I actually like Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper.
I don't drink diet soft drinks because I hate the flavour and the aspartame gives me a sore feeling in my throat.
I also have blood pressure problems that I take Altace for, so drink Jolt or Red Bull is likely a poor choice of beverage in the first place...
Finally, I prefer Coca-Cola to Pepsi but only Coca-Cola Classic.
No, this is not a health topic about new diet Coke sweetener, the following just plain taste horrible:
Pepsi Blue
Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max Gold
Pepsi Max Cappucino
Jolt Cola X2
Mountain Dew
Dr. Pepper
Battery Gingered
ED Light
Certain finnish liquorice flavoured soft drink
Certain finnish cowberry flavoured soft drink
Certain finnish rhubarb + strawberry flavoured soft drink
Well, that's all I can think of. You can continue from here. :grin:
From now on I'll just routinely buy only Coca-Cola. I was traumatized by Pepsi Max Cappucino.
And can ANYONE explain to me the point of VANILLA Coke?! I mean, vanilla is wonderful in the right places, but it's been done to death as a household fragrance (those candles!), and now, vanilla COKE? :shock: I can't even bring myself to taste it because it's just plain wrong!
I tried Vanilla Coke and it was tasty. I even bought several cases over the years.
Can anyone actually taste the difference between coke and pepsi? because i cant.
Yes, I can.
I have a sensitive palate. Coca-Cola is sweeter and richer. Pepsi is a little more tart but just a little bit and more watery.
Overall, I prefer Coca-Cola. I DO prefer Pepsi with a rich meal or a pizza however.
Hmm.
I like Pepsi Max. And hate Coke.
But I just don't like sugar in my sodas. <.<;
Orange juice is also good, referring to non-fizzy.
... I feel like a minority.
Red Bull is safe, no controversial ingredients there.
I'm a fan of some energy drinks, the immense lift of energy and the buzz are the draw for me, anyway.
And can ANYONE explain to me the point of VANILLA Coke?! I mean, vanilla is wonderful in the right places, but it's been done to death as a household fragrance (those candles!), and now, vanilla COKE? :shock: I can't even bring myself to taste it because it's just plain wrong!
--------------
I agree, vanilla is vastly overrated in all forms, products, you name it!
Ellen
PS except maybe softserve ice cream cones at DQ!
And can ANYONE explain to me the point of VANILLA Coke?! I mean, vanilla is wonderful in the right places, but it's been done to death as a household fragrance (those candles!), and now, vanilla COKE? :shock: I can't even bring myself to taste it because it's just plain wrong!
--------------
I agree, vanilla is vastly overrated in all forms, products, you name it!
Ellen
PS except maybe softserve ice cream cones at DQ!
Nice to see you Ellen!
I do admit to liking vanilla in my coffee though! Vanilla lattes make me cry with joy (I think I may have been dieting too long LOL!)
Well, except for a few people here, who never drinks soda, doesn't drink tap water, doesn't drink from plastic bottles, never eats fast food, never eats processed/refined food, etc, etc.
Anyhow, my point is, it's not the food/water supply--it's genetics.
Well, except for a few people here, who never drinks soda, doesn't drink tap water, doesn't drink from plastic bottles, never eats fast food, never eats processed/refined food, etc, etc.
Anyhow, my point is, it's not the food/water supply--it's genetics.
If it is solely attributable to genetics, then all monozygotic twins, triplets, quads etc would be equally affected. The incidence is just not high enough. There must be at least one environmental factor as well.
Oh and I would like to say that I LOVE 'diet vanilla coke'. 
What kind of environmental factors are you thinking of?
Social interaction at a young age could be a factor, for instance.
Please don't bring up the vaccine/mercury theory, though..? You know better than that.
I agree that Pepsi and all its varieties do taste awful. Coke, I find, is a nice thing to drink while I am having a conversation, not that I drink as I speak.
Now sleep deprivation and oxidative stress causes ASD? What next?
Anyway, maybe you could be a bit clearer. Are you saying these factors are causes, or things that make ASD worse for someone who already has it?
Anecdotally I have also had some contact with mercury. The first time I was around 4 or 5 years old when my brother took instructions from my mother to sterilize a thermometer, so he put it in boiling water unbeknownst to me, and when I put it in my mouth the thermometer broke into pieces, and I swallowed something. It may have just been a piece of glass without mercury, who knows. The one thing I know for sure is I never got mercury poisoning from this incident, and I don't recall anything else happening.
The second time, some idiot in my 9th grade science class was fooling around with a thermometer at a table I was working at, the thing broke into pieces, who knows if I inhaled some of it in the air. I wasn't even aware of the airborne danger of mercury exposure then, that's how naive I was. Again, I can't prove this did anything.
But what can I do about this now? And can I PROVE that these incidents made my ASD worse...?
Now sleep deprivation and oxidative stress causes ASD? What next?
Anyway, maybe you could be a bit clearer. Are you saying these factors are causes, or things that make ASD worse for someone who already has it?
...
But what can I do about this now? And can I PROVE that these incidents made my ASD worse...?
My theory is currently towards genetic predisposition triggered by one or more environmental factors.
What we can do about it is impacted by those factors (that have not been isolated).
Until know whether it IS one or more genes and one or more environmental factors, it is unlikely that we will be able to 'prove' anything. If and when we isolate the triggers, there may be evidence that points to critical events in your life.
But, you still haven't explained why you have this overwhelming need to know 'why'. If mercury does prove to be a contributing factor, what good will it do to know that your brother made a mistake with a thermometer? Do you need to blame someone? If so, how will that help?
Yeah, but your ideas are unique in a bad way. I haven't read books on ASD--not a one--but still, this is the first time I've heard of sleep deprivation causing ASD.
In some ways that suggests to me that someone who has the genetic predisposition and is NT, starts getting heavily sleep deprived at around age 10 or 11, might start to acquire autistic traits. And that to me is a laughable idea.
I am sorry that I gave the impression that I think that lack of sleep at 10 or 11 would trigger autistic traits (I haven't really considered the implications of that). I made a statement based on information that I did not include. There are quite a few diagnoses that are comorbid with autism and the behaviours are evident, and some (eg, congenital blindness) where autistic traits are not unusual but are not considered to be part of the diagnostic criteria.
Most children with LFA show behaviours (or don't show typical behaviours, as the case may be) before the age of three. Children with HFA/Asperger's are often just considered odd or difficult until they are at school and some even older (10/11?). However, some authorities (eg, Simon Baron-Cohen) consider that the only difference between LFA and HFA is the age at which we speak. There is obviously a problem in that some people with an ASD never acquire spoken language, but that may relate to the development of the hypothalamus.
There is neurological evidence that ASD brains develop more neurons (up to 1.5 times) than NT brains. A process called apoptosis normally occurs to allow learning to take place; so unused immature neurons are supposed to die and shed to allow the other neurons to move into place and develop mature connections. In addition to having genes that know what to do, that process requires environmental factors such as oxygen, sleep and nutrition. If the brain doesn't mature in one area (eg, hypothalamus) because of (unspecified) factors that occur at a particular stage of development, then it could be that that area doesn't ever develop fully, or the brain could develop workarounds, or the brain could go off and do its own thing (eg, savant skills).
Sleep apnoea and sleep hypopnoea can lead to oxygen deprivation in the brain. Sleep is also required to allow the brain to recuperate and process inputs. If an individual does not develop 'any' autistic behaviours until age 10 or 11, they are likely to be given a different diagnosis, and be treated quite differently (eg, as an 'acquired' brain injury).
So I am not saying that I believe that the lack of sleep is 'the cause' of autism, but that I believe that it affects the brain in several ways and those impacts trigger the genetic component of ASD.
But at what age would sleep deprivation have a significant affect on the developing brain?
Speaking from what I know of my own experiences, I didn't start to get sleep deprived until I was 13 or 14. After that sleep deprivation was pretty much the norm for me as I struggled with extreme procrastination in high school.
So I am not saying that I believe that the lack of sleep is 'the cause' of autism, but that I believe that it affects the brain in several ways and those impacts trigger the genetic component of ASD.
But at what age would sleep deprivation have a significant affect on the developing brain?
Speaking from what I know of my own experiences, I didn't start to get sleep deprived until I was 13 or 14. After that sleep deprivation was pretty much the norm for me as I struggled with extreme procrastination in high school.
Some babies sleep for long periods almost as soon as they are born. Others don't settle for years. My son has some definite traits and he slept for maybe three hours at a time and was a very light sleeper. My daughter has less traits and only slept for two hours at a time for at least the first three months but she slept more deeply.
I slept badly and was always tired until I got a CPAP machine about eight months ago. If I have it set on automatic variable pressure with maximum humidity I feel rested when I wake (if I remember to go to bed before midnight). My ADD is not quite as debilitating, and I get more done in daylight hours.
Many teenagers change their sleep cycle to be awake at night and sleep during the day. Then at some point, their hormones settle and they cycles back to 'normal' hours.
Have you considered the possibility of Sleep Apnoea/Hypopnoea and Adult ADD as complicating factors?
I just like to do things at night, far too much. I have my whole daily routine/rituals set up this way. Don't do much during the day; a whole flurry of activity at night. Therefore my whole sleep schedule is screwed up and changes frequently.
I imagine some of my health issues would go away or lessen themselves, my serious problem with concentration/focus wouldn't be as bad, if I could gain a proper/consistent sleep schedule.
But that would mean giving up my preference for doing things at night until the early morning. Not sure about that.
Even though I can go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier, it is really weird for me to get up in the morning and be wide awake but not know how to start what have been evening activities all my adult life.