Posted by Bennie Sue (63.11.65.196) on February 07, 2000 at 09:35:24:
In Reply to: But wait. The responses dismiss the question too easily... posted by Q on February 07, 2000 at 01:29:58:
Actually, my post was not meant to spark a discussion about the correlation between CH and IQ. I forgot temporarily the basic rule of writing a headline (it should summarize the first who, what, when, etc. of the story.) I should have titled the post "A supporter thinks we are smart" or something to that effect. It was just meant as a compliment from a supporter who was impressed with the level of intelligence exhibited here on our site.
But I do agree with you, Bill. Even though we are a subgroup of CH sufferers (that is, computer literate, etc. as mentioned) we are a very LARGE group. I don't propose to study IQ. I am really interested mainly in all the experiences we as a group have had concerning CH. There is great diversity even in our "computer" subgroup.
I am an episodic but not seasonal sufferer. That is probably a subgroup of some type. Add that to the fact that I am female, older when struck by CH, must battle my CH with heat, and other factors peculiar to me. I can't recall a single entry that listed symptoms and treatment identical to that of any other one. While we may all suffer from CH, we are not alike. And this is the thing which interests me the most. Despite the diversity, is there one common manifestation of CH peculiar to us all (other than the pain, I mean)?
That is why I believe that if many, many of us were to respond to an exhaustive questionnaire, we would have material of some validity to offer anyone interested in studying CH.
The questions must be very specific. For example, I took lithium for a while but only started taking it on the last day of a cycle. I cannot say whether it helped me or not. I was out of cycle for a few months after I discontinued the medication, but I cannot say the CH returned because of lack of lithium. It was probably just time for the demon to appear again. Am I one who was helped by lithium or not? Who knows? If researchers are looking for a % of people benefiting from lithium, my experience is not worth two cents.
It would be wonderful if we could have real scientific data such as lab reports, etc. as someone suggested not long ago. But without this evidence we can only draw upon anecdotal information.
Not everyone wants to explore the demon this way. There are some who prefer accepting it and dealing the best way they can. There is no harm in that, and those who are not interested should feel no need to respond to a questionnaire. But it seems from what I have read that quite a lot of us want to understand our ailment. My daughters say I am an inveterate researcher. I do love to seek answers to mysteries such as CH. Even if I didn't have CH or know anyone with CH, I would still be interested. The problem is I am not qualified by education to contribute much of a purely medical nature. But when I read the posts of chronic sufferers desparate for help of any sort, I am inspired to do my little bit to help in any way I can. And I think that is true of many of us. We have Doc Greg and others on our side. Let's go for it.