#Chronic Fatigue is more than just being tiered | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

weabbynormalblog · 5 years

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You got this!

Failure is a good thing...What???

In my experience it breeds strength, courage, conviction and belief in oneself!

That's right every step count; even if it leads to failure. Just another learning moment.

Perfection is something we all strive for at one time or another. The error free post, the ultimate cake, meal, artwork, skill, trade or even apparently phone call. We all do our best however our best often isn't always perfect. Success at anything usually requires commitment, a solid plan, consistency, knowledge and a wide variety of skills in order to successfully achieve realistic goals. Usually an optimistic big picture approach and managing daily details are the steps that lead to overall sucess. As humans we fail time and time again, success can seem fleeting and quite elusive at times especially when frustrated.

Failure really is only a complete failure when you give up forever. Like Anthony Bourdane. Suicide ideation is not "normal" behavior or anywhere near healthy thoughts. It's the red flag. It's the failure to thrive while being overwhelmed consistently.

Happiness and joy is available to everyone, regardless of situation or station. It's a choice, another option a better possibility.

It is attainable! Take responsibility for your own happiness!!! Don't let yourself be defeated by one little moment in a bazillion of moments that come in a lifetime! Success and failure are a matter of belief. Stop that degrading story playing in your head, that you'll never be better. Start saying what is easy, what is working; go down that check list if you have to. Never measure your self worth to others. We are all unique while being quite alike too. Weight the positives and agree to improvement on the negatives. It's all good! Change your vocabulary and thinking to a more positive mind set. We do ourselves a great disservice by comparing and analyzing who we are in retrospect to others. Judging our performance, philosophy, our earnings and material wealth. We are way more than the 10% of what people see.

I learnt by failing that I don't need to be successful or perfect at anything to be happy. I can enjoy the moment regardless of handicap or pain. That's a big realization in terms of adaptation and self acceptance! My therapist said pay attention to my thoughts, all of them, not just the good ones. And I am. I went to Giant Tiger to pick up some odds and ends and was stuck in a huge line at the check out. My endurance somewhat fleeting. I employ stretching and moving around while waiting. Extreme pain in my head, just breath slow in out sit in the pain and breath through it. I survived. Learning curve don't go at lunch time silly. Understanding our pain, our limits and abilities is a good start in the healing process. It's a big deal so I'm sharing it with you. It helps and works. Practicing mindfulness, energy management, a shelf life for your emotions, good sleep hygiene, the Yoga and a process free raw food diet. I even imagine it all chipping away at my disease. I'm starting to see results now in shifting my mind set. There may not be a "cure" for CFS mental illness etc or what terrible situation has befallen you, there's still hope for you to change, adapt and to create your own joy. Try out something that will bring some relief, you never know where that will lead you. Little by little, tiny beautiful bunches of happiness and success. So I'm going to keep working my schedule no matter how grim and depressed I am. I'm going to continue to rock my adaptation by not giving in to the fear of failure, lack or the unknown. I put in the time to go out to socialize and play music once a month because it's good for me even if I have to leave early or don't even get there. There was still lots of little steps of success throughout my day. I've been working hard on my stamina and energy consumption by practicing the standing, walking, singing and playing guitar. I was caught off guard by the crippling physical exhaustion. Next time I'll try an afternoon meditation session or even a power nap on music outing night. The smooth ride was over. Overdoing any type of activity can leave me in jeopardy of injury. Like loosing physical balance; I've injured myself enough to know no thank you body, I'm listening. Often I'm in bad shape for days with flu like/sun burn/tin man symptoms.

Ok fine, body you win this one.

Failure aside, I still got out of the house. I interacted with other humans and did something that brings me joy. I find when I'm not attached to the outcome, results or expectations, my moments can be enjoyable in spite of my body. Suddenly any down time becomes worth the little bit of enjoyment. Its about the quality of those moments and those were some good quality moments. Not a complete failure as I first thought. Yes it was depressing that I couldn't physically get through 3 songs this time. What does this inability means for my physical health in the future? Then the fear old me. New me however what I did perform, I did do justice! This is to be expected, the no more energy thing. This is my normal now. It's the nature of the beast. And I was pacing myself. I guess it doesn't matter that my practicing was successful or consistent because it suddenly became nul and void up against illness. I got to be realistic here. Yes CFS is a real fucking thing! It's like the narrow mindedness that comes with "flat worlders" have friends all over the globe. My CFS/TBI clearly cut me to the quick. It let me know who's bitch I really am. No more performing of any kind tonight! The old me: I was so bummed, ready to pack it all in, no cure; minimal enjoyment and relief. Ensuing some kind of abusive self harm behavior, the old me. The new me: Ok, so it was too much for me this time. Maybe not the next. It happens to lots of people. I know exactly how Lady Gaga feels. My body and mind gave out mid performance. Severe dry mouth, balancing and memory issues. It was awkward. I was somewhat dumbfounded. I had to stop singing and playing guitar or I was going to wipe out on the stage damaging lots of nice equipment and instruments. I can't keep putting myself at risk of falling. With chronic fatigue (insert auto immun/mental disorder)etc. Safety is an issue. You literally have no choice. Your tiered body/what's broken wins. Sometimes in extreme ways. I'll rest, dust myself off and give it another go another day.

I'll keep at it. I have too! I will not let illness dictate my life. I'll find a way to live with it, cure it or kill it which ever comes first.

For love the of myself, my offspring and all the others suffering.

#CFS is real #No cure for CFS #how to live with chronic illness #Chronic Fatigue is more than just being tiered #Coping better with mental illness #supporting good health practices #Seeking a balanced lifestyle #No more stress #Cure for CFS #living with handicaps #cure for Tbi

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normal-with-adhd-is-a-joke · 4 years

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@shy-bi-notatallfly saw this in the Walmart she works at (she couldn’t get a picture of it because she was on the clock so she had to look it up later).

I just...

I have no words.

This is some top tier ableist bullshit right here.

Let’s break it down (for those of you using screen readers, the sign reads “10 things that require no talent” and has bullet points labeled 1 through 10, which I’ll be covering below).

1. Being on Time.

For many neurodivergent people, scheduling is a huge struggle. This can be for any number of reasons. People with ADHD tend to get hyperfocused and might lose track of time. People with depression might make plans for themselves but find it hard to follow through on them because of lack of motivation. People with anxiety might make plans but need longer than they thought to manage the anxiety surrounding those plans. The list goes on and on.

2. Making An Effort.

This is incredibly vague. Someone can look like they’re not putting in a lot of work but actually be trying extremely hard. It’s difficult to judge if someone is truly “making an effort”.

3. Being High Energy.

This one was the one that really got me. I have extremely low energy because of depression. Even basic tasks like getting up to make myself food are grueling. If I greeted everyone with a peppy “hello!” and made conversation with them, I would be crying on the floor by the 5th person. And I’m not the only one like this. There’s like, several whole disorders (narcolepsy, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, just to name a few) who have fatigue as one of their prominent symptoms.

4. Having a Positive Attitude.

There’s a whole class of mental disorders (depressive disorders) devoted to people who can’t do this.

5. Being Passionate.

Depression can cause a lack of passion/emotion, people with ADHD might be passionate but about the “wrong” things, people in general don’t really choose to be passionate about things, they either are or aren’t.

6. Using Good Body Language.

I hope with all my heart that I don’t have to teach you why this is ableist as hell, but in case I do, here we go. A common problem in autistic people is being unable to read and understand body language. Because of that, they might also have trouble using the correct body language.

7. Being Coachable.

By this I’m assuming they mean “being able to take criticism”. Anxiety and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) both make it extremely hard to take criticism without being hurt/taking it personally. This sometimes comes across as being “difficult to teach” because they might respond to criticism with anger or sadness, but it’s not a conscious response. Most of them want to be better as people, they just have uncontrollable emotional responses to criticism.

8. Doing a Little Extra.

This comes with the assumption that you have the mental and physical energy to do everything that’s required of you, then more on top of that. A lot of disabled people can barely do what they need to do to survive, much less do extra on top of that.

9. Being Prepared.

This one’s just vague as hell. Being prepared for what? Being prepared to do the work you’re assigned? Or being prepared for emergencies?

10. Having a Strong Work Ethic.

Again, a strong work ethic depends on how much work you have to put in . I wouldn’t be able to lift as many gallons of milk as my sibling. Does that mean I have less of a work ethic than her? No. It means that it requires more energy for me than it does for her and I have to take break more often. Not to mention, depression and ADHD can both rob you of your desire to do work.

tl;dr: the sign is bullshit and if you are a disabled and/or neurodivergent person I just want you to know that you are incredibly talented for surviving this long and becoming the person you are today. You found a way to work with/around your own mind and body to get done the things you need to get done, and that’s something that able-bodied neurotypicals will never understand.

#ableism tw #ableism

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hey-hamlet · 5 years

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BNHA AU Ideas : University Professors (in Love)

Also on AO3!

TL;DR:

Due to a long-standing feud between various Law and Science professors, the students from those respective degrees don’t get along very well. What better way to foster some good (or at least non-violent) relations between departments than to start a new science-in-law degree?

Too bad the Law and Science professors - Yamada Hizashi and Aizawa Shouta, respectively - working on the course together hate each other's guts.

(Well, until they fall in love.)

Oh and Izuku and Hitoshi are sleep deprived first years running on noodles and Redbull, but what else is new?

this is at a big ass, top tier university

all might is like, the david attenbourgh of this universe but he got injured on set and moved to teaching, he's not that relevant i just wanted to include him because hes a good man

so, aizawa is under all might in the science faculty hierarchy, but not by much considering how young he is. aizawas the animal physiology teacher and does shit tones of research with zoos and shelters for husbandry studies

now, the two big draws of this campus are like the wet sciences and their law section, but the whole campus is pretty swish: like if gatton and st. lucia were connected with land but still as weird as the other.

Now none of you know anything about my uni, so imagine not quite an Ivy League school, but still one of the fancier collages in your state, with a redneck agricultural campus slapped on. But the rednecks are liberals.

Now imagine they are run by the same people

so one of the law lectures retires and they get a new one! its mic! and now aizawa is already pissed. hes dealt with mic before riding his ass in ethics committees and honestly just making life harder for him than it had to be

and the university tells him to reduce the hostility between the two sides of the campus, they are going to be holding some law classes in the animal side and vice versa and aizawa is piiisssssedddd

and then they fucking, start a new animal science/law degree about animal ethics law and aizawa is flipping his fucking lid because all might is already the vet science-vet tech degree co-ordinator and since aizawa is so new, hes the highest-ranking person to not be a degree coordinator

so of course, hes the new degree coordinator

but oh no, nezu isnt done

hes coordinating with mic, and they are the two primary lecturers for the two first, second and third-year compulsory subjects so aizawa is having a mini breakdown rant at allmight in the staff room when mic bursts in to say hello

allmight shoves aizawa in the cupboard and nervously chats to mic as aizawa tries not to make a noise from where he was quickly shoved into a cupboard of skeletons. hes internally saying sorry to the skeleton of that one tutor who donated himself to the uni. mic leaves, allmight helps him out and aizawa is just caught between pissed and flustered tbh

so the science people band together to allow aizawa to drown his sorrows in the nice food on the other side of the campus

and they have fucking, disguised aizawa

hes in one of nemuri's wigs, a pair of sunglasses from snipe and one of the nice lab techs named inko gave him a big puffy coat

and so this pack of science nerds is penguin huddle sprinting to the one ramen shop they all love, trying to hide aizawa from nezu, hizashi, and other random law students/lecturers hes pissed off

so allmight swears he sees hizashi but its nbd he only waves

so they get there, and all give aizawa sympathetic looks and buy him his lunch even though he insists he has money. inko the lab tech is there too bc i love her and she is aggressively mothering aizawa

when they are done they run back to the science side because no one has the courage needed to stop a hoard of sprinting scientists. also: nemuri is the chem lecturer and you should know that

its like the middle of the school year when this starts, so aizawa and hizashi have to scrap together this degree real fucking quickly

even though the both of them have Opinions about the other, they refuse to let their students suffer bc of how poorly planned this was so they knuckle the fuck down and bust out 1.5 years worth of content before the end of the year. they dont do much in person, mostly just emailing

aizawa is softer on mic bc they guy isn't horrific over email. unknown to him mic has developed a full-on crush on this guy

hes like, crying to joke "hes just,,, he wants to do good for his students you know? he isnt just a lecturer for the research money,,, he c a r e s,,,"

the whole god damn science faculty is mothered by the head lab animal tech, inko and they see her fretting about one day, and its turns out this whole fucking time shes had a son and didn't want to say anything bc she didn't wanna impose

(yagi has a big ol crush on her but nbd)

and so shes surrounded by all these nerds asking ab izuku and how old he is, and what he likes to do and they've never seen her happier rambling about her son. She tells them she let slip ab the new degree a little early, and izuku wants to be in it so badly and everyone is real soft

hes graduating next year, so thats even more motivation for aizawa to buck up and make this degree work bc he knows one of the kids now, and from what inkos told him, the boys a good kid

the entire faculty has already adopted izuku

one thing she hasn't mentioned ab izuku is that hes got chronic fatigue syndrome

aka izuku is constantly exhausted, his immune system is a bit shit, and hes in chronic pain that isnt affected by painkillers, other symptoms can just like, pop up, its pretty not understood

anyway, thats the reason izuku wants to get into animal law, not vet practise, bc hes not sure he'll always be able to physically pick up the animals and he doesnt wanna do them like that

anyway, its near the end of the year and its time to set the OP threshold. I have 0 idea how you guys get into uni, but an OP is basically: your grades are ranked, then your subjects are ranked, then your school is ranked by a fancy test. Your OP is the score from 1-25 you get with all that jazz. 1-5 is like: you can do almost anything. 1 is like doctors, vets, law. 1-15 is pretty respectable, under than you might need to do a little fuckery to get into a course.

mic is pushing for like, 10, bc its a new degree

but aizawa isn't having that. op 2 or he wont sign off on it and mic doesnt understand why and aizawa just turns towards him

"im not having animals suffer lower standards than humans. standard law is an op 1. vet science is an op 1. im already making a concession here."

mic swoons a little tbh, they eventually agree on op 5

anyway, izuku has an op 2 so its nbd for him, inko is so proud of her boy! aizawa has a little "thank fuck" moment bc he really did want this kid to get in bc he sounded like a good kid. also, mic's nephew shinso is in the first class! aizawa is actively trying not to remember the kids name so he isn’t a dick to him for 0 reason

there is like a grand total of 80 people in this degree which honestly isnt that bad

super high rate of externals tho, so there are only 50 students on campus

20 students in the campus dorms

izuku is one of them, he was gonna get in anyway but they put him in and gave him a nice first floor room bc making the poor guy walk up and down stairs for no reason is just mean

hes in self-catered bc while hes not super picky, hes allergic to some stuff, and some other stuff makes him sick, so no dining hall

shinso is his nextdoor neighbour. hes in self-catered bc he put his form in late and thats the only spot they had left! he cant cook so save his actual life.

so, mirio is the ra and hes a big soft 4th-year vet, he works out to give the dogs hugs

amajiki is his neighbour he has a cat - i mean - very loud fish (aka: no pets other than fish allowed)

when mirio likes people, he just,,, puts a cat in their face, and insists its a fish until they get it

that cats name is guppy i don’t make the rules

ok so, izuku and shinso meet and bond a bit in freshers’ week (think hazing, but gentle, with loads of games and forced bonding), but shinso is intimidated bc izuku is smiley and social and has loads of friends

and that does a 180 when he gets back to his room after a late-night walk, seeing izuku crying in the kitchen as he waits for the kettle to boil because a hot water bottle is the only thing that might stop his arms from aching

and shinso like, hides bc he gets not wanting people to know what's wrong but from then one he is SUPER protective of izuku

anyway, end of the week izuku confesses that he has chronic pain so he might be a bit grumpy sometimes and shinsou has to be like "oh its nbd" when one day he almost smacked their other neighbour with a piece of frozen steak bc he was making too much noise in the morning when izuku got to sleep really late

on the weekend they play videogames and make popcorn as the other kids go home, and they get visited by inko and Hizashi

inko is mothering izuku and has two very fat rats in her arms that she dumps on him and he lights up

see: izuku isnt allowed pets. but no one said anything about inko

so she got the two softest, dumbest, babiest rats shes ever seen and they live on her desk now. and shinso is like "SONs" and they have rats in their jumpers while all 3 of them play mariokart

hizashi stops by to help shinso cook bc he admitted hes only been eating frozen shit. izuku is gently telling him off bc he could have helped! but shinso is like "no i needed to maintain my cool vibes" so hizashi gently grabs izuku, sets up the two chairs like fluffy thrones and they order shinso around the kitchen like hes a servant

shinso is loosing his actual mind laughing and so is izuku. they force him to make katsu curry and eat it in the kitchen on their thrones while shinso sits on a shitty box fridge. there are more chairs left, hes being extra

so, first day of classes, they have principals of law first, izuku drags his pained ass out of bed and he and shinso make their way to class, both freezing fucking cold holding mugs of hot drink

they sit down

the lecturer is mic

izuku is losing his shit and shinso is like "oh yeah didnt i tell you?" and izuku is trying not to cackle/punch him. he waves sheepishly at mic who waves back with great enthusiasm

mics first class is just

KAHOOT

it’s not even law-related, it’s just random bs animal facts

shinsos name is c a t s and hizashi is losing his mind bc izuku set his name as d o g s r b e t t e r

the lectures r live-streamed so the external students can join in real-time and monomas on the other end like s n a k e

hizashi is losing his actual m i n d, everyone just has variations of their favourite animal

also pwease during this lecture mic is just chatting w the students ab whats going to happen, sees izukus mug of tea and says

"ok and just so everyone knows, please feel free to eat and drink in my lectures, just dont let anyone know i said that

"sir this is being recorded"

"shhhhh"

pls bakugous that one asshole that whips out a full course meal and starts distributing it amongst his squad. bakugo is just a plain law student, but there are some plain law students taking this course as an elective

mic honestly looks bakugo in the eyes, and orders pizza for everyone but him. hes standing in font of the mic so its fucking recorded too. izuku is cackling

ok so, they have an hour break and go to the cafe, inko crashes and smuggles them outside, and gives them the rats

inko and izuku aren't super well off financially bc they are saving for a service dog and its EXPENSIVE, even tho inko makes ok money, husband divorced her bc izuku was sick, izuku has issues, was bullied in school, has had cfs for ages

so inko has these rats bc she "liberated" them from the end of a cosmetics trial she heped nemuri run and nerumi stood infront of the secruity camera and closed her eyes

anyway, next lecture is aizawa's

shinso has vaguely heard ab the guy from hizashi and desperately wants to sit in the back row. izuku has heard ab the guy vaguely from inko and desperately wants to sit in the front row. izuku wins bc they walked in through the lower door and shinso doesnt wanna make the guy walk up all those steps

aizawa walks in, nicely says hello to shinso, izuku and the over kid in the front row, tells the people in the back row that if they think he cant see or hear them from there they have another thing coming, and immediately starts talking ab how many people working in animal-related fields and in law are depressed

izuku raises his hand, while shinso is aggressively trying to pull it down

"yes, kid?"

"what if you're already depressed, professor?"

aizawa pauses, turns off the mic and loses his shit quietly behind his desk, shinso is red and trying to hide, izuku looks proud of himself. aizawa gets himself together, coughs, and turns the mic back on

"seems we had a bit of a technical difficulty, continuing on"

and the whole room loses their shit, and aizawa is grinning like an idiot but his voice is the same pissed monotone as usual

just have to Be There for aizawas lectures like everyone who doesn’t show up is like :///// idk why y’all like him so much he’s kinda boring and izukus like No you have to Be There

in Person

everyone thinks the guy is a boring old man who keeps breaking his computers. in reality, hes like 26, really tired, and keeps losing his shit so hard he turns off the mic so No One Can Know

one time he walked in in hot pink leggings and when he asked "any questions?" ochako (a vet tech student in the class) ask "sir where did you buy those because they look amazing" "the internet, ochako. any other questions."

and bc you cant hear the students all the externals are trying to work out what the question was. it becomes a meme

last day of lectures they all show up in matching leggings. aizawas soft but he Refuses to show them. they fucking found the site he bought them from, all of them have pink leggings in increasingly vibrant shades

shinso's are like, lilac

izukus are eyebleeding, highlighter pink

anyway! mic likes to share the tea from behind the scenes

and so they learn ab the "really sweet department head with a crush on a lab tech" and izuku loses his shit. puts his hand up, and mic says "yeah?"

izuku clambers out of his seat, asks mic to turn the recording off, takes the mic and stares down the class

"that lab tech in my mum and shes smitten for this guy. totally smitten."

'ooOH SHIT REALLY?"

izuku just grins and nods

"ok class, extra credit. can we go through this uni's stance on dating co-workers. anyone who gives me a quick, sighted explanation of whether or not we can hook these two up gets 5% of their final mark, no questions asked"

fuckin, izuku is so on board with this, and tells hizashi he'll leave the assignments on inkos table at home if he wants, the whole class gets so fucking into it

anyway, after all that jazz izuku spots yagi and inko out for coffee together and reports it as a win, the class cheers

as an aside: hizashi is very open ab the fact hes one of 2 degree coordinators but he hasnt mentioned the second

its also very obvious he has a crush on the second, and that hes a little older than them (hizashi is 32, shouta is 26) now, literally no one thinks aizawa is the other

bc hes 26, and wears fucking pink leggings to lectures. hes like, hes baby. hes so small, so young, takes his cat to class in a backpack

its literally only the externals who think he could be bc they think hes like 50. aizawa has the curse of just having great fucking bone structure, hes really god damn hot. half of their love letters pages is people thirsting over him and hes so mad ab it. he doesnt brush his hair and wears dumb clothes but apparently, that makes him relatable or some shit

anyway, hizashi is off-topic talking ab the lab tech that mothers the other course coordinator and shinso sees izuku perk up

they guy has been looking out of it all morning bc hes having a bad day, but wanted to go to lectures. anyway, after the lecture hes scrambles over to hizashi and asks

"oh my god is the other coordinator professor aizawa”

"damn, what gave it away"

"mum mothers him because he never eats and he apparently looks like hes barely 20, which is false, but thats mum for you"

once they get out of lectures izuku is like

"shinso. shinso"

and shinso looks lost

"you know what this means, shinso""

"no. no i dont"

"MATCH MAKING TIME"

#bnha au #professors in love au #aizawa shouta #aizawa #eraserhead #erasermic #present mic #yamada hizashi #midoriya izuku #midoriya #izuku #shinsou #shinsou hitoshi #shindeku #if you squint

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desroundtree · 5 years

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Diagnosis

Silence. That's what I have had. I have had all the feelings in the world, all the pain one can muster, all the love one can accept - but I simply could not find words big enough to carry them. The lack of stability in my world right now has sent me to a place where explanations hurt but are still demanded. I want answers no matter how badly they may hurt or what steps they may bring me to take.

Recently I have been struggling in every way possible. Physically I have dealt with new symptoms, new diagnoses, new medicine. Emotionally it has been new news (good and bad), new realities, new goals, new losses. Psychologically there are no ways to explain the upheaval my emotions have gone through.

New diagnoses always come with new questions and protocols - what do we do now, how do we handle it regarding the other medicines and things I have introduced or removed into my daily routine. The first was Hidradenitis Suppurtiva, a very painful inflammatory condition that effects the skin glands and pores. Don’t click on that link if you have a weak stomach but I can tell you it’s pretty bad. It is autoimmune and one of the worst conditions I have had to deal with so far. Since it has come on so suddenly and now seems to be taking roost it effects just about every aspect of my life. The pain is immeasurable, the tenderness, and constantly feeling like there is something painful like a needle underneath your skin is not something that helps at all with any thoughts of being active at all. I have read all I can about it and decided that changing my diet completely is the only thing I can do to get even the slightest bit of relief.

Yet another pain condition to deal with.

Fatigue has been something I have always dealt with. Since I was a teenager it was one of the symptoms I always believed was "something" - it was attributed to IBS which I was diagnosed and treated for. Turns out they removed my appendix and there went my IBS but the fatigue always remained. I remember being so tired I would cry myself to sleep and wake up hours later when dinner was ready. A touch of depression probably contributed to it but I was tested for everything under the sun and everything was negative.

As I got older and was finally diagnosed - in my 30's - with fibromyalgia and lupus, the pain and fatigue made sense. I finally had an answer but I didn't realize that this answer would lead me to a whole lot of other questions where no answers seem to exist. I finally got my thyroid tested, and of course there was something not right there either. Hashimoto's thyroiditis - leads to a lot of the symptoms I am struggling with now so there was a happiness with another diagnosis because at least now I had answers in order to try to help myself.

I was opting to have my thyroid removed and met with the surgeon. I was excited to at least be able to eliminate some of the symptoms I was feeling. It might not be full relief but some relief was an option I was willing to accept. As a matter of fact, I can tell you I was betting on it, all my eggs in the basket for 10% relief. That's how desperate existing with chronic illness can be. Grasping at whatever tiny sliver of painlessness is offered, even if it means taking a pill for the rest of my life. I could care less, I already take pills everyday. What would one more make.

I sat across from a doctor that told me he would not remove my thyroid. He explained how he had seen worse cases. I had nothing to worry about. I should wait another six months and have a sonogram to see if there are any changes so we don't rush - as if I haven't been dealing with symptoms for over 11 years. I was told the nodules that are less than a cm smaller than the criteria for biopsy are nothing to worry about. When I asked about my thyroid growing 2cm in a little over a year was nothing because he has seen thyroids that are 12cm.

The tears were immediate. Not because he didn't think I needed surgery, I guess that's great news. The tears came as he continued to list every single thing that could possibly go wrong with the surgery - a) thyroid medication depends on absorption if you get generic versions (which would not be my actual case since I have tier 1 insurance) one week they could be from Mexico, the next from India, the next China. This could be a problem.b) the medicine might not leave you feeling the same (I think that's the point) and he doesn't think the removal of my thyroid that is barely functioning would help.c) the vocal cords could be damaged.d) the papillary thyroid glands can be damaged.e) your metabolism might change.

Then he looked at me, completely thrown off by my tears, and said, "I mean I will take it out if you want me to."

To sum up the appointment - I am sick just not sick enough. I am sick enough to suffer just not sick enough to treat. I am sick enough and I have had enough. Yes. I walked out of the office without my surgery scheduled and feeling like I had just been in a boxing match with Mike Tyson in his best days. I was physically beat, emotionally crushed by the fact that my hope to feel slightly better wasn't all that it was cracked up to be and was also very short lived. I walked out of that appointment thinking that under the jail is where I am meant to live my life. The happiness was sucked out of my day, the wind in my sails were battered and torn by a conversation with one person. One person who I felt maybe didn't take me all that seriously, one person that does nothing but remove organs and glands from people's bodies - he was right taking the least empathetic job in medicine, a surgeon.

I won't lie and say that this didn't knock me for a loop. It certainly did. The most sadness settled when I saw my daughter because I thought that just a bit of a burst of energy daily could change things for us immensely. Instead of being stuck in bed maybe I could be stuck outside. I had broken the cardinal rule, I made plans with something I didn't have yet. I made plans with something I had not yet tasted or felt or held in my hand. And that's called excitement and I will be guilty of it time and time again if it helps me find hope. Six months more of night sweats, fatigue, pain in my throat, hoarseness, hair loss, dry skin. Forever of painful acne inversa.

All diagnoses I don't want to hear. Yet I persist.

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deeeepsteep · 5 years

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Tbh when I think about lycanthropy and werewolves, I think about it like the stages to a disease

Read More because I put way too much thought into this

I know most folklore says that lycanthropy is more of a curse, but idk I always liked the idea of it being a disease, something contagious and mutated that latches onto your body and becomes a part of you whether you like it or not

Though...I think it originated hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago as a curse - maybe someone did something terribly wrong and was turned into a wolf as punishment, and that person found out that it could ‘infect’ others by biting or scratching them. Maybe this person was a complete dick who lacked self-awareness and didn’t learn from their mistakes, so they decided to fuck things up even more by intentionally infecting other people, which helped spread the disease. So maybe it is a curse???? Maybe it’s some weird mix of the two???? Idk lmao

My version of lycanthropy comes in three stages:

Man-Wolf/Untrue Werewolves

Common Werewolves/Halflings

True Werewolves

All three stages can be seen as variations or different “versions/mutations” of the same virus. Sort of like how a cold has different symptoms, if that makes any sense???

Now, humans aren’t as smart as actual wolves, and humans love to make things harder for themselves so the difference in stages have given some of them an entitlement of some sorts, which gives way to a sort of...werewolf racism????? There’s no existing word for it so I’m just gonna go with that lmao - humans love to discriminate against each other and this “werewolf tier” gives them another reason to treat each other like shit, because humans are terrible like that. They see the different stages as a hierarchy of some sort, with Untrue Werewolves on the bottom, Common Werewolves in the middle, and True Werewolves on top. More on that in a bit.

They all have a bunch of common traits, but they stand out on their own. Their common traits are things found in many werewolf-related folklore:

Speed-healing - I read that this has been a trait in werewolf lore for hundreds of years so it seemed imperative that this interpretation had it too. Bruises and cuts go away in seconds, even if there’s internal bleeding or if it’s a really deep cut. Bones that normally take weeks to heal will mend themselves in mere minutes, which can be a good and bad thing. You’ll have to set the bone as quickly as possible or else they will mend the wrong way, which means you’ll have to re-break the bone and set it again. It also takes a lot of strength and power to break werewolf bones; humans can’t do it on their own, so if you can cause a fracture that must mean you’re either very strong or you know very powerful magic!

High Body Temperature - A healthy werewolf will run about 110 degrees Farenheit in both their human and transformed forms. For humans, that’s an extremely high fever that can cause permanent brain damage and even death. Werewolves have a significantly higher body temperature due to two things: Their speed-healing, and their human immune system working harder to fend off the werewolf virus. They make great space heaters, so if you’re cold and your heater’s broken, cuddle a werewolf!

Heightened Senses/Abilities - Common and True Werewolves retain their heightened abilities in their human forms, while Untrue Werewolves only have them when they’ve transformed. A werewolf’s nose can smell things up to 5 miles away - that’s almost twice as strong as a regular wolf! They can see very well in the dark; since Common and True Werewolves retain their night vision in their human form, they have reflectors in their eyes (Also an easy way to spot a Common or True Werewolf). Their hearing is ultra-sensitive, and they also possess superhuman strength and agility; True Werewolves can cover dozens of miles within minutes.

Transformation Under A Full Moon - This is a given. Whenever there’s a full moon, you transform, no matter what stage of lycanthropy you’re in. At night, once you see the full moon, your transformation begins. Full moons generally last between 3 to 4 days, but werewolves only stay in their transformed state at night. Once dawn hits, they’re human again - but when night falls and the moon is visible again, back into werewolf form they go! However, during the day of a full moon, they are noticeably more irritable (Scroll down a bit more to read up on Moon Sickness).

Weakness Against Silver - I know this is more of a pop culture thing, but I noticed in folklore werewolves don’t really have any traditional weaknesses, thus making them technically invincible - and I find that really boring tbh. Everyone has a weakness. When werewolves are attacked with a silver weapon, their wounds take longer to heal. If you’re a werewolf and your attacker breaks your arm with a silver hammer, guess what? Your bones will take weeks, not seconds to heal!!!! If a silver weapon breaks through skin and causes an open wound, it will leave a scar once it heals. Werewolves with plenty of scars are often revered in the werewolf community; you’re the toughest of the tough if you’re adorned with them! As of right now, silver is the only known way to kill a werewolf.

Post-Transformation Amnesia - Present in Untrue and Common Werewolves. Most werewolves have little to no recollection of what they were doing during a full moon, or when they’re in a transformed state. This is due to their human selves essentially dissolving when they transform.

Moon Sickness/Phasing Sickness - Moon Sickness happens with every kind of werewolf. Their bodies can sense an impending full moon, which triggers the human immune system to work harder than usual to resist the werewolf virus. It’s common for werewolves to experience chronic fatigue, insomnia, irritable mood (More irritable than usual), and even flu-like symptoms in the days preceding a full moon and during the days of a full moon. True Werewolves not only experience Moon Sickness, but also Phasing Sickness; they experience Moon Sickness symptoms when they haven’t phased in awhile. Unlike their Untrue and Common counterparts, they experience these symptoms because their wolf half is getting restless from being dormant for too long, rather than their human bodies fighting against the werewolf virus.

Insatiable Appetites - Werewolves LOVE to eat. They have insanely high metabolisms, so they need to eat large portions of food to keep up their strength - however, that doesn’t mean there aren’t out of shape werewolves! Soft round werebois exist out there. They just eat way more than other werewolves do, which is probably tonnes.

Sensory Overload - Having heightened senses is great and all, but it’s overwhelming for many Common Werewolves, especially for those who’ve been bitten recently. Their human bodies simply cannot handle the wolf’s sensitive nose, ears, and eyes. It gets so overwhelming that some werewolves look for ways to “dull” these senses so they’re easier to bear. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of Common Werewolves succumb to substance addiction. Drug and alcohol abuse is a sad common reality for many Common Werewolves. Smoking cigarettes is a common vice for the werewolf community, as it’s seen as the “least harmful” addiction; their speed healing is capable of eating up any harmful chemicals before they’re able to infect their cells, thus preventing them from multiplying and spreading, and it doesn’t affect their stamina. This means they’re immune to cancer and other serious diseases (If a human with cancer is bitten, their cancer will be cured...but it obviously comes with a heavy price).

Longevity: Werewolves aren’t immortal, but they can live for a very long time if they take care of themselves and avoid getting attacked with silver as much as they possibly can. Their lifespan is way longer than a human’s; the oldest recorded werewolf lived for over 800 years.

Loss of Humanity During Transformation: Untrue and Common Werewolves lose their human minds in their transformed state, making them incredibly dangerous. They cannot tell the difference between friend and foe, and they’ll attack anyone who stands too close.

A little more detail on the three stages of lycanthropy:

The “Man-Wolf”, or “Untrue Werewolves”

One becomes an Untrue Werewolf when they are scratched, not bitten, by another Untrue Werewolf, a Common Werewolf, or a True Werewolf.

They look more like the old-school werewolves you see in movies like the Wolf Man, Teen Wolf, I Was A Teenage Werewolf, and the American Werewolf series. They’re more human-shaped, peppered with wolf-life traits: They have a lot more hair than the average human, their nails are longer and more claw-like, their eyes retain their human shape but they may change colour (Not all wolves have yellow or orange eyes, they can be brown too). They possess the classic werewolf traits - superhuman strength, heightened senses, speed healing - but only when it’s a full moon and they have transformed (So if you get a boo-boo in human form, it’ll heal like a regular wound; you’ll have to wait for the full moon in order for the healing process to speed up). Otherwise, they’re your average-looking person, and if you didn’t know they were infected you probably would never be able to guess.

Untrue Werewolves are only able to transform when there’s a full moon; their mood or other environmental factors do not influence a transformation. The transformation process is gradual but relatively painless, as the only things that really change are the amount of hair, the length of the nails, the formation of the teeth, and, depending on the individual, the colour of the eyes.

There are known small pockets of Untrue Werewolf “packs”, but for the most part Untrue Werewolves prefer working alone. That being said, the few packs that do exist band together because they have an unwavering hatred for Common and True Werewolves. They’re often seen as the very bottom of the “werewolf hierarchy”, and many werewolves do not consider them part of their community, hence the Untrue Werewolf title. Since they’re the least “wolfy-looking” and only possess wolf-like traits when the full moon is out, they’re often looked down upon, or not taken seriously. Desperate to prove themselves, and to show others that they count as werewolves, some have gone as far as deliberately scratching and/or biting humans for the sole purpose of adding more to their ranks. Unlike Common and True Werewolves, Untrue Werewolves do not have enough of the “werewolf virus” in their system to transform a human into a Common Werewolf via biting them, so their bites will merely turn them into another Untrue Werewolf.

However, it is possible to “advance” to a Common Werewolf if an Untrue Werewolf is bitten by a Common Werewolf or a True Werewolf, but unsurprisingly, most Untrue Werewolves go out of their way to ensure that doesn’t happen. There are some who willingly seek out a Common Werewolf or True Werewolf so they can get deliberately bitten, but these are few and far in between. For the most part, Untrue Werewolves are stubborn and proud beings who just want to be respected for who they are. They just want to be loved!!!!!!!

The Common Werewolf, or Halfing

These funky dudes are the most common kind of werewolf, hence the name. In order to become one, you must be bitten, not scratched, by another True Werewolf.

They look more like your “classic werewolf” aka a wolf that stands on two legs, with hands instead of paws. They’re huge, with the smallest recorded werewolf measuring a little over 7 feet. Their forearms are stronger than their back legs and it shows in their posture; they’re often hunched over, with their thick arms hanging by their sides in an ape-like stance. Fur colour varies, just like any wolf coat does. Same with the eyes. The noises they emit are similar to Untrue Werewolves, but are significantly more animalistic. They retain their heightened abilities, including speed healing and night vision, in their human form.

Common Werewolves are notorious for being incredibly violent and hot-tempered in both their wolf and human forms. The smallest inconvenience can set them off, to the point where it can force them to transform unexpectedly, and a Common Werewolf doesn’t discriminate when it comes to their rage, meaning they’ll attack anyone who is in close range - including loved ones. The transformation process is extremely painful for Common Werewolves because their bones and internal organs shift around as they mutate from human to werewolf. Shifting back to human form is just as painful.

Many Common Werewolves detest their wolfy state and dread or even fear transforming. This resistance only makes the virus within them more volatile, rendering them vulnerable to more unexpected transformations and violent outbursts.

Although they are considered the middle tier of the werewolf hierarchy, both Untrue and True Werewolves look down upon Common Werewolves for their brutish behaviour. They’re often seen as the “dumbest” and most “goon-like” of the community, but they are still regarded as “more werewolf” than Untrue Werewolves. However, these stereotypes are mostly untrue, as Common Werewolves are fully capable of planning and executing elaborate hunting and battle strategies, and there are some who are capable of controlling their anger. Unlike their Untrue counterparts, they prefer living, hunting, and attacking in packs.

Halfling is a common colloquial term for them, but most aren’t fond of the name, as they feel it makes them sound like an incomplete being. If you want to piss off a Common Werewolf, call them a Halfling - but most would strongly advise against it!

True Werewolves

The highest tier in the werewolf hierarchy, and also the most rare; there are less than 3% of recorded True Werewolves, though it is very likely there are many more. One cannot become a True Werewolf by a scratch or a bite; it takes weeks, sometimes months or years of physical and mental preparation.

It’s unknown how the first True Werewolf came about, but the most commonly accepted tale is at least 1000 years old and speaks of a Common Werewolf who was left for dead in the deep woods after being attacked by a coven with silver daggers. As she lay in a pool of her own blood, she began to hear voices that whispered things to her such as accepting change and reaching her full potential. Interpreting these messages as a sign of making peace with the end of her life and accepting her fate, she closes her eyes, ready to pass onto the next life - only to wake up moments later, fully healed, and in the form of a wolf.

Picture the werewolves/shapeshifters from Twilight, except not as gigantic. True Werewolves, when in wolf form, look exactly like a real wolf, with the exception of enhanced senses, strength, speed, and speed healing. They are able to shift back and forth between their human and wolf forms at will, and the transformation process is seamless and painless. Transforming only takes mere seconds - they actually prefer the term phasing as opposed to transformation or mutation. It has been described as morphing or “melting”; however, when angered, scared, or under a full moon, the transformation is more volatile (But still painless), often described as “exploding” into their wolf forms. Like their Common counterparts, they retain their enhanced abilities in their human form, but unlike their Common and Untrue counterparts, they retain their sentient minds when transformed/phased (Except during a Blood Moon - more on that later). They’re able to discriminate between friend and foe in their wolfy state, and True Werewolves usually prefer keeping to themselves, so they’re the least harmless out of the three werewolf types. They are way more docile than their Untrue and Common counterparts, however some may still be prone to angry outbursts if provoked enough.

So how does one become a True Werewolf? It’s hard to explain. The very few True Werewolves that are known to exist have difficulty describing the process. Many of them have “accidentally” turned into True Werewolves; one True Werewolf described his experience as waking up one day and being overcome with a feeling of “wholeness, completeness, like I’ve finally found this missing part of me that I didn’t know I was searching for”.

Achieving True Werewolf status is a matter of quelling the perpetual conflict between a werewolf’s human half and their wolf half. Common Werewolves are constantly at war with their animalistic instincts and impulses, which causes them to act out with violence. True Werewolves accept that they are two different beings within the same vessel, and that they are not “more human than wolf” or vice versa; they are equal parts human and wolf. A True Werewolf’s human immune system no longer sees the werewolf genes as a virus that needs to be fought off, so the two halves intertwine and form a completely new genetic makeup, finally collaborating instead of butting heads.

This is a very difficult concept for many Common Werewolves to handle, especially when lycanthropy is highly stigmatized and most of them have been raised to fear or detest lycanthropes. This internalized hatred makes it very difficult for many werewolves to accept lycanthropy as a part of themselves and refuse to believe that this is a lifelong condition. The constant resistance only makes them more volatile, which increases public stigma, so it’s kind of like a self-destructive cycle. True Werewolves find a way to break out of that cycle - in other words, they know what werewolf self-love and self-care is and they’ve embraced it fully!

Like Common Werewolves, True Werewolves have the pack mentality - which is crucial for them, since so few of them exist. In wolf form, they’ll look like an ordinary wolf pack, and they’ll usually behave as such as to not attract werewolf hunters or any other predator (Witches, demons, vampires...literally nobody likes werewolves, it’s pretty sad).

True Werewolves are often revered in the werewolf community, as they are hard to come by, and their self-acceptance is greatly admired. However, there are very, very few True Werewolves (Remember, only less than 3% of them are recorded to have ever exist) who look down on anything that isn’t like them, and refuse to interact with Common and Untrue Werewolves. Fortunately, “bad” True Werewolves are very few and far in between!

Lycanthropy In Society

Like many other interpretations out there, this interpretation of lycanthropy is condemned, exiled, stigmatized...you name it. Most people aren’t fond of werewolves. though their hatred towards them is mostly born out of ignorance and fear than genuine hatred. It’s a given that humans act hostile towards things they don’t fully understand, and so this is how they approach lycanthropes. Many of them have a very limited understanding of what lycanthropy is about and only accept what they’ve heard through word of mouth, aka urban legend and exaggerated recounts of encounters with lycanthropes. For the most part, the world sees werewolves as violent, out of control, savage, disorganized, and primitive. This means there aren’t a lot of opportunities for them - jobs, friends, romantic relationships, etc.

There are groups of werewolf hunters whose sole purpose is to hunt werewolves into extinction. They can be literally anyone - human, goblin, demon, vampire, witch or warlock - and many groups have grown fame and notoriety for killing packs and packs of werewolves simply for being werewolves.

However, there are some people out there who do want to learn more about lycanthropy and have gone so far as lived with werewolf packs to gain a better understanding of them. Pro-lycanthrope scientists have teamed up with lycanthropes (And lycanthropes who are scientists) to try and come up with a cure to lycanthropy, or at least a medicine of some sort that’ll help Common and Untrue Werewolves retain their humanity while in their transformed state. Contrary to popular belief, wolfsbane isn’t an effective ingredient, and there currently isn’t a cure to lycanthropy.

Lycanthropy isn’t inheritable. One can only become infected with the virus if they’re bitten or scratched, so if two werewolves decide to start a family their children will be free of the virus - but, unsurprisingly, many children of werewolf parents want to become a lycanthrope so they can be like them. Many werewolves are against the idea, as they believe their children can have a clean slate and live the life they never had.

Werewolf Alphas?

Many people have a common misconception about wolf packs and pack behaviour. Alphas aren’t necessarily the leader of the pack, and they don’t actually have this reigning authority over the group. Rather, wolf alphas - and there is a female alpha and a male alpha for each pack, not just one lone male alpha - act more as parental figures...most likely because their pack consists of them and their children, rather than a band of random, unrelated wolves.

But humans aren’t that smart. Humans, by nature, desire power and control - and that reflects in werewolf pack behaviour. Werewolves need an alpha. They need someone to listen to, someone to guide them - especially Common Werewolves. In a werewolf pack, there is only one alpha, though gender isn’t a determining factor. A werewolf alpha isn’t necessarily the strongest or most dominant of the pack. An alpha must be street smart, they must know how to properly plan and execute hunting strategies. An alpha is a leader because they know how to lead with respect, and they see their fellow pack members as a cohesive unit rather than a hierarchy. They do not see themselves as above pack law, or “higher” than the other pack members. They see the pack as equal members of a group with their individual sets of strengths and weaknesses, and they have a gift for figuring out how to use everyone’s strengths to the advantage of the group. Earning the position of alpha comes with a lot of respect and trust, though there are very few True Werewolves who abuse this position of power (Like I mentioned earlier, humans aren’t as smart).

There are werewolf betas and gammas who serve as second and third in command to the alpha. Betas and gammas are usually the muscle of the group; they’re the strongest, physically speaking, and when they travel in wolf form they’re are often seen at the head and tail of every pack (Alpha and gamma in front, beta in the back) so that they keep a watchful eye on the other wolves and potential enemies.

What Happens During A Blood Moon?

A blood moon is another term for when the moon is in total eclipse. It takes on a distinguish reddish colour, hence the name.

Blood Moons are one of the worst times in any werewolf’s life. There isn’t a scientific explanation for it yet, but blood moons make werewolves even more agitated, violent, and explosive than usual. Even True Werewolves can’t resist the pull of a blood moon; they will turn violent and lose their human minds. Werewolves stay in their wolf forms even during the day of a blood moon, and they are unable to change back until the moon is back to normal.

So you have a bunch of feral-like Untrue, Common, and True Werewolves running around and destroying everything they see. It’s not fun for anyone.

What About A Wolf Moon? A Super Moon? A Harvest Moon?

The full moon in January is commonly referred to as the Wolf Moon. A Super Moon is - you guessed it - when the moon is gigantic. During these phases, a werewolf’s senses are heightened and they find that their strength is at least doubled. They can run twice as fast and hit twice as hard.

A Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. The same applies to Wolf and Super Moons - they’re stronger, but strangely enough...they’re a lot more hungry. Werewolves have a big appetite to begin with, but during a Harvest Moon they’re hungrier than usual. Werewolves in rural areas have been known to steal entire fields of crops and livestock. In a sense, the Harvest Moon is like a werewolf Thanksgiving!

What about a Super Blood Wolf Moon?

Feral-like werewolves with double the strength and speed running around everywhere that have absolutely no control over themselves? Have fun!

#werewolf #werewolves #lycanthropy #my stuff

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xphanuel · 5 years

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My isolation hiatus will come to a close once I have copious amounts of marriage iguanas again

Also trying to get hooked up with medical in NYS for chronic fatigue syndrome, PTSD, and POTS (heart syndrome)

My anxiety throws my blood pressure out of whack, it really scared my doctor how high it was compared to when I'm not freaking the fuck out internally (she was more surprised I LOOKED calm while trying to prevent a panic attack silently)

I know smoking helps that for me, so I'm really hoping things start working out and turning up

The fact this job sounds too good to be true is amazing as well

I love the atmosphere there, I always have, and they told me they start newbies at the lowest part of their job tier and you get rewarded for hard work with bigger positions and more hours and stuff, and that sounds so fucking perfect for me right now. I need to take things at my own pace in an environment where I'll ACTUALLY be appreciated for the work and effort I put in. They were so sweet, and I love my friend. They told me all the good things she said about me and I wanted to cry on the spot. I had just messaged her last night and thanked her for being here for me bc I truly didnt think people like her existed anymore.

She made me realize theres more to life than the shit that made me happy in the past, and that it is possible to move forward even while time and trauma still fucks you up. You literally just have to make new memories and slowly it gets easier to experience things again. AND THIS PURE WHOLESOME BITCH SAID SO MANY THINGS ABOUT ME THAT I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME WAY ABOUT HER AND I JUST ajdkhsfuwjfjsnf if it wasn't for her I dont think I would have gotten this job but Ik if I said that she would yell at me and tell me to stop doubting myself but THAT'S ALL I GOT BRUH. I'm so glad we met each other when we did. Weve been mutuals for years but I never really spoke with her bc Anxiety(tm) but omfgggg I cant wait for the summer. I have a job now, i LITERALLY START FRIDAY/SAT/SUN even though the interview was today, and they pay every week. EVERY WEEK, HOMIES. FUCK THE BI WEEKLY STRUGGLE. We gonna go out and do some urban exploring this summer bitchessss we gonna be PRODUCTIVE and IN THE REAL WORLD FOR ONCE

I think that's why I dissociate so often, I've lived online for more than half my life. So when I dont have anyone to talk to online I get thrown out of whack and this change was a huge one. I'm managing though

I digress, I'm going to purchase so much bud with my first check

I'll put away 30 for gas but the rest? SMONKIN IT UP

And then I may finally be a functioning member of society again

And I will never let someone who's close to me hurt me like this ever again. I refuse to let people into my life that disregard my feelings and lack common sense. I have no patience for it anymore. No more second chances.

Now tomorrow I have to somehow tell my therapist about my sexual trauma without freaking out!! I want to write it down physically and let her read it after I leave, and maybe we can talk about it periodically every session or something, just so I don't get too upset that I cant focus enough to drive home yknow

Anyway thTs my life update for yall, who ever is still listening or passing by

#text

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bodyalive · 4 years

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L'église Saint-Etienne de Bar-le-Du, France, 2005 - by Jacques Mossot, French

Everywhere in your body is tissue called fascia. Scientists are unlocking its secrets.

By Rachel Damiani and Ted Spiker

Jan. 26, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. EST

Americans, who spend about $8 billion a year in massage and chiropractic treatments to relieve pain, may have no idea that they’re all probably experiencing the same thing — a manipulation of their fascia, a three-tiered layer of tissue that encases tissues and organs.

Although some people who are kneaded, stretched, or cracked may have a vague notion that fascia exists, they probably don’t know much about their fascia — or understand why it even matters.

Some in the scientific and medical communities think the same way.

They cannot agree on what fascia is. They don’t know what fascia does. They may not even know it when they see it. (One scientist, when asked about fascia, had to look it up to try to define it. And a scientific group, the Fascia Nomenclature Committee, has devoted itself to resolving this language confusion.)

But this is what they suspect: As the only tissue that modifies its consistency when under stress (it’s your body’s shape-shifter, of sorts), fascia is a part of the body that inspires equal parts confusion and optimism in research circles.

It’s everywhere in the body, so it could affect just about everything. That leaves researchers wrestling with an intriguing dilemma: If fascia is everywhere, then how do you isolate its impact on the body?

Early research suggests it may have relevance in areas one wouldn’t normally think of fascia playing a role, such as digestive conditions and cancer.

“Fascia is what holds us together. There are very few diseases that don’t have a fascia component,” said Frederick Grinnell, a professor of cell biology at the UT Southwestern Medical School.

In an article in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, researchers make the point that this web throughout our body has the potential to influence everything.

“Fascia is involved almost everywhere in the body,” said Andreas Haas, the founder of the Manus Training Center and the Manus Fascia Center in Austria who has been a manual therapist for 30 years and looking at fascia for two decades. “Each organ, each muscle, each artery, each vein, each nerve — there is not one single structure in the whole body that is not connected with fascia or not enveloped by fascia.”

What is fascia?

Best known by murky metaphors (a glove, net or web), fascia — in lay terms — appears differently throughout the body. There is the fascia that almost mimics a muscle with thick tissues, such as the fascia that makes up the plantar fascia in the foot or the iliotibial band along the side of the leg; the IT band is a structure that is unique to humans, and the fascia probably developed as an adaptation to bipedal movement, said Neil Roach, a lecturer in the department of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University.

There is also the fascia that appears all over and acts like a casing — a biological Spanx of sorts. “This fascia throughout the body holds muscles and organs in place to make sure they don’t jostle around,” Roach said.

The characteristic of fascia that is at the forefront of discussion in terms of health implications is its elasticity — that is, higher elasticity of the fascia allows organs and tissues to function better, while stiffer fascia decreases performance. (But that is not completely agreed upon, either; in some areas of the body — the joints, for example — it may be advantageous to have stiff fascia to provide support for anatomical structures, Haas said.)

Carla Stecco, an orthopedic surgeon and professor of human anatomy and movement sciences at the University of Padova in Italy whose father wrote books on fascia, is working to provide clarity to the confusion. She has conducted more than 100 human dissections with the goal of better understanding fascia’s anatomy.

When looking at fascia in a cadaver, fascia rests beneath the skin like mist on a lake. Thin and almost translucent, fascia looks like “white paper,” Stecco said. Past the fat cells, another fascia level — called deep fascia — rests beneath the superficial layer. Even deeper, a third layer called epimysial fascia rests on top of muscles. Out of the body and under the microscope, fascia is composed of a variety of different collagen types, elastin and multiple cell types, including telocytes and fasciocytes.

Scientists are still working to understand what characterizes one fascia layer from the next and distinguishes fascia from other connective tissue. Stecco said she believes this knowledge is vital to understanding fascia’s clinical implications.

“Without correct knowledge about fascia,” she said, “we really can’t think about pathology.”

What is known about fascia is that these three fascial layers are not isolated. Rather, they’re bound to one another in a 3-D matrix that gives the body structure and helps it function in an “integrated manner,” according to the definition put forward from the Fascia Nomenclature Committee.

Long thought of as just the support structure, fascia may have more influence on health than as a passive container.

“I think that understanding about the science of fascia is really important for people who are investigating different ways of being healthy other than surgery or drugs,” said Grinnell, a scientist who was initially skeptical about his research related to fascia.

Why does it matter?

Antonio Stecco, the brother of Carla Stecco, and a proud member of the first family of fascia, is a research assistant professor at New York University in physical medicine and rehabilitation who describes fascia’s main functions as helping coordinate the body’s movements (i.e., biomechanics), position in space (i.e., proprioception) and fluid flow throughout the body.

Related to these functions, research has indicated that structural integration (a type of body work thought to release stiff fascia) has improved balance in patients with chronic fatigue, range of motion in patients with neck pain, and reduced eye spasms in patients with muscular dystonia.

Beyond movement conditions, fascia may also be involved in a variety of unexpected health conditions and diseases, including cancer, lymphedema, and gastrointestinal distress — and many more areas to study, said Antonio Stecco, who reviewed many of fascia’s potential clinical implications in a 2016 review paper in the PM&R Journal.

In this paper, Stecco posits a link between fascia and swelling of the arms in the legs (lymphedema). He suggests that stiff fascia decreases lymphatic fluid flow and can contribute to swelling in the limbs.

By releasing fascia through bodywork, it could be possible that fascia becomes more pliable, lymphatic fluid flow increases and swelling goes down. Similarly, releasing fascia could help reduce gastrointestinal distress, including constipation, bloating and acid reflux.

Antonio Stecco hypothesizes that stiff visceral fascia, which Carla Stecco describes as a fourth type of fascia that is related to the internal organs, may decrease the motility of organs, resulting in distress. Bodywork could make stiff fascia more pliable, facilitate organ functioning and reduce these unpleasant GI symptoms.

Fascia and cancer

One potential role of fascia could be for cancer research. Thomas Findley, an expert on fascia and a professor of physical medicine at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, is fighting prostate cancer. He says he performs a series of exercises every day that he hopes may stall the progression of his cancer by releasing his fascia.

Findley said that exercise may slow down development of cancer and that some research suggests that physical activity (which would include weight training) may improve longevity in people once they’re diagnosed. But the reason is unclear.

One hypothesis: Fascia, as part of the extracellular matrix, could surround the tumor like a net around a crab. When the collagen in the fascia around the tumor becomes stiff, Findley thinks cancer cells could use it as a direct line out of the net (envision a tumor escaping the area on stiff fascia, like a playground slide). But when the fascia is pliable, the tumor can’t escape (envision it being trapped in quicksand with no easy escape route).

A recent study published in Scientific Reports and led by a group of researchers at Harvard Medical School, including Helene Langevin, director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, indicated that stretching reduced tumor growth in mice. Future studies are necessary to better understand fascia’s role in cancer development, however.

The frontier of fascia

The study of fascia is marked by both uncertainty and promise.

“We’re really at the nascent phase of identifying fascia,” Findley said.

And in these beginning stages, scientists have not yet reached consensus on fascia’s potential to affect the body.

Part of this confusion in the medical community could stem from fascia straddling both modern and traditional medicine: two perspectives that are often portrayed as starkly different from one another. Fascia knowledge is generated by both scientists using modern techniques and body practitioners who use alternative medicine techniques, such as yoga and massage.

Grinnell said that while many researchers and body practitioners such as chiropractors focus on fascia, other scientists are less enthusiastic about its potential.

“If you talk to most surgeons, they would think of it as ‘what you cut through,’ ” said Grinnell. “Within the medical community, there are widely diverse opinions about the importance of fascia.”

The world’s experts have been gathering regularly in their efforts to figure out the potential of fascia. The Fifth International Fascia Congress met in November in Berlin and another event is planned for 2021.

“The more we know, the more I realize there’s more to learn. Every time you answer a question, it generates more questions,” Findley said. “That’s kind of the fun part.”

#Washington Post #fascia #Body Alive #structural integration atlanta #Jacques Mossot #Rachel Damiani and Ted Spiker

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naturopathycanada · 4 years

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LYME DISEASE: A WHOLE-PERSON APPROACH

Tolle Totum

Lyme illness has actually ended up being the fastest-growing insect-borne transmittable disease in the United States, Europe, and also Asia. In 2018, we are already becoming aware of the rising tick populace and the assumption that Lyme disease will just come to be a lot more epidemic than it already is. More than 300 000 Americans as well as 65 000 Europeans are impacted annually by this epidemic-- as well as these numbers appear to climb up yearly.

The traditional clinical understanding of Lyme disease is rather restricted to those that have intense Lyme illness. On the other hand, chronic Lyme disease, or post-Lyme disorder, has become questionable and also has inadequate agreement among physicians relating to the best way to detect as well as treat it.

An intense case of Lyme disease consists of signs and symptoms that develop within days or weeks of a tick bite as well as which might be treated reasonably conveniently first. A persistent situation occurs when Lyme makes its means deep right into the system and also maintains recurring, perhaps with periods of remission. Nevertheless, both kinds of Lyme are misinterpreted.

Intense Lyme Condition

The very early intense stage of Lyme illness usually happens 3-30 days after a tick bite. Signs and symptoms might consist of:

High temperature

Cools

Battering, throbbing frustration

Relentless, visible tiredness

Numbness and also tingling

Muscular tissue and joint aches

Inflamed lymph nodes

Face or Bell's palsy

Erythema migrans (EM) breakout (" bull's- eye breakout").

One of the most widely known and particular symptom of the severe stage is the EM, or bull's- eye breakout. It begins at the website of a tick bite, and also broadens until it reaches a diameter of 12+ inches. Hardly ever scratchy or agonizing, this breakout occasionally gets rid of as it expands, such that it appears like a target or "bull's eye." The existence of the EM rash is pathognomonic for Lyme condition.

Although a bull's- eye rash and also flu-like signs are traditional early signs of Lyme, many individuals never experience either of these. Some people obtain unclear symptoms (or none in all) as well as might nurture the infection for many years without recognizing it. And numerous thousands of people have the common symptoms of Lyme without even understanding that they have the disease, till long after it has deeply established itself right into their bodies. Lyme illness is called "The Great Mimic" due to the fact that it appears like countless other ailments. Consequently, it is not uncommon for medical professionals to ignore Lyme disease as they connect symptoms to another thing. Lyme disease has actually been misdiagnosed as fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, several sclerosis, mononucleosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, as well as several other conditions.

Persistent Lyme Disease.

Individuals experiencing persistent Lyme disease can look medically different, and may present with signs such as:.

Exhaustion.

Stomach pain and also digestive tract modifications.

Amnesia or cognitive problems.

Tingling or tingling of extremities.

Sensory distortion of skin (burning feelings), specifically in hands or feet.

" Roaming" joint or muscular tissue pain.

Light or audio sensitivity.

Lightheadedness or vertigo.

Rest disturbances.

Cardiac troubles: mitral valve prolapse, heart block, heart palpitations, upper body discomfort.

Balance or control troubles.

Endocrine disturbance: hypothyroidism, uneven menses, etc

. The Centers for Illness Control and also Prevention (CDC) states that up to 10% of individuals with acute Lyme disease will certainly go on to establish persistent Lyme condition or Post-Lyme Syndrome; however, numerous Lyme-literate physicians feel this number is grossly underreported.

Lyme Testing: Risks of the 2-Tiered System.

Adding to the difficulty of Lyme illness is making a right medical diagnosis. According to the CDC, Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis, which means it is based upon signs and symptoms and also other elements rather than solely on a laboratory test. Lab screening for Lyme condition has actually been woefully inadequate for decades, because of the poor level of sensitivity and also uniqueness of the screening itself. Currently, the CDC recommends a 2-tier screening system, starting with a Lyme display examination.

One research study found that in 55 people with recognized Lyme illness, <46% of them had either IgG or IgM antibodies on their Lyme screen. A good testing test should pick up at least 95% of individuals being examined for their condition, according to the College of American Pathologists. The Lyme testing test does not fulfill this standard. As a matter of fact, the Lyme screen test might just pick up concerning 56% of individuals that have Lyme disease. To make issues worse, the CDC standards do not advise doing a Western Blot when the Lyme display is adverse. Research study shows that the Western Blot is a lot more accurate in identifying Lyme illness due to the fact that it looks for very particular antibodies usually seen in Lyme illness individuals yet not found in healthy and balanced controls.

The Western Blot is the 2nd stage of the CDC's advised 2-stage screening. This examination is also an antibody test, however measures numerous antibodies connected with Borrelia infection. In 40 years of research study, we have learned that some antibodies specify to Lyme, while others are not. The visibility of 23, 34, 39 and 93 kd antibodies are strongly related to direct exposure to Lyme as well as may recommend infection. But considering that antibodies can spend time for many years, as well as even years, the existence of antibodies does not always show a current infection.

The Western blot is additionally highly susceptible to false downsides, ie, unfavorable for antibodies in spite of active infection. This takes place because it can take weeks for the body to create antibodies versus Lyme, which is why the CDC does not advise doing a Western Blot examination on anyone whose illness happened within the previous month. Various other laboratories examinations, consisting of PCR screening and straight discoloration, have inadequate level of sensitivity and also bad dependability in screening for Lyme disease.

So, the bottom line is that an unfavorable test does not omit the opportunity of having Lyme illness, but a positive test confirms direct exposure to the microorganism causing Lyme disease. It is essential to evaluate lab screening along with a patient's medical symptoms. A person might have been subjected to Borrelia as well as never created Lyme disease yet might still have antibodies in their blood stream. This is why it is essential to always consider your client's signs prior to beginning any kind of treatment.

Conventional Therapy.

The standard clinical therapy for Lyme condition is a training course of antibiotics for as much as 3 weeks after medical diagnosis. This has actually been the referral of the majority of government, medical, and also public health companies in the United States for virtually 40 years. While mainstream infectious-disease medical professionals do not usually deviate from the CDC suggestions, others really feel that the typical 21 days of antibiotic therapy are insufficient to defeat Lyme illness. Many medical professionals who are members of the International Lyme and also Linked Illness Culture (ILADS) will certainly utilize longer courses of prescription antibiotics, both dental and also intravenous-- for weeks, months, or even years. Simultaneous use 3-4 prescription antibiotics is now typical.

Most bacteria reproduce every 20 minutes, yet Borrelia varieties reproduce much more gradually, every 1 to 16 days. Considering that numerous prescription antibiotics typically utilized to deal with Lyme illness just function when the microorganism is reproducing (bacteriostatic), they are ineffective when the microorganism remains in an inactive state, and also consequently would take longer to remove the infection. Existing standards from the CDC only address severe Lyme condition and do not resolve post-Lyme syndrome in all.

Long-lasting antibiotic usage exterminates a big part of the friendly digestive tract germs, which are required for keeping the health and wellness of the microbiome as well as immune system and also fighting infection. Long-lasting antibiotics can likewise cause kidney and also liver damages, along with numerous other harmful adverse effects.

Although there is evidence that antibiotics can be effective in severe Lyme condition, studies on long-lasting antibiotic usage either show no effectiveness in all or limited benefits that stop when prescription antibiotics are ceased.

Naturopathic Therapy.

According to the tenets of naturopathic medicine, the therapy of Lyme illness must include the whole person, including diet, lifestyle practices, comorbid problems, immune status, as well as ecological exposure, along with treating active infection. A whole-body approach to Lyme condition addresses most of the hidden variables that keep individuals with Lyme condition ill.

Diet.

Although numerous diet plans have been reported to help people with Lyme condition, I have actually personally found an alkaline diet regimen to help most Lyme people. This involves consuming foods that promote better cellular alkalinity. There are no specific studies on an alkaline diet and Lyme disease, but the few studies published on alkaline diets, in general, have observed health benefits, including reducing inflammation. Note that following an alkaline diet does not change blood pH, as has been purported by some individuals.

I recommend eliminating all processed foods, sugar, and coffee, and primarily eating organic fresh vegetables, legumes, and nuts. It is also necessary to limit animal protein to less than 20% of total dietary intake for the week, as animal protein breaks down into acid-forming byproducts. For patients who have difficulty making dietary changes, it may be helpful to have them work with a nutritionist for meal planning and guidance.

Intestinal Health.

Research shows the intestinal tract accounts for 70-80% of immune function; thus, maintaining healthy intestinal permeability, balanced microflora, and optimal digestion is essential for overcoming any chronic infection. It is important to ensure proper intestinal motility to prevent dysbiosis and mucosal inflammation, which in turn can disrupt normal intestinal function. Comprehensive stool analysis and/or organic acid testing can help provide insight into specific areas of intestinal function that are imbalanced. The treatment in this area should be specific to your patient, but I often consider herbs and nutrients that help promote better motility, reduce inflammation, rebalance gut microflora, and treat overgrowth of pathogenic microbes. Some specific considerations include magnesium salts, probiotics, glutamine, curcumin, and fish oils.

Treat Active Lyme Infection.

Several herbal protocols have been used to treat both acute and chronic Lyme disease, many of which I have used successfully in my clinical practice. I have also found that herbs are generally better tolerated than antibiotics, and come with fewer adverse side effects. The 2 herbal protocols I have used the most are Dr Zhang's Modern Chinese Medicine protocol and a modified form of Dr Lee Cowden's protocol.

Dr Zhang is a Chinese medical doctor and licensed acupuncturist in New York City who developed a series of Chinese herbal formulas to help eradicate Lyme, boost immune function, improve circulation, and modulate autoimmunity. When I myself had Lyme disease, his protocol helped me to get off antibiotics and dramatically improve my health. Dr Lee Cowden, a cardiologist in Dallas, TX, prior to retirement, developed a series of liquid tinctures made from plants from the Amazon rainforest in South America. His protocol has been studied at the University of New Haven by Dr Eva Sapi and has been found to be more effective than antibiotics. His protocol also helps eradicate infection, reduce inflammation, and improve detoxification.

I have also used protocols from Stephen Buhner, Byron White, and a specialty herbal formula company with unique products. I prefer the other protocols, as I've observed greater clinical effectiveness with Dr Zhang's and Dr Cowden's protocols; I've also seen fewer die-off reactions using these protocols, which are common with any Lyme treatment.

Lifestyle & Environmental Control.

In addition to taking antibiotics or herbs to treat the active infection, it is also important to manage lifestyle habits than can undermine your patient's immune system, making it harder to overcome an infection. Getting good-quality sleep, getting plenty of exercise (as tolerated), and managing stress all play significant roles in immune system function. I encourage anyone with Lyme disease to eliminate from their home and work environment all toxins and toxicants that are known immune disruptors, in order to optimize their immune function.

One of the biggest external factors influencing Lyme disease is mold. Mycotoxicity and mold allergy can cause symptoms that are almost identical to Lyme disease, and many people with mold problems are unaware of their exposure. I highly recommend Lyme patients have their home tested for mold using spore-trapping and ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index) to help identify hidden sources of mold, so that it can be remediated if present. Additionally, urine mycotoxin testing or mold allergy testing can help establish whether mold is contributing to one's health issues.

Immune Modulation & Detoxification.

Research shows that Lyme disease can trigger an autoimmune reaction against certain neurological proteins, which may account for many of the symptoms of post-Lyme syndrome. Therefore, therapies that help modulate the immune system are ideal for correcting immune dysfunction. I have used low-dose immunotherapy (LDI) successfully with hundreds of my Lyme patients. Developed by Ty Vincent, MD, LDI uses homeopathic dilutions of a Lyme nosode to downregulate Th2 responses to Lyme, essentially "turning off" the autoimmune reaction to Borrelia spp. This isopathic approach has helped numerous Lyme patients overcome their symptoms. To learn more about how to do LDI, please visit progressivemedicaleducation.com.

Other forms of immunotherapy, such as sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) can help modulate regulatory T cells (Tregs) against mold, pollen, dust, or foods, and lower the total body immune burden. I have found this to be a useful adjunctive therapy in treating Lyme disease, especially in those with a history of allergies prior to being infected with Lyme.

Detoxification is a limiting obstacle for many chronic Lyme patients. Although some patients are genetically predisposed to being slow metabolizers, many naturopathic therapies can still help promote better detoxification and elimination. Research shows infrared sauna can help eliminate toxic metals and chemicals stored in the tissues and organs. The temperature and length of treatment should be modified for each person according to what they can tolerate, but regular sauna therapy can improve many Lyme symptoms.

I also highly recommend colon hydrotherapy, for many of the same reasons that I recommend sauna therapy. It is an effective way to promote better bowel function and improve motility and elimination. I have had some Lyme patients that failed every therapy they tried except colon hydrotherapy, which helped them improve. I recommend 1-2 sessions per week for the first 4 weeks and to then adjust the schedule based on clinical response.

Summary.

Early detection and treatment of Lyme disease gives your patient the best chance of recovery without future complications. Many naturopathic therapies can be as or more effective than conventional antibiotic therapy, as antibiotic therapy only addresses eradication of the organism and fails to address underlying immune, autoimmune, and detoxification dysfunction. Lyme disease is a complex illness with more than 100 associated symptoms, and its prevalence continues to rise. Most naturopathic physicians in North America are likely to see Lyme patients in their practice at some point, and they are well suited, in general, to treat Lyme. Following basic naturopathic principles, along with some understanding of Lyme-specific protocols, can greatly improve the health of Lyme patients and help them to overcome their illness.

The article “ LYME DISEASE: A WHOLE-PERSON APPROACH “ was first published on ndnr

Discover how naturopathic medicine may help you. Learn more with a Naturopathic Doctor - Dr. Amauri Caversan, ND.

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Sea Moss Does Not Cure Thyroid Disease. But People Sell It Online Anyway.

Pinterest search results for “hypothyroidism.”

“No, you are not crazy, lazy, or faking,” the Pinterest post says. “Just count…”

The link leads to a post on the website HypothyroidMom.com called “300 hypothyroidism symptoms: count how many you have.” The post, which lists 307 symptoms, details nearly everything that could go wrong with the human body. Weight gain. Bloating. Dry skin. Pressure in ears. Athlete’s foot. Cold hands. Chest pain. High cholesterol. ADD/ADHD. Schizophrenia.

With more than 1.1 million likes on Facebook, Hypothyroid Mom — which is run by Dana Trentini, a former talent development specialist at JPMorgan Chase and high school teacher, according to her LinkedIn — is one of the most prominent figures in a community that spans Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Etsy, and Amazon, made up of people who have either been diagnosed with hypothyroidism or believe they should be. (Trentini did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

What sets these patients apart from those who suffer from poorly understood diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome or chronic Lyme disease — which also have huge online communities around them — is that the standard medical treatments for hypothyroidism are typically highly effective. According to the American Thyroid Association, hypothyroidism — a condition in which the thyroid gland does not secrete enough hormones — can’t be cured, “but in almost every patient, hypothyroidism can be completely controlled.” Dr. Steven Hodak, an endocrinologist at NYU Langone, told BuzzFeed News that 85% to 90% of patients see their symptoms improve by taking one levothyroxine hormone pill (T4), while another 10% to 15% take a different hormone pill (T3).

However, since hormones can affect nearly every major bodily function, one person’s symptoms could be almost anything. As a result, the flourishing communities of people who feel alienated by traditional medicine are willing to try alternative treatments. And online platforms provide a space not only to these communities, but also to the alternative medicine merchants eager to cash in.

Instagram user @theinvisiblehypothyroidism, who has over 12,000 followers, posts about how thyroid patients are “not easily understood by those around them” and “not taken seriously.”

“Most people think it’s an easily treated condition, when in reality, it is none of these things for many patients,” she wrote in one post. “We’re not hypochondriacs, it really does cause us many symptoms! Yes, for some thyroid patients they do OK on standard thyroid medication but for many, they still struggle with daily symptoms and living with this diagnosis.”

Rachel Hill, who runs @theinvisiblehypothyroidism, declined to comment.

There’s no easy way for platforms to contend with the proliferation of hypothyroid-related content, because posts about real symptoms often go hand-in-hand with the promotion of miracle treatments or misleading information. The end result is that almost all information stays up unless it’s specifically flagged to a platform.

For instance, Hypothyroid Mom posts lots of content that validates people’s symptoms, like a photo that read, “Your symptoms are not all in your head oh hell no.” But she also attributes an extensive list of symptoms to hypothyroidism by sharing articles with titles such as “fixing your thyroid can also fix your hands” and “low thyroid and my darn feet.” But medical professionals say that a combination of lab testing and symptom evaluation is necessary to treat hypothyroidism effectively, since a patient could easily have a different condition that’s not hypothyroidism.

“It’s really not useful or really accurate to think of hypothyroidism as being defined by any specific symptoms, because it really depends on the severity of the hypothyroidism,” Hodak said. “If somebody looks the part and has a lot of symptoms, you can certainly suspect that they’re hypothyroid. But you have to confirm it with a lab test because what if they have adrenal insufficiency? Or what if they have narcolepsy, or what if they have sleep apnea?”

Yet many of the people in the online hypothyroid community insist that they have hypothyroidism because their symptoms persist, although their bloodwork is normal.

“I’m so sick of being exhausted all the time and being told my bloodwork is normal,” one person recently commented on a Hypothyroid Mom post.

“I’m reading this with tears flowing down my face,” another person commented. “There are days I feel as if I want to be alone. I don’t want to be a wife, mother, caregiver, friend, aunt. I just want to slip away.”

Listings for “hypothyroid treatment” on Pinterest.

Hodak emphasized that symptoms can vary wildly depending on the person and case.

“In the very classic and profound presentations of all these diseases, there are sort of hallmark features that might steer us this way versus that way,” Hodak said. “But at some level, until people are…until they have a full-blown manifestation of a disease, oftentimes the symptoms are very nonspecific.”

Filling that void are those peddling unproven treatments, like powders, capsules, and mixtures of sea moss, bladder wrack, and ashwagandha root. There’s no single way that people come across these treatments, since the hypothyroid community exists across various platforms. But many people on Instagram and merchants on Etsy reference the late Honduran herbalist known as “Dr. Sebi” — who was not a doctor, and whose real name was Alfredo Bowman — as a source of their belief that sea moss and bladder wrack can treat hypothyroidism.

In 1988, a New York court found Bowman, who did not have a license to practice medicine in New York, guilty of consumer fraud. In its ruling, the court said that his then–company, the Fig Tree Products Company, falsely claimed it could “cure, mitigate, or […] relieve” medical conditions. Bowman died in 2016, but Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food continues to sell powders and supplements in his name.

Instagram

Recent posts tagged #drsebi on Instagram.

The cost of these treatments varies wildly. Sixteen ounces of sea moss goes for about $20 on Amazon and Etsy. One hundred capsules of bladder wrack or ashwagandha can cost between $10 and $20. A 16-ounce bottle of “Seamoss Bladderwrack Burdock Gel” is being sold on Etsy for $55.

Some of the reviews for these products are positive, but others claim that the products were moldy, slimy, or smelled like plastic or bleach. Many people said that the packages only came partially filled. For instance, a package of “Premium Irish Moss Superfood,” an $11 product which is labeled “Amazon’s Choice,” has dozens of reviews which claim that the sea moss smelled noxious and that people who bought it were too afraid to consume it.

“As soon as I opened the package I was overwhelmed [by] the smell of plastic almost smelt like new shoes, tiers or even a new plastic Barbie doll,” one reviewer said. “There is white powder that looks like sand but it instantly disappeared in water. No sand to rinse off. It feels rubber. I’m sorry I just have a hard time believing this is authentic. There should be strict regulations on amazon to ensure the safety of its customers. I will not consume this plastic imitation moss.”

On Etsy and Amazon, merchants sell products which they promise will treat or alleviate hypothyroidism. The top result in an Etsy search for “hypothyroidism” was, until recently, a bag of sea moss and bladder wrack, which was removed after a reporter contacted them about it.

Sea moss is a food thickener with no proven medical value. Bladder wrack is a low-calorie root, with “insufficient evidence” of affecting thyroid problems. Consuming large amounts of either thing probably won’t hurt you, but it almost definitely won’t cure or treat hypothyroidism. Ashwagandha root can improve thyroid function in some people according to the US Library of Medicine, but patients whom doctors have placed on standard hypothyroid treatments should avoid ingesting it.

Amazon

Amazon listings for sea moss.

However, all of these supplements are commonly promoted online. Hypothyroid Mom has promoted ashwagandha as a thyroid supplement. On a guest blog on her website in 2016, nutritionist John Axe recommended ashwagandha as the “top supplement” for hypothyroidism. Axe also sells several types of powder supplements.

Hodak said that “natural remedies” for medical conditions can often have a positive psychological effect on people experiencing hypothyroidism. However, there’s a risk when people interfere with or undermine a doctor’s prescribed treatments.

“Naturally occurring substances, plants, those sorts of things have potential medicinal benefits and sometimes risks,” Hodak said. “My attitude is usually as long as it’s not something that we know is going to cause a problem, if it makes the patient feel good, and they want to do it, go ahead, it’s not going to hurt. But it’s not going to replace thyroid hormone.”

But those who sell alternative hypothyroid supplements advertise them as having nearly supernatural quality. Dozens of listings for sea moss, bladder wrack, and ashwagandha root on Etsy claim that the elements can treat a variety of ailments. One listing for sea moss and bladder wrack powder, for instance, claims its powers include: “soothing the kidneys, as a blood purifier, relieving the lymphatic system, rheumatism, gout, GI tract disorders, stomach ailments, constipation, catarrh, fever, infection, fluid retention and skin problems.”

Every platform has a different way of dealing with medical misinformation. Facebook and Instagram, for instance, claim that posts with “exaggerated or sensational” heath claims will get surfaced less often on people’s News and Discovery Feeds.

According to Facebook’s terms of service, posts with “exaggerated or sensational” heath claims will surface less often on people’s News Feeds. Instagram’s terms of service does not mention how exaggerated or sensational health claims are treated in the Explore tab.

“If a member of our fact-checking program marks a health-related hoax as false, we will take steps to significantly reduce how many people see that hoax on Instagram and Facebook,” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.

A Pinterest spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that its health misinformation policy prohibits “false cures for terminal or chronic illnesses.” Content found to be in violation should be taken down entirely.

“The US National Center for Health Statistics defines hypothyroidism as a chronic disease, so we would remove anything suggesting sea moss or bladder wrack is a cure or treatment for hypothyroidism if we find it or if someone reports it to us through our Pin report feature,” the spokesperson said. “In addition, we don’t allow medical misinformation in ads, so an ad claiming to cure or treat hypothyroidism would not be allowed to run on Pinterest.”

Etsy and Amazon instruct third-party sellers to follow national laws and not sell illegal merchandise. But since hypothyroid treatments sold on their platforms are often categorized as “supplements,” which don’t require FDA approval to be sold, it’s legal to sell most hypothyroid treatments.

An Etsy spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that it could not comment on specific items or sellers.

An Amazon spokesperson told BuzzFeed News, “All sellers are required to follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account.”

Facebook

An image posted in an “Irish Sea Moss Healing” Facebook group.

Hodak said he recognizes people’s urge to self-advocate for their medical wellbeing, but that there’s no alternative medical miracle for hypothyroidism.

“[Americans] are always looking for that one thing that’s going to be a paradigm-shifting supplement or something that they can take,” Hodak said. “And there are precious few things like that out in the world. It really reflects a bias that I think — at least in this Western culture that we have — where somehow there’s a thing that’s like a magic bullet. And there really aren’t any.”

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emfconsultants · 6 years

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ELEXANA Founder's Story: James Finn - Health and Wellness Pioneer

Back in 2001, James Finn (founder) was diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Crohn's Disease, Chronic Insomnia, and Squamous Cell Carcinoma. In 2008, his health further deteriorated. He was also diagnosed by his General Practioner with Adrenal Failure and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He confirmed that these diseases most likely began in the early 1990's.

After more than a decade of suffering from illness, Jim's doctors had proven themselves unsuccessful in solving any single one of his health issues. As a last resort, Jim put the full responsibility for getting well onto his own shoulders.

Jim said, "A few of my childhood friends had become doctors. I was just as smart as they were, so why couldn't I learn what they did, and more?" He feels that his understanding of the artistic process and his boundless capacity for creativity and insightfulness was and still is a keen advantage.

Applying his confident self-discipline and self-learning abilities he acquired from years of being a jazz and classical musician, Jim studied anatomy, cellular biology, biochemistry, nutrition, and the effects of environmental toxicities. It is with the latter that he discovered the vast and little-discussed health effects caused by electromagnetic fields.

Eventually, Jim cured all of his illnesses becoming completely healed. He continued EMF Testing and solving a myriad of health issues for family, neighbors, and friends. He enjoyed making a real difference improving lives. With coaxing from his wife, he decided to offer his services to the general public.

EMF Consultants was the first and only New York City-based company to test, analyze, and implement multi-tiered solutions for reducing electromagnetic field radiation.

As Jim continued helping clients his success and reputation grew. He eventually formed ELEXANA as an extension of EMF Consultants, which now operates within ELEXANA LLC.

ELEXANA is essentially from the Latin words for Electron and Health or Cure. It is by addressing this aspect of the body's function that Jim credits his success with helping cure the common diseases ELEXANA has been credited. His journey since studying with Chinese Doctor Shih in the 1980's has come full circle with a whole new twist.

He is part of a growing number of natural medicine practitioners who believe that modern medicine is looking in the wrong direction for curing cancer and other fatal illnesses. Rather than focusing on a chemical cure for everything, scientists need to spend more time looking at the effects of a reversal of cellular polarity, obstruction of calcium ion signaling and motility caused by electromagnetism and other cell stressors, and the ill-health effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI), strong EMF, and fluoride on the thyroid; the electrical regulator for the entire body.

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caffeinecortisol-blog · 6 years

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Caffeine and Cortisol

high-quality selling fitness books enlightened my knowledge approximately how constantly extended cortisol affects the frame. lower back in 1998, when i was first listening to from enthusiasts of about the many ways caffeine turned into disrupting their fitness, I study StephenCherniske's landmark ebook, Caffeine Blues. He turned into the first to characteristic the multitude of outcomes from caffeine to its stimulation of the adrenal glands to provide cortisol, the body’s fundamental stress hormone. Caffeine and cortisol have an immediate hyperlink. After the ebook of Caffeine Blues, studies about cortisol, its relationship to caffeine, and the long term consequences of accelerated cortisol to one’s fitness proved Cherniske’s theories to be sincerely correct.

the following booklet of The Cortisol Connection by way of Shawn Talbott, Ph.D. provides a fair stronger image of what occurs inside the body whilst you stay awash in cortisol.

Caffeine and Cortisol

Cortisol Stimulates “fight or Flight”: The body’s stress reaction

both Cherniske and Talbott provide an explanation for that cortisol is a vital pressure hormone designed that will help you awaken within the morning and in emergencies, to cope with hazard. A spike in cortisol triggers the release of amino acids from the muscle mass, glucose from the liver, and fatty acids into the blood circulate so the frame can get entry to a outstanding amount of electricity.

since modern life doesn't typically provide the possibility to react to this surge through burning it up with extreme bodily activity, the accelerated hormones keep to stimulate the discharge of even extra strain hormones. for instance, because of our sedentary life-style, we're typically drinking a cup of espresso while sitting at a table, a meal, or in our car. when caffeine triggers a cortisol jolt, our state of strain surges in a day already packed with worrying occasions.

aging and Catabolic Metabolism

elevated strain hormones places the body into what both Cherniske and Talbott call a “catabolic” kingdom. that is the detrimental phase of cellular life that consists of sizeable tissue destruction, muscle loss, bone loss, immune system melancholy or even mind shrinkage! as the frame ages, cortisol manufacturing will increase and paired with low ranges of DHEA, testosterone and estrogen, the loss of cartilage, bone and muscle groups is extended.

Many human beings find they can’t tolerate caffeine when they flip 40 like they used to when they were 20. The cause? At midlife, we first feel our getting older our bodies begin to complain as DHEA manufacturing falls, cortisol rises, and all of sudden, we not have the same strength or endurance we once took as a right.

Weight benefit, coronary heart ailment, and Diabetes

persistent lengthy-term exposure to strain hormones disrupts the body’s metabolism inflicting accelerated blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood strain, and extended frame fat tiers due to multiplied appetite. pressure stimulates cravings for sweet, calorie dense ingredients and salty, excessive carbohydrate snacks. The aggregate of high cortisol, low DHEA and low boom hormone manufacturing causes the frame to keep fats, lose muscle and sluggish the metabolic price. No marvel diets just like the fats Flush Plan and The Rosedale food plan tell you to get off of caffeine as a way to shed pounds!

stress makes you burn fewer calories and cortisol can surely reduce the frame’s potential to launch fats from its fat shops to use for strength. rather, we emerge as sugar burners and fat storers. stress hormones cause elevated body fats inside the belly place, exactly wherein we don’t want or need it.

continual strain can lead the frame to ignore the characteristic of insulin. Insulin resistance develops while the cells fail to reply to insulin’s message to take in glucose from the blood move. it's miles concept that extended blood sugar due to pressure and food regimen contributes to the development of insulin resistance.

while insulin fails to release our cells, the urge for food is elevated while the frame’s potential to burn fat is reduced. This syndrome is a part of the modern-day hassle of rising prices of weight problems and diabetes.

Impaired immune device

Cortisol shrinks the thymus gland - one of the key immune regulators within the body – and inhibits white blood cellular hobby and manufacturing. it may simply signal immune-system cells to shut down and die. prolonged publicity can cause the identical immune device cells to assault the frame’s very own tissue leading to autoimmune system diseases.

to start with the immune device can also overreact inflicting allergies, bronchial asthma and diverse immune gadget disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s ailment and fibromyalgia. subsequently, lengthy-time period exposure might also cause immune gadget suppression and far greater severe sicknesses resulting from the inactivation of our immune system protection.

strain inhibits the production and activity of natural killer cells, referred to as NK cells, as plenty as 50%. NK cells are liable for identifying and destroying most cancers and virus cells. Even more horrifying, continual strain can accelerate the increase of cancer cells in the body as well as block the body’s capacity to fight most cancers. It promotes the synthesis of new blood cells in tumors and hurries up the increase of a few tumors.

Gastrointestinal issues

we are all familiar with the heartburn because of the high acidity of espresso. furthermore, caffeine, by way of elevatingcortisol, reasons power to be taken away from the gastrointestinal tract, lowers the production of enzymes needed to digest food, and decreases the absorption of minerals and nutrients. high acidity coupled with low mineral levels can cause the improvement of osteoporosis.

additionally, cortisol inhibits the increase of useful microflora within the intestines. these crucial micro organism aid the immune device, create B vitamins, and increase the absorption of minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium. A decrease of their populace effects in greater colds, sore throats, complications, diarrhea, disillusioned stomachs and the overgrowth of dangerous bacteria and fungus like candida.

mood Swings and despair

Moodiness, tension, and melancholy are all effects of accelerated cortisol’s lengthy-term results on seratoninand dopamine manufacturing. despite the fact that stress hormones motive a temporary boom in quick time period reminiscence for as much as 30 minutes, accelerated cortisol reduces blood glide and glucose transport to the brain and interferes with the brain cell’s capability to uptake glucose. it could even reason brain cells to surely reduce!

studies show that scholars who look at overdue on caffeine, thus raising cortisol tiers, discover their brief-term reminiscence fails them on day after today’s exam.

Fatigue and Insomnia

Cortisol production is naturally excessive within the early morning round 8 AM due to the fact one of its useful capabilities is to help you upward push and shine for the day. those who chronically stress their adrenal glands to overproduce cortisolalter their cortisol concentrations in order that cortisol is low in the morning after they awaken rather than excessive.

Of course in case you wake up feeling gradual, the general public will attain for a cup of coffee to artificially spike theircortisol levels up again. in case you drink coffee later inside the day, expanded cortisol can intervene with the body’s herbal circadian rhythms. espresso with food can trigger cortisol surges that could cause overeating whilst blood sugar finally drops. excessive stages of cortisol can interfere with a very good night’s sleep due to the fact it may hold you from getting into level three and 4 sleep; the deep, rebuild and repair sleep your body needs for recovery.

pores and skin aging and Wrinkling

last but rarely least, is our appearance. Caffeine dehydrates the frame. So do expanded cortisol levels. This results in dehydrated pores and skin and untimely wrinkling. Dr. Nicholas Perricone in his exceptional promoting books, The PerriconePrescription and The Wrinkle cure, is emphatic approximately quitting coffee to save you skin ageing. His sufferers found out to him the outcomes of increased cortisol degrees on pores and skin growing old and wrinkling through each dehydration and the decrease of collagen and elastin production.

Six tips To decreasing Your Cortisol production:

Cherniske and Talbott each emphasize the significance of increasing our “anabolic” metabolism, the rebuild, repair and rejuvenate cycle of mobile life, to reverse the effects of accelerated strain hormones and ageing. Cherniskelikens the anabolic/catabolic metabolic version to a seesaw. You need to have the anabolic facet of the seesaw up in the air and the catabolic, or breakdown and degeneration, side down as little as it can go.

right here are 6 suggestions that give you their pinnacle hints to lower cortisol levels and therefore catabolic metabolism while you increase anabolic metabolism and revel in most efficient fitness.

1. put off caffeine out of your food regimen. It’s the fastest way to lessen cortisol manufacturing and elevate the manufacturing of DHEA, the main anabolic kids hormone. 2 hundred mg of caffeine (one 12 oz.mug of espresso) will increase blood cortisol tiers through 30% in a single hour! Cortisol can stay increased for as much as 18 hours in the blood. that is the quality step to at once decrease your catabolic metabolism and boom your anabolic metabolism. if you're a ordinary espresso drinker, reducing your day by day consumption is eaier than you suspect! you may combination Teeccino herbal coffee with your espresso to decrease caffeine even as nevertheless ingesting the equal quantity of cups a day. you can additionally wean off of coffee absolutely through blending Teeccino together with your coffee and progressively decreasing the quantity of espresso over a 2 week period. this may help you keep away from painful caffeine withdrawal signs. test out the Kick The Caffeine addiction application.

2. Sleep deeper and longer. The common 50 12 months old has midnight cortisol ranges greater than 30 instances better than the average 30 12 months antique. attempt taking melatonin, a natural hormone produced at night time that allows modify sleep/wake cycles, before going to sleep to boost your personal melatonin production that also decreases with age. you can not need it every night time, but in case you are waking up within the middle of the night or too early inside the morning, melatonin assist you to sleep deeper and lengthen your sleep cycle. if you get sleepy all through the day even though you had lots of rest, backpedal the melatonin for some time. It’s a sign you are becoming an excessive amount of.

three. workout regularly to build muscular tissues and boom brain output of serotonin and dopamine, brain chemical compounds that reduce anxiety and despair. Cherniskerecommends taking DHEA supplements to shorten the adaptation length when out-of-shape muscle groups and cardiovascular gadget discourage people from continuing to exercise earlier than they get in form. DHEA also speeds up the constructing of muscular tissues and will increase the feeling of being strong and energetic.

4. preserve your blood sugar strong. avoid sugar within the diet and subtle carbohydrates to preserve from spiking your insulin production. consume frequent small meals balanced in protein, complicated carbohydrates and precise fat like olive oil and flax seed oil. Diets rich in complex carbohydrates preserve cortisol degrees lower than low carbohydrate diets. hold nicely hydrated – dehydration puts the frame in pressure and increases cortisol degrees. preserve pure water with the aid of your bed and drink it while you first wake up and earlier than you fall asleep.

five. Take anti-stress dietary supplements like B nutrients, minerals like calcium, magnesium, chromium and zinc, and antioxidants like nutrition C, alpha lipoic acid,grapeseed extract, and Co Q 10. Adaptogen herbs like ginseng, astragalus, eleuthero,schizandra, Tulsi (holy basil), rhodiola and ashwagandha help the frame address the aspect effects of pressure and rebalance the metabolism. these supplement and herbs will now not only decrease cortisol stages however they'll also help you decrease the outcomes of strain on the frame via boosting the immune device.

6. Meditate or listen to relaxation tapes that promote the production of alpha (focused alertness) and theta (comfortable) brain waves. keep away from jolting alarm clocks that take you from delta waves (deep sleep) to beta waves (agitated and hectic) and stimulants like caffeine that sell beta waves at the same time as suppressing alpha and theta waves.

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thrivous · 7 years

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Nootropics are substances that enhance cognition and support healthy brain function. Sometimes people refer to them as "smart drugs" or the "limitless pill." They include various foods, nutraceuticals (supplements), and pharmaceuticals (drugs). Unfortunately none comes close to enabling any fiction-inspired capacities of superintelligence (yet), but some may make a practical difference for many people. I’ve used several nootropics for years. And I’m exploring ways to incorporate others into my diet, if they’re applicable to my personal situation and meet a few general criteria: First, I look for nootropics supported by multiple studies on humans – not just anecdotal evidence, one study, or studies on non-human animals. Although I've nothing against the health benefits of placebo, I prefer knowing that something more than only placebo is at work. Second, I look for nootropics with the highest ratios of efficacy to expense. Given innumerable options and a limited budget, I want to do more than just empty my wallet. Third, I look for nootropics that are legal and generally safe. If it'll put me in a hospital or a prison, it’s not worth it. Based on those criteria, I’ve compiled a list of top tier natural nootropics. These are, to the best of my knowledge, the most well-researched and effective nootropics available in the United States without a prescription. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Please consult a physician before and during use of these and other nootropics.

1) Ashwagandha

["Berry of the Withania somnifera plant" by Wowbobwow12 under CC BY-SA 3.0 / cropped]

Ashwagandha, also known as Withania Somnifera, is a plant in the nightshade family and cultivated in Asia. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to anxiety, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Evaluation Of The Anxiolytic Efficacy Of An Ethanolic Extract Of Withania Somnifera

Naturopathic Care For Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial ISRCTN78958974

A Prospective, Randomized Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Of Safety And Efficacy Of A High-concentration Full-spectrum Extract Of Ashwagandha Root In Reducing Stress And Anxiety In Adults

Supplementation with Ashwagandha may also provide a notable decrease to stress; a subtle decrease to depression, and fatigue; and a subtle increase to motivation, social functioning, and subjective well-being. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Ashwagandha article on Examine.com for more studies and details.

2) Bacopa Monnieri

Bacopa Monnieri is a perennial creeping herb native to wetlands worldwide. Supplementation may provide a notable increase to memory, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract. In 2014, this meta-analysis found that Bacopa "has the potential to improve cognition, particularly speed of attention".

An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study of 320 mg and 640 mg doses of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI 08) on multitasking stress reactivity and mood. In 2014, this study found that Bacopa "produced some adaptogenic and nootropic effects".

An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 320 mg and 640 mg doses of a special extract of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI 08) on sustained cognitive performance. In 2013, this study found that Bacopa "improved performance at the first, second, and fourth repetition post-dosing on the [Cognitive Demand Battery]".

Brahmi for the better? New findings challenging cognition and anti-anxiety effects of Brahmi (Bacopa monniera) in healthy adults. In 2013, this study found that "The results ... are not in agreement with findings of some of the earlier studies which have found improvement both on cognitive parameters and a reduction of anxiety scores". This study also found that "there was a trend for lower state anxiety in the [Bacopa] group as compared to placebo group". See this summary of effective dosages and timelines for Bacopa supplementation.

Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. In 2010, this study found that "Bacopa significantly improved memory acquisition and retention in healthy older Australians".

Effects of a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract on cognitive performance, anxiety, and depression in the elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. In 2008, this study found that Bacopa "has potential for safely enhancing cognitive performance in the aging".

Examining the nootropic effects of a special extract of Bacopa monniera on human cognitive functioning: 90 day double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial. In 2008, this study found that Bacopa "significantly improved performance on the 'Working Memory' factor, more specifically spatial working memory accuracy [and] the number of false-positives recorded in the Rapid visual information processing task was also reduced".

Randomized controlled trial of standardized Bacopa monniera extract in age-associated memory impairment. In 2008, this study found that Bacopa "is efficacious in subjects with age-associated memory impairment".

Chronic effects of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) on human memory. In 2002, this study found that Bacopa "decreases the rate of forgetting of newly acquired information".

The acute effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy normal subjects. In 2001, this study found that Bacopa "has no acute effects on cognitive functioning in normal healthy subjects". See this summary of effective dosages and timelines for Bacopa supplementation.

The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. In 2001, this study found that Bacopa "may improve higher order cognitive processes that are critically dependent on the input of information from our environment such as learning and memory".

Supplementation with Bacopa Monnieri may also provide a subtle decrease to anxiety, depression, and forgetting. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Bacopa Monnieri article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Also check out my article on Bacopa supplementation. Bacopa is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

3) Creatine

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in vertebrates. It is best known for benefits related to strength training. In addition to those benefits, supplementation may provide a notable decrease to fatigue, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation, with mild exercise, on cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood state, and plasma concentrations of catecholamines and cortisol.

Low dose creatine supplementation enhances sprint phase of 400 meters swimming performance.

Prevention of traumatic headache, dizziness and fatigue with creatine administration. A pilot study.

Creatine monohydrate in DM2/PROMM: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study. Proximal myotonic myopathy.

Creatine monohydrate in ALS: effects on strength, fatigue, respiratory status and ALSFRS.

Effects of creatine on mental fatigue and cerebral hemoglobin oxygenation.

Effects of creatine supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers after repeated-sprint exercise in humans.

Supplementation with Creatine may also provide a notable decrease to depression; a subtle increase to fatigue resistance, subjective well-being, and cognition; and a subtle decrease to symptoms of sleep deprivation. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Creatine article at Examine.com for more studies and details.

4) Feverfew

Feverfew is a perennial herb that was native to Eurasia and has spread around the world. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to migraine, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Efficacy and safety of 6.25 mg t.i.d. feverfew CO2-extract (MIG-99) in migraine prevention--a randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled study.

The efficacy and safety of Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) in migraine prophylaxis--a double-blind, multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled dose-response study.

Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine.

Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of feverfew in migraine prevention.

See the Feverfew article at Examine.com for more studies and details.

5) Fish Oil (Omega 3)

Fish Oil, as the name suggests, is an oil that accumulates in the tissues of some fish species. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to depression, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Meta-analysis Of The Effects Of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) In Clinical Trials In Depression

Omega-3 For Bipolar Disorder: Meta-analyses Of Use In Mania And Bipolar Depression

Complementary And Alternative Medicine For The Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder

Omega-3 Supplementation Lowers Inflammation And Anxiety In Medical Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Omega-3 Supplementation Lowers Inflammation In Healthy Middle-aged And Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The Mothers, Omega-3, And Mental Health Study: A Double-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

EPA But Not DHA Appears To Be Responsible For The Efficacy Of Omega-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation In Depression: Evidence From A Meta-analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials

Omega-3 Fatty Acids As A Treatment For Perinatal Depression: Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial

Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Supportive Psychotherapy For Perinatal Depression: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Study

Supplementation Of A Low Dose Of DHA Or DHA+AA Does Not Prevent Peripartum Depressive Symptoms In A Small Population Based Sample

Effect Of Maternal Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation On Postpartum Depression And Information Processing

Omega-3 Fatty Acids For Major Depressive Disorder During Pregnancy: Results From A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

Efficacy Of Ethyl-eicosapentaenoic Acid In Bipolar Depression: Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Study

Addition Of Omega-3 Fatty Acid To Maintenance Medication Treatment For Recurrent Unipolar Depressive Disorder

A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Of The Omega-3 Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid In The Treatment Of Major Depression

A Dose-ranging Study Of The Effects Of Ethyl-eicosapentaenoate In Patients With Ongoing Depression Despite Apparently Adequate Treatment With Standard Drugs

Ethyl-eicosapentaenoic Acid For The Treatment Of Psychological Distress And Depressive Symptoms In Middle-aged Women: A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial

Fish Oil Supplementation In The Treatment Of Major Depression: A Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial

Omega-3 Fatty Acids In Major Depressive Disorder. A Preliminary Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

The Role Of Essential Fatty Acids In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A Case-controlled Study Of Red-cell Membrane Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) And A Placebo-controlled Treatment Study With High Dose Of EFA

Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trials Of Ethyl-eicosapentanoate In The Treatment Of Bipolar Depression And Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder

Cognitive And Physiological Effects Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation In Healthy Subjects

Omega-3 Fatty Acids For Depression In Adults

Supplementation with Fish Oil may also provide a subtle decrease to aggression, anxiety, cognitive decline, reaction time, and stress; and a subtle increase to cerebral blood flow, cerebral oxygenation, memory, processing accuracy, and subjective well-being. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Fish Oil article at Examine.com for more studies and details.

6) Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba is a tree native to China. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to cognitive decline, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Ginkgo Biloba for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. In 2016, this meta-analysis found that Ginkgo "is potentially beneficial for the improvement of cognitive function, activities of daily living, and global clinical assessment in patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease".

Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. In 2015, this meta-analysis found that "there is no convincing evidence from this review that demonstrated Ginkgo biloba in late-life can prevent the development of dementia".

Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract for the treatment of dementia. In 2015, this meta-analysis found that "taking [Ginkgo] is effective and safe in the treatment of dementia".

Efficacy and adverse effects of ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. In 2015, this meta-analysis found that Ginkgo "is able to stabilize or slow decline in cognition, function, behavior, and global change at 22-26 weeks in cognitive impairment and dementia, especially for patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms".

Efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in mild cognitive impairment with neuropsychiatric symptoms: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-center trial. In 2014, this study found that Ginkgo "improved [neuropsychiatric symptoms] and cognitive performance in patients with [mild cognitive impairment]. The drug was safe and well tolerated".

Long-term use of standardised Ginkgo biloba extract for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (GuidAge): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. In 2012, this study found that Ginkgo "did not reduce the risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease compared with placebo". See this review of divergent studies for Ginkgo supplementation.

Effect of Western medicine therapy assisted by Ginkgo biloba tablet on vascular cognitive impairment of none dementia. In 2012, this study found that Ginkgo "can improve the therapeutic efficacy as well improve cognitive ability and cerebral blood flow supply of patients with vascular cognitive impairment of none dementia (VCIND)".

Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in dementia with neuropsychiatric features: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial to confirm the efficacy and safety of a daily dose of 240 mg. In 2012, this study found that "treatment with [Ginkgo] was safe and resulted in a significant and clinically relevant improvement in cognition, psychopathology, functional measures and quality of life of patients and caregivers".

Efficacy and tolerability of a once daily formulation of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: results from a randomised controlled trial. In 2012, this study found that Ginkgo "improved cognitive functioning, neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional abilities in both types of dementia".

Ginkgo biloba for preventing cognitive decline in older adults: a randomized trial. In 2009, this study found that "compared with placebo, the use of [Ginkgo] did not result in less cognitive decline in older adults with normal cognition or with mild cognitive impairment". See this review of divergent studies for Ginkgo supplementation.

Ginkgo biloba special extract in dementia with neuropsychiatric features. A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. In 2007, this study found that "the data add further evidence on the safety and efficacy of [Ginkgo] in the treatment of cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms of dementia".

A double-blind placebo-controlled trial of tanakan in the treatment of idiopathic cognitive impairment in the elderly. In 2004, this study found that Ginkgo "might be helpful in treating the early stages of primary degenerative dementia".

Treatment of age-related memory complaints with Ginkgo biloba extract: a randomized double blind placebo-controlled study. In 1998, this study found that "use of Ginkgo extracts in elderly individuals with cognitive impairment might be promising".

Proof of efficacy of the ginkgo biloba special extract EGb 761 in outpatients suffering from mild to moderate primary degenerative dementia of the Alzheimer type or multi-infarct dementia. In 1996, this study found that "the clinical efficacy of [Ginkgo] in dementia of the Alzheimer type and multi-infarct dementia was confirmed. ... [and] found to be well tolerated".

Supplementation with Ginkgo Biloba may also provide a subtle increase to memory, cognition, sleep quality, subjective well-being, calmness, cerebral blood flow, processing accuracy, processing speed, and reaction time; and a subtle decrease to anxiety, numerical memory, and stress. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Ginkgo Biloba article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Also check out my article on Ginkgo supplementation. Ginkgo is an ingredient in Thrivous Alpha.

7) Inositol

Inositol is a sugar alcohol chemical compound that exists in various forms, the most prominent of which is Myo-Inositol, which occurs widely in nature. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to anxiety and panic attacks, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of inositol versus fluvoxamine for the treatment of panic disorder.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of inositol treatment for panic disorder.

Inositol treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Effect of inositol on bulimia nervosa and binge eating.

Acute inositol does not attenuate m-CPP-induced anxiety, mydriasis and endocrine effects in panic disorder.

Supplementation with Inositol may also provide a subtle decrease to depression. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Inositol article at Examine.com for more studies and details.

8) L-Theanine

L-Theanine is an amino acid analogue found primarily in some plant and fungal species. Supplementation may provide a notable increase to relaxation without sedation, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Anti-stress effect of theanine on students during pharmacy practice: positive correlation among salivary α-amylase activity, trait anxiety and subjective stress. In 2013, this study found that L-Theanine "intake suppressed initial stress response of students assigned for a long-term commitment of pharmacy practice".

Effects of l-theanine on attention and reaction time response. In 2011, this study found that L-Theanine "clearly has a pronounced effect on attention performance and reaction time response in normal healthy subjects prone to have high anxiety".

The effects of L-theanine (Suntheanine®) on objective sleep quality in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. In 2011, this study found that L-Theanine "is safe and effective in improving some aspects of sleep quality in boys diagnosed with ADHD".

L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses. In 2007, this study found that "oral intake of [L-Theanine] could cause anti-stress effects via the inhibition of cortical neuron excitation".

The acute effects of L-theanine in comparison with alprazolam on anticipatory anxiety in humans. In 2004, this study found that L-Theanine "may have some relaxing effects under resting conditions".

Effects of Theanine on the Release of Brain Alpha Wave in Adult Males. In 2003, this study found that L-Theanine "containing tablets promote the release of alpha waves related to mental relaxation and concentration in young adult males".

See the L-Theanine article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Also check out my article on combined Caffeine and L-Theanine supplementation. L-Theanine is an ingredient in Thrivous Serenity and Thrivous Surge.

9) Melatonin

Melatonin is a substance found in animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to insomnia and symptoms of jet lag, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Evaluation of sleep, puberty and mental health in children with long-term melatonin treatment for chronic idiopathic childhood sleep onset insomnia. In 2011, this study found that "Melatonin treatment in children can be sustained over a long period of time without substantial deviation of the development of children with respect to sleep quality, puberty development and mental health scores, as compared with the general Dutch population".

The effect of prolonged-release melatonin on sleep measures and psychomotor performance in elderly patients with insomnia. In 2009, this study found that "nightly treatment with [Melatonin] effectively induced sleep and improved perceived quality of sleep in patients with primary insomnia aged > or =55 years", "daytime psychomotor performance was not impaired and was consistently better with [Melatonin] compared with placebo", and Melatonin "was well tolerated with no evidence of rebound effects".

Prolonged-release melatonin improves sleep quality and morning alertness in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older and has no withdrawal effects. In 2007, this study found that Melatonin improves "quality of sleep and morning alertness in primary insomnia patients aged 55 years and older -- suggesting more restorative sleep, and without withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation".

The effects of melatonin on tinnitus and sleep. In 2006, this study found that "the impact of melatonin on sleep was greatest among patients with the worst sleep quality".

Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. In 2002, this study found that "Melatonin is remarkably effective in preventing or reducing jet-lag, and occasional short-term use appears to be safe".

Supplementation with Melatonin may also provide a subtle increase to sleep quality, and memory; and a minor decrease to alertness. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Melatonin article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Also check out my article on Melatonin supplementation. Melatonin is an ingredient in Thrivous Serenity.

10) Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea is a perennial flowering plant that grows on sea cliffs and mountains in cold regions of the world. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to fatigue, and a notable increase to cognition and subjective well-being, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Rhodiola rosea versus sertraline for major depressive disorder: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. In 2015, this study found that Rhodiola, "although less effective than sertraline, [Rhodiola] may possess a more favorable risk to benefit ratio for individuals with mild to moderate depression".

Rhodiola rosea for mental and physical fatigue in nursing students: a randomized controlled trial. In 2014, this study found that "among nursing students on shift work, a 42-day course of [Rhodiola] compared with placebo worsened fatigue". The study notes that "four year old roots were extracted and dried to create a powdered extract that was standardized to 2.8% total rosavins". Comparative study of Rhodiola preparations on behavioral despair of rats. In 2008, this animal study found that "Rhodioloside [salidroside], and tyrosol were identified as active principles of the extract, whereas rosavin, rosarin, rosin, cinnamic alcohol, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid were inactive".

Therapeutic effects and safety of Rhodiola rosea extract WS® 1375 in subjects with life-stress symptoms--results of an open-label study. In 2012, this study found that Rhodiola "is safe and effective in improving life-stress symptoms to a clinically relevant degree".

The influence of adaptogens on ultraweak biophoton emission: a pilot-experiment. In 2009, this study found that "after supplementation, a significant decrease concerning the experienced level of fatigue in the Rhodiola group was observed".

Clinical trial of Rhodiola rosea L. extract SHR-5 in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. In 2007, this study found that Rhodiola "shows anti-depressive potency in patients with mild to moderate depression".

Acute Rhodiola rosea intake can improve endurance exercise performance. In 2004, this study found that Rhodiola "can improve endurance exercise capacity in young healthy volunteers".

A randomized trial of two different doses of a SHR-5 Rhodiola rosea extract versus placebo and control of capacity for mental work. In 2003, this study found that Rhodiola had "a pronounced antifatigue effect".

A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of the stimulating and adaptogenic effect of Rhodiola rosea SHR-5 extract on the fatigue of students caused by stress during an examination period with a repeated low-dose regimen. In 2000, this study found that "the most significant improvement in the [Rhodiola] group was seen in physical fitness, mental fatigue and neuro-motoric tests ... [and] the self-assessment of the general well-being was also significantly better".

Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue--a double blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty. In 2000, this study found that Rhodiola "can reduce general fatigue under certain stressful conditions".

Supplementation with Rhodiola Rosea may also provide a notable decrease to depression; a subtle increase to processing accuracy; and a subtle decrease to rate of perceived exertion, and stress. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Rhodiola Rosea article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Also check out my article on Rhodiola supplementation. Rhodiola is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

11) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Vitamin B2, also known as Riboflavin, is found in foods like milk, leafy vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, and almonds. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to migraine, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

High-dose riboflavin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care centre.

A combination of riboflavin, magnesium, and feverfew for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trial.

Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trial.

Riboflavin prophylaxis in pediatric and adolescent migraine.

High-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups influence the therapeutic response to riboflavin in migraineurs.

Medium-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic agent in children with migraine: a preliminary placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial.

See the Vitamin B2 article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Also check out my article on Vitamin B supplementation. Vitamin B2 is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

12) Zinc

["30 grams zinc, 3 cm in diameter" by Jurii under CC BY 3.0 / cropped]

Zinc is an essential dietary mineral found in food like beans, nuts, and whole grains. Supplementation may provide notable support for mood, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Zinc Monotherapy Increases Serum Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Levels And Decreases Depressive Symptoms In Overweight Or Obese Subjects: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial. In 2015, this study found that "Zinc monotherapy improves mood in overweight or obese subjects".

Effects Of Zinc Supplementation On Efficacy Of Antidepressant Therapy, Inflammatory Cytokines, And Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor In Patients With Major Depression. In 2014, this study found that "Zinc supplementation in conjunction with antidepressant drugs might be beneficial for reducing depressive symptoms".

Effect Of Zinc Supplementation On Mood States In Young Women: A Pilot Study. In 2010, this study found that Zinc "supplementation may be effective in reducing anger and depression".

Zinc Supplementation Augments Efficacy Of Imipramine In Treatment Resistant Patients: A Double Blind, Placebo-controlled Study. In 2009, this study found that "zinc supplementation significantly reduced depression scores and facilitated the treatment outcome in antidepressant treatment resistant patients".

Supplementation with Zinc may also provide a subtle decrease to aggression and reaction time; and a subtle increase to cognition and subjective well-being. Evidence for these effects may not be as reliable. See the Zinc article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Zinc is an ingredient in Thrivous Clarity.

13) Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)

[Acetyl-L-Carnitine is a new addition to this list since the time of original writing.]

Acetyl-L-Carnitine is an amino acid derivative found in mammals and other eukaryotes. Supplementation may provide a notable decrease to ammonia to support brain detoxification, according to multiple peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies:

Acetyl-L-carnitine Improves Cognitive Functions In Severe Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Randomized And Controlled Clinical Trial. In 2011, this study found that "the improvement of cognitive deficits, the reduction of ammonia, and the modification of EEG in patients treated with [Acetyl-L-Carnitine] suggest that [Acetyl-L-Carnitine] could represent a new tool in the treatment of severe hepatic encephalopathy".

Oral Acetyl-L-carnitine Therapy Reduces Fatigue In Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study. In 2011, this study found that "patients with [Hepatic Encephalopathy] treated with [Acetyl-L-Carnitine] showed a decrease in the severity of both mental and physical fatigue and an increase in physical activity".

Carbohydrate, Protein, And Fat Metabolism During Exercise After Oral Carnitine Supplementation In Humans. In 2008, this study found that Acetyl-L-Carnitine "supplementation might have the potential to reduce the metabolic stress of exercise or alter ammonia production or removal".

Acetyl-L-carnitine Treatment In Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy. In 2008, this study found that "the benefits of [Acetyl-L-Carnitine] in comparison with placebo are demonstrated in greater reductions in serum ammonia levels, as well as in improvements of neuropsychological functioning".

Supplementation with Acetyl-L-Carnitine may also provide a subtle decrease to fatigue. Evidence for this effect may not be as reliable. See the L-Carnitine article at Examine.com for more studies and details. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is an ingredient in Thrivous Alpha.

Thrivous

Because it can be unnecessarily tedious and expensive to find, buy, measure, and swallow these nootropics separately, Thrivous is combining some of them into convenient and cost-effective products with evidence-based dosages reflecting the results of the studies shared above. It's part of our mission to help you access technology with the greatest potential to improve your brain and body. If you'd like to be notified as these products become available, please sign up for our newsletter.

Thrivous currently offers several nootropic products. We formulated Clarity, the daily nootropic, to improve focus, memory, and mood. We formulated Serenity, the nightly nootropic, to promote calm, sleep, and next-day focus. We formulated Surge, the acute nootropic, for occasional use to increase energy and focus. And we formulated Alpha, the nootropic geroprotector, to support healthy brain aging. Talk to your doctor about starting Thrivous nootropics today!

Originally published at thrivous.com on December 09, 2017 at 11:00AM.

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sherristockman · 7 years

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Innovative Ways to Create the Perfect Vegetable Garden Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Growing your own vegetables and fruits is one of the best ways to ensure ready access to fresh, nutrient-dense and chemical-free food. The pastime is catching on, with 74 percent of U.S. households taking part in lawn and garden activities in 2016 — a 4 percent rise from just a year before.1 The 2015 National Gardening Survey revealed that food gardening and flower gardening top the list of most popular forms of gardening, with 36 percent of U.S. households growing their own food.2 The National Gardening Association’s 2014 special report “Garden to Table” also highlighted the “food revolution” taking place in the U.S. as more Americans recognize and enjoy the benefits of homegrown food:3 “Countless communities, schools and families are growing more of their own food! Today, food gardening is at the highest level in more than a decade. In the past five years alone, spending on food gardening has increased 43 percent; urban gardeners have increased by 29 percent. And, most encouragingly, young people — the millennials — have become the fastest growing segment of the population to start a food garden. Young people have begun to champion the connection between growing food, eating well and healthy living.” Ten DIY Gardening Hacks That Really Work There are many misconceptions surrounding home gardening, including that you need a large space to grow a meaningful amount of food. In reality, Rodale's “The Backyard Homestead” suggests you can grow enough organic food to feed a family of four on only a quarter-acre of land — year-round.4 There are certainly many tips and tricks you can use to reap a bountiful harvest even if your garden is confined to containers on a balcony or a small plot of land in a community garden. The key is jumping in and getting your feet wet (or in this case your hands dirty). It often takes a process of trial-and-error to figure out the best growing methods for your needs, but you can use the gardening hacks that follow, compiled by Rodale’s Organic Life from Instagram’s #GardeningHacks, to get a head start on your green thumb:5 ✓ Coffee filters for transplanting: If you know you’ll be transplanting your plant, place a coffee filter into the first pot before you plant it. This will keep the soil together when it’s time to transplant. ✓ Reuse glass bottles for self-watering: Fill empty glass wine or olive oil bottles with water, then place them upside down into terra cotta irrigation spikes that are placed in your containers. The water will leak through the terra cotta and keep your plant watered for days. ✓ Tiny plastic containers make good seed storage: While I don’t recommend eating Tic Tacs, if you have these or similar-sized plastic or metal containers, they make great storage for partially used seed packets. Be sure to label each one so you’ll remember what’s inside — and rinse it before adding the seeds. ✓ Grow melons on a trellis using pantyhose: If you’re tight on space, growing melons on a trellis is a perfect solution that also prevents some plant diseases. Because the melons are heavy, make “slings” out of pantyhose to support the melons as they grow larger (otherwise they’ll break off the vine prematurely). ✓ Herb garden made from milk jugs: If you cut the tops off half-gallon milk jugs, they make excellent planters for herbs (poke a few holes in the bottom for draining). You can also make slits on the top and hang them from a thin piece of wood to make use of vertical space. ✓ DIY watering can: Poke holes in the cap of a gallon jug, fill it with water and you’ll have a ready-made watering can. ✓ Wine corks for planting seeds: Screw old wine bottle corks to a small board to create a perfect seed spacing tool. Push the board into the dirt to create perfectly sized and spaced holes for planting seeds. ✓ Green tea fertilizer: A green tea bag steeped in 1 quart of water is all you need to create a simple fertilizer that can be applied once every four weeks (let it cool off first). You can also make compost tea. ✓ Make trellises out of old umbrellas. Remove the fabric from your broken umbrella and use its “bones” to create a trellis. Simply attach string to the arms and then stake them to the ground. ✓ Beer moats keep pests away: Pour a small amount of beer into a cup and place the foot of your plant stand into the bowl. Caterpillars, snails and other pests will be attracted to the yeast, falling into the moat before reaching your plant. Four More Pinterest Gardening Hacks There are far more gardening hacks to be had, many of which you may come across if you frequent social media sites like Pinterest. That’s where Buzzfeed came across those that follow:6 Use a shoe organizer as a planter: An over-the-door, hanging shoe organizer is perfect for potting up herbs and flowers. Poke drainage holes in each pocket and line them with hanging basket liners for best results. Attach the organizer to any vertical surface, such as a fence or standing trellis. Create a vertical planter using a ladder, stepstool or tiered plant stand: If you have a small space, make use of vertical space by placing pots on stacked, tiered surfaces. Grow succulents in a shower caddy: Line the shower caddy (the kind you can hang from a showerhead) with felt or hanging basket liners, then plant a variety of succulents for an instant garden you can hang from a fence or other vertical surface. Instant compost in your blender: I highly recommend composting, but if you’re in a pinch you can toss some leftover produce peels, apple cores and coffee grounds into your blender, puree the mix, then use it to feed your plants. What Can You Gain by Starting Your Own Vegetable Garden? If you’re on the fence about starting a garden, you’ll be glad to know the payoffs are many. When asked why they participate in food gardening, the top three reasons given to the National Gardening Association (NGA) include to grow better tasting food (58 percent of respondents), to save money on food bills (54 percent) and to grow better quality food (51 percent of respondents).7 These are all excellent reasons, but the benefits don’t end there. The physical aspect of gardening is invaluable in an age when many people sit for far too many hours each day. You’ll spend more time outdoors in the sun while increasing your daily movement. A study in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports also concluded, “A regular dose of gardening can improve public health,” noting that gardening is associated with reductions in depression and anxiety and increases in life satisfaction, quality of life and sense of community.8 There’s even research showing that people with chronic pain had significant reductions in anxiety, depression and fatigue, and an increase in the ability to manage their pain — all from therapeutic vegetable gardening.9 If you have children, vegetable gardening has been shown to encourage greater vegetable consumption, more so than nutrition education, and also positively affect long-term eating behavior.10 Among adolescents, gardening not only is associated with healthy dietary habits, but also with improved mental health, according to the journal Health Promotion Practice:11 “Gardening was also positively associated with physical activity and improved mental health and well-being. Students who participate in gardening report slightly lower levels of depressive symptoms and enhanced emotional well-being and experience higher family connection than students who do not participate in gardening.” If You Garden, You May as Well Compost A short leap from gardening is composting. The two complement one another immensely, and neither is as complicated as many people believe. When done correctly, composting poses little risk of unpleasant odors or attracting rodents or other pests. You can even compost if you live in an apartment. A typical composting “formula” consists of 2 to 3 parts “browns” to 1 part “greens,” such as: Browns (2 to 3 parts) Shredded newspaper and other paper Dead leaves Food-soiled paper (but not coated paper) Cardboard Greens (1 part) Fruit and vegetable scraps Breads and grains Coffee grounds and filters, tea bags Grass clippings Crushed eggshells You’ll first need a space to compost, such as a fenced off corner of your yard or a bin made for the purpose. Keep a small compost pail in your kitchen to collect scraps, then empty into your compost bin daily. As you dump food scraps into your bin, try to cover it up with a layer of leaves or yard clippings to discourage attracting animals. You can also add in a sprinkling of soil to introduce beneficial organisms.12 Next, simply wait for the materials to break down, giving your bin a tumble or turn over once a week or so. You may need to add a bit of water on occasion to keep the moisture level to damp, similar to a wrung-out sponge. As for what can’t be composted, although some communitywide composting programs accept meat, dairy and certain plastics, you shouldn’t put these items in your backyard compost bin. Other items to avoid include eggs (the shells are fine), oils or grease, meat or fish bones, pet feces and litter and yard trimmings that have been treated with pesticides.13 The next question is what to do with the “black gold” you’ve created — use it in your vegetable garden, of course! Getting Started With Your Organic Garden If you’ve created compost, this will nurture the health of your soil, and healthy soil is the cornerstone of any successful garden. Apply compost liberally to your garden plants —but first you’ll need to decide on a spot for your garden. As mentioned, you don’t need a lot of space for this; even a patio or balcony will do. According to NGA:14 “More gardeners are … growing food in smaller spaces with the majority of gardens being 100 sq feet or less. This includes a 46 percent increase in container gardening, which has allowed people to grow fresh vegetables almost anywhere regardless of individual access to a traditional garden setting.” Once you’ve decided on a setting, plan out what you’ll grow. Popular garden vegetables include tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, cucumbers, snow peas, spinach, lettuce, chard and green beans — all of which are easy to grow. Seeds can be started indoors then transplanted outdoors. You can also start out with larger plants that are planted directly in your garden bed or container. Put them in the soil (digging a hole that’s twice as wide as the root ball), water thoroughly and then cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch or wood chips. Please remember that nature abhors bare uncovered soil. So please use some type of mulch once you have planted your garden. I like several inches of wood chips but you can use other materials. This will radically decrease water requirements and will keep the nemesis of most gardeners — weeds — out. Keep a close eye on your newly planted garden, especially until the plants are established, watering and pulling weeds as necessary. Pests can be naturally discouraged by planting a mix of vegetables, herbs and flowers in your garden beds along with plants that appeal to predatory insects like ladybugs. Try to spend time in your garden daily — as they say, “The best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow,” — and soon you’ll be reaping its many rewards.

#VitalityPath

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howellrichard · 7 years

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Lyme Disease: Symptoms, Testing, Treatment & Prevention (Interview)

Hiya Gorgeous,

One of my favorite things about living in the Catskills is taking long walks with my dog, Lola. But just this past weekend, we both came home covered in ticks. Lyme disease was my first concern. So far, we’ve both been lucky and fine, but I still need to be super vigilant about protecting myself and my beloved fur-kid. Lyme is one complex mofo. So today, we’re going to take a deep dive into this tick-borne bacteria and fully uncover all of its intricacies.

Lyme is called the “Great Imitator” for a couple reasons. First, it’s easily mistaken for other serious chronic conditions. Second, it’s been known to be at the root of many neuropsychiatric symptoms, from depression to anxiety to early dementia.

There are also different forms of Lyme. Acute Lyme happens when it’s caught early and treatment occurs within the first month of a tick bite. In these cases, it’s cured almost 75% of the time with antibiotics. But if an infectious tick bite goes unnoticed, it can lead to Chronic Lyme. In addition, Lyme bacteria can enter the nervous system and cause neurological issues. Plus, they typically travel with some co-infection buddies, like Babesia and Bartonella. The result? A wide range of chronic illnesses that are prevalent today.

Could your chronic illness be caused by #LymeDisease? Find out in this revealing Q&A w/ @DrRHorowitz… @Kris_Carr

Since 2013, there’s been a big increase in Lyme cases, with nearly 400,000 individuals a year infected with the disease (study). Blood tests are often unreliable and only detect about 50% of Lyme disease cases. So, there’s probably closer to one million cases happening each year. That’s a whole lot of people dealing with symptoms! So, let’s roll up our sleeves and truly understand this beasty. The more we know, the more we can prevent and treat it.

To help us understand Lyme disease and all its signs, testing options and treatments, I’ve turned to our wonderful friend, Richard Horowitz, M.D., a leading expert on Lyme disease who has treated over 12,000 chronic patients. His book, “How Can I Get Better? An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme and Chronic Disease”, is one of the very best books on the subject.

As you can already tell, Lyme is complicated. So, it’s going to take a bit to unpack this topic for you. If this feels like too much information to take in at one sitting, bookmark this blog and finish reading it a little later. What’s important is that you take your time and make the most of this priceless knowledge. And if you know someone who would benefit from this information, please pass this blog along.

OK, let’s dive in and start with the warning signs…

Kris: What are some of the common and not-so-common symptoms of Lyme disease and co-infections?

Dr. Horowitz: The hallmark of Lyme disease is that the symptoms come and go with good and bad days, and the pain usually migrates around the body, whether it be joint pain, muscle pain and/or nerve pain (usually described as tingling, numbness, burning and stabbing sensations). Migratory pain is very specific for Lyme disease. You don’t see that with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia, which can also both be due to a viral infection.

Other classic symptoms include hormonal fluctuations in women, where there are worsening symptoms around the menstrual cycle, as well as an improvement or worsening of symptoms with antibiotics (called a Jarish-Herxheimer reaction, which is an increase in symptoms as the bacteria are being killed off). Also, resistant fatigue (mild, moderate or severe), a stiff neck, headache, light and sound sensitivity, memory and concentration problems, word finding problems, sleep disorders (problems falling asleep and frequent awakening), chest pain and palpitations, as well as mood swings with an increase in depression and anxiety.

When Lyme affects the part of the body which controls the blood pressure, heart rate, bowels and bladder (called the Autonomic Nervous System), this can lead to symptoms of unexplained nausea, vomiting and chronic constipation, difficulty urinating, as well as dizziness standing associated with anxiety and palpitations (due to a drop in the blood pressure with a compensatory increase in the heart rate). This constellation of symptoms is referred to as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)/dysautonomia (a dysfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System) and requires specific therapies to treat these symptoms.

If a patient complains of day sweats, night sweats, flushing, chills, air hunger (shortness of breath) and an unexplained cough, these are classic symptoms of a co-infection with Babesia, which is a malaria-like illness. Co-infection with Bartonella species can cause a new onset of a seizure disorder, unexplained eye symptoms with inflammation (iritis, uveitis, optic neuritis) and severe resistant neurological symptoms, including neuropathy (nerve pain/tingling/numbness) and an encephalopathy (cognitive difficulties). Bartonella patients may also have a distinct rash on various parts of their bodies. This can appear as red or white “stretch marks” over the chest, back, buttocks and lower extremities, which are either horizontal or perpendicular to the skin planes.

Kris: Does an individual have to be bitten by a tick and present with a bull’s-eye rash to contract Lyme disease and co-infections? And, are there other routes of transmission?

Dr. Horowitz: The major route of transmission of Lyme disease is through a tick bite, but only half of the infected individuals get a rash, and less than half of those present with a classic bull’s-eye rash. Many rashes look like solid red, spreading rashes, which can be confused with a cellulitis (infection in the skin) or a spider bite. Other borrelia species (like the newly discovered Borrelia mayonii) can cause diffuse and spotty rashes, so the type of rash depends on the borrelia species.

Another route of transmission of tick-borne diseases includes maternal-fetal transmission of the Lyme bacteria from a mother to child. This has been reported in medical literature and can lead to severe complications in the fetus. This is also true for co-infections, like Babesia and Bartonella, which can be transmitted from a mother to a child in the womb but can also be transmitted through an infected blood transfusion. Lyme can survive in a blood bank but has not yet been proven to be able to be transmitted by transfusion, although other borrelia species, like relapsing fever borrelia, can theoretically be transmitted with infected blood.

Another potential route of transmission includes sexual transmission of Lyme disease, but it has not yet been definitively proven. And finally, other routes of transmission of tick-borne diseases, like Bartonella, include bites from fleas, mites, lice, biting flies and spiders.

Kris: Are the standard Western blot and ELISA tests accurate? If not, how should an individual who suspects he/she may have Lyme disease and co-infections go about finding the proper diagnosis?

Dr. Horowitz: The standard two-tiered testing of an ELISA followed by a Western blot, which is used by the CDC, is known to be inaccurate. It will miss approximately half the clinical cases of Lyme disease. The diagnosis of Lyme disease is ultimately a clinical one. Even the CDC says this. The issue, of course, is how do you make the clinical diagnosis. The key point in making a diagnosis is to take a proper history and rule out other diseases that cause overlapping symptoms.

I have a questionnaire in my new book, “How Can I Get Better?”, that we validated with the help of SUNY New Paltz researchers, and we discovered that a score greater than 63 on the questionnaire statistically gave you a high probability of having Lyme disease. The key was to determine if the classical symptoms we discussed were present. When you use that score with an expanded testing panel for tick-borne disorders, you can usually make the diagnosis. I have a section in my new book that explains in detail how to do a differential diagnosis and use these tests if you have gone from doctor to doctor looking for answers and still find yourself chronically ill.

Download this Lyme Disease Cheat Sheet for guidance in identifying and conquering Lyme:

Kris: What does the typical treatment protocol for Chronic Lyme disease entail? And, is it curable?

Dr. Horowitz: The Lyme bacteria has different forms and locations in the body, so the most effective treatments are to combine antibiotics and natural therapies to address each of the different forms and locations.

However, everyone’s response to therapies is different. Patients with chronic symptoms after classical treatment for Lyme disease often have multifactorial causes for their illness. I call this syndrome Lyme-MSIDS (Lyme-Multiple Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome) and it represents sixteen potential overlapping medical problems contributing to persistent symptoms in the Lyme patient.

The first point on the MSIDS map is infections. Ticks contain multiple bacterial, viral and parasitic infections which can be transmitted simultaneously with Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, and those who are infected with Lyme disease and associated co-infections are much sicker and resistant to standard therapies.

Patients with Lyme-MSIDS also have evidence of associated immune dysfunction, inflammation, environmental toxins with a multitude of other symptoms, which are detailed in my book. These factors can keep the patient chronically ill. The key is to find all the overlapping causes of inflammation in the body that are contributing to chronic illness. The term “Chronic Lyme disease” needs to be redefined as Lyme-MSIDS to more accurately reflect the multiple underlying etiologies responsible for persistent symptoms.

Kris: Do you believe that every patient requires long-term antibiotic therapy or can some cases be treated with strictly holistic and herbal approaches?

Dr. Horowitz: Some cases can be treated with short-term antibiotics while simultaneously using an integrative approach to finding the overlapping causes of inflammation. This is where using herbal treatments with the 16-point MSIDS model as a roadmap to health can be very helpful. The people who come to me have usually been to 10-20 doctors and have been sick for many years before I see them—and usually require a longer-term antibiotic protocol while using the MSIDS approach.

Kris: What preventive measures can we take to protect ourselves from this growing epidemic?

Dr. Horowitz: It is best to wear protective clothing treated with permethrin, which kills ticks, while placing tick and mosquito repellants on exposed skin. These include products like Avon SSS IR3535 and picardin, which are safer than DEET (which can be used in a 20% solution, if going into very high-risk areas). For a totally natural alternative, try Outdoor Lyme Armor formulated by Lyme herbalist, Stephen Harrod Buhner (whose in-depth book on Lyme is listed in the downloadable). Wearing light colored clothing with the pant legs tucked into the shoes is also helpful while doing regular tick checks. Proper removal of the tick by getting underneath it with a tweezer and not squeezing it is important to prevent transmission of infection. You can save the tick and put it in a baggie or vial with alcohol and have your health care provider or health department send it out for testing to determine which organisms are in the tick. If the tick was attached for more than several hours and difficult to remove, or especially if it is engorged with blood, it is best to speak to your doctor about a course of prophylactic antibiotics. Once you come indoors, you can also place your clothing in a dryer at high heat for 15 minutes, which will kill ticks.

The key is to remember that Lyme and associated tick-borne diseases have spread worldwide, and you can catch an infection in your backyard, not just going into the woods. Education about the signs and symptoms of Lyme and associated tick-borne disorders with proper prevention are the most important steps we can take to keep ourselves and our families healthy.

Well, that’s Lyme in a (large) nutshell. Thanks, Dr. Horowitz! I’m so thrilled to be able to share your knowledge and experiences with KrisCarr.com readers. If you have any questions, helpful resources, interesting tips or want to discuss your experiences, please drop them in the comments below—it’s a space where we can all learn from and share with each other.

Peace & perseverance,

The post Lyme Disease: Symptoms, Testing, Treatment & Prevention (Interview) appeared first on KrisCarr.com.

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