Intersecting Circles

Hello, Friends,

In reflecting upon the sensory issues prevalent in MCS -- most notably, in my own experience, the amplification of both scent and sound -- I see many intersecting neurological elements in my mind's eye, elements common also, for instance, to sensory hyperacuity in autism and to the flashback experiences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

I try to formulate interconnecting sentences about all of this.  These neurological elements seem to be orbiting each other, going around in circles -- and somewhere in there, it appears to me, are interrelationships.

Chemical exposures, it is now beginning to be believed in mainstream science, can help cause autism:

"New Study:  Autism Linked to Environment" - by Marla Cone, Scientific American Magazine (2009)

Then, autistic persons often have an extremely amplified sense of hearing and/or smell, in addition to other sensory amplifications.  The flashback experiences of PTSD, moreover, can have sensory elements in common with the "sensory overload" state of "meltdown" in autism.

Furthermore, PTSD, some research now postulates, can neurologically predispose persons to chemical sensitization.  Chemicals, themselves, of course bring on chemical sensitization and potentially assist in the development of autism.  Are autistic people, then, also chemically sensitive? 

Circles upon circles, meshing at certain points:

"Common etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity via elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite" (Abstract: Pall, ML - 2001, NCBI Resources) 

What pathway can one person forge through all of this?

My pathway, I believe, is to note the existence of these neurological "intersections" between the various neurologically affected conditions, and to pose further questions.  This I can do through my writing here, directly, and through links I provide on the sidebar and in the tabs.  The "limbic sensitization" hypothesis (see labeled tab, above) can then be more widely appreciated in light of all the neurologically intersecting conditions I've touched upon.  At the same time, I will continue to disseminate information about the reality of chemical sensitization and its resultant effects.

The cosmos of neurobiological interconnectivity between the various conditions mentioned (and others) is a vast one.  I find it useful to remind myself of this vastness, keeping in mind that no one disorder is really an island unto itself, but is continually shaped and fed by incoming stimuli from many different directions . . . chemicals, of course, being one very pervasive source of such stimuli.

A factor which modern medicine cannot afford to ignore.

May minds remain open, always, to the potential for new and enlightening information.

Cheers!

~ Daisies