[Blindtlk] chalking everything up to blindness

[Michael]

good comment Gary....email forthcoming.

Michael
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 10:43 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] chalking everything up to blindness


> Just as researchers have a knee-jerk reaction to attribute things to 
> blindness, so do we sometimes have that same reaction to say that 
> blindness has nothing to do with this or that condition. This is an 
> understandable reaction given how many times we've seen products developed 
> which we don't need and into which we had no say. Still, I think we have 
> to be open to the idea that blindness is not a condition which stands on 
> its own and may well interact with other bodily functions. Especially is 
> this true when you consider that there are many ways to go blind.
>
> I think Pete is right when he says that we dare not ignore other known 
> conditions which lead to sleep problems such as sleep apnea. I had a sleep 
> study done about 10 years ago and when considering courses of treatment 
> the technician doing the study pulled me aside and said quote for most of 
> the people we see, you included, many of your symptoms would go away if 
> you just lost 40 pounds." That made me a bit uncomfortable, but I have 
> found what she said to be true. I still struggle, like everyone else, to 
> keep my weight under control, but I certainly do see a relationship in my 
> case between weight and the ability to sleep well at night. Sleep Apnea is 
> not always found in those who are overweight - my mother-in-law weighs 110 
> pounds and has it - but in some cases we can do something positive to help 
> reduce its symptoms.
>
>
> Gary
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert J Smith" <rsmith247 at csc.com>
> To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 9:31 AM
> Subject: [Blindtlk] chalking everything up to blindness
>
>
>> Hi all.  I definitely agree that there is a tendency for health
>> professionals to chalk problems up to blindness, but I believe in the 
>> case
>> of sleep irregularities, there is solid evidence that shows that the 
>> brain
>> actually needs to see light to keep its day and night cycles regulated. 
>> As
>> I understand it, when the brain sees light, the production of melatonin
>> which causes a person to sleep is held in check.  When a person is in the
>> dark, then melatonin is produced, causing sleep.  If a person does not 
>> see
>> light at all, to the brain, the person is then in a perpetual night
>> surrounding so melatonin could be produced at inappropriate times causing
>> drowsiness during those times.  Possibly the taking of Melatonin
>> externally, regulates this a little more.
>>
>> Bob Smith
>>
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>
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