#I know you can be more genetically prone to certain disorders

[quailboyfriends]

Why did it take me so long to accept my personality disorder and then get diagnosed with it … I was in denial of it for 4 years… also I am 100% sure that I could’ve gotten diagnosed as young as 12.

[madrivervalleyicelandics]

@mylittlehony gonna reply to you here so I can type more haha (everyone read replies on this if you wanna know what we are on about)

Okay so yes! There is a TON we don’t know or understand about exactly how gaitedness works & it’s probably lazy to use the DMRT3 mutation as a shorthand for describing gaitedness because it probably is more complicated than just that mutation & I’m sure the more we look into that the more we will find. Rn it’s just the gene test we have for it. So, noticing prevalence of connective tissue disease in breeds that also have that gene mutation, that’s interesting - correlation isn’t causation, but could there be some connection between gaitedness & connective tissue disorder? That may be a better way to phrase the question.

ESPA is believed at this stage to be hereditary. But that’s really all we know so far, and really even that is a guess until we know more. Every vet I talk to about this is like, “my kingdom for a gene test!”

I’m continuing to talk about it even without KNOWING answers because for a long time the message has been, Icelandic horses are a hardy, healthy breed.

We kind of just keep parroting this but in reality, the past 10 years especially have shown us quite a few health issues the breed is prone to, or at least not immune to.

My GUESS is that’s because enough time has passed for the breed to get a real foothold in countries outside of iceland that have different expectations of horses than iceland has. In iceland, horses tend to have long breaks from training each year on pasture, which means that they’re ridden less, cumulatively over a lifetime, than we expect to ride our horses on average in the US for example. Rides in iceland also tend to be short - yes, even on treks, riders historically bring spare horses & switch frequently. I have ridden Vigri in TWO 100 mile competitive rides - most folks in iceland are simply not putting that kind of mileage on a single horse. We also expect to ride our horses for as much of their natural lives as possible, & while of course some people ride horses into their old age in iceland, many horses go out to pasture or retire for breeding or have their careers scaled back significantly at younger ages than I think most Americans would like. We just have different expectations here, and we also tend to do a lot more diagnostic tests and therapies to keep horses going where in iceland they might just retire the horse. I’m not saying one is better over the other, just that the sets of expectations are different, & now that we are enough generations into the breed existing outside of iceland, I think more has come to light than would have been discovered in iceland alone.

When we’re honest & open about these problems - like we were with genetic spavin - the breed community is incredible at collecting data & making improvements. Genetic spavin was a big issue for a while, now not so much because breeders started screening & soft culling (not breeding those horses).

ESPA is WAY harder to deal with even in concept because we don’t have a way to screen for it in asymptomatic horses - it’s progressive & that progression is inconsistent. You can have individuals fully crippled or incompatible with life as youngsters, like Sirius & Sylgja, or you can have horses living natural lifespans & dying of unrelated causes in old age, never diagnosed (that would almost certainly have been Vigri - I doubt he’d have been diagnosed at all if I hadn’t had the other cases and gotten obsessive about this lol).

So one of the arguments I’ve heard from breeders is that, if it doesn’t affect them into old age, why does it matter. Which I don’t think is a GREAT attitude, but I do wonder how pervasive this disease is. If it’s found to be very pervasive in populations across breeds or specific to certain breeds, maybe some degree of it IS normal - how could we know if we are only able to test the most symptomatic horses? That’s sort of what we’ve come around to with ECVM, right - that there has always been this range of what’s “normal” & we assumed it to be a problem because only symptomatic horses were getting diagnosed - we had no idea how many asymptomatic ECVM horses existed until recently.

And then there is of course also the reality that all horses will eventually break down and die of SOMETHING. We can’t prevent that, no matter how perfect we make our husbandry & breeding.

So the question then becomes, what range of mobility is normal, when does it become hypermobile, where is the line between aspirational & dysfunctional, & who decides that. And those are all questions I SUPER don’t feel qualified to answer. But I do know that in the gaited horse world, certainly in the Icelandic horse world, we all tend to toe the line when it comes to hypermobility. We select for huge gaits, extreme leg action, & a lot of the training for sport intentionally destabilizes the horse to increase the snap-&-fling action that everyone seems to love.

What I’ve been saying for a while is, we’ve got to stabilize these horses. The training has got to refocus towards stabilization & away from exaggeration. I think that’s likely been what’s saved Vigri so far, is that he’s had a lifetime of stabilization work with me - even when I used to show him in sport, I spent all my time in between shows stabilizing him so that he could cope with those performances a few times a year, because I knew the toll they took. When THAT’S the gait standard, & we are judging the horses for breeding at age 3-5 usually, & then breeding them to this standard, I think there’s a LOT of room for a progressive disease like ESPA to be passed on before it’s detected or symptomatic. It happened to me with Skvísa & I know for a fact it’s happened to others.

If people know to test this breed when they start to have “weird” problems like I did with my mares, I think we will start to get a better picture of what this looks like. We can diagnose ESPA with ultrasound, at least after a certain amount of disease progression, & if more people knew that, & knew all the weird ways it can manifest, they might choose to test. Right now, most people don’t know it’s a possibility. There’s too much misinformation about the disease itself, but also about hypermobility in horses - and a great deal of THAT misinformation is held in place by denial / willful ignorance to protect current gait standards. If we acknowledge that we may be breeding horses that are successfully meeting our standard BECAUSE their connective tissue is diseased, that calls quite a few things into question that a lot of folks would prefer not to examine. In all sports, human and equine, it’s hard to go backwards from an extreme, isn’t it? That’s a tough sell. I don’t think that many people who are winning under the current standard like the idea of horses moving more conservatively in the future.

I think that’ll make it hard for ESPA research to get the funding or attention it deserves, is what I’m getting at, but we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I feel like the best we can do is just keep talking about it & ultrasound horses that we have questions about.

Since my two mares got ESPA diagnosed in 2023 I feel like everyone I know has ESPA dx’d or suspected in Icelandic horses. So all I’m gonna say here is that if you have weird mystery sensitivity, the horse is kind of reactive & weird some days & fine others & you’re ruling out a lot of common causes of pain & can’t really find muscular or chiropractic causes & the horse isn’t lame on one leg or neuro but something is just weird about the horse…..

Ultrasound those suspensories, bestie!

We just did Vigri this Fall & found that he has early signs of degeneration of his suspensories, too, but at 16 & sound this is “normal” progression of the disease (as opposed to the serious degradation of the tissues we noted in Sylgja at age 5, & her mom at 13 - I still think Skvísa probably would have progressed more slowly had I not bred her, which I’d never have done if I’d known she had the disease). Since he isn’t a mare, won’t be bred, & the current best practice for treatment is consistent, appropriate exercise, I’m responding to this DX by slowing down his workload, riding him myself less, ponying him more, having my child (who is very light) be his primary rider when ridden, & keeping up with the shoe package that’s been keeping him sound & comfy with his rotational deformities up to this point. Vigri is more comfortable / happy when in an exercise program so this makes sense for him at this level of progression, but we will be monitoring closely & re-checking. This comes w perfect radiographs (zero arthritic changes to hocks, fetlocks, etc) - we literally only US’d bc when I pulled him barefoot last winter I THOUGHT I noticed his fetlocks dropping slightly more than usual, & I wanted to see if I were crazy or not 🤡

But where I’m at w this now is I think it is FAR more common in the breed than previously reported & warrants serious examination certainly for anyone who wants to breed these horses. The prevalence in Standardbreds, pasos (disease was first discovered in pasos) etc has a lot of vets curious if there’s a connection between the DMRT3 mutation & this connective tissue disease. Worth noting as well that Vigri is of no relation to my other horses, & is actually not even from the same breeding farm. Looking back, I wish I could US Glæta… I have a lot of questions about past “complicated” horses I worked with that could be answered by this disease.

It’s super worth paying attention to because of the connective tissue involved w internal organ suspension. A friend just attended a dissection of an (suspected) ESPA horse in which the liver was found to be detatched. I know quite a few Icelandic horses that were “fine” until they suddenly died of some weird medical event involving digestion. Was it colic or something else…..?

We know this disease can affect the cardiovascular system, vision, etc. I’m certainly curious if Vigri’s intermittent difficulty pulsing down - even when his resp returned to normal right away - could be related to subclinical presentation of this disease. I’m even curious if his rotational deformities at birth might have been the earliest sign! I’m quite sure it explains his unusually sensitive skin, which rubs & chafes so easily. All of which is to say, this disease goes beyond workload / performance expectations, it’s not just a (potential) soundness problem. It’s potentially something that can negatively impact organ function.

Another interesting thing I’ve learned more recently is that research is suggesting that the bodies of these horses lay down layers of fat in unusual / unexpected places to compensate / protect the lack of healthy connective tissue. On dissection that’s apparently really interesting to see, sometimes the horses don’t even palpate or look especially fat until you get into the layers of the body. My ESPA mares did have an unusual amount of body fat & it actually complicated the muscle biopsies we did to rule out PSSM2….

Anyway this is sort of a disorganized dump of random ESPA thoughts but I haven’t had the energy or time to make more coherent thoughts for Instagram / FB & I know Tumblr doesn’t care.

Bottom line is if you’ve got gaited horses & they’re having “mystery” health or behavioral issues, you might want to consider a connective tissue disorder as a possible contributing factor! & certainly if you notice hypermobility or unusual flexion of the joints.

[guiltfreemind]

Causes of anxiety: a complete guide

There are millions of people all around the world that suffer from anxiety. Feelings of anxiety, worry, and unease remain on a daily basis, interfering with a person’s ability to function normally. Even though you may feel anxious from time to time, crippling levels of anxiety are not. In order to effectively treat anxiety disorders and provide appropriate assistance to those who are suffering from them, it is essential to understand the underlying causes of anxiety.

The first and foremost thing to know is that anxiety stems from various factors, some of which may be unique to each individual. They involve many different aspects, both internal and external. Understanding why certain people are more prone to having anxiety disorders than others can be achieved by investigating these aspects. In this blog post, I will discuss the different factors that may contribute to someone being more anxious than others. If you want to know what lies behind anxiety, then keep reading all the way till the end. #guiltfreemind #anxiety #anxietydisorders #anxietyrelief https://www.guiltfreemind.com/anxiety-disorders/causes-of-anxiety/

[magnetothemagnificent]

Debunking an absolutely full-of-shit post by @/gender-sexuality-and-happiness. This is the post if you want to go report it.

This post is especially insidious because it hides overt antisemitism and ableism and misogyny.

So, I will lay out their claims one by one, and then one by one debunk them.

Boundaries: I will not tolerate antisemitism or islamophobia on this post. If you comment or reblog anything antisemitic or islamophobic on this post, I will block and report you immediately.

No, no it's not. You are doing a disservice to the horrors of FGM by comparing circumcision to it. Male circumcision has had thousands of years to be perfected as a legitimate medical procedure. It is done in a safe, sterile environment with sterile tools and trained professionals. It's better to do circumcision on a baby because it gives the area more of a chance to recover better. FGM is a horrific procedure involving the partial or entire removal of the labia and clitoris. Male circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, an unnecessary flap of skin surrounding the shaft of the penis. FGM is a procedure that leaves its victims unable to have pleasurable and painless sex, and sometimes even unable to reproduce, and more prone to infection. Male circumcision leaves no lasting side effects other than you know, not have a foreskin, which doesn't interfere at all with sexual or bodily function.

Well this is just a chock-full of blatent lies.

Let's start debunking every single sentence in this paragraph.

Jews do do circumcision in America, even non-religious Jews. I don't know where this person is getting their statistics from, but Israel, the country with the highest Jewish population outside of the US, has 91.7% of the male population circumcized. And no, before you go all antisemitic, it is not a requirement to be circumcized in Israel. Jews do not circumcize their male babies because of sanitary reasons, it's because we were commanded by G-d to do so, and because we are honouring our ancestors who did so before us. Yes, like all medical procedures, there is a very very low risk to circumcision. But it's not riskier than any other procedure. In fact, studies show that there might be benefits to circumcision, but this is besides the point. According to the NIH, "However, it has been shown that there is no difference between circumcised and uncircumcised men in their ability to sense extroceptive and tactile stimuli on the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the glans." So there's no difference between penile sensation in circumcised and uncircumcised males. All of this fear-mongering about circumcision is the result of antisemitic and islamophobic propaganda.

While it is true that Europe has lower rates of circumcision, this is because they have less Jewish and Muslims per population. Penile cancer is extremely rare, and actually Jewish men in Israel have the lowest rate of penile cancer. Hey, remember the statistics showing how most men in Israel are circumcised? So clearly there is no concise connection between penile cancer and circumcision. Circumcision also has no connection to UTIs, and may also decrease the risk of certain STIs.

I can't find any actual research to support this inflamattory claim, but I can provide evidence that one of the first actual recorded documentation of hemophilia is in the Jewish Talmud, in which Rabbis discussed the disorder and ruled that circumcision is expressely forbidden for hemophiliacs, or even for a baby who has hemophiliac family members, becaue they understood the genetic factor of this disorder.

All in all, this post is antisemitism and islamophobia and misogyny trying to hide behind just a whole thread of helpful infographics. It's deeply insidious that they try to hide this propagnda inside this post. The post's OP is smart about what they're doing. They're hiding pure lies and bigotry behind a mask of progressive language. I would report this user immediately.

Anti-circumcision activists like to spread the misinformation that circumcision is dangerous and barbaric, when mounds of scientific research and evidence show otherwise. Additionally, the rhetoric spouted by anti-circumcision activists is deeply ableist- they often imply that circumcized people are "incomplete" and "missing something" by not having their foreskin. This rhetoric is very similar to ableist arguements about how disabled people are "missing something", especially amputees, and also is the rhetoric behind the forced genital "reconstruction" of intersex infants.

Every body is different, and every penis is different. Some people are born without a foreskin at all, are they missing something? No penis is better or worse than another, and implying that being circumcised makes a man less of a man stems from age-old antisemitic and islamophobic rhetoric.

Sources:

[id in alt text]

[war-torn-and-collateral-damage]

So I have a new medical update for everyone!! As many of you know I have had a very hard time finding a decent doctor and getting answers to my medical problems. Since 2017 when I was diagnosed with "Functional Neurological Disorder" my medical issues have only gotten worse, I have been subject to abuse, maltreatment and dismissal by the healthcare system time and time again. BUT!!! Finally, over 4 years later I have a doctor who is AMAZING who actually tested me for things, actually looked into my history, actually actively listened to me and my concerns and CORRECTED my diagnosis and gave us some answers.

Apparently, I have a rare genetic connective tissue disorder called Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, he was able to diagnose this based off of a 30 minute physical evaluation and my medical history, that is literally all it would have taken for another doctor to figure it out, hEDS itself explains why I have been dislocating/subluxing joints hyperextending/spraining and tearing muscles and ligaments for literally as long as I can remember. But you don't just have connective tissue in your joints, there is connective tissue in the entire body!!!!! In your head (this is why I am so prone to concussions) in your organs (which causes them to sag and makes things like digesting food difficult) etc.

hEDS alone does not explain everything but when it was confirmed today that it was paired with Autonomic Dysfunction we finally got some insight into what is going on!!!!

First off, we learned recently that my seizure/paralysis episodes are triggered by cardiac events. That is, I go tachycardic prior to an episode, my heart rate jumps from resting to 170 in about 3 seconds.

This is because the Autonomic Nervous System (which controls involuntary body functions i.e:

dizziness and fainting upon standing up, or orthostatic hypotension

an inability to alter heart rate with exercise, or exercise intolerance

sweating abnormalities, which could alternate between sweating too much and not sweating enough

digestive difficulties, such as a loss of appetite, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or difficulty swallowing

urinary problems, such as difficulty starting urination, incontinence, and incomplete emptying of the bladder, bladder retention

vision problems, such as blurry vision or an inability of the pupils to react to light quickly)

You can experience any or all of these symptoms depending on the cause, and the effects may be mild to severe. Symptoms such as tremors, shaking, and muscle weakness may occur due to certain types of autonomic dysfunction as well.

We also learned today that tranquilizers and nerve relaxers amplify these episodes of paralysis and shaking because it over relaxes the autonomic nervous system which explains why my episodes would last so long and become so severe because in the past doctors were treating me for "psychogenic Neurological symptoms" with anxiety meds, nerve relaxers and tranquilizers.

I was continously sent to PT and OT with no results and worsening symptoms, we learned this is because my body cannot regulate its temperature so I have an exercise intolerance, I work out, do strengthening exercises etc and get hot (as you do in a work out) but my body cant cool itself down so then the ANS freaks out and i have episodes. (We now have a recommendation and referral for hydro-therapy)

We also learned that I have NOT been having seizures this entire time, I have been having "shaking episodes" which is another more severe symptom of autonomic dysfunction.

Autonomic dysfunction is now also being investigated for the cause of my GI problems. My doctor believes I have autonomic esoughagial dysfunction with an R wave meaning my esoughagus is working in the wrong direction!!!! Testing for this has now also been recommended and ordered!!!!

Unfortunately we did also learn that there is not a cure BUT now that we know the problem we can work at preventing episodes and symptom management (trying to keep me cooled of for example) we also learned ways to get me out of an episode of paralysis by "shocking the nervous system" by using ice baths, smelling salts, pain stimulation etc.

We have in no way fixxed the issues at this point but today we actually got answers and validation and I consider that alone a blessing.

In an effort yo manage symptoms there are some things I need, ai get what I am able to when I have the money but I do not make much on disability so if anyone wants to help ojt woth items on my home health wishlist zi would very much appreciate it. I will link the list here. Thanks everyone for the continues support and encouragement.

[3liza]

TLDR is this paper posits that artists are way more prone to mood disorders, pain and fatigue syndromes possibly due to the A1AT gene. its an interesting paper for the definition of the "ICE phenotype" (Intense Creative Energy) as a sort of catch-all term for people who make stuff. not sure what their definitions of that phenotype are but i havent read the paper very closely.

anyway if you ever wondered what happened to gene editing and the human genome project etc and why we dont have pills that fix bad stuff about us, and superhuman clone babies, its because of this phenomenon. this is also a big reason why apparently entirely negative genetic traits that increase your risk of dying or suffering dont just die out on their own through evolutionary pressure. genes arent just a one gene, one good or bad thing, take them out or put them in one at a time kind of deal. maybe the gene for writing a good novel is the gene that gives you complex regional pain syndrome, depression or fibromyalgia. maybe the gene for having a lower addiction risk to drugs is also the treatment resistant depression gene. you can have resistance to certain kinds of cancer, but other kinds of cancer risk will increase. etc. maybe you knock out a gene for migraines but it takes away another gene that was preventing a third gene from causing chromosomal abnormalities. etc

its all really interesting and a lot of it satisfies the part of my brain that enjoys Just So stories about why we are the way we are but it is kind of a bummer. gene editing isnt a dead end but 90% of the hype about it in the 90s has turned out to be futile. youre just not going to get that designer baby with the ice blue eyes without breeding in something you dont want, potentially something you wont even know is there until that baby is 40.

and thats not even getting into epigenetics and environmental triggers. if the person you gene edited for A1AT to make the great american novel can be prevented from getting triggering viral infections or traumatic experiences that cause fibro or PTSD, maybe they write the novel and dont have to pay for it. i can imagine genetic counseling appointments with parents-to-be who are told stuff like this and have to sign a release that says yeah we'll do our best to prevent the child from getting mono or being traumatized and we understand that the Great American Novel gene carries a risk of blah blah blah. theres your science fiction worldbuilding

[spectrumed]

3. sadness

Don’t be like that. Be like this, or be that other thing. Be unique, but don’t be too unique. Fit in, but try to be a rebel. Be a renegade, but don’t rock the boat. Don’t know what you are supposed to be? What? Do you have imposter syndrome or something? Just be yourself, but, y’know, sand down the edges a little bit. Be friendlier. Be the kind of person everyone likes. Be the life of the party! Don’t be some shut-in, some crazy cat-lady with absolutely zero social life. Don’t be sad. Don’t burden others with your sadness. Work to maximise the total happiness of your community. A smile goes a long way. Can’t smile? You really can’t help but being a sourpuss all the time? Well, I guess maybe that if you can’t help but stay in a perpetual bad mood bringing everyone else down… then maybe you should just stay isolated? Better stay alone, away from others. You’re toxic. You’re just so damned sad. You really must be quarantined.

I am sad, a lot of the time. Are you? But, no, you can’t just admit that you are sad. Don’t be a buzzkill, try to inject a little humour into the things you say. You can admit you’re depressed, if you do so with a joke. Don’t let others know you’re being sincere. Ironic jokes work the best, don’t they? They let you confess your secret gloom to everyone around, but they’ll never know just how serious you’re being. With a wink of the eye, any candid expression of your inner turmoil can become a hilarious post-modern gag. Are they or are they not telling the truth? Oh, I’ll never tell! And it will all work out excellent, up until the day you commit suicide. But every comedian’s time in the limelight has to end at some point, right?

This blog is supposed to be about autism spectrum disorder, why am I suddenly discussing depression? Well, I suppose that it is time we bring to the table this little thing called comorbidity. Psychology is messy. Some would argue that it is barely even a real scientific field (I tend to think that it is the best thing we have, but I acknowledge that in places, psychology is fundamentally flawed.) You may have thought that you’d get just one diagnosis. One simple label that you can work through and overcome. You’re bipolar, now go deal with it! But instead, you find yourself with a whole fistful of diagnoses. What to hear my proud list of diagnoses? Oh, please, don’t think because I am listing them this one certain way, I put them in order of relevancy to me. I love all of my diagnoses equally.

My diagnoses are:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

Agoraphobia

Possible Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Asperger syndrome (AS)

No, I was never officially diagnosed with depression, but largely because, at the time I received these diagnoses, my depression was so blatant that it felt as if I was walking around with a cloud of miasma surrounding at all times. Imagine me as Pig-Pen from Peanuts, but instead of being covered in dirt, I was covered in the funk of melancholy. And whatever treatment I would eventually go on to receive (and still am receiving to this day,) would go about treating my anxiety first, and hopefully, the depression would give in alongside the anxiety. It has, for the most part, though, I still feel the presence of that black dog from time to time. I also got only a half-hearted potential diagnosis of OCD, but later, during a trial of an antidepressant that had a freakishly negative impact on my psyche, it blossomed into a fully-grown attention-craving condition. Turns out that OCD can be a real hog for the spotlight, really not allowing any of the other diagnoses to take their turn on stage. Thankfully, when I got off that particular antidepressant, those symptoms stopped, but it has led me to be far more aware of my internal obsessive-compulsive thought patterns. For me, OCD largely lacks physical compulsions, but my mind is ablaze with intrusive thoughts, and I will routinely force myself to repeat certain phrases in my head to make them go away. The funny thing is, I never realised that wasn’t normal.

Diagnoses are an attempt to map out a spiders’ web of problems. Things come hand in hand. While I’m no psychologist, I can speak from the perspective of someone who has been through the psychiatric process, which I suppose, lends me a certain kind of expertise, doesn’t it? Maybe it really doesn’t. Maybe I’m just throwing words out there, thinking that I could serve a good purpose, but instead all I am doing is contributing to this great onslaught of digital disinformation we’re all suffering under. But I’m probably just too doubtful of myself. I am speaking about myself, after all. I’ve got first-hand experience in being myself. I know exactly what it feels like to own this skin, these bones, this heart, and this mushy brain of mine. I’m not claiming to know everything. I’m just claiming to know about this one sad individual writing this hoping it might allow someone to reblog my posts with the hashtag “relatable” one day.

Anxiety runs in my family. The neurosis demon gets passed down from generation to generation, only occasionally skipping a beat. My mother and I share many of the same neurotic quirks, though, she has for the most part of her life not had it to quite the excessive degree that I have it. I really took that genetic predisposition for anxiety and ran with it. And while I’m the only person in my family to have gotten diagnosed as being “on the spectrum,” there are a few members that I kinda sort of in a way actually quite seriously suspect might also be here somewhere on the spectrum. Still, as always goes with diagnosing, there’s no point in doing it unless the person is in need of some kind of treatment. I wholeheartedly believe that most people on the planet belong to one spectrum, be it an autism spectrum, a bipolar spectrum, a narcissism spectrum, even a schizophrenic spectrum, but diagnoses should be exclusively reserved for those who need psychiatric care. The world is a spectrum, and it’s worth noting that the terms “sane” and “insane” do not alone capture the complexity of the human psyche. A person can appear perfectly sensible, yet at some point in their life, they may have been a real silly little bugger who thought that their pet hamster was the reincarnation of the Buddha. Just as with physical health, one can struggle with one's mental health for one period in their life, only to later on in life feel utterly and entirely mentally healthy. Or, well, sadly in a lot of cases, people who were perfectly mentally healthy may suddenly become diagnosed with dementia. But that’s really sad, so let’s not talk about that.

Is it all genetic? Well, no. Or well, maybe? In regards to autism, I am pretty sure that, yes, it is genetic. While, yes, I do admit that I’m just a dummy on the internet, so what do I really know? And the brain is such a complex bit of mushy meat, so I could always be proven wrong. Though, I tend towards thinking that there most likely is principally a genetic factor to conditions like autism, or attention deficit disorder (and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,) or things like bipolar disorder. But with anxiety, quite frankly, I can’t say how much of it is nurture and how much of it is nature. I mentioned that my mother and I share many of the same neurotic quirks, so that would imply that there is something in one's genes that can make some more prone to anxiety than others, but my mother does not struggle with agoraphobia, nor does she seem to have any obsessive-compulsive tendencies. In fact, in my family, even those that exhibit some element of heightened anxiety, they don’t seem to show any milder symptoms of this kind. I can’t help but feel as if these conditions I gained through that tortuous period of every boy’s and girl’s (and boy-girl’s) life is called puberty. I hate to conform to stereotypes but I did indeed hate being a teenager. Believe it or not, I wasn’t a jock, and no, I didn’t go to parties. I mostly spent my time crying.

The question that no doubt plagues every movie psychiatrist to no end is what kind of trauma must a person undergo to make them go mad? Abusive parents? Abusive uncles? Abusive teachers? Abusive dogs? Honestly, to be an adult raising a child must be rough, considering how any mistake you make might suddenly turn your little babe into a future serial killer. Now, there’s no doubt that there are some seriously terrible parents out there, and that a lot of people have mental woes that definitely came about due to their parents and their abysmal lack of parental care. But generally, how much can you actually blame on your parents? We know the cliché, let’s go sit down on the sofa and complain to our Freudian hack-shrink all about those times as a kid our dad missed the big game, or that time our mother embarrassed us in front of all of our friends. I have plenty of things to complain about my parents, like I believe we all have. Our parents are flawed, messy human beings, of course they occasionally made mistakes throughout our upbringings. But is that nearly enough to turn a person mentally ill? Putting up with an at times really embarrassing mom? No, I don’t think so. And of course, there are some real awful parents out there, I’m not doubting that. Trust me, I’m a fan of true crime, so I’ve heard some real grizzly stories of what some kids are forced to grow up with. But I am thinking that those instances are more rare than they are common. Most people with mental illnesses can most likely not blame their parents.

How ‘bout bullies? Yes, them bullies. Them awful mean bullies that made all of our lives so painful. It’s funny, it seems like every school had their own fair share of bullies, and yet no-one as an adult ever comes forward to admit that they themselves were the bullies. It’s almost like as if no-one ever thinks of themselves as being a bully, even when they are throwing rocks at that weird chubby kid with blonde hair who happens to be named Fredrik and who just wants to be left alone. Was I bullied? Well… yes. But I can’t say I got the brunt of it. I got bullied, but overall I’d say I only ever had it slightly worse than most people. I was still quite tall, typically taller than my classmates growing up, and for the most part I could roll with the punches. If you really want to talk about a kid I knew growing up that got bullied, let me tell you about this kid who knew all the right dances for all the right Britney Spears songs. He was gay, I think. Not quite old enough to have come out, I suspect, but, well... He liked all the female pop stars, but not in that way of wanting to kiss them and fondle their boobies, but in the “I want to sound just like them when I grow up” sort of way. I don’t know what happened to him (or them, or her, depending on how they identify now,) but that was real bullying. Like most folks, I found myself stuck in that limbo of seeing others get bullied far worse than me and being too cowardly to intervene, in fears that I’d end up taking their place. Yes, isn’t school just a marvellous place? It’s a wonder any of us turn out okay.

No, I think that, fundamentally, the problems I have arose with myself. This, blaming myself, is not something that I am unused to doing. I have a long history of blaming myself, that’s really the problem. As a teenager I knew that I was different, and I was frightened and scared of being exposed. I didn’t even really know what it was that was different about me, I just knew that I didn’t fit in. I felt as if I didn’t deserve to fit in. The older I got, the more intense these feelings got. And I started taking it out on myself. I started hating myself. And I really mean furiously hating myself. It wasn’t some casual self-loathing, it was searing self-hatred. I did not physically hurt myself, but I did engage with self-harm. I kept repeating the mantras of “I hate myself,” and “I am pathetic,” over and over again, with the ultimate goal of making myself cry. For a period, I couldn’t go to bed without making myself cry first. I began taking days off from school, pretending to be sick. Well, I suppose I was ill, but not physically. I began failing most of my classes, I only ended up doing well in art. I stayed away from school for whole weeks at the time. Once, when I shame-facedly returned to school some of the meaner boys came up to me and said that they were surprised to learn that I was still alive. They were surprised, but also a little disappointed.

This was a time in my life when I really needed psychiatric care. This became increasingly obvious to my parents, and my teachers. I was clearly suffering from depression. Not just some teenaged angst, but full-blown, wholly insidious, depression. But, well, I didn’t get the care that I needed. Oh, I did go to see a psychologist a couple of times, but she saw no reason for me to continue seeing her. I don’t know why she felt as if I wasn’t in need of help, frankly, I can’t fathom why she felt as if I wasn’t in need of help. I suppose I avoided telling her the truth of what went on inside of my head, but I feel like as if any good psychologist would have been able to tell that the kid sitting across from them was clearly suffering from something a tad more intense than just some common concerns about puberty. At most I was able to confess was that I was feeling ashamed over myself for getting so fat, but it should have been clear to anybody that I was only using that as a hook to hang my self-hatred on. There very clearly was some underlying condition that I had that should have gotten addressed. But it went ignored.

At most I can think to explain this is the fact that I wasn’t “problematic.” Not in the way some kids are, when they’re struggling with their mental health. I did not act out, I did not take drugs, and I was certainly not violent. Even to this day, though I have at many times suffered from suicidal ideation, I am a real low-risk for actual suicide considering my intense fear of dying (yes, that’s an odd combo to have.) So, I’ve come to realise that the only way I am getting treatment is if I actually seek out treatment. And back then, I was just as placid as I had previously always been. I was quiet and introverted, just desperate to get back home so I could go and hide in my room. Many teenagers are like that. And it is easy to ignore them, because they want to be ignored. They just don’t want to exist. When you are desperate to be left alone, eventually people will leave you alone. I would go on to receive psychiatric care later on my life, but only after several years passed. I did have a better time living in my later teenage years, but like with a bone that heals wrong, I needed someone to come in and sort me out. I was sad as a teenager, but I would become really sad as a twenty-something. Hopefully my thirties will be jolly.

[zirkkun-uthcs]

Hey! Can I get a matchup? :0c

I’m genderfluid, use any pronouns, and pansexual. I’m autistic and have ADHD along with panic disorder, so I function a lot like a chia pet, if not under the perfect conditions I will just stop functioning. Bright lights, loud noises, crowds, and too much going on at once all trigger me into getting overwhelmed and frustrated to the point I can’t talk. I am generally good at avoiding those situations though, I know what my limits are and after just making myself suffer to keep those around me happy for nothing in return I’ve started to become very jaded and blunt about them. If you try to push me after I’ve said no once or twice I will just walk away and ignore you.

I’m an artist and a writer and am currently working on videogames as an artist and writer. I am very bad at technical things like code but love abstract things. Art, literature, game, and film theory are things I can read about for hours. My special interest is dogs! I can talk about them for ages, breeds, history, genetics, competitions, you name it, I know about it.

I value morals above all else, above money, above comfortableness, above my own life. People who are any less than steel spinned tend to annoy me. I take a lot of pride in the fact that despite the fact I’m prone to panic attacks I still wholeheartedly stand up for what I believe in. If you’re willing to admit the fact you’re wishy-washy I’ll be much more willing to accept you, treating you more like someone to protect and help.

I have very little tolerance for selfishness, I understand that being willing to die for a stranger as I am is extreme, but not being willing to be uncomfortable or uneasy for more than a day to help others is something I’d scrunch my nose at.

I want to be independent, but due to my mental problems, I kind of can’t. I have big executive dysfunction problems, I will very often get engrossed in work and forget to eat. I am probably too passionate about things. I tend to treat others better than I do myself, hyper empathy makes me want to help everyone and make them all happy. I can go on a hike or just chill at home in sweaters.

Grillby is my favorite character, and Roulxs is my favorite Deltarune specific character. I like musicals and various types of folk songs, and spend a lot of time singing as I work.

And because I’m very extra have some emojis that match my vibe: 🐝🌾🎻🍷🪓

-🦝

I genuinely thought of a matchup super quickly for you -- that being Undertale!Sans!

+ Sans is a very observant guy, and when he notices you're not doing so great or are completely overwhelmed to the point of discomfort or dysfunction, he'll get you out of there real quick. even if you're good at noticing, sometimes something unexpected might happen, and frankly he'd be ready for it at any second.

+ abstract things you say? well how more abstract can you get than quantum physics? okay, maybe that's a bit too far (and difficult to understand), but he's also got a fascination for abstract thoughts over concrete concepts as well. also, dogs? hell yeah. Sans loves dogs. he doesn't know a thing about them, but he does think they're adorable.

+ morality is also something hugely important to him. he doesn't have a lot of things he cares about and is usually pretty indifferent, but when you tick that certain subject he's particularly invested in, well, let's hope you agree. but it's not like they're really obscure or anything -- it's pretty basic, common things like, "don't kill people."

+ Sans understands executive dysfunction pretty well. he's never experienced it, but Papyrus sure has. he'll definitely keep an eye out for you to make sure you're okay. he doesn't really believe in someone being "too passionate" about anything, but he does know you've gotta take care of yourself, too.

[dxxtruction]

Tyrell Wellick - Character profile - (sorta an unprofessional psych analysis) 

NOTE: I’m not an expert and this is also non-exhaustive of everything I could write about Tyrell. Can’t observe every little thing. This is also super unorganized below the cut I’m sorry. 

Words I’d describe Tyrell by: Ambitious, Boastful, Selfish, Controlling, Violent, Impulsive, Emotional, Loyal, Strategist, Enthusiastic, Extroverted, Adaptable, Vain, Desperate, Observant, Insightful, Driven, Fearful, Intelligent, Cunning, Technical, Prepared, Outwardly Friendly, Resourceful, Loathing, Self Loathing, Sometimes Cooperative, Caring, Vulnerable, Fearful, and Influenced.

Psyche: Erratic behavior, attaches own goals into a special person, delusions of grandeur, looks down on and has disregard for many others, has a certain lack of guilt or regard for breaking ethical or personal boundaries, adapts self in order to achieve goals, wearing masks over the more vulnerable and perceived weaker sides of himself, perhaps hiding various amounts of self loathing, maladaptive perfectionism, strong desire for control.

 I’ll avoid anything official and say he likely has some form of personality disorder and/or perhaps an attachment disorder.

Tyrell seems to be driven almost entirely by his own ambitions and goals for his life. Those goals change but he continues on doing anything possible to meet those ends. Believing he is destined to have them over others who seek similar ends. 

He care’s a lot about his appearance, both in how he looks and in how others perceive him suggesting a need to garner their respect and control perceptions. Perhaps fearing rejection and public humiliation. Feels it necessary to hide himself behind the best of outward appearances. Feeling equally deserving of respect and deeply afraid of losing it. The latter suggesting a point in time where he saw himself associated with certain perceived inferiorities (perhaps his family being poor, his accent, a lack of knowledge or skill, a lack of restraint), that still lingers in him even though he’s tried (relentlessly) to escape them.

Tyrell tries to maintain a look of control and professionalism, something he’s well developed in order to get to where he is. With control, having the upper hand, he believe’s he can not lose. He however cracks under the pressure of perhaps not having control by lashing out and acting on impulse, often violent impulse. Regaining a sense of power over the situation in destructive ways that run counter to what he’s trying to achieve. 

There’s hints at a fear of showing weakness and vulnerability suggesting perhaps toxic masculinity and could also be the same fears of rejection and public humiliation. The amount of effort he seems to put into this suggests he fears in some way that he could very well be exposed as a fraud. Tyrells mask is there for a reason and I think that reason is to avoid his fears, of which there are many.

He is aware of many of the masks he wears (but maybe not all of them), and seems to practice and perfect them. He’s a perfectionist: self defeating, even self harming, towards unrealistic goals and expectations of himself, causing undue stress. Tyrell has a hyper-fixation upon inadequacies he sees in both himself and others. This causes quite a lot of black and white, narrow ways of thinking.  

Tyrell can also crack and shed off his mask, showing his vulnerable side when alone or when he is feeling weak or defeated. He cries. I think he feels his emotions fairly intensely at all times. Which may contribute to why he tries so hard on maintaining a different sense of himself which is far more collected. Creating distance from how he feels things in order to see himself as more in control. And as always in order to meet his goals. I get a sense of self hatred, a certain level of shame from Tyrell in the ways he seems to cover up who he is from the world. Perhaps from the amount of things he has bottled up. 

Despite feeling deserving of his goals, he knows you must work to get the things you want, and so he will resort to ANY means necessary. Boundaries mean nothing when it works towards his goals. Conventionality and reason can be sacrificed if needed. Breaking conventions seems (to me) a last resort measure as Tyrell is proven to be sufficient at getting to where he is through his social and technical skills along with keen professional insights and overall intelligence within his field. He is very eager even without the more harmful ways of getting what he wants. These are all factors which make him appear desirable for high ranking positions within his field, and probably prove to him a sense of higher worth and tangible achievement. 

I do want to point out that he is observant of things most people tend to not notice or have foresight on. This quick internal observations lead him towards quick assumptions, making for keen awareness of how others will act, yet he holds strong to the initial judgements he has of people. The skill of reading people seems fairly important if you are to strategize with or against them and Tyrell is always following some type of plan and agenda. While not always in complete control of how he may act or feel he can control and manipulate the direction of his life to the ends he needs. He needs have it planned out for him to feel secure. 

While at first glance Tyrell may seem like only self concerning. He seems to have a pattern of attaching his goals in with a loyalty/contract to a specific person who he does them for. This leans towards delusions of grandeur especially with Elliot. 

In these relationships there is perhaps also seeking consistent validation from them. Going out of his way to make sure they notice what he’s willing to do for them. Idolizing them and desiring these relationships to succeed in the ways he envisions them to. Likely has fears of his own inadequacy to succeed within the relationships goals, and fears that he could ruin the relationship by not succeeding. Leading to a suppressed but present low self esteem and easy influence over his actions.

He feels a strong need to provide for them, and they provide him with something as well or he wouldn’t show such loyalty. (Ie: Ability to seek the highest ideal of the American dream/Ability to rule the fate of the world). In other words they seem to offer a boosted ego or chance towards something he finds valuable to his personal ambitions. He cares about them but can’t ever shake what drives him.

In a world where he can get anything and impress anyone those who subvert that are incredibly intriguing to him, and it also must be incredibly painful when he starts to develop strong feelings of attachment and they reject him. These people (Joanna and Elliot) are withholding and inconsistent in showing Tyrell that validation he wants. Making him have to chase their approval and respect. Which keeps him interested in continuing to succeed for them, to show off and get their attention. (Ex: Joanna’s gifts, Tyrells insistence on appearing good for Elliot). Winning their approval becomes a part of his core driving ambitions to succeed. 

Joanna is the perfect partner to fuel his more worldly ambitions. He wants to provide for her everything and anything which proves they are both successful and victorious in their dreams in life. While Elliot seems more to fuel his delusions of grandeur - he can have ultimate control and power via Elliot’s perceived ultimate power and control. In both instances he wants to share in success, feels this sharing as very intertwined with his life and the direction it needs to go. This intertwining can lead him to accept certain approaches he shouldn’t, but again he’s easy to influence in this position. 

I feel Tyrell fears most of all not having control (like many in this show), when feeling this way he tends to act out in anger. Tyrell uses violence often as a means of control, an outlet for his own anger and rage when he senses a lacking of power in a situation. He is also impulsive when angered showing a instinctive pull towards violence when he feels this way. He lacks a certain control over these emotions, making him erratic. I sense Tyrell does a great deal of work to mask this side of himself from others, at the very least to keep up appearances. (keep in mind I never said he ever did handle himself well.) 

The root causes of all of this is likely some combination of genetics, upbringing, and stress from the crushing weight of his goals. He has pointed out a strong desire to be unlike his father, who he sees as weak and pathetic for not trying hard at anything in his life. This seems to be near the root of his pathos as Tyrell shows he must be strong and in control while always doing anything to succeed. He isn’t afraid of the taboo either and almost seems to seek out what is most ambitious, risky, and rebellious in order to prove himself. Especially when it achieves some greater end. 

Tyrell has two side really, the conquerer and the meek. He is selfishly driven, but easily influenced. Prone to violent behavior, but passionately submissive to those he loves. Willing to do anything to get what he wants, but can be equally vulnerable and saddened by loss and failure. He suppresses himself but is easily emotional and erratic. Driven by success but also ruled by fear. Insightful but also delusional and narrow minded. 

Tyrell may have precarious ways of dealing with situations and getting at his ambitions but ultimately his concerns are always fairly human and usually seem reasonably achievable for him at face value. He wants to provide for his family, make sure they’re safe, he wants to get the position he’s worked hard for (things get ... confused when it comes to Elliot but I think it starts with noticing how Elliot could be a good potential hire to boost his reputation then things just continue to escalate as they seem to toy with one another to his mind). He reacts perhaps with probably just too much passion, and I don’t think he can help it. What I’m getting at it is Tyrell has a very human side to him that’s fairly normal and awkward even, he’s kinda just a huge techie nerd and loves that he is, we see a lot of the normality of Tyrell in 404. 

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 47

Dieting While You Are Healthy

The first step in preventive medicine is to diet while you are healthy.  If you are already sick, the diet will prevent the sickness from getting worse; it will support the immune system and the medications. A proper diet when you are healthy will make it less likely you will get sick.

A proper diet differs from person to person. It’s important to design your diet according to the genetic map of your family and characteristics of your body. By “dieting” I do not mean being undernourished, but eating a healthy balance of nutrients to supply your body’s daily energy needs. Balance is important, for if a person only eats protein, fat, or carbohydrates, after a while, the body’s organs can start to deteriorate.

Here are some aspects that should be taken into consideration while designing your personal diet:

Personalizing the diet

Not everyone should have the same diet. People come in different shapes and sizes, and they have different genetic makeups. A person must know how their body responds to certain foods. They must identify whether they (or their family) is prone to gain weight, whether they have a depressive or a nervous personality, or whether there is a family history of certain diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Families that are genetically susceptible to heart attacks should eat vegetables and fruits instead of too much protein or foods high in fats.

Maintaining an ideal weight range is important. While certain foods should be eaten in smaller amounts, this does not mean eating nothing. For instance, if a person has diabetes, they can’t have too much sugar – but no sugar is also bad for them.

A person who works hard outdoors will have a different diet from a person who works in an office. Some people are allergic to certain foods. Other people have a low basal metabolism or suffer from psychological distress. Food preferences also change according to cultures: a preferred food in one society may not be accepted in another.

Determining your ideal weight

Each person’s ideal weight is different. It differs depending on a person’s height, as well as the weight of their fatty tissues, muscles, and bones. A rough way to figure out your ideal weight is to add or subtract five from the last two digits of your height in centimeters. For example, someone who is 180 cm (5.90 feet) tall should weigh between 75-85 kg (165-187 lb). The most important thing is to set a healthy, ideal weight, and stick to it for life. Going over your ideal weight can lead to obesity and a slew of other health problems.

Determining body mass index

Obesity means an extreme excess of fat in a person’s body. Therefore, if your ideal weight is 60 kg (132 lb.) but you weigh 80 kg (176 lb.), knowing how much of the excess 20kg is fat or muscle is possible by determining your body mass index. If this excess of 20 kg (44 lb.) is 5 kg (11 lb.) of muscle and 15 kg (33 lb.) of fat, you can lose 15 kg of excess fat with a better diet and exercise. Losing mass from one’s muscles is harmful to the body, as it causes protein loss. Protein loss shouldn’t happen while you’re also losing weight.

The basal metabolic rate

This is the total energy, per 24 hours, that one expends while at rest. This changes according to a person’s physiological and biochemical structure. 30% of basal metabolism is used by the liver, 19% by the brain, and 18% by the skeletal muscles. Those with higher muscle mass index have a higher basal metabolism. If fewer calories are taken in than the basal metabolism needs, weight is lost; if more calories are taken in, weight is gained. Those with a higher basal metabolic rate lose weight much easier. One must take this rate into consideration when building their ideal diet.

Climate

Climate has an effect on one’s organs and metabolism. A change in climate conditions changes the energy demands on the body. The colder the climate, the more calories one needs. Gastrointestinal diseases are common in Siberian children who have diet-related malnutrition. Conversely, those living near the poles are less likely to have heart and vascular diseases, even though they eat diets high in fat and protein.

Age and gender

In the elderly, losing weight can cause urinary tract infections. A child under five on a long-term, low-calorie diet is at risk of pneumonia, low blood pressure, hypocalcemia, and abdominal swelling. Supplementary micronutrients such as thiamine, folic acid, vitamins A, C, E, and K, and iron should be given, along with carbohydrates, to children suffering from malnutrition. Care should be taken not to disrupt the balance of the basic substances in the body.

Balanced diet

Unbalanced diets cause functional disorders and diseases in the organs. In high protein diets, which are preferable for terms of fat loss, especially in diabetic patients, cardiovascular and nephritic problems have been observed when the metabolism of carbohydrates and fat have deteriorated. In menopausal patients who lose weight through high protein diets there can be a significant decrease in bone density due to imbalances in protein, sodium, calcium, and potassium, which can lead to fractures.

Imbalanced diets are often accompanied by diseases. Moderately high protein diets may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Low fat, high carbohydrate diets may be more suitable for these people. Instead of a single type of food, the most favored diets are those which are more complex than others.

85gr protein + 116gr fat +   360gr carbohydrate/day   =   high carbohydrate diet 139gr protein + 82gr fat   + 181gr carbohydrate/day   = high protein diet 137gr protein +   140gr fat   + 42gr carbohydrate/day = high fat diet

Mixed diets do not reduce the risk of colon cancer. However, eating lots of fibrous, pulpy foods has been shown to reduce it.

Determining meal times

We eat more than we need to. True hunger is when stomach cramps begin, and this happens about 18-24 hours after one’s last meal. We should not confuse hunger and mild hunger. Mild hunger is not feeling full in the stomach. Long-term memory is facilitated in the case of mild hunger and molecular mechanisms are accelerated, and thus we become conditioned to eat at regimented times.

Physiological mealtimes should be preferred to traditional mealtimes. Foods that give energy, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, can only be metabolized after a certain period of time. Since it takes the longest (8 hours) for fat to metabolize, it should be at least 8 hours between meals; otherwise, the body stores that excess fat. So someone who sleeps for 8 hours can eat two meals a day.

Duration of meals

The relationship between hunger, nutrition, eating speed, and putting on weight was studied in obese children, and it was found that the feeling of hunger and eating speed were four times higher in obese children than normal children. Therefore, that’s why they eat more and the feeling of fullness takes longer to kick in. Meals should be chewed for a long time: a brain’s satiety center only registers a feeling of fullness after around 30 minutes.

Amount of food

The volume of a normal stomach is 1000-1500 cc. It is necessary to leave space for the stomach’s contents to shake easily and for the stomach to add the enzymes and the slurries that break the food down and carry it towards the intestines. In this case, it is necessary to leave 2/3 of the stomach for water and food, and 1/3 empty. The total amount of food and water should not exceed 700-1000 cc.

Personalized workouts

Exercise strengthens muscles. During a workout, biochemical events in the body are accelerated, toxins are excreted more easily from the body, and weight is lost. Before determining a workout program, it is important to make sure there isn’t any significant abnormality in the body’s biochemistry, or an injury. For the best results, it is important to know which muscles work more in terms of energy spent during a workout. For example, the energy spent by the front thigh muscles and the forearm muscles is not the same. A workout should proceed gradually, so as not to cause injury.

Drinking enough water

The water lost by daily metabolic activities and sweating should be recovered. The amount of water consumed per resting day is 1800-2000 cc. A person will need more water if they are exercising.

A Prophetic diet

Certain religions have guidelines for which foods to eat together at the same time. For instance, in Judaism, meat and dairy products should not be cooked together; some Orthodox Jews would not combine meat and fish. Many Muslims look at the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) diet and see that he did not eat the following kinds of food together: milk and sour food, milk and meat, or milk and eggs. He also avoided two hot or cold foods at the same time, as well as two fried or dried foods. The Prophet (pbuh) did not prefer to eat extremely hot food and said blessings would be with cooler food. Religious traditions also have certain dietary prohibitions. For instance, Judaism and Islam prohibit eating certain animals, and permitted animals have to be slaughtered according to the religious law.

Diet is an important part of one’s health, but it’s not the only factor. Health is determined by many things, including culture, genetics, education, and other lifestyle factors.  

[dietsauthority]

Can Health Food Be Addictive? Orthorexia Nervosa`s Risks

We consider dependency in the many standard terms: Fascination. Vice. Bad for You. And a lot of the moment it holds true. Drugs, cigarettes, high levels of caffeine, alcohol-- the most typical compounds we link with dependency-- have a history of primarily adverse results on the body. Yet it doesn't stop there. Current research study has actually linked processed foods-- especially those high in trans fats-- to likewise having addicting homes. Of course, things typically aren't so basic. Can brown rice be habit forming? What about carrots? An apple? As well as if so, is that truly a bad thing?

Addiction is specified as a physical and/or mental reliance on a (normally) psychoactive substance like drug, heroin or cigarette, in spite of the negative price of continued use. There was most likely once a sensation of pleasure or satisfaction, as the addiction become more powerful, the compound only provides a feeling of 'typical' as well as no much longer provides its reliant much pleasure.

Eating problems have plagued the Western globe for years-- both over- as well as under- eating-- while having two greatly different unfavorable impacts on the body, cause a likewise distorted mental connection with food. That is, the patient detests its results. The morbidly obese insurance claims he or she can't quit consuming foods they understand misbehave for them, while the anorexic or bulimic is so scared of foods impacts on their body image, they'll most likely to life-threatening sizes to avoid or evacuate binges of it from the body.

So where does a natural food addiction entered into the photo? Isn't healthy food constantly great for us? According to Dr. Steve Bratman, author of the book 'Wellness Food Junkies' who coined the term for the problem orthorexia in the late 1990s (and asserts he additionally experienced from it), 'orthorexia appears to have elements of OCD [obsessive compulsive problem] It may likewise have components of common anorexia nervosa. It is often not very much like common OCD or typical anorexia nervosa.'

In a 2004 research study entitled, 'Orthorexia nervosa: an initial research study with a proposal for diagnosis as well as an attempt to gauge the measurement of the sensation,' Italian scientists at the University of Rome wrapped up that 'The orthorexic topics attribute features that show their certain 'feelings' to food (' hazardous' to define a saved item, 'artificial' for industrially generated items, 'healthy' for biological fruit and vegetables) and also show a strong or uncontrollable need to consume when really feeling worried, ecstatic, delighted or guilty.'

The medical diagnosis of orthorexia (' ortho' indicates 'right' or 'correct') was not recognized as an eating condition for nearly a years, and even today, its ramification is regularly tested. We are after all, a nation suffering from significant gaps in healthy and balanced consuming, kids under age 4 are developing diabetic issues as well as coming to be seriously overweight together with their parents. It would appear that no amount of healthy consuming might ever before be way too much. We are additionally a varieties prone to complicated answers.

Perhaps you understand (or are) a fitness-obsessed person. The I-go-for-a-morning-jog-in-a-winter-blizzard-or-die-trying kind. It's the addiction-overrides-logic (shoveling all the snow will certainly be a significant job out per se) habits that separates the healthy from the addicted. While externally, the uber-athlete could appear more self-displined and regimented than those of us that need (or manage with) much less exercise, yet the addict stresses, needs the adrenaline rush from an exercise and also punishes himself when it's not accomplished by stressing as well as frequently increasing up at the following workout opportunity.

Similarly, inning accordance with the Eating Disorders Assist Overview, 'An individual with orthorexia will invest simply as much energy and time considering food as a person with bulimia or anorexia. They might not think of calories, but they think of the total 'health benefits', just how the food was refined, prepared, and so on' As well as furthermore, when something 'unpure' gets on their mouth, the subject could consume over removing it from the body a lot like a bulimic should remove. The fixation and also addiction has actually led researchers and also physicians to change their viewpoint in the last few years, now recognizing the occurrence of the disorder as different from other consuming or obsessive-compulsive disorders.

While not almost as dangerous as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, the fixation with a regarded 'pure' state thought to be attained by obsessively controling the quality of food, orthorexia is currently viewed as a feasible 'entrance diet' to the even more serious consuming conditions or the advancement of other obsessive-compulsive actions. Like the anorexic, the orthorexic has a tendency to be excessively self-critical, obsessed with body photo, focused on the foods, and one of the best difficulty: a rejection that the actions is in and also of itself, paradoxically, unhealthy.

But what about the rest of us?

Avoiding hazardous pesticides, chemicals and dangerous genetically customized foods is a reputable way of living choice. There are several recognized risks to consuming chemicals, BPA and also fabricated sweeteners like aspartame. And also, we are undoubtedly a nation obsessively over-eating, especially refined processed food. Making conscientious selections for on your own and also your family have actually possibly never ever been extra vital. Know the distinction between analysis tags to stay clear of high fructose corn syrup and also avoiding certain foods with a militant stringency, cooking in your home since it's affordable and healthy and balanced versus consuming details foods prepared in a particular way, checking the look of active ingredients (like fresh or tidy) versus looking for out the viewed 'healthiest' choice. And always talk to a medical professional if you feel you could have any type of sort of consuming disorder.

[soliair]

Nicotine Dependence: Symptoms and Causes

Nicotine dependence occurs when you need nicotine and can't stop using it. Nicotine is the chemical in tobacco that makes it hard to quit. Nicotine produces pleasing effects in your brain, but these effects are temporary. So you reach for another cigarette. 

The more you smoke, the more nicotine you need to feel good. When you try to stop, you experience unpleasant mental and physical changes. These are symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. 

Regardless of how long you've smoked, stopping can improve your health. It isn't easy but you can break your dependence on nicotine. Many effective treatments are available. Ask your doctor for help. 

Symptoms

For some people, using any amount of tobacco can quickly lead to nicotine dependence. Signs that you may be addicted include:

1. You can't stop smoking. You've made one or more serious, but unsuccessful, attempts to stop.  2. You have withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop. Your attempts at stopping have caused physical and mood-related symptoms, such as strong cravings, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, depressed mood, frustration, anger, increased hunger, insomnia, constipation or diarrhea. 3. You keep smoking despite health problems. Even though you've developed health problems with your lungs or your heart, you haven't been able to stop. 4. You give up social activities. You may stop going to smoke-free restaurants or stop socializing with family or friends because you can't smoke in these situations. 

When to See a Doctor

-- You're not alone if you've tried to stop smoking but haven't been able to stop for good. Most smokers make many attempts to stop smoking before they achieve stable, long-term abstinence from smoking. 

-- You're more likely to stop for good if you follow a treatment plan that addresses both the physical and the behavioral aspects of nicotine dependence. Using medications and working with a counselor specially trained to help people stop smoking (a tobacco treatment specialist) will significantly boost your chances of success. 

-- Ask your health care team to help you develop a treatment plan that works for you or to advise you on where to get help to stop smoking. 

Nicotine is the chemical in tobacco that keeps you smoking. Nicotine reaches the brain within seconds of taking a puff. In the brain, nicotine increases the release of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, which help regulate mood and behavior. 

Dopamine, one of these neurotransmitters, is released in the reward center of the brain and causes feelings of pleasure and improved mood. The more you smoke, the more nicotine you need to feel good. Nicotine quickly becomes part of your daily routine and intertwined with your habits and feelings. 

Common Situations That Trigger the Urge to Smoke Include: 

a. Drinking coffee or taking breaks at work b. Talking on the phone c. Drinking alcohol d. Driving your car e. Spending time with friends

To overcome your nicotine dependence, you need to become aware of your triggers and make a plan for dealing with them. 

Risk Factors

Anyone who smokes or uses other forms of tobacco is at risk of becoming dependent. Factors that influence who will use tobacco include: 

1. Age. Most people begin smoking during childhood or the teen years. The younger you are when you begin smoking, the greater the chance that you'll become addicted. 2. Genetics. The likelihood that you will start smoking and keep smoking may be partly inherited. Genetic factors may influence how receptors on the surface of your brain's nerve cells respond to high doses of nicotine delivered by cigarettes. 3. Parents and peers. Children who grow up with parents who smoke are more likely to become smokers. Children with friends who smoke are also more likely to try it. 4. Depression or other mental illness. Many studies show an association between depression and smoking. People who have depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder or other forms of mental illness are more likely to be smokers. 5. Substance use. People who abuse alcohol and illegal drugs are more likely to be smokers. 

Complications

Tobacco smoke contains more than 60 known cancer-causing chemicals and thousands of other harmful substances. Even "all natural" or herbal cigarettes have harmful chemicals. 

You already know that people who smoke cigarettes are much more likely to develop and die of certain diseases than people who don't smoke. But you may not realize just how many different health problems smoking causes: 

A. Lung cancer and lung disease. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths. In addition, smoking causes lung diseases, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also makes asthma worse. B. Other cancers. Smoking increases the risk of many types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, throat (pharynx), esophagus, larynx, bladder, pancreas, kidney, cervix and some types of leukemia. Overall, smoking causes 30% of all cancer deaths.  C. Heart and circulatory system problems. Smoking increases your risk of dying of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease, including heart attacks and strokes. If you have heart or blood vessel disease, such as heart failure, smoking worsens your condition.  D. Diabetes. Smoking increases insulin resistance, which can set the stage for type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, smoking can speed the progress of complications, such as kidney disease and eye problems. E. Eye problems. Smoking can increase your risk of serious eye problems such as cataracts and loss of eyesight from macular degeneration. F. Infertility and impotence. Smoking increases the risk of reduced fertility in women and the risk of impotence in men. G. Complications during pregnancy. Mothers who smoke while pregnant face a higher risk of preterm delivery and giving birth to lower birth weight babies. H. Cold, flu and other illnesses. Smokers are more prone to respiratory infections, such as colds, the flu and bronchitis. I. Tooth and gum disease. Smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing inflammation of the gum and a serious gum infection that can destroy the support system for teeth (periodontitis). J. Smoking also poses health risks to those around you. Nonsmoking spouses and partners of smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer and heart disease compared with people who don't live with a smoker. Children whose parents smoke are more prone to worsening asthma, ear infections and colds.

Prevention

The best way to prevent nicotine dependence is to not use tobacco in the first place. The best way to keep children from smoking is to not smoke yourself. Research has shown that children whose parents do not smoke or who successfully quit smoking are much less likely to take up smoking. 

Diagnosis

Your doctor may ask you questions or have you fill out a questionnaire to see how dependent you are on nicotine. Knowing your degree of dependence will help your doctor determine the right treatment plan for you. The more cigarettes you smoke each day and the sooner you smoke after awakening, the more dependent you are. 

Treatment

Like most smokers, you've probably made at least one serious attempt to stop. But it's rare to stop smoking on your first attempt — especially if you try to do it without help. You're much more likely to be able to stop smoking if you use medications and counseling, which have both been proved effective, especially in combination. 

Medications

Some quit-smoking products are known as nicotine replacement therapy because they contain varying amounts of nicotine. Some of these nicotine replacement therapies require a prescription, but others don't. There are two approved quit-smoking medications that don't contain nicotine, and both are available only by prescription. 

Any of these products can help reduce nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms — making it more likely that you'll stop smoking for good. Using more than one may help you get better results. Although you can buy some quit-smoking products without a prescription, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor first. Together you can explore which products might be right for you, when to start taking them and possible side effects. 

Counseling

Medications help you cope by reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings, while behavioral treatments help you develop the skills you need to give up tobacco for good. The more time you spend with a counselor, the better your treatment results will be. 

During individual or group counseling, you learn techniques you can use to help you stop smoking. Many hospitals, health care plans, health care providers and employers offer treatment programs. Some medical centers provide residential treatment programs — the most intensive treatment available. 

Methods to Avoid

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have not proved to be safe nor are they more effective in helping people stop smoking than nicotine replacement medications. In fact, many people who use e-cigarettes to stop smoking find themselves using both products rather than quitting. 

It's not a good idea to substitute another type of tobacco use for smoking. Tobacco in any form is not safe. Steer clear of these products: 

- Dissolvable tobacco products - Smokeless tobacco - Nicotine lollipops and balms - Cigars and pipes - Hookahs

Coping and Support

Social support is key to achieving a stable and solid, smoke-free life. Ask your family, friends and co-workers for support and encouragement. Be direct and let them know what would help you most. 

Also Consider Trying These Resources:

1. Support groups. Often available at little or no cost, support groups offer coaching and mutual support from others attempting to quit. Nicotine Anonymous groups are available in many locations. 2. Telephone counseling. Quit lines offer convenient access to trained counselors. In the U.S., call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) to connect directly to your state's quit line. 3. Text messaging and mobile apps. A number of services are available to get reminders and tips delivered to your mobile phone. 4. Web-based programs. Sites such as BecomeAnEX provide free personalized support, interactive guides and tools, and discussion groups to help you quit. 

Preparing for Your Appointment

You're likely to start by seeing your primary care doctor. Here's some information to help you get ready, and what to expect from your doctor. 

What You Can Do To Get Ready for Your Appointment:

a. Consider your smoking triggers. List the circumstances when you're most likely to reach for a cigarette. In what situations has smoking become a ritual? b. Make note of any symptoms that may be related to smoking. Include the length of time you've had each one. c. Make a list of your medications. Include any vitamins, herbs or other supplements. d. Invite a family member or friend along. Sometimes it can be difficult to soak up all the information provided during an appointment. 

What to Expect From Your Doctor

Being ready to answer questions your doctor may ask reserves time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Some questions your doctor may ask include: 

1. How many cigarettes do you smoke each day? How soon after waking do you smoke? 2. Have you previously tried to stop smoking? If so, what happened? What worked? What didn't work? 3. What is motivating you to stop smoking now? 4. Do you have any physical health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes, which you suspect are related to smoking? 5. Has smoking caused any problems at work or in your relationships? 

SOLIAIR™ is a company that specializes in alternative medicine and natural drug development that is privately owned. The SOLIAIR™ Food supplements are patented and are regularly used by doctors, pharmacists and patients in the U.S and around the world! - Please contact us for an advice and a professional treatment! 

Best Regards, Solomon J. (Naturopath/Alternative Therapist)

##### 

[healthyandfitness-diy]

via HEALTHY AND FITNESS https://ift.tt/2rfoSI7

OSTEOPOROSIS

Worldwide about 8.9 million fractures every year are caused by Osteoporosis. According to studies, about 1 in every 3 women over 50 years of age suffer fractures due to osteoporosis. Like other parts of your body, your bones are – alive and constantly growing living tissue. Some bone cells get dissolved and some grow to replace them. Osteoporosis is a condition of thinning of the bones where bone loss outpaces the growth of new bone for people suffering from this. This condition causes the bones to become brittle and subject to fracture. Fractures of the hip, vertebrae and other bones may lead to serious long-term consequences. When you are in your 20s, your bone density is at its highest but your bones start to weaken as you enter your mid-30s. Advancing age is one of the many reasons due to which your bones begin to break down faster than they build and thus one of the reasons for osteoporosis. More women than men are affected by osteoporosis. The risk of osteoporosis in women is equal to her combined risk of breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer! You are at the right place if you are on the lookout for some safe and natural ways to treat this condition. Although you cannot cure osteoporosis, you can surely reverse it with proper treatment and remedies. To know more keep reading. 

WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS?

Osteoporosis is a chronic bone disease that causes your bones to weaken and become porous may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps. Osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures in the wrists, hip, and spinal vertebrae.

Osteoporosis is a disease that leads to weakening and thinning of bones making them more likely to break. Our bones are constantly going through a process whereby old bone is absorbed and new bone is formed. With increasing age, this balance is disturbed, and while the bone continues to get absorbed but new bone is not formed at the same pace. During osteoporosis, there is higher bone loss and less production of bones that result in decreasing bone density and the weakening of bones to an extent that the skeletal structure becomes fragile.

It is estimated that 1 in every 4 women and 1 in every 8 men over the age of 50 have osteoporosis. The loss of bone material in women starts in the late thirties and after menopause becomes marked. This disease remains unnoticed until a bone breaks. Europeans (Whites) and Asians are believed to be at a high risk of developing osteoporosis.

    Osteoporosis may get confused with osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative disease of the joints. While osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease with porous bones, involving a weakening of bones to such an extent that even a minor impact such as sneezing can cause a serious fracture. 

TYPES OF OSTEOPOROSIS

 Osteoporosis can be categorized into 4 types.

•    Primary Osteoporosis:

Primary osteoporosis is caused due to advancing age. It is more common in women than in men. In this type of osteoporosis, there is an increase in the rate of bone loss but a decrease in the rate of bone formation.

•    Secondary Osteoporosis:

Secondary osteoporosis is caused due to some underlying medical conditions like hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or even leukemia. Even some medications like corticosteroids, in high doses, may cause secondary osteoporosis.

•    Osteogenesis Imperfecta:

Osteogenesis imperfecta is usually present at birth and can cause your bones to lose density and break for no apparent reasons.

•    Idiopathic Juvenile Osteoporosis:

This form of osteoporosis is rare and occurs in children aged between 8 and 14 years. It causes excessive bone loss while decreasing bone formation and increases the risk of fractures. The precise cause of this type of osteoporosis is not known. 

WHAT CAUSES OSTEOPOROSIS?

A variety of factors combines to create osteoporosis. They may be Avoidable (modifiable) or Non-avoidable (non-modifiable):

Non-avoidable factors include:

•             Advancing Age: Advancing age is one of the many reasons due to which your bones begin to break down faster than they build and thus one of the reasons for osteoporosis.

•        Low Estrogen After Menopause: A drop in estrogen level after menopause in older women.

•        Low Testosterone In Men: Low level of testosterone in men hampers bone formation.

•           Ethnicity: Ethnically Asians and Europeans (Whites) are at a higher risk of osteoporosis.

•             Genetic Factors: A family history of osteoporosis.

•             Fracture: A previous history of a fractured bone.

Avoidable factors, which are dependent on your lifestyle and diet habits, include:

•    Improper Nutrition: Eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. Osteoporosis is also linked to obesity. Poor choice of food leads to poor nutrition and poor nutrition, in turn, contributes to osteoporosis. Cola drinkers are more prone to osteoporosis.

•          Hormonal Imbalances: Hormones play a vital role in bone density and regulates calcium uptake by bones. Decreased growth hormone with age affects your bone. A higher level of the thyroid, parathyroid and stress hormone are also associated with bone loss.

•          Improper Calcium Absorption: Minerals like calcium and magnesium are vital for building new bones. Lack of proper absorption of these minerals hinders bone growth.

•              Vitamin D: Lack of vitamin D hampers calcium absorption.

•              Inactive Lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle causes bones to weaken.

•             Lack of sunshine: Sunshine is the natural source of vitamin D, so lack of sunshine means not enough vitamin D.

•      Medications: Some medications like anti-seizure drugs, Cortisone, Prednisone, etc, are linked to bone loss.

•      Certain Medical Conditions: Certain medical issues like digestive diseases, cystic fibrosis, and other conditions can cause bone loss.

•             Drinking too much alcohol.

•             Excessive tobacco smoking.

Before moving on, we will address one common confusion – the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis. 

OSTEOPOROSIS VS. OSTEOPENIA

Although both osteopenia and osteoporosis are related conditions, there are a few differences.

Osteoporosis

•       In this condition, there is a severe bone loss in the affected person as compared to bone growth.

•            Mostly no symptoms are manifested.

•            It increases the risk of bone fractures.

•            Women are at more risk than men are.

•     Osteoporosis can cause loss of height and stooped posture when left untreated.

Osteopenia   

•            Osteopenia also results in bone loss, but it is less severe as compared to osteoporosis.

•            It shows no symptoms.

•            It also increases the risk of fractures but not as much as osteoporosis.

•            Women are at a higher risk of developing osteopenia.

•            Osteopenia increases the chances of developing osteoporosis.

Let’s now look at the signs and symptoms of osteoporosis. 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Generally, there are no physical signs or symptoms to indicate the commencement of osteoporosis because the loss of bone density happens gradually. God forbid, you might discover it only if you are involved in a minor accident or happen to fall. Consequently, the affected person ends up breaking their bones, especially in their hips, wrists, and spine. Normally the first suspicion comes when a bone breaks. Sometimes patients with a backache may on testing show indication of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis may cause curvature in the spin or even lead to changes in your posture. If there is a loss of height or stooping due to the curving of the spine, it may suggest osteoporosis. 

DIAGNOSIS METHODS

Doctors at first ask the patient about the family history of the disease and then go on to look at the risk factors that they are exposed to.

Tests that are performed to diagnoses osteoporosis are:

v Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA): This technique uses an X-ray technology called Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and bone densitometry to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in the suspected individual.

v Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) or Heel Ultrasound: Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) often known as heel ultrasound uses ultrasound waves to measures bone density in the heel bone.

v Blood Test: Measuring calcium and phosphorus level in blood gives an idea of overall bone health.

v Lateral vertebral assessment (LVA) 

HOW TO TREAT OSTEOPOROSIS NATURALLY?

Osteoporosis treatments generally aim at preventing or slowing down the condition altogether. These treatments are targeted at maintaining a healthy bone mineral density. If you are looking for natural alternatives to treat osteoporosis, here is a list of some exceptional natural remedies just for you.

1.        Get Bone-Building Nutrients:

A healthy and adequate diet plays a vital role in the strengthening of bones and the human skeletal system. Provide your body with specific nutrients growth of your bone. For osteoporosis, a diet rich in calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K is vital. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid processed foods, white flours, and refined sugars.

Calcium: Calcium strengthens bones, so include calcium-rich food in your diet. Foods that are good sources of calcium are non-fat milk, curd, almonds, dates, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, green leafy vegetables and certain types of fish such as sunfish cod, trout, mackerel, pollack, herring, and whitebait.

Magnesium: Foods like spinach, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, and raisins are rich in magnesium and potassium.

Protein: Protein-rich foods like kidney beans, grains, lentils, nuts, and seeds help the body keep the muscles healthy. A healthy muscle gives supportive protection to the bones.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D increases calcium absorption in the gut and retention in the kidneys, thereby keeps bones strong. Eggs, seafood, and organ meats are high in vitamin D. Get sunshine. Vitamin D is produced by exposing skin to the sun. Sunburn is bad but the sunshine is good. The sun will save your bones.

Vitamin K: Vitamin K helps in the proper deposition of calcium in bone cells and bone metabolism. Eat lots of vitamin K containing foods like seafood, leafy greens, eggs, and organ meats.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C boosts bone density and strengthening the bone. Vitamin C is available in citrus fruits like orange, lemon, leafy greens vegetables, spinach, tomatoes, etc.

Avoid these foods:

•    Processed meats like hot dogs and ham

•    Fried fast foods like burgers, pizza, etc.

•    Processed and canned foods that contain a preservative

•    Baked foods like cereals and bread

•    Sugary foods

2.        Exercise To Make Bone Stronger:

Although exercising does not increase bone density but exercise contributes to preventing osteoporosis. Practicing regular exercise helps to halt bone loss by building muscle, and extensive strength training can build bone significantly, as it builds muscle. Our bones bear our whole body weight. Being obese gives an extra load to the bone. Exercise also helps to maintain body weight and keep fat in check.

Gradually increase your physical activity and make exercising your daily routine. Try weight-bearing exercises and physical activities like walking, running, and jumping help to maintain balance and posture. Practicing yoga increases flexibility and strengthen your bones and muscles.

Do not exercise those parts of the body, which have a history of fracture as this may cause unnecessary injuries.

3.        Minimize Your Stress:

Stress takes a huge toll not only on your bones but also on your overall health. Our major stress hormone - Cortisol, is extremely detrimental to bone and other organs as well if it remains at high levels. Cortisol depletes calcium from your bones and making them more prone to osteoporosis. No one can avoid stress, but the key is to manage it to be good to yourself and your bones. Body massage helps in relaxing from stress. Walking in this aspect is very important; it relieves stress and depression along with managing your bone health. Walking also keeps your body weight under control.  Do not let you stress buildup seek professional help if you need it.

4.        Sleep:

Sleep is a natural process to heal and rejuvenate your body. Sleep at least 8-9 hours a day. A sufficient quantity of quality sleep each day is necessary to build up your bone and combat osteoporosis naturally.

5.        Massage:

For those suffering from osteoporosis, regular massage therapy is highly recommended. Massage sessions are aimed to improve osteoporosis symptoms, by relaxing your muscles and relieve pain. Make sure to get massage therapy done by a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT). According to a study, a traditional Thai massage increased bone formation in women who were suffering from post-menopause symptoms.

6.        Healthy Lifestyle Changes:

Some lifestyle changes are recommended, for people with low bone mass to prevent the condition from progressing to osteoporosis and for people suffering from osteoporosis to help them stay as healthy as possible.

•             Quit Smoking: Cigarette smoke generates free radicals that contribute to bone loss and osteoporosis. Researchers found that smokers have a 25% increase in fracture risk and are almost twice likely to experience hip fractures. Smoking also delays the healing process of a fractured bone.

•         Limit Your Alcohol Intake: Heavy drinking is a health risk including the effects on your bones. Various studies found that heavy alcohol drinking, especially during adolescence and young adult years can strikingly increase the risk of osteoporosis and affect bone health later in life.

•        Caffeine: Intake of coffee is found to impair the calcium balance and trigger bone loss in elderly women. Thus increases the risk of osteoporosis. Therefore, limit the intake of coffee.

•        Avoid Carbonated Drinks (Soda): Carbonated soft drinks and sodas contain phosphoric acid that leeches calcium out of the bone and make bone loss faster. Avoid carbonated drinks and soda to prevent osteoporosis.

•            Be Active: Modern lifestyle has made people inactive. It is evident that the more active you are the lesser the chance of osteoporosis.

These home remedies may help to prevent osteoporosis or even halt its progression. Do not forget that the earlier you make changes to your diet and lifestyle if you are at risk of developing this condition.

If you are aware of any other remedies to deal with osteoporosis, please let us know in the comments section below.

[drferox]

Do you know much about bengal cats? I would like to get a bengal cat once I have my own house. An energetic, intelligent, and playful cat is exactly what I'm looking for in a cat companion. I understand they need lots of exercise and stimulation, but my lifestyle and personality kind of fits very well with that. Unfortunately I can't find much info on their overall health and common issues with the breed, and I don't want to buy a cat that's doomed to have certain health problems.

Ah, the Bengal. The Number One breed of cat people shouldn’t be letting free roam to eat our wildlife, and yet Totally Do.

The Bengal is the only hybrid cat breed permitted in Australia, simply because it was already here when the laws were written in, and even then the earlier generations of this cross are not permitted. Housecats hunting our wildlife is bad enough, I dread to imagine actual wildcats set loose on it.

You would think a high value cat, like the Bengal, would be less likely to find itself released or dumped than the average moggy, or less likely to be permitted to free roam where anything can happen. History has proven this  not to be the case.

The general public also doesn’t really know what a ‘Bengal’ cat is. I would estimate at least half of the cats I see listed as ‘Bengals’ are in fact fat tabby cats, but there owners will not be convinced otherwise, even if they found the kitten as a stray. In the eyes of the general public, just about every short haired tabby is a Bengal (and every long haired tabby is a Maine Coon).

But sure, actual Bengals I can talk a bit about.

Please note the disclaimer.These posts are about thebreed from a veterinary viewpoint as seen in clinicalpractice, i.e. the problems we are faced with. It’s not the be-alland end-all of the breed and is not to make a judgement about whetherthe breed is right for you. If you are asking for an opinion aboutthese animals in a veterinary setting, that is what you will get.It’s not going to be all sunshine and cupcakes, and is not intendedas a personal insult against your favorite breed. This is generaladvice for what is common, often with a scientific consensus butsometimes based on personal experiences, and is not a guarantee ofwhat your animal is going to encounter in their life. 

Behavior is potentially a significant issue with Bengals. It seems to be a flip of the coin whether they’re perfectly sweet but energetic cats, or absolute monsters which are extremely aggressive and need to be handled like a wild animal. I will never forget my first encounter with a real, genuine Bengal as a student. It had to be sedated for everything, and would take malicious swipes at anything and everything moving past its cage. So a towel was hung in front of the cage to block line of sight, and the cat spend the next twenty minutes grabbing, tearing and chewing the towel into small enough bits to drag into the cage and destroy, screaming all the while. I have also seen many for anxiety and stress related disorders, overeating, psychogenic alopecia and other behavioral problems.

There is a genetic blindness described, and possibly unique to, the breed but I have not encountered it in practice. Affected kittens are born normal but go blind over approximately 12 months. This is much faster than other more common types of progressive retinal atrophy.

Like many purebred cats, they are somewhat more prone than average to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure caused by progressive thickening of the heart muscle. There is a genetic test available for this condition in other breeds, but I’m not sure whether it’s widely used in Bengals.

They are one of the few cat breeds I have seen with entropion, the inward rolling of the eyelids, though thankfully not commonly.

Chronic Kidney Disease is common across all cats, purebred or not, and Bengals are no exception. However, like their behavior being hit or miss, it seems to be almost 50:50 whether these cats are going to be affected around 7 years of age, or make it closer to 16 without having an issue.

And one thing I have not seen mentioned very often, and it may just be a local variance, but I have seen severe liver disease in these cats. Some have been infectious, some have been immune mediated, but one had $15,000 spent on it at a specialist center before recovery. The cat was damn lucky, in a very unlucky sort of way.

[lowfodmapfoods]

What is IBS? (All The Things You Need to Know)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that commonly affects the digestive system. You have to remember that IBS is not a disease, but a syndrome.

Did you know that 11.2% of the worldwide population is diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome? In the United States, around 12% of the overall population is living with this syndrome.

Have you been recently diagnosed with IBS? Then you might be looking for more answers, cures, and ways how to manage your symptoms, you are on the right track!

What is IBS?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that affects the large intestine. This syndrome is more than just pain in your digestive tract and changes in your bowel movements.

IBS can be a chronic condition, but there are treatments available to help manage symptoms. It is also important to know that IBS is very unpredictable. All the signs and symptoms that we will be discussing all throughout this article may or may not happen to you.

There is a strong link between IBS and colon health. IBS is a condition that affects the large intestine, and the colon is a part of the large intestine.

IBS can cause a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, changes in bowel habits, and constipation. These symptoms can be very uncomfortable and can interfere with a person's quality of life.

Important Things To Know About IBS

If you have been informed by your doctor that you have IBS, these are the important things that you need to know regarding your syndrome:

1. IBS Symptoms May Vary From One Person to Another

We have mentioned that IBS symptoms may or may not occur to you since it varies from one person to another.

On the other hand, it is crucial to know the most common symptoms that may happen to you and how to manage them effectively.

Common Symptoms of IBS:

Cramping

Sharp abdominal pain

Bloating

Distention

Fullness

Flatulence

Changes in bowel movements

Other Symptoms:

Lethargy (lack of energy)

Heartburn

Always feeling sick

Muscle pains

Dizziness

Painful menstruation

When Should I See A Doctor?

You should pay a visit to your doctor if you are noticing continuous changes in your bowel habits, or if you feel like your symptoms are getting worse.

These may indicate other diseases or more serious conditions like digestive and kidney diseases that need to be medically treated as soon as possible. Here are some of the symptoms that you need to take note of:

Frequent diarrhea especially at night

Rectal bleeding

Severe weight loss

Anemia

Frequent vomiting and nausea

2. Exact Causes of IBS Are Unknown

Until today, there are no reported exact causes of IBS, and experts concluded that irritable bowel syndrome may be a combination of various digestive issues like the following:

Stress during early stages of life.

IBS patients who suffered from emotional stress during their childhood are reported to be more prone to the syndrome. The stressors include physical and/or sexual abuse during the early stages of life.

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).

The increase in the number of bacteria in your small intestine can cause irritation in your digestive system.

Mental health issues

Certain mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom disorder can trigger irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Genetics

Research has also shown that genetics play a role in the development of IBS. If your family has a history of IBS, then you are also more likely to inherit the symptoms during your adult life.

Food intolerance

There are individuals who are having sensitivities and intolerances to certain food items because they have more sensitive colons than other people. These issues can also cause or lead to Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

What Can Trigger Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Now that we know the most common causes of IBS, it is time to know what may trigger the symptoms.

These triggers are highly recommended to be avoided in order to easily manage your symptoms. By knowing your triggers, you have more opportunities in managing your IBS symptoms in a more efficient manner - leading to overall health improvement.

Take note of the common triggers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

Food

Food is the main trigger for IBS, and there are certain food items that you need to take note of like the following:

Refined breads and cereals

Processed foods

Coffee, alcohol, and carbonated drinks

Dairy products

IBS patients are usually prescribed to follow a Low FODMAP diet. The low FODMAP diet is a diet that eliminates foods that are high in certain carbohydrates called FODMAPs.

These carbohydrates are found in many common foods, such as wheat, dairy, and certain fruits and vegetables.

The low FODMAP diet can be helpful for people with digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Stress

Stress has been proven to be one of the most common triggers of IBS. There are a few possible explanations for why stress may trigger IBS.

One theory is that stress can lead to changes in gut motility, which can in turn cause abdominal pain and other IBS symptoms.

Another possibility is that stress may increase sensitivity to pain in the gut, making symptoms more pronounced.

Stress may also contribute to IBS by affecting the brain-gut axis, or the communication between the brain and the digestive system. This can lead to a disruption in normal gut function.

3. There Are Certain Conditions Associated With IBSConditions that may lead to IBS:

Gastroenteritis

Chronic stress

Food sensitivities

Gut infection

Anxiety and depression

Conditions that may be caused by IBS:

Back pain

Abdominal pain

Gas

Bloating

Diarrhea

Constipation

Can IBS Cause Back Pain?

There is no direct link between IBS and back pain, but the two can be related. For example, if you have IBS and are constipated, you may experience back pain as a result of the strain. Additionally, the anxiety and stress that can come with IBS can also lead to muscle tension and back pain.

4. IBS Is Different from IBD

There are several key differences between IBS and IBD. IBS is a disorder of the digestive system that can cause abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, altered bowel movements, and constipation. is important to note that IBS is very different than the similarly named disease inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an inflammation of the digestive tract that can lead to ulcers, bleeding, and weight loss. It is also associated with two gastrointestinal disorders: Chron's disease and ulcerative colitis, which both cause chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

IBS is a chronic condition that may worsen with stress, while IBD is a more serious condition that can be life-threatening.

While IBS and IBS have similar symptoms like diarrhea, pain, cramping, and bloating, you also need to take note of more serious symptoms that can indicate IBD.

If you have been noticing weight loss, fever, or blood in your stool, you have to see your healthcare provider to confirm if you have IBD or other GI tract disorders.

5. Doctors Use A Variety of Tests to Diagnose IBS

Your doctor will start by gathering all of your medical information and doing a physical checkup. They will enquire about the following in order to learn more about your health:

sources of stress in your life

current or previous illnesses

current or previous symptoms

history of IBS in the family

pharmaceutical interactions that could worsen your symptoms

It's crucial to let your doctor know how often you experience your symptoms as well as when they first appeared.

By doing this, you can find trends between your behavior and discomfort.

Tests Done to Check for IBS:

Stool Tests

This type of test will check your stools for any presence of internal parasites, blood, or bacterial infections.

Blood Tests

Complete blood screening is usually done to check for the presence of anemia or other abnormalities related to IBS. This screening can also check for gastrointestinal tract inflammation, tissue damage, or celiac disease.

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is a type of visual examination wherein a camera is inserted into the colon and rectum to check for any irregularities in the GI tract.

Breath Test

A hydrogen breath test is also one of the most common tests to check for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This test may indicate the presence of any bacterial overgrowth in your intestines.

Psychological Tests

Since stress and other mental health conditions are the major stressors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a psychological test that involves questionnaires to detect any psychological disorder that causes IBS may be conducted.

Anorectal Manometry

Anorectal manometry is a test used to evaluate the function of the anal sphincter muscles and the rectum. It is often used to help diagnose conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

6. Medication and lifestyle changes can help

The best way to manage and treat IBS is through the following:

Dietary changes

Each person's experience with Irritable Bowel Syndrome is unique. However, some common trigger foods and drinks include caffeine, alcohol, dairy, fatty or greasy foods, and spicy foods. It's best to avoid these items if you're prone to IBS flare-ups.

Other general tips for managing IBS through diet include avoiding trigger foods, eating small meals more frequently throughout the day, and avoiding high-fat and high-fiber foods.

As mentioned earlier, the Low FODMAP diet which includes the elimination and reintroduction of certain food item triggers is the most recommended type of diet for IBS patients.

You can also take Low FODMAP supplements like Low FODMAP Probiotics to help improve the overall health of your digestive system.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are similar to the good bacteria found in the human gut.

They can help restore the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut, which is thought to be beneficial for people with IBS.

Probiotics may also help reduce inflammation in the gut and improve symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea.

Medications

The following medications are used to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

Anti-diarrheal medicines: These medicines reduce the bowel movement of a person while also improving its consistency and frequency.

Smooth-Muscle Relaxant Agents: These may be prescribed for IBS patients who have abdominal pain and cramping, as these drugs can help to relieve muscle spasms in the gut.

Laxatives: These medications are prescribed to IBS patients with constipation as their dominant symptom.

Antibiotics: Doctors may prescribe antibiotics for IBS in an attempt to reduce gut inflammation or kill off harmful bacteria that may be causing symptoms.

Antidepressants: Research suggests that antidepressants may be effective in treating IBS by helping to regulate serotonin levels in the gut, which can help to reduce symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Continuing A Good Quality of Life While Living With IBS

Living with IBS requires a full commitment to changing your overall lifestyle. Full changes in your diet, proper stress management, and daily medications would be your new normal. These changes might be drastic but with the help from your primary care doctor and dietitian, IBS can still be manageable.

source

https://casadesante.com/blogs/digestive-wellness/what-is-ibs

[your-astro-mami]

Narcissism isn't just beauty or vanity related, it is also about not letting other people win. Not feeling happy about somebody's success, or creating drama just so they could fall into a trap & flip out/publicly humiliated/get hurt. I've literally seen people do crazy shit because they can't stand somebody else getting what makes them happy, even if it's really small. This is what I meant by narcissism, the clinical definition of NPD- narcissistic personality disorder.

I don’t think certain placements can show a disorder because some people learn how to deal with them in a positive way(the squares and oppositions in the chart can become better as you grow, understand how to deal with them). I just read that there are no known causes of it, but “early life experiences, environment” as well as genetic and biological factors can play a role in the development.

“Lack of empathy, exaggerates own importance,fantasies of success, believes they’re special, requires constant admiration and attention from others, takes advantage of others, is often envious of other’s success”

I can’t fit that whole description into one placement, but:

Lack of empathy - Mercury square Moon(hard time rationalizing feelings), Aquarius moon sometimes

Exaggerates own importance- Jupiter in 1st/3rd, Sun/Mercury conjunct Jupiter, Aries and Leo placements could be prone to that, also Aquarius and Taurus

Fantasies of success/envious of others’ success: a lot of planets in 10th house or capricorn/aries can make someone ruthlessly ambitious; capricorns can do someone dirty without the other person even realizing it, aries will be more primal with the way they put someone down; also Midheaven conjunct Pluto/Pluto in 10th House - will do anything to get what they want

Takes advantage of others: placements in 7th house can be very, very bad if they have bad intentions. They will seem very nice but will try to manipulate someone if they really need something. Also Libra, Gemini and Scorpio sun/mercury/mars.

General insecurity with themselves that can lead to hating/having bad energy towards others - 8th house placements! Unless they take others’ success as motivation or inspiration to grow more, they can be very jealous, feel bad when someone has the qualities they want to have whether that’s confidence, action, etc. 

Bad aspects between personal planets(sun, mercury, moon) and Mars/Jupiter can cause wanting a lot/achieving, getting/ but not knowing how to act and what to do in order to get it(mars) or thinking you’re capable of more than you are (jupiter)

Note: This doesn’t always mean that people with these placements and aspects will be like that. The other parts of their chart are important too.