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On courage and self acceptance – from a child’s face to the world’s eyes, please see

MoveOn.org has a page of resources that included these two videos about two individuals a little distance in years and age but not in shared pain and understanding. Growing up with ears full of negatives can leave self worth in the bucket. Add bullying and crushing shame can lead to believing the negative messages.Rewriting the bad names that are engraved on the inner workings of the mind can take time and maybe even 10,000 hours of practice to master new messages of believing in self and others. (10,000 hour research was summarized in the book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, the mastery part was summarized, not the bad name part).

A problem with bad names is the self doubt that they can turn into. Regularly being told to believe certain things that disagree with more internal messages, can make those instincts and preferences that arrive with growing up even more confusing than they are for “normal” teenagers. A hormonal cyclone – a whether condition, whether surviving teen years with fewer or more emotional trauma triggers may be the question. Storm conditions turbulent, expect a little weather and consider packing an umbrella when traveling with teens, tots or any of the rest of us.

On Facebook
  • [a video response to the second video link- I saw the response first – very powerful – it helped to handle the second one.  Bullying by others can be painful but self bullying can bite deeper yet. Thanks to all courageous survivors and especially to the ones who share the message of change. The bully is fear and doubt and worry and hunger too – magnesium deficiency = irritable and stubborn and impatient  http://front.moveon.org/a-powerful-response-to-jonahs-extremely-viral-video/]
  •  [powerful video jonah, http://front.moveon.org/what-if-this-were-your-child/]
  • Regarding self injury which was an issue for the young adult in the previous link by Jonah, moveon.org, since he was in Second Grade, I’ve since learned of a biological reason that might underlie the urge to self injure in some cases. Hyperparathyroidism can be caused by low calcium levels or by low vitamin D levels. An endocrinologist would likely be the specialist involved in diagnosing the condition but any medical professional able to order lab tests could order a screening lab test for the parathyroid hormone level. A low PTH level may cause feelings of jitteriness, racing thoughts and an internal explosive feeling with an urge to ‘pop’ it open – really weird and scary – in my personal experience with the condition. Bullying is bad and difficult to cope with but add hyperparathyroidism and racing uncontrolled thoughts that include an urge to self injure and the potential for suicide can be hard to control. In my case I needed only add more calcium, as I have a tendency towards excess vitamin D. Vitamin D can affect calcium and magnesium balance and both minerals can affect mood. Magnesium is more relaxing and calcium can cause anger/rage. Having both in balance is important. I discuss the condition and my experience further in this post: https://transcendingsquare.com/2016/04/23/self-injurious-behavior-in-autism-patients-with-low-calcium-levels/
  • TheTrevorProject.org 

Transgender issues are not about choice but about estrogen like chemicals polluting nature and our food and water supply. Transgender is an issue for many species of wildlife these days – not just humans. The issue has appeared in history in societies that were at a stressed and maximal population level.

Bullying, name calling and discrimination are all related issues and are not about making choices or about denying self.   Love one another every day.

MayChy28‘s Youtube Channel: Merry Christmas Africa – I don’t know what the text says but the piano music is lovely and the photos speak volumes, I’ll hope that the text matches. link
Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World” with photo montage  link

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

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Macroglossia, a polite word for rude baby disease

Of course I’;m joking – babies aren’t rude, they are just babies and if their tongue sticks out all of the time practically then there may be an underlying problem that might have treatment options. Human babies and young children don’t just leave their tongues hanging out for no reason. For canines and species with few sweat glands, sticking out the tongue is an important way to lose extra body heat. Dogs pant and hang their tongue out when they are too hot. Elephants lose excess heat by flapping their ears.

A baby with macroglossia and BWS [link]

[Macroglossia] – try searching the phrase “protruding tongue” and you’ll find that it is a significant symptom for some [genetic] and [deficiency problems]. (Wikipedia links)

Macroglossia is an enlarged tongue – a little swollen looking – edematous in fact – (puffy). When a baby sticks its tongue out most of the time and it doesn’t seem to have good muscle control then it is a sign of a weak muscle problem and there can be a few reasons for that. Feeding tips are great for the average baby but for that occasional baby whose tongue doesn’t seem to want to stay in its mouth, ever, then there might be an underlying nutrient deficiency or rare genetic syndrome – and treatments may exist that could help.

This link to an article on livestrong.com about what it might mean when your baby sticks its tongue out does not mention macroglossia but the last paragraph does mention excessive drooling and feeding troubles as something to discuss with the baby’s doctor. [livestrong.com, article, by Kelly Stevens] The infant in the picture is portraying a tongue with poor muscle tone, seen in the rounded pickle shape. The minimal eyebrows are also associated with hypothyroidism. The physical appearance clues suggest to me a need for iodine and selenium support or treatment with thyroid hormone. I would refer the infant to a physician for further testing. Life doesn’t come at us one diagnosis at a time whether a dietitian or physician happen to notice a certain pattern.

Having to get a physician involved for every dietary counseling tip seems quite disabling – in addition to the already disabling but standard dietitian’s rule “don’t diagnose anything – ever – period”.  I was trained to be very very careful about any diagnostic language in charting because of the fact that dietitians are not physicians and therefore don’t diagnose. But we are trained as specialists to recognize the symptoms and external appearance of nutrient deficiency and toxicity as well as interpreting the standard lab tests. We are also trained to check and adjust diet orders or formula feeding “recommendations” for the physician to consider and approve or modify. Training may include crossing fingers to hope that the physician agrees with the “recommendations.”

Dietitians and physicians need to know and look for symptoms of deficiency and toxicity and so do moms and dads and individual owners of a living body.

Coping with feeding issues and health discomforts are what dietitians are trained to do and consider – the feeding tips in the article are on target and helpful. Check it out and then move on to this [livestrong.com, article by Julie Christensen] just to compare tongues and children’s eyes. The first baby also looks hypothyroid to me because of the dull, flat, depressed look of apathy. The look of apathy was poetically described in the original work that was done for iodine nutrient guideline guidelines. Entire villages would be quiet without evidence of children playing or adults working, even pets weren’t seen running about. A year after providing the iodized salt (The original fortification level had been designed to provide 150 micrograms in ten grams of salt which at the time was effective. Our current nutrient guidelines for salt would limit us to around 3 grams which would only provide 50 micrograms of iodine at the standard level of fortification. The fortification level for iodine hasn’t been reexamined since those 1940’s villages which didn’t have doughnut shops and fast food on every other corner and so the villagers didn’t have as much bromide or fluoride competing with the iodine as we do in our modern diet.)

The tongue is a muscle that can be strong and is meant to move food around in the mouth and into position to swallow. The baby in the first blog has a little round shaped tongue and it does not look like the agile muscle that is possible. A tongue potentially can be quite strong. [livesstrong.com, young baby feeding tips article, by Kelly Stevens]  The older child in this [livestrong.com article, by Julie Christensen] on “Why do rude kids stick their tongues out?” shows a boy with sparkling eyes and no slight puffy paleness underlying the skin, his eyebrows look average and hair is shiny with health and his skin has a slightly pink undertone. The picture shows a normal tongue sticking out rudely or in fun. The shape is a little pointed and flattened, the muscle is being purposefully extended for the gesture. The picture doesn’t show a soft little pickle shape just lollygagging around.

The rude child article has some unrude advice about telling the difference between a rude gesture and one that was triggered by shyness,  or just for fun, or from other attention getting motivations. Recognizing the underlying motivation can then help with choosing a more effective discipline method. Ignoring naughtiness at home can sometimes be the most effective strategy to reducing attention getting behavior. Punishments may be necessary if the attention getting naughtiness progresses to rudeness to adults outside of the home. One of the references mentioned in the story was written by Barbara Colorosa, one of my favorite authors who wrote the parenting book, “Positive Discipline”. She suggests discipline be considered as moments for teaching more appropriate ways to behave rather than as penalties. Punishing a child for spilling milk doesn’t teach them how to pour more carefully or why cleaning up the sticky mess while it is fresh is easier than waiting until it dried up and hard to clean.

I care about macroglossia because I felt sorry for the mother who kept asking her doctors why her baby wouldn’t keep its tongue in its mouth. She was getting no answers and she kept trying to poke her baby’s tongue back in its mouth. It can’t have been very fun for the anxious mother or for the baby. I only saw her once. However the information that I had collected for her next appointment was useful a few year’s later when I worked with a mother and children who shared the genetic condition BWS. The first baby and mom were more likely to have had iodine issues. BWS has several unique symptoms not just macroglossia. Starting a newborn with thyroid hormone replacement promptly can help normalize some types of congenital hypothyroidism. Trying to reduce fluoride rather than just providing more iodine may be part of the problem [5].

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

  1. Kelly Stevens, “What Does A Baby Sticking Out Its Tongue Mean? (Aug. 11, 2011) livestrong.com [livestrong.com]
  2. Julie Christensen, “The Rude Child’s Behavior of Sticking Out the Tongue” (Sept. 2, 2011) livestrong.com [livestrong.com]
  3. Barbara Colorosa, “Kids Are Worth It!”, 2002 [kidsareworthit.com/]
  4. by Zelda Doyle, et al, “Are Australian Children Iodine Deficient? Results of the National Iodine Nutrition Study” (MJA, Vol. 184, No. 4, 20 Feb. 2006) [nd-au.academia.edu]  (or are they goitrogen excessive?) Excerpt: “Western Australian children had the largest glands /an early sign of goiter/, despite having the highest median UIE level of the five states. The explanation for this phenomenon is not clear. It may relate to factors other than iodine, such as dietary or environmental goitrogens.” /fluoride for example/
  5. “Thyroid history, History of the Fluoride/Iodine Antagonism” [poisonfluoride.com] *Fluoride inhibits hyperthyroidism. Fluoride in the air from pollution or in ground water naturally promotes enlargement of the thyroid gland and symptoms of hypothyroidism.
  6. From the same website, “Salt Facts / Fluoridated Salt FAQ”  – [poisonfluoride.com] – It was thought to be a good idea to add fluoride to salt in addition to the iodine and at even greater levels – world wide, beginning around 1986-1994 – oops. It’s still being added.
  7. The paper mentioned in the above link on fluoridation of salt,  Milner T, Estupiñán-Day D, “Overview of Salt Fluoridation in the Region of the Americas: Part II. The Status of Salt Production, Quality & Marketing and the State of Technology Development for Salt Fluoridation,” Salt 2000, 8th World Salt Symposium, Volume 2, pg 1033-1038 (2000)  pdf [fdiworldental.org]
  8. USDHHS, NIDDK, National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service page on hypothyroidism:  [endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/hypothyroidism/]
  9. Thomas W. Heinrich and Garth Graham, Hypothyroidism Presenting as Psychosis: Myxedema Madness Revisited,  Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2003; 5(6): 260–266.  [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
  10. (I’ve been looking for the reference to the 1940’s study but I haven’t found it yet.)
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Word of the day – Titillation

Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano in Little Miss Sunshine [lavieboston.com]

Music video day at the park – youtube may rock but it also perturbs. I am not sure how I wandered into children’s dance competitions but it appears to be a very competitive sport. Skilled and with judges that may not have a section on their score card – or more to the point – on their entry form describing and defining parameters about the appropriateness of costume and choreography for a child’s event.

If even very skilled little girls never won a single competition if they chose to enter the stage in red satin and black lace – then probably fewer little girls would be sent onto a stage dressed in tutu bikinis and thigh high stockings.

Emotional growth, step by step

To review economics and the law of supply and demand – “where there is a demand . . . there will always be a supply” – the cost may vary at different times and places. Currently the price is free with open internet access – and I am not against open internet at all – but little girl competitions and manipulation of thumbnails to make it seem like pornography are tactics that titillate enough viewers in the world to run up the both the view count and the comments – insightful and less so, but interested. Pedophilia, boredom, concern for the children, reasons may vary but the underlying truth is – sex does sell, or at least it attracts attention. Good or bad – attention-seeking is a drive also.

Seeking approval outside of yourself, attention-seeking behavior, is also a symptom found on the laundry list of the Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfuntional Families group. The hardcover book is only $15 and the yellow workbook is only $10 [adultchildren.org]- I gave copies to several friends and family members. Trying to relive childhood dreams through directing one’s child’s activities in pursuit of  of the lost personal dream can also be a symptom of laundry list living – denying real reasons

If it were a Halloween costume talent show competition and one of the categories was Burlesque theatre review, then it would make more sense to me. A very favorite movie, predating love for the Showtime series, United States of Tara, is the black comedy, “Little Miss Sunshine” that takes a magnifying glass to the underbelly of junior, junior miss talent competitions (grade school beauty shows) and the negatives of traveling with a dead body (Grandpa passed along the way – but it was his time – and the show must go on). Abigail Breslin delivers a Best Supporting Actress winning role in the movie as the dancing dynamo that grandpa had assisted with development of a routine for use in the talent section of a Little Miss Sunshine contest. Some of the men loved the routine while the judges were aghast and the emcee was frantically unsure of how to get the little girl (the actress Abigail) to stop her booty shaking routine.

[Grandpa is still alive in this photo of the family at the ice cream road stop scene from the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” , on imdb.com, Abigail Breslin photo collection.]

Red satin and black lace dressed a different set of girls in the following video from a 2009 world dance competition. They are physically very gifted athletes, performing a tiny sized version of every other music video that has been released. They are training from a young age to do extremely well in an extremely competitive industry – show business – or was that Burlesque theatre – I sometimes forget the terminology commonly in use.

World Dance competition (not sure of details about the event), 2009,  link – while I appreciate the athleticism of the girls dancing in the video, I do not appreciate the underlying message that a little girl dance competition industry supported the development of a routine and costume that could grace any Las Vegas night club stage any night of the week – and deservedly so – they are professionals.  But they are also seven years old and to think about the disciplined effort that they all had to practice to achieve such mastery suggests that they didn’t have many innocent days at the beach.

Mastering a skill has been said to take the equivalent of 10,000 hours of practice (said by psychologist, K. Anders Ericsson, who studied the skill level and practice habits of students at the Berlin Elite Academy of Music, and the research is described by Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Outliers). These little girls didn’t learn the moves the way that I learned the dance moves that replicate horizontal practice hours.  Innocent booty shaking or stylized booty shaking is generally a little less graphic then those talented little seven year old girls managed to imitate, artfully I am sure – they are winners. I am only suggesting that the style that they have mastered the imitation of really doesn’t belong in a child’s dance class – or if it does then – why does it and who got to decide that anyway?

Also red satin and black lace bikini tutus and thigh high stockings don’t belong on any seven to seventeen year old if honesty were truly our policy, not just the best policy.

But who am I to judge anything – I think they are great and it is a standard style of the dance industry – flashy, shiny, and shaken more than stirred.

Artist: Beyonce‘, Song: single ladies (?)    7 year old girls going hard on single ladies, link

Youtube Channel:  HaruHaru765     # Views on 12-9-2011:  4,651,503
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While the dancing above is superb,  I prefer the following youthful display of fun and girl power:

Artist: Beyonce’  Song:  (Girls ) Run the World (Sierra Neudeck) link

Youtube Channel: rdneudeck
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Micky Dolenz, in “Circus Boy”

And for a trip back in time, to a more innocent time – a clip from the Television comedy/music video show, “The Monkees”. Each show had a loose plot structure that tied together early versions of what music videos eventually became. The show was somewhat modeled after the Beatles’ movie “A Hard Day’s Night” (these opinions are actually Tom’s musical trivia opinions). My trivial mind can add that in the following video the Monkees are singing portions of a famous children’s poem “Saturday’s child is fair of face” I remember that Wednesday’s child had far to go and one of the days of the week was full of grace but I will need to google a bit to flesh out details of that memory. (per Wikipedia – Mother Goose Rhyme says “Saturday’s child works hard for a living”. – The Monkees , “1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, and Englishman Davy Jones.,” were young adult stars – now that I think about it – they probably had fun  getting to the beach themselves.

*** Micky Dolenz was an American child TV show star. His role was water boy for the elephants in a traveling circus – that sounds like a fun job but I bet elephants drink a lot of water and there weren’t as many electric pumps attached to faucets – a hand pump and bucket may have been involved. Times they have a changed but thirst continues to happen. (happy early birthday – 3-8-1945)   mickydolenz.com/gallery

***Davy Jones, born in Manchester, England (the other Monkees were American) also was a child star beginning at age 11, brief pause at age 14 to pursue becoming a jockey but went back into acting in a traveling show of the musical “Oliver”. His role was a main supporting role as “the Artful Dodger”, the engaging pick pocket that helps the more gentle orphan, Oliver, learn new life skills (pick pocketing and running very fast).  [ DavyJones.net ] [ http://keepupwithjones.davyjones.net/ ]
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Artist: The Monkees television show clip  Song: Saturday’s Child     link – video has Monkees on unicycles

Youtube Channel: utoobuser101

Micky Dolenz, 2009, at Whatever Works

The Monkees can also be seen playing the song live, 2011 Tour, on Youtube, but I like the fun day at the beach version. It reminds me of playing with my sisters and big brother. I also remember being highly offended somewhere around the age of  4 or 5 when my mother started making me wear a shirt in the summertime – everyday – all day long – and my brother still didn’t have to and he was way, way older than I was. It still doesn’t seem fair, not really but I understand a little better now.

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Wikipedia [link] says that Monday’s child was fair of face and Wednesday’s child is full of woe and Thursday’s child (day of the week that you were actually born on) is the one that had far to go.  – I learned of the poem from the book … ??? will have to look around the house – somewhere I still have it.

Nope – not that book actually but I love some of her other books, “Ballet Shoes” and “Dancing Shoes” (originally published as “Wintle’s Wonders“)  [Amazon reviews of an abridged version].

….. children’s novel by (Mary) Noel Streatfield called Thursday’s Child. [Wikipedia]

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In continuing the virtual hunt I found a book assembled by Suzanne Somers, called “Wednesday’s Children”, a collection of celebrities who have shared stories from their childhood experiences. Amazon link to the book 
Amazon Suzanne Somers author page

Excerpt from the one review posted by “a Customer” [link]:

  • Some parts are incredibly shocking but the fact that these people have emerged to live their lives and be in a continual process of healing, is a triumph of their spirits, and to me the triumph of the ultimate spirit of good in the world, after all. An intense but compelling read, and one every abused child should read.

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 http://www.amazon.com/Thursdays-Child-Sonya-Hartnett/dp/0763622036
– children’s book set in Great Depression – Thursday’s child is digging a tunnel under their shanty – cool.
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http://thursdayschildinc.com/
A public Early Intervention program for children under age three, to assist families with children who have been diagnosed with PDD/autism.  -in New York, Early Intervention Programs (EIP) for areas in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
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http://www.thursdayschild.org/
A support site for assisting runaway children, teens,

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I had forgotten “Friday’s Child” by Georgette Heyer, “The Big Name In Regency Romance Writing” [Amazon] – have your dictionary nearby if you haven’t read Georgette Heyer before.

Excerpt from the “Editorial Reviews” section:

  • Friday’s Child is a cut above the rest, which is saying quite a lot since this is Georgette Heyer we’re talking about and all her books happen to be fantastic. Friday’s Child is filled with likable characters that stick with you and witty dialogue that will make you laugh out loud. (Katie Trattner Blog Critics 20080903)

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ( I ran through all the days of the week and didn’t find it and was going to give up – but I just remembered – The Days – I think it was a family and all the kids were born on different days of the week – eureka! – nope – cleaning the house may be easier after all – the father grew gorgeous dahlias and then had a serious accident and they had to move away to a country estate and take in boarders – not sure but set in England in 1950’s I think.)

******* A major problem in our society is that the definition of “abused child” can become very blurred – are 7 year old circus performers abused or in training for an exciting and fulfilling career in the circus?

***Take note that in the poem, below,  the word “gay” had a different common usage than the more typically used definition today tends to imply. However one might pause and reflect on the joyfulness that that original meaning of the word gay actually implies. It is joyful to embrace ones inner nature and proudly live life following nature’s instinctual messages. Who are any of us to judge anyone’s choices in life but our own.

from Wikipedia page:

Common modern versions include:

Monday’s child is fair of face
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.[1]
~~~~end of my original post, I removed the images which were not mine.
The point of that post which may have been unclear in the rambling style I was using was simply for parents of young actors and dancers to be cautious about leaving their children alone with talent scouts or other adult trainers who might manipulate the child into doing things which the child can’t possibly understand or might understand but who might think pleasing the adult in order to win a competition or a role is more important to their parents than protecting themselves.

Communicating from a place of equality is important for a healthy relationship in my opinion, and in other health professionals too. Training materials about communicating from equal perspectives have been developed for use with domestic violence and batterers but the handouts might be helpful for anyone who feels they may be in a business or personal relationship where communicating seems to not go as expected. Power struggles can be part of many types of relationships not just within families.

Training materials about equality within a conversation or within a relationship, the Power and Control and Equality Wheels, were developed for helping victims of domestic violence and batterers learn how to recognize problem behaviors within their communication and actions. Family therapists may work with the whole family to practice new ways to communicate because if one person tries to change on their own the others may feel the new style of communication is an attack rather than an attempt by the previously unassertive person to try to communicate their needs.

The handouts may be helpful for most age groups as emotional manipulation or abuse of power and control can occur in many types of relationships not just between couples. Discussing the difference between equal exchanges in a conversation and unequal ones in a calm neutral setting may be helpful to prevent a difficult exchange from ever happening in the first place.

  • Power and Control and Equality Wheels:  The Power and Control Wheel (I.21) was developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs (DAIP). (I.22) Manipulative behaviors are grouped into eight categories in the model. An additional Equality Wheel (I.23) was developed to help guide batterers and victims of emotional or physical abuse towards healthier ways to interact. It is grouped into eight equivalent categories with examples of healthier ways to interact with each other. Problems frequently can involve communication issues by both people in a relationship.

Crisis Hotlines and Resources:

  • U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call 1-800-273-8255, Available 24 hours everyday. (I.16.suicidepreventionlifeline.org)
  • National Helpline: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: “SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.”  (I.17.samhsa.org)
  • Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, RAINN Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE, (I.18.RAINN.org)
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 24/7 confidential support at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224. (I.19.thehotline.org)
  • Child Welfare Information Gateway: a variety of toll-free hotline numbers for concerns involving the safety of children. (I.20)

See a healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

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Calcification of the pineal gland – some statistics and sleep habits

Calcification of the pineal gland was found to be less prevalent in a study collecting data on a group of people of black ethnicity. The following link and article suggest that black people genetically may be less at risk for calcification of the pineal gland.(The pineal gland is important because of hormones like melatonin that it is involved in the production of and calcification reduces function and less melatonin means less quality sleep.I suggest that the research being reviewed may have been performed on a population that did not eat the same as now or as mixed and as similar to each other (black population differences from Caucasian is being discussed in the link.) The review article is suggesting the differing lab findings reflect actual structural or genetic differences but if an assumption that the populations were on similar nutrient ratios compared to now or to each other has been made then the correlation can not be used to draw such a conclusion.

The study in reference was from 1967 in a population with African ancestry. The diet in 1967 was less processed then and calcium fortified products may not have been as common as they are now.

I think reading and reviewing older studies is important but from a questioning perspective – what variables were in play at the time of the research study that may have changed. What differences between then and now may have changed the expected outcome?

There are some fundamental differences between different groups of people so it is certainly possible that the pineal gland has a few differences as well as the kidneys – but in 1974 the Black American group may not have been consuming the same typical diet as the Caucasian group. The blending of cultures and the fast food lifestyle wasn’t as prevalent or as inexpensive compared to home cooking as it is now. (It actually is fairly expensive to put a full meal together compared to buying a similar load of “calories,” not necessarily comparing any other nutrients. Fewer homes had single parents or two working parents compared  to now. I don’t have statistics on that but they may exist.).

The study and article are interesting but  I would like to see it repeated on a group of individuals today.
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PS: calcification is somewhat reversible and the first step is taking in less of it – how can the body ever hope to use up the stored up reserves if too much or even if adequate for maintenance levels are eaten daily – to de-calcify or to run out of reserved calcium we need to dip into the bank account and spend some of it. Some calcium is excreted by the kidneys daily, but just not as much as magnesium losses equal.

On today’s diet, I think people of black ancestry are likely to be just as much at risk of calcification of the pineal gland as anyone else.
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Excerpt from “Pineal Gland: A Cognitive Advantage for Africans”:
By Bernie Douglas (January 17, 2008) [link]

Racial differences have been noted in the rate of pineal calcification as seen in plain skull radiographs. In Caucasians, calcified pineal is visualized in about 50% of adult skull radiographs after the age of 40 years (Wurtman et al, 1964); other scholars argue that Caucasians, in general, may have rates of pineal gland calcification as high as ­60-80% (King, 2001). Murphy (1968) reported a radiological pineal calcification rate of 2% from Uganda, while Daramola and Olowu (1972) in Lagos, Nigeria found a rate of 5%. Adeloye and Felson (1974) found that calcified pineal was twice as common in White Americans as in Blacks in the same city, strengthening a suspicion that there may be a true racial difference with respect to this apparatus. In India a frequency of 13.6% was found (Pande et al, 1984). Calcified pineal gland is a common finding in plain skull radiographs and its value in identifying the midline is still complementary to modern neuroradiological imaging.

There is a surprising rarity of calcified pineal gland on skull roentgenograms in West Africans. Adeloye and Odeku (1967) working from a hospital where an average of about 2,000 skull roentgenographic examinations were done every year, encountered less than 10 cases of roentgenologically visible calcified pineal gland in the Neurosurgery unit during a period of 10 years. In the tasks of daily life, calcification in the pineal gland affects our brain’s ability to function. Calcification of the pineal gland is shown to be closely related to defective sense of direction (Bayliss et al, 1985). In a tricentre prospective study of 750 patients lateral skull radiographs showed that 394 had calcified pineal glands. Sense of direction was assessed by subjective questioning and objective testing and the results noted on a scale of 0-10 (where 10 equals perfect sense of direction). The average score for the 394 patients with pineal gland calcification was 3.7 (range 0-8), whereas the 356 patients without pineal gland calcification had an average score of 7.6 (range 2-10). This difference was highly significant (p less than 0.01) (Bayliss et al, 1985). Also, the effects of disturbed sleep and memory are well documented.

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[bonus link]on sleep personality types, “What’s Your Alarm Clock Personality?” by Sharon Tanenbaum, (11/16/11) on everydayhealth.com – not nutrition related as much as clues about how we tend to meet the day and how that might reflect on how we look forward to life – or sleep quality may have more to do with pillow softness – not sure.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.