Liz Lucy Robillard

 The Folic Acid Illusion: Rethinking Fortification in the Age of Genetic Diversity Let me begin by stating what should be obvious: public health policy is not immune to the distorting influence of financial incentives, bureaucratic momentum, or intellectual inertia. When the state mandates a biochemical intervention across an entire population — as it has done with folic acid fortification — we are entering a realm that requires careful scrutiny, not blind acceptance. And yet, in most countries where folic acid fortification is law, very few questions are asked about its long-term effects on genetically diverse populations. Approximately 40–60% of the global population is estimated to carry a polymorphism in the MTHFR gene — most commonly the C677T (rs1801133) variant. This gene encodes an enzyme critical to the methylation cycle, converting folic acid (the synthetic form) into its biologically active form, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF). Carriers of this variant have reduced en...

 The BH4 (tetrahydrobiopterin) pathway plays a key role in neurotransmitter synthesis and immune regulation. Disruptions in this pathway have been implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—especially via effects on serotonin, dopamine, and nitric oxide metabolism, and through oxidative stress and immune dysfunction. BH4 Pathway and Autism: Key Points BH4 is a cofactor needed to produce serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and nitric oxide. In ASD, the BH4 pathway may be compromised due to: Oxidative stress Chronic inflammation Low folate availability (especially in MTHFR polymorphisms) GTP cyclohydrolase I dysfunction (the rate-limiting enzyme in BH4 synthesis) --- Natural Support Strategies 1. Boost BH4 production or recycling Folinic acid (not folic acid) – supports methylation and BH4 recycling. Vitamin C – regenerates oxidized BH4 back to its active form. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – essential cofactor in BH4 production. Tetrahydrobiopterin (Kuvan/Sapropterin) – pr...

 On facebook 'As a healthcare professional, I want to explain the reactions many of you receive when you share your stories. It often comes down to cognitive dissonance…a psychological conflict that occurs when people are confronted with information that contradicts their deeply held beliefs. For many in healthcare, it is almost impossible to grasp that what they were taught to help people might actually cause harm and even harder to accept that they may have played a role in that harm. This was a difficult realization for me. Understanding that not only were my children injured by vaccines, but that I may have inadvertently contributed to the harm of many other children, was a bitter pill to swallow. But it was a necessary one. True change began for me when I chose to listen…to genuinely hear the stories of others and consider the possibility that what I had been taught wasn’t the complete truth. That there might be conflicts of interest within healthcare, discouraging providers f...

Rescuing dozens of emotionally tortured people every day is not a profession; it’s an instinct, a calling, a relentless pull toward the places where pain festers unseen.  One doesn’t wear a white coat or wield a clipboard—no, the tools are far older: presence, patience, and the stubborn refusal to look away from another’s suffering. People open up not because of credentials, but because they sense that—at last—someone is actually listening. And in that moment, something miraculous happens. They mistake you for a therapist. And why wouldn’t they? After all, you’re doing what therapy was meant to be: human, compassionate, curious, and courageous. You’re not ticking diagnostic boxes or chasing insurance codes. You’re sitting in the dark with them until their eyes adjust and they can begin to see themselves clearly. This is, understandably, frustrating for psychiatrists. Not because they are cruel or stupid, but because they have been shackled by a system that taught them to reduce peo...

  An autistic child sleeping with their eyes half open can be due to several factors—most of which aren't dangerous in themselves, but they may reflect sensory or neurological differences common in autism. Here are the most likely reasons: 1. Immature or altered sleep regulation: Neurological differences in autism can affect how the brain transitions between sleep stages, leading to partial eye opening during lighter phases of sleep. 2. High arousal or hypervigilance: Some autistic individuals have an overactive nervous system. Even in sleep, their bodies may remain slightly “on guard,” which can manifest as sleeping with eyes partially open. 3. Muscle tone differences: Autism is often associated with either low or high muscle tone (hypotonia/hypertonia). This can affect eyelid control during sleep. 4. REM sleep disturbances: Disrupted REM cycles are common in autism. Since eye movement is active in this stage, it may correlate with partially open eyes. 5. Genetic or familial t...

  The idea that vulnerability disqualifies you from safety is perverse. It’s a cruel inversion of morality, peddled by the very professions sworn to protect. Social workers (not all, but enough to matter), lawyers, psychiatrists, police—these institutions too often treat a traumatised woman as a nuisance, a liability, or worse, a fantasist. If you flinch, you’re dramatic. If you weep, you’re unstable. If you speak up, you’re paranoid. This grotesque logic renders a woman’s suffering not only invisible, but suspect. They do not ask, What happened to her? They ask, What is wrong with her? It’s psychiatry’s favourite bait-and-switch. Diagnoses fly like confetti—borderline, histrionic, treatment-resistant—as though medical jargon could smother the stench of misogyny. And the legal profession is no better. A woman under siege is told to document everything while her stalker moves freely, slipping through legal loopholes like grease through fingers. The solution is not to plead more pre...

  The happiest countries in the world—often topped by the Nordic nations like Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands—are known for their strong social safety nets, high levels of trust, and high standards of living.  However, they also contain elements that align with certain conservative values, particularly those of traditional British conservatism (as distinct from radical libertarian or far-right variants). Here are some policies in these countries that resonate with UK-style conservative values: 1. Fiscal Responsibility Nordic model countries run relatively balanced budgets and have low public debt compared to GDP. Despite high taxes, they often prioritize efficiency in government spending—something fiscal conservatives in the UK often champion. 2. Strong National Identity and Border Controls Nordic countries generally maintain strict immigration policies, especially after the 2015 migrant crisis. There is a strong emphasis on integration and civic par...

 Jiddu Krishnamurti had a critical and unconventional view of psychiatry, especially as it existed in his time. While he did not completely reject the existence of psychological suffering or the need for help, he believed that true understanding and transformation lie beyond the realm of traditional psychiatric methods. Here's a summary of what he might say about psychiatry: 1. Psychiatry treats symptoms, not the root: Krishnamurti often emphasized that psychological issues stem from deep confusion, fear, and conditioning. He would say that psychiatry often focuses on labeling and managing symptoms (through diagnosis and medication) rather than helping individuals understand the nature of thought, fear, and the self. 2. Freedom vs. conditioning: He might argue that psychiatry often reinforces societal norms and conditioning, attempting to make individuals "adjust" to a sick society, rather than question it. Krishnamurti viewed freedom from conditioning—not adaptation to n...

Fear Is Not a Strategy: It’s a Moral and Financial Failure Chatgpt with my prompts Let us be perfectly clear: using fear as a tool of control is not leadership—it is cowardice wearing a necktie. Whether in the boardroom, the newsroom, or Westminster, those who rely on fear reveal not only their bankruptcy of imagination but their moral and financial ineptitude. In business, fear may deliver short-term compliance, but at a monstrous cost. It kills innovation. It suppresses risk-taking, the very engine of progress. A fearful employee does not speak up when they see inefficiency, corruption, or catastrophe. They cover their arse. They retreat. And this costs money—vast amounts of it. Gallup’s global studies show that disengaged, fearful employees cost the world billions in lost productivity. Fear chokes initiative. The terrified cannot build; they can only survive. In the media, fear is peddled not as a mistake, but as a business model. Editors long ago realised that headlines about hope ...