Aurora Levins Morales
  • Home
    • What's New
  • What I Do
    • Projects >
      • Finca La Lluvia
    • Podcast
    • Writing >
      • Books >
        • Getting Home Alive
        • Kindling
        • Cosecha & Other Stories
      • Essays >
        • Nadie la tiene: Land Ecology and Nationalism
        • Muna Lee
        • Testimonio de una colaboración
      • Writing Sample >
        • Invocation
        • chicken house goat girls
        • First Snow
        • A Remedy for Heartburn
        • Transfusion
        • Maguey/Lost Bird
        • Pines
    • Portfolio >
      • Letters from Earth
      • Rimonim Liturgy Project
  • What We Can Do Together
    • Workshops
    • Public Speaking >
      • Publicity Packet
    • One on One
    • Itinerary
  • Residency in Puerto Rico
  • Connections
    • Join My Mailing List
    • Write to me
    • Permissions
    • Calendar
    • Moon Phase
  • Blog
  • Support Aurora
    • Creatng Access >
      • Hosting Aurora
    • Access Researcher Position
    • Testimonials
  • Puerto Rico Liberation
    • Declaracion
    • Boricuando
Picture

Epilepsy II: Kindling

1/15/2011

2 Comments

 
Picture
It is both shocking and unsurprising that in the thirty-three years since my first epilepsy diagnosis, not one neurologist has ever suggested environmental factors a possible cause, in spite of the fact that our environment is filled with neuro-disruptors designed to devastate the central nervous systems of insects.  There are huge vested interests behind the pretense that profit driven science is safe, and that the massive amounts of toxic substances produced by that science have no significant negative impact on people or ecosystems.  At every step, attempts to trace the connections between carcinogens and cancer are hampered, but at least people are aware carcinogens exist.  No-one talks about epileptogens. 

Picture
Perhaps one reason is that unlike carcinogens which produce cancer as an unintentional effect, these chemicals were created specifically for the purpose of creating chaos in nervous systems of living beings.  Parathion is an organophosphate, one of the most dangerous of that highly dangerous class of chemical.  It is 30 times more toxic than DDT, and was used for mosquito eradication during my childhood.  It was invented by German chemist Gerhard Schrader who worked for IG Farber.  While researching organophosphate pesticides for agriculture, he and his team discovered tabun, sarin, and two other nerve gasses classified as weapons of mass destruction.  Twenty-four IG Farber executives were tried for war crimes at Nuremberg (and later reinstated as directors of chemical companies.)  The company set up a chemical plant next to Auschwitz (left) that at its peak used 83,000 enslaved laborers, and one of its subsidiaries, Degesch, made Zyklon B, , the substance used to murder people in gas chambers.    

One way that scientists study epilepsy is to create it in laboratory animals.  One way to do this is through a process called kindling.   The animals are given repeated doses of electrical or chemical stimulation, below the level that would cause outright seizures on the spot, and over a period of weeks, this permanently lowers their seizure thresholds.  Although there’s no detectable damage to brain tissue, the kindled animals’ brain function is altered.  There are changes in the amygdala, hippocampus and cortex, and to receptors for the nueurotransmitters glutamate and GABA, leading to a state of cellular hyperexcitability, signs of increased anxiety, depression and cognitive problems.  One report notes that kindling is most effective when doses are several times a week rather than daily. More is not necessarily more damaging.

Two of the chemicals used to kindle the brains of rats in these studies are the pesticides dieldrin and lindane, both of which were used on my family’s farm.  As a fetus, infant and toddler, I was quite certainly exposed to repeated doses not big enough to make me convulse, but I see no reason to doubt that they charged through my young brain, resetting my thresholds, altering my neurochemistry, and turning me into a kindled child. 


2 Comments
Julie link
1/15/2011 12:43:47 pm

This is fascinating Aurora, I'm so glad you are writing about this. xxx

Reply
Pat Gatten
10/9/2019 09:05:30 pm

Thank you for the work that you are doing. I also have been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. It was explained as kindling. I've had several exposures to pesticides. Now I react to things in my environment that other people don't even notice. I react with a whole range of emotions, and my doctors do not recognize that kindling plays a part in these reactions. I was told avoidance was key in wellness. Although I did ignore that early advice after many professionals seemed to think it unimportant. As a result I am currently much sicker and am avoiding medical care except for seizure medication and heart rate medication. He more medication, the worse I feel. I'm grateful to be connected and will follow you. Thanks

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Aurora

    Aurora Levins Morales is a disabled and chronically ill, community supported  writer, historian, artist and activist. It takes a village to keep her blogs coming.  To become part of the village it takes, donate here.

    Picture
    Never miss a post!
    Click below to add this blog to your favorite RSS reader:

    RSS Feed

    Follow Me on Pinterest
    Picture

    Archives

    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    December 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    April 2010

    Categories

    All
    Alba
    Art
    Artwork
    Cuba
    Ecology
    Epilepsy
    Family
    Freedom Of Speech
    Genetics
    Healing
    Healing Justice
    Health
    History
    Jews
    La Casita
    Language
    Latin@s
    Love
    Middle East
    Pesticides
    Poetry
    Puerto Rico
    Racism
    Rape
    Repression
    Sexuality
    Trauma
    Travel
    Weapons

Listen to my podcasts .     Support my work.   Tell me what you think.  
  • Home
    • What's New
  • What I Do
    • Projects >
      • Finca La Lluvia
    • Podcast
    • Writing >
      • Books >
        • Getting Home Alive
        • Kindling
        • Cosecha & Other Stories
      • Essays >
        • Nadie la tiene: Land Ecology and Nationalism
        • Muna Lee
        • Testimonio de una colaboración
      • Writing Sample >
        • Invocation
        • chicken house goat girls
        • First Snow
        • A Remedy for Heartburn
        • Transfusion
        • Maguey/Lost Bird
        • Pines
    • Portfolio >
      • Letters from Earth
      • Rimonim Liturgy Project
  • What We Can Do Together
    • Workshops
    • Public Speaking >
      • Publicity Packet
    • One on One
    • Itinerary
  • Residency in Puerto Rico
  • Connections
    • Join My Mailing List
    • Write to me
    • Permissions
    • Calendar
    • Moon Phase
  • Blog
  • Support Aurora
    • Creatng Access >
      • Hosting Aurora
    • Access Researcher Position
    • Testimonials
  • Puerto Rico Liberation
    • Declaracion
    • Boricuando