research

Super syndrome: taking a unified approach to all the things

~ Helen White ~ Leave a comment

What if there is a constellation of frequently overlapping health “things” that some of us have going on, all of them connected together so deeply and intrinsically that it makes a nonsense to consider them in a piecemeal fashion? Looking into the findings of a couple of neurodivergent medical professionals who share this view I have so long held and ways we can use the information to further our self-understanding and thus empower ourselves.

Covid’s effect on the vagus nerve (especially if you are susceptible)

~ Helen White ~ 4 Comments

Exploring a known link between covid-19 and certain issues relating to the vagus nerve (amongst others); how does this relate to some of the more scattered seeming symptoms of long covid and what can be done about it in the hopes of making a speedy and full recovery?

Boldly curating the unique life balance that enables your neurodiversity to thrive

~ Helen White ~ 4 Comments

At times, chronic illness has appeared like a more "socially acceptable" screen for so-called ADHD deficits that I am embarrassed to own up to....because I know, deep down, that they are not all that I have to offer, its just that the domestic routine of life fails to bring out my better qualities and it takes more variety and positive stimulation from life for me to light up and shine my unique light. When I don’t feed my need for positive hyperactivity, it presents as internal hyperactivity, mainly “overthinking” and then, given time, it ultimately presents as more and more physical symptoms....

Synesthesia or salience: autism and environmental sensitivity

~ Helen White ~ Leave a comment

In the case of those of us most sensitive to environmental factors, is "weather (or whatever it is) salience" a more apt term to describe a higher degree of awareness that leaves other people wondering what on earth we are talking about and does synaesthesia sometimes get recruited by our neurodiverse brains as a means of extending the basic sensory tools so that we get to gather far more "data" from our environment in an attempt to better "systemise" our experience of the otherwise random-seeming world we live in?

The pitfalls of identification with a label and the power of positivity

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Labels can be so useful, for identifying, explaining, pooling information, finding things out...but they also come with pitfalls. Exploring how to use them (with caution) and also the power of positivity as a tool for breaking out of any boxes.

On oxalates, glutamates, autism and DNA

~ Helen White ~ 2 Comments

It seems that autism does lend itself to glitchy handling of oxalates, glutamates and some other dietary factors including omega 3s and certain vitamins, with broad ranging effects on health, pain levels and mental wellbeing. Piecing together some of my own detective work to iron out life-long struggles due to dietary factors, hoping to shed some light for others.

Stomach issues, supplements and neurodiversity…what a pot of challenges!

~ Helen White ~ 7 Comments

Gut issues and neurodiversity is a BIG topic,affecting every single aspect of the nervous system and beyond. Diving in with some of what I've learned (the hard way) for myself as an autistic ADHD adult whilst hopefully offering some pointers and patterns to look out for.

An advantage to fibromyalgia?

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Could people with fibromyalgia, ironically, be less suceptible to covid-19 and the worst of its effects than the rest of the population? A new study (Interleukin Deficiency Disorder Patient Responses to COVID-19 Infections, Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, 2021) suggests so and when I read about it today in this article, I … Continue reading An advantage to fibromyalgia?