Asthma, sinusitis and nerds

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I wasn't born into the right conditions to become one of those stereotypical nerds you seen in movies but I probably would have been one if the conditions were right. I was born with severe asthma and sinusitis. Ever notice how nerds are almost always portrayed as asthmatics with sinus problems in movies? I read an article on visual thinkers which claimed that many people who become visual thinkers had severe sinusitis (bad enough to cause hearing problems) early in life and as a result were forced to rely more on visual modes of learning and thinking due to problems processing auditory information. Something tells me theres a relationship to aspergers/HFA. My theory is that the kinda people that get labeled "nerds" are actually undiagnosed people with aspergers/HFA. In modern society they make it out like people that don't excel with social things are losers so I think the only kinda people that are gonna be social failures are the kinda people that are physically incapable of socialising regardless of how hard they try. For most of my life I gave it all I had to become good at socialising and for years I considered myself normal but as I got older my abnormal traits were becoming more and more obvious and I couldn't do anything about them so eventually I just stopped caring and became myself and thats when I realised I'm a natural born scientist/inventor that excels in most science/technology related fields. Although I'm not goofy, am far too tough and scary looking for anyone to attempt to bully me, an relatively good looking and my personality is fairly laid back and cool, I'm a complete nerd. I love all technology related things and hate all social related things. I think its completely unfair that people like me but aren't fortunate enough to be able to pass as normal are labeled "nerds", a label which comes with stigma because I think the reality of the matter is their brains are just wired differently which means they excel at technology/science related things but do poorly in social related things. Also I'm not disregarding the creativity many people with ASD/HFA have. I'm a highly creative man myself but unlike myself I see that many people on the spectrum excel in things like art, poetry and literature so it seems pretty evident that these peoples brains are wired for these kinda things.

Sorry to wander off topic. My theory is that we're not born with autism, rather its something we become as our brains form. Its a proven fact that things like asthma and sinusitis may influence how the brain is formed at early ages.

I've got sinus problems too, but not athsma. But I don't believe in the wiring of the brain causing physical features.

But this is why I don't want to wear glasses. Stereotypical nerds in films and cartoons always wear glasses (except Lisa Simpson, but all the other nerdy-type people in The Simpsons wear glasses, unless they're older).

It seems a lot of Aspies wear glasses too. Why's this?

I am sticking to glasses because I feel uncomfortable about wearing contact lens - I am not sure if I can handle putting the lens on my eyes every morning, taking them out and cleaning them.

Same here. I don't like getting close to my eyes. Also, since I don't care how I look, I don't get peer pressured into contact lenses.

My sentiments exactly. And anyway these days, there are people who wear spectacle frames without lenses as accessories.

Yes, I see that it's actually fashionable to wear those types of glasses with the thick frames. They don't seem to look nerdy any more. I know 2 people who wear those, and they don't look nerdy or give off any nerdy-type vibes at all.

The recent fashions in glasses and sunglasses astound me. Two years ago it were the owl-sunglasses, then it became the thick frame thing. I don't understand it. If I'd worn stuff like that when I was little, I would have been mercilessly bullied for it.

Yesterday's nerdiness is today's height of fashion. Guys walk about with their trousers halfway down their legs and nobody seems to laugh at them. When I see those guys I don't feel so stupid-looking myself.

I suffer with sinusitis regularly and I developed asthma last year (at 37yrs) after a cold, although I've probably had a mild form most of my life. I'm currently awaiting an ENT appointment. I feel this all might be related to dairy (GFCF diet would probably be my best option, definitely CF).

oh, i have an all year round allergic rhinitis, i remember i used to be terribly ill , dont know if it was sinusitis or not coz my parents never cared, during the months december to march, and this lasted until the age of 18.
now, i dont have such episodes, but i learned to avoid the things that irritate me. i have been once on allergy drugs but then quit on them, coz they had much of side effects. i also wondered once about the relation between recurrent childhood respiratory infections along with allergic exacerbations and the change in the wiring of the brain, to tell u the truth, my brother has asthma , and suffered all along his childhood, but he got nothing to do with being nerdy, and he is no inventor or anything, he is so typical. anyway, i cannot also say that he developed any special visual spatial traits, he went to archi school and he sucked, he is good in maths anyway. but let me get this more confusingly, i think that the conditions that the mother has while being pregnant affect the wiring of the brain of her baby more than anything else, the relationship is still not well established, but u can see differences in the siblings according to the conditions the same mother had while being pregnant.

That is fascinating. I needed three operations on my sinuses before I could finally breathe easily (at the age of 36), and had tinnitus by the same age, despite always avoiding loud noises.

And I always think visually. When I worked a the Post Office, people thought I was crazy for counting money by arranging it into piles then seeing the shape of the piles.

Asthma, or complications thereof, can be related to an overactive immune system. So can allergies, eczema, and other nerdy conditions.

Autism has been said to be due to an overactive nervous system.

One of the biggest ties between both systems are the adrenal glands, which release stress hormones.

*lets ball drop* What do you think about that?

going in for surgery on my nose this month so I can breath easier during the day and sleep at night where I have to mouth breath.
(I have deviated septom...though this could be from sports/fights/bumping my nose....unsure)
I've had chronic ear infections my whole life so I would guess my hearing is less then stellar....i have to have surgery on my ears 1 month after my nose.
Hopefully both of these will help and not need follow up as the other poster suggested they had 3 surgeries on their nose to clear it up.
I have ringing in the ears that comes and goes...also some crackling/whooshing noises i don’t know their origin.
I need glasses but have never gone to get them. I will not wear contacts as it seems like a major hassle....and i don't like to poke myself in the eye.

I have had rhinitis, sinusitis, and mild asthma since I was born, from what I can tell. I was hospitalised for acute bronchitis when I was 3, but that hasn't resurfaced.

I know! I can never come to terms with contacts (thankfully I don't need them). As a child I learned that you don't touch your eye, you don't poke things under your eyelid, you don't buy things in the shops and them press them against your eyeball - I mean it's just common sense. The whole concept of contact lenses freaks me out.