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dr myhill, the brain effect, which type are you??

heapsreal

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http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Edge_Effect_-_the_Brain_in_CFS
After reading the above link which mentions parts of the brain are malfunctioning and what we might be deficient or have too much of by personality traites?
This what i feel i closely resemble,
Dopamine predominant (frontal lobes) 17% of people

Thinking intuitives - rationalists, theory oriented, precise, love power, high energy extroverts, tend to addictions. Achievers, thinkers, problem solvers, pragmatic but do not take criticism. Love activities requiring intellect - crosswords, chess. Relish competition. Motto: "Never take anything personally".

Too much: overly intense, driven and impulsive. Possibly violent, reckless driving, criminal behaviour. Dopamine is the "voltage" of the brain (ie height of electrical brain waves).

If deficient - becomes the loner, the procrastinator. Loses energy to socialise, loses feelings of emotion.

Symptom - inconsistent attention. Loss of working memory (ability to absorb information and use it for on-going processing).


Addiction to boost levels: cocaine, coffee, sugar.

Occupation: doctors, scientists, researchers, inventors, engineers, generals, architects.

After reading this i would think i was deficient in frontal lobe dopamine, although i dont have an addiction to cocaine, coffee or sugar but do get my caffeine through pepsi max(sugar free) and i have responded to meds like bupropion/wellbutrin short term which help with dopamine levels. Interesting.

How do others see where they are in these categories?

I will copy an post the whole link.

cheers!!!
 

heapsreal

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The Brain is the Driver of your Car

I do like to read books by clever people who turn difficult subjects in to simple concepts with practical implications for management. Dr Eric Braverman has done this with his book "The Edge Effect". He is highly qualified, well read and refers to the same people and ideas as I do. He combines the best of recent and modern thinking and research to come up with a model of the brain which dovetails with many of the things I already know to be important in sustaining good health. However, there are some very useful "bolt on" extras! Just as DNA is made up of four subunits which, combined, provide the entire genetic blueprint for all of life on Earth, Braverman describes the brain in terms of the actions of four neurotransmitters, describes the symptoms of imbalances of each hormone so they can be recognised and what can be done to correct these. Many of these interventions I already recommend such as Stone Age Diet, Nutritional Supplements, Sleep is vital for good health, Detoxification and so on, but Braverman directs us to further fine tuning.

The first step is to identify your personality type, which points to specific deficiencies, then try different interventions to see if they have a beneficial effect. I have summarised Braverman's findings but you can read about them in much more detail in his book.

Dopamine predominant (frontal lobes) 17% of people

Thinking intuitives - rationalists, theory oriented, precise, love power, high energy extroverts, tend to addictions. Achievers, thinkers, problem solvers, pragmatic but do not take criticism. Love activities requiring intellect - crosswords, chess. Relish competition. Motto: "Never take anything personally".

Too much: overly intense, driven and impulsive. Possibly violent, reckless driving, criminal behaviour. Dopamine is the "voltage" of the brain (ie height of electrical brain waves).

If deficient - becomes the loner, the procrastinator. Loses energy to socialise, loses feelings of emotion.

Symptom - inconsistent attention. Loss of working memory (ability to absorb information and use it for on-going processing).

Addiction to boost levels: cocaine, coffee, sugar.

Occupation: doctors, scientists, researchers, inventors, engineers, generals, architects.

Acetylcholine predominant (parietal lobes) 17% of people

Intuitive feelers - idealists striving to be authentic, benevolent and empathetic. Good at thinking functions such as comprehension of language, intelligence and attention. Love words, ideas and communication. Highly creative and open to new ideas. Quick thinker, considerate of others. Flexible, creative, impulsive so long as it offers the promise of excitement and something new. Intuitive and innovative. Love teaching others. Sociable, charismatic, like meeting new people. Motto: "Always do your best".

Acetylcholine gives the brain speed (measured in alpha waves) of processing information and access stored information.

Too much speed: causes panic disorders, anxiety, hysteria, sometimes manic episodes. Sufferer may give too much to others to the point of masochism. May feel the world is taking advantage of them and become paranoid and then isolated.

If deficient (too little speed) - becomes the eccentric and the perfectionist. Steers away from human interaction, lives in a dream world. Workaholic, misses out on relaxation, enjoyment and warmth. Fatigue. Learning disorders.

Symptoms of deficiency - misplacing items, carelessness. Loss of immediate memory (lasts up to 30 seconds) causing poor learning capacity and loss of basic alertness.

Addiction to boost levels: nicotine, carbohydrate binge

Occupation: teachers, community work, artists, writers, musicians, councellors, mediators, think tank, religious leaders, public service, self employed businesses.

Dopamine and acetylcholine are the ON switches for the brain, GABA and serotonin are the OFF switches. It is no surprise that most of my CFS patients are dopamine or acetylcholine types!

I often think one has to undergo a personality change to get out of CFS. The personality that gets you in to it does not help you get out of it!

GABA predominant (temporal lobes) 50% of people

Characterised by stability, organisation and tradition. Guardians, caring type, look to preserve traditional values, dependable. Stable, calm, objective, level headed, punctual, confident. Tend to be homemakers, good team players, sensible, settled. Make others feel comfortable May use alcohol to calm their compulsiveness. Motto "always keep your word".

Produce calming rhythmic theta waves - keeps brain in check, paces activity.

Too much - expend too much energy on caring at the cost of getting hurt. Rely heavily on friends and crave their judgement and approval.

If deficient - becomes the unstable personality and Drama Queen. This person meets the needs of others. Moods often unbalanced and mercurial. Inappropriately theatrical, loving and living for the big moment. Attention seeking, seeking reassurance of his worth. Feel worthless and without hope. The problems of the world become his own. Depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxious.

Symptoms of deficiency - lack of attention, impulsive actions. Loss of verbal memory, eg inability to understand sound, words, sentences and stories.

Addiction to boost levels: diazepam.

Occupation: administrators, accountants, security officers, nurses, technicians, air traffic controllers, paramedics, planners, homemakers.

Serotonin predominant (occipital lobes) 17% of people

Sensitive preceptors. Artisans who act on impulse and seek adventure. They prize fun. Motto "live through experience". Know how to enjoy life! Able to rest, regenerate and find serenity. Live for the moment, thrive on change, try new foods, pick up new hobbies, like a challenge just for the fun of overcoming it! Receptive to stimuli, in touch with mind and body, co-ordinated, resourceful. Not put off by a struggle. Love parties and celebrations, mountain climbing, hunting, skiing, scuba diving, anything so long as there is excitement with it! Optimistic, cheerful easy-going, want to join in and be part of the fun. Love children! Intensely loyal.

Serotonin vital at night for brain to recharge and rebalance.

Associated with delta waves in the brain.

Too much - nervous, hesitant, vulnerable to criticism, desperate desire for interpersonal relationship.

If deficient - becomes the self absorbed personality and the rule breaker. Loses sensitivity to others, flouts conventional values as beneath him, makes his own rules so others are damaged. Boundary between truth and lies becomes blurred.

Symptoms - inability to grasp concepts quickly. Loss of visual memory - inability to remember faces, colours, pictures, symbols so. Insomnia, PMT.

Addiction to boost levels: alcohol, sugar bingeing.

Occupation: mechanics, construction workers, drivers, military personnel, hairdressers, bar tenders, pilots, computer programmers, professional athletes, movie stars, photographers, surgeons, chiropractors, detectives, investigators, crisis intervention.

HOWEVER THE MOST IMPORTANT SYMPTOM OF A PROBLEM IN ANY OF THESE DEPARTMENTS IS MEMORY LOSS.

The difference in mental processing between a resourceful mind and senility is one tenth of a second. We normally generate a reaction within three tenths of a second - if this becomes four tenths of a second we can no longer process logical thought. When the brain slows down, and without care this starts on average at 40, we start to lose our edge. You just become less sharp. It's the old story - as you age you can stay just as fit and well but you have to work harder at it! Brain function is the most sensitive indicator of body biochemistry which means once the brain is working well, there is not much wrong with the biochemistry!

Most people have a combination of the above problems. In CFS there is probably a general deficiency of all the above neurotransmitters! Much can be corrected with the standard work-ups, but the following "bolt on extras" are often very useful! If you wish to define your type more closely, there is a detailed DIY series of questions which you can read in the book "The Edge Effect", together with frequently asked questions. The aim is to identify then balance up the imbalances. I can't repeat this here without breaching copyright! However you can experiment with the following interventions (or get the book!) and that will give further clues and answers to your personal brain chemistry.

The Powerful Dopamine Nature

Dopamine deficiency can be helped by:

Hormones: DHEA and cortisol - see Common Hormonal Problems in CFS, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), and Hypothyroidism

Diet - eat foods containing phenylalanine which is converted into tyrosine, the raw material to synthesise dopamine. This means a high protein diet. Interestingly aspartame is high in phenylalanine which is maybe why diet coke is so addictive! (Aspartame is also metabolised to formaldehyde, a neurotoxin). Foods rich in tyrosine include all meats (especially wild game meats), dark chocolate, egg, walnuts.

Extra supplements: tyrosine - 1-2 grams daily, phosphatidyl serine 50-200mgs

Herbals - rhodiola 50-200mgs, ginkgo biloba 50-100mgs

The Creative Acetlycholine Nature

Acetlycholine deficiency can be helped by:

Hormones: DHEA and cortisol. Human Growth Hormone

Diet - high fat (but good fats!): fatty meats, eggs, liver, nuts, quality cold pressed oils, avocado

Extra supplements: choline 100-500mgs, phosphatidyl serine 500-2,000mgs, aceyl L carnitine 250-1,000mgs, DHA 200-1,000mgs, pantothenic acid 25-100mgs, vitamin B12 100-500mcgms

Herbals - ginkgo biloba 50-100mgs, Korean ginseng 100-500mgs

The Stable GABA Nature

GABA deficiency can be helped by:

Opiates! (consider LOW DOSE NALTREXONE - this handout is not on website, please email or telephone the office if you would like a copy) Adrenal Gland

Diet: complex carbohydrates to supply the raw material to make GABA namely glutamine such as nuts, vegetables, pulses, fruits. Especially avoid refined foods.

Extra supplements: inositol 500-2,000mgs, glutamic acid 250-1,000mgs, melatonin 1-6mgs, B vitamins.

Herbals: valerian 100-500mgs, passionflower 200-1,000mgs

The Playful Serotonin Nature

Serotonin deficiency can be helped by:

Hormones - Human Growth Hormone

Diet - tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin and comes from protein, especially game meats. Also avocado, dark chocolate

Extra supplements: 5HTP 100-500mgs, melatonin 1-6mgs, magnesium 400-1,000mgs, tryptophan 500-2,000mgs, B6 100-500mgs, fish oils, zinc 15mgs nocte.

Herbals St John's Wort 300-900mgs, passion flower 200-1,000mgs

REMEMBER WE ARE ALL A MIX OF ALL THE ABOVE AND IT IS ATTENTION TO ALL AREAS WHICH GIVES THE RESULTS!

Children are born with undisguised personalities. As we age our personality matures and the above traits should become less obvious. The aim is to balance up all of the above areas to find a state in which we are most productive and content.

The above should be done IN ADDITION to STONEAGE DIET, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, SLEEP, DETOXING (NB links to these four articles above) and so on!
 

heapsreal

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Switchoff - my personality is independent and of no importance whatsoever to do with the pathologies underlying ME.

Im not thinking its the be all and end all, different traits can indicate different neurotransmitter abnormalities. ME is a neurological illness so why wouldnt it change personality to some degree?? Maybe u need to read the article first.
 

Enid

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It simply doesn't heapsreal - I do not need to read anything except "biology" - you may be a scientist - stick to that.
 

Enid

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Of course they are "biology" but malfunctioning will hardly change the inner sense of me.(I assume we all think here we are more than bods's limitations).
 

heapsreal

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Of course they are "biology" but malfunctioning will hardly change the inner sense of me.(I assume we all think here we are more than bods's limitations).

So does your ME not have any neurological aspects? Sorry i dont understand where you are coming from. psychological and neurological are different, so i dont know if you have taken this to mean psychological. This cut and paste was from dr myhills site, so hardly a ME psychological pusher.

cheers!!!
 

SOC

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Of course they are "biology" but malfunctioning will hardly change the inner sense of me.(I assume we all think here we are more than bods's limitations).

Ah, I think I see what you're saying. There's a soul-type component involved. Our neurochemistry can affect our emotions and cognition, though, so part of who we perceive as ourselves can be altered by neurochemical problems. I've known people with serious neurochemical imbalances who are very different personalities when those neurochemical problems are rectified. I can think of one girl who was painfully shy, anxious, afraid to leave her home and struggled with cognition issues. With proper medication she is now happy and functionally social and thinking clearly. At the same time, she is still the same girl we always knew. So where does personality begin and end? How much does our neurochemistry affect our personality?

I think I need to go read some more Oliver Sacks. He has probably addressed those questions. If you haven't read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, I highly recommend it; it's fascinating, the many ways the brain works (and doesn't). The book is nonfiction -- biology, neurology to be specific.

Oliver Sacks books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2...68&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B000APZZY6
 

heapsreal

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After rereading dr myhills link, its the dopamine defiency type personality traits i feel i have since cfs, Although pre cfs i dont think my personality was dopamine dominant. Out of the personalities mentioned , i dont think i was dominant really in any, maybe lean towards gaba dominant.
 

maryb

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I would say I was 'The Creative Acetlycholine Nature' type to a large degree but with a bit of Dopamine thrown in as well, I do believe in personality types affecting lifestyles, I remember Dr Myhill saying to me couch potatoes don't usually get ME, and she's seen more than a few 100 patients. Think its to do with the drive, we will put our body under more stress physically and mentally than other types,this may then allow viruses/retroviruses to get hold. Well that's how I make sense of it all anyhow.
 

Enid

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Don't be silly heapsreal of course there are awful things neurological - why is it called myalgic encephelomyalitis - when you have passed our three times and cannot recognise anyone at all you will know. Point is I am no type -of no particular personality/type or whatever - until this disease is known for what it really is.
 

Dreambirdie

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Hi heapsreal--

According to this system I fit into the acetylcholine predominant type, though not all of the qualities apply. I already eat the kind of diet recommended for this type, lots of protein and healthy fats keep me grounded. Some of the supplements too, have been helpful, others not.

That said, I do think that we are more than the sum of our biochemistry. Consciousness is something that scientists can't quite grok, and usually don't even acknowledge, which maybe is a good thing. Material reductionism has already done enough damage to our world, and to our perception of who we really are.
 

heapsreal

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I would say I was 'The Creative Acetlycholine Nature' type to a large degree but with a bit of Dopamine thrown in as well, I do believe in personality types affecting lifestyles, I remember Dr Myhill saying to me couch potatoes don't usually get ME, and she's seen more than a few 100 patients. Think its to do with the drive, we will put our body under more stress physically and mentally than other types,this may then allow viruses/retroviruses to get hold. Well that's how I make sense of it all anyhow.

I think the one thing that can take us along time to realise is accepting we have me/cfs and understand our limits. I think if we had a very driven personality it makes it alot harder to accept. I still struggle to accept.
As for couch potatoes, i wonder if because they are functioning at a low level all the time it maybe harder for them to tell if they had me/cfs, mild cases anyway, more severe cases they would as they would have other symptoms like pain , insomnia etc.

I think instead of guessing with drugs like ad's etc i think better testing and a broader range of different meds/hormones etc i think its possible to improve different symptoms.
 

heapsreal

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Don't be silly heapsreal of course there are awful things neurological - why is it called myalgic encephelomyalitis - when you have passed our three times and cannot recognise anyone at all you will know. Point is I am no type -of no particular personality/type or whatever - until this disease is known for what it really is.

I understand what your saying and i dont believe behavioural aspects cause ME, but gee different personalities can have alot to do with how we cope etc just like with any chronic disease. I think since i have had ME that my personality has changed, i have a different view on life and have alot more empathy for people with other conditions that arent high profile and will ask these people more about their problems so i can understand more about it. pre cfs i dont think i would have, i wouldnt disbelieve someone, i just wouldnt of had an interest but now i realise that just taking an interest and understanding someone and not judging someone can help those people alot. I suppose its the way I and other cfs/me want to be treated.

cheers!!!
 

Enid

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Strange one that heaps - I was working in the health field (elderly - looking after) - now has ME changed me - not much except missing my work so much enjoyed. Ummm - compassion there before ME.
 

mellster

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Heaps - I am definitively the Dopamine predominant type as well. Now set up a Words-With-Friends account and start battling me - do they already have web enabled cell phones in down under already? ;)
 

heapsreal

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This thread has gone in a totally different direction to what i thought it was going to go. I initially was interested in what neurotransmitters people thought was driving their personalities and other neurological aspects like sleep, pain and fatigue etc and what they may be deficient in, not the be all and end all. I realise there are many other causes but i started this thread as i thought others might be interested or add something to this that i could learn from. If i have stood on people toes, i would be happy to delete it. Im lost to how it even got to 2 pages??

cheers!!!
 

SOC

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This thread has gone in a totally different direction to what i thought it was going to go. I initially was interested in what neurotransmitters people thought was driving their personalities and other neurological aspects like sleep, pain and fatigue etc and what they may be deficient in, not the be all and end all. I realise there are many other causes but i started this thread as i thought others might be interested or add something to this that i could learn from. If i have stood on people toes, i would be happy to delete it. Im lost to how it even got to 2 pages??

cheers!!!

It seems like an interesting topic, heaps, and worth discussing. I think the brain is a fascinating organ. Some people confuse the mind and the brain, which has been a problem for us (and others). Encephalitis is all in your brain, but it's not all in your mind.

Neurotransmitters do astonishing things in our brains and affect many, many things from personality to mood, sleep, pain, and fatigue. Why not speculate about how our neurotransmitters are affecting us? I, personally, doubt they are causing our illness, but they could certainly be affected by it. They could also be affecting how each of us reacts to being chronically ill, or how the illness is manifested in us.

It's a good topic, I hope people stay with it. No worries. :D
 

heapsreal

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It seems like an interesting topic, heaps, and worth discussing. I think the brain is a fascinating organ. Some people confuse the mind and the brain, which has been a problem for us (and others). Encephalitis is all in your brain, but it's not all in your mind.

Neurotransmitters do astonishing things in our brains and affect many, many things from personality to mood, sleep, pain, and fatigue. Why not speculate about how our neurotransmitters are affecting us? I, personally, doubt they are causing our illness, but they could certainly be affected by it. They could also be affecting how each of us reacts to being chronically ill, or how the illness is manifested in us.

It's a good topic, I hope people stay with it. No worries. :D

Thanks SOC, thats what i was sort of hoping to achieve.

I know different cytokines from infections etc can alter neurotransmitters and some say that when we have a 'crash' that its a cytokine storm, it would be nice to somehow reduce this when it happens. From what i have read the neuro steroid dhea can help reduce interleukin6 which is an inflammatory cytokine which could be one of the main reasons why we sleep badly and have pain.

I also think dopamine is an interesting neurotransmitter and probably out of whack in alot of us. low dopamine has been shown to cause restless leg syndrome, so i wonder if it can cause pain in other parts of the body??