Michael569

in epidemiology, there has been an association with things like infective endocarditis, pneumonia and I believe to a degree even type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome with periodontal disease, not as much with ALzheimer's (also some studies show potential association as well) What this means is that people who have a high degree of chronic periodontal infection & inflammation are at higher risk of it contributing to the development of the above. It is not causative as in "periodontal disease causes diabetes", that is an impossible causation to make but there is probably a very strong relationship there. It has also been found that once people with diabetes for example had their oral health fixed and those periodontal pockets cleaned, their blood sugar markers (at least in a small amount of studies) have improved to a degree which suggests that at least partially that there is a correlation. At the same time not all people with diabetes, pneumonia or Infective endocarditis will have any oral/dental health issue but it is always worth checking. I went quite deep into these things in the second blog post (I linked it in the previous post) worth reading if you're interested in this. Some of the proposed mechanisms were: bacterial transmigration through the bloodstream bacterial transmigration through the gastrointestinal system (once swallowed in large amounts) - although I don't know to what degree this is an issue unless there are other, more severe, disruptions of the upper GIT going on as well. But could probably contribute to digestive issues this way with diabetes, it is probably that poorly regulated blood sugar destroys the microvasculature around the gums and make teeth more susceptible to infection but I'd need to check this deeper to confirm. the brain-oral health link is more difficult to make. Studies on this are all over the place and a potential mechanism would have to include weakened integrity of the blood-brain barrier for the circulating bacteria to get in there...but it is not something that is completely unrealistic (but this is just mechanistic speculation) , there is now evena term called "brain microbiome" for which we have very little data so far as an indication of presence of bacteria in the brain that should not be there....for now we can only guess what that means and where they came from but a disrupted BBB would be one of the suspected mechanisms, other would be bacteria somehow highjacking transpoters that can get in but again here we are in the realm of speculative fuckery once again. All of this would require an input of a specialist to confirm - I'm sure @undeather could elaborate on this way more in terms of how could poor dental health affect the rest of the body. Long story short: if you got infected gums, get it fixed regardless of the cost The sooner the better.

Brushing is not enough, you need to be flossing and tongue scraping too, each of them twice a day. An electrical rotational brush is preferable to the regular one but you gotta keep it easy so that you don't irritate the gums. At the end of tongue scraping you could also add oral probiotic mouthwash to start replacing the tongue microbiome. It is preferable you do not use fluoride-free toothpaste. Secondly, oral microbiome care (as mentioned by @aurum ) is absolutely essential and this is equivalent of taking care of your gut microbiome to prevent gastrointestinal disease. So the elimination of everything that harms it is an absolute must. I did 3-part blog series on dental health series where I went very in-depth on the topic of oral health and oral microbiome, you can check those here if you're interested. Also got a Youtube video on this topic (second link in signature) Now in terms of antibacterial mouthwashes, I would like to get an opinion on someone more versed in oral microbiome research but I don't think they are a good thing to do. Not all bacteria in our mouth is bad, in fact, the last thing you want to do is damage that delicate balance and give opportunity for pathogenic bacteria from those inflamed pockets to spread. And of course, diet as mentioned above is super critical. Diet high in plants especially fruits and vegetables is protective against periodontal disease and periodontitis whereas a diet high in refined carbohydrates, saturated fats and fizzy drinks is super harmful. Avoid all sticky food, all candy that sticks to your teeth like glue and any of that stuff. Definitely start with the dentist and also the hygienist. Get those cavities tended to and cleaned. But once that is done also get interdental spaces cleaned, any periodontal pockets cleaned and also plaque removed by the hygienist. Once you are at that stage commit to lifelong bulletproof dental hygiene which includes a meticulous cleaning routine, clean diet and the elimination of junk food. The risk is that if you don't and you let it rot, it may impact your heart, your lungs, your gut and your brain over time. Whatever it costs, definitely get it fixed with absolute priority. btw don't worry about whitening at this stage. A lot of that yellowing is pigmentation. Removing those infected pockets is a priority, whitening is just a cosmetic thing that often comes naturally with improved hygiene but I definitely wouldn't use any whitening chemicals overnight as you may harm the enamel layer not to mention you will be ingesting that stuff overnight too. Good luck

@soos_mite_ah congrats on sticking with your exercise routine so far. Thought I'd add something that may be off help after reading your thoughts recently. One thing I've noticed over all those years is that I never particularly enjoy the exercise session. I've been exercising since I was 14 (I'm 31 now) I do sometimes get more into it than other time but the sessions itself is hardly ever enjoyable because....let's be honest, it fucking hurts and the biggest reward usually comes afterwards when I feel sharper and more positive for the rest of the day. And any physical gain are just a nice side effect. I saw in your post that you seem to have that dilemma as well. Wanting to exercise because of the physical & mental benefits but also struggle to keep up because it is not always enjoyable. What I found helpful was just seeing exercise as another thing I do. You could experimentally try perceiving it in a way that "this is not something to be questioned, I just do it". And so you don't allow yourself to hate it or skip it because it is simply something that is non-negotiable. And when its your day, you pack your beg, leave the house and not allow your body to stop you. Gradually over months, your brain's plasticity adapts to the point that you will start to crave it if you've been absent for a few days. I think it takes about 4-6 months of consistency to get to that level and once you are there, exercise is no longer a struggle, it's just the "thing you do" and you don't even question it anymore. Many of these women have probably been going there for years to achieve that physique. Remember you only see the ones that look like it, you don't see the thousands and thousands that want to start exercising but haven't mustered the same amount of willpower that you have and said "fuck it I'm doing this and nobody will stop me". SO what you see is a very very very biased sample of the female population And trust me in their head, they don't feel they are good enough. In fact most people in gyms are unhappy with their looks, it is that entire toxic fitness industry that we need to protect our mind from. Weight loss can totally be achieved by weights only. The more muscle you acquire the more efficient you become at RMR (resting metabolic rate). Lean muscle tissue is a metabolic factory and the more of it you have, the more energy you burn even just by sitting. Not only that but with increased mitochondrial density stimulated by mechanical pressure, you find it easier to produce more energy at any given time of the day. And that doesn't even mention the benefits for mental health, insulin sensitivity, neuroplasticity and immune system by having more lean mass. I would consider giving the book called "Spark - J.J.Ratey" a shot for more positive motivation Pulling around heavy weights burns a shit load of calories and you can totally get toned without cardio. The main benefit is that very slow-grade cardio (e.g. walking) tends to tap more into fat reserves where moderate cardio taps more into your sugar & glycogen stores. So it is nice to actually do just slow walking at the end of your weight session. Put a 20 minute podcast on and just walk on the treadmil. Chances are you will have depleted a significant portion of your stored glycogen during weight training and that so your body will start tapping into fat storage and burn that more effectively. But there is definitely no need to run, in fact running after weights may just put your body into cortisol overload especially if you don't like running and find it stressful...so mild walking is actually much better. Or one great alternative is to use a bike to get to the gym, definitely my favourite way. You start the workout already warmed out and then you also max out on those metabolic benefits afterwards on your way home. Anyways, hope you don't mind the input. Happy to delete if you do

A lot of people constantly walk around dehydrated. Some of them severely dehydrated. If solarised water helps them drink more fluids, then by all means I wonder if one of the "miraculous" effect of celery juice is that people finally started to drink more and their body was getting more electrolytes as well rather than anything else To someone going from a state of electrolyte deficiency and chronic dehydration going to a state of replenishment, it may seem like a miracle.

I could grant the (hypothetical) benefits for men since with each ejaculation we do lose a little bit of nutritional content and some energy that went into that although I don't think the damage is as significant as nofap community would have you believe. For female tho, you aren't really losing anything and it appears orgasm for women is more energising an rejuvenating where for guys it often is more sedating. If you enjoy occasional masturbation, there is no need to restrict yourself, it is a completely normal process and should not be demonised so much. But of course you won't know unless you try

Just start eating more. 3 regular meals, mostly wholefoods, mostly plants. Add some animal foods if it is more convenient and don't hyperfocus on toxins at the moment, eat real food and that will minimise toxins greatly (as suggested above) Physical growth should be your priority. At 18, you are at the prime of your physical growth and you don't want to tinker with that by being undernourished and risking early life osteopenia or some hormonal or developmental issues. Your body is using an extreme amount of energy and building blocks and you want to make sure to get those in through the diet. I would forget about fasting, IF and all of that stuff until your growth is halted (about 21-22 years of age). After that experiment all you like but for now the focus should be anabolism, not catabolism. If you struggle I would suggest reaching out to your paediatrician and get a session with a paediatric dietitian. Might also be a good idea to gain a little bit weight to make sure your body develops optimally on all levels. Mild physical exercise and some mild strength training is important at this age to strengthen bone density matrix, this will be a positive knock-on effect for the rest of your life. Good luck!

There isn't one. Depends on whome you ask If you want my opinion, it should be mainly based around plants and mainly around whole foods for maximum fibre intake. Whether you choose to add some animal foods is totally your choice but I'd suggest staying away from processed meats, an excessive amount of beef, butter and ideally you don't want to be consuming too much sugar. But once you start digging into details and micros, opinions differ. that would require an elaborate answer that would start with me having to understand your current diet. I have made a few recipe videos on YT (second signature) you can check those out to get some basic tips It takes some trial and error to do vegan diet right. I would not start there, just start eliminating junk food. Cook more with vegetables, wholegrains and legumes and consume less processed junk where possible.

Maybe you haven't suffered enough to truly realise the need for healthier living. Some people need to experience adverse effects of a bad habit 1st person to have that message sink in. Unfortunately, this is sad true for many men especially since many actually need to experience their first heart attack and be staring death in the eyes to change something. I know a few men who went through something like that and only then started changing their lifestyle. Ideally, you want to take control before a catastrophic occurrence otherwise you are just pissing on whatever health means for you. Maybe we should all join and piss on it as well? Go sit in ER room at midnight for a few hours and watch what's going on and maybe a second experiment is go sit in oncology clinic and see what's going on there for a few hours. The amount of fear, tears and depression in that place is unlike anything else you'll see. Once you've experienced those see if you can look at that burger the same way. Lots of good advice above already and I'm sure you already know all the answers and solutions anyway as a relatively long-term member of the forum.The ultimate question is "whatcha gonna do about it"

With this level of toxin obsession you're gonna end up with anxieties over every meal soon. Take a step back and re-evaluate. Your pan ain't gonna kill you. Teflon im 2022 is not the same Teflon in 2013 (or whenever PFOA was banned) Just pick one and start enjoying your meals without the worry. All that worry is doing more damage to your brain than any potential teeny tiny leakage...just saying. We can't be perfect all the time.

For proper pectoral development, it's not just about bench pressing but you need to make sure you'll target all the small muscles as well. Pectoralis Major and Pectoralis Minor are just a small piece of the puzzle but it is a good idea to target all the edges as well that hinge upon deltoids, obligues and the sternum. There are channels that go in-depth into the analysis and talk how to target it. I like Jeff Cavaliere's (athlean X) marker approach. His splits seem to be quite good. Also by targeting complementary muscle groups such as doing triceps, shoulders & chest in a single day or doing back & biceps in another and then legs & glutes ona separate day. Some people seem to respond well to that sort of split. And once you know what to do it comes down to two things consistency - hit the chest week after week after week to stimulate those growth processes sufficient microdamage - you need to damage those muscles enough each time to stimulate hypertrophy and stimulate microtear and repair. In each session you should tap into that pain and burning as much as possible and stay with that feeling for as long as you can tolerate it. Not as much that you will tear a muscle but not as little that you put the weights down the moment it starts to hurt. Of course there are elements like diets, rest, hydration as well on the top of everything else. But if the question is "how do I look like the guys on Instagram" the answer is "find a routine that works and then do it consistently for 10 years" There is also a genetic component with how some people can develop certain muscle groups of course. Some men are by nature more broad-chested and have wider thighs and glutes and others find it more difficult to achieve that wideness but have it much easier to achieve great definition.

There are endless attempt to identify the causality factors but it is incredibly hard to pinpoint single things that causes a disease because of the endless variables that are always in play. At the same time, you can't lock humans in some sort of lab experiment, feed them different toxins or other crap and see which groups develop what diseases so we are stuck with epidemiology which despite having an immense value, has its own limitations when it comes to identifying the causative factors although it can be good at extrapolating correlations. I'd say that's an idea for an actualized.org video in the future @Leo Gura It needs to start with early life education. Kids are often sick because their parents are sick and parent that knows nothing about health will raise an unhealthy child unconsciously. In my opinion, children in elementary school should be taught about health, basics of nutrition and doing the right choices for their health. habits that have been wired in youth are extremely different to rewire in the adulthood. Kids ned to be educated on the importance of sleep, of eating fruits and vegetables of playing and doing activities rather than playing video games and eating shit. Same way kids should be taught about ecology, environmental protection, kindness for animals as well as financial competence and basics of sexual education instead of being forced to memorise poems, religious texts, literature books and complex math formulas and other BS what they'll never need and stuff they force you to do in school these days. In terms of healthcare, I think we need a more integrative approach that would also include nutritional therapy, naturopathic and more complex protocols in the way medics are educated. Less focus on pharmacological intervention and more focus on lifestyle interventions. Over time this would force more research on nutraceuticals and polyphenols and we would gradually see rise in natural pharmacology with more evidence being able to back it up. But I think very slowly this is already happening. Young people are more an more interested in health lifestyle, healthy eating and physical activity than their parents and grandparents and there is a great shift of healthier mindset, at least in the developed countries where people can afford to tinker with their life in this way. The demand for integrative medicine (e.g functional medicine, naturopathic medicine etc is gradually rising) at at some point, medical schools will have to begin to answer to that demand. You could probably write a book on this topic and these are just surface-level ideas, the problem of healthcare is infinitely more complex.

As long as all causative factors are being treated, it is definitely possible. Not in all cases and not autoimmune conditions probably. Agreed with the above that for anyone who has been suffering the symptoms of a crippling condition, immunotherapy literally restores their life back, at least while it lasts. There are side effects but it is probably better to end up with osteoporosis induced by steroids rather than blindness and permanent disability induced by MS so it is a cost-benefit analysis. It's not medicine's fault that it cannot "cure" conditions, it is just that the way system is setup where doctors have 5 minutes for a patient and the system is so incredibly overloaded, underfunded and poorly managed (at least where I live) that it is impossible o even consider having an in-depth talk, unless you go private ofcourse. With a patient with autoimmunity, you need to spend 4-5 hours exploring their life, childhood health, teenage heal, life-long diet patterns, stress patterns, habits, chemical exposures, sleep patterns, traumas and stresses of previous generations that have accumulated over the decades. You can' do that in a 5-minute consultation so of course they cannot cure you. It is kinda unfair to portray the poor doc as the bad guy since a lot of people do get the help they seek. You gotta understand that a lot of patients who come to doctors are not looking for a cure that would stem out of changing their behaviour and lifestyle (usually necessary in AI disease), they are just seeking the pain to go away....that's it. And the meds & the injections do that very well. If you are willing to go deep. The deepest you've ever gone and allow someone to explore absolutely every corner of your health with you and spend 2 years on a radical lifestyle therapy that will include completely transforming the person's life, nutrition, environment, sleep, stress management and probably spending a lot of money doing that and being patient, super openminded and persistent, then you may be able to cure it. A single technique is unlikely to do that. First, the person has to eliminate every potential culprit from their life because no autoimmune disease is unifactorial and it is impossible to measure or test for the exact cause so you are also looking to potentially explore a lot of dead ends but that has to be part of the treatment. But a half-assed therapy "e.g. taking a bunch of Boswellia for your IBD because Dr Axe made a 5 minute video on Crohn's Disease and expecting that to cure you" will just be time wasted that could have been spent getting some proper treatment. It is a good idea to receive standard medical therapy for symptomatic management and when you get your life back by better symptomatic management, work hard on identifying the root cause, not just settling for meds. Use the meds to give you time energy and the motivation you didn't have when suffering from nasty flare-ups and the find someone who specialises in that particular condition and start looking for the root cause

"stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honour matters....the silence is your answer"

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Not necessarily. A time restrictive eating may in fact benefit muscle gain if timed correctly and as long as the person is getting sufficient macro and micronutrient requirements. In fact those prolonged fasting windows cause a variety of interesting metabolic benefits that can accelerate things like muscle hypertrophy and fat loss by digging into many secondary and side biochemical pathways. it appears if people can squeeze their meals in a 10-12 hour, their sleep will be enhanced which then has a positive knock-on effect on lean mass retention. Equally important is a distribution of meals in that window and rather than doing endless grazing do a 2-3 proper size meals to align one's food intake with the cycle of the circadian rhythm and daylight . It's all about how that IF is approached and what can you squeeze in. If you are constantly undereating and riding that cortisol wave of starvation then you can expect not just muscle atrophy but mood decline, energy decline and non stop brain fog but where correctly timed and optimised IF window can lead to improvement and optimisation on all levels.

Well done! ??

you could just get an electric hair trimmer and keep a little bit of hair on your face when you shave rather than shaving clean (unless that is a personal preference ofcourse). Some of these allow you to go as low as 0.2mm. I used to do clean-shave for years and would always get super dry skin were using an electric trimmer does not do that nearly at all. And you also save on aftershave, shaving foam and all the other creams that one would need to use for a clean shave. Just slap some coconut oil on that face after Not to mention the cost of Gillette razors over a year which could be significant. You could be looking at less dry skin and potentially saving 200-300 dollars a year

this is a very very specific goal. If the person in question has either oestrogen excess or oestrogen deficiency problem the cause is unlikely to be corrected by DIM alone. Have they had a blood assessment? (not DUTCH but blood endocrinology assessment) DIM shouldn't be used sporadically without being part of a larger protocol. On its own it is unlikely to fix the issue.

@Vision try having a chat with Alex Manos https://www.alexmanos.co.uk/about/ He is somewhat of a SIBO expert among FM practitioners in the UK.

if you cannot argue without using inflammatory language, don't debate at all. Try to show more empathy for people not sharing your worldview rather than being flat out arrogant. Thanks!

A word of caution (from someone who did that too) Make sure you do not start bombarding people with your thing just because they follow you. Many people, despite following, may not want to hear from you. This is no criticism or anything like that. This is something I had to learn the hard way and that i see a lot of people in my industry (nutrition) doing. Doing daily videos on their private Facebook and their private Instagram. It is not uncommon for a person with 800 followers to be getting 1-2 likes on average doing that. There is a reason why that happens. Even people in your mailing list may not want to hear from you. (also learned this the hard way :D) Trying to convert a private channel to a business channel and expecting to get away with it is a dangerous strategy Now if you have an Instagram channel for your art (not your private life) that's a different story and that may indeed be a good place to start.. also despite to what I wrote above, a gentle invitation (to people who may potentially care) on your private account to join a dedicated account is a good idea. But it has to be gentle and it should not be too frequent. Be veeeeery careful with how you approach this. Adds should only be run in the groups of people who already know you, and who want to hear from you and who love your work. The purpose of adds shoudl really be you telling your people (who love your work) "hey, thanks for being an awesome listener. I just wanted to let you know I made this and thought you'd like it and I even put a little bit of money behind it to make sure you have some time to look at it at your own convenience". The purpose of adds in the marketing of the 21st century for small businesses and small artists should never be "heeeeey youuu, yes you random person that did not know I exist 1 minute ago - here listen to my stuff!!!" Dropping adds to random people based on demographics & psychographics is "being ignored " at best and "being annoying and getting lot of snappy feedback that will absolutely shatter your self-confidence and motivation at worst, from people who may absolutely not want to hear from you and who will work hard to let you know that. Again, hope this does not come through too harsh. I applaud you for finding your thing and successfully going on your path to financial freedom. Congratulations!! This is a major step in life. Next step is to figure out who your true audience is and how to speak to them without annoying everyone else. It is about showing empathy for the people you're looking to serve (but also those you are NOT looking to serve) and understanding what they believe that you don't believe. What they want that you don't want and what they see that you don't see and then being able to cross that chasm by building your own unique bridge and inviting the person in. One by one, not by hundreds on TikTok. The masses like shallow entertainment and the masses like average stuff. By definition, if your art is unique you must never strive to get the attention of the masses. As a beginning artist, chances are that audience will be very very tiny in the beginning. Maybe 30 dedicated fans, maybe less. That's okay. Listen to them, let them help you produce better art. Their feedback will help you grow the most. Their feedback is important. Ignore everybody else and forget about the masses (anything > 500 people at this point are masses). Figure out how to reach out to the early adopters and let them spread the music like a virus to the early majority. Don't feed ads to random people who just like random music because they'll hate your guts. Basically you need to be able to look 99.999% of people in the eyes and say "this is NOT for you". Good luck & once again congrats! You've got this! Patience and showing up regularly will be your main friends on this journey.

Damn! Listening to John talk was quite a reality buster. Shows you the immense value of being a history student.

@Human Mint thanks! yeah it's been fun making those altho the whole production quality still sucks overall Like, that video took me 2 days to put together including filming, editing, rendering, voice correction etc and so many bits are still awful. Cant imagine how much time it takes to produce a really high quality vlog that some of these guys do. Not to mention probably spending 10K+ on equipment.

@selfvalley thanks

Getting an Instapot could save you a lot of time on cooking. Make a huge batch and then just keep reheating smaller portions. If you don't mind eating the same thing several days in a row, this is the best option. And it will save time on washing dishes too. I did a step by step video on instapot cooking on Youtube not long ago in that Full-day-of-eating vid (link below). You can use that as an initial inspiration if you'd like. Now in terms of those limiting beliefs, Instapot probably won't cure them. It might help to try to journal on "What does health really mean to me?" and "Why don't I seem to value health as much?" and see what comes up.