#so this is on the same level of the mycos

[determunition]

Do you have any vision on the other old folks in the retirement home when mention them through out the series like are they just like you general old folks in a retirement home or is there more like some of them are characters from The Hex I.e the bartender and the boxer’s mom

if you asked me this like three months ago i would say that the other old folks in the home are pretty faceless, with a couple exceptions (anytime i mention a short old person of indeterminate gender wearing thick glasses it’s my old person self-insert lmao)

however, i have deigned to learn of the hex since then. and i do find it very funny to imagine some of those characters knocking around in the background of this inscryption AU.

so feel free to imagine any of the below old folks populating any and all prospective crowd scenes lmao

deter’s silly detail corner below the cut, because i have had a bit of a think about some of these guys for funsies:

reginald is retyrement lionel’s actual grandfather, of course; he was a prolific entrepreneur in bar service before getting in some unspecified trouble with the mob

cooking granny and grimora are on pretty decent terms; bryce is still her grandson and he volunteers food service at the home sometimes

mr. shrewd and mr. squarrel are dating and/or married obviously, being the canon old man yaoi couple lmao; also i’m too sentimental to widow mr. squarrel they get to be happy together. weasel kid is shrewd’s grandson, he’s a massive furry and shrewd doesn’t really get it but he’s supportive

dustbowl danny is retired but he has a side hustle testing arm prosthetics; sometimes he brings them to poe and they’ll have a good laugh over it

rust is your average retired vet, rocky is still his son and comes to visit him a lot; him and danny do not get along

[balkanradfem]

When we see a tree, we tend to think of it as a singular unit – just as we think of ourselves as individuals. But biologists have discovered that it’s not quite so simple. They have come to understand that trees depend on certain kinds of fungi in the soil: hair-thin structures called hyphae that interlace with cells in the roots of trees to form mycorrhiza. The fungi benefit by receiving someof the sugar that plants produce through photosynthesis (which it cannot otherwise make), while the trees benefit in turn by receiving elements like phosphorous and nitrogen that they cannot produce for themselves, and without which they cannot survive.

But this reciprocity is not confined to just two parties in this ancient relationship. Invisible fungal networks also connect the roots of different trees to one another, sometimes over great distances, forming an underground internet that allows them to communicate, and even to share energy, nutrients and medicine. The ecologist Robert Macfarlane explains how this works: A dying tree might divest itself of its resources to the benefit of the community, for example, or a young seedling in a heavily shaded understory might be supported with extra resources by its stronger neighbours. Even more remarkably, the network also allows plants to send one another warnings. A plant under attack from aphids can indicate to a nearby plant that it should raise its defensive response before the aphids reach it.

It has been known for some time that plants communicate above ground in comparable ways, by means of airborne hormones. But such warnings are more precise in terms of source and recipient when sent by means of the myco-net. 16 Trees co-operate. They communicate. They share. Not only among members of the same species, but across species barriers: Douglas firs and birches feed each other. And it’s not just trees; we now know that all plants – except for a handful of species – have this same relationship with mycorrhiza. Just as with our gut bacteria, these findings challenge how we think about the boundaries between species. Is a tree really an individual? Can it really be conceived as a separate unit? Or is it an aspect of a broader, multi-species organism?

There’s also something else going on here – something perhaps even more revolutionary. Dr Suzanne Simard, a professor in the department of forest & conservation at the University of British Columbia, has argued that mycorrhizal networks among plants operate like neural networks in humans and other animals; they function in remarkably similar ways, passing information between nodes. And just as the structure of neural networks enables cognition and intelligence in animals, mycorrhizal networks provide similar capacities to plants. Recent research shows that the network not only facilitates transmission, communication and co-operation – just like our neurons do – it also facilitates problem-solving, learning, memory and decision-making.

These words are not just metaphorical. The ecologist Monica Gagliano has published groundbreaking research on plant intelligence, showing that plants remember things that happen to them, and change their behaviour accordingly. In other words, they learn. In a recent interview with Forbes, she insisted: ‘My work is not about metaphors at all; when I talk about learning, I mean learning. When I talk about memory, I mean memory.’ Indeed, plants actively change their behaviour as they encounter new challenges and receive messages about the changing world around them. Plants sense: they see, hear, feel and smell, and they respond accordingly. If you’ve ever seen time-lapse footage of a vine growing up a tree, you’ll have an idea of what this looks like in action: that vine is no automaton – it’s sensing, moving, balancing, solving problems, trying to figure out how to navigate new terrain. The more we learn, the stranger (or perhaps more familiar?) it all becomes. Simard’s work shows that trees can recognise their own relatives through mycorrhizal networks. Older ‘mother’ trees can identify nearby saplings that came from their own seeds, and they use this information to decide how to allocate resources in times of stress. Simard also describes how trees seem to have ‘emotional’ responses to trauma in a way that’s not dissimilar to animals. After a machete whack or during an aphid attack, their serotonin levels change (yes, they have serotonin, along with a number of neurochemicals that are common in animal nervous systems), and they start pumping out emergency messages to their neighbours.

Of course, none of this is to say that plant intelligence is exactly like that of animals. In fact, scientists warn that our urge to constantly compare the intelligence of some species with that of others is exactly the problem: it ends up blinding us to how other kinds of intelligence might work. Set out in search of a brain and you’ll never even notice the mycorrhiza that have been pulsing through the earth, evolving right under our feet, for 450 million years. This research is just taking off, and we have no idea where it might lead. But Simard is careful to point out that it’s not exactly new: If you listen to some of the early teachings of the Coast Salish and the Indigenous people along the western coast of North America, they knew [about these insights] already. It’s in the writings and in the oral history.

The idea of the mother tree has long been there. The fungal networks, the below-ground networks that keep the whole forest healthy and alive, that’s also there. That these plants interact and communicate with each other, that’s all there. They used to call the trees the tree people … Western science shut that down for a while and now we’re getting back to it.

Trees aren’t only connected with each other. They are also connected with us. Over the past few years, research into human–tree relationships has yielded some truly striking findings. A team of scientists in Japan conducted an experiment with hundreds of people around the country. They asked half of the participants to walk for fifteen minutes through a forest, and the other half to walk through an urban setting, and then they tested their emotional states. In every case, the forest walkers experienced significant mood improvements when compared to the urban walkers, plus a decline in tension, anxiety, anger, hostility, depression and fatigue. The benefits were immediate and effective. Trees also have an impact on our behaviour. Researchers have found that spending time around trees makes people more co-operative, kinder and more generous. It increases our sense of awe and wonder at the world, which in turn changes how we interact with others. It reduces aggression and incivility. Studies in Chicago, Baltimore and Vancouver have all discovered that neighbourhoods with higher tree cover have significantly fewer crimes, including assault, robbery and drug use – even when controlling for socioeconomic status and other confounding factors.

It’s almost as though being with trees makes us more human. We don’t know quite why this happens. Is it just that green environments are somehow more pleasant and calming? A study in Poland suggests that doesn’t explain it. They had people spend fifteen minutes standing in a wintertime urban forest: no leaves, no green, no shrubbery; just straight, bare trees. One might think such an environment would have minimal if any positive impact on people’s mood, but not so: participants standing in the bare forest reported significant improvements in their psychological and emotional states when compared to a control group that spent those fifteen minutes hanging out in an urban landscape. And it’s not just mood and behaviour. It turns out that trees have an impact on our physical health too – in concrete, material terms. Living near trees has been found to reduce cardiovascular risk. Walking in forests has been found to lower blood pressure, cortisol levels, pulse rates and other indicators of stress and anxiety.

Even more intriguingly, a team of scientists in China found that elderly patients with chronic health conditions demonstrated significant improvements in immune function after spending time in forests. We don’t know for sure, but this may have something to do with the chemical compounds that trees exhale into the air. The aromatic vapours released by cypress, for example, have been found to enhance the activity of a number of human immune cells, while reducing stress hormone levels. In an attempt to quantify the overall benefit of trees, scientists in Canada found that trees have a more powerful impact on our health and well-being than even large sums of money. Having just ten more trees on a city block decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to earning an extra $20,000. And it improves one’s sense of well-being as much as earning an extra $10,000, moving to a neighbourhood with $10,000 higher median income, or being seven years younger. These results are astonishing. There’s a real mystery here, which scientists still do not yet understand. But perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, we have co-evolved with trees for millions of years. We even share DNA with trees. After countless generations, we’ve come to depend on them for our health and happiness just as we depend on other humans. We are, in a very real sense, relatives.

- Jason Hickel,  Less is More

[heedra]

hi! sorry if this is a broad question, but i don't know anyone else with rats to ask. i'm thinking of getting rats for the first time and i was wondering if you have any tips or like care guidelines you think are really important. ive been doing some research and ive kept mice before but i really want to make sure i give any rats i might get a good home and some information out there seems either contradictory or just flat out wrong and im terrified to accidentally mistreat them. ty for reading!

Oh geez, that’s a big question! I’m going to start with some of the things I think might be the biggest, most critical and vital differences between keeping mice and keeping rats; if you have more questions after that, feel free to shoot me another ask! 1. Two rats is an absolute minimum, regardless of whether you own males or females. People will tell you that it’s critical to own at least two rats, and they’re technically correct, but imo the ideal minimum is actually three or four. Rats are very social, just like people, and, just like a lot of people, they are happiest when they have a group of people to build relationships with. If a rat living as part of a group isn’t getting along with one of his cagemates, he has others whose attention he can go seek out, unlike with a single pair. Introducing rats can be tricky, though, especially with boys, so if you are trying to combine rats who are strangers into one social group, definitely do your research. This website has a great rundown of some of the different methods used to introduce rats. 2. Rats absolutely cannot live in a glass tank. Even if the tank is just one part of a cage that has a ventilated wire portion up top. Rat’s noses and lungs are very sensitive to urine buildup in a way mice’s aren’t, and glass tanks offer no ventilation. Rats also need a lot of vertical climbing space in a cage, relative to mice; tall, wire cages are must for this, as are a lot of climbing toys and hammocks. 3. Related to the above, rats are very prone to respiratory infections. I mention this because this is probably the most common health problem you will encounter with them, and it’s important to know the signs. A vast majority of pet rats either have or will get mycoplasmosis (a bacterial sinus infection) at some point in their lives, and while it’s usually benign at baseline, this infection flares up in the presence of poor ventilation, excess dust, or stress. If you notice that your rat is whistling or wheezing when they sniff and breathe, or that they are snorting/sneezing a lot, talk to the vet you go to for small animal health about getting them on an antibiotic. Respiratory problems are a part of life for rat ownership, and usually wont affect your animal’s quality of life, but if left untreated can develop into pneumonia. You don’t need to panic if your rat starts sneezing or wheezing; even if you’ve already treated them for those symptoms before; rats with myco often have more than one flareup throughout their life, and sometimes it will go away on its own once a rat gets settled in a clean environment or stops being stressed out, but you do want to get it checked if it persists! 4. Rats cannot eat alfalfa or timothy hay. This is an important one to keep an eye on, as, because almost all other pocket pets can eat these things, a lot of treats that contain timothy hay and alfalfa will be branded as being for all pet rodents, even when they’re not safe for rats. It’s not that these are immediately poisonous to rats, they just can’t digest them, so too much of it will inevitably cause intestinal blocks.

5. Male rats can’t eat citrus. This one is kind of debated, but I think it’s fair to err on the safe side. D-limosine, a chemical found in citrus peels, is considered to be linked to testicular cancer in rats. I’d personally suggest just avoiding citrus entirely with rats. 6. Rats need at LEAST 30 minutes a day of playtime with you, outside of their cage. Ideally, this should be closer to an hour. This is important both so that they can bond with you as their human, and so that they’re getting a source of exercise and mental stimulation that goes beyond what they can find in their cage. Set up a safe play area in your home; an enclosed bedroom, a clean bathroom, or an area fenced off by some kind of plastic barrier work well; make sure the space is free of dangerous things to eat and electrical wires. Furnish it with things the rats can climb on and hide in, leave some treats around for them to find, and make sure you’re present and keeping an eye on them! This is a great time to try and train your rats to do tricks or run obstacle courses, or to play games with them (mine really like to chase strings and tissue paper around).

7. There’s no difference in emotional, exercise, and enrichment needs between male and female rats. There’s a big myth that male rats are lazy and cuddly, while female rats are playful and active. In truth, any rat can be any combination of these things; it all comes down to individual personality. “Lazy Buck Syndrome” (the idea of male rats being couch potatoes) is more often the result of owners not providing enough for male rats to do based on this misconception, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. The one exception to this is that male rats are more prone to back-leg paralysis in their old age, and may need more ramps and sitting levels as they age. I also want to end this by plugging two rat care channels on youtube: The Rat Guru, and Emiology Both these individuals are far more experienced rat owners than I, and they both have a whole bunch of videos addressing specific rat care topics and common questions. I also love the website ratbehavior.org; it’s got great information on how rats perceive the world, and what rat behavior means, written from a biology and behavioral science perspective.

EDIT: I almost forgot a really critical one! It’s not really a “care tip that differs for mice” since the same is true for them, and I’m pretty confident I’m preaching to the choir here, but, just in case, Please avoid getting rats from the pet store, especially big box places like Petco or Petsmart! These places breed and house rats in inhumane conditions that should not be financially supported, and rats purchased at these places are going to have shorter lifespans and be much harder to socialize to humans. I recommend looking for reputable rat breeders in your area and adopting from them, or looking to your local humane society or small animal rescue for adoptable animals.

[dynam-patron-of-good-decisions]

NewGen but people made wishes with Sweetie and have Lokets now, oh boy

Rorre wishes for his power back, giving him the ability to steal control of something with his loket for a while

Rorrim wishes to negate Rorre's wish, giving him the opposite ability, restoring order, this has the negative effect of giving Kthnaid an anxiety attack, as his code and his soul fight for control, the rest of the unaware characters lose their sentience, only saying their preprogrammed lines

Kthnaid, Quincy (Dead) and Scu all wish for love, not sure what that would do, you fill in the gaps

Alex whispers his wish, and almost never uses his loket, so his wish is unknown

Myco wishes for knowledge, becoming aware on the same level as Kthnaid, with the loket giving him information on whatever he touches

Quincy (living) wishes for his limbs back, letting him heal others with his loket

I think that's all of them?

[your-dietician]

Mydecine to launch Phase 2A clinical trial on psilocybin assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD in veterans

New Post has been published on https://depression-md.com/mydecine-to-launch-phase-2a-clinical-trial-on-psilocybin-assisted-psychotherapy-to-treat-ptsd-in-veterans/

Mydecine to launch Phase 2A clinical trial on psilocybin assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD in veterans

CEO Joshua Bartch said the upcoming trial is aimed at achieving safer and more accurate psychedelic-led psychotherapy results in a supervised setting

Mydecine Innovations Group Inc () () () is the first company to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and smoking cessation with the natural form of psilocybin (MYCO – 001).

The Denver, Colorado-based biotech is gearing up to launch a Phase 2A clinical trial on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD in veterans. Mydecine hopes to achieve safer and more accurate psychedelic-led psychotherapy results in a supervised setting.

“We are waiting for final approval on our Investigational New Drug before launching our Phase 2A PTSD clinical study in the late third quarter, or early fourth quarter,” Mydecine co-founder and CEO Joshua Bartch told Proactive in an interview. 

Psilocybin is a tryptamine that binds to serotonin receptor 5-HT2A in the brain. At certain doses, the psilocybin elicits profound changes in consciousness and has great potential in treating mental health disorders.  

Mydecine is well-funded to grow its IP portfolio and carry out advanced clinical trials with its proprietary psychedelic molecule MYCO – 001. 

Roth Capital recently initiated coverage on Mydecine with a ‘Buy’ rating and a C$3 price target, citing the “blockbuster potential” of MYCO – 001 for PTSD peaking at “$3 billion five years after introduction (2027).��

Mydecine has identified four patentable lead drug candidates which include MYCO – 001, a pure psilocybin from natural fungal sources; MYCO – 003, a psilocybin-based formula with reduced anxiety potential; and MYCO – 004, a patch delivered tryptamine compound.  

A serial entrepreneur, Bartch co-founded the Cannabase.io cannabis wholesale platform which was acquired by Helix TCS. 

Proactive sat down with CEO Bartch to learn about Mydecine’s clinical calendar and how it is leading the charge in psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapeutics.    

Proactive: What is Mydecine’s value proposition and why should investors care? 

Mydecine has a very unique approach — we are focused on first and second-generation therapeutics derived from psychedelic molecules. The reason why this is important is our paths to approval. We have both short and long-term goals on that path and obviously the infrastructure to support both initiatives. 

In our first generation, we are already in a Phase 2A PTSD and a late-stage addiction study. There’s our MYCO–001, a pure psilocybin from natural fungal sources. For the first time, a company has been able to take a natural fungal source, extract the psilocybin and take it down to 99.9% purity so it is analogous to the synthetic versions of the COMP360 products that are out in the market in clinical studies. But remember we are pulling it from a natural source, so we have full freedom to operate without infringing on any patents. 

We have novel approaches to our second generation of medicines. We address things like controllability, reducing the experience time down to a more controllable hour or two depending on the indications — safety rails and we look at things like shelf stability. Psilocybin has a single molecule — it is not oxygen stable. We’ve been able to address that problem. As a single molecule psilocybin is also not skin permeable, but we’ve tailored a molecule to permeate the skin through unique fast delivery mechanisms, while making the uptick time and controllability more accurate.

By acquiring NeuroPharm and Mindleap Health, Mydecine has increased its assets and diversified into telehealth. Will acquisitions be a part of your growth strategy? 

There’s definitely going to be a number of M&A transactions and consolidations as the industry progresses. You have a company like Mydecine that is well along its journey to the NASDAQ. We’ve raised tens of millions of dollars and have very solid infrastructure globally with approved clinical sites. With our exclusive partnership with Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation and the University of Alberta, we can literally go from A-to-Z on drug development with full cGMP certified pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities on-site and in-house as well. You are going to start to see this divide between new companies that have smaller balance sheets, but potentially good IP. And later stage companies like Mydecine that have larger balance sheets and are further along in their market journey who will be able to acquire a number of these companies.  

What is the kind of work that is being done at the Mydecine Center of Mycology?  

Our functional mushroom research happens in Denver, Colorado at our 7,500 square feet advanced mycology lab. This world-class lab is built around exploring medicinal mushrooms and the vast array of fungi medicinal compounds, which could potentially cure some of life’s biggest problems. We are looking at mushrooms like cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, reishi and others. We are breaking them down to the molecular level and developing unique IP around different genetics and compounds.  

Our Chief Scientific Officer Robert Roscow is a well-known geneticist and worked at Canopy Growth and Ebbu where he ran their genetics division. He was the first to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology on the cannabis plant to isolate different character traits. We are doing the same thing with functional mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms, looking at what are the compounds of interest in these mushrooms. 

You are evaluating PTSD, addiction, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Where are you with your clinical trials?  

In regard to PTSD, we have multiple global test sites — three in the US, three in Canada, which are all very well-known and prolific, and then there are two in Europe. We are carrying out clinical trials in three continents for the Phase 2A study of psychedelic treatments for PTSD in veterans and EMS personnel to achieve safer and more accurate psychedelic-led psychotherapy results in a supervised setting. We are waiting for final approval on our Investigational New Drug enabling studies before launching our Phase II PTSD clinical study this year.  

We are taking the value that is currently present in natural molecules, such as the psilocybin molecule in MYCO-001, and adding in patentable safety features. MYCO – 001 is likely to be used at mid to late-stage clinical trials. In addition, we have a later stage addiction study that we will be launching later this year, or early next year.  

So, you have an advanced clinical program calendar? 

That is definitely a yes! 

Mindleap is the only digital health platform that combines traditional telehealth with psychedelic medicine and mood, emotion, behavior tracking and analytics. Tell us about Mindleap. 

We have invested significant time, money, and resources in Mindleap. We appointed William Cook as the interim CEO. At , Cook designed the Patriot missile system software parameters for the US Army. He is a systems architect by profession and has a Master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. A West Point grad, Cook has been involved in massive builds and also has artificial intelligence expertise. 

We have revamped Mindleap’s capabilities. At its core Mindleap was aimed at solving the issues that you have with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. You are looking at protocols that have tens of hours of psychotherapy associated with a single treatment. This is not accessible to everyday people as you have a limited number of locations/ketamine clinics where people can actually go and get treatments.

But when you look at the protocols, nine-tenths of the equation are therapy interactions between patient and therapist without any substance taken. These are interactions pre-and post-experience, and you have one or three possibly under the influence of a substance throughout the whole protocol. So, to be able to administer the treatments — seven, eight, or nine-tenths of the equation remotely — through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth app with trained professionals versed in the protocols is incredibly advantageous.

Mindleap 2.0 is set to launch in the coming weeks with more robustness to the platform. We have an educational platform that will share videos from top professionals, as well as audio clips with experts discussing what are psychedelics, how do they interact with our brains, what are the safety profiles of different substances, and what are the success rates? These are open questions and people don’t have easy access to professional advice.

Now you have this community-based app that individuals can go on for a low monthly subscription rate. They can not only access groups, and information, but find yoga, meditation, breathwork therapy classes, and ancillary services that promote overall mental health. We are incredibly excited about the overall product that we’ve been able to deliver.

Where do you see the psychedelic therapeutics industry five years from now, and what does this mean for your company? 

You are going to see incredible advancement in the science behind these molecules and FDA approvals on a number of molecules for different indications — actually see real life treatments for individuals that have been suffering for ages with really no viable solution. We hope to be one of those making significant progress on clinical trials and the regulatory front. 

Separately, one of the biggest hurdles to adoption is public acceptance of psilocybin and psychedelics. You’re looking at a substance that’s been taboo and is talked about as a party drug. However, when you look at the safety profiles of these substances, comparatively speaking to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), a class of drugs that are typically used as antidepressants, they’re not even in the same ballpark in terms of their safety profile. Studies have shown that psilocybin and MDMA have no long-lasting effects. 

Patients are also looking at one to three psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions to round out the whole protocol, compared to taking a pill every day of their lives. Most importantly, it is a curative solution, a very different proposition from popping a pill every day and feeling maybe better, maybe not! It’s a matter of time before the FDA grants approval for psychoactive compounds and psilocybin to be used therapeutically. Then you will see them enter the mainstream with profound implications for psychiatry and the treatment of mental disorders and addiction. 

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com 

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive 

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[lachryphage]

Mushroom stuffs! Fungi play an instrumental role in creating a hospitable environment for life on earth. They broke down rocks to create soil, formed symbiotic relationships with early plants to exchange nutrients & assist in their growth. They dominated the prehistoric geography with towering structures, Prototaxitis (spelling?). Today, around 70-80% of all plants still have mycorrhizal relationships with plants, and form extensive mycelial networks that connect the forest together!

Mushrooms have lots of health, environmental, and consciousness expanding benefits. Different polypores contain antiviral, antibacterial, anti inflammatory & even anticancer agents. Fruiting bodies contain lots of vitamins that can aid in a healthy diet. Fungi can sequester toxins and environmental pollutants, and can be used for mycoremediation. There’s a hypothesis that psilocybin assisted in the expansion of the hominid brain, and currently the psychedelic medicine research institute, MAPS has ongoing studies of the short and long term effects of psilocybin on mental health. They’ve found that a psychedelic experience can decrease depression and anxiety & increase feelings of openness, sustained through life.

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Oh wowee found the myco nerd lol XD

Hello friend, your enthusiasm is infectious and joyous. Thank you for sharing what you know, although you were correct in thinking that you’re not an “average” person. I’m looking for people with really general knowledge, like high school level, so that I can create something that either addresses common misconceptions about fungi or teaches some of the fungi basics people might be missing.

I’m doing this for a directed studies class I designed focusing on science illustration. I’m doing three “projects” in which I’m exploring topics that my science classes haven’t addressed (I go to a small school, it’s really good but also limited in the range of topics) and exploring different illustration styles.

For my first project I selected a pterosaur I knew absolutely nothing about and did some heavy research before attempting to make a highly accurate gouache painting. I took too much time learning about it and worrying over every little detail. It was also my second time ever using gouache. Because of that I’m currently technically behind.

When I chose fungi as my next subject I instantly began looking for a Brand New Thing at the Forefront of Research to study and illustrate. I quickly realized I’d fallen into the same trap as before and I’d fall even further behind. So I needed to do something different.

Science education for non-scientists is becoming increasingly relevant. Not are there widely held, damaging misconceptions, scientists have also actively distanced themselves from people who aren’t in their fields. I wanted to start easing into outreach with this semester’s projects. My DREAM job is designing museum exhibits, and to do that I need to understand the perspective of people who are interested in science but might not necessarily want to become a scientist.

SO. Mycology is a subject I really enjoy and know a fair amount (I’m no expert but I love me fungi friends and always have) and I wanted to know what other people know! And here we are.

Anyway, I hope this was mildly interesting. While you’re not the kind of person I’m looking for, your ask(s) made me smile. So thank you!!

[spamzineglasgow]

SPAM Digest #4 (Jan 2019)

A quick list of the editors’ current favourite critical essays, post-internet think pieces, and literature reviews that have influenced the way we think about contemporary poetics, technology and storytelling

The Secrets of the Wood Wide Web 

Having  had my curiosity of the physicalities of the internet sparked by a guest speaker at the Dark Mycology reading group organized by Glasgow collective A&E, a term that stuck with me was the Wood Wide Web. It seemed as though there were comparisons to be drawn by the way the internet functions with those of forests. In particular, the idea that the collaborations between plants and fungi in a given space can allow us to conceive of a dense woodland area as a single superorganism, much in the same way the thousands of ethernet cables that enable global communications can be conceived of as a single network or organism with the term 'internet'. What this Wood Wide Web actually comes down to is encapsulated in the term 'mycorrhiza'.

This word comes from a melding of the Greek word for fungus (mykós) and root (riza). It's semantic form mirrors its biological definition, the growing together of roots and fungi. Through this formation, individual plants are linked together through an 'underground hyphal network', one that has become known as the Wood Wide Web.

Mycologists have come to picture this partnership between certain types plants and fungi as a symbiosis, one that connects rather than infects. Visualised in a way that reminds me of fibre-optic threads, certain fungi send out gossamer-fine fungal tubes called hyphae. These tubes run through the soil, right through to the tips of certain plant roots, reaching them at the cellular level, a process mycologists believe to be around four hundred and fifty million years old.

The implications of this multispecies system go beyond the mere exchange of nutrients between certain plant and fungi. What is perhaps most intriguing is the revelation of both communicatory and utilitarian systems that this reveals. One example being that a dying tree has the ability to pass over its resources to other trees for the well-being of the community. This goes hand in hand with the trees' abilities to send out warning messages to its neighbours, alerting them to infection from insects such as Aphids, instructing them to raise their defensive responses before the insect reaches their roots. Whilst, as this article points out, above ground communication between plants has been known for some time, it is the precision of such warnings between source and recipient that flow through the myco-net that raises big questions in relation to ecosystems. One of the most captivating, and perhaps most pertinent, in an age where transhumanism is gaining popularity, is about where one species begins and another ends.

M.P.

‘New Feelings: Crush Fatigue’ by Alexandra Molotkow in Real Life Mag

What a relief it is to have a word that legitimates the ache of a crush, placed in context. As part of Real Life’s ‘NEW FEELINGS’ column, Molotkow’s essay explores the condition of ‘limerence’: an ‘infatuation’ that is tormentingly ‘both all-consuming and totally frivolous’. Citing Dorothy Tennov’s 1979 book, Love and Limerence, Molotkow considers the term as a state of being, a cleaving within the daily that creates its own pulse and energy — both ‘disruptive and wasteful’, an outsourcing of pain; but also a drive and a joy. To have a ‘limerent crush’ is ‘a quick and deep way of reaching beyond yourself’; perhaps a solution to the refractions of narcissism which plague our lives online. Usefully, Molotkow situates limerence within the phenomenology and infrastructure of the internet, its mediated impulse towards constant contact, connection, immediacy.

We might think of limerence as an intensification of what Kathleen Stewart calls ‘ordinary affects’: ‘the varied, surging capacities to affect and to be affected that give everyday life the quality of a continual motion of relations, scenes, contingencies and emergence’. Like clouds, limerent crushes are made of vapour — so many scenes, pixelations of memories and images — and they loom over you awhile, and eventually will almost certainly dissipate. There is a potential resistance to tuning into limerence, the way it distracts one’s attention from the quantitative mundanity of labour, of daily existence. Overwhelmingly, however, contemporary capitalism keeps us on the self-producing circuit of an orbital, lovesick sugar rush: ‘social media platforms and search engines both mimic the structure of an obsession and provide new compulsions for it’; ‘the internet has a way of literalizing obsession’.

Ultimately, crushes are less about the crush and more about the sufferer of limerence itself. Obsession breeds self-obsession, a negative inward folding. And yet this is where all the valuable, lamenting art, the poems and lovelorn ballads come from. Beam me up, softboi (and the problematic gender divisions therein such crushing)! The advantage of the limerent experience is its allowance of a gap, of room for fantasy within everyday life. Molotkow posits the relatable idea that the preferred kind of relationship is one ‘wherein you remain at a distance while giving each other something to think about’. The internet makes visible the footprints of your longing: those read receipts, unsent messages, time since last online, Instagram stories that vanish by morning. Maybe the kindness of strangers is the trade of impressions, the chance nick of intimacy that occurs in the virtual or IRL city. The residue traces of crushes you miss, little hurts that throb like an old toothache.

Image Source

M.S.

Allison Parrish "Experimental Creative Writing with the Vectorized Word" at Strange Loop

Allison Parrish (a poet, computer programmer, force of nature, and generally massive crush of mine) introduces in this lecture the fascinating concept - or rather, possibility - of representing ordinary and literary language as a spectrum of vectors, that is as an assemblage of the data-storing elements on which computer programming language is built.

Parrish's talk stems from Amiri Baraka's seductive vision of an imaginary writing-machine that could be commanded with our entire body as opposed to only with our fingers - a sort of writing-theremin. Would it be possible, Parrish asks, to create an interface that could similarly allow us to translate bodily gestures into language?  Parrish finds the main issue with the Barakian project in a crucial difference between sound and language; namely, that sound is continuous and measurable, whereas language isn't. The real question, then, becomes whether or not it is possible to represent language as a continuous function. Hence, Parrish's attempt to contemplate how we might go about turning words into vectors.

Parrish then goes on to explain the way she attempted to go about it herself. Her starting hypothesis is a distributional one: linguistic items with similar distributions tend have similar meanings (i.e. words that occur in similar linguistic patterns must have related meanings). Her method, then, was to transform words into numerical vectors derived from an analysis of which words behave similarly in a sample textual database (for example, according to her methodology, superlative adjectives or the names of months ended up being represented as very similar vectors).  

The productive and exciting part of Parrish's enterprise is that once words are reduced to vectors, all sorts of mathematical operations can be performed on them. Average vectors-words can be calculated within a particular set or source text (the average between 'day' and 'night' in Bram Stoker's Dracula is 'morning' or 'evening'), and so can sum-words, subtraction-words, and all sorts of alterations (also in Dracula, water + frozen = ice). Moreover, Parrish highlights that because word vectors consist in a continuous representation of meaning, that is they can be represented as a continuous wave form, like an audio file or an image, then operations typical of these formats can also be applied. Vectorial texts can be blurred, compressed, and blended with other texts at different gradients (which she codes an interface to do!).

The talk is 40 minutes long and tbh worth all of your time - but if you need convincing, you might want to start with the text-merging experiments start around the 20 min mark :’)

D.B.

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Myco - to treat or not to treat?

One thing I’ve learned from having rats that suffer chronically with respiratory infections, is that you cannot run to the vet every time they snuffle. Mycoplasma Pulmonis lives in all rats. You cannot have a myco-free rat. What you do have is rats whose immune system can keep the bacteria at a safe level, and rats whose immune system can’t keep it under control. I currently have one of each. Kit is resistant and I’ve heard nothing but the faintest whuffle ONCE so far despite living with Kaboodle who is a chronic sufferer and she can have a flare up anywhere between once a month to once a week.

When not to go to the vet:

The thing with Kaboodle is her episodes can be as soft as nasal clicking and a bit of sneezing, to a very obvious “snotty” sound. She has not had a day where she wheezes on every breath. She is well in herself. And eventually it dissipates completely for a while. It is something we’ve learned to live with and rushing her off the the vet every time would not only be expensive, but potentially fatal.

You can treat a respiratory infection quite easily with Baytril or similar antibiotics. But you will never fully get rid of Myco, ever. What little bacteria survives can mutate to become immune to the antibiotic you just treated with, and therefore next time, you might need a stronger dose, or a different antibiotic entirely. Do this often enough, and you end up with an antibiotic-resistant strain of myco that no amount of medicating will cure. By which time, the symptoms have escalated to full blown wheezing and the rat is visibly struggling. One of my previous rats was pts when the strong antibiotics were no longer working, and a friend’s three bucks also met the same fate after various antibiotics and respirators failed to relieve their constant wheezing.

When you SHOULD go to the vet:

When noisy breathing (rattling, clicking, “snotty” sounds, sneezing excessively, whuffling, “jibber jabber” noises) persist for a week or more (you will learn to judge each rat individually and how long an episode lasts but personally I never go longer than a week).

If the noises are getting worse

If the rat is wheezing constantly. You can sometimes see their sides heave as they try to breath, and this is usually an advanced stage requiring fast and strong medication

The rat is unwell, puffing up hair, not active, sitting around when they would otherwise be active (this can be a sign of other illnesses too so it’s wise to take your rat to a vet if you see this, regardless of whether they are myco sufferers or not)

Excessive porphyrin (red discharge, looks a bit like blood) staining around the eyes and nose (a small amount can indicate stress and is considered normal, but heavy or constant staining/crusting is definitely a sign of an unwell ratty)

Rats don’t always become resistant to antibiotics, so if they need them, they really do need them and you should never put it off if they are exhibiting the above symptoms! The chances of myco becoming resistant to antibiotics just increases every time you treat, so you just have to be sure your rat really needs them first. When you do take them to the vet, you must make sure you medicate exactly as instructed. You MUST NOT miss a dosage or the bacteria can get a foothold again, possibly long enough to mutate and become resistant.  Once treatment is finished, you may want to give your rats some natural bio yoghurt to help replenish their gut flora. Your rat may be completely free of respiratory infections for it’s entire life, or it may have recurring bouts, or it’s possible the treatment hasn’t worked and they need a stronger dose. Every rat is an individual and antibiotics are not a miracle cure. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, but doing the above can help improve your chances of seeing a chronic sufferer live a longer life than they might have otherwise.

What can you do to avoid/treat flare ups without the vet?:

The first port of call is, always, to clean the cage from top to bottom. You can use a pet safe anti-bac, but try to use unscented products or wipe down after with plain water to clear the scents that might aggravate sensitive ratty airways. (strange smells can cause bucks to scent mark and urinate more anyway so it’s best not to try masking their own “eau de parfum”)

Keep litter trays clean; spot clean daily and wash fleece regularly if you use that to line/cover.

Keep water bowls/bottles clean. Stagnant water is a hive of bacteria. Clean with boiling water only.

Don’t use deodorants/perfumes/air fresheners in the vicinity of your rats. Most people also avoid using scented candles and incense in the same room as their rats too. I personally have a reed diffuser on my desk and the aroma is so subtle I don’t believe it affects the rats. If in doubt though, don’t use anything scented.

Check your litter/substrate. Never use sawdust or anything with softwood in it. Particles get up rat noses and wood phenols can not only aggravate the respiratory tract, but cause liver and kidney damage. 

Aerate the room. Even in winter, just a few minutes of fresh air a few times a day is better than nothing. Good for the rats, and good for you too.

Experiment with temperature. Some rats get sick more in colder rooms while others find warm environments help the bacteria multiply. 

Keep your rats happy and allow them to exercise when possible. Keep stress levels down. Stress depresses the immune system while endorphins stimulate it. Try to block any animals that stress your rats out from the room or move them out. Cats and reptiles in particular. 

Make sure your cage is appropriate and well ventilated. If you’re keeping your rats in a tank, you’re just asking for respiratory problems.

Feed extra fruit and veg to boost your rat’s immune system. Foods high in vitamin c are a bonus (though never give bucks citrus fruits as they contain D-limonene). 

I hope people find this helpful. Remember, this isn’t a foolproof guide and if you think your rat needs vet treatment then please DO take them. But I’m hoping it might save some people some heartache when dealing with chronic cases as I’ve had to, and maybe save some wallets. Not all vets are moral and many will keep on treating your rat’s recurring respiratory infection for as long as the cheques keep coming. I certainly wish I’d had this kind of knowledge back when Dandy was ill so I could have kept her from the rat-angels for a while longer.

[anoasisofhealing]

Mycotoxins Increase The Risk Of Cancer

Mycotoxins have been shown to obstruct apoptosis or programmed cell death.

Mycotoxins are toxins are just as their name implies: myco = fungus and toxin = toxin. These toxins originate from a fungus that commonly grows in the food supply and in water damaged areas. Mycotoxins will increase the chance of cancer developing in the human body.

Mycotoxins have been shown to be [39] [40]:

Carcinogenic

Mutagenic

Teratogenic

Immunotoxic

Hepatoxic

Hemorrhagic

Nephrotic

Neurotoxic

Dermatoxic

Endocrine (hormone) disruptors

Mycotoxins can be defined as “natural products produced by fungi that evoke a toxic response when introduced in low concentration to higher vertebrates and other animals by a natural route“ [41]. Mycotoxins are some of the most well-known toxins to contaminate the food supply including but not limited to aflatoxin, ochratoxin, fumonisins, patulin, zearalenone (ZEA), and trichothecenes from the fungus Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium.

In addition, mycotoxins are found in water-damaged walls, wallpaper in homes, buildings… Not all mycotoxins are inherently toxic as the antibiotic penicillin is a mycotoxin. The question lies in where is the toxicity directed?

Mycotoxins Are Affecting People Globally

Mycotoxins are a world-wide problem affecting an approximate 25% [42] of the world’s food supply. Mycotoxins are most commonly found in the grain and cereal foods i.e. wheat, barley, nuts, corn, rice… Even the coffee in your morning cup of joe is a potential source—so sad.

These food items are commonly stored at room temperature in containers on the counter in the kitchen or in foods stored in the pantry or on the store shelf which is in part the origin of the risk. Don’t forget about animal products, such as beef, chicken, milk, eggs… that are raised on mycotoxin contaminated rich foods are also a potential exposure source.

Zearalenone is one of the most common mycotoxins that the U.S. food supply is at risk for. Animal and human studies have shown that zearalenone does accumulate in the body [43] [44]. This is huge because if these low exposures to 1,000s of potentially toxic chemicals are quickly cleared, then the risk and concern is limited; however, if these toxins bioaccumulate, then the low exposures to 1,000s of potentially toxic chemicals are, in fact, accumulating ticking time bombs.

Zearalenone is an endocrine disruptor; specifically, zearalenone mimics estrogen [45]. Zearalenone readily binds to the estrogen receptors (ER). Zearalenone stimulates an estrogenic signal through the specific binding to the ER-alpha receptors, not ER-beta [46].

This preferential ER-alpha affinity shifts the ER-alpha/ER-beta receptor balance to an ER-alpha dominance. This affinity of zearalenone for ER-alpha and ER-alpha dominance has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer [47], esophageal [48], colorectal cancer [49] and prostate cancer [50].  Specifically, this mycotoxin has been shown to inhibit apoptosis (programmed cell death) stimulate proliferation, promote cancer cell invasion and metastatic spread of cancer cells 45 [51] [52].

Most interesting is that this powerful estrogenic signal, peak proliferation, and invasion occurred at the lowest levels of exposure. This has enormous implication as most people are not exposed to acute, high toxic loads of mycotoxins, or any toxin for that matter, but instead are exposed to small, regular, indolent exposures to hundreds of toxins every day.

Again, evidence shows that toxins like zearalenone can bioaccumulate in the environment and the human body. It is this regular exposure, bioaccumulation and synergistic toxic effects of these multiple toxins that change the environment in our body to increase the risk of cancer.

The Effects of Mycotoxins and EMF’s

 As in all things, disease such as cancer is never the result of 1 item. It is the collective, synergistic effects that come together to affect disease risk. This is no more evident than in the growing volume of research that points to the synergistic effect of EMFs and mycotoxins.  EMFs are all around us in our day-to-day activities and our home is the biggest offender.  Common sources of EMFs include:

Cellphones

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi dependent devices

TVs

Radios

Power lines

Microwave ovens

Computers

Our home environment can no longer be simply defined by the walls and roof of our house/apartment/Condo… but these home sources of Wi-Fi exposure even travel with us in our personal cellphones, car Wi-Fi… In fact, with the 4G and the coming 5G wave, EMFs are essentially becoming another element in our atmosphere home: Oxygen—check, CO2–check, EMFs—check.

Yet, we really don’t know what the long-term impact will be. The same mistakes are repeated time and time again. The new definition of our home environment must now include the immediate environment of our body wherever it goes.

 EMFs have their own set of carcinogenic risk issues, such as leukemia [53].  The International Agency for Research on Cancer labeled EMFs as potentially carcinogenic in 2011. Research also shows, that in addition to isolated EMF exposure risk, EMFs can actually stimulate fungal growth [54] [55].

This post is not about EMFs specifically, but about their synergistic activity with fungi which can have significant implications in the increase in mycotoxin production and mycotoxin release. Whatever the mycotoxin source exposure is (food, water-damaged houses, vaping pens…), add EMF exposure, which is all around us, and the mycotoxin production, mycotoxin exposure and resultant risk i.e. estrogenic, carcinogenic risk, will increase.

It is the Consistent Exposure to Mycotoxins on a Daily Basis That Presents a Threat To Our Health

 When it comes to potential environmental toxins, in this case, mycotoxins, everybody is looking for the 1 hit phenomenon or the 1 giant bomb that definitively results in disease. That is a pie in the sky view and won’t be found except in very rare cases of exposure.

In fact, it is a basic misunderstanding of what and how toxicity can occur. In this day of 30-second commercials, sound bites, and attention, if the cause and effects are instantaneous, then they don’t exist.

This lack of patience has even permeated science. The reality is that environmental toxins can also work via what I like to call the rain of 1000 bullets. This mechanism is the regular, often unrecognized, smaller spray of hits of accumulative toxic effects will cause disease given adequate time.

It is like a shotgun versus a bomb. Odds are much better that you will survive the acute spray of a gunshot from the shotgun, compared to the direct hit by a bomb, but eventually, that spray of gunshots will do its damage and get the same job done given time.

These toxins were never approved based on long-term studies that detailed their long-term risk to the general public; except in the case of the long-term exposure tests ongoing of which we are the unwilling test subjects without our approval. Time will tell the final numbers that will be written in some future scientific publication and our unknowing participation will be a mere afterthought.

My purpose here is not to create fear, but enhance knowledge, because knowledge is power. Knowledge is the power to act. Knowledge is the power to make a difference.

39 Steyn PS. Mycotoxins, general view, chemistry, and structure. Toxicol Lett. Dec 1995;82–83: 843–851.

40 Wallace Hayes A. Mycotoxins: A review of biological effects and their role in human diseases. Clinical Toxicology.1983;17(1):45–83.

41 Bennett J.W. Mycotoxins, mycotoxicoses, mycotoxicology and mycopathologia. Mycopathologia. 1987;100:3–5. doi: 10.1007/BF00769561.

42 Alshannaq A, Yu JH. Occurrence, Toxicity, and Analysis of Major Mycotoxins in Food. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(6):632. Published 2017 Jun 13. doi:10.3390/ijerph14060632.

43 Bennett JW, Klich M. Mycotoxins. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2003;16(3):497–516. doi:10.1128/CMR.16.3.497-516.2003.

44 Brera C., Debegnach F., De S.B., Di I.S., Gregori E., Neuhold S., Valitutti F. Exposure assessment to mycotoxins in gluten-free diet for celiac patients. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2014;69:13–17. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2014.03.030.

45 Hueza IM, Raspantini PC, Raspantini LE, Latorre AO, Górniak SL. Zearalenone, an estrogenic mycotoxin, is an immunotoxic compound. Toxins (Basel). 2014;6(3):1080–1095. Published 2014 Mar 13. doi:10.3390/toxins6031080.

46 Kowalska K, Habrowska-Górczyńska DE, Urbanek KA, Domińska K, Piastowska-Ciesielska AW. Estrogen Receptor α Is Crucial in Zearalenone-Induced Invasion and Migration of Prostate Cancer Cells. Toxins (Basel). 2018;10(3):98. Published 2018 Feb 28. doi:10.3390/toxins10030098.

47 Pluciennik E. The role of WWOX tumor suppressor gene in the regulation of EMT process via regulation of CDH1-ZEB1-VIM expression in endometrial cancer. Int. J. Oncol. 2015;46:2639–2648. doi:10.3892/ijo.2015.2964.

48 Pitt J.I. Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins. Br. Med. Bull. 2000;56:184–192. doi: 10.1258/0007142001902888.

49 Kwon O, Soung NK, Thimmegowda NR, et al. Patulin induces colorectal cancer cells apoptosis through EGR-1 dependent ATF3 up-regulation. Cell Signal. 2011;24(4):943–950. doi:10.1016/j.cellsig.2011.12.017.

50 Kowalska K., Habrowska-Gorczynska D.E., Dominska K., Piastowska-Ciesielska A.W. The dose-dependent effect of zearalenone on mitochondrial metabolism, plasma membrane permeabilization and cell cycle in human prostate cancer cell lines. Chemosphere. 2017;180:455–466. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.04.027.

51 Liu Q., Wang Y., Gu J., Yuan Y., Liu X., Zheng W., Huang Q., Liu Z., Bian J. Zearalenone inhibits testosterone biosynthesis in mouse Leydig cells via the crosstalk of estrogen receptor signaling and orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 expression. Toxicol. In Vitro. 2014;28:647–656. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2014.01.013.

52 Ayed-Boussema I., Bouaziz C., Rjiba K., Valenti K., Laporte F., Bacha H., Hassen W. The mycotoxin Zearalenone induces apoptosis in human hepatocytes (HepG2) via p53-dependent mitochondrial signaling pathway. Toxicol. In Vitro. 2008;22:1671–1680. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2008.06.016.

53 Calvente I., Fernandez M. F., Villalba J., Olea N., Nuñez M. I. (2010). Exposure to electromagnetic fields (non-ionizing radiation) and its relationship with childhood leukemia: a systematic review. Sci. Total Environ. 408, 3062–3069.10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.03.039

54 Voichuk SI, Podgorskii VS, Gromozova EN. Effect of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on physiological features of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain UCM Y-517. Mikrobiol Z. 2004 May-Jun;66(3):51-7.

55 Hadjiloucas S, Chahal MS, Bowen JW. Preliminary results on the non-thermal effects of 200-350 GHz radiation on the growth rate of S. cerevisiae cells in microcolonies. Phys Med Biol. 2002 Nov 7;47(21):3831-9.

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Supplements – What & Why! By Elite Triathlete Eoin Lyons

Fantastic insight into this fantastic athlete “Eoin Lyons” in terms of hi choice of performance supplements, what he chooses to put in his body and the reasons why he chooses the supplements he does.

Intro

I am lucky enough to have the support of The Nadura Clinic and FX Supplements while I try reach my sporting goals and maintain a good balance between a 40+hr work week, travel, home life with my fiancé Marianne and all the training I do to be the best triathlete I can. Without the collaboration of The Nadura Clinic and my coach Mart Kirwan (Focus On Fitness) the balance I achieve wouldn’t be possible and I would more than likely lose the appetite to train by over training and not recovering. Therefore I want to spread some of what has worked for me in terms of supplements.

I’ve always said if I was going to ever have a blog my opinion was my own, I will not use anything I can’t stand over and I have recently refused sponsorship because I didn’t agree (after tested use) with the companies statement of how good the product was – basically you can trust that the below is in my own words and is genuine in terms of what I have experienced.

Eoin Testing Some Of The Gains Following The Addition Of FX Supplements With Coach Martin Kirwan Focus On Fitness

Diet

Diet is not something I look at all year round but I generally have a pretty good diet to begin with and probably just eat more (in terms of quantity) of good foods in the off season and gradually refine my diet as I get to my key race of the year. By refine I mean I know what goes into my body and I know why I put it in, everything (to a certain extent) has a purpose. I construct my diet now with the help of the Nadura Clinic to do a couple of things:

Fuel my training when required.

Maintain energy levels and concentration for work or normal day to day activities.

Recover from training.

Sleep when it’s time to go to bed – this sounds odd but its really important and diet is one of the main factors to achieving a high quality sleep.

The reason I touched briefly on diet is because no supplement is a substitute for a bad diet in my opinion, the same as taking the best supplements in the world and not having a good training plan won’t make you the best version of you in terms of sporting ability; to get the most out of any of the below supplements and actually see results, my diet has to be 95% minimum to allow the body can utilize the supplement efficiently.

Supplements

Rule #1: My number one rule is don’t take anything without clear justification for why you are taking it, everything that enters your system is your responsibility.

This is the number one rule I’ve followed regarding supplements since I was first introduced to them at age 13/14 while I was swimming competitively. Protein recovery and pre training supplements were starting to come into fashion and creatine was in high popularity. Even though I had a lot of advice on nutrition at the time I avoided any supplements due to the lack of information and justification for why I needed to take them.

Rule #2: Don’t waste your money – test your supplements to ensure they suit you and provide you with what you are expecting �� don’t just use something because someone says you are supposed to or “this will help you loads” – have concrete results as a justification.

All the supplements I talk about below have been tried and tested by me, this is what has worked for me and I mean actually worked in terms it gave me something in return against periods of time where I did not take them.

Source of protein. Body Health – Perfect Amino

Not all supplements are the same just because they have the same name ie: protein isn’t just “protein” – how it’s formed and delivered to the body is more important than the grams of protein taken – grams of protein absorbed by the body and the rate of absorption is key.

When you eat protein, it’s broken down into amino acids, which are then used to help your body with various processes such as building muscle and regulating immune function. Your body has 9 essential amino acids and 21 in total – Perfect Amino delivers all 21 amino acids to the body within 30 minutes of consumption. The sales line: “Absorbed at 99% with virtually no metabolic break down.” This is compared to a whey protein that has an 18% abortion rate – therefore you have to take in over 5 times the labelled protein quantity of whey protein to get the same delivery of perfect amino.  I gain weight pretty fast so what I also like is the avoidance of a vast amount of calories to consume enough protein to feel recovered – I don’t want to feel full and not be able to eat normal food – I take my Perfect amino in tablet form with no insulin spike and go eat as normal – not avoiding food because I’ve consumed x amount of calories in a protein recovery shake.

The recovery element is key; when we exercise we essentially rip the muscles, this supplement targets the specific amino chain that repairs the muscles or “recovers” the muscles to allow the athlete approach the next session with reduced stiffness and fatigue – therefore allowing a higher rate of performance consistently.

Perfect Amino is actually developed/made by Dr David Minkoff who is a 42 time full Ironman finisher. David is an interesting guy; in his Bio he says “It was tough but that’s why I decided to continue to compete. I like to put myself on the edge.” Chris McCormack (aka Macca) said in his book “I’m here to win” that he felt the was real reason we push ourselves to the boundary is because it’s at that point you learn most and get the most release from sport. Having a doctor that is in a similar wave length developing a supplement that allows you to return to that boundary regularly is invaluable.

Enhanced 02 concentration – Cordyceps (Cordy-Sin Sport)

This product is made by doctors, myco therapists and biologists. The product was developed to increase Vo2 Max & O2 Saturation, reduce lactic acid production, improve stamina & reduce fatigue. In this instance it is a perfect supplement for an endurance athlete and in particular a triathlete.

The recovery element is key; when we exercise we essentially rip the muscles, this supplement targets the specific amino chain that repairs the muscles or “recovers” the muscles to allow the athlete approach the next session with reduced stiffness and fatigue – therefore allowing a higher rate of performance consistently.

Perfect Amino is actually developed/made by Dr David Minkoff who is a 42 time full Ironman finisher. David is an interesting guy; in his Bio he says “It was tough but that’s why I decided to continue to compete. I like to put myself on the edge.” Chris McCormack (aka Macca) said in his book “I’m here to win” that he felt the was real reason we push ourselves to the boundary is because it’s at that point you learn most and get the most release from sport. Having a doctor that is in a similar wave length developing a supplement that allows you to return to that boundary regularly is invaluable.

Enhanced 02 concentration – Cordyceps (Cordy-Sin Sport)

This product is made by doctors, myco therapists and biologists. The product was developed to increase Vo2 Max & O2 Saturation, reduce lactic acid production, improve stamina & reduce fatigue. In this instance it is a perfect supplement for an endurance athlete and in particular a triathlete.

Performance NDS® Probiotic – Healthy Gut – Avoid Sickness

I’ve never really delved into a Probiotic before, it was a recommendation from my performance nutritionist at The Nadura Clinic based on the simple fact that when asked do I ever get sick, I said yes, I get the usual January February cold and a throat infection in February March that often goes onto my chest and drags out while I try train through it.

The difference this January/February/March is massive, no sickness.  My basic understanding is that the digestive track is in some terms our boundary wall against most forms of “bad” bacteria which can make you sick. A probiotic is “good” bacteria that helps to support digestive health by protecting the digestive track (layering with good bacteria) and support the immune system. Again; I know people will have heard of yogurt type probiotic’s so the next question is naturally what is different & why use NDS.

My answer is:

The processing of the Probiotic

This is not trying to be something it’s not; this probiotic is designed to provide the best care for your digestive track by medical doctors. The product is made in such a way the delivery is at the forefront and again how well the body can utilise the good bacteria. There are no additives or extras just add water leave for 15minutes and consume.

The individuality

This is not 1 shoe fits all, not everybody needs every strain of bacteria, NDS have a variety of ranges to suit different people and even different types of athletes.

The performance advantage

Performance NDS has been tested to show and increased resistance to stress in the gut during endurance exercise. Many people have experienced runner’s diarrhoea or an uncomfortable upset stomach in endurance sports; Performance NDS helps me to avoid that by reducing inflammation and stress experienced in the gut.

Consistency in training; if I avoid stomach problems and sickness I in turn get a more consistent run at my training. I work 40-45hr week and travel with work so when I train I expect myself to be able to produce what’s required; when my training hours are low compared to many of my competitors, consistency and delivery of training is of huge importance.

Final note on NDS probiotic; this is the one thing I have recommended everyone I know to take, not just sports people but anyone that wants to take care of their body from a pure health perspective.

Summary

I’m not the best athlete in the world, I work a decent work week that involves travel, I have a house (mortgage), commitments to my fiancé, fluffy children to look after – so when I say “I want to be the best I can with what I have to work with” I won’t leave a stone unturned within my capabilities. The Nadura Clinic and Fx Supplements have been good to me and I am happy to put my backing behind these supplements to support my training program though Focus on Fitness as they help me to be the best I can with what I have to work with; hopefully come World Ironman 70.3 Champs that will be enough.

Anyone looking for more info: drop a comment and I will do my best to answer.

Perfect Amino  (Complete Protein) 5 caps per day (Long term)

Perfect Amino (Tablet)

Cordysin Sport Cordyceps

Cordy-Sin Sport (Cordyceps Sinensis)

S60 Proboitic

NDS® Probiotic S-60-Nrg®

The post Supplements – What & Why! By Elite Triathlete Eoin Lyons appeared first on .

Source: https://fxsupplements.ie/supplements-what-why-by-elite-triathlete-eoin-lyons/

[invidis]

Supplements – What & Why! By Elite Triathlete Eoin Lyons

Fantastic insight into this fantastic athlete “Eoin Lyons” in terms of hi choice of performance supplements, what he chooses to put in his body and the reasons why he chooses the supplements he does.

Intro

I am lucky enough to have the support of The Nadura Clinic and FX Supplements while I try reach my sporting goals and maintain a good balance between a 40+hr work week, travel, home life with my fiancé Marianne and all the training I do to be the best triathlete I can. Without the collaboration of The Nadura Clinic and my coach Mart Kirwan (Focus On Fitness) the balance I achieve wouldn’t be possible and I would more than likely lose the appetite to train by over training and not recovering. Therefore I want to spread some of what has worked for me in terms of supplements.

I’ve always said if I was going to ever have a blog my opinion was my own, I will not use anything I can’t stand over and I have recently refused sponsorship because I didn’t agree (after tested use) with the companies statement of how good the product was – basically you can trust that the below is in my own words and is genuine in terms of what I have experienced.

Eoin Testing Some Of The Gains Following The Addition Of FX Supplements With Coach Martin Kirwan Focus On Fitness

Diet

Diet is not something I look at all year round but I generally have a pretty good diet to begin with and probably just eat more (in terms of quantity) of good foods in the off season and gradually refine my diet as I get to my key race of the year. By refine I mean I know what goes into my body and I know why I put it in, everything (to a certain extent) has a purpose. I construct my diet now with the help of the Nadura Clinic to do a couple of things:

Fuel my training when required.

Maintain energy levels and concentration for work or normal day to day activities.

Recover from training.

Sleep when it’s time to go to bed – this sounds odd but its really important and diet is one of the main factors to achieving a high quality sleep.

The reason I touched briefly on diet is because no supplement is a substitute for a bad diet in my opinion, the same as taking the best supplements in the world and not having a good training plan won’t make you the best version of you in terms of sporting ability; to get the most out of any of the below supplements and actually see results, my diet has to be 95% minimum to allow the body can utilize the supplement efficiently.

Supplements

Rule #1: My number one rule is don’t take anything without clear justification for why you are taking it, everything that enters your system is your responsibility.

This is the number one rule I’ve followed regarding supplements since I was first introduced to them at age 13/14 while I was swimming competitively. Protein recovery and pre training supplements were starting to come into fashion and creatine was in high popularity. Even though I had a lot of advice on nutrition at the time I avoided any supplements due to the lack of information and justification for why I needed to take them.

Rule #2: Don’t waste your money – test your supplements to ensure they suit you and provide you with what you are expecting – don’t just use something because someone says you are supposed to or “this will help you loads” – have concrete results as a justification.

All the supplements I talk about below have been tried and tested by me, this is what has worked for me and I mean actually worked in terms it gave me something in return against periods of time where I did not take them.

Source of protein. Body Health – Perfect Amino

Not all supplements are the same just because they have the same name ie: protein isn’t just “protein” – how it’s formed and delivered to the body is more important than the grams of protein taken – grams of protein absorbed by the body and the rate of absorption is key.

When you eat protein, it’s broken down into amino acids, which are then used to help your body with various processes such as building muscle and regulating immune function. Your body has 9 essential amino acids and 21 in total – Perfect Amino delivers all 21 amino acids to the body within 30 minutes of consumption. The sales line: “Absorbed at 99% with virtually no metabolic break down.” This is compared to a whey protein that has an 18% abortion rate – therefore you have to take in over 5 times the labelled protein quantity of whey protein to get the same delivery of perfect amino.  I gain weight pretty fast so what I also like is the avoidance of a vast amount of calories to consume enough protein to feel recovered – I don’t want to feel full and not be able to eat normal food – I take my Perfect amino in tablet form with no insulin spike and go eat as normal – not avoiding food because I’ve consumed x amount of calories in a protein recovery shake.

The recovery element is key; when we exercise we essentially rip the muscles, this supplement targets the specific amino chain that repairs the muscles or “recovers” the muscles to allow the athlete approach the next session with reduced stiffness and fatigue – therefore allowing a higher rate of performance consistently.

Perfect Amino is actually developed/made by Dr David Minkoff who is a 42 time full Ironman finisher. David is an interesting guy; in his Bio he says “It was tough but that’s why I decided to continue to compete. I like to put myself on the edge.” Chris McCormack (aka Macca) said in his book “I’m here to win” that he felt the was real reason we push ourselves to the boundary is because it’s at that point you learn most and get the most release from sport. Having a doctor that is in a similar wave length developing a supplement that allows you to return to that boundary regularly is invaluable.

Enhanced 02 concentration – Cordyceps (Cordy-Sin Sport)

This product is made by doctors, myco therapists and biologists. The product was developed to increase Vo2 Max & O2 Saturation, reduce lactic acid production, improve stamina & reduce fatigue. In this instance it is a perfect supplement for an endurance athlete and in particular a triathlete.

The recovery element is key; when we exercise we essentially rip the muscles, this supplement targets the specific amino chain that repairs the muscles or “recovers” the muscles to allow the athlete approach the next session with reduced stiffness and fatigue – therefore allowing a higher rate of performance consistently.

Perfect Amino is actually developed/made by Dr David Minkoff who is a 42 time full Ironman finisher. David is an interesting guy; in his Bio he says “It was tough but that’s why I decided to continue to compete. I like to put myself on the edge.” Chris McCormack (aka Macca) said in his book “I’m here to win” that he felt the was real reason we push ourselves to the boundary is because it’s at that point you learn most and get the most release from sport. Having a doctor that is in a similar wave length developing a supplement that allows you to return to that boundary regularly is invaluable.

Enhanced 02 concentration – Cordyceps (Cordy-Sin Sport)

This product is made by doctors, myco therapists and biologists. The product was developed to increase Vo2 Max & O2 Saturation, reduce lactic acid production, improve stamina & reduce fatigue. In this instance it is a perfect supplement for an endurance athlete and in particular a triathlete.

Performance NDS® Probiotic – Healthy Gut – Avoid Sickness

I’ve never really delved into a Probiotic before, it was a recommendation from my performance nutritionist at The Nadura Clinic based on the simple fact that when asked do I ever get sick, I said yes, I get the usual January February cold and a throat infection in February March that often goes onto my chest and drags out while I try train through it.

The difference this January/February/March is massive, no sickness.  My basic understanding is that the digestive track is in some terms our boundary wall against most forms of “bad” bacteria which can make you sick. A probiotic is “good” bacteria that helps to support digestive health by protecting the digestive track (layering with good bacteria) and support the immune system. Again; I know people will have heard of yogurt type probiotic’s so the next question is naturally what is different & why use NDS.

My answer is:

The processing of the Probiotic

This is not trying to be something it’s not; this probiotic is designed to provide the best care for your digestive track by medical doctors. The product is made in such a way the delivery is at the forefront and again how well the body can utilise the good bacteria. There are no additives or extras just add water leave for 15minutes and consume.

The individuality

This is not 1 shoe fits all, not everybody needs every strain of bacteria, NDS have a variety of ranges to suit different people and even different types of athletes.

The performance advantage

Performance NDS has been tested to show and increased resistance to stress in the gut during endurance exercise. Many people have experienced runner’s diarrhoea or an uncomfortable upset stomach in endurance sports; Performance NDS helps me to avoid that by reducing inflammation and stress experienced in the gut.

Consistency in training; if I avoid stomach problems and sickness I in turn get a more consistent run at my training. I work 40-45hr week and travel with work so when I train I expect myself to be able to produce what’s required; when my training hours are low compared to many of my competitors, consistency and delivery of training is of huge importance.

Final note on NDS probiotic; this is the one thing I have recommended everyone I know to take, not just sports people but anyone that wants to take care of their body from a pure health perspective.

Summary

I’m not the best athlete in the world, I work a decent work week that involves travel, I have a house (mortgage), commitments to my fiancé, fluffy children to look after – so when I say “I want to be the best I can with what I have to work with” I won’t leave a stone unturned within my capabilities. The Nadura Clinic and Fx Supplements have been good to me and I am happy to put my backing behind these supplements to support my training program though Focus on Fitness as they help me to be the best I can with what I have to work with; hopefully come World Ironman 70.3 Champs that will be enough.

Anyone looking for more info: drop a comment and I will do my best to answer.

Perfect Amino  (Complete Protein) 5 caps per day (Long term)

Perfect Amino (Tablet)

Cordysin Sport Cordyceps

Cordy-Sin Sport (Cordyceps Sinensis)

S60 Proboitic

NDS® Probiotic S-60-Nrg®

The post Supplements – What & Why! By Elite Triathlete Eoin Lyons appeared first on .

Source: https://fxsupplements.ie/supplements-what-why-by-elite-triathlete-eoin-lyons/

[zakochanaziom]

Supplements – What & Why! By Elite Triathlete Eoin Lyons

Fantastic insight into this fantastic athlete “Eoin Lyons” in terms of hi choice of performance supplements, what he chooses to put in his body and the reasons why he chooses the supplements he does.

Intro

I am lucky enough to have the support of The Nadura Clinic and FX Supplements while I try reach my sporting goals and maintain a good balance between a 40+hr work week, travel, home life with my fiancé Marianne and all the training I do to be the best triathlete I can. Without the collaboration of The Nadura Clinic and my coach Mart Kirwan (Focus On Fitness) the balance I achieve wouldn’t be possible and I would more than likely lose the appetite to train by over training and not recovering. Therefore I want to spread some of what has worked for me in terms of supplements.

I’ve always said if I was going to ever have a blog my opinion was my own, I will not use anything I can’t stand over and I have recently refused sponsorship because I didn’t agree (after tested use) with the companies statement of how good the product was – basically you can trust that the below is in my own words and is genuine in terms of what I have experienced.

Eoin Testing Some Of The Gains Following The Addition Of FX Supplements With Coach Martin Kirwan Focus On Fitness

Diet

Diet is not something I look at all year round but I generally have a pretty good diet to begin with and probably just eat more (in terms of quantity) of good foods in the off season and gradually refine my diet as I get to my key race of the year. By refine I mean I know what goes into my body and I know why I put it in, everything (to a certain extent) has a purpose. I construct my diet now with the help of the Nadura Clinic to do a couple of things:

Fuel my training when required.

Maintain energy levels and concentration for work or normal day to day activities.

Recover from training.

Sleep when it’s time to go to bed – this sounds odd but its really important and diet is one of the main factors to achieving a high quality sleep.

The reason I touched briefly on diet is because no supplement is a substitute for a bad diet in my opinion, the same as taking the best supplements in the world and not having a good training plan won’t make you the best version of you in terms of sporting ability; to get the most out of any of the below supplements and actually see results, my diet has to be 95% minimum to allow the body can utilize the supplement efficiently.

Supplements

Rule #1: My number one rule is don’t take anything without clear justification for why you are taking it, everything that enters your system is your responsibility.

This is the number one rule I’ve followed regarding supplements since I was first introduced to them at age 13/14 while I was swimming competitively. Protein recovery and pre training supplements were starting to come into fashion and creatine was in high popularity. Even though I had a lot of advice on nutrition at the time I avoided any supplements due to the lack of information and justification for why I needed to take them.

Rule #2: Don’t waste your money – test your supplements to ensure they suit you and provide you with what you are expecting – don’t just use something because someone says you are supposed to or “this will help you loads” – have concrete results as a justification.

All the supplements I talk about below have been tried and tested by me, this is what has worked for me and I mean actually worked in terms it gave me something in return against periods of time where I did not take them.

Source of protein. Body Health – Perfect Amino

Not all supplements are the same just because they have the same name ie: protein isn’t just “protein” – how it’s formed and delivered to the body is more important than the grams of protein taken – grams of protein absorbed by the body and the rate of absorption is key.

When you eat protein, it’s broken down into amino acids, which are then used to help your body with various processes such as building muscle and regulating immune function. Your body has 9 essential amino acids and 21 in total – Perfect Amino delivers all 21 amino acids to the body within 30 minutes of consumption. The sales line: “Absorbed at 99% with virtually no metabolic break down.” This is compared to a whey protein that has an 18% abortion rate – therefore you have to take in over 5 times the labelled protein quantity of whey protein to get the same delivery of perfect amino.  I gain weight pretty fast so what I also like is the avoidance of a vast amount of calories to consume enough protein to feel recovered – I don’t want to feel full and not be able to eat normal food – I take my Perfect amino in tablet form with no insulin spike and go eat as normal – not avoiding food because I’ve consumed x amount of calories in a protein recovery shake.

The recovery element is key; when we exercise we essentially rip the muscles, this supplement targets the specific amino chain that repairs the muscles or “recovers” the muscles to allow the athlete approach the next session with reduced stiffness and fatigue – therefore allowing a higher rate of performance consistently.

Perfect Amino is actually developed/made by Dr David Minkoff who is a 42 time full Ironman finisher. David is an interesting guy; in his Bio he says “It was tough but that’s why I decided to continue to compete. I like to put myself on the edge.” Chris McCormack (aka Macca) said in his book “I’m here to win” that he felt the was real reason we push ourselves to the boundary is because it’s at that point you learn most and get the most release from sport. Having a doctor that is in a similar wave length developing a supplement that allows you to return to that boundary regularly is invaluable.

Enhanced 02 concentration – Cordyceps (Cordy-Sin Sport)

This product is made by doctors, myco therapists and biologists. The product was developed to increase Vo2 Max & O2 Saturation, reduce lactic acid production, improve stamina & reduce fatigue. In this instance it is a perfect supplement for an endurance athlete and in particular a triathlete.

The recovery element is key; when we exercise we essentially rip the muscles, this supplement targets the specific amino chain that repairs the muscles or “recovers” the muscles to allow the athlete approach the next session with reduced stiffness and fatigue – therefore allowing a higher rate of performance consistently.

Perfect Amino is actually developed/made by Dr David Minkoff who is a 42 time full Ironman finisher. David is an interesting guy; in his Bio he says “It was tough but that’s why I decided to continue to compete. I like to put myself on the edge.” Chris McCormack (aka Macca) said in his book “I’m here to win” that he felt the was real reason we push ourselves to the boundary is because it’s at that point you learn most and get the most release from sport. Having a doctor that is in a similar wave length developing a supplement that allows you to return to that boundary regularly is invaluable.

Enhanced 02 concentration – Cordyceps (Cordy-Sin Sport)

This product is made by doctors, myco therapists and biologists. The product was developed to increase Vo2 Max & O2 Saturation, reduce lactic acid production, improve stamina & reduce fatigue. In this instance it is a perfect supplement for an endurance athlete and in particular a triathlete.

Performance NDS® Probiotic – Healthy Gut – Avoid Sickness

I’ve never really delved into a Probiotic before, it was a recommendation from my performance nutritionist at The Nadura Clinic based on the simple fact that when asked do I ever get sick, I said yes, I get the usual January February cold and a throat infection in February March that often goes onto my chest and drags out while I try train through it.

The difference this January/February/March is massive, no sickness.  My basic understanding is that the digestive track is in some terms our boundary wall against most forms of “bad” bacteria which can make you sick. A probiotic is “good” bacteria that helps to support digestive health by protecting the digestive track (layering with good bacteria) and support the immune system. Again; I know people will have heard of yogurt type probiotic’s so the next question is naturally what is different & why use NDS.

My answer is:

The processing of the Probiotic

This is not trying to be something it’s not; this probiotic is designed to provide the best care for your digestive track by medical doctors. The product is made in such a way the delivery is at the forefront and again how well the body can utilise the good bacteria. There are no additives or extras just add water leave for 15minutes and consume.

The individuality

This is not 1 shoe fits all, not everybody needs every strain of bacteria, NDS have a variety of ranges to suit different people and even different types of athletes.

The performance advantage

Performance NDS has been tested to show and increased resistance to stress in the gut during endurance exercise. Many people have experienced runner’s diarrhoea or an uncomfortable upset stomach in endurance sports; Performance NDS helps me to avoid that by reducing inflammation and stress experienced in the gut.

Consistency in training; if I avoid stomach problems and sickness I in turn get a more consistent run at my training. I work 40-45hr week and travel with work so when I train I expect myself to be able to produce what’s required; when my training hours are low compared to many of my competitors, consistency and delivery of training is of huge importance.

Final note on NDS probiotic; this is the one thing I have recommended everyone I know to take, not just sports people but anyone that wants to take care of their body from a pure health perspective.

Summary

I’m not the best athlete in the world, I work a decent work week that involves travel, I have a house (mortgage), commitments to my fiancé, fluffy children to look after – so when I say “I want to be the best I can with what I have to work with” I won’t leave a stone unturned within my capabilities. The Nadura Clinic and Fx Supplements have been good to me and I am happy to put my backing behind these supplements to support my training program though Focus on Fitness as they help me to be the best I can with what I have to work with; hopefully come World Ironman 70.3 Champs that will be enough.

Anyone looking for more info: drop a comment and I will do my best to answer.

Perfect Amino  (Complete Protein) 5 caps per day (Long term)

Perfect Amino (Tablet)

https://fxsupplements.ie/product/perfect-amino/embed/#?secret=yREcPArFF2

Cordysin Sport Cordyceps

Cordy-Sin Sport (Cordyceps Sinensis)

https://fxsupplements.ie/product/cordy-sin-sport-cordyceps-sinensis/embed/#?secret=EqiqzQTfqV

S60 Proboitic

NDS® Probiotic S-60-Nrg®

https://fxsupplements.ie/product/nds-probiotic-s-60-nrg/embed/#?secret=hsFSMMHoCp

The post Supplements – What & Why! By Elite Triathlete Eoin Lyons appeared first on .

Source: https://fxsupplements.ie/supplements-what-why-by-elite-triathlete-eoin-lyons/

[mischief-bleppers]

5/25/18

Noodle started to slowly go down hill yesterday evening. I’m hoping it’s just a bad day and that he will bounce back as he often does, but I know he must be so tired.  I’ve had a rough week so this is just making it drag out so much more, and it’s that disgusting heavy, sinking, feeling in the pit of your stomach and balled up in your throat...  I’m ready to make the call if Noodle doesn’t start to eat soon. He’s picking at some little snacks and treats and at least eating his liquid food and some pedialyte, but I know he’s not using his hind legs much, and the weight he built up is going...   I don’t know if he’s sick, if it’s the tumor creeping in, if there’s cancer festering that we can’t see, if it’s just his time, etc. His breathing sounds just fine, but his breathing seems rapid. We have his pain/anti inflammatory meds, and meds in the case he has a myco flare up. But he seems eager to eat in small bursts, but not his hungry little beefy self.   I’m just hoping that he can pull through and start to feel a bit better, but at the same time, I’m ready to let him go if it’s his time. He has pulled through so many times, and beaten all the odds, and recovered to such an amazing and unimaginable level since April.   His eyes are slowly looking more “awake” and more “there” if that makes sense. He may not be able to see and his eyes are a bit cloudy in certain light, but when he’s feeling better he has a “look” about them that lets you know he’s doing alright.  I have him in a box next to me on my desk with two little socks full of rice for a heating pad (since the electric one I have has disappeared off the face of the planet...???)     I’m just letting him rest, and scooting him around to eat every so often to be sure he gets at least some of his nutrients and stays hydrated.