#'I am going to get early onset dementia with all these head injuries'

[tevintersnakes]

Antyllus and Arcade open the door to that investigators body in the White Glove Society, get jumped. Antyllus kicks closed the door behind them. Eats some buffout. And with a collective unarmed score of 35 the pair of Followers beat two men to death.

These hands are made for healing, and they're not great at being thrown, but by golly that won't stop a little scuffling.

[battleangel]

Football & Wrestling's Dehumanizing Nature - From a Fan

Things in Football that are dehumanizing:

•Number of players

•The facemasks

•The violence

•Fans mythologizing the players

•Fans believing the players are superhuman thus dehumanizing them

•Players dismissing the violence and cosigning what the NFL is doing which encourages fans to say, "Well, if Jason Kelce is okay with football, who am I to question the sport or the NFL?"

•TV personalities (former NFL players) seeming just fine to the viewers so it perpetuates the illusion that playing in the NFL isnt "that dangerous".

•Constant cognitive dissonance is encouraged at all times throughout every presentation of the NFL by players interviewed after the game, play by play announcers and color commentors, sideline reporters and studio analysts.

Are you ready for some death?

Viewers watched Damar Hamlin die live on TV. We had no update when he left the field. Then we found out later he was in a coma. Teams went back to practice.

Damar finally spoke, "Did we win?"

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The NFL had initially put a 15 minute timer on the screen when the ambulance removed Damar from the field. Players had been vomiting and sobbing around him. Viewers saw him lifelessly collapse backwards from an ordinary shoulder tackle to the chest.

Then we saw Stefon Diggs, one of the Bills captains, rallying his troops. Then we saw Joe Burrow warming up and throwing the football. The timer continued to tick down.

70,000 Bengals fans had been silenced.

Troy and Buck tell the viewers there is no official word yet on whether the game is going to continue but, as viewers, we can see Stefon Diggs and Joe Burrow getting ready to get back on the field on the sidelines. Then we see the teams head to their respective lockerrooms.

Troy and Buck tell us theres still no word on whether the game will continue, be postponed or cancelled. We are taken back to our studio analysts Booger, Schefty and the female co-host. Over an hour passes by without a decision. Finally, the call is made to suspend play.

But once Damar speaks, the NFL media removes the on-screen 15 minute timer from the endless retelling of the story.

Stefon never rallied his troops. Burrow never warmed up on the sidelines. The official story retold all week was that there was an official process the NFL had to undertake to call the game off and that, yes that process takes some time and isnt automatic and it did take over an hour, but the NFL did the right thing.

There was no on-screen timer. Stefon Diggs and Joe Burrow were never shown on the sidelines preparing to return to play.

Dont believe your own lying eyes.

Fans are constantly given mixed messaging. Football is at the same time: a children's game, war, brutalistic, violent, a blessing to be able to play, potentially career ending on every play, gladiatorial, as American as apple pie, entertainment, a crucible, a maker of men, just a game, high risk/high reward, not for the faint of heart, a character builder, concerned with "player safety", maximizing profit at all costs, a game that children play that NFL players get paid millions of dollars to play as adult men, a game with 100% risk of injury.

Which one is it?

NFL players have an aura of invincibility and immortality. Therefore, they will never get old, injured, have CTE, early onset dementia or memory issues.

They will live forever, always young, strong, unstoppable and immutable. They are our avatars and the audience lives (and plays football) vicariously through them.

Fans are constantly fed the lies by current players and TV analysts, many of whom are former players themselves, that the NFL players are "grown ass men" who knew the risks when they signed up, they chose to do this and, by the way, they are being paid handsomely for this. They would rather be playing football with all its risks than be a life insurance sales rep, for example. They live for the rush of the adrenaline and the hits just like the fans do.

Bullfuckingshit. What 8 year old can make a decision like this? Many NFL players started playing football at the Pee Wee, Mighty Tykes or Pop Warner levels.

An 8 year old child can truly decide if the game of football is worth sacrificing his mind over?

Most NFL players have older men in their families who also played football - fathers, older brothers, uncles. What kind of a choice is that if football is just what the men in your family do and you are a child?

Football is violent, exciting and fun. 14 year old teenagers - not adults - are filled with hormones and pumped up with testosterone. Even the NFL players who started later in high school, at the age of 14, I would argue were influenced by the glamorization of football in American culture, the hero worship its players receive, the tough gladiators they see every Sunday on their TV screens during football season and the social status conferred upon popular football players in the social jungle known as high school.

A million teenage boys play football in high school every year and never get paid a dime for it -- even the ones who play for big programs with games that air on ESPN Friday nights.

They are getting concussed. They are sustaining serious injuries. Their high schools are profiting handsomely. They are just kids! They are being exploited.

In high school football, per the rules prior to a recent rule change in 2022 - just last year, a quarterback cannot throw the ball away like he can in the NFL if he can't make a play.

Why are "grown ass men being paid millions" being protected more than kids playing for free in high school?

Out of the million high schoolers who play football every year, only 100k play in college and only 1,000 play in the NFL.

Division I college football rakes in billions, the men who are playing Division I football make nothing and are not even offered health insurance by their schools.

They often suffer debilitating lifelong injuries including head trauma, CTE, paralysis and even death. Yet the schools pay them nothing. Yes, they can now make money off of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

But why do the schools make billions and the young men who sacrifice their bodies and minds for this sport get paid nothing by the schools endlessly exploiting and profiting off of them?

Why cant the schools making billions off of these young men's literal blood, sweat and tears even offer them at least health insurance that would cover catastrophic injuries?

College teams routinely administer powerful painkillers and narcotics to players, often times vastly exceeding the recommended dosage, without warning the players about the risks and serious adverse side effects.

A "grown ass man" is a fucking 18 year old per the laws of the United States. None of the men playing in the NFL made the initial choice to play the game of football as an adult.

Most started playing as kids, some as late as high school, at 14. All were children, not adults, when they made the decision to inflict bodily violence and harm upon themselves and others, to accept head trauma, collisions, concussions, potential memory loss, potential early onset dementia, potential CTE, potential paralysis and even potential death.

It was a decision guided by and heavily influenced by the older men in their families, our cultures worship of football and deification of the men who play it, the smiling TV analysts with their expensive suits who played the game, the intense poverty many players in the league suffer in childhood that they are so desperate to escape, the millions they believe they can make on the professional level when less than 1% of high school football players will ever even suit up for a game in the NFL.

Thats not a free choice by a "grown ass man".

Thats a coerced choice made by a child with long lasting and potentially debilitating, devastating and even fatal consequences.

Why are we okay with this?

So, even if the choice to play football is made as children and teenage boys, even if that decision is endlessly influenced by their fathers, brothers and uncles who played, the football gods on TV every Sunday, the smiling TV analysts in their expensive suits and the social rewards from playing the game, well, (the disingenuous argument goes) -- why don't they just walk away as adult men playing in the NFL? Why don't they do what Chris Borland and Andrew Luck did?

The reason those names instantly come to mind is because walking away from your NFL career early is vanishingly rare.

These men, since they were boys, have been indoctrinated into the mythos of football.

All they have known is football. If you start playing at 8, by the time you make it to the NFL, you have literally been playing football for most of your life. They don't know anything else.

Football is practically a religion.

Its not just a game. Its going to war with your brothers. Its a brotherhood. Its the epitome of masculinity. Its manhood distilled to its purest essence. It proves youre a man. It purifies you. Its a crucible and, if you pass through, you are a battle tested warrior.

Coerced choice:

•Father, brothers, uncles and older men in the family play football so its "just what the men in the family do"

•American society endlessly glamorizes and glorifies football

•Football is presented as the ultimate sport on TV and the players are shown as heroes

•Social rewards for playing football as football is the sport in most high schools that has the most fans in the stands and the good players are popular and are at the top of the social hiearchy in high school

•Football is equated with masculinity in our society - "its what tough guys do". There is a social reward for playing football in that you are automatically regarded as and conferred with the status of being a "tough guy".

•A child and even a teenager is not truly capable of making a truly informed choice weighing all of the potential devastating, debilitating, life altering and potentially fatal consequences of playing football. Children and teenagers tend to think of the "right now". Their brains aren't even fully formed and developed yet. Teenagers also are dealing with a rush of hormones and being flooded with testosterone. No one is actually sitting them down and walking them through the dangers of CTE, the dangers of multiple concussions, the long term and permanent brain damage associated with repeated head impacts and subconcussive blows, potential memory loss, devastating injuries, possible paralysis and even death. No one is showing them former NFL players who cant even get out of bed in the morning. They cant move their neck from side to side. They cant open a pickle jar. They are seeing the gridiron heroes on Sunday afternoon running out of the smoke filled tunnel to the roar of 70k screaming fans. They arent seeing the men who have lost their minds to this game. Their lives to this game like Junior Seau and Dave Duerson. They arent seeing Aaron Hernandez. They arent seeing the men who have killed themselves, hurt their families, killed other people. They arent seeing the men diagnosed with early onset dementia at 36. They arent seeing the men unable to work, completely disabled from their playing days, at 40 who are denied any assistance from the NFL. They arent seeing any of that.

Theyre seeing the glory, the glamour, the hits, the violence, the excitement, the social rewards, the rich NFL athletes with the money, chains and cars, their seeing society's worship of the game of football, they're seeing the fun and the good sides of the sport, that it instills toughness, discipline, builds reslience and courage, and gifts you lifelong friends. Theyre not being shown the Eric LeGrands. Theyre not being shown that men who stopped playing even at the high school level have been found post mortem to have had CTE. Not college. Not Division I. High school.

How many men -- and boys -- will we sacrifice on the altar of football?

"The physical, gladiatorial nature of the game attracted them in the first place, many said. Among its rewards were electrifying Sundays, deep relationships with teammates, personal pride and social mobility - it paid for their college educations and afforded them a lifestyle they would never have enjoyed otherwise."

Most were kids when they started playing (ages 5 to 8 - Joe Burrow started at 8). Why wouldnt football seem alluring as a child? Its violent, exciting and fun. In real life, you cant hit anyone, throw anything, be too loud, etc.

In football, you are rewarded for lack of impulse control when teachers and parents punish you for it in real life. Its attractive because all of the "look both ways before you cross the street" rules get thrown to the wayside in football. You are not only allowed to but are actively encouraged to and have to hit. You have to be out of control. The rule in football is, dont follow any of societys civilized rules and go out there and hit each other.

What child doesnt want to break the rules?

I feel the wild and unrestrained nature of the sport naturally appeals to a childs rebelliousness and impish nature.

Does that really mean that that child wants to struggle to walk and remember where their keys are at 40?

"Supplanted those thoughts deep within us"

Sublimation of the mind, sublimation of the self.

Its the only way the players can get into 70 to 80 car crashes Sunday then put the pads right back on Wednesday at practice and start hitting again.

Similar to training camps in boxing where you are literally getting punched hundreds of times in the head to prepare for a fight for weeks.

Its a constant process of self denial, self abnegation, erasing the self, willful amnesia, willfully brainwashing yourself, always with a cool bravado, an indifferent attitude, a devil may care swag, always unafraid, never questioning the constant physical trauma that you are constantly subjecting your body to.

The body doesnt want to be traumatized regardless of how much the mind or spirit of these players may want to play the sport. They are constantly going against their bodies' natural wishes and self preservation instinct to not be harmed.

Yet they get in the car again and suit up and put the helmet on for yet another car crash.

Serious injuries that require surgery temporarily short circuit the brainwashing ritual.

They are no longer with their teammates every day. No reviewing film, taking notes. No reviewing the game plan. Studying the opponent. No drills. No hitting.

Nothing but surgey, pain, solitude, recovery, medication and your body rebelling against your desire to go back to the very thing that caused the injury and surgery in the first place.

This applies to wrestling too. Flat back bumps are the most unnatural thing in the world. Thats why so many corporate team building retreats will ask you to fall backwards and let your co-workers catch you.

Wrestlers brainwash themselves for six to twelve months during training.

What do you think ring rust really is?

Its the body rejecting the unnatural trauma it is being asked to put itself back through after the wrestler returns after time away from the ring.

Theres nothing normal about concussing yourself as you slam your body against a mat that has wooden boards underneath it thousands of times.

The wrestler brainwashes himself and, through thousands of repetitions, forces the body to adapt, but to never truly accept the constant physical trauma.

So,  when theres an injury and the wrestler is out of the ring for awhile then returns, the body initially rejects the unnatural reintroduction of the trauma. We saw this with the Young Bucks on AEW All Access.

The body doesnt want to be continuously and repeatedly subjected to physical trauma.

The body rebels, the mind suppresses. The body rejects, the mind denies. The body pushes back, the mind brainwashes.

8 in 10 former NFL players per a 2017 study report pain that lasts for most of the day.

The current NFL players are young men in their 20s who have an invincibility aura endlessly reinforced by the fans.

Testosterone, money, fame, women, 70k roaring fans and smoke-filled tunnels.

You cant play in the NFL, box, fight in UFC or professionally wrestle unless you have a self myth of invincibility.

They all feel like that and the media and fans endlessly uphold and reinforce the myth.

Why would they think beyond the current season, much less 15 to 20 years from now?

We worship their recklessness and marvel at their ability to throw caution to the wind, their physical courage and their lack of regard for their own well being.

Their braveness, toughness and swag. How they pop right back up no matter how hard the hit is. We endlessly cheer this all on and adulate them for it.

They are the only ones who have to pay for it later once the cheering stops.

"It's like being awfully drunk at night and throwing up and swearing you will never let it happen again," said Ralph Cindrich, a former NFL player who now serves as a player agent. "And the next morning you're having a bloody mary at 9."

It is exactly like this - this is the ritual brainwashing where you convince your body to get back into the car crash Wednesday after 70 to 80 car crashes on Sunday - 17 weeks in a row.

Same with hitting drills for months during training camp.

"To improve the quality of life for my family."

If the above quoted former player (now disabled human) doesnt care and is okay with all this, then I care that the NFL exploits all its current and former players by not offering them guaranteed contracts. A lot of the money in NFL contracts are incentives based on performance so if you dont play, or you dont play well, you dont get any of the incentives.

Contracts in the NFL aren't guaranteed like in all other major US sports so you can be cut at any time. Team physicians makes decisions and diagnoses based off of the teams interest, not the players.

Just because the players have been brainwashed all their lives by the men in their family who played the game and by coaches yelling and barking orders at them ("Sir, yes sir!") to accept all this as okay doesnt mean I have to.

They are told they're invincible their entire lives!

The fans tell you. Your coach and father brainwashes you.

What the hell else are the players going to believe?

They're already reckless or they wouldn't be playing a collision sport.

Then the fathers and coaches add their machismo crap and the fans add their worship and adulation.

Then we act surprised that the players themselves think they're invincible?

How else do running backs run through a wall of linemen 25 to 30 times a game? How else do cornerbacks launch themselves against players sometimes outweighing them by 100+ pounds? How else do tight ends bang on the line 70 to 80 times a game? How else do you get sacked 70+ times in a season and keep brushing it off like it's nothing?

The entire sport, like PBR (bullriding), is based off of the lie that these men are invincible gods, that they are indestructible, superhuman and impervious to pain then we as a society want to blame the men for believing the indestructability myth they have been indoctrinated with their whole lives??

Thats the vicarious nature of football, boxing, UFC, professional wrestling and PBR.

If just for a moment, I can pretend that I would have stood still and calm in the pocket and gotten absolutely smashed like Joe Burrow did when he calmly and accurately threw an absolute dagger for first down to seal the game against the Chiefs with a 350 lb defender barreling towards him at top speed.

If only for a moment, I can pretend that I would ride a 1500 pound enraged bucking Brahma bull then get wildly thrown off after 8 seconds.

Just for a moment, I can pretend I am Adesanya with my arms held high in exultation, in the bloody octagon as the fans roar their approval.

But then we get to go back to our real lives, heads and minds and memories and joints and bones and ligaments and tendons intact. They don't.

They pay the price for us to live vicariously through them as our avatars.

Why the hell didn't Jon Moxley (AEW former Champion wrestler) take his vacation?

We all know Moxley has replaced his alcohol addiction with an UNhealthy addiction to self-mutilation in the ring (aka the cute and dismissive euphemism of "blading") and constant physical matches.

He should have gone on vacation when MJF won. He literally can't. Renee knows this and the fans mock her for it when she dares to tweet her concerns over the love of her life and father of her child bleeding like a stuck pig for no reason on a random Rampage Friday night at 10:06 pm.

Moxley bleeds when his theme song hits someone on twitter says. Renee forces herself to type LOL in response while she cringes internally.

Why else was Moxley doing deathmatches in GCW as the World Champion on TV in AEW?

Its the same reasom why Joe Burrow said "I like getting hit" the season he was sacked over 70 times.

I know. Why am I still watching then?

Joe Burrow, Eagles, NFL, WWE, AEW, ROH, Impact, NJPW, Ricky Garcia.

Im still watching because I cant let go of my admiration for them.

Like, thats my internal struggle. But hell yeah, I'm human. When the music hits and Joe Burrow runs out of the tunnel, I mean seriously?

Its what their father, uncles and older brothers and coaches told them they were supposed to do.

Seriously, pull up Pop Warner tackle football drills for 8 year olds on Youtube and listen to how the coach gets them to hit each other.

We laughed at Giselle because she dared to tell an uncomfortable truth about the goat.

2,000 individual players played in the NFL last season.

There is no other sport like that in the world.

It allows and causes all these excesses and abuses. The players are nothing but interchangeable and disposable chess pieces because theres so many of them. Theyre nothing but videogame characters we get to switch off with a push of the remote button. Theyre not flesh and blood. Theyre not real. They are here to entertain and excite and inspire us. Then when Troy and Buck say good night, we turn them off, and they cease to exist.

How else does Sammy Guevara fly off the top of the cage unless he convinces himself of the same invincibility myth that NFL players convince themselves of?

Nothing can hurt me. I am invincible and unbreakable. There is no ladder I wont jump off of, no cage I wont leap off of, no spot is too high or too dangerous.

Its all bullshit but the fans eat it up and so do the athletes. Its an endless reinforcement loop.

We cheer Vikingo on and we pretend that Rey Mysterio hasnt had 14 knee surgeries.

We cheer the needlessly reckless and fucking dangerous high spots the most.

Our jaws drop, our adrenaline flows and we roar our approval as the spots continue to get ever higher, more reckless and more dangerous.

And all we do is give a bigger pop in return.

"The analysis, based on self-reports among former NFL players, found that Black players were significantly more likely than white players to experience diminished quality of life due to impaired physical function, pain, cognitive troubles, depression and anxiety. In four of five health outcomes, the gaps were greatest between Black and white former players."

76% of the NFL is black.

The above analysis showed that Black former NFL players were 50 percent more likely than white former players to have pain that interfered with daily activities, as well as depression and anxiety.

Black former players were 36 percent more likely to have cognitive symptoms -- including memory deficits and attention problems -- that impacted their quality of life. Black former players were also nearly 90 percent more likely to report impaired physical functioning, compared with their white peers.

Other factors that may affect health outcomes, the researchers also looked at number of seasons played in the NFL, position played, concussion symptoms, surgeries, body-mass index, use of performance-enhancing drugs, lifestyle habits including drinking and smoking, as well as pain medication use. The differences between races persisted even when the researchers accounted for the possible influence of these factors.

The researchers examined whether differences in health varied by a player's age, as a surrogate marker for diversity and equity in the era that they played in. Although younger nonwhite players were in the NFL during a period marked by greater diversity and greater equity, their risk for adverse health outcomes remained the same as that of older players.

A first-of-its-kind comparison between elite pro athletes suggests higher overall mortality among NFL players compared with MLB players. NFL players also appear to have higher risk of dying from cardiovascular and neurodegenerative causes compared with MLB peers. The differences warrant further study of sport-specific mechanisms of disease development. Clinicians treating current and former NFL players should be vigilant about the presence of cardiovascular and neurologic symptoms and promptly treat risk factors such as sleep apnea, obesity, hypertension.

The findings are based on a retrospective analysis of death rates and causes of death in 3,419 NFL (National Football League) and 2,708 MLB (Major League Baseball) players over more than 30 years.

There were 517 deaths among NFL players and 431 deaths among MLB players between 1979 and 2013. The difference translates into a 26 percent higher mortality among football players compared with baseball players. NFL players had a nearly threefold greater likelihood of dying of neurodegenerative conditions, compared with MLB players. They also had a nearly 2.5-fold risk of dying from a cardiac cause, the study showed.

Football players sustain countless traumatic head injuries throughout their careers. These athletes enjoy the best of care while on the team, but it's estimated that up to 80% of NFL's former players are not covered under employer-sponsored medical plans.

Theres such a high impact, risky style thats popular in wrestling today. I believe there will be severe consequences of this high risk style for todays wrestlers 10+ years down the road. Its just not safe or sustainable the way Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Young Bucks, Bryan Danielson, Vikingo, Lucha Bros, etc wrestle. It is too high risk and it is too hard hitting and there are going to be many repurcussions down the line.

The USFL and XFL players get a CHANCE to get to the NFL, theyre on TV and theyre continuing their dream.

They are also ALL getting concussed for ~$40k a year with NO health insurance coverage once they leave the USFL.

Unlike NFL, there is no vesting, pension or continuing health coverage.

So yeah, they can continue the dream, but at what cost?

Unlike a minor league baseball player, these USFL and XFL players will all have brain damage (literally what a concussion is) and may also have debilitating and even permanent physical injuries that continue after they leave their respective leagues with no continued health insurance from the leagues they played for.

If someone is paralyzed on a kickoff return in the USFL, what does that person do?

Its all the risks of the NFL without any of the financial rewards and without even the possibility of vesting, receiving a pension or continuing health insurance once they stop playing.

Injuries incurred while in the USFL will be viewed by employer sponsored health coverage plans as pre-existing conditions and most will be denied coverage.

Then what happens as most of these guys will never make it onto an NFL team?

Wrestlers do need protection from themselves but NXT, AEW, NJPW, GCW, etc encourages a flashy, risky, dangerous style with tons of stunts and ridiculously high spots.

Yes, they wrestle a lot less today, especially AEW, with a lot less house shows.

But coffin drops on the apron arent sustainable. 450 splashes from the top of the cage arent sustainable. Botched unnecessary risky ladder spots are completely dangerous.

Yet they happen again and again.

I gasp too, my jaw drops too, I say holy shit! too. Im human, I love drama, I love characters, I love personas, I love larger than life personalities, I love storylines, I admire physical courage, I respect the sheer physicality of it all and the toughness required, I love their bravado, I love their swag, I love that they took the road less traveled in society and said fuck a 9 to 5, the women are sexy, they are all brave and fearless as fuck, I love the gimmicks, I love the faceoffs, the staredowns, shit talk, confrontations, backstage segments and all the rest of it.

So similar to how I feel about football.

I dont love them breaking down their bodies and minds to entertain us in wrestling and football and boxing.

Im so conflicted.

I asked myself why I cant stop watching wrestling.

I am too invested in the characters, storylines and the wrestlers journeys. Too caught up in the drama.

Who else is Swerve adding to his crew? Cant wait to see BTE and BCC tear it down. Jade vs Taya, are you kidding me. Want to see Ruby, Saraya and Toni fuck it up.

I dont just want the adrenaline, I need the release. I seriously wanted to do that 7 week wrestling training class with Quackenbush. I am doing the 1 day wrestling workshop at Chikara's wrestling school in June.

I cant get over concussions from the flat back bumps. Thats why I backed out of the 7 week class.

They say subconcussive, science says me slamming myself backwards against a mat with wooden boards under it, "spreading the impact" or not, my brain is still being jerked with the impact, hitting the inside of my skull, thats a concussion!

Linemen hitting every play, concussion! Running backs running into a wall of linemen, concussion! Quarterback still as a statue in the pocket throws a dart to his wide receiver and gets absolutely smashed by a 300+ pound defender, thats a concussion! Tight ends banging on the line, concussion! WR smashed in the open field, concussion! Every QB sneak is a concussion! Every time the QB runs it in less than 5 yards from the goal line and smashes himself into a wall of men, concussion! Every kick off return that doesnt end in a touch back, concussion! Every onside kick, concussion! Punt return, concussion!

Every time players collide in football, concussion! Every time the QB falls backwards while being hit and slams his head against the turf, concussion! Every time a QB is sacked, concussion! Every time a LB hits the QB, concussion! Every time the DE rushes and hits the QB, concussion! Every time the QB is hit, concussion!

Every suicide dive is a concussion!

A concussion is head impact where the brain moves forward or backwards and hits the inside of the skull!

Its not nausea, dizziness, seeing stars, blacking out, loss of motor control, difficulty walking, memory issues or what a CT scan or MRI shows!

Its head impact where the brain moves forward or backwards and hits the inside of the skull even with no symptoms!!!!!

Every 450 splash, every splash to the outside, every top rope maneuver, every superkick, every stiff strike, every hard slap, every elbow strike, every kick to the head, every jump off the ladder, every jump from the top of the cage, every single time someone is put through a table, every time someone is thrown into the barricade, every time someones head is slammed into the exposed turnbuckle, every dive off the stage, every body slam to the outside, every slam into the ringpost, concussion!

Football and wrestling ARE concussions, period!

CTE tests in living people once available will expose the current lie that pretends that all of the above arent concussions and are normal football plays, normal wrestling spots, and "subconcussive impacts".

Science says they are concussions, multibillion dollar corporations like the NFL and WWE say they arent.

Who do you believe?

Heading the ball in soccer is a concussion. Batter being hit in the head by 95+ mph ball is a concussion. Catcher getting a foul tip to his mask is a concussion. Runner trucking the catcher or colliding with the catcher is a concussion. Many spots in cheerleading and gymnastics are concussions. Being checked against the board in hockey is a concussion. Tackles in lacross and rugby are concussions. Falling on hard wooden floorboards in basketball is a concussion. Elbow to the head from a defender in basketball is a concussion.

There is a reckoning coming in virtually all sports once CTE tests in living people are possible and neurologists say they will have it in 3 to 5 years tops.

Punches to the head in boxing, their entire sport, IS a concussion.

Elbows to the head in MMA, concussion. Knee strikes in MMA, concussion. Blows to the back of the head in MMA, concussion. Certain takedowns in MMA, concussion. Ground and pound in MMA, foundational to the sport, concussion.

There are changes coming among virtually all sports once the CTE test in living people is developed.

Tackle football will go away and will either become 7 on 7 with foam helmets like rugby and/or flag football.

Soccer will eliminate headers.

Hockey will eliminate checks and penalize things like high sticks more severely.

Mainstream boxing, I think, may go away.

MMA will focus more on wrestling, less on strikes, GnP and knockouts. It will transition more to tapping to submissions and pure grappling and wrestling.

Baseball will remove head first sliding and change some of the rules about how catchers can defend home. Hitters beaned in the head will automatically be removed from the game. Players in collisions running bases or sliding will be auto eval'd for concussions. Not sure what they will do with foul tips for catchers as that is rather unavoidable.

Cheerleading isnt designated as a sport, so there probably will be no changes. Gymnastics and synchronized swimming will have more frequent and rigorous concussion checks. Same with water polo and jockeys.

PBR may not change much, hard to say. The lower circuit rodeos are completely unregulated and those are the men (best of the best) competing in PBR. Not sure how much NASCAR will change either as every crash and slam into the wall is a concussion. Same with Formula 1, tons of concussions, not sure how much they will change.

There is a definite reckoning coming to the younger lower levels of these sports as schools, gyms and training facilities will be unable to get insured once it is discovered, depending on the sport, that ~20% to even 90%+ of the participants have CTE.

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So, thats why I cant stop watching wrestling, for football to be honest, its because of Joe Burrow. I wont pretend its deeper because it isnt.

I want to see his journey, I want to see him, I want to give him his literal flowers in person, I want to cheer him on. The Joe Burrow Quotes Note on my phone with all his quotes that inspire me says it all.

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Buffalo cleared Damar Hamlin.

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I still want to meet Joe Burrow.

---

Joe said he wanted flowerS and hes only gotten more than 1 flower from his team and not a fan. Thats not right. I want to give him the orange bouquet. They also never die so for someone like Joe who loves flowers, how cool is that. Plus the roses are Bengals orange.

Joe is risking his mind, CTE, incurring permanent brain damage and further physical and structural damage to his body to put himself on the line for the fans. He admitted to Colin Cowherd there are tons of games he doesnt even remember, he was hit so hard. He already has amnesia from the hits and concussions! And noone can get the man more than a lousy flower at practice? Fuck that shit.

Im giving him the bouquet after a game. Bengals vs Ravens in Baltimore.

No union in any of the wrestling companies. They're all freelancers, no benefits. WWE, covers injuries that happen in-ring. If a stinger hits you later after you've been released, then thats your ass.

Does AEW cover medical expenses for injuries that occur in-ring? I am not sure of the policy. Doubt it or Danhausen wouldnt have needed the gofundme for his broken leg and subsequent surgery. Right?

Wrestlers can be released at any time. No pension. The pre-existing conditions from wrestling will not be covered by any future employers medical coverage plans. Same as NFL players who dont get to 5 years and dont vest.

So, whats the plan as a wrestler, other than trying to get rich as a main eventer? The percentage who achieve that vs those relegated to AEW Dark, a few matches here and there, sporadic appearances on Elevation then release?

Same with WWE. Mid carder, jobber, moved down to NXT, used as an extra on Raw a few times, disappear off TV for months, announced as released after Mania.

Then who pays for all the injuries accumulated in the ring? Neck, back, spine? Broken bones? Herniated discs? Surgeries? Physical therapy? Who pays?

What if you never got over to the point where a gofundme gets you anything close to paying all those bills out of pocket?

Trained for a year, debuted at an indy show, made some rounds at MLW, some appearances at PWG, show or two at GCW, used as fodder on AEW Dark or on NXT, used as a jobber, in a few matches on Rampage a few months apart, and the fans only know you as the "black girl not Red Velvet or Kiera".

So, then what happens to that wrestler who has knee, back, neck, spine issues, that whatever job they have, whatever medical coverage, it wont cover injuries sustained during their wrestling career because theyre pre-existing conditions?

What happens when youre not Brandi Rhodes, you dont make $10k in 2 hours, you dont get a signing at Wrestlemania, the fans dont remember you or are indifferent at best, your gofundme gets a few retweets, you sell some used gear to a few male fans, what about the $50k to $100k+ (easily $500k to $1m+) in medical bills all out of pocket that you have to pay because no employer sponsored medical plan will cover pre-existing conditions that occur in a wrestling ring or, for that matter, on a football field?

What happens to the Damar Hamlins of the world who dont die?

They just get taken to the back. We are told by Buck and Aikman that hes the cornerback for the Buffalo Bills, played at Pitt, standout corner, this was his first primetime game. Folks, our thoughts and prayers are with him as we head back to the field. Bengals have the ball on the 25.

Only, there is no update on the broadcast. If youre a Bills fan, maybe you find out that he was forced to retire due to a rare heart condition because he couldnt get medically cleared.

No fanfare. Gameday Morning doesnt mention him. Hes not a star, like Stefon Diggs or Josh Allen. In our zeal for how great the match up was with the Bengals, we have forgotten the injured, now retired at 24, cornerback. He quietly fades into obscurity, without being vested, without a pension, without benefits.

What happens to him?

In fact, there are many Damar Hamlins. They dont die dramatically on the field then get resuscitated later.

They retire early into obscurity, depression, bankruptcy, endless debt, broken bodies, broken minds and broken dreams.

And no one thinks about them. Outside of a very few like me. I googled all this after Damars injury. I wanted to know, what about guys like Damar, rookie season or a few years into the league, catastrophic injury, no vesting since they played less than 5 years.

You didnt die on MNF, so no fanfare, no drama, no mainstream media coverage, no 2 million dollars to your toy fund in 24 hours.

They are forgotten and tossed and brushed aside.

They are the price of playing in the NFL.

High risk, high reward. You can make millions or leave penniless. Thats the risk these men take, but its also the reward that they can get. They choose to roll the dice. They are grown men. That is their choice.

But what happens to them?

Silence.

[lianabrooks]

The Cycle Of Abuse

Content Warning: domestic abuse, domestic violence

This is a long ramble so feel free to skip if you’re here for memes and pretty pictures. 

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224

I’m posting this here because I’m fairly certain no one in my sprawling, dysfunctional family has discovered my Tumblr yet. If one of my sibs finds this, keep scrolling, baby.

Late last night my youngest sister called very, very upset. We’re not super close. My youngest siblings are graduating high school and headed to college... so is my oldest kid... We’re the product of multiple generations of abusive parents, bitter divorces, and strange remarriages. 

Growing up I thought every family fought like ours did. I thought all grandparents had exes and bullet scars. That parents screaming and beating each other was fairly normal. And I didn’t even notice the emotional and mental abuse until I left for college and realized how different people talked to me. And how awful and suicidal I was when I went back for holiday breaks.

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that my parents were caught in a cycle of abuse, repeating their own abuses, and that they were unlikely to ever change. My mother has early onset dementia caused by various brain injuries and has no memory of what she did. My father ... I thought he was getting better. I honestly thought he’d left some of his bad habits behind.

Heaven knows he took his temper out on me enough in my childhood. I tried to take the brunt of it. I was the oldest, and the strongest, and the least likely to cry. Crying just made him angrier. 

Age seemed to mellow him. He remarried and my step-mom seems happy most the time. My father is as self-centered as a spinning top, so I’m not sure if he’s aware of what his wife and children do, but I have my own relationship with them and it’s okay. Not perfect, but for strangers who never really lived together and only met because of our shared relationship with a deeply flawed man that we’re all trying to love (although why we’re trying to love him I’m not so sure about any more) we’ve done well.

The past few years we’ve even gotten together. Which was strange and odd. When my siblings were younger they were just cute kids. Quiet. A little odd. Very shy.

Now they talk to me and the pain that comes spilling out makes me furious.

A part of me thinks it’s my fault. I’m not there to protect them and I let my abuser move on. 

If someone attacks you, you’re always urged to report it because there’s a very real possibility that that attacker will find another victim. In some cases previous victims are blamed for not coming forward earlier. If they had, they could have saved someone else.

And I feel that guilt right now.

It’s irrational guilt. A child is not responsible for the actions of their parents. I am not responsible for my father’s actions. Or for my stepmother’s choice in marriage partners. Or for how they choose to raise my siblings.

What could I have done? Murdered my abusive father? Spent my life in jail because I attacked the man who attacked me? 

It might have saved a few people but the price would have been very high. 

This is part of the abuse cycle that we don’t talk about. That, when you try to break the cycle of abuse, you can only do it for yourself. 

You don’t get to change the abuser. You don’t get to save everyone else they abuse. You don’t make life better for anyone but yourself and maybe your spouse and kids. 

And I don’t know what to do going forward. 

A part of me wants to fall back on, “It wasn’t real abuse. Just...”

Just what? Demanding things from someone fresh out surgery that they weren’t physically capable of? Brow-beating and verbally destroying everyone who argued? Withholding food, affection, and medication? 

That’s abuse.

There don’t need to be bruises and scars for abuse. 

And you can’t change anyone. 

That’s the only lesson I learned here. Abusers don’t change. Ever. They might go years before they lash out again, but they don’t change. You can’t trust them. Even if they only hurt someone else, never you, you can’t trust them.

Get away as soon as you know what they are, because abusers will ruin your life if you let them near you. 

[diaspora9ja]

Alix Popham: Ex-Wales flanker on early onset dementia diagnosis

I do not wish to be a burden on my household – Popham

“I do not wish to be a burden on anyone. That is the factor that performs on my thoughts.”

At simply 40 years previous, Alix Popham was recognized with early onset dementia. A former Wales flanker, he’s a husband and father of three women, attempting to navigate an sickness that impacts his persona.

“I felt like there was a rage inside me boiling up and I simply wanted to get it out,” Popham informed BBC Sport.

“I slammed the doorways and broke them. The bannister in the home, I pulled that off. After that aggression has come out, I am pondering to myself, why did I do this? I’ve no management over these actions at the moment.”

Popham would overlook folks’s names, or lose observe of a dialog. His spouse Mel remembers him setting the kitchen on fireplace. “He put the grill on and closed it. Darcy [their 2-year-old] was in her excessive chair. I may odor burning,” she says. “It was fairly horrifying.”

Nevertheless it was one thing as regular as a motorbike journey, following a loop Popham had taken tons of of occasions, that was the turning level.

“I bought misplaced on the bike journey and had a blackout second,” Popham, now 41, says.

“He mentioned he’d bought misplaced, however he simply bought to some extent the place he did not know which method to go,” Mel explains. “He needed to retrace his route on an app. He got here dwelling and form of broke all the way down to me.”

The medical doctors labored out that I’ve had over 100,000 sub-concussions throughout my profession

Alix Popham

Popham went to his GP and underwent exams. They confirmed his quick time period reminiscence was, in his phrases, “actually unhealthy”. Within the winter of 2019, Popham was approached by a neurologist who specialises in head accidents. By then, issues had been getting worse.

“Whether it is two folks speaking, there are not any issues,” he says. “But when there are many folks speaking or background noises, I could not take within the info. I might come out of conferences pondering what was that each one about?”

Mel additionally spoke to the neurologist. “She informed him issues like me mixing up phrases, forgetting phrases, dropping my practice of thought in conversations the place I might be telling a narrative about one thing that occurred lately.”

On 16 April, Popham was recognized with early onset dementia. His prognosis pushed him to develop into considered one of eight former rugby union gamers who’re within the means of beginning a declare in opposition to the sport’s authorities for negligence.

Mel, who was bodily sick after seeing the injury to her husband’s mind, struggled to understand what was occurring.

“Each time I checked out Darcy I burst into tears,” says Mel. “I saved pondering, how can this be occurring?

“We decided to not have one other child, which we had been planning to do that summer season. That was actually powerful, however we felt realizing what we all know, that wasn’t the proper factor to do.”

‘Watching the lights fading step by step in him’

Alix Popham (proper) had a 14-year skilled profession

Popham describes the consequences of concussions and sub-concussions on his mind as a leaking faucet. “If it drips a few times there will likely be no mark on the ground, but when it dripped for 14 years, there could be a giant gap,” he says. “That’s the injury that’s exhibiting on the scans.”

The prognosis has led him to ponder his future. He is aware of, for instance, that he could not have the ability to stroll his daughters down the aisle.

“The neurologist has given us a 5 to 10 12 months administration plan, however how shortly the signs worsen after that, no one is aware of. That is the scary bit for me” he says.

“You find yourself speaking about adapting the home, carers coming in, and as a 40-year-old, to listen to that, was upsetting.

“It is watching the lights fading step by step in him,” explains Mel. “My greatest concern is Alix ending up in a nursing dwelling. And for my daughter, my greatest concern is her dropping her dad; him being right here however not being the identical Alix.

“We had so many large plans for the longer term. We have completely different plans now.”

Popham, recognized for his block-busting tackles, is in little question that the concussion protocols when he was taking part in weren’t enough.

“You thought concussion was while you had been out chilly on the pitch,” he says. “In case you felt a bit groggy, you’d have a sniff of salts. You did not wish to come off the sector as a participant and present weak spot.

“You knew your physique was going to be sore in retirement, however no one knew your mind was going to be in bits as nicely.”

From being a teen, Popham was informed that if he went right into a sort out at something lower than 100%, he could be injured. So he gave it his all 3 times every week in UK coaching, then 4 occasions every week in France, adopted by a recreation on Saturday. For 14 years, that was his routine. His physician believes he had greater than 100,000 sub-concussions in his profession.

“I have never bought recollections of huge chunks of my profession,” he says.”Throughout lockdown they repeated the 2008 recreation in opposition to England, once we received at Twickenham. I’ve no recollection of being on that pitch.

“We performed in South Africa and I met Nelson Mandela earlier than the sport. I’ve bought the image on the wall, however I am unable to bear in mind assembly him.”

The Popham household wish to elevate consciousness of the impression rugby head accidents can have. Mel estimates they’ve been contacted by 100 of Popham’s former team-mates and pals who’re experiencing comparable signs. It has helped her, too, making a group of wives and companions that she will be able to discuss with.

Their dwelling life has modified. “We do not ever shout to dad from one other room like we used to,” Mel says. “We at all times ensure we’re in entrance of him once we communicate as a result of we have now realised the a part of Alix’s mind that’s affected is distinguishing noises from one another.

“We attempt to take one thing constructive from on daily basis in order that no unhealthy day is an all unhealthy day.”

They hope that by sharing their story, they will elevate consciousness of the sickness, and encourage folks to come back ahead. Each love rugby and need it to be as secure and as knowledgeable as it may be. However their lives have modified.

“Generally there’s a look in his eyes of him not getting or understanding one thing,” Mel provides. “That was by no means there earlier than. It’s actually onerous to witness.”

Extra details about dementia and particulars of organisations that may assist can be found here.

Source link

from Diaspora9ja https://diaspora9ja.com/alix-popham-ex-wales-flanker-on-early-onset-dementia-diagnosis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=alix-popham-ex-wales-flanker-on-early-onset-dementia-diagnosis

[sherristockman]

Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Faster Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Can you biohack your brain to get sharper, smarter and work faster? According to Dave Asprey, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, founder and CEO of bulletproof.com, and author of “The Bulletproof Diet” and “Head Strong: The Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Faster — in Just Two Weeks,” the answer is a resounding yes. In addition to being early internet adopters, Dave and I share similar interests with respect to optimizing brain function — something we both discuss in our respective books. I had the opportunity to preview “Head Strong” and really enjoy Dave’s approach. It’s different from my book, “Fat for Fuel,” but the two books complement each other quite well. Dave approaches the subject of optimizing brain function from the perspective of having suffered serious health problems and seeking options for recovery, because the conventional route simply did not work. At one point, he weighed 300 pounds, couldn’t lose weight, and was suffering the effects of multiple toxic exposures, including Lyme disease. He’s an inspiring example of someone who, despite not being a trained physician, is able to sift through the medical literature to unearth important health truths. The Life Altering Impact of Brain Fog Dave was a successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur in the early days of the web. Then, he suddenly started gaining a lot of weight, and despite working out every day, six days a week, the weight gain continued. After going on a low-fat diet, he started experiencing severe brain fog — so much so, he feared losing his career. “I ended up spending $1 million and 15 years fixing my body and getting all of the data. I lost 100 pounds. I ended up running an anti-aging, non-profit research group. Here I am, a formerly obese computer hacker by training, who realized I could hack my own biology. When you’re taking over a computer system, you don’t know what’s inside it. You just need to know enough to change the system. I looked at my body and I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on in there. The doctors … barely know what’s going on in there. Maybe I can use these techniques about managing a system even if you don’t know everything.’ It really changed my life. Years later, I have a deep knowledge of how the system of the body works and how the environment changes it. You were one of the first guys to talk about epigenetics — this idea that your environment changes your gene expression. Like, whoa, wouldn’t it be easier to just change my environment instead of doing something? That’s where I was led to.” It’s All About the Mitochondria Health ultimately boils down to mitochondrial function, Dave realized. Both weight loss and improved brain capacity are byproducts of simple lifestyle changes that optimize your mitochondria. Mitochondria are tiny organelles in your cells that can be viewed as cellular battery chargers. The mitochondria charge the structured water, which in turn operates much like a battery, thereby producing the energy (ATP) your body needs to function. Disturbingly, research suggests half of people under the age of 40 have early onset mitochondrial dysfunction, and this phenomenon appears to be at the heart of most illness and chronic disease. “That means their battery is weak before it’s supposed to be weak. Everyone over age 40 has mitochondrial dysfunction. It’s called aging,” he says. “If you can hack those little mitochondria to make them leak [fewer] electrons, to make them more effective and efficient in creating energy, to make them [create] less inflammation when they make energy, you’re probably going to live a lot longer. But however long you live, you’re going to … have more energy every day. That makes you a nicer person because you can regulate your emotions better … I’m calmer, more grounded and more focused because my battery is fully charged most of the time.” Environmental toxins, be they natural, such as mold, or synthetic, such as agricultural chemicals and food additives, all have the ability to impede mitochondrial function and hence stifle your body’s ability to create energy. The plan Dave describes in “Head Strong” revolves around reducing exposure to toxins that lower the efficiency of your mitochondria, and increasing exposures and activities that give you energy. As your disease risk goes down, the quality of your thinking goes up, quite literally making you more “headstrong.” “What used to be a struggle stops being a struggle. It just feels kind of effortless and joyful,” he says. One aspect of his work that stands out is the importance of sun exposure. Not only does it provide your body with vitamin D, sun exposure also charges your mitochondria. Sunlight ‘Charges Your Batteries’ In a nutshell, the near-, mid- and far-infrared light in sunlight can directly add electrons to these internal power plants, your mitochondria. Infrared light — which is the part that provides warmth — actually changes the structure of the water in your cells, making it more structured, thereby increasing the efficiency of your mitochondria. In simplified terms, you could say you can actually “charge” yourself with sunlight. In the absence of sunlight, you can also use near- and mid-infrared light bulbs. Groundbreaking science now also shows the near-infrared range is particularly important for your brain function. Dave explains: “There are basically three different types of beneficial infrared ranges that humans have been able to recreate. There’s really a spectrum that’s unending of all these electromagnetic frequencies. We’re just talking [about certain ranges]. The near-infrared is one that you hear less about. This is warming, more so than far-infrared, which you oftentimes hear about [in relation to infrared] sauna, where far-infrared heats more deeply and near-infrared heats more of the surface. You’ll find that all three types of infrared light are important, and that you get all three when you get natural sunlight. What I’m recommending in “Head Strong” is to go outside, take off your sunglasses or prescription glasses [because] that UV filter is actually filtering out [light] that your brain needs. You need a little bit of ultraviolet light even in your eyes. It can help to fix near-sightedness. Take off your hat. You’re not going to get wrinkles in 20 minutes of sunshine. It’s OK. Don’t put on sunscreen. Take off your shirt and go for a walk in the sun.” Near-Infrared for Brain Health For nearly 10 years, Dave has been using an infrared LED emitter in the 810 to 850 nanometer (nm) range that can be placed on an injury or on your head to treat your brain. As discussed in my interview with photodynamic therapy researcher Michael Hamblin, Ph.D., such devices could be revolutionary in the treatment of dementia and other neurological problems. “Most think that light is just light. Can I see or not see? What we’re discovering is that light is a drug. You can have the corn syrup of lighting, which is basically … blue LED light bulbs. We’ve allowed these into our environment the same way we allowed corn syrup into our food supply. [Blue light from LED light bulbs] makes your mitochondria weak. It causes macular degeneration over time, which is a mitochondrial disorder. What I’m talking about here is the LEDs that replace your incandescent light fixtures so you can read, so you can watch TV and cook. You don’t want those [light bulbs] in your environment. But red and infrared in targeted spectrum LEDs are actually game-changing. One of the reasons this works is because your mitochondria are semi-conductors. This was not well-established until maybe eight years ago. [A semi-conductor] conducts electricity at a lower speed than it would normally go. What this means is that one of the functions of mitochondria is to create photons. They’re called biophotons. One of the primary functions of mitochondria is to receive photons. They’re actually able to communicate, we believe, with each other using photons. But certainly, they listen to the light around you, the same as they listen to what you put in your mouth. Having these quadrillion little sensors in your body that are light sensitive means what you expose them to is going to change the state of your body. The recommendation in “Head Strong” is have less of these LED lights for vision, and to use LED therapeutically with red and infrared, or even ultraviolet. There are ultraviolet LEDs now. Go back to more natural spectrums.” The Importance of Cyclical Ketosis and mTOR Activation Another critical message “Head Strong” gets right is the importance of not remaining in continuous ketosis. This is part of the message I focused on in “Fat for Fuel” as well, because virtually no one is talking about this. Once you’re at the point where your body is efficiently burning fat as its primary fuel, you need to start cycling in and out of ketosis. This mimics the ancestral pattern of going through periods of feast and famine. “It’s almost like doing interval training,” Dave says. “You don’t have to be in one state forever. In fact, your body doesn’t like to be in one state forever. That’s why we sleep and we wake up. We have all these different activities, why should you always be in one metabolic state?” Another common problem is that people in ketosis are eating far too much protein, and often poor quality protein, which can fan the flames of inflammation. When you limit protein to only what your body needs, you suppress an important metabolic pathway called mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), thereby lowering your risk of cancer. However, as with nutritional ketosis, you don’t necessarily want to suppress mTOR all the time either. You need to activate mTOR now and then to retain muscle mass. Dave explains: "The three things that suppress mTOR … are intermittent fasting … exercise … and coffee … These push mTOR down. Then, as soon as you feed again (especially with protein), mTOR comes bounding back. This is when you'll put muscle on really rapidly. This cyclical approach to ketosis and protein consumption will activate mTOR when you need it (ideally on days when you're strength training), so you get more return on the time spent exercising. You also lower inflammation and your cancer risk.” Put another way, the “metabolic magic” in the mitochondria actually occurs during the refeeding phase, not during the starvation phase. Alas, you cannot get to that magic unless you first go through the starvation phase. Another part of the protein and mTOR conversation is collagen, which can provide you with the benefits of protein without the drawbacks. Dave explains: “Collagen is the connective tissue in your face and your skin [and] also throughout your body, your bone matrix. It holds the fascia of your muscles together, and your organs. This is a protein we don’t eat very much of, unless you’re eating bone broth the way your grandmother did. Muscle meat, [opposed to] organ meat, has amino acids that raise mTOR and insulin … When you consume collagen or bone broth with a meal, and you increase the percentage of protein that comes from that, you can actually get more collagen protein without hitting these protein limits, which has been really helpful for me. I might have an extra 10 or 20 grams of collagen without getting all the amino acids that are causing some of the inflammation.” How to Regain Mental Clarity Reduced hunger and food cravings, and significantly increased mental clarity are all welcomed side effects of nutritional ketosis. To understand the reasons for this, you need to understand the interplay of cholecystokinin (CCK), a satiety hormone, and ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Once you’re in ketosis, where you’re burning fat as your primary fuel, the ketones created go a long way toward warding off hunger. Not only is fat a more slow-burning fuel than sugar, allowing you to feel energized longer, once your ketone level goes up, ghrelin, the hunger hormone, will reset itself. As your ketone level rises, CCK, a satiety hormone, is also activated. As a result, food cravings and hunger pangs vanish. Ketones are also a preferred fuel for your brain; hence, the improved mental clarity. “If you don’t have ketones, you’ll always have the ghrelin, the hunger level, of whatever your maximum weight was. When I weighed 300 pounds, I had the hunger of a 300-pounder. If I went on a low-calorie diet and got down to 250 pounds, I still had the hunger of a 300-pound person … Resetting ghrelin [and CCK] with ketosis matters.” While your body will produce ketones internally, you can also consume exogenous ketones. Bulletproof CoffeeⓇ is a well-known product these days, made from coffee free of mitochondrial-inhibiting mold toxins, Brain Octane Oil (a more concentrated form of MCT oil) and grass fed butter. Others add butter, coconut oil, or MCT oil to black coffee, but it doesn’t raise ketones as much. Another intriguing mitochondrial supplement is good old-fashioned apple cider vinegar. It’s actually chock-full of acetic acid, which is a short-chained fat. Dave explains: “This acetic acid is used in the mitochondria. There is a class of people [with] mitochondrial inefficiencies [in whom] acetic acid … turns their mitochondria back on. These people will take some apple cider vinegar … [and] it’s like the lights come back on. There are other people who have different inefficiencies in their mitochondria. They’ll take apple cider vinegar [and] don’t feel any energy difference whatsoever. When your gut works really well, when you eat fermented vegetables … or perhaps resistant starch … your gut bacteria will make a lot of these short-chain fatty acids — things like butyric acid, which is one of the reasons butter is in bulletproof coffee … You also get propionic acid, which protects your gut from toxins made by bacteria. Then you get acetic acid, which is from vinegar. Just by adding vinegar to your diet you may get a mitochondrial upgrade. You’re certainly helping your gastrointestinal tract [with] these really short-chain fats.” Other Biohacks to Optimize Mitochondrial Function Aside from cyclical ketosis and intermittent fasting, which Dave also touches on in this interview, other simple biohacks that boost mitochondrial function include: • Cold thermogenesis. Exposure to cold temperatures (65 degrees F or lower) triggers fat burning and raises mitochondrial density. It also triggers the release of endorphins, which can have a mood-boosting effect, and stimulates collagen production and tissue healing. A simple way to incorporate cold thermogenesis is to take a cold shower in the morning. I like jumping into my non-heated pool after working out. Alternatively, cycle hot and cold in the shower, ending with cold. • High-impact, high-intensity and/or resistance exercises and whole body vibration. Certain materials make electricity when bent or otherwise stressed. This is known as the piezoelectric effect. Turns out your bones are piezoelectric, which means when your bone is flexed or stressed, an electrical signal is created, triggering the creation of bone morphogenic protein (BMP). This is why strength training and other high impact exercises are so good for strengthening and healing your bones. • Walking or rebounding on a trampoline. Your cell membranes are also piezoelectric. What this means is that every time you take a step, the shock reverberates throughout your body. In addition to being light-sensitive, your mitochondria are also vibration- and pressure-sensitive. So anytime you flex your cell membranes, you’re making a little bit of extra electricity that your body can harness. A fancier and more expensive alternative is to use an atmospheric pressure chamber. You will sometimes find them in high-end athletic clubs. The chamber alters the air pressure in your body, imitating the effect of going to an altitude of about 5,000 feet for about 10 seconds and then back to sea level. The cyclic pressure changes help clean and charge your cells. • Neurofeedback. According to Dave, you can actually train the mitochondria in your brain to maintain a higher voltage than normal, and the way you do this is through neurofeedback. You can also train the neurons in your brain to fire faster. He does this at his neurofeedback facility in Seattle, 40 Years of Zen. “You can tell the mitochondria in the brain to become more efficient at creating lots of power or getting power quickly,” Dave says. “For me, this has been really game-changing.” Breathing exercises and certain meditation techniques may also produce similar effects. “We know the mitochondria in the brain can be trained. The neurons can be trained. Anytime you’re increasing voltage, you’re making the mitochondria stronger, and you’re exercising the mitochondria just by thinking and focusing on what matters,” he says. • Radiant barrier to block cellphone radiation. Cellphone radiation, which has a range of adverse effects, can be reduced by using a radiant barrier between the phone and your body when carrying the phone on your body. A radiant barrier is simply a thick piece of aluminum foil, which you can cut to the size of your pocket. Placing the face of the phone toward your body, with the radiant barrier in-between, will further minimize your radiation exposure. Demo of Radiant Barrier Join the Bulletproof Conference to Learn More If you’re intrigued and want to learn more, I recommend picking up a copy of “Head Strong.” You can read the first chapter for free on OrderHeadStrong.com. It’s a great complement to my new book, “Fat for Fuel,” which delves into the practical implementation of cyclical ketosis to optimize your mitochondrial function. If you’re ready to take it to the next level, join Dave and me at the Bulletproof Conference 2017. The event, which features eight speakers including yours truly, takes place October 13 through 15 in Pasadena, California. It’s an interesting and a bit unusual conference in that it’s very experiential and hands-on learning-based. You get plenty of time to meet and talk with vendors and exhibitors to learn about the latest, cutting-edge biohacking technologies and techniques available. As you can see, there are many ways to biohack your brain, and become sharper and smarter with age. So, don’t settle for brain fog and declining mental acuity. Such signs are really a wakeup call to address some fundamental lifestyle choices. Dave himself is proof positive you can completely transform your health and mental clarity if you’re willing to make some changes.