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Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

medicalxpress.com

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Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

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post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Personal attacks are not allowed on HN. We ban accounts that post like this, so please don't do it again. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Apologies. I would like to delete the comments, but unable to.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#62
post #49
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is also no group other than big pharma that have paid as much criminal fines in the history of commerce. So instead of cultivating a religious faith in whatever they are pushing, be skeptical and do some due diligence.

I doubt that. I think banks have probably paid more, and I don't think it is even close. https://www.enzuzo.com/blog/biggest-compliance-fines Pharma is a massive sector of the economy though, partially because it has delivered so many miracles. Of course there are bad actors in such a large part of the economy, but the idea that there is some better alternative we should turn to is not supported by any evidence at al…

> American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its subsidiary Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc. (hereinafter together "Pfizer") have agreed to pay $2.3 billion, the largest health care fraud settlement in the history of the Department of Justice, to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of certain pharmaceutical products, the Justice Department announced today.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-...

Most people here would not download third party libraries without a thorough audit, even if the application purpose is essentially frivolous. I would not buy anything from a company with this kind of criminal record without a full due diligence of what they selling, including conflicts of interests of the FDA reviewers involved.

Financial products sold by the banks must be treated that way too.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#63

I've probably gone as far down the rabbit hole researching this topic as any lay person can, after running into some pretty major "not living up to my potential" issues in my 20s (I was assessed as not diagnosable as ADHD or ASD by a psychiatrist, but I still seemed to be affected by at least some of the symptoms related to those conditions). I've been as willing as anybody to believe theories (long commonplace among…

> nothing has made a bigger difference (...) than regularly practicing techniques that identify and release deeply-held emotional complexes

Are you talking about meditation? And if so, on your own or with a teacher?

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#64

My layman's intuition points towards inflammation for at least ASD, less so the ADHD.

...except that inflammatory bowel problems are common in people with connective tissue disorders and that venn diagram significantly overlaps with ASD

hella confounding factors, do concur.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#65
post #63

I've probably gone as far down the rabbit hole researching this topic as any lay person can, after running into some pretty major "not living up to my potential" issues in my 20s (I was assessed as not diagnosable as ADHD or ASD by a psychiatrist, but I still seemed to be affected by at least some of the symptoms related to those conditions). I've been as willing as anybody to believe theories (long commonplace among…

> nothing has made a bigger difference (...) than regularly practicing techniques that identify and release deeply-held emotional complexes Are you talking about meditation? And if so, on your own or with a teacher?

[deleted]

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#66
post #63

I've probably gone as far down the rabbit hole researching this topic as any lay person can, after running into some pretty major "not living up to my potential" issues in my 20s (I was assessed as not diagnosable as ADHD or ASD by a psychiatrist, but I still seemed to be affected by at least some of the symptoms related to those conditions). I've been as willing as anybody to believe theories (long commonplace among…

> nothing has made a bigger difference (...) than regularly practicing techniques that identify and release deeply-held emotional complexes Are you talking about meditation? And if so, on your own or with a teacher?

Meditation has only been a very small part of my practice. I've worked with a whole lot of different practitioners since about 2012. I can't really distil a decade plus of healing work into a comment that skeptical readers will find persuasive, but for those wanting to look into it for themselves, books by Gabor Maté and Bruce Lipton are a good start, and practices like Internal Family Systems, Family Constellations, EFT tapping, biofeedback/neurofeedback and Neuro-Emotional Technique are a worth trying.

In principle, emotional healing techniques are effective if they involve "letting go" of the physiological reaction (i.e., "trigger") that is activated when experiencing (or remembering) a traumatic event. Once the physiological reaction ceases to occur, the emotion is "processed", and is just a benign memory like any other. But that can take a huge amount of work over a long time for some complexes, if they are very, erm, complex, and deeply ingrained.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#67

I've probably gone as far down the rabbit hole researching this topic as any lay person can, after running into some pretty major "not living up to my potential" issues in my 20s (I was assessed as not diagnosable as ADHD or ASD by a psychiatrist, but I still seemed to be affected by at least some of the symptoms related to those conditions). I've been as willing as anybody to believe theories (long commonplace among…

> and other environmental toxins (PFAS and other endocrine disruptors [1]) matter – but they can be detoxified over time via some fairly safe and non-invasive techniques.

What techniques are you referring to?

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#68

"Exercise appears to be effective in modifying the gut microbiota in both clinical and healthy populations." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10054511/ Anecdotal: my persistent digestion issues completely disappeared when I started walking (not running, not jogging - walking) 2-3 miles a day.

I was involved in this field some years ago now, in one of the first randomized trials that assessed gut microbiome changes as response to aerobic exercise (with a very small effect size). Back then i felt all the evidence for exercise changing the microbiome was quite weak.

At the time most of the evidence was observational or mice running on treadmills with very little actual randomised human evidence. The ones that were high-quality intervention studies with control groups showed very small effects. Additionally, they were always done for another primary outcome, so they never controlled for stuff like people who bike more every day will also eat more.

I think it is plausible that exercise will change the microbiome, from personal experience high-intensity running for instance will increase the transit time of feces, a major determinant of the microbiome. But i believe most of the studies are low-quality and overhyped, and a glance at this review seems to indicate that the field has not changed much.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#69

I've probably gone as far down the rabbit hole researching this topic as any lay person can, after running into some pretty major "not living up to my potential" issues in my 20s (I was assessed as not diagnosable as ADHD or ASD by a psychiatrist, but I still seemed to be affected by at least some of the symptoms related to those conditions). I've been as willing as anybody to believe theories (long commonplace among…

My experience is quite similar, except my issue was recurring severe unexplained pain with scarring of the joints. I've come to believe the same conclusion that chronic fight or flight is the biggest factor and have healed myself within a year.

The difference is that I've come at it from a different approach, where this fight or flight is a neural pathway or habit of the unconscious mind that you can train yourself out of. Although trauma can probably be a significant factor on how people get to this state, "the way out" (title of the book by Alan Gordon that explained these ideas) is probable the same and I believe not all people with these issues have significant trauma, although in some it may be necessary to address as an underlying cause.

As for how you can train yourself, it's explained in the book mentioned above as well as the free podcast "Tell me about your pain". Since the podcast is free so the techniques are public knowledge, I believe I'm allowed to summarize my take:

1. Constant "problem solving" and overthinking about your health can put you in a state of stress that heightens your perception of your own body which in turn convinces you that something is seriously wrong (eg: you may hear your own heart beating very loudly even though it's beating normally, or you may feel pain even though the nerves are transmitting normal signals to your brain). If you've been to many doctors and they can't find an explanation, there's a chance they all missed a serious problem, but there's probably a bigger chance that there's nothing physically wrong with your body but your nervous system is causing the altered perception and over reaction. It can be freeing to realize you don't need to try a new diet, or spend all your free time on pubmed, or go see an expensive doctor that prescribes expensive supplements. If you have a "neuroplastic" issue these things will not only not help, but actually hinder your recovery.

2. Catching the "what if" thoughts. You can't stop yourself from going to a worst case scenario, but you can stop yourself from buying into it. Every time you think something like "what if I actually have an injury that the MRI and X-Ray missed"? You can reply to yourself how unlikely that is. The nervous system is part of the subconscious so making yourself feel calm will probably, over time, calm it down.

3. Somatic tracking, which is the action of paying attention to a painful, strange or otherwise uncomfortable sensation in your body through a lens of safety. Eg: wow, it's incredible that my brain can usually filter the sound of my heartbeat but now I'm able to hear it at full volume. If you understand that the sensation is safe and you have nothing to fear, paying attention to that sensation will slowly make it go away over time (not necessarily in one session, which although it can happen is not the goal). Your nervous system highlights pain or sensations because it believes they're dangerous and wants you to feel them to avoid further injury. When you pay attention to them in a lens of safety it understands that there's no danger so they get deactivated.

4.Paying attention to things that feel good and being mindful in the moment about them. Whether it's feeling your breath in mindfulness meditation or taking a walk in the park and consciously being present and enjoying the experience.

5. Filtering what you consume. Media and content nowadays tries to appeal to our most basic instincts, especially fear. Reading news can put you in a state of alert. Watching shorts or tiktok can overstimulate you. Try to be comfortable with stillness and doing nothing. You don't need to fill every free moment of time with your phone.

6. Have you ever though: if I was better I would do X, or when I get better I'll do Y? Being sick can bring apathy that can stop you from doing things you enjoy even after being physically capable. Actually doing them and learning to enjoy them again isn't just a possibility, it's a necessary part of recovery.

I'm sure there's more, but this is what worked for me to go from bed-bound with full body pain (with 3 surgeries to remove internal joint scarring without any injury) to being 98% recovered in less than one year. If any of this resonates with someone reading this I'd recommend listening to the podcast, it's free and got me 70% of the way there even without the book.

Re: Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders

#70
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> nothing has made a bigger difference (...) than regularly practicing techniques that identify and release deeply-held emotional complexes Are you talking about meditation? And if so, on your own or with a teacher?

Meditation has only been a very small part of my practice. I've worked with a whole lot of different practitioners since about 2012. I can't really distil a decade plus of healing work into a comment that skeptical readers will find persuasive, but for those wanting to look into it for themselves, books by Gabor Maté and Bruce Lipton are a good start, and practices like Internal Family Systems, Family Constellations,…

A further thought:

Whilhelm Reich’s concept of “armoring” is relevant and worth exploring for those interested.

Here’s the first article I could find about it (no idea if it’s the best):

https://www.somatopia.com/blog/the-art-of-letting-go-why-rei...

One of my practitioners, who I see every 2-3 months, specializes in releasing “armor” from the body with a specific massage technique.

I can easily believe that in many cases where someone is considered to be moderately-ASD, that it’s a case of this kind of armoring.

This is not to say there is no physiological or genetic component, but that the trauma and armoring is a significant factor in the expression of the condition.

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