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Missing link found between brain, immune system — with major disease implications –

Brain lymph network

Until now, no one knew that lymphatic vessels existed in the brain. That is why the announcement from the University of Virginia School of Medicine is stunning! People in Professor Kipris’ lab have found that there are indeed lymphatic vessels. This is the missing link between the brain and the immune system. This means that the brain is connected directly to the immune system. The true significance of this discovery lies in the effect it will have on the treatment of neurological diseases. In the article below, they only talk about neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and autism. I would add mental illness to those illnesses above. After all mental illness is also a neurological disease. There are many immune symptoms associated with mental illness. People who have mental illness also, many times, have auto immune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. There is some sort of an immune component in mental illness. The finding of these lymph vessels directly in the brain may shed light on not only neurological illnesses, but mental illnesses as well. Amazing that it took this long to discover such an important discovery as the brain has lymph vessels.

The brain actually has it’s own immune cells, the microglia, which are the resident macrophages of the brain (they clean up cellular debris if there is a brain injury or illness) and astrorocytes which secrete neutrotrophic factors after a brain injury to help neurons grow and recover and survive.

The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs made up of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and lymph that drain lymph fluid (a fluid containing white blood cells, water, proteins, salts and lipids) from all over the body. This fluid is then returned to the bloodstream.

Until this article came out, no one knew lymph vessels existed in the brain. Now that we know they do, it can be studied as to how they work and exactly what their function is. It can also be studied whether they are involved in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A very exciting time, the beginning. It always is 🙂

http://www.neuroscientistnews.com/research-news/missing-link-found-between-brain-immune-system-major-disease-implications

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Food and bipolar d/o

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I have been having problems with food allergies for a few years now. Actually, these are not the full fledged anaphylactic reaction (where your throat closes up and without an epinephrine shot, you have danger of dying) kind of allergies, I suppose my allergies would be better described as food sensitivities. My symptoms are not the typical gastrointestinal ones, but rather are joint pains and fatigue. A few years ago, I was tested for food allergies using an IgG test, by a rather unconventional doctor. My tests came out positive for many food, including bananas, beef, corn, wheat, rice, casein (a milk protein). I stayed off those foods for a year and then tried to add them in, unfortunately, it didn’t really help. Then when I moved to Louisville, I went to a doctor in Cincinnati, an extremely unconventional doctor, to the point of charlatanism. He offered to cure my bipolar disorder! That’s when I stopped seeing him. Now I am seeing an allergist, he has done IgE food allergy testing and found I am allergic to about 12 foods. I’ve been avoiding those foods for two months. A few days ago, I added dairy back in and started having knee pain and fatigue. Darn! I love ice cream, and whipped cream, and butter and Flan! Now I will have to go off dairy for a year.

Considering my food allergies and my having bipolar disorder (BPD), I decided to do a search about food and bipolar d/o. Below is an article I found about the five so called worst foods for bipolar d/o. In my experience, caffeine is only bad when I am not on Lithium, when my mood is controlled on Lithium, I can have 5 cups of coffee and I will not get jittery, hyper, neither will my muscles start trembling, all the case if I am not on Lithium. I once asked my doctor, a long time ago, if Caffeine can push someone with BPD into mania, because I had felt the “upness” after having coffee. He didn’t really have an answer for me. Now I believe it can, if your mood is not managed wit Lithium (for me) or another mood stabilizer.

Alcohol, definitely reacts badly with the medications used for BPD. The meds potentiate the effect of alcohol, which means a very little amount of alcohol can have quite a big effect. I drink one glass of wine and my dead starts swimming, although it does make me really happy 🙂 It says below that people with BPD can become addicted to alcohol easily, may well be the case, but not in my experience.

Sugar can of course. spike your blood sugar, and the ensuing elevation in Insulin can make your blood sugar levels drop. Not so good for people with mood disorders. Stability, evenness, and steadiness are the most coveted states, in sugar levels and moods for any one with BPD!

Salt can interfere with Lithium metabolism and of course, water metabolism. When one is on Lithium, one has to stay very well hydrated as Lithium is a diuretic as well as a mood stabilizer. Also salt can be dehydrating, with Lithium, that is not a good idea. I find that I crave salt when I’m on 900 mg of Lithium. I don’t eat too much salt, but neither do I restrict my salt intake. And my doctor told me to eat more salt if my side effects such as fine muscle tremors (mostly in my right hand) get to be too bothersome. I suppose the extra salt lowering Lithium levels to stop the tremors.

Fat, I don’t understand why fat is on the list below… Good fats such as nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are actually quite beneficial for the brain. The cell membranes of neurons, as well as glia are made of fat, so this one, I don’t know. I would leave fat off the list of the five worst foods for BPD.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-disorder/the-five-worst-foods-for-bipolar-disorder.aspx

The Five Worst Foods for Bipolar Disorder

  • Caffeine. “Stimulants can trigger mania and should be avoided,” Fiedorowicz says. “Caffeine is an under-appreciated trigger and can additionally impair sleep,” and sleep deprivation is a notorious trigger for bipolar mood swings and mania. Caffeine can also worsen anxiety, which tends to go hand in hand with bipolar disorder and, if you’re taking antipsychotic medications, might also affect how those drugs work. Fiedorowicz adds that some over-the-counter medications — such as pseudoephedrine, found in some cough and cold medications, for instance — have stimulant properties similar to caffeine and can also trigger bipolar mood swings.
  • Alcohol. Bottom line, alcohol and bipolar disorder make a bad combination. Alcohol can negatively affect bipolar mood swings and also may interact negatively with medications. People with bipolar disorder are also more likely to become addicted to alcohol and other substances.
  • Sugar. People with bipolar disorder are at risk for metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetes condition that may make it hard to manage blood sugar levels. Furthermore, the highs and lows that come with the sugar roller coaster could just add to bipolar mood swings, particularly mania. If you really want a sweet treat, reach for fruit.
  • Salt. If you’re on lithium, moderating salt intake can be tricky because a change in salt intake, either an increase or a sudden decrease, can affect lithium levels. Talk to your doctor about how to safely manage the salt in your diet to stay within a healthy range, often between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams a day. Equally important when taking lithium is to make sure to drink enough fluids — dehydration could cause dangerous side effects, Fiedorowicz cautions.
  • Fat. Fiedorowicz suggests following the recommendations of the American Heart Association for a healthy diet in order to limit saturated fat and trans fat in your diet. That means opting for lean protein and low-fat dairy products when choosing animal products. You might have heard that the fat in foods could alter the way your body uses medications. Generally, your medications will still be effective, but eating a lot of fried, fatty foods just isn’t good for your heart.
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Over 7000 Views! Thank You Readers!

Over 7000

Thrilled, happy and excited! Thank you all my readers! How amazing, from that first view of my first post, to more than 7000 views! I am absolutely floored, and will continue to write to the best of my ability and provide you all with more reading material.

Love and hugs to all.

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Seroquel to the rescue, I hope.

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My doctor, as it happens, is out of town, but when I texted him,  he answered immediately! I am to increase my Seroquel from the recently decreased amount of 75 mg to back up to 100 mg. I decreased my dose with my doctor’s approval, on May 19th, started feeling (more) anxious the next day, and the depression started on May 28 (on the way home from Buffalo.) Of course, it is my biochemistry that I have depression, but events do precipitate depression. So being on a lower dose of Seroquel, which not only acts as a mood stabilizer, but also as an antidepressant, and undergoing stressful events such as having to leave my son, will precipitate depression. I hope increasing the dose will stop the depression symptoms.

Unfortunately, Seroquel causes weight gain in the belly region and I was experiencing that. One reason for cutting down the dose. I, never in my life have had a jiggly stomach! But if it means I will not be depressed, then jiggly stomach it is, haha. My friends and loved ones will love me despite that I’m sure 🙂 Or I could start doing 1,500 crunches every day, probably not!

As you may be able to tell, I feel better already! Talking  (or texting) with your doctor does have that effect. The fact that he cares and responds and then has a strategy (increase Seroquel) to make one feel better is very heartening. So looking forward to feeling better, jiggles and all!

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Up to me

self

Depression. It works that way. It robs you of your laughter. It makes you feel shaky and unsure, weak. You need more stimuli to feel good. My son called me and told me he got another A in his course this semester, that was a joyful moment! I got texts from my niece, those were joyful moments. Talked to my lovely girl friends, of course, wonderful! Saw some funny videos on FB, laughed. But, the internal happiness, contentedness, surety is gone. Replaced by a shakiness, a longing, a sadness, and sighs. I cannot rely on things outside of myself to make me happy, I have to find my own compass, my own solid ground. Who has time to be my vigilant guard? Everyone is busy, and rightly so, with their own lives. I have to do this for myself, calling my doctor is a good first step.

Damn it depression, snuck up on me again. Well, this time, as every other time, I’ll fight you and I will win. You don’t have any place here, you are not welcome here. Away with you, with your chest crushing weight, and darkness, lethargy, and stillness. Go! Be gone!

And let in the lightness, the airiness, the expansiveness, the “everything is well with the world” ness. Up to me, yes it is. But in a depression, not so easy to accomplish. Ok! That’s it! I’m bringing out the big guns!

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
Nelson Mandela

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

“When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.”
Unknown

“The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.”
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
C.S. Lewis

“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”
Winston Churchill

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Leo Buscaglia

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Love, Empty Nest Syndrome, and From kind of a meltdown to Almost back to normal

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At least Fluff still lives at home. And a picnic below.

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I still miss my Aral tons. I really think we were meant to live as family units all our lives. This nuclear family bs is just that, bs!

Anyway, I sort of had a meltdown, crying all the way here from Buffalo, and this morning was no cake and ice cream walk either.

They say love is what a mother feels for her newborn, I mean the emotion of love is based totally on what a mother feels when she sees her newborn. Romantic love is just that feeling transferred to your romantic partner. So of course, when a mother is separated from her child, she is going to experience heartbreak, elementary my dear Watson. The first time I felt that awful, sickening heartbreak was when Aral went to college. I didn’t get out of bed for a week, could not stop crying for the Kohinoor diamond, and just felt, in the pit of my stomach, that nothing was ever going to be right again. Not ever. And I know other moms who felt the same way as me. Just today, at a picnic, a friend who is a mom said she is planning on buying three lots of land adjacent to each other, to build three houses, one for herself and her husband, one for her son, and one for her daughter, so they cal always live close to one another and never be separated. Yesterday, on the plane, the woman seated next to me and I were talking, and she said that when her first son went to college, she basically went to bed for four days and couldn’t even talk to her son for weeks because her emotions were so raw, that she was afraid she was going to upset him. Another friend used the exact same phrase as I did, “Nothing will ever be ok again” when her daughter went off to college.

This is what we women have to go through. Maybe mine is a little more extreme because I have a mood disorder, but not much more extreme. Or more likely, at this extremely stressful time, all moms “develop” mood disorders, temporarily. These are extremely powerful emotions, maybe the most powerful emotion in the world, the love of a mother for her child. It is a survival of the species thing, if mothers didn’t love and adore their children, they would not take care of them, if they didn’t take care of them, the babies would not survive, and if the babies didn’t survive, the human race would die out. Therefore, this love a mother feels for her child has to be so powerful that it leads to the survival of the human species. And when that bond is broken, then the strength of the pain is proportional to the strength of the powerful love. And so we have empty nest syndrome. Awful, awful, awful, heartbreaking, most horrible feeling in the world. I sort of go through that every time I leave Aral in Buffalo after my visit. If love is a drug, and as I have hypothesized, maternal love is the most powerful of loves, then we mothers experience the most powerful of withdrawal symptoms when our babies leave the nest. Aaaah! So not fair. And so awful.

Well anyway, I am getting over my Aral withdrawals, and becoming a person again instead of a human water (tear) producing system.

I have to learn my lines! My play practice is in a day, and I have to learn my lines. I’m taking today off for empty nest, and tomorrow, back to business and learning lines.

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The Storms in Your Mind

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The Storms in Your Mind

Rivers flowing from your anguished eyes

Tectonic shifts in your heart

The plates smashing, grinding, breaking

Your son, a piece of your heart, a piece of yourself

You have left behind

Heaviness and heaving, pain in your chest

Unkempt and undressed

I was just with him yesterday, and now so far away

This is not the way it should be

My son should live with me

Then the weather would be fair and calm

No winds no storms

But a tiny voice cries out: Yes it is the way it should be

He has to live his own life and find his own way

You are in close contact, with him often

This is just your illness, making you feel too much

And I listen, and I listen, trying to calm the storm in my mind

Trying to quell the tears in my eyes

trying to stop my heart from aching

trying to stop feeling too much, too intensely,

trying to be the normal me

to give my son room to be the normal him

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Feeling awful at 1000’s of feet in the air…

 
Leo playing with his incredibly young grandma  lol

On my way from Buffalo yo Louisville. All of a sudden, as the plane ascends, I am experiencing plummeting moods. Believe me, I am thankful it is not the other way around, but leaving my son in Buffalo is always a heart rending process for me. He’s fine now, thank all the gods in heaven, I am generally fine in Louisville, but this separation from my son, every time it happens is heart breaking for me. I was just sitting at the gate and sobbing. Probably not a good idea in this climate of the “t-ism” word. I am sitting in my seat and feeling weepy, trying not to cry. I feel bad. Is this bipolar disorder? Is it over attachment to my son, my only son? Is it just worry about him, since we have been through so many trying things together? Is it simply missing him? It may be a combination of all of the things I mentioned. And writing about it is helping, putting things into perspective. He is fine, I will see him soon. I will see my friends in September. Buffalo still feels like my home. And we Cancer people are very attached to our homes. When I go there, I know it, there is my bank, my Wegmans, my friend’s house. The street I used to live off of. Sob. My university, the stores which were my favorites. Of course, my son is there, and I spend as much time with him as possible. His apartment is impeccable, I made sure of that 😊, we talked about his going to get an MA in American history, so he can teach Legal History. I played with Leonidas, such a sweet boy. I saw my friends. My  uncle. It was a wonderful visit. I should be happy. And I am. But leaving is the hardest, most heart breaking  part. 😞 Just wish so much we could all live together. In a family and friends colony… Sigh…

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Are you even trying to get better??

This is a video called ” If Physical Health Problems Were Treated Like Mental Health Problems” also known as “Are You Even Trying To Get Better?” It is absolutely Brilliant and funny and gets the point across in such an obvious, duh, “oh my god why didn’t I realize this before” way, everyone needs to see this and internalize this! And stop asking depressed people or anxious people, or mentally ill people “Are you even trying to get better?” We also need to stop doing that to ourselves. Easier said than done, sometimes it’s difficult to realize that you are again in the grips of your mental illness. And sometimes, situational things feel like illness and it’s hard to distinguish. But we must try, all of us, the sick, the well, and even the in between. 🙂

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Depression, Ugh!!!

My comment (below) to a post I read about a blogger who is feeling severely depressed, yet is afraid to tell anyone, and this blogger doesn’t have a doctor!

“It sounds like you are suffering from severe depression, that’s what depression does, it makes you feel like a shadow of your former self 😦 I also read you post “————————” Please see a psychiatrist, they can help you. I have bipolar disorder, but with medication, I am living a good life, with ups and downs, yes, but still good. There is help for you, the test results were not a slap in your face, they were just telling you that you are not well at the moment. It is not your fault that you are depressed, it is an illness! And guilt and feeling awful are a part of this terrible illness. I am so glad that you are not even thinking about suicide, that shows how strong you are! Please go see a doctor and tell them how you’re feeling, they will help you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. xxxxoooo”

God! Depression! What it makes you feel like. Like you’re nothing, like it’s your fault you’re feeling depressed, the guilt is overwhelming. It makes you feel like a failure, you feel like nothing, you haven’t amounted to much, and you’re never going to amount to anything. This evil disease, it robs you of your personality, your joy, your optimism, even your will to live. I feel awful for this blogger, I will keep an eye on them and keep encouraging them to seek help. In my deepest, darkest, abysmal depression, a song saved me, my aunt saved me, my psychiatrist saved me, my medication saved me, and ultimately I saved myself. I hope so much that this blogger will be able to save herself. And if I can offer her any words, comfort or advice that will help her, I will be overjoyed. Each of us is so precious. There will only ever be ONE of you, one of me, one of any of us. That, all by itself, is a miracle. With help from each other, we can and will be saved. In the face of depression, a song, a word, a friend, a doctor, help from even a stranger can turn it around. Have faith, at such a faithless time, be strong, even at such a weak time. You are not weak, it is your depression making you think you are. Don’t listen to it. Stay strong, get help, and live and shine like the unique, joyous, loving and beloved human being you are.