Michael569

@Butters it sounds like your dad needs a psychiatric support. I doubt you would be able to convince him to get that tho. The alcohol with its known neurotoxic damage doesn't help either. I'm sorry you're going through this during Christmas dude, thats reallty fucked up. We can't choose our family and who we get born. We can tolerate our parents but if they are dysfunctional it is not our job to fix them. From the sound of it, your best way is to create some sort of distance. If you can afford a solo rent, I'd highly encourage that, perhaps even change country / city. It is an escapism but you won't be able to fix him and you don't wanna ruin your life trying to... not sure how old you are, where you live, what your financial situation is etc. have you finished school already? Do you have a job? P.S. this is just my opinion but I wouldn't mess around with non duality and gods perspective right now. your priority should be to get out of there and figure out how to live your own life without getting pulled into family drama too much. Spirituality won't help a mentally unstable alcoholic, I'm sorry to say that but it won't.

Is this a joke post or are you actually rating the 1977 star wars movie from a perspective of 2024 cinematography?

I think a sign of healthy personal growth isn't that those things stop being tempting altogether, its that you sort build up a resilience to resist them a little bit better. Even a stage Turquoise person selling a course or a book might be tempted to take an "orange" shortcut such as label his book "NY Times Bestseller" or engage in some sort of marketing scheme that will give him an unfair advantage. No, I think those things will retain their seductive potential but you just get better at saying " you know maybe not today" and each time you do, your internal locus of control strengthens. So like Leo said, start by just observing those tendencies in you or even better, catch yourself in the middle of engaging in one. Next time you cheat or lie to your boss, try to actually think about what you're doing while not necessarily stopping, you may even notice some form or resistance or disgust building up somewhere inside of yourself or a conflict between two voices...that would be a sign of growth . As you slowly give way to stage Blue persona inside of you, you'll notice yourself moralizing about things more and more. That will be a good thing. Good luck! Also i think "Road less Travelled" by Scott Peck would be an enjoyable reading

Damn, that's a brutal self reflection. I think Jordy P could be a good influence for you at this stage, consider having a read through his 12 Rules book. Hell, you might even consider attending a church mass every now and then or at least sit in church on your own to reflect, I find that extremely contemplative experience

excellent comment ! Both modern medicine and alternative modalities have their place and sometimes circumstances dictate that you need to go down a pharmaceutical route. Take an example of something like viral-induced thyroiditis, pancreatitis, acute hepatitis, Ramsey- hunt syndrome, pyelonephritis, pneumonia...in these case you have no time to screw around with herbs, you need to go on a powerful cycle of drugs to save an organ, save a critical tissue, prevent long term disability or save a life. And these conditions aren't uncommon in healthy people either. Sometimes you just get unlucky and get sick because of stress, trauma, recent travel and circumstances outside of person's control. And sometimes it gets so bad that you need to be put on a cycle of steroids and antibiotics which weaken your body and immunity for months. It is important we account for individual differences in genetic potential and epigenetic expression. Some people are just genetically stronger and more resilient to disease and some are not, not all of it comes down to lifestyle and diet. There could be massive variation in how effective someone's adaptive immune system is, how quickly memory cells are formed, how many recognition receptors your NK cells and cytotoxic T-cells carry to recognise a pathogen. There are individual variations in hormonal receptors, neurotransmitter receptor functions, length of the villi in your gut and tons and tons of other things like that. Some people are naturally almost immune to heart disease with a unique genetic makeup and some are terribly prone to it. Some carry mutations that make them 10 times as likely to contract something like lupus, multiple sclerosis or vitiligo. No to mention mutations that make one almost 14 times more likely to get Alzheimer's. In many of those cases, pharmaceuticals can help offset some of those deficiencies or make them more bearable. But overall, for a healthy person who wants to delay the first onset of chronic disease (because all of us will contract something, it is just a mater of time) the alternative route is preferable combined with carefully planned lifestyle, avoidance of toxins, alcohol, vaping etc. And if you get caught with something you didn't expect, when your body is feverish and ill and its becoming pretty bad, run to the A&E, take that cycle of drugs, then rebuild yourself again. Important not to be stupid in the fear of modern medicine.

that'll be hard with that sort of superior attitude, at least judging from your post which comes across incredibly arrogant and dismissive

Online dating is primarily looks-based platform. Doesn't mean that's where it ends but you want to show something that sparks immediate attraction in the opposite gender. As a guy you are competing with tens of thousands of others and you have only a split second time to peak her interest. The first few months of most new relationships are usually pretty carnal so you want to invoke a little bit of that "wow, he's cute" rather than "oh cool, he reads so many books." You don't want to come across as boring, patronising or self aggrandising . You want to excite her primal drive a little bit so she browses through other of your pics and maybe opens a profile and maybe reaches out. In practical terms this would mean: hobby (example) - a nice picture of you in hiking overall out in the mountains that shows clearly your face and a bit of your body. It shows you like a bit of adventure, that you are healthy because you spend some time outdoors and that you are at least stage green person (if thats the kind of your you want to attract) personal picture - a nice picture of you, not too retouched and not too filtered. Clean clothes. Nice, natural smile, tidy hair, clean face, ideally clear from acne and visible skin conditions where possible. trimmed facial hair, ideally taken in natural light with an unspecific background not as a selfie in your kitchen at 10pm. No cheesy AI edited photos. Also think that if you are looking for more than a quick shag, you are seeking a high quality conscious woman. She will be looking at your looks and judging if you are a suitable partner and potentially father of her kids one day. She is not looking for a supermodel but she doesn't want a scruffy-looking dude in Buddhist linen outfit, sitting against a wall holding mudras (no direct offence meant at all, I'm generalising ). She wants to see that you are a relatively attractive-looking dude, who looks easygoing, confident in his own skin and fun to be around. And if those photos can "stir her loins" a little bit that's even better but you don't need that if that's not your thing. If you don't think that's right for you then maybe online dating isn't going to be your thing, there are tons of other ways to meet women that allow for a more holistic expression although the pool of available women will shrink proportionately. And finally, the answer the question of inauthenticity. Yes, online dating is a bit unauthenthic but you have to play that game a bit. Its all about getting that first date and selling to her more of your real personality. Until then, you have to play the attraction game or you'll end up being ignored by all women who have options. If you can't swallow that pill and post a little bit of show for yourself, you'll end up alone.

disclaimer: ( UK-Related only post ) There is probably two dozen of companies in UK who claim to be "UK's best". It is a completely meaningless and misleading tag. They may be the biggest because they are endorsed by Boots and famous acrors like David gandy and Tess Daly I am surprised the tag has not yet been banned because it is probably based on the volume of sale, length of existence and probably millions of marketing £ spent over the decades. They are also very cheap which makes them widely affordable. What you want is GMP certification, a rigorous set of guidelines set by the UK government that includes regular control by the MHRA and strict adherence that matches pharmaceutical-grade assessment of supply chain, storage, sourcing of ingredients etc. Not only that but GMP also assesses the company's marekting, meaning once GMP certified a company can't just make elaborate claims the way you see it done in America so often. (In UK, in general there are strict guidelines on claims made on nutritional supplements, which is not a thing in US at the moment) For example a GMP certified company can't sell their calcium supplement saying - "helps reverse bone loss". It could say something like "helps support a healthy development of bones" . So that's another way to tell unethical companies, they will make elaborate claims and their marketing is a bit shady sometimes. And if they do that, chances are they are bypassing other standards such as quality, testing and fair wages. Most supplements in UK aren't GMP certified but those few that are will usually advertise it properly because it is expensive to get it. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-manufacturing-practice-and-good-distribution-practice I'm not sure what is a best way to check as there doesn't appear to be a list of GMP certified companies but some I know for sure are certified include: In-Vivo (UK's best IMO) - Also B Corp certified. Nutriadvanced - Also B Corp certified Viridian Nutrition Lamberts Cytoplan Thorne Pure Encapsulations All these companies offer a wide range of maintenance supplements but also tons of therapeutic supplements with adjusted dosages, although not all have great evidence behind them. Besides GMP a lot of these companies do other independent form of testing, certification etc but GMP is considered the minimal standard these days so I wouldn't buy from a company that doesn't have it anymore. Also note that GMP does not guarantee organic or wholefood ingredients, those are additional certifications that companies like Cytoplan or Viridian go for. Personally I really like Viridian. The tablets are neatly coated and easy to swallow, the packaging is made of dark stained glass instead of plastic (not that there is anything wrong with plastic) with metallic lid and I like the extra step they seem to go towards organic and clean products. But I have (with clients) also used In-Vivo, Lamberts, Cytoplan, Pure Encapsulation and Thorne many times, they are all great brands. EDIT: having said all this, Vitabiotics might still be GMP certified, I haven't checked.

Unless she / he has a flareup or had one recently, then you're mostly fine. That goes both ways as herpes can be genital as well.

Oh yeah, I've heard about this paper! Thanks for bringing this up. Evidently Claude was able to escape "the box" multiple times and they shared the thought process going on behind. . I've been keen to read the whole thing. Link below Alignment-Faking-in-Large-Language-Models-full-paper.pdf

Ah, I can see what you did here Its somewhat of a made-up repertoire of subjective markers that you asked AI to run through American health Guidelines. While its an interesting idea, you might get a somewhat skewed perspective because some of these aren't exactly the focus of the public health guidelines. The "anti-bloating potential", that's super subjective so that wouldn't be a standardised marker. Not all bloating is bad and not all people bloat the same way. There is some speculative evidence that early onset bloating is a sign of microbiota adaptation and can, with time, get better. Bloating isn't necessarily a sign of a disease. I think the Sonnenburg's even found that the gas produced by some bacteria can be utilised by others inside your intestines so this would be a difficult market to defend in the face of deep scrutiny. I like to look at bloating as a small price to pay for being able to tolerate high fibre diet. To me it is a tradeoff worth making. The micro and macronutrient balance is a good indicator to look into for sure. I would say, it may need more data than one lunch and breakfast. I usually ask people to provide me at least 3 days worth of data. Sometimes even more than that. It is hard to predict a pattern based on two meals. Also when you are looking at things like the American health guidelines, there is focus on chronic disease risk prevention. That is probably their primary use. To not just avoid nutrient deficiencies in babies, children and elderly but also to help minimise the cost to the healthcare system through informing the public of the summary of the existing evidence and then helping form dietary guidelines accordingly. So basically you want to create a diet that is associated with the lowest risk of all major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, obesity, cancer and neurodegenerative disease. I'd say that is even more relevant than micro and macronutrient quality and density. Maybe that would be an interesting one to ask but again, you'd need more data for that but it would help you along those lines. Dietary Guidelines for Americans - this is a condensed version, and this is the long version (in case you were interested)

@PurpleTree fair enough, my bad for the assumption. Still probably ain't too good for ya 🙂

Here is an interesting idea. I recall the earlier conversation about brain fog and mental health we had. Last year I worked with someone who was experiencing mild depression and extremely severe brain fog. Nothing we did seemed to be doing much until I found out he is a vaper, we took it out and within days his brain fog lifted and the lonmger he was off it the beter it got. Even his focus and memory improved. The last I checked (he is not a client anymore) the fog hasnt come back Food for thoughts. This stuff is probably quite toxic for human brain, we just don't have the evidence yet because it is too early in the global usage and not too many cohort studies are running. I know we bash a lot on medication on this forum but compared to medication which is one of the heaviest regulated industries in the world, there is little regulation in vaping so you might as well be inhaling heavy metals and industrial chemicals up your blood brain barrier with each puff.

Interesting idea, I haven't tried that but sounds like a decent rating. What did you get downrated for?

Over last couple years I've been trying to buy less but buy higher quality and more expensive things that last. Here are my top 4 things I think were really great purchases Google Buds Pro 2 (bought September 2024) Expensive as hell and I've been debating the purchase since September's release but they have turned out to be the best wireless headphones I've ever owned. Noise cancelling function is state of the art,I mean you turn that thing on and the entire world goes silent. You could be in the gym with blasting Taylor Swift shit music and once you activate the ANC you might as well be there on your own. Its sick. A good transparency mode and a "normal" mode for those who don't care about TM or ANC. battery life is amazing and charges quick Comfortable wear and 4 sets of replaceable silicon caps. Cool equalizer functions, in-ear recognition, Excellent microphone Environmentally adjustable sound. I'd say they are not an ideal gaming device as I think you should have cable to prevent bluetooth lag But they are sick for training. I do tons of HIIT training where I jump on boxes, throw myself on the ground all the time, climb ropes, do tons of rope skipping, sprint and, so far they have been amazing. I have Google Pixel 7 tho so disclaimer I haven't tested them with another device. Ikea Stainless Steel kitchen knife (bought Jan 2023) - I only have the large one. Not the most expensive item but it is incredibly stylish, durable and cuts through everything like butter. The balance of the blade vs handle is amazing, it is light and requires about 5 sharpening per year. I have played with Japanese knifes before but to me this works even better for about $40. After almost 2 years of 2hr+ daily use, it remains amazing. Third thing is Remarkable 2 (bought June 2024) paperless tablet. I made a separate threat about that some time ago but happy to elaborate on the benefits if anyone is interested. Been my daily companion for brainstorming, journaling, doodling, notes taking at work, learning & research. Fourth thing is Patagonia Better Sweater (bought 2022) which is the best piece of clothing I've ever owned. Ridiculously durable and comfortable. I wear it at least 20 hours a week since mid 2022 when working from home and it has zero wear and tear. Not to mention Patagonia is a wonderful business so I was happy to be part of it. Disclaimer - I had 40% discount on the full price because my wife worked for B Corp back then. But I would probably buy it for full price as well

No, although Leo is the only person who has the authorisation to see private messages (if he wishes to). Mods don't. Ideally if you are sending sensitive information, you should not be using the forum for it. Preferably opt for an alternative means of communication. I believe Gmail has an encryption function

^

I'm sorry to hear that , dude. I've got a raging alcoholic in the family and I can absolutely understand how you feel when they slide back after some time of recovery. I've seen that story over and over. The lies about not drinking. The morning blackouts blaming everyone that they are "making stuff up", endless gaslighting of people in the family, the glassy eyes promising they "just had one" , the clinking of bottles when you open a random cupboard, the disgusting breath, the shame and anger that makes you want to kick them and punch them into blackout.. Someone once said to me "once an addict, always an addict". After years I have come to accept that that's how it is. I am trying to unconditionally love this person but I am finding it harder and harder. Maybe that's what you're trying as well and it isn't easy. Just remember they don't do it to harm you, they do it because they can't help themselves. The way their brain operates they have zero contorl and zero willpower. Just don't make it your purpose to try to change them. Help where help can be given but focus on your own life and keep this lesson with you the whole life, channel into how you raise your kids and the parenting you give them (the one you wish you had). Nothign else is in your control. if it starts impacting your own life too much, start cutting ties slowly. Move abroad or at least move out of family home. Take care! Hope you're well.

red flag the size of Mexico. Any coach worth his weight would never ever promise you anything to do with the outcome. He can promise you a process, he can promise you his commitment and time. But nobody can promise results. Only charlatans do that

I remember when we were in Philippines and hopping on a boat from Palawan to Corron, there was a dog on a leash held by a soldier with a submachine gun in full gear and bulletproof vest. The dog went around sniffing all the passengers and our baggage for drugs. I've also seen something similar in Singapore. But maybe Thailand is more free as you say, not sure. Still, if it was me I wouldn't touch recreational drugs in Asia, there is just too much risk, not just with law but chemicals mixed in as the supply chain is cutting corners

by "diet" I didn't mean any form of restrictive short term thing. In my native language the word "diet" means - restrictive short term way of eating to achieve weight loss. I think it might be the same in other languages. When I used it, I meant basically, what do you eat on a regular basis? Since you said you've done 10s of diets , it is possibly that you've been hoping from one thing to another for years without results. Did that gradually lead to you removing more and more foods from your nutrition palette? And are there foods you have been eating consistently for years? Sometimes a gradual deprivation of food variety can actually lead to gradual worsening of symptoms as the microbiome gets more and more starved of diversity. Often the solution is to do that in reverse and enrich the diversity of ingredients again.

@PurpleTree aside from probiotics which, I agree, are hit and miss most of the time, how is your diet overall? Do you eat sufficient amount and diversity of prebiotic rich foods and also some sort of probiotic foods? Are you avoiding anything? Gut issues can be hard to get on top of sometimes as many can be triggered years and years down the line by allergic responses, low fibre - high protein diets changing the gut diversity, antibiotic treatments, food poisoning etc

Here and there but I don't want to deviate from this forum thread anymore so maybe that's a conversation for a separate topic

I don't know. Its not something I ever looked into. Most of people I work with need to eat less red meat not more so it was never really an interesting question. Maybe do a cost per calorie analysis with cronometer. Or cost per gram of protein. Or just ask AI to analyze it for you

Thailand is cool but its become too touristy, too fake, too polluted. A bit of overview that you didns ask for Bangkok - , awesome , diverse, massive and super fun to explore but growing expensive and filled with old men with young women. Food in here is slowly losing quality with the influx of American tourist who don't care about high quality food anymore. Also streets are insanely polluted and often filled with rubbish, rats and cockroaches Phuket - don't go to Phuket, we've lost it. Krabi & surrounding area - beautiful but becoming excessively touristy, expensive, polluted and turned into Bali. Although if you can visit Rajjaprabha, one of the most gorgeous places I've ever seen. That was the best part of Krabi. North Chiang Mai is okay but nothing special. Chiang Rhai is worth visiting and climbing Doi Luang is worth it if you are into that sort of stuff, few nice temples. North west is amazing. The closer you get to Burmese mountains the more spectacular it gets. If you can do the Maeo Hong Son loop, caving and Phang Mapha and explore the jungle, absolutely do so. North east is less interesting, it is underdeveloped and poor. The nature isnt so nice. The sky temple was spectacular tho Koh Samui - nah. Koh Phangan - nicer than Koh Samui and worth spendign few days exploring the far side. I got a budhist Monk's blessing and a linen bracelet to seal it so the stage purple of me loves to wear it. I did Muay Thai in the main town that was nice. architecture - yeah there are temples everywhere ut they often feel....fake? Monks on iphones, stray dogs, plastic bottles and a lot of them are decadent. women - yeah, well if you have money and feel like risking STD. Or do you mean the one with the extra leg? spiritual traditions - to some extend but lot of it felt fake. But if you go off beaten path, you'll find some cool places. drugs, steroids, - well if you wanna end up dead or in Thai prison anal gang raped, then knock yourself out. There is a massive crackdown on drugs in south east asia and if you are caught, you'll fucked. disclaimer - I never lived here long term just 4 weeks as a tourist. Spoken like a true ignorant. You enjoy your hentai don't you No, you have to see Japan. I can't describe it to you, its indescribable. It feels almost like visiting an Alien planet. My most memorable experience is hiking for 4 days in Kumano Kodo, spending overnight in god-forgotten villages, bathing in Onsen in the evening and having a dinner in Yukata on a tiny table from about 20 different tiny plates. We walked about 100 kilometers in that time. It was the most spiritual experience of my life and I think I left a part of my soul in those Khii mountains. ( @RendHeaven highly recommended if you have time) Yeah...Japan is something else. Thailand is come and go but Japan will stay with you.