Nerd @ 190

I read a few very interesting books yesterday.  I read A Terrible Thing to Waste  by     Harriet A. Washington   and The Good Gut  by   Justin Sonnenburg  and  Erica Sonnenburg .   Both The Good Gut and A Terrible Thing to Waste are interesting, well researched books.  There is a lot of scientific jargon in the books, so despite clearly attempting to make the information available to the masses, I'm not sure that they succeed.  The books do a decent job of describing the problems, showing the research and then describing steps you can take to make things better.  In the end, I don't feel super excited about the steps to make things better.  The truth is that the issue described is systematic and rather terrifying.  The steps to make things better are small.  Though the resources appear great and helpful, I honestly have doubts about making things work in a real and lasting way.  That leads me...

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers My rating: 5 of 5 stars If you enjoy Mister Rogers, you'll love this book. If you interact with children, you'll love this book. It's amazing. I love how the neighborhood made hard things easy to talk about. This book contains almost every song that made the world a better place. I can't begin to express how much I love it. View all my reviews

Did you know that doctors are to "do no harm" to their patients? I feel like it is made up, a gimmick in movies and television shows for the plot. I know I've been harmed, and I am not alone. I have told you,  I have a garbage diagnosis "essential tremors with spasms." I got that diagnosis by the best neurologist I've ever had. It is, a garbage diagnosis though. It's a placeholder something real. Last week, I met my movement disorder specialist. For the first time, I didn't feel like I was being a crazy person as I described my symptoms. He knew what I was talking about and it seemed reasonable to him. I've consistently seen neurologists for the last 15 years. The longest I've gone without  a neurologist appointment was 7 months. For 15 years I've been a crazy girl talking nonsense until I show a video and then, I still feel like a freak probably doing it to herself I've been taken off all medication twice. Because that is the onl...

As I work on starting a new healthy routine, I began by reading The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook by Sarah Kucera. My self-care routine has been significantly lacking, and I want to start from a naturally derived path. I want something that makes sense for my life and my body. Often when I'm working on changing my patterns, I push too hard at first. The Ayurvedic Self-care Handbook gave great ways to adjust your routine without pushing yourself over an edge. It's a great place to start if you are looking for an Ayurvedic routine. The book is straight forward, provides a reasonable basis for each of the changes that it's asking for and it's got several steps to take. Each aspect of the book is positive and encouraging for anyone that wants to create a healthy lifestyle. For me, the key to creating a healthy routine is to begin with tracking. I have my tracking board set up with all the things that make a positive lifestyle for me. As I track, I will get a great picture f...

Neurodivergence is exactly what it sounds like, a divergence from the norm in neurological functioning. The term is often used to describe people that are on the autism spectrum, though there is actually a wide spectrum of neurodivergence.  My many illness almost all fit into this category.  My PTSD, Depression, spasms, tremors and migraines all are neurological divergence in functioning.  It may be surprising for you to learn that "high functioning" autism is regularly misdiagnosed as PTSD. Migraine sufferers and autistic people share triggers, and reactions to those triggers.  My issues with sensory input when I have a migraine are identical to some aspies under stress.  When pushed, I stim automatically.  (Stimming is on a spectrum as well, for me it's often flapping my arms, it moves up to hitting myself in the head.  It is a variety of physical reactions to the triggers.)  My sensory input issues have been really bothering me, and making it...

Smash Poetry Journal: 125 Writing Ideas for Inspiration and Self Exploration by Robert Lee Brewer My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is exactly as promised. It is filled with wonderful and creative prompts. Each one is new and different. I feel that these prompts can encourage all kind of creative activities (not just poetry, it could carry into collage, photography, music.. any creative activity you enjoy.) I can't wait to begin on my journey of a poem a day. View all my reviews

The Upward Spiral Workbook: A Practical Neuroscience Program for Reversing the Course of Depression by Alex Korb My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this book in an unedited advanced reader copy from Netgalley. The Upward Spiral Workbook is such a helpful format and clear on concepts that I would use it for myself and for therapy clients. Alex Korb gives simple explanations of complex neurological systems. The book then breaks down all the different things that a person can take to make those neurological systems healthier into easy to manage and highly organized steps. I wanted something that would encourage motivation and activity. That is exactly what this book does. I would buy a paper copy to benefit from the pieces I missed out on by the book being pre-published form. View all my reviews