Hello, visiting Blamers! (and thanks for the emails) So, it appears I am the only person who’s worked out Switchbutt Dorktor‘s identity, or at least the only person who’s owned up to it. Short summary for non-Blamers: Anonymous doctor posts… Read More ›
health
our bodies and minds
Why insomniacs love the internets
Safe for work: [link]
So, my kids really are mutants
From Newsweek – Autism: New Findings in from Big Gene Study So what are the preliminary findings? What this shows is that there are rare chromosomal changes, what we call copy number variations, [associated with autism] rather than a single… Read More ›
Not so appropriate to call them machines – ya think?
Reproduced in full from Japan Times:Yanagisawa calls women ‘birth-giving machines’ MATSUE, Shimane Pref. (Kyodo) Health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa referred to women as “birth-giving machines” in a speech Saturday on welfare and health care. Addressing prefectural assembly members of the Liberal… Read More ›
Photos painting pictures
I came across this vintage poster from 1937 a few days ago, aimed at enticing an international market to come visit Australia: The artist is Douglas Annand. Some links I’ve also followed in the last few days, in discussions about… Read More ›
Pro-sex, anti-misogyny:where’s the non-vile porn?
Everybody who wrote about porn over the last few decades has noted that the most popular porn is becoming more and more violently misogynistic and cruel, overwhelmingly portraying coercive, abusive sex. This is a trend which seems to not only… Read More ›
Underweight mammals
In the first two instances, people look and say “starving” and “cruelty” and “neglect” and someone gets prosecuted.
Growing Up Different: Temple Grandin’s experiences with autism (and mine)
The whole article speaks to me about my experiences raising my autistic son, but this section especially:
AUTISTIC TACTILE PROBLEMS
I pulled away when people tried to hug me, because being touched sent an overwhelming tidal wave of stimulation through my body. I wanted to feel the comforting feeling of being held, but then when somebody held me, the effect on my nervous system was overwhelming.
Small itches and scratches that most people ignored were torture. A scratchy petticoat was like sandpaper rubbing my skin raw.
Facing the evidence
An episode of the Health Report on Radio National asked whether our doctors really know what treatment works best for their patients?
Does the current system, which essentially teaches doctors just enough science that they can go into an apprentice programme for their final professional training, absorb and react quickly enough to evidence regarding whether their treatments are actually effective or not?
Dr Alex Barratt provides data which shows that most
Interesting autism research
Autism risk linked to older fathers – study:
Children fathered by men at age 40 and older have a higher risk of developing autism, possibly because of mutations or other genetic changes, according to new research.
The study “provides the first convincing evidence that advanced paternal age is a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder,” said the authors
Hoyden About Town 