texter

@pluto Would you be able to tell me why sulphites are a 'NONO'? And just checking, by sulphites we mean things such as the preservative sulphur dioxide?

Thanks all. Basically, from your advice, I am going to mostly avoid dried fruit in my diet, and stick to the fresh stuff. Freeze-dried fruit seems to preserve a lot of the goodies without adding any sugar or preservatives. I do love (organic, sulphite-free) dried fruit so, in moderation, dried fruit will serve as an occasional treat in my diet.

Hi @Annie I decided to get the vaccine. I spent hours and hours mulling over this decision. I had a strong intuition against getting the vaccine. I definitely would not have got it had my mum not been pressuring me to get the vaccine. During my reserach, I read a lot about the vaccine, researched its ingredients, and read all of those links you sent. I could not find any (published) ingredients for the MenACWY vaccine which were in any way harmful. In the UK, very few vaccines contain metals such as aluminium and mercury. The only (published) ingredients for MenACWY are the polysaccharide outer shell of the 4 strains of meningitis, trometamol (a buffer) sodium chloride and 'water for injection'. These ingredients appear to be much more benign than those found in some childhood vaccines that have been given in the US. From reading your links, I found that the UK and EU have progressively moved away from heavy metals in their vaccines. I have decided that every time I am asked to get a vaccine in the future (e.g. travelling abroad, flu outbreaks), I will reserach the ingredients and will not consent to any injections containing heavy metals. As far as I can see, if I am at risk to deadly illnesses, and the vaccine contains no obviously harmful ingredients, then what's to lose by getting the vaccine?

Hi, I am being encouraged by my family and doctor to get this vaccine: http://www.meningitis.org/uk-menacwy https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/01/new-meningitis-vaccine-to-be-offered-to-uk-teenagers-and-students Everything I have read trying to get me to take this vaccine is scaremongering. It all focuses on the severe illness that I could possibly come down with. A while ago I watched a Teal Swan video which was incredibly against vaccinations. As a result I am unsure whether or not to get this vaccine. I am a fit individual with a healthy diet and no immunity problems. Hence, I would prefer to trust my immune system and not get the vaccine, which I fear could have unnecessary side-effects as many vaccines do. I am not asking for certified medical advice. Just if anyone could give any opinions, perspectives and/or personal experience on the matter of vaccinations, I would appreciate it. It could help me to decide on whether or not to get the vaccine. Peace

Hi all, thank you for reading this. For some time now I have been considering buying in bulk lots of different dried fruit. Banana, pear, apple, figs, you name it. The way I see it, buying bulk dried fruit could be an ideal, low-cost way of including a wide variety of fruit-derived nutrients in your diet*, especially in the winter months when fresh fruit is less available. The reason for this post is to ask for your opinions and knowledge on whether there are any obvious health disadvantages of dried fruit. Or benefits? An example of a concern I have on this topic: the sulphates that are often used in the preservation process. Some people seem to consider them just generally 'bad', but I have read another source ('How to Eat Better', James Wong) which suggested that sulphates help to preserve the antioxidants, resulting in a 'healthier' piece of dried fruit than one dried without the aid of sulphates. What does the forum think? Thank you *For clarification, I am only considering this as part of a healthy diet, which will of course include fresh fruit and veg.

@egoeimai @Simon Zackrisson @How to be wise @YaNanNallari Wow, thanks guys. I wish I'd asked this months ago. You all give really useful advice/perspectives. This relationship and my anxiety over it has been a major sticking point* for my personal growth so it is imperative I sort this out. Your advice will be useful for that. Some people who I am close to think that I should seek medical attention/therapy for the anxiety and, as one person put it, the 'guardian complex' that I have developed over her. Could I have any perspectives on whether this would be useful, or perhaps any other methods I could do to complement/replace therapy? *well... if I am honest it has been a catalyst for me studying enlightenment and doing a whole lot more meditation. Little silver lining, even if it is a coping mechanism.

Hello, thank you for reading this. I would appreciate any opinions on my situation, especially from anyone who may have experience with this sort of thing. I have a close friend, who we will call A, who has severe mental health issues. As context, I have been a fairly rigorous follower of personal development and enlightenment work for several years. I met her 2 years ago and we were attracted to each other. We became sexually intimate and very close, and she slowly started revealing more of herself to me, including her self harm, depression and history of suicidal thoughts and attempts. In the early stages of our relationship, I considered leaving her as I could foresee that a relationship with someone like this could get me into trouble. I did not leave her, however. Our relationship became intense, as my presence seemed to become the only thing in the world which could alleviate her mental pains. I saved her from multiple suicide attempts, acting as a 24/7 guardian at some points. This has taken its toll on me personally. Generally I am an extremely happy and content person, with the one exception of when I believe her to be upset and in danger of harming or killing herself. Which is often. When I realise she might be in danger, or even consider its possibility, I become very distressed. A while ago I had the awful job of telling her that I did not want to be in a relationship with her anymore. Somehow she survived the ordeal, and has a new partner now. She still contacts me now and again, telling me how suicidal she feels. It is an awful position for me to be in. I never know what to do, and it distresses me awfully. Obviously I care for her so much. It was just too much for me to be her suicide carer. Far too much. If she were mentally healthy I would love to spend much more time with her. How do I help her? How do I help myself? What do I do? I have a massive fear is of her successfully committing suicide. I know that if I were with her, she almost certainly would not ever be successful in doing so. But I don't want to be the person who she learns to rely upon. I would be very grateful if anybody could give me their perspectives on this and how I should approach the situation, or indeed on their own personal experience on similar situations. By the way, to my knowledge she has regular therapy sessions, so there's not much I can do by way of encouraging her to get therapy.