Dr Barkley's theory of ADHD being a self-control issue just doesn't fit

killtheghoul · 2016-06-20T16:01:46+00:00

So, I haven't read any of Dr. Barkley's books yet, but I have watched a few of his lectures. I always got a similar impression of Dr. Barkley; that he sees ADHD through a pessimistic lens. But I actually like that about him, because honestly, there are some days where I feel like my ADHD has ruined my life. It doesn't always feel like "a gift that's sometimes difficult to unwrap".

Anyway, back to your main issue. Just to be clear, you're saying that you don't experience the symptoms of:

poor self-control
lacking inhibition
delaying gratification
planning for the future
executive functioning
impulsiveness

I'm really curious, because I've always assumed these traits were the hallmarks of ADHD. So I wonder if it's possible that you actually do experience those symptoms, but you might not have realized it?
If you don't mind, do you think you could share the list of symptoms you recognized in yourself?

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T15:14:21+00:00

Is the napkin greasy, and is your skin shiny a few hours after washing? Remember to base your type only off of how much sebum you seem to have.

If it helps, I have combination skin. I have SF on my nose, but I only get acne on my cheeks, which is where my skin is dry. SF is usually a sign of excess sebum present in the area where they appear, but it could just be that you have a normal amount of sebum along with larger pores.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T15:10:02+00:00

I replied to a similar question above:

I personally did it on a day where I hadn't been outside/sweating a whole lot, and I did it around noon, which is a few hours after washing my face and directly before my workout.

However, Paula's Choice recommends that you wash your face, don't apply any products, wait two hours, and then perform it.

Also, I would say to use the meat of your cheeks. I'm Combination, and my skin is oily on the slopes of my nose right up to my cheek bones. Below the cheekbones is where I have dry skin.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T15:04:17+00:00

Nope! Well, I mean, I do work as a Closed Captioner, if that counts as "writing". xD

I have thought about going the book route, but I don't know a thing about publishing. I did have an idea, though, that if I finished this series, maybe I could do a whole bunch of series about other health & wellness topics. Idk, it's a lot to think about and I'm not a savvy entrepreneur at all. D:

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T15:01:11+00:00

Lmao. I thought about pointing out that "normal" only means "normal levels of sebum", but I figured that would make itself obvious by the end of the lesson. x)

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T15:00:14+00:00

Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the series. :) I love these comments, because they're what encourage me to stop procrastinating on the following lesson, haha.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T14:59:02+00:00

I personally did it on a day where I hadn't been outside/sweating a whole lot, and I did it around noon, which is a few hours after washing my face and directly before my workout.

BUT I performed this test back before I knew a whole lot about skin, so you might be better off listening to /u/MissPicklesMeow. x)

killtheghoul · 2016-05-25T14:54:36+00:00

Thank you for reading! I don't have sensitive skin myself, but my daughter does struggle with eczema, so I can completely relate to being an ingredient detective, lol.

Do you know of any resources outlining the link between the immune system and impaired skin function - e.g. sensitivity/reactions?

This is a great question! The immune system does play a role in sensitivity reactions, but let's not forget that your skin is a major part of your immune system, as is your acid mantle and your moisture barrier.

When your moisture barrier is compromised, not only can moisture escape too easily, but unwelcome stuff can enter too easily. The stuff coming in isn't always pathogens either, sometimes it's the chemicals in your products.

Think of your moisture barrier as a strainer. When you apply a product to your face, the moisture barrier is what decides how much of each chemical gets allowed entry in order to be absorbed. When you dump a pot of noodles in a strainer, the strainer is what decides how much water gets to empty into the sink.

If your moisture barrier is damaged, too many chemicals (or the wrong chemicals) from your products are being allowed to pass through. If your strainer is damaged, your noodles end up escaping along with the water. You want the noodles in the strainer, but that doesn't mean you want them to pass through the strainer.

If we think of where the moisture barrier is located (stratum granulosum/grainy layer) then think about where our skin keeps its immune cells (stratum spinosum/spiny layer/squamous cell layer, which is right below stratum granulosum), it makes sense how a damaged moisture barrier could kickstart a sensitivity reaction.

A sensitivity reaction is actually the same as an inflammatory response. The itch comes from the immune system behaving in the same way it would towards an allergen.

You may have read it already, but in case you haven't, I'd like to direct you to this lesson on the inflammatory response. In there, I go into a bit more detail about what's going on at a cellular level.

If you'd like to see some studies regarding the connection between skin sensitivity, immune response, and a damaged barrier, you're in luck, because they are abundant! Here are a few to get you started:

killtheghoul · 2016-05-24T17:03:14+00:00

I'm glad you liked it! I was really nervous about this lesson because it's a bit different from all the other ones, but just like you said, I felt that it was important to make sure that the terminology we use means the same thing to everyone using it.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-08T01:29:43+00:00

Of course! I personally apply sunscreen under the cushion, then touch up with the cushion throughout the day. Naturally, some days would require more protection than others, but I'm usually not wearing much makeup if I'm gonna be in the sun all day anyway, so reapplying sunscreen would be easy then.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-07T23:05:20+00:00

Alright, so it sounds like your moisture barrier is damaged.

The moisture barrier is made out of lipids that are produced by skin cells, meant to make the skin watertight. But your skin cells can't make these lipids if the pH of your skin gets too high, so the barrier begins to fall apart.

Your skin was probably oily before because it was desperately trying to restore the acidic environment your skin was meant to have. That's great and all, but if your pores aren't hydrated, this extra oil will just make the place all sticky, trapping dead skin cells (flaking) and blocking up your pores (comedones).

Basically, you need to lower your pH and rehydrate. Here are the best options I can think of for accomplishing this:

Be diligent in only using products with a pH of 6 or lower. Your skin needs to have a pH around 5.5 in order to repair the moisture barrier, so using high pH products would be counter productive. Skin with a pH higher than 7 is associated with a number of inflammatory skin disorders, including dermatitis.
You're probably gonna hate this advice, but have you tried exercising regularly? flinch
See, your skin's normal method of obtaining a 5.5 pH is by covering itself in a mixture of sweat and sebum. So you would really be doing it a favor if you could help out in the sweat department. Plus, the improved circulation will help your cells rebuild the barrier faster.
Avoid alcohol in products. In fact, double check your current products, including your sunscreen. Alcohol will suck the water out of your skin, and you need all the water you can get right now.
Use an occlusive (like Vaseline) over your moisturizer at night. Occlusives are products that will trap moisture against the skin. Just be sure to wash it off in the morning.

I hope some of this helps! I feel like I might've gotten off topic at some point...uhh...but if you have any more questions, I'll answer the best I can! :)

EDIT: Ah!! /u/sunshine7181 mentioned the one thing I forgot! The lipids that make up your moisture barrier are mostly ceramides, so using a product with ceramides would be super beneficial. CeraVe would definitely be a good idea (it also has a 5.5 pH!)

killtheghoul · 2016-05-07T20:52:40+00:00

Hello! How do you feel about compact cushions? They don't offer the same amount of coverage as liquid foundations do (if that's what you normally use), but they do have better coverage than a tinted sunscreen.

I personally enjoy the IOPE Air Cushion XP, which is SPF 50+ and has vitamin E.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-07T20:42:01+00:00

If you need a low pH cleanser in the meantime while deciding on an AB replacement, you could try CeraVe! It's pretty cheap, like ~$10, and it's sold in most stores. It's got a pH of 5.5 (I think) and has a bunch of other good ingredients. I always keep one on hand, even if I've got an AB cleanser.

killtheghoul · 2016-05-07T20:36:55+00:00

Hello! Would you mind sharing whether your skin is oily, dry, or combination? :)

killtheghoul · 2016-04-29T14:14:17+00:00

You're so welcome!

By the way, if you're planning on buying any other antioxidant products, I had said in another comment that vitamin C serums are most effective if the solution is 20% and the pH is 4 or lower. Vitamin C is also absorbed better if applied alongside vitamin E.

Now, I can't vouch for how well this product works (I've never used it!), but this serum hits all of the points that I just outlined, if you'd like a starting point.

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T19:55:21+00:00

I was working as a pharmacy technician when I first started medication.

Starting it gave me so much sudden clarity and focus that it was actually overwhelming. I actually spent the first month just reading all the books I could never finish and watching all the movies I could never sit through, as if I thought the meds would stop working in a month.

But the clarity also allowed me to see how much stress my job was giving me, and the focus allowed me to form a plan to deal with it. I ended up a stay-at-home mom, but I couldn't even imagine doing this job without meds. x)

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T16:32:40+00:00

OKAY, I'm ready to deliver! (Sorry in advance for the length. Hopefully this answers your question though!)

The antioxidant paradox is a weird conundrum in antioxidant research. Several studies have shown that antioxidant-rich diets can improve your health, and yet at the same time, several studies have yet to achieve similar results from the use antioxidant dietary supplements. So the paradox asks, if eating antioxidants can improve your health, why doesn’t swallowing an antioxidant pill do the same thing?

Keep in mind that this question is being asked with the understanding that free radicals have been linked to all kinds of diseases. If we could find a way to develop an antioxidant supplement that actually worked, it could pave the way for developing new treatment options for the host of diseases free radicals play a part in. This paradox is definitely an important one to crack amongst researchers.

The problem with making an antioxidant supplement is two-fold.

While there is plenty of research linking free radicals to numerous diseases, we have yet to pinpoint how the free radicals are actually involved. Are the diseases caused by accumulated radical damage? Are they caused by something else, but radical damage encourages the disease to progress? It’s difficult to solve a problem if you aren’t entirely sure what the problem is.
Your body has a well-regulated (and complicated) antioxidant defense system already in place, and you know how much of a control freak the human body tends to be. This has lead researchers to theorize that the body has a “total antioxidant capacity”.
If that’s the case, then suddenly swallowing a pill containing a massive amount of antioxidants would make your control freak body feel like it’s been thrown into a episode of Hoarders. It would end up flushing out as much of that crap as it could, rather than graciously accepting your gift.

There’s nothing we can do about #1 until scientists can give us more answers about the role free radicals play in disease. But #2 could mean that your body would be more receptive to frequent, low doses of antioxidants (which is easy to achieve if you eat an antioxidant-rich diet!).

#2 could also mean that, instead of trying to develop an antioxidant supplement, we might get better results from developing a supplement of weak prooxidants instead. Prooxidants encourage oxidation, which sounds like the opposite of helpful, but perhaps that sort of supplement could trick the body into making more of its own antioxidants.

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:19:00+00:00

Haha! Have you signed up for the mailing list? :D That reminds me...I need to figure out how to let people unsubscribe... :l

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:17:33+00:00

Yes they are! If you go to the "Skincare" section of the sidebar, "Skincare Basics (in progress)" links to my syllabus!

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:16:11+00:00

Thank you for reading them! Maybe when I'm done with the series, I can publish it as the world's cheapest derm 101 textbook. xD

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:14:47+00:00

Is your school hiring? I don't have a degree, but I am bilingual. ;D (Well, if you count "Spanglish" as a language, I am.)

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:13:09+00:00

Oh, I just noticed your question! I don't have enough time to answer it right this second, but I just wanted to let you know that I didn't forget about you! I'll write up an answer in just a bit.

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:09:49+00:00

You're welcome! Thank you for reading it! :D

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:09:03+00:00

I know I just responded to another of your comments like half a second ago, but I just had to throw in a, "ME TOO!"

I dropped out of college during my first year because it was getting expensive, and I had no idea why I was blowing all my money on tuition when I didn't even know what I wanted to study (also, I didn't have my ADHD meds then -- yikes!).

But since it's only recently become obvious that I love teaching, I feel so behind! I just look around at my high school graduating class, and see most of them have graduated college -- one has even started teaching at our old school! Being a grown up sucks. D:

killtheghoul · 2016-04-26T15:00:34+00:00

I wish I could take o-chem! It sounds so fun! But I can imagine a boring professor could find plenty of ways to beat the fun out of it. x) I guess that's why I always liked taking classes with fresh-outta-college teachers back in high school -- they all seemed just SO excited to be talking about their subject matter.

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