BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

Abuse changes the brain. Thank you modern science for proving correct what I have been saying for years. And the more I work with other abuse victims, the more I see proof that this is so. Abuse victims are not stupid, nutjobs, obsessive, crazy, scorned or naive . Suicide victims or contemplaters are not insane, cowardly or crying for attention. As someone who contemplated suicide a few times for a variety of reasons ( none of which had to do with attention-getting or cowardice ) and who attempted it once (to get away from the 2 sociopaths in my life who had pushed me to the edge) I am grateful to my late therapist and those who made me see my life still had value. I was stuck in cognitive loops from which I couldn't escape through shear strength of will. At the bottom of this article is a link to my friend Iddybud 's recent post on the PTSD related suicides of Iraq War soldiers/ survivors. Please read and pass on. Don't pass judgment on those of us whose lives have...

In my world, we call guys like Obambi -- PATHOLOGICAL. And hasn't 8 years of that been ENOUGH? ~~~~~~~ From: NO QUARTER: I’m a little confused. And it’s starting to bother me. Just when I think I am beginning to understand who Obama is the guy just up and changes. As easy as putting on a new pair of socks. But forgetting that your feet still stink. So I’ve been wondering if it is possible that Obama stands for anything at all. Or if he wasn’t kidding about all that change stuff. Maybe that is why the rest of us need hope so bad. Because we sure as hell can’t count on him to show any backbone. But worms are like that. I mean you gotta figure that a politician will change from time to time. Especially when they talk about working across the aisle. The art of compromise requires a little give and take. And call me silly, but I actually think that people willing to evolve their perspectives are the kind of folks we need in politics. If someone is incapable of learning and growing then...

Scientists have long known that the nervous system receptor known as TRPV1 can affect sensations of pain in the body. Now a group of Brown University scientists has found that these receptors - a darling of drug developers - also may play a role in learning and memory in the brain. In surprising new research, published in the journal Neuron, Julie Kauer and her team show that activation of TPRV1 receptors can trigger long-term depression, a phenomenon that creates lasting changes in the connections between neurons. These changes in the brain - and the related process of neural reorganization known as long-term potentiation - are believed to be the cellular basis for memory making. "We've known that TRPV1 receptors are in the brain, but this is some of the first evidence of what they actually do there," Kauer said. "And the functional role we uncovered is unexpected. No one has previously linked these pain receptors to a cellular mechanism underlying memory. So we may...

As you can see I finally updated my template. Posting should be back to speed in a couple days! Thanks to everyone who wrote with their concerns.... Now, what DID we all do before blogging came into our lives?

RITES OF PASSAGE I started this weekend. The "talks" about growing up. One of my children has signs of precocious puberty, which I had. I thought about this while we were away this past June. It was time. One of my kids has lost 3 teeth in 2 months and grown about 3 1/2 inches. Zoom... I do and don't feel anxiety about it really. It's normal and natural. But considering that I have PCOS (and my brother has signs of Syndrome X), I am worried that my children may have inherited this. However, I am not there yet. I am starting slow. We went to Barnes & Noble (one of our favorite places) and I picked up some new reading for them. They are such voracious readers its hard for me to keep up. I saw some reading on normal body changes that were age appropriate. I gave these books to them with a brief, now as you're reading, feel free to ask me about anything you don't understand. I have decided I am not going to do one big talk. They would zone out. ...