I recently joined this list, and was thinking today about  something I
think is related though I haven't heard it touched on here, and
thought it might be an interesting point of discussion.

Along with what we eat, there are a lot of ways that things can affect
us. I'm primarily thinking about things which are absorbable through
the skin. I'm wondering if anyone has noticed effects from 'going
Paleo' on their skincare and haircare products, etc.  A little bit of
browsing the net on natural vs. typically-used-commercial products
will yield all sorts of discourse on why the latter are (allegedly) so
bad for one.

The skin is really, with some substances, the more direct route into
the system than things taken by mouth. Hence nicotine patches,
estrogen patches etc. now in use-- the idea of bypassing the liver and
getting something into the bloodstream more quickly.

There are other somewhat Paleo concepts that are being explored, for
instance our bodies' reactions to light and scent.

I'll speak loosely and from memory here so don't hold me to the
accuracy of the comments below-- if you're interested in the
specifics, a web search can provide answers:

There have been studies that show exposure to the moonlight of a full
moon helps synchronize menstrual cycles and enhance fertility (I think
lab researchers may have substituted a lamp a few days a month to
simulate it)...

There was one study that showed somehow that activation of the pineal
gland (I think) was possible by shining a blue light at the back of
people's knees (yes, that's what I said). They used the back of the
knees because blood vessels and veins were relatively near the surface
there.

With light (and with scent), the drift of some of the recent research
seems to show that your eyes and nose don't necessarily even need to
be involved for an effect to take place.

For me, reading up on this stuff (and I'll still take it with a grain
of salt) suggests reminding oneself that animals rely on instinct and
in most cases do just fine-- we've probably got all sorts of things we
have no idea of that are built in and which respond to changes in our
environment. The other thing it reminds me of is not being so reliant
on our overt senses, that there are more subtle ones than we see at
work.

And one of the other bizarre little bits of research I ran across
recently suggested how much we base mate preference and friendliness
on something called 'major hisocompatibility complex', which is a
subtle scent thing (probably goes beyond scent). According to the
research basically women found men with different MHCs more
attractive. But when pregnant they felt more drawn to similar MHCs
(researchers suggested familial and non-sexual support preferred
during that time for obvious reasons). The amusing upshot was that
women on the Pill (which kind of simulates pregnancy in some ways)
preferred similar MHCs... hmm, the idea of birth control making the
member of the opposite sex who is the reason you obtained it, less
attractive... hmm!!

Anyhow, enough digression. Just an amazing world, and some Paleo food
for thought somewhere in there.

Donna






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