD sufferers who crave sweets, potatoes, pasta, rice, and bread during the winter months are turning to starchy or sugary foods in an effort to feel better, calmer, and more relaxed, not because they are bored or lack willpower. Their bodies also crave these foods in an effort to fight fatigue. Interestingly, SAD sufferers who eat sweet snacks midday also respond better to light therapy than do people who do not cater to a sweet tooth, which suggests the carbohydrate-induced increase in serotonin combined with light-induced reduction of melatonin levels is more effective than either therapy alone." Book: Somer, Elizabeth, M.A., R.D. Food & Mood. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 1999.
Dopamine "Some SAD sufferers might be deficient in another nerve chemical called dopamine, which is suspected to decrease with reduced exposure to light. As discussed in chapter 1, dopamine is the brain activator; people are more alert and think more clearly when dopamine levels are high. Consequently, if cloudy winter months lower dopamine levels, this would contribute to the drowsiness, poor concentration, and other mood swings characteristic of SAD. (Page 144)" Book: Somer, Elizabeth, M.A., R.D. Food & Mood. Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 1999.
Ions · Indoor Air Pollution: Ions: Effects: SAD and Depression
Related Topics
Antidepressant Effects "So why is sleep deprivation making a comeback now? Because use of newer antidepressant drugs together with sleep deprivation treatment is proving effective for helping to prevent return of depressive symptoms after sleep deprivation and for improving depressed patients' response to their medication." WebMD: Doctors Waking Up to Benefits of Sleep Deprivation Treatment for Depression
"Lack of a night's sleep is paid for the next day in impaired function of the frontal cortex, as measured by electroencephalograph (EEG) potentials." SFN: Losing Sleep Impairs Frontal Cortex Function
"'When you are sleep-deprived, you are recruiting more parietal resources [because the frontal lobes are impaired],' said Dr. Godbout. 'The parietal lobe counterbalances for lack of frontal function,' Dr. Godbout stated. The frontal cortex is thought to govern so-called executive function, such as decision making, which matures only at the end of adolescence." SFN: Losing Sleep Impairs Frontal Cortex Function
Related Topics
"If a person's visual perception of how much information they are capable of processing by the brain is reduced, it can affect a persons reading ability, awareness, memory, depth perception, co-ordination, balance, memory or comprehension. By re-stimulating the eye's retina with specific frequencies of light, the retinal processing of visual information by the brain can be enhanced. These changes can be easily measured by the ability of the visual field to process increased levels of information." "…The use of light therapy has been recognized most recently in the treatment of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as the only known form of therapy for "winter blues" or depression. In 1985 psychiatry discovered light therapy. From the National Institutes of Health, in the United States, to medical clinics around the world, many individuals are now receiving exposures to bright light as treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). "…Not all retinal (light-sensitive) nerves in the eyes serve vision. Some connect the retina directly to non-visual brain centers such as the hypothalamus and pineal gland. These centers influence electrical, chemical and hormonal balances, which affect all body functions including vision. Years of clinical application and research have demonstrated that certain selected light frequencies (colors), applied by way of the eyes to these centers, can produce beneficial results in the body." http://www.vision.cc/visuopathy/syntonics.html
Case Histories The following article 'Who has overcome learning disabilities' contains case histories of children with learning disabilities. It describes their symptoms, and their treatment. Who has overcome learning disabilities?
|