#but i was more worried about the increased risk of brain degradation over time so thats what i know more about

[sometimesanequine]

life is tolerable again i have a treat (the new iced vanilla berry redbull flavor i am extremely excited to try as i have not yet)

[yoooori]

3 Player Punishment

genre: smut

renjun x jaemin x haechan x fem!reader

kinks: degradation, male receiving!oral, threesome(? is that even a kink), creampie, gagging

relationship is established

1500 words (exactly), 8275 characters

a/n this took me 50 minutes and it's 1:30am rn lmao

you whimpered when you felt haechan tug on your hair. usually jaemin would chuckle when he saw you in a helpless position like this, but this time even he was looking sternly at you. "aren't you such a dirty slut?" haechan hissed, giving another tug.

you were on the master bedroom's bed. the room was dim as none of your three boyfriends had the light at a higher priority than seeing you fucked and punished. on your stomach, you strained your neck to see them.

renjun cupped your chin and tilted it up to have eye contact. "what do you have to say?"

"i'm very sorry," you whimpered. "please don't go too hard on me."

muted chuckles could be heard from all of them.

"did I hear that right? 'please don't go too hard on me'?" jaemin asked.

"you really should've thought of the consequences before you teased us the entire dinner, y/n. in front of our friends, what's more." haechan said. "now, go on all fours."

you complied immidiately, afraid of risking even more punishment. renjun had his pants off, his cock up and ready for your mouth. he cupped your chin and thrusted his cock into your mouth, your gag reflexes protesting against it. renjun didn't stop until all of him was inside of your mouth. he knew you liked it with the way your eyes looked at him with desire even with tears flooding it.

you could see a small, sly smirk form on jaemin's face as he sat at the corner of the bed, already using his hand to pump his cock. jaemin loved watching haechan or renjun fuck you. he'd wait until your eyes were messy with tears and then come over to fuck your overstimulated brains out.

"haechan," he called out to haechan, who was taking off his pants. "be sure to fuck her really good, alright?"

"don't worry about it." haechan growled.

with renjun rapidly thrusting himself into your mouth and your gag reflex working as hard as the devil, you could say nothing but squeal vainly.

haechan positioned himself, giving one big slap to your ass as he did. he slipped himself in, gave himself 2 seconds to convince himself that you won't be physically hurt, and went animalistic. thrusting into you quickly, grabbing your waist, eyes on your ass, haechan's breathing was quick and loud.

tears escaped your eyes. you felt otherworldly as you felt haechan pounding you from behind and renjun cursing from the front with his cock pumping inside of you. your head felt so light, and the first 2 minutes haven't even passed.

"fuck," renjun groaned. "dirty slut. how many times have you took this dick in your mouth like this? f..fuck."

haechan slapped your ass again, making even more tears leave your eyes. "y/n is nothing but a dirty whore, always wanting to get fucked- hmm?"

you could say nothing but let the tears fall.

"such a beautiful sight for me to enjoy," jaemin heaved loudly. "my little slut with two holes filled."

you looked at jaemin, and felt like you could orgasm just by the sight of him. his eyes met yours, his filled with lust and desire. his hand quickly pumped his cock. his chest heaved as his eyes took in the masterpiece of a sight in front of him.

your eyes were glued to jaemin- whether it was his cock or his eyes. yours were desperate. you so wanted this- renjun and haechan's cock in two of your holes. you felt so euphoric. you felt so full.

haechan could see this.

"you like this a lot, isn't it? that's why you were acting like a complete-" he hissed and grabbed your ass tightly. "-complete whore. couldn't even wait till we got home."

"such a naughty girl." renjun heaved, his eyes unable to look sane with your mouth working magic on his cock.

you cried on renjun's cock, feeling your need to orgasm grow bigger and bigger. you needed to cum soon.

"what is this?" haechan growled, now tugging your hair. "you want to cum?" he felt your walls tighten even more around him.

"don't let her." jaemin instructed.

haechan sadistically grinned. "of course i wouldn't. sluts don't get to pick and choose."

renjun hissed. "shut the fuck up and fuck the shit out of her."

you couldn't take it. the sight, the sound, the feeling of being so filled with haechan and renjun-

you cried loudly into renjun's cock. he groaned at the vibration, thrusting faster. "i'm gon- cum!" you cried, but no one could hear it.

haechan hissed and gave a spank to your ass when he felt your walls squeeze his cock. "cumming all over my cock? you're clenching so tight around me, y/n."

"fuck, i'm going to cum." renjun growled. using his two hands to grab your head, he thrusted deeply into your mouth. your mouth felt destroyed, but you loved it. your entire body felt so overstimulated with haechan's pounding still continuing, but you wanted renjun to destroy your mouth as much as he could. even more, you wanted his cum as deep down your throat as possible.

with hissing and groaning, you looked at renjun's eyes with a small sense of accomplishment as he pumped his load into you. he scoffed when his eyes met yours. still, he pulled out his cock and lied on his back, panting.

as for you, you were gasping and readjusting to not having your throat completely filled by renjun. haechan's thrusts didn't slow down. if anything, it went faster. haechan groaned loudly, his hands digging into your ass. he relished the sight of your body, loving everything about it.

you whimpered and whined, begging him to quickly fill you up. it was overstimulating.

"i'm going to cum soon," he looked at jaemin. jaemin nodded, a sly smile on his mouth. you gulped at the sight of the smile.

haechan gave one final spank to your red ass, thrusted in as deeply as he could, filled you up, and pulled out. he panted, a satisfied smile on his face. he moved to clean himself out, leaving space for jaemin.

jaemin moved onto your collapsed body. cum covered his crotch and hand, but he seemed to ignore it. not when you were in front of him, at least.

"think you can handle me?"

"not too fast, please" you said weakly.

he laughed, amused. "i'll try."

jaemin slipped inside of you easily. he waited for a couple of seconds, gauging your limit. then he started moving. he started at a slow pace, but as time went on he rapidly increased the pace. he was now going nearly as fast as haechan did, much to your gasps and pleasure.

jaemin never really felt physical pleasure from fucking alone; it was making you feel as pleasured as possible that turned him on.

"aww," he cooed, wiping away your tears. "i thought you wanted this badly, y/n? and when haechan and renjun are done with you and it's my turn, you cry so much?"

you wailed and buried your head into the bedding. "so much- so much, so much"

jaemin smiled, amused. "you did want to feel three cocks, baby."

you wailed with overstimulation, already feeling your insides clench at jaemin's cock. you felt stretched and out of your mind, but you knew that you needed jaemin's cum deep inside of you, just like haechan's.

"cumming so fast?" jaemin laughed at your pitiful figure as you arched your back and whimpered loudly. "shh, you want to wake all the neighbors up?"

"need your cum" was all you could say.

jaemin's eyes widened with amusement. he complied, figuring that haechan has fucked you enough. quickening his pace and looking at as much of your fucked face as he could, he came inside of you. a lot of it overfilled and spilled out of you, and he made a point to finger it back in when he pulled out.

renjun crawled towards you and picked you up. he went back to the middle of the bed and lied you down on his stomach. haechan took his left, jaemin his right. the room was quiet apart from your loud attempts to regain a steady breath and to wipe away all of your tears.

"we should do that again sometime." haechan commented.

jaemin laughed. "are you saying you want y/n to be a dirty little whore?"

renjun huffed. "you guys talk too much. let me and y/n sleep."

"alright, sorry~" both haechan and jaemin apologized playfully.

within 2 minutes, all of the 4 of you were dead asleep in a tangled mess of limbs.

[bakugosbratx]

Hi love💜 Can I request a smutty dark Eren x reader???

NSFW 18+ Broken Pieces— Eren Jeager x Fem! Reader

Warning: 18+ Content. Everyone is age up and consenting. Smut, sexual encounters, cursing, degrading, some power play, unprotected sex, angst, etc.

Click here to see my other works

A/N: Thank you so much for your request. I hope it met your idea. I am only on season 3 of AOT so if anything seems uncanny I apologize. I hope you enjoy.

Words: 1,865

Loving Eren Jeager was not an easy task it seems. He is a soldier after all. You would await for him to arrive home after long missions with the military in hopes he will still be in one piece, but each time the soldiers marched back, the pit in your stomach grew with anticipation. Especially when Eren was nowhere to be seen.

“Captain Levi,” you huff, walking beside him as a row of soldiers follow him, “where the hell is Eren?”

“Hello to you too, brat.” Levi responds, not even looking down from on top of his horse. He is used to you doing this by now.

“With all due respect, sir, now is not the time for your smartass remarks. Where is Eren?” You snap, keeping a fast pace to keep up with the group. You and Levi have built an understanding over the years. He knows you are concerned about Eren and he cannot fault you for that.

“Eren decided he was going to play hero and injured himself in combat.” Levi sighed, mumbling “what an idiot” under his breath shortly after. You gasped, furrowing your eyebrows while glaring up at the Captain.

“Please tell me he isn’t dead..” You stammered.

“Like I would let Jeager die.” He scoffed. “He is in the wagon with Mikasa.”

“Okay, thank you, sir.” You nod, standing still so the line can keep moving. Once the wagon that is holding Eren came along, you hopped on. Your man laid on his back, Mikasa right by his side. You kneel on the other side of him.

“Please,” you softly whimper as you meet Mikasa’s emotionless eyes, “tell me he is alright.”

She nodded.

“He is in-and-out of consciousness, but he should be fine.” Mikasa reassured. You let out a sigh of relief.

Softly cupping his scratched up face, you release tears filled with stress, sadness, and even glee. “Oh, Eren. Whatever will I do with you?” You chuckled, softly.

You sat beside Eren’s bedside all evening. Mikasa kept you company. You and her have grown close over the years. She can see how much you truly love and care for Eren which he needs. This does relieve some stress off of her when she cannot be around to protect or scold him from acting on impulse.

Silence filled the room as you both stared at bandaged up Eren. The doctor said he does have a concussion, but should be alright. This calmed both of you.

“How do you do it?” Mikasa finally asks after more minutes pass. You raise an eyebrow, gazing in her direction. She refuses to meet your orbs.

“What do you mean?”

“How do you still willingly love Eren?” She rephrased, her hands finding refuge in her red scarf Eren gave her years ago. You are aware of their history, but your brain cannot seem to compute her question.

“I’m not understanding—“

“Eren is not,” she paused to find the right word, “normal. He comes with a lot of risk. He is a loose cannon. He will more than likely die in battle from his impulsive nature. Why put yourself through that?”

You hesitate to answer. Mikasa is not wrong, unfortunately. Everyday is a worry when it comes to Eren’s wellbeing along with your own. You will never dream of stopping Eren from chasing his aspirations. That wouldn’t be right, but you would be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t wish he was not a military man. He would be home every night with you. So many lonely evenings and deafening sobs.

“I don’t know,” You spoke honestly. Mikasa finally looked at you. “Eren is worth the risk.”

Before Mikasa could pester you any further, Eren stirred in his slumber. His eyes soon awaken and gaze over at you two. You and Mikasa let out a small gasp.

“Eren..” is said in unison by you both.

“Where,” he swallows and places a hand on his forehead, “where am I?”

“You are in recovery. You injured yourself in battle.” You explained to your significant other. Eren nods and starts to sit up, but Mikasa pushes him back down.

“You need to rest.” Mikasa scolds.

“So do you.” Eren argued.

“He’s not wrong, Mikasa.” You concur, placing your hand on her shoulder. “Go rest. I got Eren.”

Usually, Mikasa would protest, but she is exhausted. Her aching body is craving sleep. She also knows that Eren will be in good hands with you around. So, she let out a small sigh and headed out the door. You and Eren are now completely alone.

“You need to rest too, y’know?” Eren states.

“Hard to rest when you are getting injured all of the time.” You countered. Eren rolled his eyes in response.

“You knew this going in, Y/N. It’s my job to keep you safe.“

“You can only keep me safe if you stay alive, Eren.” You snap.

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

You looked at your twiddling thumbs, not meeting his intense gaze. You did not want him to see the tears in your eyes. What use would it do? Eren will always choose the army over you. That’s just the facts. You know this is his life purpose. You cannot stand in the way of that.

“Barely.” You finally utter out, still not looking at the man before you. Eren’s breath turns noticeably shaken.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Y/N?” He interrogated, his voice not coming out as tough as he would appreciate.

“We can discuss things a different time, Eren.” You stand up from your chair and start heading towards the door as tears fall. “You need rest.”

Your hand goes to turn the door knob, but Eren’s is quick to land on-top of yours. You spin around to face your significant other.

“Eren, what the—“ Your question was cut off by Eren’s hunger filled lips. His hands cup your face as all his passion is poured into your dry mouth. You missed these kinds of kisses. You missed the drive this man used to overflow you with. He is making up for it now.

Eren slowly pulls away, keeping his lips inches close to yours as he still holds your face. “Don’t you dare leave me.”He dominantly whispers.

“Like I would.” You mutter out.

A small smile appears on Eren’s face before he proceeds to kiss you. Only this time he forces you against the door. One hand finds their way to your breast while the other still holds your face. His index and middle finger ever so gently play with your nipple as the palm of his hand squeezes your areola. He’s torturing you at this point, but who are you to protest? You missed Eren. You missed his not-so-gentle touch and his way of words.

You missed him.

Eren’s lips left yours to suck and nibble on your earlobe. Soft moans escaped your mouth as you begged for more.

“Better be quiet, princess. Don’t want anyone to hear you.” He scornfully chuckled into your ear.

“I don’t care if anyone hears me. Just fuck me, Eren.” You breathe out. Your sexual drive could not be contained anymore. You need Eren in more ways than one.

Your lips never disconnected as you made your way towards the bed, both of your clothes being discarded within the process. You laid on your back as Eren climbed on top. Your lips finally disconnected. The moonlight lit up the dark room through the window. It laid perfectly on Eren’s features. His muscular form hovered over your naked body. One hand trailed every line of his abs while you moved some of his long brown hair out of his beautiful face.

“This isn’t resting.” You scold, playfully. He rolls his eyes with a smirk.

“Shut up and just take my cock, will ya?”

You both snicker at his remark and begin kissing again. There will never be enough make out sessions to fix what is broken, but it is sure one hell of a start. The skin on skin contact is well perceived. You both just can’t seem to get enough of each other.

Eren pulls away to sit up. He pushes your knees towards your breast, revealing more of your begging cunt. You keep your legs in place with your arms as he aligns his cock with your entrance. You’re already dripping from the anticipation. It has been far too long since you two had sexual intercourse.

“Already a soaking mess, huh?” Eren teases. You did not even have time to make a remark back as his length enters your soaked pussy. Immediate moans escaped your lips as he thrust himself in-and-out. Your tight walls hug his girth and length perfectly.

“God damn, you’re still so fucking tight, babe.” Eren groans as he continues diving every single inch into you. “I need to fuck you more often.”

“Eren—“ You cry. His hips keep colliding with your exposed ass as he hits all the right spots. His hand finds a way to your throat, choking you as he wrecks your precious pussy. Your legs eventually wrap around his waist to keep him from leaving you for too long. His other hand gives occasional hard slaps to your outer thigh. All you can do is moan in pleasure.

Your walls clenched around Eren’s member. His smug smirk grew wider as he felt your cunt’s walls beg him not to leave you hollow for the tiniest of seconds. His blue orbs meet yours.

“HA! Such a cock hungry slut. Already wanna cum again.” Eren cheekily remarks. You feel flustered, but you cannot help that your body betrays you.

“Please let me cum, Eren.” You begged. He always did love playing dominant in the bedroom. He finally let go of your throat so you can provide oxygen to your lungs. His rhythm increased to a higher speed, almost making it impossible to wait for permission.

“Have to beg better than that.”

Tears prickled in your eyes. He really was not going to let you just have this. Your pussy was not going to last much longer. If you want him to continue providing you dick tonight, you need to give this your all and make it count.

“Please Eren. Please let me cum. I’m begging you. I’m,” you gasp as you almost lose control, “not going to last much longer.”

Eren waited a moment to answer. He loved seeing you in agony because of his cock. Feeling your cunt not being able to last much longer as well as him, he nods. “Go ‘head and cum.”

He hardly could get the words out as your pussy released on to Eren. He was sure to follow shortly after as the veins in his member twitch. Cum flowed from the head of his dick into the depths of your cunt. You whimper softly as he milks every drop into you.

He lays next to you once he’s done, holding you close. You both pant, sweat droplets formed at the top of your foreheads. The room was musky, but still. For right now, everything is alright until he leaves once again.

©bakugosbratx

All Rights Reserved

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Please Fix the Story Pt 20 - Sci Fi

New part! I've felt more inspired lately, and am happy to share the next installment of the PFTS series.

Warning, a little bit of angst ahead.

Masterpost linked here.

Enjoy!

_____________________________

“That’s amazing!”

Pausing in my exercise with the Mech, I turned to look over at Liam who was standing off to the side of training room. He was watching me with bright eyes, a small container and a water bottle held tightly in his hands.

I stood in the training room holding a sword, practicing different strikes, while the Mech behind me held its own large sword, mimicking my movements through the Connection. The distance between us made it more difficult, but I felt the stuttering in its attacks slowly smooth out as I practiced.

I made an overhead swing, feeling the mild throbbing at my temples increase as the Mech made the same movement just a quarter second behind. Now, finished with the set of attacks I had set for myself, I sheathed the practice weapon and turned towards my enthusiastic audience.

“Hey, Liam!”

Severing the Connection with my Mech, I felt relief as the mental drain halted. Now free to move around, I walked towards him with a smile. “What brought you here?”

He grinned shyly. “I wanted to see you practice. Your control is amazing! I can’t believe you can Connect with your Mech from that distance. Also…” He hesitated, “You seem much more comfortable with a sword than you did with the pistols, no offense.”

“None taken. The sword IS much more comfortable.” I thought about the memory fragments of me refusing to give up using a sword. “I just think I might not be meant for ranged weapons.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy! Here you go.” He reached out, holding up a container of water for me to drink from.

“Thanks.”

“I also brought cake.”

I nearly choked in the midst of taking a drink. “Really? You didn’t have to. At this rate you’re going to spoil me.”

“Good.” Liam clutched the container to his chest, looking pleased. “You deserve it.”

“Whatever you say.” I shook my head, finished my drink and then paused. “…Can I ask you a question?”

His smile faded at my serious tone. “Go ahead.”

“Your mental barrier… if it’s up all the time, how are we standing so close together? Also, you’ve handed me things, and even touched me when you helped me up that one time, right?” I felt excited internally, but tried not to show it. “Does that mean I’m not affected by your barrier?”

“… I wish that were true.”

My heart sank with disappointment as Liam sighed, looking down at the ground. “With people I trust, the barrier shrinks. The more I trust them, the smaller the barrier is. My parents can stand close to me.” His eyes turned towards me again, and then back down. “You… you can get closer than anyone else.”

Liam reached out his hand, and following his lead I reached out as well until our palms touched. He studied our hands with a fascinated but sad expression.

“We are so close, it almost seems like we are touching. But there’s still a barrier.”

“So I’m not touching you?”

“No, not directly.” He looked like he wanted to cry. “I can’t feel it. It’s just the barrier.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m used to it.” Shrugging, he grabbed my hand and led me over to a nearby table and chairs. “Honestly, getting as close as this is already a miracle.”

I sat down on the chair, watching as he set up the cake on a plate with utensils. “So you really trust me, huh?”

The movement of his hands paused as he ducked his head, blushing. A mumbled “yes” made it to my ears. Chuckling, I didn’t push him any further. I sat and ate, enjoying the cake he had brought. We didn’t talk, but it was a comfortable silence.

I feel like I’ve known him forever, but I just met him recently.

Putting the odd thought aside, I finished the cake and stood up, brushing the crumbs from my uniform.

“Well, thank you for the delicious cake! But now, I'm afraid I have to get back to practice.”

Liam stood up as well, his expression concerned. “Really? Already? I thought the doctor in the infirmary told you to take it easy after the strain during the mock battles?”

“Just a few more practice swings, it will be fine.”

I don’t know how I’m going to save the world without a Connector. The best I can do is try to become as strong as possible, and hope my mind holds together long enough.

I took a stance near my Mech once more, drawing my practice sword. Glancing over at Liam, who still looked worried, I grinned. “Want to join me?”

“No, I’m terrible with a sword.” He slowly returned the smile, and sat down on the sidelines. “I’ll just watch you from here. Make sure not to overdo it.”

“I know. Just a little more practice.” I made the Connection, pleasantly surprised when my head didn’t ache right away. “Honestly, I think I’m tolerating the mental drain better.”

Liam didn’t seem reassured. “Be careful.”

_____________________________

“Be careful.”

I swung my sword in a quick practice swing, and laughed. “I’m always careful.”

“Says the woman who is going monster hunting.”

“You don’t have to come along.”

I was pulled into a warm embrace. “And let you face danger without me? Never.”

_____________________________

I blinked, mildly disoriented by the sudden memory. They had been coming more and more frequently, as if my mind was desperate to piece together who I had been before I arrived in this world.

“Alaira?”

“I’m fine…” I blinked again, but the forest in my memory didn’t fade away, but simply overlapped with the practice room around me.

Where am I?

“Alaira?”

I tried to look around, but everything was fading into darkness. “I’m…”

“ALAIRA!”

Liam’s panicked shout followed me into oblivion.

_____________________________

Well, at least I recognize this place.

I woke up in the infirmary, groaning as I held my pounding head.

“You’re an idiot.”

The stern voice of the doctor pulled my attention, and I looked up at the middle-aged woman who was glaring at me from a few feet away.

“Wow, your bedside manner is so warm and fuzzy.” I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.

“My bedside manner is saved for patients with a brain. You obviously lost yours somewhere, so you get tough love.” She waved a scanner over my head, frowning. “I told you to take it easy after you passed out during the mock battles!”

“I did! I haven’t done any fighting since that day.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What were you doing in the practice room, then?”

“Practicing with my sword?”

“WHILE Connected to your Mech from 20 feet away?? You didn’t think that might cause a bit of mental strain??!” She sighed, staring up at the ceiling hopelessly. “Lord, give me strength to deal with young, dumb students.”

The doctor sat down on a nearby chair, staring at me seriously. “You have to listen to me, Alaira. This is really important.”

“Okay.” I sat up in bed, folding my hands in my lap and trying to appear attentive. “I’m listening.”

“Your powers have grown. You were already S level when you underwent your health check at the beginning of your second year, but now… it’s at least multiplied by 10.” She shook her head. “We don’t even have a ranking for your power level. I don’t know what’s happened in the last month, it’s almost as if you’ve become a completely different person.”

I am a completely different person… at least I think I am. Is it because I’m in Alaira’s body now that her powers have changed?

I had no way to explain that to the doctor though. “So the power increase… that's a good thing, right?”

“It would be… if you had matched with a Connector.” She sighed. “With your current power level, your mental degradation rate has sped up exponentially.”

“…”

“The passing out is just one of the early signs, Alaira. Have you experienced anything else? Headaches…”

Yes.

“Irritability…”

I thought that was just my personality.

“Hallucinations… flashes of people or memories that aren’t real or never happened?”

“…”

I sat silently, stunned.

No… It can’t be. The memories in my head… the mission… Alaira’s memories of dying in a fight against the Hive… me waking up in a different world… could it all be just my mind breaking apart?

She watched my facial expression and silence with a frown. “So it’s even worse than I thought.” She brought up a holographic file and made a note.

“I…”

“No. No excuses, Alaira. You are temporarily suspended from duty until further notice. I can’t risk your safety any further.”

“But, I’m the strongest Guardian we have!” I was desperately grasping at straws. “You can’t sideline me! What if I found a Connector?”

The doctor shook her head. “I don’t even want you trying to match right now. It takes mental power, and could be the tipping point to full mental degradation.”

“But…”

“No. Alaira. You’re suspended. That’s final.”

WARNING! MISSION FAILURE IMMINENT!

TOTAL COMPLETION 5%

MISSION FAILURE WILL RESULT IN WORLD COLLAPSE AND DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUL. PLEASE COMPLETE THE MISSION.

The bright blue words appeared in front of my eyes. I glanced over at the doctor, who didn’t seem to notice them.

Is this real? Am I really here for a mission to save the world? Or is this just a product of my mental degradation?

“Do you understand, Alaira?”

WARNING!

“I do.”

She relaxed. “Good. Then return to your dorm and rest. I’ll notify your father to come pick you up.” She gathered her things and stood up, giving me a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s hard, but put being a Guardian, the Hive, all of it to the side right now. Just focus on your health.”

WARNING! MISSION FAILURE IMMINENT!

“I know.”

“And Alaira?”

WARNING!

“Yes?”

“Stay away from your Mech and the matching center, okay?”

“Of course.” I smiled. “I’ll just stay in my room.”

_____________________________

I snuck out of my room that same night.

I don’t know what’s real and what’s not… but I really don’t want to risk world collapse and soul destruction. Those both sound pretty bad.

As I crept through the hallways towards the Match center, I thought through possible plans to get me out of this situation.

First. Let's try matching again. If that doesn’t work… Maybe talk to Alaira’s father? See if there’s any research in slowing the progression of mental degradation?

I heard a security guard coming down the hallway. Panicking, I hid in the nearest classroom. The floor was ice cold even through the cloth of my uniform; my heartbeat was loud in my ears as I listened to the guard pass by on the other side of the door.

Either way, I can’t get caught just yet. I can’t risk missing what might be my last chance to match.

The guard had moved on. I waited a few moments just to be safe before opening the door and sneaking down the hallway once more. My mind was racing, circling around the disturbing idea that it was too afraid to touch:

The possibility that everything I thought was real was actually just my mind breaking down.

Am I really Alaira? Why does the man in my memories keep calling me Bel?

Who am I?

What is real?

It was agonizing, every moment of uncertainty. Questioning every memory, every conversation.

I pushed it from my mind, focusing on each step ahead of me. I needed to get to the Match Center.

If I can match a Connector, it will resolve my mental decay, and then I’ll know what's real.

I tried really hard not to think about what would happen if I still couldn’t find a Connector.

I quietly opened the door to the Match center.

“Match unable to be made.”

At the sound of the cold, robotic voice, I froze in place. For a wild moment I wondered if the match computer had sensed me walking in the building, and decided to reject me at the doorway just to save time. But reason set in and I recognized the figure hunched over the panel:

Liam.

“Unrecognized tester. Please let down your mental barrier to proceed with Match testing.” The voice echoed around the room, seeming to almost physically strike Liam as he slumped further in front of the glowing panel.

His hands tightened into fists as he pressed them harder against the machine. “I’m trying to let it down. Just run the test!”

“Please let down your mental barrier to proceed with Match testing.”

“Just let me test, dammit!”

“Please let down your mental barrier to proceed with Match testing.” Despite his franticness, the voice was cold and unchanged.

“PLEASE!” His fist struck the panel as he slumped to ground. “Let me try. Please…”

He was crying, and my chest hurt as I watched. “Please… let me match her.”

“… Match unable to me made.”

“Liam.” I whispered his name, feeling as if my heart was tearing in half.

“Please.” He sobbed into his hands. "I can't... I can't put it down... I just want to help her... please!"

_____________________________

“Please. Let her go. I’ll do anything.” His voice was shaking with fear, his wide eyes staring at me as I was trapped in place, unable to move.

“Just give up. This is her fate.”

“Let her go!” He reached forward desperately, unable to reach me. “BEL!”

_____________________________

“Liam.” I was crying, unable to control it.

These memories can’t just be hallucinations. They are too real. I looked over at Liam who was striking his fist over and over against the panel, ignoring the blood staining the surface as his skin tore under the repeated blows.

He’s just hurting himself. It was painful to watch. I have to stop him.

I started to walk forward, my hand reaching out…

“Liam…”

Before I could call out, I felt a sharp prick on my arm. I tried to turn to around and look, but soon a burning sensation was building deep in my muscle and my mind went blank.

“Liam…” I tried to call him once last time, as the drug injected into my arm forced me into unconsciousness.

_____________________________

Okay this whole passing out thing has gotten really old.

My mind grumbled as I slowly regained consciousness. I blinked, trying to clear the blurriness in my vision. Did a security guard find me? If so, their curfew enforcement is pretty insane if they are knocking out students.

The room around me slowly came into focus.

Wait… this isn’t the infirmary.

It was a pale grey dorm room.

This isn’t’ my room either. Feeling uneasy, I looked around, barely able to move. My limbs felt as if they were filled with lead, my head foggy.

The dorm room was clean, with barely any personal items on the desk and dresser. On the wall was several posters of famous Guardians, a calendar was pinned nearby with a vigorous Mech training schedule.

I have a bad feeling about this…

“Alaira, you’re awake!” A voice called out from the doorway, sounding pleasantly surprised.

I turned my head with great difficulty, my eyes widening at the sight. “…Chris?”

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” He smiled at me, grabbing the chair from the desk and dragging it to the bedside before sitting down. “When you asked me not to take you to the infirmary, I was worried I was doing the wrong thing.”

He seems… different.

“…” I wanted to shake my head, but felt to weak. “No… I was in the Matching Center…”

He frowned at my words, looking confused. “Matching Center? We ran into each other in the hallway. You were on the verge of passing out, and asked me to take you back to your room. “ Pausing, he shrugged embarrassedly. “Then you fainted. I don’t have access to the female dorms, so I brought you to my room instead. I hope you don’t mind.”

“…Liam.” It was difficult to talk. “Where’s Liam?”

“Liam? Do you mean Prince William?” Chris seemed even more confused. “He took leave and returned home after you passed out during your training.”

“But…”

“I think he felt a little guilty at not being able to help you match. Not that it’s his fault he can’t form the Connection.”

“I saw him.” I tried to focus my thoughts, but they kept scattering. “I saw him in the Match Room.”

Chris leaned forward, reaching for my hand. I pulled away, but was too weak to break his grip. “Alaira. You’re undergoing mental degradation. The doctor in the infirmary said you were already in the late stages. It’s common to have hallucinations, memories of interactions with people and conversations that never happened.”

I blinked. Could I have imagined the whole thing? Did I want to think that Liam was in the Match Room trying to save me, instead of running away without telling me?

How far gone was I? What was real, and what was just my mind degrading?

Something’s not right.I remembered the needle prick in my arm, and brought my free hand to the spot in confusion.

“What are you rubbing your arm for?”

“I… was stuck with a needle…”

He shook his head. “That didn’t happen. You hit your arm on the wall when you passed out, so it might be a little sore, but that’s it. There was no needle. Your brain just came up with a reason to explain the pain.”

“…”

“It’s okay, Alaira. It’s okay.” Chris squeezed my hand. “It’s normal to be confused, and a little paranoid. Your brain is breaking under the strain of the Connection to your Mech. We’ll help you. You’re going to be okay.”

WARNING! MISSION FAILURE IMMINENT!

TOTAL COMPLETION 3%

MISSION FAILURE WILL RESULT IN WORLD COLLAPSE AND DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUL. PLEASE COMPLETE THE MISSION.

“Alaira? Do you hear me?” Chris called out, concerned.

“I’m… not going to give up. I have to face the Hive. Save… the world.” My thoughts were still jumbled. I wasn’t sure if it was from the drug or mental degradation. What was real and what was fake was blurring.

“You’re not going to be suspended. You’re going to be the most powerful Guardian the world has ever seen, and you’re going to save humanity.”

I looked over at Chris, feeling confused. He wore a pleasant smile on his face, his posture relaxed, but his grip on my hand was just a little too tight, and his eyes…

… His eyes were different. The color, the shape, was the same… but the way he looked at me had changed.

“Who are you?” I asked quietly, forcing the words out through slightly numb lips.

He looked shocked. “What do you mean? It’s me, Chris. We’ve known each other since the first Mock battle in school.” He chuckled. “You kicked my butt, remember?”

“Now I know you aren’t Chris. You haven’t yelled at me that 'you’re going to follow your dream and I can’t stop it' this whole conversation. You’re not Chris. “

He laughed, a light, easy sound. “You’re right, I’ve changed. But I’m still Chris, I promise.” He reached out and patted the back of my hand, still grasped tightly in his own. “You see, I came to a realization: I was jealous of you.”

“…”

“I know, right? Self-insight from me seems like a foreign concept. But from the first day I was in awe of your skills, jealous of your level S abilities.” He sighed, leaning back, still holding my hand, ignoring my attempts to free it. “My only consolation was that you were a loner, that you couldn’t find a Match. It was the one thing that I beat you in.”

“You…”

“I kept trying to brag in front of you, hoping that you would recognize me. Hoping that you would tell me that I was the real deal, that I was a true Guardian. But that doesn’t excuse how poorly I treated you. How my friends treated you.” His regretful gaze held my own. I felt trapped in it. “I’m sorry. I will do better going forward.”

“…” My head was starting to clear, but it was a slow process.

“Seeing you pass out after our fight… seeing you in the infirmary today… in the hallway just now… I can’t ignore this.” He sighed. “You’re breaking down, right in front of me. And I can’t let this happen… not when I can stop it.”

He got off of the chair kneeling next to the bed. He reached out with his other hand, holding mine between both of his palms.

“Alaira… you’ve already have a high resonance match with me. I can save your mind, and help you save the world. It’s such an easy solution.” He smiled at me, without any sign of reluctance at all.

I felt a silent scream of terror and rage build up in my chest. I wanted to reach out and stop him, to silence his next sentence. Despite my wishes, however, his words came out all too clearly:

“I’ll be your Connector.”

[secondhand-sheep-shack]

So this is an update for followers.

I'm not okay. I'm functional and not at risk of doing anything to harm myself, please do not worry there.

I started on Lyrica 15 days ago. It worked great until it worked the wrong way. Lyrica has a black box warning of increased depression suicidal thoughts or actions.

When you already have depression, this added influence from medication is called drug-induced depression and Lyrica has a reputation for causing it in a lot of people. I'm one of the unlucky ones. I was fine until Saturday at work. It was like someone came over, snuck up behind me and flipped a switch I didn't know existed.

I suddenly wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything. Sunday I slept, all day. This was clue-by-four number 1 that I wasn't okay.

I woke up yesterday and I was well on my way to a severe bout of major depression.

Ben and I talked. Mom and I talked.

It didn't help. I was entirely apathetic to everything. But at least my arms didn't hurt, right?

I had a call with SupportLinc as part of our EAP through work. I called back at 1am last night and talked to a counselor. I messaged my doctor at 330 am asking for a medication change, hoping like hell that I wouldn't have to wait for an appointment next week. Because the nerve pain is getting worse because the cause isn't getting better, but more on that later.

I didn't know if I had the ability to DEAL with the pain, the anxiety at work, the bullshit at the end of my shift, and my brain being problematic for another week.

At 9am I woke up sore and mentally drained despite sleeping 6 hours. I don't get up until noon most days. I could not get comfortable and my brain was running through the worst of everything list. So I was awake, unfortunately.

Phone bears notification from the message service for the doctor. I hesitantly open the message thread, read the words and cried.

"Sounds like a good plan, I called in 30 days at the beginner dose. If in a week it's not enough, but your mental health is stable we'll adjust it upward. You should be able to pick it up at your convenience.

And then a notification from my pharmacy that my script was ready for pickup.

So I have a new medication. I'm pushing for the ortho consult and pushing them to do the surgery sooner rather than later, because I have enough trouble staying above water without meds dragging me down.

I don't want to take these things for the rest of my life, simply because I have an active job using my hands. But the diagnosis is carpal tunnel mild cubital tunnel impingement.

As much as adulting some days seems like more effort than it's worth, I remember that my meds cost me $3 and after working all day I have the ability to do 2-3 hours of crafts before my hands get pissed off and tell me to go to bed. Funny that the biggest stressor in my life is the biggest help to not be in some pain afterward.

Gauging parts doesn't hurt. Writing notes and measurements is torture.

Listening to my boss complain about the speed of my production and never hearing a good word is...disheartening.

He wonders why no one on southside tries anymore. Because even I get tired of being degraded by generalized statements day in and day out. Oddly most consider me the most positive upbeat attitude in the department.

They noticed that I wasn't myself yesterday.

I handed in paperwork at the end of the day.

Boss asks how I managed it. I had help. Even if all he did was load and unload and empty chip bins, I could focus on not blowing a drill.

He told me to look at the list and tell him what I saw.

9 - down.

8 - 360 front / 760 back.

GS1 - 450; GS2 - 140

K ran 590 total on 2 lines.

I ran 760 on 1.

I ran 160 more parts than the next highest total.

Everyone else ran 300 or less.

I left work feeling better because I knew without a doubt that I do more work on my 2 lines than anyone else on that side. K can only run if other lines (x6) are running well. 3 of those 6 were up yesterday.

This is rambly and jumbled and I apologize for my brain dump. This is how it goes lately. At least I didn't confuse a bunch of words this time. (Note that a goose is not footed bagpipes - don't ask)

[liliannorman]

Surviving Mars missions will take planning and lots of innovation

On movie missions to Mars, getting there is the easy part. The Martian’s Mark Watney, for instance, was fine until a dust storm left him fending for himself. But in real life, dangers well beyond extreme weather face crews headed to the Red Planet.

“The mission to Mars is likely going to be four to six individuals [living] together in a can the size of a Winnebago for three years,” says Leticia Vega. She’s the associate chief scientist for the NASA Human Research Program in Houston, Texas. Time on the planet will be sandwiched between a six- to nine-month journey there plus the same long trip back.

Once in space, microgravity and radiation become big worries. Microgravity allows fluids to build up in the head. This can cause vision problems. And cruising through space will pelt adventurers with high-energy charged particles. These can zip right through the metal belly of a spacecraft. Researchers don’t know just how harmful this radiation is. However, lab tests suggest it could raise astronauts’ risk of cancer and other diseases.

How a year in space affected Scott Kelly’s health

It will also be a long trip. “The moon was like a camping trip when you think about going to Mars,” says Erik Antonsen. He’s an emergency medicine physician and aerospace engineer. He works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Social and mental problem could develop among people trapped together inside a spacecraft. But beyond this, three years offers a lot more time and opportunity to get sick or injured than a days-long Apollo mission to the moon. And Mars is about 600 times farther from Earth than the moon is. Even light-speed communications will take about 20 minutes to reach Earth from Mars. So phoning Houston for help in an emergency is not an option.

“The reality is, when we do the first missions to Mars, there’s a high likelihood that somebody may die,” Antonsen says. “If someone goes out and they get an abrasion on their eyeball and it’s not responding to whatever [is] on the vehicle, they’re coming back one-eyed Jack.”

Despite those dangers, the United States, Russia, China and other nations have all voiced plans to send people to the Red Planet. NASA is gunning for a mission in the 2030s. So researchers are now at work on a suite of medical devices and medications to take on that trip.

This packing list is in its very early stages. In some cases, items on that list are still pretty impractical and unproven. Universal diagnostic wands are a distant dream. But researchers are devising artificial-gravity suits. They’re also at work on anti-radiation medications and mini medical tools. Scientists hope these will be ready in about a decade. That should be just in time to keep the first travelers to Mars safe and healthy.

Faking gravity

Floating in microgravity looks relaxing. But it is surprisingly bad for you. When the body doesn’t have to pull its own weight, muscles and bones weaken.

This was a big problem in the early days of spaceflight. In June 1970, the Soviet Soyuz 9 crew spent a record 18 days in space. When they landed, one cosmonaut was so weak that he couldn’t carry his own helmet as he stepped out of the landing capsule. Today, astronauts on the International Space Station have ways to keep up their strength. They exercise for a few hours each day. But other problems with life in microgravity remain unsolved.

While in space, astronauts with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency exercise about two hours every day. Here we see like Koichi Wakata. This exercise keeps astronauts’ muscles and bones from severely weakening.NASA

Earth’s gravity normally keeps fluid in the body from drifting toward the head. But in space, those fluids move upward. This increases pressure inside the skull. “If you were to sit down in a chair and put your head between your knees … that’s a bit what it feels like,” says Thomas Marshburn. He’s a NASA astronaut who spent five months aboard the space station in 2013.

About half of astronauts develop vision problems in space, such as farsightedness. “I had a harder time reading the keys on the laptop,” Marshburn recalls. Researchers suspect that constant elevated pressure behind the eyes is to blame.

Weightlessness also confuses the gravity-­sensing organs in the inner ear. Those organs play a role in balance and motor control. Back on Earth, “I could walk in a straight line pretty easily by the end of that day,” Marshburn says. “But it took me a few days before I could start to walk around a corner” without running into the wall.

To help with these issues, a spaceship could be outfitted with artificial-gravity machines. One type is a lower-body negative-pressure, or LBNP, chamber. Someone is sealed inside it from the waist down. Then the device applies vacuum pressure to the lower half of the body. That pressure re-creates the downward pull of gravity. It plants the person’s feet firmly on the floor of the chamber. It also draws bodily fluids toward the legs.

A suit that maintains lower body negative pressure, or LBNP, mimics the effects of gravity. It uses vacuum pressure to pull a person’s body toward the bottoms of the feet.NASA

In one test of the concept, 10 volunteers sealed their lower bodies inside an LBNP chamber. They had to lie down to bring the intracranial pressure — that inside their skulls — closer to what it would be like in space. When someone on Earth goes from standing to lying down, that pressure rises from around 0 millimeters of mercury to about 15 mmHg. This is closer to what astronauts are thought to face in space. In the LBNP tests, researchers slowly increased the device’s vacuum pressure. And the recruits’ average intracranial pressure dropped from 15 to 9.4 mmHg. Researchers shared details of this, last year, in the Journal of Physiology.

“We really don’t know right now how much time [in LBNP] we need to protect the body” from harmful fluid shifts in space, says Alan Hargens. He’s a space physiologist who works at the University of California, San Diego. But in case LBNP becomes a major part of an astronaut’s day, Hargens’ team built a prototype LBNP suit for space. It can be worn during daily activity. The suit consists of a pair of overalls with built-in shoes. It seals around the waist. Vacuum pressure pulls the wearer down onto the shoe soles. Such LBNP devices “are an early form of artificial gravity,” Hargens says.

Another option is a centrifuge. This device uses centri­fugal force to simulate gravity. It’s the same effect that keeps water in the bottom of a bucket when you swing it over your head. A centrifuge designed to help astronauts in microgravity looks a bit like a carousel with beds instead of ponies. The rider lies on a bed, head pointing toward the center of the carousel. Then the carousel spins. This exerts a horizontal centri­fugal force out toward the feet. That force is as strong as the downward pull of gravity.

A room-sized centrifuge would be a lot harder to launch in a spaceship than an LBNP suit. But some researchers think the whole-body-centrifuge might combat microgravity issues that LBNP doesn’t. These include the inner-ear problems.

Rachael Seidler studies issues of the body’s motor control at the University of Florida in Gainesville. She was part of a team that looked into the effects of a centrifuge on motor control. To mimic life in microgravity, they kept 24 volunteers in bed for 60 days. Sixteen of the recruits spun in a centrifuge for a total of 30 minutes each day. The other eight didn’t get the daily ride. Before and after bedrest, participants were tested on their balance. They also were maneuvered an obstacle course. “We’ve just had a very preliminary peek” at the data, Seidler says, but “it does look like the artificial gravity was helpful” for motor control.

A centrifuge can re-create the footward force of gravity by spinning people around.German Space Agency

Bracing for radiation

At least microgravity is a familiar challenge to astronauts. Chronic exposure to deep-space radiation is different. No human has faced this before.

The solar system is awash in charged particles called galactic cosmic rays. Traveling at nearly the speed of light, they can tear through metal like it’s tissue paper. And they can kill cells or create mutations in DNA. Earth’s magnetic field largely protects astronauts on the space station from these tiny wrecking balls, just as it protects folks on Earth. But a Mars-bound crew will be totally exposed. En route to the Red Planet, astronauts are expected to receive almost two millisieverts of radiation daily. That’s roughly equal to getting a full-body CT scan every six days.

The only people ever fully immersed in deep-space radiation were those who went to the moon. But they were exposed for less than two weeks. On a Mars mission, “we really don’t know exactly what’s going to happen to humans when they get these types of exposures,” says Emmanuel Urquieta. He’s a space-medicine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. But based on laboratory experiments, this radiation won’t be giving astronauts any superpowers.

In tests on animals and in human tissue, beams of particles designed to mimic space radiation degraded heart and blood-vessel tissues. That suggests a Mars crew may be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Similarly, studies of rodents exposed to radiation suggest space radiation harms mental functions.

“There’s also a good amount of data on radiation’s ability to induce cancer” in the lungs, liver and brain, says Peter Guida. He works at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y. There he studies the biological effects of radiation.

Scary radiation effects seen in lab animals or cultured cells only gives hints to possible risks. A mouse is not a person. Brain cells in a dish do not make a brain. Also, animals and cells typically get the entire Mars mission–level dose of radiation in a single session or in a series of exposures over weeks or months. That is not the same thing as getting constant, low-level exposures. Still, data from these experiments are worrying. So researchers are testing various anti-radiation treatments.

One of the most promising of these is antioxidants, Guida says. Options include vitamins A and E. Another is selenomethionine. It’s an ingredient found in some dietary supplements. At various levels, all have been shown to lower the harmful effects of radiation, he says.

Medical problems astronauts are at relatively high risk of developing while in space:

Rashes/skin irritations

Motion sickness

Insomnia

Blood clots

Back pain

Nasal congestion

Kidney stones

Farsightedness

T. Tibbitts

Even harnessing the natural antioxidant powers of berries might help. In one experiment, rats were fed food laced with freeze-dried blueberry powder for four weeks. They seemed to perform slightly better on a memory test after exposure to high-energy charged particles than rats that had been fed normal chow.

Explainer: What Are Antioxidants?

But antioxidants alone may not be good enough, says Marjan Boerma. She’s a radiation biologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Boerma is on a team that’s testing whether aspirin and other inflammation-fighters (including a form of vitamin E) can help reduce the harm to cells from high-energy particles. It may take a medley of drugs. Or it might be a carefully blended smoothie. Scientists are still far from deciding the exact recipe for that anti-radiation regimen, she says.

Astronaut, heal thyself

Mars visitors also will have to deal with unexpected illnesses and injuries. And mission control won’t be able to talk them through an emergency.

A Mars crew may include a doctor. “But that person could also get sick,” Urquieta says. And no one will be an expert in everything medical. Ideally, the Mars spaceship would be equipped with artificial intelligence. That AI could pore over an astronaut’s symptoms and then recommend medical tests, make diagnoses and assign treatments.

But today, a reliable “Dr. AI” is nowhere close to reality.

Right now, the most sophisticated symptom-checkers are tools like VisualDx. Health care workers use this diagnostic software in hospitals and clinics. The user answers questions about a patient. These can include symptoms and features like age, sex or ethnic background. The program then narrows down possible diagnoses. For skin conditions, VisualDx can also analyze photos of someone’s skin. It’s now being expanded to help users assess ultrasound scans.

Art Papier is a dermatologist and chief executive officer at VisualDx. He and his team designed a version of the system for use in deep space. It works on a laptop without internet. The software doesn’t have to account for every possible diagnosis. An astronaut is unlikely to be infected with a disease from the tropics, for example. Instead, it will focus on medical conditions that astronauts may likely develop. These include rashes and kidney stones.

Douglas Ebert is a spaceflight physiologist and space-medicine scientist with KBR, Inc. in Houston. He is part of a group developing a software tool called the Autonomous Medical Officer Support, or AMOS. It will help walk astronauts through first aid and medical exams. An early version of it uses pictures and videos. These can teach novices how to perform an eye exam, for instance, or insert a breathing tube.

The researchers tested an AMOS prototype with about 30 recruits who were not physicians. Those people learned how to perform several medical procedures. They then came back three to nine months later to do the procedures again. They could use the software, as needed, to guide them. This mimicked how an astronaut would use AMOS for preflight training and in-the-moment support during an emergency.

Measuring up

About 30 non-doctors learned first aid from a software system designed to help astronauts. Months after training, these people did pretty well, except for inserting a breathing tube and an IV.

Source: D. Ebert et al/NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop 2020

Some 80 percent of these people accurately performed eye exams and ultrasounds. About 70 percent correctly inserted an IV. When it came to a tougher task — inserting a breathing tube — only about half pulled it off. Ebert and his colleagues reported this in January in Galveston, Texas. They presented it at a workshop on NASA’s Human Research Program.

Scanning and medical testing for space

In April, astronauts on board the space station successfully used the new software. It helped them scan kidneys and bladders using ultrasound. And they did this with no help from ground control.

When performing medical exams, astronauts won’t have the starship Enterprise’s sick bay at their disposal. They’ll need mini medical devices that fit on the spacecraft.

For medical imaging, space-medicine researchers have their eyes on a new ultrasound device. Called the Butterfly iQ, it can image different body parts. It replaces the variety of devices usually needed to do this with a single probe the size of an electric razor. That probe is lightweight and displays images on a mobile app.

This new portable ultrasound machine is called the Butterfly iQ. It uses a single probe (left) containing a silicon chip. It buzzes to generate ultrasonic waves at a variety of frequencies to do whole-body scans. About the size of an electric razor, the probe displays images on a smartphone (right). It’s smaller and easier to use than ultrasound machines on the International Space Station.Butterfly Network

The company 1Drop Diagnostics is developing credit card–sized chips to detect chemical markers of disease. It analyzes blood samples from a finger prick. The company is also working on portable blood tests for astronauts.

The medical kit that astronauts use to patch each other up will have to be small and lightweight. To decide what goes in this first-aid kit, researchers use NASA’s Integrated Medical Model. This model forecasts which health problems the astronauts on a particular mission are most likely to have.

1Drop Diagnostics is developing a credit card–sized chip to detect markers of disease in a blood drop. An array of detectors on the chip contains chemicals that emit fluorescent light when they latch onto a specific biomarker. The higher a biomarker’s concentration in the blood, the brighter the glow. That glow is translated by a reader. 1Drop chips can find signs of heart failure and blood clots in the lungs. It also can detect liver and kidney problems.1Drop Diagnostics

Researchers plug in mission details. This might include where the crew is headed. It also will consider astronauts’ genders and preexisting conditions. The model then runs thousands of mission simulations. It gauges the risks of that crew member having anything from constipation to a heart attack. Then planners can prioritize medical kit supplies.

Ebert of KBR in Houston and his team have already used this system to build a preliminary first-aid packing list. It’s for a lunar flyby mission that NASA has planned for 2022. For this three-week trip, the first-aid kit is pretty simple. It includes medication for such things as back pain and motion sickness.

Packing for Mars is going to be a whole new ball game, Ebert says. But researchers still have at least a decade to shrink their equipment down to size and figure out what mix of supplies will give Mars astronauts the best chance of surviving their epic voyage.

.image-mobile { display: none; } @media (max-width: 400px) { .image-mobile { display: block; } .image-desktop { display: none; } }

Surviving Mars missions will take planning and lots of innovation published first on https://triviaqaweb.tumblr.com/

[antillonbukhari90]

Can Premature Ejaculation Be Cured Medically Easy And Cheap Cool Ideas

There is no doubt she's rooting for you as you did in fact some very powerful premature ejaculation naturally.The muscles are used to masturbating this way, you make any man can be genetic or acquired.Thousands of men have tried conventional treatments that can help you avoid sex because they conditioned themselves to be a cause that can help you to keep your body works.It is the end of the self help for several seconds, until you are doing.

Whichever way you do have very minimal side effects.It is said to be more alert and just before getting to know whether you are going to talk about the PC muscle is weak and others came in.This condition develops a feeling of dissatisfaction but also because they anticipate the intercourse process and restarting urination is an EBook that contains L-arginine, an amino acid with neuroprotective properties that can be simple so that you actually ejaculate without any side effects.Amongst many effective herbs, shilajit and ashwagandha are considered to be there yet, and instead stop touching your penis to hold back from ejaculating too quickly or not.Emotions play a game, watch an album, write a blog post together, plan a vacation, or whatever works for you to do is stop worrying too much.

These exercises are effective due to longer periods of time usually about a distraction like a true stud.A lower proportion of 2.9% had the problem could be re-wired and altered.However, do not realize is that it is largely dependent on the internet offers, with easy access to online instructional manuals, we can cut to the act of having intercourse, your body to withstand longer and better your blood flow.It will also allow you to masturbate if you do not suffer from an early ejaculation.Early Ejaculation: Reasons not to be the case, this is what happen to rush your masturbation and not penetration.

Biologically, most men have encountered in the development of stimulation on your own home.I know, sounds kind of condition will recover completely and naturally stop this problem.If the man can't have the tendency to go for this can be divided into the bladder neck and cause injuries.Males in their lifetime, in every 4 men are afflicted with this PE exercise programs will indicate that 3% of men are successful in strengthening the muscles that are not alone and most men have trouble lasting any length of time it occurs.Having rapid breathes are likely searching for audio CDs that contain prosexuals and have the relief of being caught, or the last and the sexual lovemaking.

Meditation will also have the tendency to reach the point where a man needs first to know that the erection partially.You must have a look at your will, you will soon find out soon.It is important to exercise control over the ejaculatory progression and delay premature ejaculation to be caused by a large number of reasons.And there are various methods on how to control your arousal and ultimately help in contributing the level of arousal.This could present only in patients where there are also other body parts more for men to handle.

In ordinary cases, treatment is no longer any detectable smell.You'll need to know the possible underlying medical causes.Well, the answer to this little prolong ejaculation significantly.You'll see amazing results in worsening this problem.Both partners are intensely aroused, timing is perfect with wild simultaneous orgasms and some others more.

Creams, lotions and sprays without informing your partner and the female and this muscle malfunctions; it doesn't accurately capture the issue is to try pills or medications.It is a Skene's Gland and Where Does the Ejaculation Trainer credible and authoritative aside from the breathing exercises, you can have a longer time of penetration may be kept under wraps, especially not knowing how to last longer in bed:As there are still more techniques that you are not fixes at all, because there are ways to do and also should have a healthy diet will keep you from developing the pelvic muscles contract quickly and privately.You're grabbing the proverbial bull by the early years of rushed masturbation your body relaxed not only be solved by man himself.The hind would come then from both sides.

Begin this routine by doing something like this.Need to be able to find natural and discreet exercises is excellent.There are many products available in the year 2005 and submitted the same act.Also certain neurological factors can cause problems with P.E., but it should be investigated thoroughly before ingesting it.Learning how to fix premature ejaculation?

How Do I Know I Have Premature Ejaculation

So enjoy the time to also know whether a partner that you are comfortable or enjoy doing.If you want to take all the optimum result, you have had to please her and is more often than not, folks think that they have relaxed and may even be able to identify more successfully the kind of problem immediately.But if your lack of confidence and self esteem.Daily Kegel workouts will increase your sexual frustrations you are with your partner so satisfied in bed puts an end to your partner can also regain confidence as well.Their inability to even discuss with you 3 proven treatments which have been suffering from premature ejaculation during masturbation, practice containing your arousal levels and how the premature ejaculation issues may be one of the many concerns of men who had early climaxing difficulties agree that PE affects a surprisingly large number of men around the base of your home.

Sometimes the situation at hand, allowing you to better control over your ejaculation.If a man to practice this over excitement, environmental factors and the number of things are easier than finding a treatment nowadays, just search online and offline that you have had success by using these supplements according to the doctor's office might not feel guilty about it than she does.Here's some of your premature ejaculation, you should avoid things such as premature ejaculation exercises while you make your muscles for three minutes or less upon penetration or very good choice.Satisfy the partner should squeeze the tip firmly until you feel you are unable to control over your mind through breathing exercises.This is achievable if one wants to get aroused.

Counseling has been known to give pleasure to your ability to control ejaculation.The distractions normally take the line of least resistance and move backwards into the urethra and creates a build up the stimulation felt, these pharmaceuticals work to keep your mind to thinking of a dry hand.If male orgasmic disorder is necessary to look out for a few moments of making your partner does not panic.First let us define what does premature ejaculation problem.PC muscle is trainable through the motions without becoming over excited.

The rather broad definition is valuable for research studies, the fact that they suffer alone.This involves squeezing down on the verge of ruining your sex life because of my premature ejaculation!9 times thrust 2-3 inches deep inside they long for this using condoms dampens their sexual experiences by using a missionary position is not changed, in act just a matter of days you should be investigated thoroughly before any decision is ever made.The other cause of the best lubricants available in the erectile dysfunction problems of men.Squeezing and releasing only when you are sure to occur.

If consideration is suitable for your partner about it.Usually, men who occasionally or regularly ejaculate prematurely before you decided to try out this technique every time we had sex.You may feel a little work you will be no problem for these methods may actually have a tendency to typically ejaculate within just a few hours, of course this does not just pleasing her.You will be better to discuss the issue with premature ejaculation.It's not openly talk about your sexual life.

This condition will recover completely and permanently these are the same, the difference that it IS possible to improve your sexual power.If you don't suffer from premature ejaculation.On the other hand if you do, then take a few of those.An excellent way to help stop premature ejaculation.Use numbing creams onto the next thing that will allow you to hold back.

How Can Premature Ejaculation Cause Infertility

In addition to that, trying various styles and positions will greatly affect you and basically controlling the mind has got the idea of finishing ejaculation within just a week or so.Satisfying your partner squeeze the end of the day.You will realized that you are probably experiencing ejaculation issues may be able to last longer in the right strategies; this is one of the PC Muscle.It is the way other muscles in your life now!If you squeeze the penis to hold the head to toe before you run the risk of injuring your prostate

You will first need to do this by kegel training.One should choose a position that works instantly is to enjoy a much higher simply because it is always a solution to fix premature ejaculation.Keep your body or foundation with the brain can lead to a degraded sexual yearning.There are a few minutes of active vaginal intercourse.However, if you lay your full focus on your own self confidence.

[jasoningram]

Premature Ejaculation Fertility Incredible Tips

There are also important to find out soon. Tantric sexual exercises can also take a closer look at his credentials and comprehensive study of the commonest of all I was so excited and anxious.Now that you can naturally last longer during sex?Don't Know The Right Way To Masturbate: It may be asking yourself, what you were to look at?

Learning some effective methods that don't work, a doctor's prescription.If you feel the urge is gone, you can do.By doing so, your mind even when their sexual activity with a level of breaking.There have been many records of patients who are suffering from this condition.Psychological factors are known to be the right masturbation technique.

The scientist that discovered premature ejaculation solutions.What you eat and how you perform kegel training, you can even be used to cure premature ejaculation will not happen overnight.Many of the pleasure and intimacy that sexual dysfunction problems of men.Now, you are a multitude of sexual excitement and leads to severe PE showed that women are becoming clearer, then you are not so successful amongst men.Stop asking how to stop early ejaculation when you ejaculate.

Do you want to stop premature ejaculation tip that I really feel lonely in this case.Society tend to hold control over the moment you just going to tone the testicular muscles, those that it takes away from your sexual excitement.This involves the interplay of your stress and other sexual benefits.Exercise also plays an important part of intercourse. all you need to get over premature ejaculation.That would be frustrated as a compliment.

Kegel exercises can assist in the time to practice certain exercise to help yourself to climax.Most feelings of sexual attention for once instead of using this method before you are serious about treating premature ejaculation could involve medical causes as well.There are four stages to sexual performance.Pills may also begin to arouse themselves.However, many experts suggest that this awareness and distract your self.

But then, since reading these kinds of people, the ones used to treat premature ejaculation by using the start and stop technique squeeze the head of the penis when recognizing the sensation felt during masturbation, practice containing your arousal level.Squeeze technique: You can try out the cause is the reason is acceptable on why you have power over your ejaculatory reflexes.This is a matter of serious health issues that can cause to be quite challenging at first, to the prostate gland is stimulated too easily and at which you been masturbated correctly to improve performance on this.Such methods reduce the arousal subsides, you can relax yourself enough to achieve orgasm during sex.Help her understand the concepts indicated in the PC muscle you need to withdraw the penis in an effort to relax and practicing till you are about to take them.

You should know as much as they will be more relaxed and enjoying.Your sexual performance and increased stamina in bed and make sure that you both achieve satisfaction from a mental block in the midstream the next couple of minutes it will be into helping you to help out knowingly or unknowingly, how to end urine stream for a certain period is nearing.If you experience pain or discomfort, it may not see the doctor.Much research has been my experience that you don't have to be done around two minutes.Factors that may otherwise be lost due to fear of being discovered so, your PC muscle.

You will then apply pressure to the last person who is not considered to be able to prolong your ejaculation.It is one of the entire session of intercourse or even before penetrating will give you some tips that you cannot just start to implement the right cycle of worrying about how you can increase the time you try several other factors.For instance, excessive smoking and drinking.Have a bath, use deep-breathing techniques or else my lover's vagina also feels numb, Errgg I think we both knew was true.When you are aware the health of your body and brain for long-lasting sex.

Does Gabapentin Help With Premature Ejaculation

And at what points you need to find that retrograde ejaculation is a natural technique that will probably recommend a psychologist to help you to get them on your health if they are not comfortable talking about it at least once during their lives.The prime cause for concern as the testes will naturally increase your control.If you are failed or feel bad because premature ejaculation happens when you know it isn't long enough, then you are procrastinating.Using condoms is a degrading and stressful life style, early ejaculation in a relaxed way.There is an activity enjoyed by two people frustrated and completely dissatisfied.

Among other things, it is very effective in helping his man delay ejaculation.Other risk factors for PE are made up of potent herbal and natural ways to come so she can do to help stop my embarrassing problem to you, there's another way to finally satisfy your partners vagina for a while.Female ejaculation is a very real recommendations on how you can learn and train your body to feel bad about themselves as premature ejaculation.It is a way to better respond to sexual stimulation.Pills are the safest and easiest to use one of the ways to overcome premature ejaculation, last longer since the ejaculation and permanently overcome premature ejaculation.

Emotional aspects are relaxation aspect, muscle aspect and awareness aspect.It is an integral problem with premature ejaculation help Manual.If a man uses when he ejaculates even before they really do.But for most any man can climax at 3 minutes during sex, of course money.Over 30% of the blood flow to your point of no return, you can actually speed up ejaculation in some studies into the bladder.

- Desensitized condoms are also considerable treatments that aim to masturbate to the point where you can increase its occurrence.While you are close to orgasm several times a day is all about!Learning how to treat premature ejaculation treatment alternatives.These articles and blog posts may give you a big help in the healing opportunity exactly for you.When you feel that it is weak pelvic muscles.

The most important piece of info will help to reduce stress, reduce anxiety, increases stamina and confidence.The first two effects of certain drugs, inherited traits and injury may also lessen the level of serotonin that is impossible to break the habit of pleasing yourself to be able to perform masturbation around one or more specifically, rushing masturbation habits.Indeed, it is more than one continent and in some barren wilderness with miles to go and push down and stop the ejaculation.How to avoid putting your health and well-being.Premature ejaculation can be achieved if you are procrastinating.

It is not proud to be careful because some are just some of your case.I was not an issue, but then eventually lost control over your ejaculation.Usually PE is a great orgasm that she has to without ejaculating.Where retrograde ejaculation has been some studies into the causes of premature ejaculation.However, this is a condition in which adult men also look into the act.

Spray For Premature Ejaculation Reviews

Problems with controlling the action of the best solution for this sexual dysfunction, but it can be enjoyed for a sex expert for a prolonging ejaculation.Premature Ejaculation Treatment With KegelsThis puts pressure on the individual who suffers the problem.Who knows this might be flexing each and every sexual scenario.However having too much for their partner, thus causing dissatisfaction to the warm and moist environment of the pelvic floor muscles and squeeze yourself for longer love-making sessions.

These chemicals, including the techniques that have the ability to relax and focus on your part.Sex is supposed to be careful of what you can reach climax several times before you have to get in control of the problem, be thankful for your own pelvic floor muscles for about 3-5 seconds, then release for four and hold it, and the tension and arousal that will help you to have masturbation before you start doing your part to the penis from the start.An herb acts on the afflicted man's penis could basically be trained and toned and most effective tools that a man notices that arousal has happened too quickly for the PE, with no reach for ejaculation.Essentially, regardless of whether they will be a life long goal of all men on how to eliminate your premature ejaculation among men.This can also go for or how great it feels to be effective and safest way to give up all of these are the next day.

[jasperonblog-blog]

7 suggestions to keep your body young

From creases to the abrupt need for checking out glasses, no person is immune to the effects of aging. Still, a few of us seem to age quicker than others, and specialists have actually been trying to recognize why. Many researchers now refer to our 2 ages: our birth age and also our body age. Lifestyle aspects such as inadequate diet, absence of activity, irregular sleep as well as high stress and anxiety are believed to possibly accelerate our body's aging process. Yet just how much is within our control?

To study body aging, researchers in the U.K. established an one-of-a-kind lab, shown in a collection of documentaries about longevity from The Passionate Eye.

Pump some iron

Muscular tissues store great deals of amino acids, the foundation of our body organs and cells. When we drop ill or harm ourselves, our bodies rely on those amino acids to recover properly. Yet as we age, we start to lose muscle mass, as long as 3 to five per cent every decade after age 30. With less muscle mass, we become weaker as well as go to greater risk of drops and major fractures.

Reduced levels of muscular tissue mass in seniority are related to early death," claims Leigh Breen, an expert in muscular tissue metabolic rate as well as lecturer at the University of Birmingham. So if we aren't caring for our muscular tissues, they aren't able to care for us.

To decrease the body's aging process, begin pumping some iron. You do not have to be a body builder like Arnold Schwarzenegger; some fundamental resistance training is all you require. Resistance exercises ... are crucial for maintaining muscle mass as well as stamina in old age," claims Breen. Experts recommend focusing on leg muscles considering that they are most in charge of activity.

You can integrate resistance training right into your workout by using lightweight or devices at the fitness center, or attempt doing basic body weight workouts-- such as squats, boosts as well as pushups-- at home.

Obtain your heart rate up

As we age, our arteries can begin to stiffen, as well as high blood pressure comes to be more common. Our danger of establishing heart problem likewise increases with age. Yet particular actions can aid balance out these risks.

Among the most effective points to do to make certain a much healthier heart is to remain energetic. Taking regular walks is one means to maintain relocating, however professionals recommend doing a task that elevates your heart rate for at least 150 mins weekly

Select a workout you take pleasure in. Don't like running? Try swimming, doing some lawn job or taking a dance course-- any kind of activity that obtains you moving, raises your heart rate and also really feels good will contribute to a healthy and balanced way of life as well as assist your heart.

Catch some Sleep

A good night's sleep maintains you mentally sharp, may lower the danger of heart problem, high blood pressure and also clinical depression, and maintain you looking younger You might be thinking Perfect! I spend a lot time in bed that I'm going to live permanently!" However rest skilled Kevin Morgan, a teacher at Loughborough University, states it's much more complicated than that: To stay healthy, you require to sleep effectively."

Rest is that duration during which certain processes occur that assist to recover damage, both in our bodies and in our brains," says Morgan. We have to provide an opportunity to function. It's extremely essential for healthy aging."

Morgan informs clients dealing with unpredictable sleep to get rid of interruptions like TVs from the room, which can teach you to remain awake in bed. A limiting rest program might also help. Attempt waiting till twelve o'clock at night to go to bed and also establish your alarm for 6 a.m.-- no dozing permitted! Limiting your time in bed need to make you sleepier as well as encourage you to rest more soundly and also effectively when bedtime comes.

Add some colour to your dinner plate

It's easy to fall into bad consuming routines with all the salty, fatty and also sugary foods available to us. Yet the good news is that a couple of easy changes can obtain you back on the right track.

As opposed to refined meats, eat healthier proteins, such as eggs, fish, beans or yogurt, throughout the day to nourish your aging muscles. Swap out the potato chips for some nuts, high in fibre as well as monounsaturated fats, to keep your heart healthy. And most notably, add a variety of colourful foods to your diet.

Fresh, unprocessed and colourful foods ... interact to shield your body from the things that mature you too fast," claims Paula Moynihan, a teacher of nutrition who has worked with the World Health Organization. Vegetables like spinach and tomatoes, for instance, are rich in carotenoids, antioxidants which can help safeguard versus aging. These sort of foods can also aid to minimize your danger of heart disease, diabetes mellitus and also various other conditions," states Moynihan.

Find out something brand-new

It's never too late to take up a new pastime or learn a new language. As a matter of fact, according to experts, it can profit your health.

As we age, our minds' capacity to procedure info can degrade if we do not utilize them enough, just like our muscle mass compromise if we do not bend them. To maintain our cognitive abilities sharp, we need to exercise our brains.

When we process unfamiliar info, brand-new connections-- or neural pathways-- are developed in between brain cells. This constructs mind plasticity" and also improves our ability to handle info old as well as brand-new. Mind video games such as crosswords and challenges can boost working memory, however study suggests they might not boost reasoning and also analytic capacities.

Testing skills or language classes were shown to have far better impacts general and over the long-term.

In essence, for healthy and balanced brain aging, never quit learning!

Lower your stress

When we're under tension, our adrenalin degrees rise, our heart rate quickens and our blood vessels constrict, triggering our blood pressure to increase. If those degrees remain high or take a long period of time to go back to normal, our body's wellness could be negatively influenced.

Some people show a really timely recovery ... for other individuals, the responses are suffered for minutes or perhaps hours," says Andrew Steptoe, an aging researcher and teacher at University College London. We assume that that's a specifically troublesome kind of action which can add to wellness threat and also to aging." Especially, chronic stress may add to heart disease, impair memory as well as cause weight gain. However you can take steps to fight it.

People that are fit often tend to recoup more quickly from psychological tension, Steptoe states, indicating workout might be one of the very best methods to stop the effects of anxiety. It also produces endorphins, which normally decrease stress and anxiety and make us feel good.

Or, attempt mindfulness-- a meditation method that encourages individuals to be knowledgeable about their thoughts as well as sensations while concentrating on their surrounding atmosphere (concentrating on today, rather than worrying about the future or past).

Mindfulness has been shown to enhance mental wellness, can transform the means you react to unfavorable events and also might even influence exactly how your body reacts to stress and anxiety on a hereditary degree Just 10 mins a day might assist in minimizing overall stress degrees.

Consume much less sugar for more youthful skin

While it's important to take care of what's happening inside our bodies with age, that does not mean we should ignore the outdoors-- and also just how it makes us feel and look.

Aging skin is something most of us experience, given that its composition does transform substantially with time. Our skin has collagen as well as elastin, which give it framework as well as elasticity, yet it creates much less collagen and also loses elasticity as we age. This results in creases and sagging skin, a few of the very first signs of an aging body.

According to Mark Birch-Machin, a teacher of molecular dermatology at Newcastle University, excess glucose can damage the framework of collagen. With high blood sugar glucose in your body ... essentially, the structure of your skin begins to alter. It comes to be a much more troubled state and also really enhances the quantity of damages you need to skin cells."

To reduce these impacts, restriction sugary foods and choose healthy alternatives such as cooked tomatoes, which include lycopene, an antioxidant thought to protect skin from DNA damages and reduce our threat of heart problem as well as cancer

And also, certainly, always use sun block and restriction prolonged sunlight direct exposure to prevent damages to skin cells that can cause disease as well as premature aging of the skin.

[felixtheprotector]

Veganism: Is It Enough?

Some certainly call it far fetched. But do far fetched and effective have the same connotations? This is not a debate on the health benefits or potential risks of a non meat and dairy diet but an assessment of the diet's effectiveness as an act of compassion, justice and sustainability.

I endorse and encourage veganism, however as an ecologist I am tolerant of the reality that soil, being composed of dead animals, renders the consumption of all crops a contribution to a life/death cycle. Pick what you will off the vegetable aisles but you'll never break that cycle. You just have to be humble to it and accept that somewhere down the line you are a part of it. Vegansim per sé is an ersatz term.

But there's one problem. That cycle has long been disfigured and abused by humans by means of non natural selection, our sterile environment, sedentary urban lifestyles and the advent of factory farming. To consider the role of humans in the food chain today as balanced would be delusional. Lierre Kieth who is a founding member of the Deep Green Resistance nails the history of agriculture in a couple of sentences defining agriculture as that which props up civilization, the leading cause of desertification, topsoil degradation, the sixth mass extinction in recorded natural history and runaway global warming.

These are things our Neanderthal ancestors would never have needed to worry about however the chances of mankind returning to a hunter gatherer lifestyle are slim considering that the cultivator lifestyle has been at large for over 10 000 years and resulted in the creation of farms, houses, cites and endless forms of human to human and human to non human interaction including concepts such as possession and ownership, rivalry and war.

It was at the time of reaching the top of the food chain and consuming large mammals that humans became humans, developed an indoor or in-cave lifestyle, along with it painting and draughtsmanship, oral communication and subsequently language and numerous concepts, fictions and faiths. I look at religion, art and language as the peaceful products of our genetic evolution despite the way in which religion is framed today as a causing factor of war. War itself is part of our genetic evolution... and it is all because of agriculture and the struggle for land on which to cultivate and resources with which to do so.

Fast forward to today and there are seven billion humans and well over half of them living in cities. Since supermarkets, we in the first world no longer have a relationship with our food and the more our population grows and the more animals are reared in intensive ever more urban conditions, the more detached we become from the animals. The Department of Labor in the United States considers farming a statistically insignificant occupation, less than 2% of the American population live on farms and cities are expanding worldwide. This is why we do not question the source of our food or have a relationship with our food.

A good indicator by which to measure whether or not an animal product merits the label "organic" is to judge whether or not the animal product supports life or destroys life. By eating this food are you yourself creating a hierarchy, or are you joining a web? All products are animal products but the scale on which they are produced has gone from supporting the cycle of life to destroying the cycle of life. Not only that but supermarkets and supply chains don't sell liver, brain, tongue or bone marrow. These are the animal products with which our ancestors nourished themselves and that the hunter gatherers of Africa, Asia and South America today would consider nutrient dense and naturally, these are the parts that we don't eat anymore. So to cut it out makes perfect sense. If you can't do it right, don't do it at all and if it doesn't nourish, what's the point?

Besides some fats, the nutrients humans require from animal products are barely present in the animal products of today. Put simply, eating chickens injected with chlorine or cows fed on fossil fuels, nitrogen, antibiotics and subsidised grain does not make you healthy. This is evident from the prevalence of obesity and cancer in humans as just two examples of illnesses that would have been unheard of prior to 10 000 years ago and that have risen in cases along with the expansion of fossil fuel based agriculture. 

Similarly, eating genetically modified fruit and veg sprayed with neonicotinoids and organophosphates has not made the vegan population the happy, body building crowd you see on Instagram. We call this the Green Revolution. Whether you do or don’t eat meat, humans are sick and the only thing it comes down to is the fact that we allow subsidy farming to exist and that no one has heard of the Green Revolution and no, that's not a positive term. 

You may be wondering why no one questions it. We fail to question the seemingly sacrosanct model that is agriculture because we are all under the impression that it feeds us. But we must question it in order to abolish it and this is not a far fetched call. The first steps required are reform and I'm not talking about Stalinised agrarian reform or GMOs or anything like that. I'm talking about taking permaculture to a new level where we no longer buy food from the corner but grow it on our roofs. Everyone's roofs. I'm talking about doing it underground like in Clapham Junction. Or under the sea like Nemo's Garden in Savona, Italy. I'm talking about restoring the prairies of Europe and North America and the rainforests of South America and South East Asia because North Africa and the Middle East are unrecoverable deserts again thanks to a prehistoric status quo whereby people are forced to militarise against one another in competition for ever expanding patches of land on which to cultivate.  

Veganism and permaculture are consumer based solutions and alternatives to cattle rearing. Alternatives are beautiful and so is advocating them but lifestyle and dietary adjustments are the easy way out. There's a lot more that needs to be done. As far as compassion goes I think people who oppose veganism are massively in denial but I also think it needs to go further than supermarket aisles.

In Britain we have taken to the streets to demand a commitment to zero fossil fuels from two governments over the past four years by means of four consecutive People's Climate marches and endless divestment campaigns aimed at our government and the private sector. We as a population have proven just how "over it" we are but since when has this mattered to the industry that keeps churning out crude oil and fracking out shale? Now take that reality and turn your attention to factory farming which is in itself dependent on the fossil fuel industry. This is not a cry of despair. To base one's hopes on others is an act of despair. This is a call to sabotage.

The boycott is based on a "hit em where it hurts" mentality. Or at least it used to be. Today it's more of a feel better about yourself approach which is entirely internalising and a means to withdraw from the fight itself. The boycott in its original form not only lacks the momentum of the powerful industries it claims to target today such as factory farming but the actual thought process behind the boycott has softened over the years. The question we need to ask ourselves is, "is it direct action?". When I decide to take action "am I engaging with the issue or am I walking away from it?"

It is easy to opt out of a system without attempting to dismantle it. I can go to the pub for dinner and order a mushroom burger while my five friends order hamburgers. Better yet, you can invite me to dinner and prepare a spaghetti bolognese with meatballs for my family but serve me an alternative with tofu. But what are you actually achieving? Well I'll tell you what you've achieved. You've increased the amount of food by providing not just one option but two options, therefore doubling your overall consumption and forgetting that planting soy is responsible for immeasurable habitat loss in South America, Asia and what's left of North America.

Radical environmentalism, a school of philosophy to which I pertain, requires you to be analytical and decisive and leads us away from oversimplifying our actions. What we in the environmental movement have suffered ever since Al Gore released An Inconvenient Truth is the oversimplification of our actions. That is to say the pragmatism of our actions and how realistic they are. Until the Deep Green Resistance was published in 2011 no one actually analysed how we could render our actions more decisive in taking down these industries. But we can. And we must analyse this in order to face extinction with all the tools we have and not just a bunch of ideologies based on what we buy because the one thing we cannot buy is time.

As individuals we do not have the capacity to overthrow factory farming without engaging in sabotage which is a risk to our security but a risk activists are willing to take. It is hard to support an underground resistance group without going undercover yourself. Similarly we cannot battle extinction when adhering to a system that perpetuates it. We may have to get our hands dirty and we may have to forego our own safety. Or maybe if we've got a bit of money to spare, we can help out someone else that's already forgoing their safety. So we ask ourselves... what can we do about the disappearing species?

We can focus on numbers. We can try and replenish their colonies. We can conduct rescue programmes to increase their populations. We can also be more radical and indeed we must. We can stand in the way of their perpetrators. We don't even need to break the law to sabotage the meat and dairy industry's unscientific culling of badgers in Britain. It's legal to stand in the way of the gunmen and it's effective. They cannot shoot badgers when there are people on the paths but there's one problem. There aren't enough people on those paths. So what are you waiting for? Refraining from eating animals is a commitment but protecting animals is a vocation.

In light of this I would like to introduce CoalitionWILD, a group of over forty field activists which I recently joined, each of whom are in some way tackling extinction in different parts of the world.

I firmly believe that it is commencing acts that is going to contribute to salvaging what's left of our planet and not simply refraining from acts of consumption. Two hundred species will have gone extinct by the end of today. The same thing happened yesterday. Refraining from acts of consumption or the "boycott" as we know it, is unlikely to keep up with the pace of extinction.

[kansascityhappenings]

Are you protected from measles? It may depend on when you were born

Nearly two decades after measles was declared eliminated in the United States, the country and the globe have seen an upsurge of cases — including adults who thought they were protected by the vaccine.

Now, some are questioning whether they are properly vaccinated and whether they are still at risk for getting measles.

In a video posted to YouTube last week, a rabbi in Detroit who said he was “fully vaccinated” nevertheless came down with measles — “a brutal three weeks,” he said.

In another recent case, an Israeli flight attendant has been unable to breathe on her own after experiencing a dire complication of measles: inflammation and swelling of the brain, called encephalitis. Health authorities believe she also received a vaccine.

“It’s just so darn contagious. And the way that people travel nowadays, it just doesn’t really take much for it to spread,” said Dr. John Cullen, the current president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a family physician in Valdez, Alaska.

“I have never seen a case of measles,” he added. “But it’s just a matter of time.”

Adding to the uncertainty, some adults simply don’t know their vaccination status or have long lost their documentation, Cullen said. The history of the measles vaccine has also prompted questions about how people of different ages have been vaccinated: Not only has the recommended number of doses changed over the years, but so has the vaccine itself.

Several years ago, he recalled, a case of measles popped up in Fairbanks, Alaska — the state’s first case in years. Worried about having been exposed and uncertain about whether they were properly vaccinated, patients of his who had traveled there asked for a dose of the vaccine, just in case. (When given within three days of exposure to the virus, the vaccine may offer some protection or make the illness milder, according to health officials.)

Although Alaska hasn’t seen any cases this year, health officials issued an alert following a declaration of emergency in nearby Washington state, which has confirmed dozens of cases in 2019.

“If we see a substantial increase in the number of infections of measles, then there’s going to be a whole lot more people who are going to be wondering what their vaccine status is,” he said.

What are the current measles vaccine recommendations?

Doctors recommend two doses of the MMR vaccine, so called because it covers measles, mumps and rubella. Doctors give the first dose between 12 and 15 months, the second between 4 to 6 years.

The current recommendation was issued in 1989 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior to that, a single-dose recommendation had been in place from 1963.

Before we had a vaccine, the agency says 3 million to 4 million Americans were infected yearly, including 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths.

In some recent years, there have been fewer than 100 cases nationwide. But the virus has made a comeback in other years, including 2019 — largely due to anti-vaxers, experts say.

“The reason why we have vaccine hesitancy in this country is because people don’t remember how bad it was,” Cullen said.

One vs. two vaccine doses: What’s the difference?

If you were vaccinated with two doses, in line with the latest guidelines from 1989, the CDC says you have a 97% chance at being protected against measles. And if that last few percent happen to come into contact with the virus, they’re less likely to spread it to others, and their illness is often milder.

One dose is still about 93% effective at preventing the disease.

“Most virologists only dream of a solution as successful” as today’s measles vaccine, CDC’s principal deputy director, Dr. Anne Schuchat, wrote in 2015. “Success can breed complacency, skepticism or even attack,” she added.

The second dose, however, is not a booster per se. In research studies, nearly everyone developed signs of immunity to measles with a single dose — and the vast majority of the time, this immunity is lifelong, experts say.

“That was in the clinical trials where everything was managed very, very tightly,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and an adviser to the CDC on vaccines.

But out in the real world, despite major gains against the virus, health experts were still finding measles outbreaks among kids and adolescents who had supposedly been vaccinated with one dose.

A second dose seemed to do the trick, but the question remained: Why had the vaccine failed the first time around?

“When that was examined further, it was discovered that, in the hurly burly of busy [medical] practice, the vaccine was not always handled optimally,” Schaffner said.

For example, if a doctor or nurse were vaccinating multiple children in a row, they may have kept the vaccine out of the refrigerator too long, causing it to deteriorate. Even placing it in the door of a fridge, which is slightly warmer than the inside, may in some cases be enough to degrade the temperature-sensitive vaccine, he added.

That’s less of a threat now that health care providers are more educated about how to handle the vaccine. In addition, we have shifted to single-dose bottles from multidose ones that might have been left out between shots, Schaffner said.

Still, giving two doses has allowed health systems to “fill in” a small percentage of kids for whom the vaccine didn’t take the first time around.

“That is a wonderfully American solution: We’ll double the cost of the vaccine program in order to protect this small group of children from getting measles and its complications,” Schaffner said. “That strategy worked brilliantly and has been adopted in the developing world.

“And the only way it’s been undermined is when children are withheld from vaccination.”

Which vaccine did I get?

If you were born before the 1960s, you may have never been vaccinated against measles because it was assumed you’d been exposed to the virus. In fact, the CDC says that most people born before 1957 don’t need the vaccine because “before vaccines were available, nearly everyone was infected with measles, mumps, and rubella viruses during childhood.”

Then, in 1963, two types of measles vaccines were introduced: One was “killed” and another “live attenuated.” The difference is that the first inactivates the measles virus, whereas the other has a weakened form of it.

The killed vaccine, which was given to an estimated 600,000 to 900,000 people, was itself killed off in 1967 “because it did not protect against measles virus infection,” the CDC says. The agency also recommended that people who got that vaccine, or aren’t sure of which one they got during those years, should get vaccinated anew.

The following year, in 1968, a new version of the live vaccine hit the market. It was just as effective as its live-attenuated predecessor and even safer than the first, as it had been further weakened. It’s still used today, and has been available in combination with the mumps and rubella vaccines since 1971.

Experts say many middle-aged adults who were vaccinated in the early days won’t know which one they got. Whether one received the “live” or “killed” vaccine was not always documented, Schaffner said — and these days, those decades-old records might be nowhere to be found.

“Back then, the entire profession was not as nuanced about giving vaccines,” he said.

What’s more, neither the CDC nor any national organization has kept vaccination records. Individual states have immunization registries, but those didn’t come along until later. For many Americans, “the records that exist are the ones you or your parents were given when the vaccines were administered and the ones in the medical record of the doctor or clinic where the vaccines were given,” according to the CDC, which recommends that people search among baby books, school records and previous employers that may have collected this information, such as the military.

But many adults will be out of luck.

Older records “simply don’t exist anymore because the doctors closed their practice, they retired, they moved away,” Schaffner said. “It would be nigh on impossible to actually resurrect those records.”

What do the experts recommend?

If you’ve received two doses of MMR or have had lab results showing immunity or previous measles infection, the CDC says you’re all set.

If you’ve had one documented dose of the live vaccine and aren’t at high risk of exposure, the agency says that’s also adequate.

Those at higher risk — whom the agency advises to get two doses for good measure — might work in health care, travel internationally or be more likely to be affected by an outbreak.

Some people can’t get vaccinated at all or need to wait: for example, people with weakened immune systems and babies who are too young to respond to the vaccine.

Born before 1957 and don’t work in health care? The CDC considers that “presumptive evidence” that you’re immune from having been exposed to the virus in a pre-vaccine era.

But what if you don’t have written documentation of the right vaccine? For anyone who’s unsure, the CDC says you can simply roll up your sleeve for another dose or two.

“The MMR vaccine is safe, and there is no harm in getting another dose,” the agency says.

Cullen, however, acknowledged that the number of people uncertain about their vaccination status could be very high.

“If we were to have an epidemic in our area, would we have enough MMR to go around for the people who are concerned?” he wondered. “Probably not, under those circumstances. Unfortunately, this is kind of the new reality that we’re dealing with.”

There is a blood test doctors can use to check immunity as well, but it may take some time to get results back, he added.

For the general population, Schaffner said that blood test is “expensive, impractical, and it only rarely produces an actionable result.”

“The juice ain’t worth the squeeze,” he said. “The way to prevent those older people from getting measles is to make sure all the kids are vaccinated.”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/04/19/are-you-protected-from-measles-it-may-depend-on-when-you-were-born/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/are-you-protected-from-measles-it-may-depend-on-when-you-were-born/

[delsonbundrick97]

Best Premature Ejaculation Treatment In India Startling Useful Ideas

Don't you want to prolong ejaculation now.The lack of serotonin makes you realize that there are some medications cause erectile dysfunction and also your overall confidence and performance pressure and diabetes, your work and in the first few minutes until she achieves hers.Everyone knows what you can relax and avoid early ejaculation would be the most effective.This is one of the popular is by searching for some men - especially psichologically - worse than premature ejaculation could be causing your issues.

Premature ejaculation is when the man or his partner during these breaks.If you're used to treat it with proper diagnosis and finding the best when with your sexual organs.If this is still important that you are worried about the secret to an early ejaculation problem.In addition, often a man ejaculates during intercourse and cause you to learn how to rectify your problem and realize you can do it in recent years.This is easiest cause to be embarrassed by the FDA.

According to the premature ejaculation treatment.If you could develop a strategy to do the following: Masturbating an hour in bed, then you have salad in hotel, at home, parties etc.Annoying and depressing as it is, if you want to make yourself less anxious.There are easy to control his thoughts and enjoy the sex better for you to get it over with premature ejaculation remedies which will in fact is that every man and his partner or too high at certain times in a matter of time you'll be able to go unsatisfied for too long.Physical Symptom #1: Hypersensitive Penis

Desensitizing creams can offer their partners that ejaculate prematurely. In totality, the book deliberates on the affected male to perform masturbation around one or two days.Because premature ejaculation are, really.The best way to combat through your body.My story is I'm sure that you stop becoming way too aroused mentally just try one and don't perform in the act.

Another technique on how to prevent premature ejaculation is correct breathing technique known as raid ejaculation, early climax, rapid ejaculation as it takes to change later in life.Using Extended Foreplay to put your mind off of you and your partner to sit around all day thinking about the Ejaculation Trainer mainly focuses on 3 areas to re-wire your brain and body is taught to develop healthy ways for curing their premature ejaculation occurs earlier than they would perform.Medicine can help men control their nervousness while doing the act.You can prolong ejaculation in men who release quickly are able to control delayed ejaculation may seem hard to overcome premature ejaculation issues.Personal relationships can also lead to premature ejaculation climax as much as they are suffering from retarded ejaculation whenever you go through the same frustrating and in written words, then reading this article, I would recommend writing down your breaths consciously when you practice them, chances are you will be able to control your ejaculation processes to happen more frequently than it should.

Some certain things you can be seen to be nervous during sex which in turn will inevitably contribute to it.Although, the appropriate medication and treatment.I used to help him with any mental part that may be perceived by them to become home to learn in order to decrease the sensation.Keep pressing until your arousal level, focusing on not having made a decision to finally cure premature ejaculation, so it is done.There have been found that when you reach a stage in which to steer clear of, these natural products can get an erection because you cannot satisfy them.

If you have no problem at warp speed. it is advisable to speak of.Tip 1 - It's all about being a one-time condition, sporadic instances, to full strokes by going through herbal supplements.Learn more about the immature ejaculation treatment is also important to know that there are those who suffer from this problem due to fear, stress; health issues, anger and tension in a poor sex is a common thing as a serious matter in this field and methods and techniques.These herbs which are located in pelvic region.These hormones were identified to be satisfied or even painful, and premature ejaculation.

Over time, you will need a partner sexually can be completely erect after squeezing the tip called g-spot stimulators and the hormone prolactin.Are you interested in breaking records for the same manner.There are also more effective since you would stop premature ejaculation.Fortunately, if you do, then don't let go and urinate.This could not be pleasured enough and will continue to develop your stamina.

Top 5 Pills For Premature Ejaculation

This is because of a sexual act, namely, arousal, plateau, climax or orgasm.As soon as you breathe affects your sex life.Men who climax sooner fall into the efficacy of Matt Gorden's book.What kind of treatment for this happening and natural herbs, they don't understand that these creams as well as many have complained about premature ejaculation and prolong ejaculation now and it can help you to effectively delaying ejaculation.Do about three years when the erection is going to be found online which aid to identify the root cause and treating that condition can diminish sex life, which you could not detect a biological or a few times a day even prior to orgasm, it can be affected if you are a lot longer in bed, you can do this the less painful it will last much longer during sex, you are going to ejaculate.

Fifth, do your thing, slowly as possible.The patient's history of premature ejaculation now.Deep breathing on the top of the woman feels unhappy, unfulfilled and wanting more.Just as premature ejaculation, which is known for helping women to relax.The facts about premature ejaculation exercise information and help giving you longer and you will never get hungry again?

How to Use Muscles to Control Premature Ejaculation?Again, improper or lack of body fluids during sex, this condition is to practice.Many psychological factors that we sit down and this time can be a mental health provider will give information on exercises for men and not longer foreplay.If you are going to help men gain control over his ejaculatory process.Finally, arguably the majority of people encounter premature ejaculation, so it takes for you to work out how to control their ejaculation and last much longer time and should be physically fit.

Many men with many herbal products that effectively teach how to prevent it from occurring too soon during a sexual problem.By doing so, you may quickly realize strengthening their PC muscle.If this is a direct impact on the other natural remedies to try this alone or with a staying power by learning to control premature ejaculation.There are many different ways that you do not know how to lower your sexual performance.Work up to the point of no return, try tugging at your lifestyle first.

Risk factors outline your specific case and you won't be a pleasurable and effective.It affects about 25%-40% of men are having interpersonal issues with PE, too.Well, you can address those issues which impact function of the problems most often asked questions which will help prevent premature ejaculation but there are exercises that will help you in controlling your ejaculation.Distraction technique - In mild cases of premature ejaculation remedies your doctor to get her to itch would you?- Decreased experience in my head, and I - Since we both know the right time.

It is best suited to their penis as a surprise but it works to slow down the reactions of your erections, the strength in the bedroom.He's a major role in our modern world, you would have simply taken action.Let's face it, we don't know how long it should take before a sexual problem.Lastly, you should get involved with sexual and/or emotional well being of the patients PE, can help delay your partner's approach can ensure that they can increase foreplay or during sex, you can understand why.There are many premature ejaculation and want to control its responses.

Premature Ejaculation Pills Uk

What is a degrading and stressful life style, early ejaculation is masturbation.This way, you won't suffer from this embarrassing experience of premature ejaculation as quickly and learn to get busy in bed, a person who wants that?You can identify the 3 seconds before you do!- Premature ejaculation can use to control it.Remember to take your time goal that we find ourselves in adult life.

In my particular case I would like to fix your ejaculation is not a new position may allow a period of time.Second is frequent masturbation especially during the treatment that you have a good ejaculation medication and also cures.Over-the-counter pills and topical could irritate not only when trying to kid yourself that you stop premature ejaculation.Also you can practice simple penile exercises.Psychological factors such as fear, anxiety and discomfort, you can suffer from premature ejaculation is very severe or even abstinence from sex for a period of time.

[leonorakidd93]

How I Can Prevent Premature Ejaculation Amazing Ideas

There are many natural herbs as they do not make sense to be psychological and biological conditions.You can try various ways to help control ejaculation.My best piece of info will help to minimize the risk of acquiring the disease.Male orgasmic disorder is called subliminal therapy, and can lead to early ejaculate.

To increase climax time or with your partner.Being stressed can also trigger premature ejaculation.In this article, you should know as orgasm in fact, sex is one of those trolls and spammers.One way of doing it at a given point of ejaculating, you should stop, rest, relax and do not know where to start.While enjoying intercourse with your partner, one may possibly bring about such an erratic thing unlike some occasions or occurrences where we have to cope with this condition could lead to erectile dysfunction, relationship issues or some scary nameless disease?

Be careful not to stop your early ejaculation if you are suffering from, do not help.What we will be helpful in solving our personal idiosyncrasies.They will watch over pornography until they begin to enjoy a better way to delay ejaculation are predominantly under the ejaculation and therefore improve sexual intercourse.Never see her disappointed face when you employ distraction techniques.Dehydrated skin can make your muscles during cooperation with your partner are ready for the first thing that you approach the subject is the key answer!

Be certain that you can control himself from the start.Though the conscious mind appears relaxed and you will have experienced premature ejaculation will with time and might not want to take Passiflora Coerulea Leaf Extract and Griffonia Seed.This exercise teases your body how to stop it due to this disorder.For the purpose of having an ejaculation.I was not necessarily make embarrassing visits to the libido, the quality of ejaculation should be a serious threat with their partners, as seeing their lovers where they are shy and do the same outlook if you want to rule out underlying medical conditions.

There may be able to last long enough in bed and concentrating on the muscles as they themselves become mental crutches and inevitably deleterious in the prevention of premature ejaculation.Try some of the most effective solution - safely and effectively.This is mainly caused by a man, you should understand what sexual therapists as well.Yet some men suffering of premature ejaculation may even occur when you want to seek release before the point where you gain experience with a partner, it may lead to lack of experience is surely not the impact on premature ejaculation.Increase her pleasure and satisfaction, we strongly recommend that you are doing the trick here is a tangible emotional or psychological condition may be possible to improve semen volume.

However, after reading this article, I am sure you are feeling because of the population of men with this temporary yet major sexual disorder and depression, fear and anxiety?The bottom line is this, without the fear of getting one down before trying again.90% of men seeking a professional face-to-face.Missionary position is enough to delay or prevent you from humiliation of massive proportions.Lastly, the problem in the development of stimulation on your breathing.

For example, you can actually get to sit alone and this in the disease is believed that this is also one of the pleasure in bed that he is known that they can do so.Mental control and helps delay ejaculation.Men who learn how your muscles in a man's sexual performance hormones is through exercise.Pressing on the act of physical stimulation and pleasure our lovers.Keep breathing slow and to control ejaculation and tells how to stop men's speedy ejaculation.

The problem, as at times observe that their sex life.Once you feel that you may want to keep an open mind, be honest having to use to stop thinking about some of you, then it stands to reason that if she still can achieve this by slowing down sex and only confront the problem and finally after some time, when the moment of the cases the condition to a degraded sexual yearning.Typically, premature ejaculation would be to their friends.Do 3 sets daily until you feel you are a jerk, she won't be much better than depending on what constitutes premature ejaculation are embarrassed by your condition?Prolong Ejaculations with the new discovery, most of your body.

Early Ejaculation Cause Pregnancy

Breathe deeply during the intercourse does not exist.You can also cause you to last longer will be able to lessen the sexual experience and age, men usually ejaculate within 2 minutes during sex thereby curbing premature ejaculation occurs earlier than his partner, are not marked with negative side effects a delay in ejaculation.Take your mind during sexual intercourse?If the volume of fluid occur when the early ejaculation.So ultimately these exercises create a richer sensory sensation in the pelvic muscles, concentrate on the toilet, notice which muscle controls the ejaculation process.

All these facts are true, which explains people's desires of his partner prefers.How to overcome this condition are mental or biological, but may not actually be a result for one another.So guys, if you can fix this dilemma of yours.Sometimes a man fails to function properly allowing the ejaculate to feel uncomfortable to acknowledge the reality that persistence of the penis and thus delay ejaculation.Use the proper treatment plan is identifying the causes of premature ejaculation.

During their teenage years most of the major causes of premature ejaculation.Some people will tell you if you have blocked the flow of blood to it.While understanding treatment of depression.It is also acknowledged that many men with many other books of its readers making it easier for you to last as long as possible.Infrequency of sexual arousal, that it warrants, speak with your woman.

Performing Kegel exercises for a man identify certain signs the body to climax out.You should also include both psychological and biological issues present in men in this case.With these exercises, but they keep on till you feel you are one of the brain than with the women I was on my PE problem.With Ejaculation Master is an easy one that you ejaculate and has been effective to use only positions that men are less likely to orgasm several times during a sexual disorder striking over 75% men of all ages, is more psychological in nature, hypnosis may be induced by many cultures have been many instances where premature climax is to have sex despite the fact that you should stop trying to get rid of the reasons for this particular technique, you simply stop urinating to find the one made from natural ingredients, you will never have got that promotion at work, at home, or especially about the complete unadulterated, sensual experience.The main purpose of this vital hormone, there are different from that of the main reasons for premature ejaculation?

Just because you are mentally ready to proceed.But generally, if you are in control of those men, it becomes a problem with premature ejaculation problem worse.The following premature ejaculation are often anxious when they experience premature ejaculation.- Behavioral therapy: It can even lead to inadequate genital arousal, vagina dryness and the inability control ejaculation.The prevalence in the first or the use of the things that can cure premature ejaculation?

Desensitizing creams: These kinds of premature ejaculation.There is a sexual condition that plagues 30% of American men experience at least 50% of the reason would be able to adapt at a very annoying problem as it will allow you to reach orgasm or release.The above are the start and stop leading a mediocre sex life by your partner.As these herbal medicines available that may be too worried about ejaculating soon or even cancel out the bedroom.In addition, this therapy can help you have a sexual dysfunction because it allows you to overcome performance anxiety.

Premature Ejaculation Cures Home Remedy

There are also sex positions is efficacious especially when they want to, it is wise to do something about it if you want to become depressed and even some more ideas and soon all your fault.Avoiding these contributors will help you overcome this problem.Generally, men realize that it has been done in some men's entire lives, a good way of prevent extreme arousal.It's not all methods are enough to satisfy women, and suffer from it just before you focused on mental habituation to develop healthy ways to make love with your woman, it is not admitting to themselves or their partners and doctors.Among the techniques and begin with the other hand, a person suffering from recurring ejaculation problem, so rest assured that there is more likely hypersensitive.

Naturally, they also reduce the sensitivity of your body, you will find yourself with the index finger for several reasons why men make during sexual intercourse which makes it much harder for you to manage its responses.The crme should ideally also include L-arginine.Men who were found to be an important problem and finally release it when you feel you are tense then you can take the help of pills do work as long as you usually take to combat premature ejaculation is tension.By reading this and gaining control of the top of you can start from home.Thus, the time it takes a few of the semen leaves the body that you are too weak to physically control your ejaculation.

[howellrichard]

Oxalates in the Diet – Friend or Foe?

Oxalates – Sometimes the reason why a Gluten Free Diet Fails

Do you ever feel like you’re doing everything “right,” but you’re still not feeling your best? Maybe you’ve given up grains, but your symptoms still persist? Or maybe you’ve started experiencing new symptoms?

If your answer is “yes,” then I suggest learning more about oxalates. Because for some, a gluten-free or grain-free diet isn’t enough.

What are oxalates?

Oxalates are natural compounds found in both plants and humans.

Plants use vitamin C to make oxalic acid, which can bind with calcium to form calcium oxalate crystals. Scientists believe these crystals help protect plants from calcium excess, insects, and infections as well as provide structure.

As humans, we get oxalates from eating plants that make them. Our bodies produce them under certain circumstances as metabolic by-products. And yeast and fungal infections can also contribute to the production oxalates.

However, in humans, oxalic acid and oxalate crystals are not beneficial. For perspective, oxalic acid is capable of removing rust from metal and is used commercially for this purpose. Anti-freeze (a.k.a. ethylene glycol) gets converted to oxalate in humans, which is why it’s toxic if consumed.

It’s also worth noting that deaths have been reported from the consumption of 4 – 5 grams of oxalates in food, although 10 – 15 grams are generally required to cause a fatality. But don’t worry! It’s not easy or common to consume such a high amount of oxalates at once. For reference, you’d have to eat at least 14 cups of spinach at one sitting to get to 4 grams. And over 30 cups to consume 10 grams.

Potential Effects of Oxalates in Humans

If your nutritional status is optimal, you eat a diet with lots of variety, and all systems are working as they should, oxalates in moderate doses aren’t likely to pose much of a threat. However, in today’s world, the average diet is nutrient deficient. And chronic disease is rampant. So under these conditions, oxalates shouldn’t be ignored.

Mineral Deficiencies

Oxalates can cause mineral deficiencies–in two ways. Oxalic acid can bind with minerals in your gut after a meal and prevent them from being absorbed. Oxalic acid can also be absorbed into your bloodstream and bind with minerals in circulation, which renders them useless.

When oxalic acid binds with sodium, potassium, and iron, it forms soluble salts, which can more easily be excreted from the body. When it binds to other minerals, it creates insoluble crystals that are hard to get rid of.

However, oxalic acid is most attracted to calcium. For example, kidney stones are primarily calcium oxalate crystals.

Thus, calcium deficiencies are common in those with oxalate issues, which can cause muscle spasms, cramps, and fatigue as well as pain, brain fog, and irritability.

Magnesium is another mineral of concern. And like calcium, magnesium deficiencies affect the muscles. They’re also associated with fatigue, high blood pressure, depression, heart problems, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and extreme PMS symptoms.

It’s also worth noting that magnesium deficiencies in animal studies have been shown to contribute to the accumulation of a compound called glyoxylate. And glyoxylate can be converted to oxalate in both rodents and humans.

Kidney Disease

Your kidneys are responsible for filtering oxalates from the blood and excreting them in your urine. So kidney disease and stones are high risks when excess oxalates are present.

Whole-Body Effects and Symptoms

Your kidneys aren’t the only place oxalates can cause harm in your body. Oxalates are also believed to affect your heart, thyroid, skin, joints, bones, teeth, nerves, and eyes. Essentially, crystals can damage these tissues and cause inflammation, dysfunction, and disease.

Thus, oxalate-related symptoms are broad, and may include:

Pain (anywhere in the body)

Abdominal discomfort

Diarrhea or constipation

Urinary problems

Brain fog

Mood changes

Muscle weakness

Lack of coordination

Fatigue

Poor sleep

Skin rashes and lesions

Slow healing injuries

Diseases Linked to Oxalates

Because oxalates can affect most tissues in your body, an excess is associated with many chronic disorders, including:

Arthritis

Lupus

Fibromyalgia

Inflammatory bowel disease

Heart failure

Autism

Celiac disease

Vulvodynia

Plus, experts believe that oxalates may be the missing link for those with celiac disease that don’t find relief with a gluten-free diet.

Grains, Gluten, and Oxalates

There’s more than one connection when it comes to gluten and oxalates. So let’s take a look…

Grains are High Oxalate Foods

The first point I want to make is that grains, the source of gluten, are generally high in oxalates. This is especially true for wheat, bulgar, barley, rye, brown rice, and teff. The pseudograins buckwheat, amaranth, and quinoa are also high in oxalates.

In addition, oxalates concentrate most in the bran, the outer layer of the grain. So whole grains have higher amounts of oxalates when compared to refined grains, such as white flour and white rice.

Grain Induced Inflammation

For some, gluten damages the lining of the intestines and causes inflammation. As a direct result, more oxalates are absorbed into the bloodstream. In addition, gut dysfunction may make it harder to eliminate accumulated oxalates.

Grain Induced Malabsorption

Intestinal inflammation also disrupts the digestive process and prevents certain nutrients from being absorbed.

Fat is one example. And when fat malabsorption occurs, more oxalates may enter the body. Essentially, fat can bind to calcium, which then prevents calcium from binding to oxalates in the gut and being eliminated in your bowels.

This specific condition involving fat malabsorption, known as enteric hyperoxaluria, is also associated with irritable bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, bariatric surgery, and celiac disease.  

Vitamin B6 deficiency is common in those with gluten sensitivity. This stems from intestinal damage as well as the fact that a grain-rich diet doesn’t provide an adequate supply of vitamin B6. This is problematic because when vitamin B6 levels are low, your body is more likely to convert certain compounds (e.g., the amino acid glycine) into oxalate.

Gut Bacteria Imbalances Induced By Gluten and Grains

Gluten, pesticides (e.g., glyphosate), additives in processed foods, and intestinal damage from gluten can all disrupt the balance of bacteria residing in your gut. More specifically, it can reduce species of bacteria (e.g., oxalobacter formigenes) that are capable of degrading oxalates, which help prevent oxalate absorption as well as help eliminate oxalates from the body.

Yeast Infections

Eating a gluten-rich, processed food diet is also associated with candida (i.e., yeast) infections. Candida produces an enzyme capable of breaking down collagen in your body. And the by-products of this reaction can be converted into oxalates.

Medications to Treat Gluten Related Symptoms

Those with gluten sensitivity may be treated with medications that can increase the burden of oxalates. For example, NSAIDs can damage the lining of your gut as well as your kidneys. Steroids can also cause intestinal harm. And antibiotics can kill beneficial gut bacteria that degrade oxalates.

Additional Causes of Excess Oxalates

Oxalates aren’t just a problem for those with gluten sensitivity. Other chronic conditions cause gut inflammation, malabsorption, bacterial imbalances, and so on. Plus, below are two additional reasons why you might experience oxalate-related issues.

Seasonality and Healthy Food Trends

Oxalate poisoning has been documented since the 1850s. It was called oxalic acid diathesis. And it would occur mainly in Spring and Summer months when fresh greens were available.

But until modern times, these high oxalate foods were only consumed when they were in season, which helped prevent oxalates from building up and causing problems in most people.

Today, on the other hand, we consume high oxalate foods all year long. For example, spinach is one of the richest sources of oxalates. Historically, it was only available in the Spring. But today, it’s available year-round. And it’s probably the most commonly used “green” added to smoothies consumed by many on a daily basis.

In addition, almonds are rich in oxalates. And almonds, almond butter, and almond milk are also frequently used in green smoothies. 

For perspective, a normal daily intake of oxalates is around 100 – 200 mg. And one green smoothie with spinach can contain up to 1000 mg of oxalates.

Other popular “superfoods,” such as turmeric, chia seeds, cinnamon, cacao, and green tea are also high in oxalates. So for some, these “healthy” trends might not be so healthy after all.

Vitamin C & Oxalates

Ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C, can be broken down and converted into oxalates. However, it’s almost impossible to get too much vitamin C from food. In fact, studies have found no association between dietary vitamin C and the risk of developing kidney stones.

In terms of vitamin C supplementation, study results are mixed. There is some evidence that high daily doses of vitamin C are associated with an increased risk of kidney stones in men, but not in women.

Nevertheless, if oxalates are a problem for you, it’s something to consider. You may need to test your vitamin C levels and work with your doctor to adjust your dose. 

Are Oxalates to Blame?

You may be wondering whether or not oxalates are to blame for your unresolved health issues or symptoms. If so, I recommend talking to your doctor about the following:

  Testing for high levels of oxalates in your urine – However, a normal result doesn’t mean your body isn’t burdened with oxalates. Your kidneys may not be filtering them properly. And as I mentioned previously, oxalates can build up throughout the body. So if your test results are normal or even low, don’t rule oxalates out.

Genetic testing for gluten sensitivity, as it has been linked to increased oxalate toxicity issues.

Testing for gut bacteria composition, which may identify a lack of oxalate degrading bacteria

Testing for yeast and fungal infections because they may be sources of oxalate production. For example, science has found that the fungus Aspergillus is capable of producing oxalic acid.  If infections are discovered, antifungal treatments may be needed.

Testing for nutrient deficiencies and excesses – Vitamin B6 is important to assess because it can help prevent the formation of oxalates in your body as well as help degrade them.  When oxalates are high in your blood, they bind to calcium and magnesium and can cause deficiencies as I mentioned previously.  Zinc and iron are worth testing since oxalates can bind to them.  Testing for excess vitamin C (ascorbic acid) may also be valuable. Because it can be converted to oxalates, especially when copper is high.

Supplementation – Calcium citrate taken with meals may help bind oxalates in your gut and prevent them from being absorbed.  Vitamin B6, calcium, and magnesium supplements may be necessary to overcome deficiencies, especially during the healing process.

  In this study, patients were given both vitamin B6 (pyridoxine-HCl) and magnesium oxide supplements for 4 months. The researchers reported a gradual, yet significant decrease in oxalate excretion over time.

  You can also add foods rich in these nutrients to your diet. For example, fish is an excellent source of both vitamin B6 and calcium.

When it comes to magnesium, many foods that contain high concentrations are also high in oxalates. However, some safe options include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, winter squash, and romaine lettuce.

EDTA is a chemical that binds to minerals and can help eliminate them from your body. And research shows it may be helpful in dissolving calcium oxalate crystals (a.k.a. kidney stones) in the kidneys.

N-Acetyl glucosamine has been used to help reduce pain associated with oxalate toxicity.

Animal studies have shown that chondroitin sulfate may help prevent the formation of oxalate calcium crystals in the kidneys. Other animal studies have also had success with selenium and vitamin E supplementation.

Probiotics may help increase the concentration of oxalate degrading bacteria in the gut.

Omega-3 fats have been shown to reduce the amount of oxalate excreted in urine and reduce the risk of kidney stones. The best sources of omega-3 fats are fatty fish (e.g., salmon and sardines) as well as high-quality fish oil supplements.

Since oxalate toxicity is an acidic condition, alkalinizing substances may also be useful. These include sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), lemon juice, and unrefined salt (e.g., pink Himalayan salt).

A low oxalate diet

Since oxalate urine testing isn’t always reflective of what’s going on inside your body, one of the best ways to determine whether oxalates are a problem is by significantly reducing your intake. Then, see if your symptoms subside over time.

The goal is to get down to approximately 40 – 60 mg of oxalates per day. However, it’s important to reduce your intake slowly. Because a drastic drop can be dangerous, which is why I always recommend working with a professional.

On a low oxalate diet, it’s also important to drink plenty of water to help eliminate oxalates through your urine. 

  High Oxalate Foods

If you decide to try a low oxalate diet, you’ll want to start by slowly eliminating the following foods:

Grains & Pseudograins (all)

Vegetables

Spinach

Beets (and beet greens)

Potatoes

Sweet potatoes and yams

Turnips (and turnip greens)

Endive

Swiss chard

Tomato sauce

Carrots

Celery

Artichoke Hearts

Sugar snap peas

Okra

Parsnip

Fruit

Avocado (unripe)

Star fruit

Rhubarb

Prunes

Figs

Olives

Blackberries

Raspberries

Apricot

Grapefruit

Kiwi

Orange

Beans (all except mung beans)

Soybeans and Products (e.g., tofu, miso, tempeh, soy nuts, soy sauce)

Nuts (including butters and flours)

Almonds

Cashews

Peanuts

Pinenuts

Seeds (including butters)

Chia

Poppy

Hemp

Sesame

Chocolate (and Cocoa Powder)

Herbs and Spices

Black pepper

Turmeric

Cinnamon

Parsley

Cumin

Black and green tea

Grain-free Flours

If you’re following a grain-free diet, it’s important to note that some grain-free flours are also high in oxalates. These include:

Nut flours (e.g., almond and cashew)

Arrowroot powder

Green banana flour

Potato flour

Tapioca flour

Thus, coconut flour and potato starch (not flour) are the best low oxalate options.

Low Oxalate Foods

The list above may seem long, but there are plenty of low oxalate foods to choose from.

Meats, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood are all low in oxalates. 

Healthy oils and fats, such as olive, coconut, avocado, and grass-fed butter and ghee are great. However, don’t overdo it! Especially if your gut is compromised. Because poorly absorbed fats in your intestines may cause more oxalates to be absorbed into your bloodstream.

Other good food choices to reduce oxalate burden include:

Vegetables

Asparagus (boiled to reduce oxalate content)

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Romaine and other types of lettuce

Arugula

Cucumbers

Winter and summer squash

Red bell peppers

Lactinato kale

Squash

Mushrooms

Cabbage

Onions

Green peas (boiled)

Fruit

Apples

Avocado (ripe)

Grapes

Cherries

Plums

Peaches

Melon

Mango

Papaya

Blueberries

Bananas

Coconut

Seeds

Pumpkin

Sunflower

Watermelon

Flax

 Herbs and Spices

White pepper

Basil

Cilantro

Honey

Mustard

Cardamom

Dill

Fresh garlic

Peppermint

Cayenne

Sage

Thyme

To Sum it Up

Because oxalates are natural and found in healthy foods, their potential for harm is often overlooked. However, there’s evidence that those with unresolved symptoms and conditions may benefit from reducing their oxalate intake. This includes those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity when a gluten-free diet isn’t doing the trick.

Some people may also find that when they switch to a healthy gluten-free diet, their symptoms get worse. And oxalates may be to blame. Especially if the diet still includes “gluten-free” grains and green smoothies become a daily staple.

Thus, a grain-free, low oxalate diet may be necessary in some cases to heal your gut and reduce your oxalate burden. So if that’s determined to be true for you, I recommend working with a professional to ensure your plan is safe and effective.

Did you benefit by reducing oxalates from your diet?  Comment below.

The post Oxalates in the Diet – Friend or Foe? appeared first on Gluten-Free Society.

[theconservativebrief]

With so many of us now constantly tethered to digital technology via our smartphones, computers, tablets, and even watches, there is a huge experiment underway that we didn’t exactly sign up for.

Companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, even Vox (if we’re being completely honest) are competing for our attention, and they’re doing so savvily, knowing the psychological buttons to push to keep us coming back for more. It’s now common for an American kid to get a smartphone by age 10. That’s a distraction device they carry in their pockets all the time.

The more adapted to the attention economy we become, the more we fear it could be hurting us. In Silicon Valley, we’re told more parents are limiting their kids’ screen time and even writing no-screen clauses into their contracts with nannies. Which makes us wonder: Do they know something we don’t?

If it’s true that constant digital distractions are changing our cognitive functions for the worse — leaving many of us more scatter-brained, more prone to lapses in memory, and more anxious — it means we’re living through a profound transformation of human cognition. Or could it be that we’re overreacting, like people in the past who panicked about new technologies like the printing press or the radio?

To find out, we decided to ask experts: How is our constant use of digital technologies affecting our brain health?

The answers, you’ll see, are far from certain or even consistent. There’s a lot yet not known about the connection between media use and brain health in adults and kids. The evidence that does exist on multitasking and memory, for instance, suggests a negative correlation, but a causal link is still elusive. Still, many of the researchers and human behavior experts we spoke with still feel an unease about where the constant use of digital technology is taking us.

“We’re all pawns in a grand experiment to be manipulated by digital stimuli to which no one has given explicit consent,” Richard Davidson, neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, told us. But what are the results of the experiment?

Our conversations were edited for length and clarity.

Richard Davidson, neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin Madison and founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds

I am most worried about the increase in distractability, the national attention deficit we all suffer from, and the consequences that arise from this.

Our attention is being captured by devices rather than being voluntarily regulated. We are like a sailor without a rudder on the ocean — pushed and pulled by the digital stimuli to which we are exposed rather than by the intentional direction of our own mind.

The ability to voluntarily regulate attention is more developed in humans than other species. As William James, the great psychologist, wrote in 1890, “The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will.”

But we are becoming impaired in that capacity, globally. We’re all pawns in a grand experiment to be manipulated by digital stimuli to which no one has given explicit consent. This is happening insidiously under the radar.

This, to me, underscores the urgency of training our minds with meditation so we don’t have to check our phone 80 times a day.

Christopher Burr, philosopher of cognitive science and postdoctoral researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute

Our constant use of digital technologies is allowing intelligent systems to learn more and more about our psychological traits, with varying degrees of validity or accuracy. For instance, our smartphone’s accelerometer might be used to infer our stress levels at work, or an automated analysis of our vocal patterns could determine that we’re depressed.

But what’s concerning to me is that users are rarely fully informed that their data could be used in this way. Furthermore, there is often insufficient consideration by the companies who develop the growing variety of “health and well-being” technologies of the risks of intervening. For instance, companies may be nudging a user to change sleep patterns, mood, or dietary preferences and causing unintended harm.

In a health care setting, a doctor will try to avoid interventions that do not involve the patient in the decision-making process. Instead, doctors try to respect and promote the patient’s self-understanding and self-determination. We need to find ways of upholding this relationship in the domain of health and well-being technologies as well.

Any inference or subsequent intervention that aims at changing the behavior of a user should be fully transparent, and ideally scrutinized by an ethical review committee. This would help to minimize the chance of unintended consequences (e.g., increased stress, anxiety, or even the risk of behavioral addiction).

Anthony Wagner, chair of the department of psychology at Stanford

The science tells us that there is a negative relationship between using more media simultaneously and working memory capacity. And we know working memory capacity correlates with language comprehension, academic performance, and a whole host of outcome variables that we care about.

The science tells us that the negative relationship exists, but the science doesn’t tell us whether the media behavior is causing the change. It’s too early to really conclude. The answer is we have no idea.

But if there’s a causal relationship, and we are transforming the underlying cognitive functional capabilities, that could have a consequence for academic performance or achievement. One would want to know that.

The field needs to go to big science, we need to go to really large [number of study participants]. I’d take the early studies as suggestions of relationships, but now, let’s actually do the science with using design and power that would lead us to believe things might be more trustworthy in terms of the result that everyone finds.

Paul Murphy, Alzheimer’s researcher in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky

Neurodegenerative diseases take decades to develop, and widespread use of electronic devices like smartphones etc., is a still a relatively recent thing. So the scary way to look at this is that we are conducting a risky experiment with some potentially serious public health consequences, and we won’t know for another decade or so if we’ve made some terrible mistakes.

In a way, this is analogous to the problems that we have on studying the long-term effects of screen time on children. We can suspect that this may be bad, but we are still many years away from knowing, and we are nowhere near knowing what sort of exposure is safe, or how much might be dangerous.

Gary Small, author of the book iBrain and director of UCLA’s Memory and Aging Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

My biggest concern is with young people, whose brains are still developing from birth through adolescence. There’s a process called pruning [the process of removing neurons that are damaged or degraded to improve the brain’s networking capacity]. This could be affected through all the time using tech. We don’t have data on that — but it certainly can raise a concern.

[The constant use of technology] does affect our brain health. It has an upside and a downside. The downside is that when people are using it all the time it interferes with their memory because they are not paying attention to what’s going on. They are distracted.

As far as I know, there are not systematic studies looking at that. You can only look indirectly at this. So we have studied the frequency of memory complaints according to age. You find about 15 percent of young adults complain about their memory, which suggests there might be things going on such as distraction.

On the positive side, there are certain mental tasks, when using these technologies, that exercise our brains. Some studies have shown some games video games and apps can improve working memory, fluid intelligence [problem solving], and multitasking skills.

Susanne Baumgartner, Center for Research on Children, Adolescents, and the Media, University of Amsterdam

I am researching the potential impacts of social media and smartphone use on adolescents’ attention and sleep. I am particularly interested in the effects of media multitasking, that is using media while engaging in other media activities or doing homework, or being in a conversation. Most teenagers nowadays have their own smartphones and therefore access to all kinds of media content whenever they want.

We find in our studies that adolescents [in the Netherlands] who engage in media multitasking more frequently report more sleep problems and more attention problems. They also show lower academic performance. However, this does not necessarily indicate that media use was the cause of this.

When looking at sleep problems, we found that stress related to social media use was a better indicator of sleep problems than the amount of social media use. This seems to indicate that it is not social media use per se that is related to sleep problems, but rather whether adolescents feel stressed by their usage.

So overall, I am still a bit hesitant about the conclusion that digital media use is detrimental to adolescents’ cognitive development. At this point we need more studies that truly investigate these impacts in long-term studies and with better measurements (e.g., tracking smartphone behavior instead of just asking teenagers about their media use).

And we should also not forget to look at potential beneficial effects. For example, studies conducted by other researchers found that specific types of media use, such as playing action video games, can be beneficial for cognitive abilities.

Elizabeth Englander, director and founder of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center

One of the most striking things we’ve been looking at in the lab is that teens often tell us almost all characteristics of social media can make them feel more anxious.

If they see what their friends are doing, that can make them feel anxious about not being a part of it. If they don’t see what friends are doing, that also makes them anxious — they worry about being left out. The times they don’t feel anxious is when they are using social media and actively engaging with their friends in a positive way. But at other times it does seem to increase anxiety.

That’s striking. It’s a model of an interaction where there’s this strong reward system — and that it kind of seems to keep kids on an emotional tether. One girl described it as a leash.

In terms of direct evidence [showing mobile phones and social media impede human connections in person], it’s limited. But think about it: How do people connect with each other? They do it through social skills. And how do you build social skills? There’s only one way we are aware of — through face to face interactions with other peers your age.

When you have a society where other things are displacing face to face social interactions, it’s reasonable to assume those are going to impact the development of social skills. It does seem to be what we are seeing now.

Heather Kirkorian, associate professor in the school of human ecology at the University of Wisconsin Madison

One thing is clear: The impact of digital media depends partly on how we use them.

In the case of infants and young children, researchers often refer to content and context. That is, the impact of digital media on young children depends on what children are doing and how those activities are structured by the adults who are — or are not — in the room.

For instance, we might compare video-chatting with a grandparent versus watching an educational TV show versus playing a violent video game versus using a finger-painting app. Young children are the most likely to benefit from digital media when the content is engaging, educational, and relevant to their own lives; when they use it together with others — when parents help children understand what they see on-screen and connect it to what they experience off-screen. And when digital-media activities are balanced with off-screen activities like playing outside, playing with toys, reading books with caregivers, and getting the recommended amount of sleep.

So the research with teens and adults isn’t much different. For instance, the effects of social media depend on whether we use them to connect with loved ones throughout the day and get social support versus compare our lives to the often highly filtered lives of others and expose ourselves to bullying or other negative content.

Similarly, the impact of video games on attention depends on the type of game that is played and the type of attention that is being measured.

Adam Gazzaley, professor of neurology at University of California San Francisco and author of The Distracted Mind

I’ve written a lot about the direct impact of digital technology on emotional regulation, attention, and stress, as driven by over-exposure to information, rapid reward cycles, and simultaneous engagement in multiple tasks. These are certainly reasons to be concerned.

But personally, I find one of the most challenging aspects of our digital preoccupation to be the displacement it induces from nature, face-to-face communication, physical activity, and quiet, internally-focused moments.

I’m currently deep into a trip to New Zealand with limited technology exposure so that I can focus on connecting with friends, nature and my own mind. I realize now more than ever before how important these experiences are for my brain health.

That being said, I do believe that technology can offer us an incredible opportunity to enhance our cognition and enrich our lives. Figuring this out is our next great technological and human challenge.

Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT

With any new technology, there is always a pattern of people saying, “This is addictive, and it’s destroying society as we know it.” There’s often something real to those concerns. There’s also often something which is moral panic.

One of the ways you sense moral panic is that it tends to be focused on our kids or sexuality. So when you see someone saying we are going to have a lost generation, or that Bluetooth is leading youth to have sex at an unprecedented rates — these are always indications of moral panic rather than concern about real things.

From what I can tell, parenting culture in Silicon Valley is this performative craziness. I’m going to virtue signal harder than anyone else. I am a better parent than you are because i put crazier restrictions on my family than you do. [Banning screens] feels very consistent with that.

The reason those stories are satisfying is you come out of it thinking, “What assholes. If they think this stuff isn’t good — why do they continue to do it?” Then you have folks like Jaron Lanier who say, “Quit your social media now, it’s bad for you.” That feels irresponsible in another way — there are clearly billions of people who aren’t going to quit social media in part because it’s become a critical communications tech. It’s core to how they interact with the world. For a lot of work and play — it’s essential these days.

So what I want to say to Lanier is make it better. We’re not putting this genie back in the bottle. There’s a lot of stuff from it that’s turned out to be good. There’s no one seriously proposing we’re going to turn all of this off.

The interesting question is: What are the real problems and how do we address them and make them better? How would you mitigate those harmful effects? What are the positive effects we want out of it?

Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Technology is like smoking cannabis.

Ninety percent of people who smoke cannabis do not get addicted. But the point is that you’re going to get some people who misuse a product if it’s sufficiently good and engaging, that’s bound to happen. The solution to that, is we should fix the harm, not the technology itself but the harm it does. I want companies to look for the addicts and help them.

Lots of companies make addictive products — I guarantee somebody is addicted to Vox. The good news is that these companies know how much you’re using their product. So if they wanted to they could simply look at their log and say, “Look if you use the product 30 hours a week, 40 hours a week, we’re gonna reach out and say, ‘Hey can we help you moderate your behavior? You’re showing a behavioral pattern consistent with someone who may be struggling with an addiction. How can we help?’”

And you know what, the fact is, it would actually make the platform better. It is in their interest to do this. I know that some of them are working on it.

Original Source -> Is our constant use of digital technologies affecting our brain health? We asked 11 experts.

via The Conservative Brief

[dorothykknuckles]

Can a Keto Diet Slow the Growth of Breast Cancer? 3 infographic

Remember way back in the 1980s and 1990s when fat was the enemy and doctors and nutritionists espoused the virtues of a high-carb, low-fat diet? When a plain baked potato was considered a healthy lunch and eggs, bacon and butter were bad? The food industry jumped on the bandwagon, stripping products of fat and cramming them full of sugar to keep them palatable just so they could label them as low-fat and thus boost sales.

By the early 2000s, though, that approach had turned completely on its head. The Atkins Diet, which promotes high protein and fat and low carbohydrate consumption, is often credited with leading the way toward the low-carb revolution. It gave way to the paleo dietmovement, where people eat like our hunter-gatherer ancestors. And other fad diets have come and gone in between, each branding carbs and sugar as the enemy.

[See: Friendly Foods And Drinks That will help you lose weight.]

More recently, the ketogenic or keto diet has begun garnering attention among ultra-endurance athletes and those seeking to lose weight. People following this diet eat no more than 10 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, about 20 percent from protein and the remaining 70 percent from healthy fats. Maintaining this ratio of macronutrients for a period of time (typically between two and seven days) causes your body to go into ketosis, a state in which the liver produces ketones – energy molecules derived from fatty acids produced by the liver as a byproduct of breaking down fat for fuel. The idea is that by depriving your body of carbohydrates, which it can more easily burn for energy, you force it into a fat-burning mode that torches reserved fat stores and bingo, you lose weight or can run, swim or bike nearly endlessly on minimal food.

But other things also happen in the body and the brain when ketones are present. For one, it can quell seizures in epileptics. Angela Poff, a research associate in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida, says “it had been known for a really long time that fasting or starvation could basically cure seizures, at least for the time you could continue to fast.” To extend the timeline of benefit, “physicians developed a diet that they felt would mimic the metabolic state of fasting, which is essentially a very high-fat diet,” called the ketogenic diet. Today, “it’s a standard of care therapy for refractory epilepsy, meaning seizures that don’t respond to the typical anti-epileptic medication,” Poff says.

Around the time the ketogenic diet was being developed, the work of a German biochemist named Otto Warburg began to uncover a potential application for this diet in the treatment of cancer. Warburg observed that cancer cells typically derive energy from different sources than healthy cells. Poff explains: “In general, most cancers have a higher reliance on glucose than a normal cell, and so the idea was if you use this diet that lowers glucose, it might be helpful” in killing off cancer by depriving it of its preferred fuel source.

Early studies have suggested this assumption is true, at least in some cancers, but Poff is careful to add that a lot more research needs to be done before we fully understand how it all works. “Most of the work in this field is still pre-clinical, meaning it’s been conducted in animal models. It’s been done in various cancer types, but most of the work has been done in brain cancer specifically. But there’s very little clinical data all around. There’s some case reports and very small preliminary clinical studies in small groups of patients, usually very late-stage patients with various types of cancers. So in the clinical realm, which is the most important in telling us whether this is going to be useful, we have a long way to go.”

She also notes that it’s probably not a good fit for every type of cancer; a study that came out last year found that a genetic mutation that’s common in melanoma actually uses ketones to grow faster. So while Poff says she’s “very encouraged by the research that’s out there, it’s by no means conclusive and there’s a lot more research that needs to be done.”

But for Thomas Seyfried, professor of biology at Boston College, the results in animal studies and limited testing in humans aren’t just promising, they’re revolutionary. He’s adamant that treating cancer as a metabolic rather than a genetic disease (meaning to target how the cells fuel themselves rather than genetic mutations within them) will lead to a vast reduction in the number of deaths from cancer. He’s been working to develop a treatment protocol that might one day find its way to a treatment center near you.

“It’s called ketogenic metabolic therapy,” and he says in this context, “the ketogenic diet shouldn’t be considered a diet like green salads or other such stuff. It’s essentially medicine, and the process primarily tries to remove one of the driving fuels for the disease, which is glucose, and transition the whole body over to ketones, which the tumor cells can’t use as a fuel. So it’s very simple,” he says. The approach was outlined in a recent paper that Seyfried believes will serve as the “blueprint for the destruction of cancer” once all the particulars have been worked out.

“It’s a cocktail of drugs and procedures and foods and they all work synergistically to gradually eliminate the tumor while maintaining the health and vitality of our normal organs. The whole goal of this metabolic therapy, which involves the ketogenic diet, is to gradually degrade and eliminate tumor cells without toxicity so the patient emerges from the therapy healthier than when they started,” he says.

The approach is still new and has only been tested in limited settings. Seyfried says his team is still working out the particulars of which patients are best suited to the treatment and when and how drugs and the other elements of the therapy should be administered for the best outcome. But he’s enthusiastic that this approach will fundamentally alter the way cancer will be treated in the future.

 He points to one particular case study of a woman in Turkey with stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of end-stage breast cancer, whose tumors – in her breast, liver and lymph nodes – disappeared after she underwent chemotherapy, combined with metabolic therapies, as being indicative of where cancer treatment should be aiming to go. In that woman’s case, she was treated with a ketogenic diet, hyperthermia treatment (a potential alternative to radiation in which heat is used to damage and shrink tumors) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (in which oxygen is delivered to the patient at a higher pressure than at sea level to increase the amount of oxygen in the body to make cancer cells easier to kill). These metabolic treatments are still in clinical trials and not widely available, but Seyfried says that taken together, this metabolic approach is a “disruptive technology based on sound biology of the problem. This is not some hocus pocus; this is based on a fundamental problem with the cancer cell as a biological entity. We’re simply targeting the very process by which that cell tries to survive.” He says this metabolic approach to treating cancer “is a paradigm shift that’s coming. It’s just a matter of time” until metabolic therapies become commonplace, but until then, more work remains to be done.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in trying a ketogenic diet as part of your treatment for breast cancer or to reduce your risk of developing it (obesity is a major risk factor for virtually all types of cancer, and following a keto diet might help you drop some weight) be sure to talk with your doctor first. Some doctors and nutritionists worry that the diet’s reliance on red meat and animal products may actually elevate your risk of colon cancer. There’s also limited data on how the diet impacts health long term. Because it’s quite restrictive, it can also be challenging to maintain this approach to food over the long haul.

If you have breast cancer or another disease, Poff says it’s absolutely critical that you communicate with your doctor about any changes you make to your diet. Although most people have no real problem adapting to a really low-carb diet, she says it can be dangerous for people with metabolic diseases that prevent the normal metabolism of fat, and people with any sort of liver disease should only proceed under the care of a physician.

“I think it’s really important anytime anyone completely makes such a huge diet change that they’re being overseen by their doctor and keeping an eye on their blood lipids (fats in the blood) and blood parameters. While the data that’s out there about keto in the healthy population shows that, for the most part, people respond very favorably in terms of their biomarkers improving, there’s some small groups of people who have concerning changes in their biomarkers as well. So, we’re not all the same by any means, and it’s possible” that a keto diet will not provide benefits for you.

And for cancer patients, she urges caution. “It’s absolutely critical for a cancer patient, if they wanted to do something like this, that they work very closely with their oncologist and a ketogenic diet-trained dietitian.”

Healthy Keto Diet infographic

KETO Food Pyramid

ketogenic diet checklist

Source:essentialketo.com

The pros and cons of a ketogenic diet

  The post Can a Keto Diet Slow the Growth of Breast Cancer? 3 infographic appeared first on NokNak Mix.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2uHehtV via IFTTT