#alpha tonic side effects

[leebird-simmer]

All About Alcohol

Classification

- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls and supervises:

food

prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals (medications)

dietary supplements

- All the drugs you can buy must be proven safe and effective, but dietary supplements are not subjected to this scrutiny.

- Drugs have many names:

Generic, trivial, ‘nonproprietary’ name (e.g. methamphetamine)

Brand, trade, ‘proprietary’ name (e.g. Desoxyn). Different preparations, different companies, etc.

Chemical name (e.g. alpha-dimethylphenethylamine)

Street name (e.g. ice, crank, crystal meth). Same name may refer to several different drugs, or one drug may have several different street names.

Psychoactive Drugs

- can be classified by many different methods

- have a behavioral and/or psychoactive effect

List includes:

(A) Sedative Hypnotics

alcohol

barbiturates

benzodiazepines

(B) Opioid Analgesics

morphine

heroin

codeine

(C) CNS Stimulants

cocaine

amphetamines

nicotine

caffeine

(D) Marijuana

(E) Hallucinogens

mescaline

psilocybin

dimethyltryptamine (DMT)

lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)

(F) Phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine

(G) Antipsychotics

(H) Antidepressants

(I) Anti-anxiety agents

(J) Mood stabilizers

(K) Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s therapeutics

Alcohol

- After caffeine, alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in America and is the most abused.

- It has been used for millennia, starting with mead, beer, and wine.

- Distillation increased the potency; production of gin by the Dutch is frequently credited with the start of serious alcohol abuse in Europe.

- Colonial Americans brought alcoholic drinks with them from Europe.

- In the 1830s, the temperance movement began as an educational effort to reduce alcohol consumption.

- Later, many groups portrayed alcohol as a source of evil, directly responsible for broken families, poverty, social disorder, and crime.

Prohibition

- In 1920, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the “manufacture, sale, transportation, and importation” of liquor. This had many unintended consequences:

Illegal manufacture of alcohol increased, sometimes in toxic forms.

Consumption of distilled spirits increased.

Medicinal tonics contained up to 75% alcohol.

Increased activity of organized crime mobs that were involved in the sale and distribution of alcohol.

Types of Alcohol

- Methyl alcohol (wood alcohol) is highly toxic; the liver metabolites include formic acid and formaldehyde; causes blindness, coma, and death.

- Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is the form used in beverages.

- Isopropyl alcohol has a small molecular side chain that changes its characteristics and makes it most useful as rubbing alcohol or as a disinfectant. It is also dangerous to consume

Production of Alcohol

- Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugar by yeasts.

- The sugars may come from grapes (wine), rice (sake), or grains (beer).

- When the ethanol level is about 15%, the yeasts die. Distillation can then increase the alcohol concentration to produce whiskey, brandy, rum, etc.

Pharmacokinetics of Alcohol: Absorption

- Ethanol is easily absorbed from the GI tract and diffuses throughout the body, readily entering most tissues, including the brain.

- Alcohol absorption: alcohol moves by passive diffusion across membranes from higher concentration (the GI tract) to lower concentration (the blood).

- The greater the concentration of the alcohol consumed, the more rapid the movement.

- Food in the stomach slows absorption.

- Many factors influence blood levels of ethanol; thus behavioral effects are described on the basis of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rather than the amount ingested.

- A 12 oz. can of beer, one 5 oz. glass of wine, a cocktail with 1.5 oz. of spirits, or a 12 oz. wine cooler, will each raise your BAC by the same amount.

Pharmacokinetics of Alcohol: Distribution

- Ethanol moves by passive diffusion from the higher concentration in the blood to all tissues and fluid compartments.

- Alcohol readily crosses cell membranes, including the blood-brain barrier.

- The same amount of alcohol is more concentrated in the average woman than in the average man because her fluid volume is much smaller.

Pharmacokinetics of Alcohol: Metabolism

- About 95% is metabolized by the liver.

- The remaining 5% is excreted by the lungs and can be measured using a breathalyzer. BAC can then be calculated.

- Alcohol dehydrogenase converts alcohol to acetaldehyde, which is then converted to acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).

- Interindividual differences: Some people have genes that code for an inactive form of ALDH. Drinking alcohol results in build-up of toxic acetaldehyde, causing flushing, nausea and vomiting, tachycardia, headache, dizziness, etc. {note: I have this and it’s why I don’t drink. Just not fun for me!}

- Gender differences: Alcohol dehydrogenase in gastric fluid is about 60% more active in men than in women, leaving a higher concentration of alcohol that will be absorbed more rapidly in women.

- Enzymes in the cytochrome P450 family also convert alcohol to acetaldehyde.

- The cytochrome P450 enzymes metabolize many other drugs also.

- It’s dangerous to mix alcohol and sedatives (such as Valium) since they compete for cytochrome P450.

- Prescription and OTC drugs have warning labels regarding alcohol consumption with the drug.

Pharmacodynamics: Behavioral Effects of Alcohol

- defined by BAC

- However, there is a strong placebo effect:

Effects of alcohol can be influenced by an individual’s environment and expectations.

In our culture, it is expected that alcohol will increase sociability, reduce anxiety and tension, increase aggression, and enhance sexual responses.

(A) Self-control/Social behavior:

- At low doses, alcohol can result in relaxation and less anxiety.

- In a group, reduced social inhibition may make an individual more gregarious, talkative, and friendly...or inappropriately outspoken.

- Reduced judgment and overconfidence may increase risk-taking behaviors.

(B) Memory function:

- Acute effects on memory vary with dose and task difficulty.

- At high doses, some people experience blackout - total amnesia for events that occur during intoxication.

(C) Motor skills:

- Reduced coordination and impaired motor skills, delayed reaction time, increased drowsiness, all contribute to the increased probability of being involved in automobile accidents.

- There is a distinct temporal pattern of high-risk alcohol-related deaths.

- All states have changed their blood level for legal intoxication from 0.10% to 0.08%.

Pharmacodynamics: Alcohol Poisoning

- Most people do not reach lethal blood levels. At about 0.15%, vomiting may occur; 0.35% usually causes unconsciousness, preventing further drinking.

- If alcohol is consumed rapidly, lethal blood levels may be reached before the individual passes out.

- Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include unconsciousness, vomiting, slow and irregular breathing, and cold, clammy, bluish skin.

- Death results from depression of the respiratory control center in the brain.

- no antidote

{note: you can have your stomach pumped if someone gets you to the hospital quickly enough.}

Neurochemical Effects of Alcohol: GABA (inhibitory)

- stimulates GABA receptors

- binds to GABA (A) receptors and opens the channels, allowing Cl- to enter the cell to hyperpolarize the membrane

- it also stimulates GABA release

- dangerous to combine sedative-hypnotics with benzodiazepines; double inhibitory effect leads to coma and death

Neurochemical Effects of Alcohol: Glutamate (excitatory)

- Alcohol inhibits NMDA receptors (excitatory glutamate receptors responsible for memory function).

- In addition, it reduces glutamate release in many brain areas, including the hippocampus.

- This is why alcohol affects learning and memory.

Neurochemical Effects of Alcohol: Dopamine

- Alcohol enhances dopamine response in NAcc.

- Inhibition of inhibitory neurons in the VTA ---> disinhibition and activation of the neurons projecting to the NAcc ---> increase in dopaminergic transmission in the mesolimbic pathway

- The dopaminergic mesolimbic system plays a significant role in reinforcement and motivational mechanisms ---> addiction

Neurochemical Effects of Alcohol: Endogenous Opioids

- Opioids (endorphins) attach to the receptors in the brain and produce “opioid effect” which blocks pain, slows breathing, and has a general calming and anti-depressant effect.

- Opioids also contribute to the reinforcing effects of alcohol.

- Acute administration of alcohol increases endogenous opioid (endorphin and enkephalin) production and release.

Brain Damage

- Brain damage that occurs after many years of heavy alcohol consumption is caused by the alcohol, elevated acetaldehyde, liver deficiency, and inadequate nutrition.

- Deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), which is critical for brain glucose metabolism, causes cell death.

Korsakoff’s Syndrome

- accompanies chronic alcoholism

- permanent loss of the ability to learn new information (anterograde amnesia) and to retrieve recent information (retrograde amnesia)

- In later stages, the patient remembers the distant past, but almost nothing of what goes on around them.

- caused by thalamic damage from chronic alcoholism or malnutrition that produces a vitamin B1 deficiency

- Thiamine treatment can stop the degeneration, but not reverse it.

- Other brain areas show cell loss that seems to be unrelated to diet.

- Brain tissue shrinks and ventricles enlarge.

Alcohol: Bodily Effects

- Dilation of peripheral blood vessels causes flushing and feeling warm, but it actually results in the body losing heat.

- Vasodilation in the brain may improve cognitive function in older adults.

- A low to moderate daily dose of alcohol may reduce risk of heart disease; it increases the amount of “good” cholesterol in the blood while reducing the “bad”, and it seems to reduce the incidence of blood clots and stroke.

- However, these beneficial effects are counteracted when consumption increases.

- Heavy alcohol use can impact the GI tract and liver.

- Fatty liver: triglycerides accumulate in liver cells. Alcohol is metabolized first, leaving the fats for storage.

- Alcoholic hepatitis: liver cell damage caused by accumulation of high levels of acetaldehyde.

- Alcoholic cirrhosis: death of liver cells stimulates scar formation and blood vessels carrying oxygen are cut off.

Fetal alcohol syndrome

- Alcohol readily passes through the placental barrier and the fetus quickly reaches the same BAC as the mother.

- Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to the damaging developmental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.

- FAS symptoms include:

Intellectual disability and other developmental delays

Low birth weight; failure to thrive and grow

Distinctive craniofacial malformations

Other physical abnormalities, such as cardiac defects, failure of kidney development, undescended testes, and skeletal abnormalities in fingers and toes

Chronic Use of Alcohol

Metabolic tolerance: increase in P450 liver microsomal enzymes that metabolize the alcohol.

Pharmacodynamic tolerance

Behavioral tolerance

Cross-tolerance with other drugs in the sedative-hypnotic class, including barbiturates & benzodiazepine

- Prolonged use of alcohol produces physical dependence.

- The intensity and duration of withdrawal signs are dependent on the amount and duration of drug use.

- Alcohol shows cross-dependence with other drugs in the sedative-hypnotic class, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

- Withdrawal signs can be eliminated by taking the drug again or by taking any drug in the same class that shows cross-dependence.

- “Hangovers” may be evidence of withdrawal, or a sign of acute toxicity.

- They may result from residual acetaldehyde in the body, alcohol-induced stomach irritation, drop in blood sugar, excess fluid loss, or toxic effects from by-products of fermentation and distillation.

- Symptoms include tremor (the “shakes”), anxiety, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, sweating, rapid breathing, nausea, and vomiting.

- Some alcoholics experience delirium tremens (DTs) which can include convulsions, hallucinations, disorientation, panic attacks, unstable blood pressure, etc.

Alcoholism: a complex phenomenon with psychological, neurobiological, genetic, and sociocultural factors, making it difficult to define and treat.

Genetic factors: Close relatives of alcoholics have a 3x-7x greater risk for alcoholism than the general population.

In defining alcoholism, the frequency and pattern of alcohol use are as significant as the total amount consumed.

Binge drinking is defined as drinking five drinks in a row.

DSM-5: anyone meeting any two of the 11 criteria during the same 12-month period would receive a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder.

DSM-5 Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms:

Insomnia (trouble sleeping)

Autonomic symptoms (sweating or racing heart)

Increased hand tremors (”the shakes”)

Nausea and/or vomiting

Psychomotor agitation (feeling physically restless, inability to stop moving)

Anxiety

Seizures (typically generalized tonic-clonic type, which is characterized by rhythmic yet jerking movements, especially of the limbs)

Hallucinations, or perceptual disturbances of the auditory, tactile, and/or visual type (the rarest symptom of alcohol withdrawal)

Treatment of Alcoholism

- The first hurdle is denial; alcoholics often fail to recognize that alcohol is the source of their problems and not the cure.

- Family and friends may act as enablers - repairing the damage caused by the drinker and making excuses for their behavior.

- Psycho-social rehabilitation programs help the alcoholic to prevent relapse:

Individual and group therapy

Residential alcohol-free treatment settings

Self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Pharmacotherapeutic treatment includes two strategies:

(A) Reducing withdrawal symptoms (reducing negative reinforcement)

- During detoxification, painful withdrawal symptoms occur. Drugs that work similar to alcohol can help to reduce those symptoms (ex. benzodiazepines, such as diazepam/Valium).

(B) Reducing alcohol’s positive reinforcing qualities

- Disulfiram (Antabuse) inhibits ALDH (converts acetaldehyde to acetic acid in the normal metabolism of alcohol). Result: drinking even 1 oz of alcohol results in flushing, pounding heart, nausea, vomiting, etc.

- Naltrexone (Vivitrol) is an opioid receptor antagonist; it reduces alcohol consumption and craving and improves abstinence rates. It is assumed that naltrexone reduces the positive feelings and subjective “high” by blocking the effects of alcohol-induced endorphin release.

[songsformonkeys]

Digging Up Bones (whiskey x f!reader) - chapter 3

[Banner by the lovely @yespolkadotkitty ]

Summary: You work for the Statesmen as the head of their medical department. It’s your job to patch up anyone who gets back wounded and to work on ways to prevent them from getting badly wounded in the first place.

Agent Whiskey, in particular, seems to be more accident-prone than the rest and he never passes up a reason to come see you, whether for real injuries or imaginary ones. The two of you form a close friendship, which slowly turns into something more.

Then a British man with a headshot wound and a fascination with butterflies shows up in your emergency room and in the events that follow you’re forced to reevaluate just about everything you thought you knew about your partner.

Warnings: canon typical violence

Masterlist

Chapter 3

The following three days passed in a slow fashion. Not just because Whiskey was gone but the rest of the agents seemed to be staying out of harm's way as well. It was a bit boring, but that was something Tonic had taught you not to complain about out loud since it apparently made it sound like you longed for injuries and carnage.

On the bright side, the slow days gave you, Ginger, and Tonic time to begin interviewing the agents on base for their emergency folders for the Alpha-gel.

The three of you had realized that while the gel and the nanites healed the brain perfectly fine they still needed something to counter the retrograde amnesia, which seemed to be a standard side effect. The sample of agents that had needed to use the gel was still small and so you couldn't draw too many sure conclusions from it, but every single one of them so far had suffered memory loss. It had been Tonic's idea that reminders of a past trauma might jump-start the memory again. The results had been good but guessing and digging up past traumas had been painstakingly difficult and had taken up more time than ideal. So you had collectively decided that each agent should have a file or a folder containing their very worst memory and ways it could be triggered.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 On Wednesday evening, you curled up in your armchair and called Whiskey. He picked up after three rings.

“Moonshine, “ he drawled, voice sounding a little tired.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” you asked, suddenly feeling a little bad. It wasn't that late in the evening but maybe Whiskey had needed to tuck in early.

“No no, I was awake,” Whiskey assured you, “Just got home from a looong day at an art auction. I'm not sure if you've ever been but it is possibly the most boring thing I have ever done.”

“Yeah? What was so bad about it?” you asked, smiling to yourself. You would be caught dead before admitting it out loud but you had actually missed him these past few days.

Whiskey began describing his day. A soon as he began talking, his voice relaxed you. You pictured him walking around in a swanky hotel room, with a view of the big city, probably still wearing his hat. You were half convinced he even slept in that thing.

Whiskey told you about the auction and the few stuck-up people who had pretended not to understand his southern accent just to make him feel less than. Then he told you about the way he'd later wiped the smug smiles off their faces by actually bidding home the small painting they had been ogling.

“Champ might kill me for it, 'cause it cost a small fortune, but it was worth it!”

“What will you do with the painting?” you asked.

“Hm,” Whiskey said and you didn't need to see him to know that he was shrugging, “Dunno. Might hang it in my apartment. It's a beautiful painting, reminded me of someone special... Speaking of my apartment, have you finished the cake yet?”

You nodded, before remembering that he couldn't see you.

“Yes, Ginger and Tonic helped me eat the rest of it.”

You had been over to Whiskey's apartment the day after he'd left. When you'd gotten to work, his key had been in a white envelope on your desk and you hadn't been able to keep your curiosity at bay for longer than a workday.

The apartment hadn't been quite what you thought Whiskey's home would look like. It had been much neater and cleaner than you had expected, for starters. You had expected more of a bachelor pad but Whiskey's apartment was quite nice. It looked lived in but not messy. Each thing seemed to have its own designated spot. As you had walked around the living room towards the kitchen you had taken in the big, comfortable-looking couch and multi-colored knitted blanket that looked like it was homemade.

There had been a couple of books on art history resting on the wooden coffee table. You had stopped, slightly in awe, in front of the big bookshelves that covered a whole wall of the room. You'd never pictured Whiskey to be the reading type, but here was clear proof otherwise. You had scanned the titles of the books and the exceptionally wide array of subjects made you suspect that a lot of these had been read for previous missions. But there had been a whole shelf of fiction too and you smiled a little as you noted that a lot of them seemed to be old western classics.

You had found the cake in the fridge in the equally clean kitchen. The cake had been in a plastic container and Whiskey had stuck a post-it note with a smiley on the lid.

“I liked your bookshelf. And I borrowed a book from you,“ you confessed over the phone and Whiskey chuckled in response.

“Is that so? Which one, if I may ask, was it that caught your fancy?”

“Lonesome Dove.”

“Ah, a classic! Didn't have you pegged as a western girl, Moonshine.”

“I'm not sure if I am, I've never read any. But you had a lot of them and I thought...” You cut yourself off, glancing over at the book on your bed, “You had a book on human anatomy as well that looked interesting and one on make-shift medical treatment when you don't have access to a hospital. I didn't take those, though. It felt wrong to take so many books without asking...”

Whiskey chuckled again and the sound did weird things to your insides, or maybe it was the nerves of having just admitted to raiding his bookshelf.

“Darlin', if it makes you happy, you are more than welcome to help yourself to any book in that apartment”

“Really? But what if it's a book that you suddenly need?”

“Then I'll know perfectly well where to find it.”

You couldn't really argue with that logic, didn't really want to either because the prospect of getting to read all those books almost made you giddy.

“So besides ogling my books, what else have you been up to while I've been gone?” Whiskey asked and you proceeded to tell him about the work with the Trauma Folders, which Tonic so affectionately called them.

“You still haven't submitted yours either, by the way,” you told him. Whiskey didn't immediately answer. The line was dead silent for a few seconds and just when you were about to ask if he was still there, he cleared his throat.

“Yeah, I know. I promise to get right on that as soon as I'm back, okay?” He sounded a little odd and your brow furrowed slightly. Whiskey cleared his throat again.

“Look, darlin', I'm pretty dead on my feet right now and as lovely as your voice is to listen to, I think unfortunately we gotta hang up before I start snoring on you.”

“Oh, of course! Sorry, I've talked too much.”

“Hardly,” Whiskey replied and his voice was warm and soft again, which eased the nervous knots that had begun forming in your stomach at his abrupt attempt to end the call. Usually, that was your role to try and say goodnight and his to try and linger. “I cherish every word, which is why I prefer to be awake for them. Call me tomorrow again?”

“Sure. Good night, Whiskey.”

“Good night, darlin'”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 If the previous days had been slow, the following day was anything but, at least when the afternoon rolled around.

Ginger had called you about some very strange low-frequency readings coming from a church nearby in Kentucky. She told you that she and Tequila were gonna go check it out but that you should be on standby, just in case.

You told her to be careful. Ginger was excellent at her job but she was also one of your closest friends and you couldn't help but worry.

After you'd ended the call, you immediately set about preparing the emergency room and double-checking to make sure everything was there. Seeing as neither of you knew what the strange readings had been about, it was difficult to prepare for every possible scenario, and while you knew that the health effects of exposure to extremely low frequencies were being discussed in the medical community, no one knew exactly what the effects were.

It seemed like a lifetime had passed before Ginder called you again. You heard the sound of the helicopter in the background. She told you that they'd be there in thirty and that they were bringing someone in with a headshot.

“I'll get the chamber ready for him!” you told her

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Thirty minutes later, on the dot, you watched as the helicopter landed and Tequila emerged, carrying a man in a suit. The man's face was obscured by the balloon containing the Alpha-gel but his clothes looked expensive.

“Entry point?” you yelled, over the sound of the helicopter as you waved for Tequila and Ginger to hurry inside.

“Straight through the left eye,” Ginger replied and you winced. The left temporal lobe would be damaged, for sure, maybe part of the occipital one too. You were confident that the nanites would be able to rebuild the brain matter but with the temporal lobe damaged you worried that the memory loss might be even more extensive than what you'd seen before and you wondered if it would affect his speech.

“Exit point or is the bullet still in there?” you asked.

“The bullet went all the way through as far as I could tell. Not sure what he was shot with though so we'll have to scan to make sure there's nothing left in there.”

Said and done. When you got down to the medical rooms you first put the man through a thorough scan of his skull. Just like Ginger suspected, the bullet had gone straight through and it luckily hadn't left anything but damaged tissue in its wake. Tequila helped move him over to the nanite chamber. Carefully, you removed the Alpha-gel balloon and quickly closed the chamber around his head.

“What happened?” you asked as you sat down in front of the computer and began tapping away at the keyboard, starting the machine and readying it for the healing and rebuilding process.

“We have no idea,” Ginger said. “We found him like this outside the church, no sign of who had shot him. Inside the church, however...”

“What?” you asked.

“Inside was a total fuckin' bloodbath,” Tequila supplied, “Whole congregation just...slaughtered.”

You looked over at the strange man.

“You think he did it?”

Both Ginger and Tequila shrugged.

“We don't know. But he's got blood on him that isn't his own and there was no gun in his hand so he clearly didn't shoot himself, which means someone got away from that Church alive.” Ginger reasoned, “And there's one more thing..”

She pulled a pair of glasses from the pocket of her jacket. The left glass was shattered.

“He was wearing these. These aren't normal glasses, which means he's not a civilian. And his watch... he's some sort of intelligence. I'll dig around and see if I can find out whom he belongs to.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 You called Whiskey again that evening. He sounded more awake today but you could practically hear the frown on his face when you told him about your strange new guest. He was not happy.

“He's an agent?” he asked.

“We think so. Ginger is running some tests on his glasses and his watch to see what we can figure out but so far we have no idea whom he's working for. So we just have to wait for him to wake up and see how much he remembers.”

“I don't like this,” Whiskey stated. “Not one bit. If he's intelligence, he's dangerous, Moonshine. You shouldn't be alone with him, not under any circumstances!”

“I won't,” you reassured him while rolling your eyes. “Agent Tequila also has an over-protective streak and has, therefore, put himself on guard duty until further notice. I've had him looking over my shoulder all evening.”

You had found it somewhat annoying but Whiskey had instantly calmed down upon hearing that bit of information. He told you to promise to listen to Tequila on this, which you reluctantly did. You didn't tell Whiskey that if the arrangement continued, you would have to come to some sort of agreement with Tequila on how close was close enough for protection. You couldn't have him reading over your shoulder all day long or you'd go stir crazy.

Whiskey continued to ask you a bunch of questions about the strange man and you couldn't answer a single one. He asked you about the signal too and you couldn't give him any answers to that either. It was all Ginger's area of expertise and you told him as much.

“Sorry, darlin', just wanna make sure my favorite girl is safe until I get back.”

Whiskey's words made you smile stupidly, despite the slightly patronizing undertone of them. You would like to think you knew how to take care of yourself, especially around your patients. But you did enjoy it when Whiskey called you his favorite. No one else had called you their favorite before.

After a few more minutes of chit-chat, you both said good night.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The next day, your patient woke up.

It had been decided the day before that Tonic and Tequila would be the first ones to greet him. Tequila because of the whole bodyguard business and Tonic because he was by far the one who had the most experience with calming people in shock and panic. You had only sulked a little when you'd sat down the desk on the other side of the one-way mirror showing you the stranger's cell. You turned on the cameras in the other room to record the interaction before leaning forward over the desk to watch.

As anticipated, the man was more than a little freaked out by waking up in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces around him.

“Where am I? Who are you?” he immediately asked and you raised your eyebrows as you noted his British accent. The stranger tried to scramble off the bed where he'd been lying. Tequila took a step forward but Tonic quickly held up a hand to stop him.

“You are in a hospital,” Tonic told the frightened man and gave him a calm smile, “My name is To...Tom.”

“A hospital? What happened?” the stranger asked.

“We were hoping you would be able to tell us. You were in some sort of accident and when we found you, you were unconscious.”

Unconscious... that was definitely an understatement to describing having had one's brains blown out through the back of their head.

“Do you remember anything of what happened?” Tonic continued.

The British man looked around the room with wild eyes but he was already calming down a bit. While you were a bit jealous that Tonic, or Tom apparently, was the first one to get to talk to your new patient you had to admit that it was a privilege to get to watch him work. Tonic continued talking to the man and answering his questions by saying just enough to calm him but not enough to confuse him.

You found out that his name was Harry, but he couldn't remember his last name. He was from England and he thought he was 23 years old, which he most definitely was not. You caught Tonic and Tequila exchange a look as Harry told them his age. If Harry couldn't remember anything beyond his 23rd year then you estimated that he had forgotten more than half of his life. And since he wasn't one of your agents, you had no idea how to bring those memories back again...

Tonic and Harry spoke for a while longer and Tonic told him about his injuries. He also told harry about the memory loss. Harry didn't believe him until Tonic guided him over to the one-way mirror separating you from them and let Harry have a look at himself. You stood on the other side of the mirror and could watch as realization dawned on Harry. His breathing immediately sped up again and he was beginning to panic.

“Harry,” Tonic said calmly, “Harry, I'm gonna need you to breathe slower with me, okay? We've seen this kind of memory loss before and we will do our very best to help you recover the memories you can't remember right now”

“Think of it as one hell of a hangover,” Tequila supplied and Harry gave him an incredulous look.

“Hangover?” he asked in a weak voice “I look old enough to be a grandfather and I don't remember any of it... I don't think anyone has ever been drunk enough for that kind of hangover.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Tonic and Tequila handled the whole ordeal in a way that made you proud to call yourself their colleague and they stayed with Harry for most of the day, talking and explaining. Harry listened patiently and you had to give him credit for taking the situation a whole lot better than some of the Statesmen who had gone through the same thing. He was scared and worried, sure, but he managed to keep his panic in check and asked Tonic a whole bunch of relevant questions.

You wished you could have stayed and watched all afternoon but eventually you had to go back to your own office and begin typing up your report.

You had barely gotten two paragraphs in when your phone started ringing.

“Moonshine?” Whiskey said as soon as you picked up and you could immediately tell that something was wrong. He sounded scared. There were car horns blaring and loud crashes in the background.

“Yes. Whiskey what's...”

Whiskey cut you off before you could finish your question.

“Where are you?” he asked and when it took you a fraction of a second too long to answer, he repeated the question, “Moonshine! Where are you?”

“I'm in the office. Whiskey what's wrong?”

“Good! Whatever you do, stay where you are! There's something in the air! People are killing each other!”

“What?” Before you could say anything further, your door burst open and you screamed from surprise.

“Moonshine!” Whiskey yelled, panicked, as Ginger stormed into the office and pushed you out of her way to get to the computer. She began tapping on the keyboard and you watched as she pulled up live feeds from several cameras around the country. Your mouth fell open as you watched the chaos that filled the screen.

“MOONSHINE!” Whiskey yelled again and you realized you hadn't answered him.

“I'm fine!” you quickly assured him and you heard him exhale loudly. “Ginger just showed up. What the hell is going on?” The last question was aimed at them both. The quality of the feeds wasn't the best but there was no mistaking what was going on. All over the country, people were killing each other.

“The fuck if I know,” Whiskey said at the same time as Ginger supplied the slightly more helpful “It's the same signal! It's the same low frequency as we picked up from the church. But this is all over...well the world”

She turned and looked at the phone in your hand.

“Is that agent Whiskey?”

You nodded but then froze as you heard a banging noise on the other end of the line, which sounded much closer than the previous ones. You heard Whiskey curse.

“Whiskey?”

There was another crash and he cursed again.

“I'm sorry, darlin', I seem to have a visitor. I gotta go.”

“Whiskey,” you begged and you heard your own voice break as you spoke his name.

“Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll deal with this and then I promise I'll come right home to you. You just promise to stay inside and stay safe, okay?”

What about you? you wanted to ask, but Whiskey had already hung up.

“He'll be fine,” said Ginger, who must have seen the expression change on your face. You nodded. She was right. Whiskey was an excellent agent. He would be fine.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 He would be fine. You managed to convince yourself of that up until about an hour later when the office phone called. You were too busy clutching your own phone, waiting for Whiskey to call back, to pay any attention to the other phone so Ginger picked it up and answered. She exchanged a few cryptic comments with the person on the other line before ending the call by saying:

“We'll be ready for him.”

After she'd hung up the phone she turned towards you.

“Whiskey's on his way back. He's been stabbed but according to the pilot, he's stable. They're flying him back now. “

[thecleverdame]

The Oath - 10

Parings: Dark!Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader

Story Master List

Summary: After an unsuccessful escape attempt, the reader finds herself taken as a spoil of war. She ends up in the bed of a ruthless Alpha, the son of John Winchester, leader of the kingdom of Gilead. She struggles to conceal her true identity and navigate a society where being an Omega means nothing more than serving at the pleasure of powerful men.

Warnings: non-con, sexual assault, rape, attempted suicide, sexual slavery, branding, torture, ownership, voyeurism, anal play, smut, violence, and murder.

Sam is dark in this story. If any of the warnings are triggers for you, I would suggest skipping this one. Please read and heed all the warnings.

Beta: ilikaicalie

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-

The fog of your heat finally lifts, leaving you sore and utterly exhausted. Coherent for the first time in days, you find yourself an utter and complete mess, still in bed with Sam sleeping soundly beside you. Even if you couldn’t feel the ache between your legs, you’d know full well what happened by the mess left on your skin and proof left all over the bed. 

The shame is immediate and lasting. Over the next several days forgotten moments of your heat comes back to you. The way his cock felt in your cunt, the taste of his cum on your tongue or the desperate sound of your own voice begging for more. 

The bite on your arm heals quickly, but if you push on it hard enough it evokes the sensation of when he first bit you. Not that you would admit that to anyone, especially yourself. You’d never admit that you press on it, eyes fluttering closed, imagining what his teeth would feel like sunk into your neck. At this point in life even your own fantasies betray you. Dark, shameful thoughts creeping in when you least expect them. 

While your logical mind wants nothing more than to run away and never see any of the Winchesters again, your body is making connections that cause you to pine for him by the end of each day. 

Several Days Later

You only had a bite of the carrots. They’ve never been a favorite and they were undercooked, crunchy and hard to chew. But Sam loves them and ate almost the entire bowl before moving on to a giant turkey leg. It would be several hours before you knew for sure it was poison, but you put two and two together fairly quickly. Not long after dinner later there was an unsettled feeling in your stomach. Enough that you retched over the side of the chamber pot and threw up your dinner. 

Sam’s reaction was markedly more intense. It started as stomach cramps and a fever. By the time he began to vomit up blood, you knew it was more serious than even he realized. 

“Alpha,” you look down at him. He’s a puddle of sweat, skin pallid and clammy. There’s still bright red on his lips and a thin line of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. He gazes up with glazed eyes, half looking at you, half floating somewhere darker. You swipe with soft fingers, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I don’t know what to do for you. You have to let me call someone. You need help.”

“I’ll be fine in the morning.” His eyes flutter closed, jaw clenching as his stomach tightens. 

You could run, but you wouldn’t get very far. The second you absconded into the night, they would all think you’re the one who tried to kill him. Retribution would be swift and painful. No, there’s so running away. You find yourself in an impossible circumstance where the only option is to stay and try to help. 

“I don’t think you will. There’s more blood than you realize.” You watch as he writhes in pain, rolling onto his side and curling into a ball. You do what you can, wetting a cool rag and laying it over his back, then his neck and chest. 

“If someone has tried to kill me I can’t trust any of the men.” He shivers, his body transitions quickly from hot to cold. 

“You can trust me,” you promise. “Let me try to help you. If I don’t do something you’re going to die.” 

“Don’t act as if you care.”

“But I do.” 

Without Sam, you’d surely be passed from man to man. Lord only knows what heinous acts would be perpetrated on your body. There is a smaller part of you, the part you suppress at all costs, the part of you that’s begun to think of him as your Alpha. Somewhere along the way, your inner Omega has grabbed onto his Alpha and it doesn’t want to let go, despite everything you know to be true. 

Sam and his family have killed half of your country. He’s responsible for murder, torture, rape, and slavery, many of which he’s inflicted on you himself. 

You should kill him. It would be easy. He’s weak like this. You could hold a pillow over his head and smother him in his sleep. It would be a victory for your family and your countrymen. It would be redemption. There is almost nothing you could do to come back from lying with a Winchester, but ending Sam’s life would suffice to get back into your family’s good graces. 

You should kill him. 

You can’t. You don’t want to. Watching him choke to death on his own blood would take a part of you with him. No one would understand, but you’re bound to him in this inexplicable way. 

“I’m going to break a rule,” you explain looking around the room. 

His eyes pop up, looking up at you as he begins to shiver. 

“Which one?”

“I lied to you,” you whisper softly, directly into his ear. “I can read. I’m going to find a way to help you. With all these books there must be something that can help us.” 

You sit up to get off the bed and he catches your hand. 

“Don’t let anyone see you, Omega.” 

“I won’t.” You nod and then make your way to the stacks of books and papers. 

It’s nearing dawn when you come across a compendium of common ways to poison a man. There are entries for everything from Castor Bean to White Snakeroot. It’s when you come across the entry for Black Leaf that his symptoms match. 

“I think I found it!” You look up to find him on his back, eyes closed and still as a corpse. Holding your breath you approach the bed, reaching out to shake him. “Sam?”

“Hmmm,” he hums in response. 

“Thank God,” you gasp. Opening a trunk you sort through the vials of herbs and tonics. If it’s not too late, all he’ll need is a large dose of Bay Root to counteract the toxin. You find what you’re looking for, crushing the herbs into a tea and kneeing your way onto the bed to wake him. 

“You need to sit up and drink for me.” You struggle to get him upright, using every ounce of strength to manhandle him into a position where he can swallow without choking. He floats in and out of consciousness, moaning in pain. 

Once he has most of it down, you lie next to him watching him sleep and pray he doesn’t stop breathing. If you found the antidote in time, you’ll have saved his life. And if not, it’s likely a death sentence for both of you. 

-

He’s still sleeping when you prepare another round of the Bay Root to give him. You’re just pouring the hot water into the mug when there’s a rustling behind you. You turn to find Dean hurrying toward you. 

“What have you done to my brother?” Dean twists your wrists upward and away from your body with such force you think he’ll break both arms. 

“Nothing,” you cry out. “I am trying to keep him alive!” 

“Don’t lie to me you little bitch!” he hisses, so close you can feel his breath on your cheek. “I’ll have you skinned alive.”

“I’m not lying! Someone poisoned him. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know who the assailant was, so I told the men to stay away. I was afraid the culprit would come to finish the job. I swear to you, I didn’t hurt him.”

“Let her go.” Sam’s voice shines like a beacon from the other side of the tent. He’s standing up bare chested and hunched over as if it’s taken every last vestige of energy to get to his feet. “I would have died without her.”

Dean waits a moment and releases your arms. You go directly to Sam, wedging yourself under his arm to help him keep his balance. If nothing else it gives you a reason to stay close. 

“Someone tried to kill him and nearly did. I think the poison was in the carrots. They smelled faintly of bitter almonds.” You look up to find Sam staring down at you with an unreadable expression. “You should not be out of bed. I know you’re strong but you’re still experiencing the effects. You were feverish up until a few hours ago. Please, lay back down.” 

Sam’s hand curls over your shoulder, resting his weight as he and Dean exchange a look that might well be an entire conversation. 

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Sam barks, moving to lay back on the bed as he protests. “Get me water.”

“Of course.” You keep your head down, finding a mug and filling it as Dean looks around the tent. He spies the open book on the table. Sam sees it too, eyes darting to you before laying back on the pillow. 

“I’m lucky I was coherent enough to find a remedy.” 

Dean stares at you with unwavering intensity. While he doesn’t know for sure, he suspects there’s more to this story than he will ever be privy to. 

-

It’s when Sam leaves the tent for a bit of fresh air that Dean confronts you a second time. 

“Playing nursemaid won’t save you, Omega,” he hisses, eyes narrowing. 

“What are you talking about?”

“I see what you’re up to, the way you’re caring for him. It’s smart. But Sam and I have an agreement.” Dean snorts and you try to swallow the fear. 

“What do you mean?” you ask, belly churning with dread. 

“Once my brother has had his fill, you’ll be mine.” He grins, enjoying your reaction. His eyes scan your body, lingering at your breasts. “And when we get home, my father will decide who you’ll go to. Someone important no doubt. You’re a beauty, and you’ll make a handsome prize.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” you whisper. 

“Because you need to know your place. We’re traditionalists in Gilead. The new order went out when my father cut off the king’s head and we are upholding the old ways. Omegas are good for two things. Satisfying your Alpha and bearing children. You are nothing more than what’s between your legs. You are not special to Sam. The sooner you come to terms with your value, the better off you’ll be.’ 

 -

You think of your family and the shame you would bring on them if they ever knew what has become of you. Taken by an Alpha, a Winchester. Your father might kill you himself. 

Sam is tolerable. You can endure the rape because his demands are simple and your body reacts to his whether you want it to or not. But he’s not a sentimental man, he’ll keep you around until he grows bored and then you’ll be passed around like Tilda. A commodity, an item to be owned instead of a living, breathing woman. You can’t stand the thought of being tortured like the men who first tried to assault you. 

No, that’s no life. It’s simply breathing instead of living. It’s not worth the agony. 

Holding the knife up to your throat you go through the process in your mind. Sinking the knife in and cutting fast before you lose your nerve. The wine helps, you’re still scared but not as terrified as you were earlier. You believe in a God, an afterlife. There is something better after this. 

Summoning all your courage you press the the blade into the skin over your throat as Sam’s voice booms from behind. 

“What are you doing?” 

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[xladyxfatex]

Chapter Four (FMITN BOOK 1)

That night's dinner consisted mostly of meat, bread for their carbs, and of course water. Melissa’s health seemed to be okay considering she was only using a tonic at this time. It wouldn’t be long till Holly would be able to remove the cancer and things would be back to normal. When Melissa had spoken to Gwendolyn about the visit she didn’t hide the fact that she was in need for surgery and what it was for, it was at that point that instead of coming for a month turned into the mother and son pair staying till the start of September when she would get Aleister back home for schooling. She had also told Gwendolyn what her daughter was because she didn’t want them to be taken by surprise on the first full moon of their stay. Gwen was more than excited, this was the first in thousands of years and she was going to be able to help teach the young girl it was beyond a great prillivage.

“Daddy! Is mama apart of our pack? Can she hear us in her head too when we’re in our wolf forms?” Jesse’s question broke Melissa from her thoughts as she was so excited for everything happening tonight, and honestly it was a great question. Melissa looked to her husband while covering her mouth to try and hide her giggling, 

“Princess, yes your mama can hear us, but you know that we can’t hear through the mindlink correct? We can hear her voice, this is the same with other creatures and begins in a pack. Most packs now a days aren’t just werewolves, witches, pixies, and so on, they have a mixture of all. So you can mindlink with the others in a pack if you join one, and they’ll hear you, but you’ll have to use your hearing to hear them back.” To say Gilbert was shocked by his daughter’s question wasn’t good enough to express what he felt. Neither son had ever wonder if a none werewolf could mindlink with them and how it would work. Jessica was smart and wanted to know how this world works in more ways than anyone else. He was certain once she started elementary school they were going to ask to have her skip grades and that was something for the family to talk about as a whole.

Dinner finished and Melissa went to pack bags of clothes for the boys and her daughter. Melissa walked with Jessica to the meeting spot. “Now little one, this is the spot, your bags will be in the cave and I’ll head back out here before dawn break, so I can grab your bag. You must remember to always stay with everyone if not just one of them, you also have free run over all of the woods here, we own hundreds of acres, but DO NOT wonder off alone. You don’t know your way yet.” With that the boys made their appearance. The moon hung full in the night sky, and with that Jesse began to whimper as her bones started to crack and  reshape, Jeff’s first instinct was to try and comfort Jess through her shift, though in all honesty he had no idea what to do. He sat behind her, and held her close, this seemed to soothe the pain, but he knew he couldn’t hold her through the full shift he could feel his own starting.

In front of Jessica stood a big silver and gray wolf, with golden eyes, she knew the smell of coffee and ginger, this wolf was her daddy, next to him a smaller wolf, all black with bright blue eyes, he smelled of sage and honey, her brother Matty. Shifting from behind revealed a small blonde wolf with bright golden eyes, her brother Jeff Jessica’s body continued to reshape, reform, and cries and whimpers, were heartbreaking. Her mother could hear her muttering “I know you don’t mean to hurt me, please say this will be over soon.” Once her fur broke through her reformed body Melissa and Gilbert were stunned, there curled in the grass was a tiny, pure white wolf with bright silver eyes. 

“Jesse, its mama. I’m going to touch you okay?” Melissa really had no idea how to approach this, when Jeff shifted he ran once it was done, and jumped but Jessica was just laying there as if she was in pain and she wanted to help her daughter in anyway she could. Jessica’s head snapped towards her mother and the whole pack could hear her response. “Not needed mama my legs are just not use to this yet, I’ll be ready to run soon, I’m just trying to get ready”

All three wolves looked at each other and nodded, Matt and Jeff each standing on one side with Gilbert stood behind her and scuffed her by the neck, picking her up and carrying her off. Jessica did not like this one bit but she couldn’t fight it, it was almost some kind of calming effect to be picked up in such away, so she huffed. “Daddy! Put me down please? I’m ready to run now.”  Gilbert gently put down his daughter and stood on her paws and looked around she walked over to Jeff and stood behind him, keeping in mind she was NOT to wonder alone. She pushed his hind leg signalling to go and he happily did. Jessica took off running, behind her brother the noises in the woods more crisp and clear, one had caught Jesse's attention, effectively stopping her in her tracks. She tried to call out to her brothers, and father but received no response. Huffing she went to find the noise.

“I can just smell my way back to the meet up, geez why aren’t they answering me, daddy said all pack members could hear each other.” The issue Jess was really having was this was all private land owned by their family no others should be here. As drew closer she found a wolf, somewhere between the size of Matt and Jeff’s wolves, it had dark fur and golden eyes, she knew right away it was another alpha, but it seemed hurt. She had no idea if her magic would work in her wolf form but she was going to do all she could to try to help. She lowered head showing she was of no threat to the alpha. Once she reached him she nuzzled his head and inside her head began chanting a spell, since she couldn’t use her hands for inncantions at the moment. 

“Where is Jess, and why do I hear her reciting magic?” Matt questioned he had just noticed his baby sister wasn’t with himself and Jeff and was now panicking especially if she was trying to use magic in her wolf form no one knew if is was possible and if she’d get hurt doing so.

“WHAT? Dang it Jessica! Find her scent we have to find her, she could be in trouble.” Jeff sniffed the air, Cituts and candied ginger the smell of his baby sister was faint but he was able to find and follow it with Matt hot on his heels. They picked up on whimpering that wasn’t Jessica’s and the smell of mint and ink. Whatever the smell Jeff and Matt both could agree they did NOT like it near their baby sister. Running faster the smells of who ever this was and their sister became stronger along with hearing her chanting.

“Stop! They're hurt! Let me finish and I’ll take my punishment when we’re back to normal.” Jessica was always a softie with a good heart she didn’t care that this could show what she really was she just didn’t want this werewolf to suffer. Even at four years old she had a good grasp on the ideas of right and wrong. “I tried to call out to you two when I heard the crying but you never answered so I came on my own. I’m sorry, please just let me finish?” The brothers just huffed, they knew they would all be in trouble later on, but Jess wasn’t going to leave till she knew she helped. A few moments later the wounds healed and the other wolf, stood up and bowed before running off.

Jessica was made to stay between her brothers no more running, the night sky started to give way to pinks and oranges showing signs of a new day rising. Matt scuffed Jessica as he and Jeff ran to the meeting place to get ready to shift back and have clothes. Their father was already there and dressed, and wanted to know what Jess did to be brought back by the scruff,  but he’d find out later. Matt placed Jessica down and went into the cave, Melissa came out with fresh clothes for her daughter and patted her fur. Jess focused on turning back into a human, which surprisingly to her was less painful then turning into her wolf form. Once back to being a bi-ped Jess dressed and hung her head. She knew was in trouble but she only did what she felt was right. Matt and Jeff came out full dressed to see Jessica crying. Turned out Jess had admitted her fault in taking off alone and using magic on another wolf who was hurt. She described the wolf and their smell, but of course not a pack member they couldn’t talk. Melissa was beyond pleased that her daughter had such a kind heart though it could have gotten her hurt, though the real question in everyone's mind was. “Who was the random werewolf that find their way to their land.”

--

Once home the kids washed up, and ate breakfast Melissa took Jessica to the workshop and worked on the more complicated spells, while Gilbert, Matt, and Jeff, went to the spot where Jess found the random wolf. They followed the route the best they could that the wolf took off in, that was when an older gentleman and boy appeared.

“I thought you said they had a female who healed you?” The older man addressed the boy. “How rude of us, I’m Bob Orton, this here is my son Randall, I do apologize that he was trespassing last night on your land, it's hard to keep him cooped up when he shifts, plus traveling on the road with me can’t be easy.” He reached his hand out to shake  Gilbert’s as Randy stared at Matt and Jeff.

“Those two showed up when the pure white wolf was helping me. They must be part of the same pack, I want to thank her please?” Randy’s voice rang out and Gilbert was unsure of what to do his daughter had broken a huge rule of not wandering off but she had done so to help someone in need. Matt and Jeff shifted on their feet not sure if bringing this alpha to their house was wise. That was until both boys looked up at Randy’s father.

“I’m sorry sir, did you say your name is Bob Orton, as in Cowboy Bob Orton the wrestler?” Matt asked wondering if he had heard the information correctly. Mr. Orton broke out into a hearty laugh.

“That is correct, as you can imagine traveling with my son here till he starts school back up isn’t easy on him, especially during his shifts. He took off last night saying he scented something and he needed to find out. I am truly sorry for this. But is there a female wolf in your pack that helped my boy?” Mr. Orton wasn’t sure what to believe there weren’t hybrid healer werewolves but if somehow this girl did save his son the least he could do is thank her personally. Jeff stepped forward, always protective of his baby sister.

“That depends..” Jeff snapped,  “How old are you and why should we take you to her?” He didn't want to let on this is was his sister I mean that could put her in danger. Randy just rolled his eyes and huffed.

“Geez I just want to thank her, and I’m seven if that really matters.” Randy didn’t like being talked to like this, basically people just gave him what he wanted. While the three boys continued their talk, the two fathers spoke and Gilbert finally relented and allowed them to follow to their home. On the way the two fathers spoke of random things, life, raising werewolf sons, what his career was like. Randy and the Hardy boys didn’t speak in fact Jeff had offered to run ahead and make sure Jessica was still here. Which Gilbert gathered was his way of saying he was going to get her out of the workshop and not be practicing her magic when the others arrived. Jeff grabbed Jess by the wrist causing her to drop the potion she was working on and having it spill everywhere.

“HEY! That was rude! What did I do to make you ruin my potion, do you know how hard I worked on that? I’ve been trying to master that one for a day and a half you ruined all my work.” Jessica was angry and on the edge of tears. Jeff hugged her and gave a small apology before dragging her out of the workshop and telling her to put on jeans and a tee shirt and  not to ask why. She stalked off sulking but doing it anyways. She changed, brushed her hair, and teeth and went back downstairs.

“So why did I do this and why are you interrupting my practice?” The four year old asked, and Jeff huffed grumply. 

“Because the wolf you saved last night is on his way with his father to thank you. So you cannot do any magic right now..” Jeff was worried this wasn’t something that should be happening, yet his wolf wasn’t mad, in fact he was oddly quiet and calm. Jeff didn’t understand why, maybe it was the fact he was with his sister, she normally was able to calm him. Moments later their father came in with Matt and two people Jessica didn’t know. Jess ran to her brother Matt and held him tight,

“Matt! I’m happy you and daddy are back. Did you find what you were looking for in the woods?” Jessica knew what she was trying to do but it was odd for her. Her wolf was pacing and whimpering it only did that when Jeff and daddy were yelling at her, which to be honest wasn’t that often. She looked at the two whom came into their home and bowed.

“Hi, my name’s Jessica! Whom are you?” She smiled brightly trying to be friendly to the two new people. Mr. Orton extended his hand.

“My name is Bob Orton little lady, how are you today?” Jessica shook his hand and gave a sweet reply.

“Well its very nice to meet you Mr. Orton, I’m doing good today, I hope you and you……” She trailed off truth be told she knew the boys scent from the night before and in his human form he was very scary. 

“Ah I’m so sorry Jessica, this is my son, Randall.” Jessica stepped back and went behind Jeff, doing so however caused her wolf to snap at her, and she sighed. 

“Its ….Its nice to meet you Randall.” Jessica’s voice was meek the boy was scaring her no matter what her wolf said she didn't want to hear it. Randy knew the smell of citrus and candied ginger, to see the small girl there, strawberry blonde, bright jade green eyes, pale skin, he didn’t know anything anymore. Jess poked Jeff in the back and whispered something that caused him to shake his head ‘no”.

“Jessica, thank you for last night, I’m not sure what you did, but you were able to heal the wound I got while running on your lands last night I never should have been there.” Randy spoke and Jessica just nodded. 

“You ...You're welcome.”

“Why do you hide behind your younger brother and not your father Jessica?” Mr. Orton asked in all honesty he did find that rather odd behavior. .Jess tilted her head to the side, she honestly didn’t know why it was just something she had always done. Luckily she was made to answer as Jeff did.

“Dunno, she’s always hidden behind me when scared, we’re closest in age, her being four and myself six, so we just have that kind of bond.” Jeff smiled almost smugly as the words came from his mouth.

“Well Randall you’ve met her, you’ve thanked her, is there anything else you’d like to say? We do have to get going to the next city.” Mr. Orton wasn’t trying to be rude and Gilbert was already aware they were on a schedule.

“I just wanted to apologize again for running on your lands, and …” Randy stepped towards the youngest Hardy taking her hand in his smiling “...and thank you again for helping me. I’m sure we’ll meet again.” Randy gave a small bow before turning to his father ready to leave.

The rest of the day Jess couldn’t focus on her spells, her wolf kept saying something about that boy being her ‘mate’ and she told her wolf to be quite she was only four and she was not going to hear about that. That night Jess skipped dinner and just went to bed. She wanted her wolf to shut up, and she wanted to stop the echo of “we’ll meet again” from playing in her head.

___________

Thank you @theworldofotps for your help proof reading and editing.

[the-ghost-of-jason-todd]

Quirk Talk: Kaminari Edition

so i’ve talked about Iida, Bakugou, and Kirishima’s quirks before, and now it’s Kaminari’s turn!

what we know about kaminari is that he can produce electricity, routing it through his own body or shooting it indiscriminately across the area around him.  when he overuses his electrical quirk, he experiences some sort of ‘meltdown’ where he can’t speak/think clearly and is basically useless.  okay.

what i propose is as follows: his quirk uses micro-transmitters in his skin as a Farraday cage, causing the electricity to arc across the surface of his skin.  the organ producing the electricity is at the base of his skull, and has a series of nerve-like structures connecting it to different parts of his body, allowing the electricity to arc across a specific limb or his entire body at once.  his skull itself, and likely his ribcage as well, is reinforced with more of the micro-transmitters because heck, brain important.  the problem there is that the micro-transmitters can only safely transmit a certain amount of electricity.  when he ups his voltage (his wattage?  his ampage?) the micro-transmitters in his skin are put under stress and stray electricity starts to leak out into other tissues and membranes in his body.  when the micro-transmitters reach their upper-limit, they short out, rerouting all that electricity through his internal organs.  

the micro-transmitters in his skull, sensing this, respond by routing a small amount of the stray electricity through the organ producing it, shutting it down.  it’s a self-limiting defense mechanism--when he starts to hurt himself, the production cycle is shut down.  the unfortunate side effect is that because the organ is located so close to his brain, the excess electricity causes a seizure called an absence seizure--a type of seizure similar to a grand mal or tonic-clonic in that it affects the entire brain.  he specifically has atypical absence seizures, ones lasting longer than 10 seconds, while his brain regulates and his alpha/beta/etc waves return to normal.  he can’t use his power for a while afterward because the electrical organ and his micro-transmitters also need time to heal, though if he really pushes he can produce electricity when he isn’t ready.  this usually results in a slightly more intense, myoclonic-type of seizure activity in the muscles near shorted micro-transmitters, as the stray electricity causes his muscles to spasm.  this is the same seizure activity that causes the ‘falling sensation’ when you’re falling asleep and you jerk awake.

:O

in short, my boy has a very destructive quirk and his body has at least one fail-safe in place to protect his brain from 10 million volts of electricity.

[bioayurvedaonline]

Shudh Shilajit Capsule - An Ayurvedic Solution For Infertility!!

Shilajit is formed mainly of humus and dead plant residues at altitudes of 1000 to 5000 meters above sea level in the Himalayas. It's a peculiar tar-like resinous substance that isn't totally plant or animal in origin. It's almost like a mineral pitch.

Original Shilajit is one of numerous herbal and mineral formulas used in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medicinal technique. Shilajit has been used to cure a broad range of ailments in traditional herbal medicine, from musculoskeletal injuries to infertility.

Shilajit is a dietary supplement that is accessible. Continue reading to discover more about the potential health advantages, health consequences, dose and preparations, and other information.

What Is The Best Way To Purify Shilajit?

When it comes to original shilajit, purification, or Sodhana as it is known in Ayurveda, is necessary. Although Shilajit is a vital mineral in Ayurveda, it can only be employed after undergoing a lengthy purifying process that includes the use of various herbal infusions and other substances. The inclusion of impurities such as dust, grime, and other contaminants decreases the mineral's medicinal and restorative benefits and renders it unsafe for human ingestion. The purification procedure not only eliminates any impurities or germs that may be present in the mineral, but also improves the product's medicinal efficacy.

Shilajit Uses

Shilajit is available in powder/liquid/capsule form, which may be combined with milk or water.

Depending on the packaging recommendations, a pea-sized piece of original shilajit can be dissolved in liquid and consumed up to three times each day.

Shilajit is taken in doses of 300 to 500 mg per day, according to reliable sources. Nevertheless, before using any natural supplements, a person should consult with a doctor.

Shilajit Benefits

Protects From Anemia

Anemia is caused by a lack of healthy cells or hemoglobin in the blood. Anemia can be caused by a variety of factors, including iron deficiency.

Anemia due to iron deficiency can induce a variety of symptoms in the body, including:  weariness and weakness due to irregular heartbeat,  headache with freezing hands and feet, etc.

Original Shilajit is rich in humic acid and iron, which may aid in the treatment of iron-deficient anemia. However, before using supplements, you should discuss this with your doctor.

Enhances Mental Performance

Shilajit is an old treatment for improving brain function. The presence of bioactive small molecules known as dibenzo-alpha-pyrones slows the breakdown of memory-related brain chemicals, therefore improving memory capacity, focus, concentration, tranquillity, and alertness. Shilajit capsule or other preparations, as a brain tonic and stimulant, increase memory, rationality, dilemma, and other cognitive functions, and are thus used to treat other psychotic illnesses.

Altitude Sickness

Ayurvedic Shilajit is said to help with altitude sickness, according to traditional practitioners. At high elevations, pressure variations can have a significant impact on certain persons. Altitude sickness can cause a variety of symptoms, including bodily aches and exhaustion, as well as lung congestion and low brain oxygen levels.

Shilajit is a complex compound containing over 80 minerals.It  is known to help alleviate many symptoms of altitude sickness due to its wide range of therapeutic ingredients.

It may improve cognitive functions in the brain, activate the immune system, and decrease inflammation, all of which may assist to prevent altitude sickness.

Hormones and male fertility

Shilajit has also been investigated for its ability to boost male fertility. For 90 days, 60 infertile men were given shilajit twice a day, according to one study.

Nearly half of the men who finished the therapy exhibited a rise in total sperm count and sperm motility, or how many and also how effectively sperm travel towards the egg, both of which are determinants in male fertility.

Shilajit Side Effects

Due to a dearth of research, nothing is known about the safety of original shilajit use in the short or long term. There are, however, certain potential problems and adverse effects, such as:

Shilajit may cause the body to produce more uric acid, aggravating gout.

Shilajit can raise iron levels, thus it's best to avoid it if you have hemochromatosis, or an excess of iron in your blood.

Shilajit may cause changes in hormone levels in the body, such as a considerable rise in total testosterone, free testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone.

Heavy metals or fungus can be found in raw or unprocessed original shilajit, which can make you unwell.

Shilajit should not be consumed by pregnant or nursing women or children in any form.

Final Thoughts!!

BIOAYURVEDA Shudh Shilajit Capsules are a simple remedy for people searching for health advantages in a practical manner in today's hurried environment, when maintaining a nutritious, balanced diet that is full of important minerals is quite challenging. Buy pure shilajit capsules, a hardship-free option for everyday health requirements, loaded with all the essential benefits of Shilajit extracts extracted from clean and natural sources.

[naturalholisticlivingwellness]

Shared from Olipop’s blog.

Why is Diet Soda Disappearing?

Diet Sodas: The Beginning

The first sodas weren’t created to satisfy cravings; instead, they were concocted and marketed as “health tonics” to cure ailments. Today’s sodas have shifted from their “health tonic” classification, and are now barely recognizable when compared to their original roots. For example: a traditional 12-ounce can of regular soda has over 39 grams of sugar. This exorbitant amount of sugar is the cause of many health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, and other conditions.

Like regular soda, diet soda was also originally created as a “healthy” beverage.

After soda started deviated from being a healthy tonic to becoming a sugar-laden beverage (which you can read all about here), consumers began having concerns about the health consequences of drinking this liquid candy as early as 1942. As a result, the first diet soda, No-Cal, was created in 1952, intended for people with diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Using cyclamate, an artificial sweetener accidentally discovered in a University of Illinois chemistry lab, No-Cal promised all of the delicious taste of regular soda without the sugar and calories.1

Despite its early intentions, No-Cal quickly became immensely popular with dieters, and thus the makers pivoted from their medically inclined foundation and began marketing the soda to dieters. By the 1960s, diet sodas and drinks were becoming increasingly popular, and following in No-Cal’s footsteps, Diet Rite was created and originally, was also intended as an option for consumers looking to limit their sugar intake. In fact, Diet Rite was first sold alongside medicines instead of other sodas and drinks. However, like No-Cal, Diet Rite promised a delicious flavor with zero calories, and shifted its marketing approach due to the overwhelming interest of dieters nationwide.2

Coca-Cola Enters the Fray

The popularity and marketability of Diet Rite prompted Coca-Cola to create its version of a diet soda. Dubbed Project Alpha, Coca-Cola's first venture in the diet soda market was ambitious: they wanted a soda that had the same taste, mouthfeel, and consistency as regular Coke, but also appealed to women, their target market. The Atlanta-based company hoped to create an alluring and catchy name for their product, as initially, Coke executives did not want to call their new diet soda Diet Coke because existing diet sodas were assumed to not taste good, and Coca-Cola did not want to associate themselves with a product that might hurt their outstanding brand.1

Using an early IBM mainframe computer, the Coke team came up with over 600 potential names with parameters that the name must be three to four letters without being offensive in any foreign language. Eventually, they settled on the name Tab and introduced it into the market with a series of ads that used the tagline, "How can just one calorie taste so good?"1

Although they had a portfolio of sodas that demonstrated their astute marketing instincts, Coca-Cola was at first hesitant and unsure how to handle their new diet drink. In their first year, Coca-Cola had a slim 10% of the diet market, which was a less than stellar performance for the number one soda company in the world.1

In 1969, the FDA banned cyclamate sweetener, forcing Coke to reformulate Tab. After selecting saccharine as their primary sweetener, Coke faced another FDA hurdle when saccharine research revealed potentially dangerous side effects, and Coke was mandated to put warning labels on their Tab drinks. Regardless of the many hurdles they encountered, Coke still prospered. So much so, that Tab was the number one diet soda through the 1970s and 1980s, revealing that regardless of the presence of unmistakably unhealthy ingredients, consumers still thirsted for a so-called “diet drink”.1

Following the success of Tab, Pepsi soon entered the scene embracing the 'diet drink' with their soda, Diet Pepsi. Armed with a series of celebrity endorsers, Pepsi proved that using the name 'diet' in their soda did not deter consumers.

As a result, in 1982, Diet Coke was finally released onto the market. Despite Coke's original fears, Diet Coke was an instantaneous hit, and its release brought the slow demise of Tab.1 Diet Coke’s success prompted Coca-Cola to release many varieties of the diet drink; releasing caffeine-free Diet Coke and Cherry Diet Coke soon after. But today, Diet Coke sales have been in a very steady decline, with Coke desperately needing a new drink to boost their sales, and thus, Coke Zero was invented.3

Enter Zero Sugar Soda Varieties

The Coca-Cola Company launched its new brand, Coke Zero, in 2005. The new drink was sweetened with a mix of acesulfame potassium and aspartame, a key ingredient in Diet Coke.

Coke Zero's launch had a noteworthy marketing strategy, as its invention was meant to appeal to young adult males. While globally, Coke Zero was marketed as a diet drink with zero calories, in the United States, a different approach was necessary due to the stigma that diet drinks had as being associated only with girls.4

In their United States marketing approach, Coke stressed that Coke Zero flavor was more comparable in taste to Coke than Diet Coke. Using advertisements based on the premise that Coca-Cola executives were suing colleagues for selling Coke Zero, Coca Cola taped real lawyers, unaware of the scheme and taping, as they faked initiating a lawsuit against themselves. Claiming the new soda tasted too much like the classic soft drink, lawyers argued that the case would be dismissed and the executives would be humiliated. The campaign was a success, and helped position the new drink as contemporary and young, with their Punk'd style advertising effectively capturing the attention and interest of the young male target group.4

Ultimately, in creating these ads and removing the word “Diet”, Coca-Cola sold diet drinks without explicitly saying they were diet drinks. Following Coca-Cola's Coke Zero debut, many companies followed suit, creating their own "zero sugar and calorie" versions. The making of these "zero" drinks that are ultimately very similar if not the same as their 'diet' counterparts signifies a transformation in consumer opinions on health.5

Diet Coke versus Coke Zero

On their website, Coca-Cola explains the difference between Diet Coke and Coke Zero: "Both drinks are sugar free and calorie free. Coca‑Cola zero sugar looks and tastes more like original Coca‑Cola, while Diet Coke has a different blend of flavors which gives it a lighter taste." By looking at the ingredients of the two soft drinks, the difference between the two beverages is minimal. By assessing the order of ingredients, Coke Zero has more phosphoric acid than Diet Coke, and arguably the main difference between the two sodas is that Diet Coke includes citric acid while Coke Zero has citrate and acesulfame, both acidity stabilizers with little difference between them.6

With more similarities between the two sodas than differences, one can argue that the only real difference is the name. In releasing Coke Zero, Coca-Cola cleverly ditched the word ‘diet’ to appeal to more consumers and attempt to speak to the rising interest in the health of the consumer. But ultimately, the two sodas are the same thing and it’s only a matter of time before consumers catch up.

Enter: OLIPOP – not Diet, not Zero. BETTER.

Sometimes, less is just less. And when it comes to certain sodas, zero health benefits just isn't enough. While Coke Zero and many other “zero” sodas are a zero-calorie, zero-sugar cola sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame K, they have nothing in their ingredients that any health expert would deem to be good for you. On the other hand, OLIPOP is the culmination of over fifteen years of research and formulation experience. Our functional formula combines up-to-date microbiome and digestive health science with the knowledge of top researchers around the world. Results from our in-vitro studies, conducted with Purdue University and Baylor College of Medicine, revealed OLIPOP's ability to increase diversity, promote good bacteria, and facilitate short-chain fatty acid production in the microbiome.

Sweetened with natural ingredients like cassava syrup, fruit, and stevia extract, our sodas contribute a whopping nine grams of fiber in every can. If soda drinkers swapped out the zero benefits stuff for a can of OLIPOP each time, they'd add 7 pounds of fiber to their diet over the course of just one year, and therefore support their overall health in a natural and delicious way.

Check out this referral link for a discount on your first order! https://www.talkable.com/x/PcDVHC

Sources

LaBarre, Suzanne. “A Brief History of Tab, the Iconic Diet Soda That’s Headed to the Graveyard.” Fast Company, 30 Nov. 2020, https://www.fastcompany.com/90580210/a-brief-history-of-tab-the-iconic-diet-soda-thats-headed-to-the-graveyard.

Wiener-Bronner, Danielle. “‘Diet’ Soda Is Disappearing from Store Shelves.” CNN, 14 Dec. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/business-food/diet-soda-zero-sugar/index.html.

Thompson, Derek. “Diet Coke’s Moment of Panic.” The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/01/diet-coke-new-can/550478/.

Noel, Hayden. Basics Marketing 01: Consumer Behaviour. AVA Publishing, 2009.

Wiener-Bronner, Danielle. “‘Diet’ Soda Is Disappearing from Store Shelves.” CNN, 14 Dec. 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/business-food/diet-soda-zero-sugar/index.html.

Haney, Stephanie. “What’s the Difference Between Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar?” POPSUGAR, 9 Mar. 2018, https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/What-Difference-Between-Diet-Coke-Coke-Zero-Sugar-44562315.

[songsformonkeys]

Digging Up Bones (whiskey x f!reader) - chapter 2

[Banner by the lovely @yespolkadotkitty ]

Summary: You work for the Statesmen as the head of their medical department. It’s your job to patch up anyone who gets back wounded and to work on ways to prevent them from getting badly wounded in the first place.

Agent Whiskey, in particular, seems to be more accident-prone than the rest and he never passes up a reason to come see you, whether for real injuries or imaginary ones. The two of you form a close friendship, which slowly turns into something more.

Then a British man with a headshot wound and a fascination with butterflies shows up in your emergency room and in the events that follow you’re forced to reevaluate just about everything you thought you knew about your partner.

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Masterlist

Chapter 2

You hadn't applied for the job with the Statesmen. The Statesmen had found you. Fresh out of John Hopkins University, you had just gotten yourself a degree in medicine and had written a thesis on the possibilities of regrowing brain tissue after severe head trauma when they had approached you.

Your life had been fairly normal, if a bit boring according to others, up until that point. You had never been much of a social butterfly and you didn't really have much family or many friends. So you'd spent the majority of your college years either studying or volunteering for various experiments or science projects. Others had always seemed to pity you a bit for the uneventful and very much predictable way you lived your life, but you liked it. It was familiar and it was safe. Besides, you loved the field of medicine, and given the choice between reading about the deteriorating effect alcohol and drugs had on the human brain versus experiencing it first and second hand, you definitely preferred the former.

The plan had always been for you to stay within the world of the university, to continue to do research, and maybe even teach. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans...

Yours had gone awry when two men in Stetson hats and identical glasses had showed up to your graduation party. Well...party was a strong word for it. You had been having dinner at your favorite Italian restaurant, accompanied by your diploma and your iPad, when the two men had sauntered in. One had been an older, gray-haired man with a purple cravat tie and a slight underbite. The other, a dark-haired man with equally dark eyes and mustache. His collar had been popped and he'd been eyeing you, your diploma, and the iPad as if you were clues to a particularly curious riddle.

When the older of the two had introduced them you had immediately begun to wonder if this was some sort of joke. Champagne and Whiskey weren't real names and yet that had been exactly the names the older man had given. They had asked to join you at your table and you had been too curious to say no.

After some more pleasantries on their part and more confusion on yours, they had cut to the chase and explained why they were there. They had wanted to offer you a job. They had told you that they had been keeping track of you for a while now, something you had found immensely disturbing and that they needed someone with your set of skills and talents. You had never been one to fall for flattery though, especially coming from people who had just admitted to spying on you for the better part of two years.

In the end, it had been the video that did it. When the older man, Champagne, had realized that they weren't winning you over as smoothly as they'd hoped, he'd asked Whiskey to show you the lab. Whiskey had taken out his phone and pulled up a video on the screen before handing it over to you. As you watched the video, your jaw had dropped. Whatever this place was, it was like something from the future. You had spotted several machines that were so expensive you could only dream of using them. It was both a medical reception and a lab all in one. And, was that a room for surgery?

“All yours to play with, if you decide to join our medical team,” Champagne had said. It hadn't taken much convincing to get you to agree after that.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 You remembered the first time you'd been to the headquarters too. Champagne...well, Agent Champagne as it turned out, had sat you down and told you the story of the Statesmen. It had all sounded insane at first but after he'd given you the tour, you had to admit that every incredulous detail was probably true.

He'd shown you to your office/reception and you had felt like you might cry. Just this room was bigger than your old apartment, and way fancier too. On top of your desk, there had been a set of white scrubs neatly folded, along with a lab coat. When you had picked up the coat you had noticed a gold nametag pinned to it.

“Moonshine?” you had asked.

“Everyone who works here has a moniker. We thought this one would be fitting.” You hadn't asked why. It was an absolutely ridiculous moniker but you had figured it had already been decided for you and therefore wasn't really up for discussion.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Over the next few years, you worked tirelessly for the Statesmen, quickly advancing in the ranks and barely taking a day off. Why would you? This was your dream, and then some!

You had been offered an apartment off-site but it hadn't taken long before you'd managed to convince them to let you stay inside the HQ and you had moved what little furniture you had into one of the rooms adjacent to your office. Considering its padded walls and one-way mirror, it was most likely intended as some sort of cell but after you had moved your stuff in you had to admit that it was quite cozy. The mirror creeped you out the first night you slept there so the next day you covered it up with newspaper. In the years that followed it had slowly turned in to noticeboard where you'd taped up all kinds of stuff.

The Statesmen had let you practice medicine as well as continue your studies and you became a skilled trauma doctor and studied surgery along with your colleagues in the medical department. You saw more blood and bones and intestines than any normal person should but you found that you handled it quite well. Your curiosity and eagerness to learn kept the emotional aspect of the horrific things you saw at bay. Your bedside manners could probably have done with a bit of improvement but you worked with agents and you figured that if they needed you to coddle them then they had no business being in this line of work. Besides, you had your colleague Tonic whose expertise lay in the field of psychology and he was always happy to come along and soften anything you said, while still making you look professional. You enjoyed working with him.

Along with the people from the tech department, you also managed to expand on the subject of your thesis, and with the help of the seemingly limitless resources of the organization, your two departments were eventually able to present a product that was nothing short of revolutionary.

The Alpha-gel had been your brain-child for so many years and when you finally got to watch it being demonstrated to the other agents, you were so nervous that your entire body was shaking. Your friend Ginger had to put her arm around your shoulder to prevent your teeth from rattling, or perhaps she was worried you might topple over. You hadn't...but it had been a pretty close call.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 It wasn't long after the invention of the Alpha-gel that you had been asked to take over as head of the medical department when the previous one had chosen to retire. You'd said yes, of course, and you'd been walking on clouds for the rest of the day. It was only when you'd retired to your office that evening for some reading, that a feeling of sadness came over you.

It was at times like this that you missed not having a close family. You had grown up with foster parents and while they had been nice people, you had very little in common with them and when you had moved out to start college it had basically been understood by all parties that you wouldn't keep in touch much. You still sent cards on birthdays and holidays but that was it. They wouldn't understand something like this. Besides, even if you had wanted to tell them about this, you couldn't. It was all classified.

You had felt the same kind of sadness on the day of your graduation, immensely proud of your accomplishments but also suddenly very lonely, and just like that time, it had been a dark-haired agent in a Stetson that came to cheer you up.

“Come in!” you yelled at the knock on the door.

“...Can't! You gotta help me out, darlin'!” came agent Whiskey's response from the other side of the door.

“You better not have broken your arms again!” you called and set your book and marker down on your desk before walking over to the door.

“Arms are fine, just a little preoccupied!”

You didn't fully believe him. Out of all the agents, Whiskey was by far the one to seek your assistance the most. Whether it was for broken arms, concussions, torn muscles, gunshot wounds, burns, nausea, headaches or, which was the most frequent one, “ just a general feelin' of unwell, thought maybe best you check it out”, Whiskey seemed to show up at your office at least once a week with some ailment or another.

In the beginning, it had actually worried you enough that you'd secretly spoken to Champ about it, asking if it really was wise to let Whiskey out on so many missions when he always seemed to come back hurt from them. Champ had just laughed and given you a meaningful look. He'd told you that Whiskey was by far one of the Statesmen's most skilled agents and that he was fairly certain at least half of Whiskey's injuries were all in his head. Champ had said he suspected Whiskey mostly came for the company.

You'd read three books on hypochondria, that you'd borrowed from Tonic, over the next week and while Whiskey didn't quite fit the description you wanted to try and help him in the best way you could.

When you opened the door this time, though, there were no apparent injuries. Just Whiskey, balancing a plate with big, round chocolate cake in one hand and holding a bottle of liquor in the other.

“Whiskey, what...?” you asked, almost a little speechless.

“Heard about the promotion, figured we needed a celebration,” he grinned, as usual not waiting for your invitation before stepping into your office. He shook the bottle a little as he set the cake down on your desk. “Fetch us two of those plastic mugs you've got here somewhere.”

“I'll fetch you one. I don't like whiskey.”

“Oh darlin', you wound me!” he gasped and you rolled your eyes at him. Always with the theatrics. Whiskey definitely had a flair for drama. Though you had to admit, it was somewhat entertaining. And the fact that he was here tonight, having thought of you like this made something warm settle in your chest.

“The drink. You, I tolerate.” you shot back and Whiskey laughed.

You went and got him a plastic mug from the cupboard in the other room. When you got back he pulled two forks from his back pocket and patted the seat of your chair. You sat down and eyed the cake a little hesitantly.

“There aren't any almonds in this, right?” you asked. You weren't deadly allergic to them but the swelling and itching was something you would gladly never experience again.

“Should hope not, since I made very sure not to put any in there. Just for you.”

“You made this?” You hadn't meant for your voice to sound quite so incredulous but Whiskey took it in stride.

“Sure did, sugar!” he said and then added, with a wink, “I'm a man of many talents, most of which you constantly refuse to let me show you, despite me offering.”

“I view it as good practice for you to not always get what you want.”

Whiskey feigned a sigh.

“Well, they say distance makes the heart grow fond...”

“...so considering how often you show up here, I can't imagine that much fondness for me has grown at all.”

“Oh on the contrary, darlin'! If only you knew the kind of self-restraint that I show by only showing up here once a week.”

You laughed at his jokes and gently smacked him on the arm.

“Ap ap! Haven't you taken a vow not to do harm?”

“I promise to heal whatever I break. Now cake?”

“Cake,” Whiskey agreed and handed you one of the forks. There were no other plates besides the one the cake was already on so you assumed Whiskey expected you to just dig into the whole cake. It wasn't your preferred way to eat cake, too messy, but you were polite enough not to point that out. Instead, you dug up a small piece of cake with your fork. Whiskey was watching you expectantly as you took your first bite.

The cake was incredible and you held your hand in front of your mouth to tell Whiskey as much without showing him the half-chewed cake still in your mouth. His face immediately lit up as he smiled wide.

“I'm glad you enjoy it,” he said and watched you take another bite before joining you and taking a bite of his own. He was sitting down on your desk, next to the cake and when you looked down to make sure the cake didn't end up on his jeans, you noticed that he was sitting on a pile of papers.

“You're sitting on my report,” you pointed out. Instead of moving away, Whiskey simply spread his legs wider and tried to read upsidedown what could be seen of the text between his thighs.

“So I am, it seems,” he answered but still didn't move. Your fingers itched to move the papers from underneath him but you kept yourself in check. There was a bigger risk that the papers would crease or tear if you tried moving them now. As long as Whiskey stayed mostly still then maybe you wouldn't need to reprint all of the pages after he'd gone.

“Soo..., “ he drawled, “Head of the medical department. That's big, Moonshine. How's it feel?”

“It feels good,” you replied, “A bit scary. I'm not used to people expecting me to tell them what to do. What if I'm no good at it?” You looked up at Whiskey as you asked the question and he gave you a kind smile.

“You hardly need to worry about that. I've seen you patching up the most gruesome injuries. Cool as a cucumber every single time and handing out orders left and right. Everyone loves it when you take charge. You really don't need to wait for a life-and-death situation to do so. There isn't a single person more capable of running this department.”

You adjusted your glasses to hide your blush. They were not the same model as the agents' glasses. Instead, yours were a pair of almost round, wire-rimmed ones that Ginger had modeled after the glasses you'd worn even before you started working for the Statesmen.

“You're just biased because you know me better than the others,” you argued.

“Maybe,” Whiskey admitted, “Doesn't mean you can't trust me.”

“Actually, the very definition of biased means...” you began but Whiskey interrupted you by holding out his fork with a piece of cake towards you.

“Have some more cake,” he said. You glanced down at the fork, with a small frown.

“That's your fork,” you stated.

“Very observant,” Whiskey retorted and moved the fork even closer. He was giving you an expectant look and, after a few moments of consideration of the risks involved in swapping cutlery, you opened your mouth and let him feed you the piece of cake.

“I'm heading for New York tomorrow,” Whiskey told you.

“Oh...,” you said slowly and Whiskey smirked.

“Well, I'll be damned if that didn't sound like disappointment just then!” He looked way too smug for your liking. So what if there had been a bit of disappointment to your tone? Whiskey knew you didn't hate his company. And he must be aware that you let him get away with things none of the other agents would be allowed to. The excessive flirting, for one thing.

Tonic had once pointed out that it was curious how Whiskey was messy and pushy and loud and pretty much all the things you disliked and yet you hadn't stabbed him with a scalpel and even seemed to enjoy his company. You couldn't explain it either, though lord knows you had tried to figure out what it was about the other agent that had allowed him to get under your skin like this. It frustrated you to no end that you hadn't been able to come up with an answer.

“How long will you be gone?” you asked, ignoring Whiskey's comment and stupid smile.

“A little over a week. Head of the New York office needs some assistance with a local art dealer that's up to some shady business.”

Whiskey reached for a piece of paper and one of your pens and quickly scribbled something down before handing the piece of paper to you. You glanced down at the note and the numbers he'd written down.

“I already have your number in the computer system, agent Whiskey.”

“I know but I figure that with this charming little note from yours truly lying on your desk you'd be more likely to actually use it.”

“You want me to call you?”

“Of course! Seeing as I won't be able to come and visit my favorite physician, I gotta get my fix somehow.” Whiskey winked at you and you looked down at the note again. You weren't sure how much healing you could do from across the country but if it made Whiskey happy that you would call and check up on him then you could do just that.

“Okay, I'll call,” you said and neatly put the little note under the edge of your keyboard so it wouldn't get lost. Even if playing along with Whiskey's hypochondria probably wasn't the best way to cure it, the smile he gave you when you said you'd call made it feel like you'd made the right decision. He poured himself another drink and managed to tip his hat at you all in one swift motion.

“Much obliged!”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Whiskey stayed for another hour or so, making small-talk and telling you about all the art-related stuff he'd had to learn for the mission he was leaving on.

When eleven o'clock rolled around you couldn't help but yawn and you quickly apologized to Whiskey.

“Don't sweat it, darlin'! It seems I've kept you up past your bedtime again. Let me walk you home.”

It was the same joke Whiskey had made hundreds of times before. The same joke he always made when he'd come to see you in the evening. The door to your room was literally two doors down from the room you were currently in but Whiskey always made sure to walk you there, even if the way out was in the opposite direction. In the beginning, you'd protested, unable to, wrap your mind around the logic behind it. After a while, however, you had decided, as you had with so many other things when it came to Whiskey, to just go along with it.

“What should we do with the rest of the cake?” you asked and looked around the room with a frown.

“Just put it in the fridge,” Whiskey said, pointing to the aforementioned refrigerator in the corner of the office.

“Whiskey, that fridge is for medical samples, not cake!” you protested and he just shrugged and rolled his eyes playfully at you.

“Fine! I'll take it back to mine. But then you gotta promise to go there and finish the rest of it.”

You promised, realizing you'd never been to Whiskey's apartment before. He didn't live in the Statesmen headquarters like you did but you knew his apartment was only a few minutes away, in the housing area where most of the agents and staff lived.

Whiskey picked up the cake and you quickly cleaned away any crumbs from your desk and tossed them in the trashcan before hanging up your coat on the wall.

“Do you own any clothes besides scrubs?” Whiskey asked curiously from over by the door. He was eyeing you from head to toe as if it was only now that he'd noticed the outfit you'd worn every single time you'd seen each other, apart from the first time that you had met.

“Sure, I do,” you answered, joining him and stepping out of the office, “I just rarely have a reason for wearing them.”

Whiskey nodded, looking thoughtful as you walked the few steps over to your door.

“Well, this is me,” you said, sticking to the usual script of this interaction.

“I don't suppose I get a goodnight-kiss as thanks for making sure you got home safely tonight as well?” Whiskey asked and leaned against the wall next to your door. He licked his lips and smirked when your eyes accidentally dropped to his mouth. Curse him and his jokes.

“The only danger to me down here is you and that persistent mouth of yours, Whiskey,” you replied and unlocked your door. “And I doubt kissing it would make it any less persistent.”

“I'd never hurt you, gorgeous, but I can't argue with that last statement. Lips like yours are hardly a one-time destination.”

You blushed. It annoyed you to no end that Whiskey always managed to do that. He just smiled and took a step back.

“I'm leaving at an ungodly hour tomorrow morning so I probably won't have time to swing by and see you before I leave. But don't forget to call me, alright?”

You assured him again that you would call him and then you quickly slipped into your room before he could make any further comments to make you blush. You heard him laugh through the door.

Getting ready for bed took no time at all. The room wasn't huge and with your bookshelves, armchair and closet it was a little bit crowded, although still with a homey feel to it. The bed was in the middle of the room, just like it was in all the other cells, and there was a sink at one end of the room and a shower at the other. The shower, you rarely used, opting instead for using the ones over by the training rooms.

You brushed your teeth over the sink, slipped out of the scrubs, and put them in the laundry bag. You felt your eyes drooping closed even before you were fully under the covers on the bed.

[alphaarogya]

Alpha Arogya: India's Best Ayurvedic Medicine Company

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Alpha Arogya manufactures natural and herbal therapeutical medicines in the form of oil, ointments, liquid drops, hence does not have any side effects. Continuous and regular use of these medicines will help reduce ailments and diseases and also remove the disease from the roots.

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[siglerprescriptiondrugcards]

Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride

Brand Names: Amrix, Flexeril, Fexmid

Generic tablets available in 5 mg and 10 mg.

Common Dosage Forms:

Tablets (Flexeril): 5 mg and 10 mg.

Tablets (Flexmid): 7.5 mg.

Capsules, extended-release (Amrix): 15 mg and 30 mg.

FDA Indications/Dosages:

Relief of skeletal muscle spasm associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions: The recommended dose is 15 mg per day as 5 mg three times a day or one 15 mg extended-release capsule once per day. Based on individual patient response, the dose may be increased to 30 mg extended-release dose or 10 mg three times a day. Do not use for periods longer than 3 weeks, Do not use more than 60 mg per day.

Not recommended for children under 15 years of age.

Pharmacology/Pharmacokinetics: Cyclobenzaprine does not act directly on skeletal muscle or at the neuromuscular synapses. It probably exerts its effect by acting at the brain stem in the CNS. The overall effect is a reduction of tonic somatic motor activity influencing both  alpha and gamma motoneurons. Half-life can be as long as three days. Excretion of metabolized drug occurs via the kidneys.

Drug Interactions: May enhance the effects of alcohol and other CNS depressants. May decrease the effects of guanethidine.

Contraindications/Precautions: Contraindicated in patients with congestive heart failure, hyperthyroidism, cardiac arrhythmias, conductive disturbances, and during acute recovery phase of myocardial infarctions. Use with caution in patients with a history of urinary retention, closed-angle glaucoma, increased intraocular pressure, and also during pregnancy and lactation. Pregnancy Category B.

Adverse Effects: Drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, asthenia, nausea, constipation, dyspepsia, unpleasant taste, blurred vision, headache, nervousness, and confusion.

Patient Consultation:

May cause drowsiness. Use caution while operating machinery or when mental alertness is required.

Avoid alcohol while taking this medication.

May cause dry mouth.

Store in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and children.

Contact a physician if the above side effects are severe or persistent.

If a dose is missed, skip it and return to normal dosing schedule.

[wildwoodherbalist]

Redbush (Rooibos) Tea, a quick overview and 6 of it’s health benefits!

This tea is a great alternative to Green tea if it is not to your taste, and in many ways can be even better for you!

It is a herbal tea which has been enjoyed in Southern Africa for generations, most commonly grown in a small mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. 

It can be enjoyed on it’s own or you can add different milks or sweeteners to it to taste. My favorite is a splash of Soya milk and half a teaspoon of honey if I want a healthier tea that tastes almost identical to English Breakfast Tea or if I have a cold/sore throat I love to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Also it has no caffeine and less tannins than Black & Green tea so it is great for people who struggle with that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay here goes the health benefits:

1. Antioxidants. This tea is absolutely loaded with antioxidants, having an incredible 50 more than Green tea. This makes it extremely powerful at maintaining overall health and reducing cell damage. This in turn makes it very effective at reducing the risk of developing cancerous cells in the body. This tea is a reliable defense against notorious free radicals

2. Vitamin C and Minerals.  It contains Vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, copper, fluoride, manganese, magnesium, zinc and alpha hydroxy acid. This makes it a very effective way to help take in all the nutrients your body needs to perform optimally, this boosts over all health and will help keep various issues at bay such as joint pain, premature aging, muscular issues, common infections such as the cold and many other general complaints.

3. Digestive Tract. It helps digestion run smoothly so it is great for people with IBS or regular Bowell complaints, it also reduces stomach cramps. Drinking the tea 45-30 minutes before a meal will ensure the Antispasmodic effects are working on the gut during the meals digestion period to help keep it from triggering cramps.

4. Great for Asthma sufferers. The tea helps to open the airways in the lungs to increase airflow and thus oxygen intake. Regular drinking of the tea can help keep many asthmatic symptoms and potential reactions at bay.                                                                                                            - I personally have had asthma since birth and I had been stuck on a steroid for 10 years due to near constant asthma attacks. A combination of diet change and this tea has allowed me to come off of it and my asthma nurse agreed that it has helped many people. I now very rarely get asthma complaints.

5. Anti-inflammatory. The polyphenols in the tea help to reduce overall inflammation which can reduce pains and discomfort. It also helps to ease Hypertension and Arthritis symptoms. The Polyphenols also give it strong anti-viral properties helping to aid the immune system in fighting off diseases like the Flu. 

6. Blood sugar balancing.  Aspalathin is an antioxidant found in the tea that helps to balance blood sugar levels in the body, making it helpful for people with Diabetes or frequent blood sugar spikes.

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To summarize, this tea is a great alternative to others and has many health tonic effects if drunken regularly, if you want to add something to your diet that puts in lots of good stuff and little to no bad stuff then it is a great option.

Due to it’s lack of caffeine it can be drunken very regularly with no problems such as insomnia, nervous tension, addiction or other potential side effects of caffeine.

There are many other potential health benefits locked in this tea and many are being investigated, It has been shown to help in the treatment of HIV and can help protect the brain from age related deterioration.

To get all the benefits I recommend drinking it with each meal and before bed. For those of you who suffer with morning inflammation it might be particularly helpful in the morning.

(:

[nutrawins]

In fact, according to one study out of England, up to 25% of students at UK universities are taking prescription Memory Hack to boost their brain function, and help them retain information and focus. Something to keep in mind is that a couple of these aren't recommended for people under the age of 18. Therefore, it's important to consult with your healthcare provider and thoroughly research potential supplements beforehand. • Memory Hack Complex- It affords brain functioning support to accomplish worthy brain chemistry that boosts mental focus and better alertness during and post workout.

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L-Tyrosine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is responsible for producing noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain (noradrenaline enables the body to perform well in stressful situations whilst dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter linked with reward-motivated behaviour). A Memory Hack is defined as an ingredient that can improve cognitive functions, namely executive functions, memory, creativity and speed. Vite Brain is a boost in cognitive performance, energy & focus.

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Memory Hack or smart drugs are memory enhancing, or brain-boosting drugs that were first developed by scientist Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea. There are several requirements that must be met, but some of the most important include the fact that the substance must be completely natural, it must have scientific proof that it improves cognitive function in some way, and it must have very few to absolutely no side effects. HIGHER ENERGY LEVELS: Improve your overall mood and reduce elevated levels of stress and anxiety.

Performance Lab(Mind) Performance Lab (Mind) is the best Memory Hack if you are looking for a supplement that enhances memory. Several studies have found that Bacopa monnieri supplements can speed up information processing in your brain, reduce reaction times and improve memory (16, 17, 18). Citicoline, or CDP-Choline, is the best Memory Hack to use if you want to see a rapid increase in focus, information processing, and learning our opinion, Citicoline should form the backbone of any full-spectrum brain supplement.

Improves mental health, social functioning and mood. Stim also improved my mood as well as my energy level.However, I do find that Stim is not quite as effective as Mind Lab Pro or Performance Pro(Mind).For example, the effect lasted about 3.5 hours, and the more I use it, the less effect it had on me. Performance Lab (Stim) is great for improving memory, focus, mental clarity and alertness as it is brilliantly designed with 2:1 L-Theanine to natural caffeine formula.

Containing a 250mg of the Bacopa which is the herbal Memory Hack known for the effectiveness on enhancing memory, mood, learning ability, and brain health. The only reason why I ranked Performance Lab (Mind) second to Mind Lab Pro is simply because Performance Lab (Mind) places heavy emphasis on memory improvement over other benefits while Mind Lab Pro offers a wider range of advantages. Performance Lab (Mind) is the best Memory Hack if you are looking for a supplement that enhances memory.

This article tends to enlighten one on the ways to naturally boost or strengthen the power of the brain, which involves a number of meals, activities and supplements that are scientifically certified good for the neural health. The market is full of Memory Hack, which are also often known as Memory Hack. Just as athletes take supplements to enhance their physical performance, some people hope to sharpen their wits with so-called "brain boosters.". Of course, no pill can make you a genius if you..

B12 is often added to Memory Hack formulas, Memory Hack Reviews, brain tonics, and energy drinks — sometimes in ridiculously large amounts. Alpha Brain Memory Hack supplement is supposed to give one a competitive edge by helping with brain wave optimization, focus and memory. What is the best Memory Hack supplement if you want to better deal with stress, stabilize your moods and beat brain fog?

There are many Memory Hack on the market today that will help you to increase your brain health. Focus + Recall is the only Memory Hack gel on the market with neurotransmitters, adaptogens, cognitive fuel, brain blood flow support, and antioxidants that support optimal brain function. Today the classification of supplements and drugs known as Memory Hack” is used in a much broader sense but the definition used by Giurgea still holds true today.

Memory Hack: Natural Neurotransmitter Nonsense? However, natural Memory Hack supplements are relatively new and do not require prescriptions like many smart drugs do. One might call it the faint-fated fabled fountain of youth, but the truth is - there is and are people who are actively, currently and vibrantly using Memory Hack as an activation and stimulation mechanism towards improving memory, focus and concentration.

This makes it the perfect supplement for people on the ketogenic diet who also want to experience an increase in cognitive benefits. Taken together, Keto Memory Hack, Exogenous Base, and MCT Oil will energize you, banish brain fog, sharpen your focus, increase mental clarity, and help you dominate your day. 5 Things to Know About Keto Memory Hack A Memory Hack is a supplement that can improve our brain function in some way. 

[alpha-testo-boost]

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[supplementblend-blog]

Reviva Brain - Use And Get Amazing Benefits

On the off chance that you resemble numerous individuals, you may feel overpowered by the requests of life. Work, school, family, companions, connections, side interests, objectives . There are numerous pieces of life that require our consideration on the off chance that we need to carry on with a full existence with our best forms of ourselves! Presenting Reviva Brain. A characteristic progressive mental tonic that can enable you to understand your subjective where you need it most. School to granulate? More modified and exhausted? Isn't there enough vitality to buckle down and play hard? It tends to be Reviva Brain pill for you! In any case, in the event that you definitely realize that you need a characteristic support for psychological improvement now, you can avoid this survey and snap on any catch on this page to discover something we cherish.

Would you be able to differentiate between Reviva Brain and other "conventional" male stimulants, for example, caffeine, nicotine and amphetamines? Truly Will it work better for you? All things considered, this is anything but an overwhelming medication guideline. So no, it won't work like amphetamines. In any case, it will give you an alternate involvement in subjective improvement that may justify a chance. All things considered, your body and brain create resilience to different substances. What's more, you become dependent! In this way, despite the fact that caffeine, nicotine and amphetamine might be the most widely recognized veggie lovers, they were positively resigning. On the off chance that you quit working or in the event that you experience the ill effects of negative symptoms or even fixation, it might be an ideal opportunity to change. Proceed with this audit of Reviva Brain pills to find out additional! Or then again, you can tap on the pennant promotion underneath now in the event that you are prepared and prepared to get an extraordinary characteristic subjective enhancer.

How does Reviva Brain work?

Reviva Brain works with network of regular tonic elements of the psyche. Regular supplements are "savvy drugs" got from characteristic sources. Some normal "common" supplement types incorporate espresso and cigarettes. In any case, there are numerous other regular nootropic accessible for you to encounter. Some regular fixings in the characteristic tonic incorporate Bacopa Monnieri, Gingko Biloba, Ginseng, Rhodiola Rosea and others. See underneath for more data on the basic normal elements of characteristic tonics. Form Reviva Brain can incorporate a wide range of common parts that are intended to assist you with memory, focus, consideration, inspiration, and so on. Will it work for you? Attempt it today and you'll see! Or on the other hand you can tap on any catch here to locate another common regular top tonic.

 Does Reviva Brain work?

All things considered, it won't work like amphetamines. The medicine amphetamines are fundamentally speed. Other strong meds will just copy this experience. However, you can not leave this condition of characteristic dormancy until you attempt it. Likewise, remember that different parts of your way of life will assume a job in the viability of the normal connection. For instance, in the event that you rest a bit, eat inadequately, never work out, and can not control pressure, no awesome medication can prompt the perfect subjective capacity you have to succeed. So make certain to rest your way of life before choosing what Reviva Brain can accomplish for you.

 Reviva Brain Ingredients

Addition Reviva Brain contains a network of characteristic parts. I don't get this' meaning? This implies the fixings in this enhancement are normally inferred. Shockingly, we can not reveal to you the careful rundown of elements for this expansion. Nonetheless, we can educate you about the normal toner segments that can be found in the Reviva Brain Booster Pills. We suggest that you contact Customer Service Reviva Brain for a total rundown. Right now, we will advise you about what you are probably going to discover in this or some other regular deformation. On the off chance that you would prefer not to irritate your very own exploration on the Reviva Brain pills, you can tap on any catch on this page to contrast it and another regular tonic.

Regular Nootropic Ingredients You May Find In Reviva :

•             Huperzine-A, Bacopa Monnieri, Lion's Main

•             Ginkgo Biloba, Ginseng, Artichoke Extract

•             L-Theanine, CBD, Citicoline, Alpha-GPC

•             Choline Bitartrate, Uridine Monophosphate

•             Phosphatidylserine, Tyrosine, Maritime Pine Bark

•             Multivitamins, Minerals, And Other Ingredients

 Reviva Brain Side impacts

Reactions are conceivable even with characteristic nootropics. What symptoms do you anticipate? We are not sheltered with Reviva Brain Boosting Pills since we don't have the foggiest idea about the accurate recipe. Be that as it may, comparative characteristic disfigured common symptoms can be like other normal stimulants, (for example, caffeine and nicotine, for instance). Utilize good judgment and quit taking this or any common tonic in the event that you experience reactions that exceed the advantages of taking the enhancement.

 Where to get Reviva Brain

You can get Reviva Brain progressed subjective help by setting off to the official site Reviva Brain! Or then again, on the off chance that you like to check the wellspring of a few common properties to analyze before getting, you can hop and tap on any catch on this page to stamp one.

Click Here To Know More ==> https://supplementblend.com/reviva-brain/

[letstalklifeee]

Let’s Talk - Toners (Pt. 1)

I’ve been using Alpha Hydroxy Acid toners for a few months now (I blogged about exactly what those are in this post about exfoliants) and I have to say I’m not all that impressed. I was trying to figure out why they weren’t working for me, I’ve got a good amount of uneven pigmentation on my cheeks so you’d think that products designed to combat that would have a LOT of material to work with, but it seems that nothing’s changed. I did a bit of research and found a few things that have led me to regret the recent AHA toner purchases I have made... Nothing’s worse than realizing you should’ve bought something else after you’ve already purchased something ): 

Now I have to use it all up before grabbing another AHA toner. Either that, or perhaps they just aren’t right for me in general.

So far, I’ve used the Pixi Glow Tonic (and Glow-To-Go Peel pads, AKA the cult-classic tonic in travel-friendly pad form) as well as the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner (I had a credit for luxury beauty on Amazon and figured, why not?) and I’ve certainly made sure I gave them each their fair shot at working. Here’s what I found out while trying to troubleshoot the problem:

1. The percentages of glycolic acid in each of those toners (5% in the Pixi and a measly 2% in the Mario Badescu) are VERY low concentrations of what is supposed to be the active ingredient, meaning that they probably won’t really live up to all of the general claims surrounding AHA exfoliants.

2. Because the percentages of the active ingredient are so low, the glycolic ACID isn’t able to do its job of lowering the pH (hello, middle school chemistry class) of the toners, making them each doubly ineffective at what they’re supposed to do.

And what is that exactly? Well damn, I’m glad you asked!

Alpha Hydroxy Acid toners are supposed to lower the general pH of your skin, therefore prepping it to receive and accept active ingredients in the skincare products that follow it. When paired with a cleanser that is pH balancing as well, your serums, facial oils, and other active-ingredient skincare products are their most effective, too! It’s a win-win for everyone.

AHA toners simultaneously hydrate and exfoliate dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, which is what helps *potentially* help clear up mild to moderate acne and discoloration of the skin. It’s essentially resurfacing itself very slowly.

They are also said to help your skin increase resistance to other acids and to higher concentrations of AHA, which is why many people will use a gentle AHA toner for a short while in preparation for a more intense chemical peel. You can also work up to higher concentration AHA’s in your skincare routine if you notice that weaker ones are ineffective, which is exactly what I’m going to do as soon as I run out of my Mario Badescu!

It is important to note, however, that higher concentration AHA toners come with a much higher chance of adverse side effects or reactions like irritation and dryness. The reason I’m going to increase my percentage from the 2% Mario Badescu to something around 7-10% is because I’ve tried 5% (Pixi) for a long time and had little to no changes with that, either. Through trial and error, I’ve determined that my skin can handle an increase in this particular ingredient.

Hopefully this all makes sense to you guys, and if you’ve ever tried these products and you love them, tell me about it! Remember that with skincare and beauty in general, your mileage may vary, and products that I PERSONALLY find ineffective could be your holy grails!

Love you always (: don’t forget to head over to letstalkskin on Instagram for a chance to win my 1000 Blog Follower Giveaway!

xo. m.