#what causes high cholesterol

[diabetes-health-corner]

Diabetes and high cholesterol: what’s the connection?

Even diabetics with well-managed blood glucose levels can develop high cholesterol, read on to understand why and what you can do to protect yourself.

Read more: https://www.freedomfromdiabetes.org/blog/post/diabetes-and-high-cholesterol-what%E2%80%99s-the-connection/2943

[seraphim-soulmate]

hey. someone remind me to do research on cholesterol. I've always had high cholesterol and it also runs in my family and I don't know enough about what provokes high cholesterol besides like, self-inflicted things through diet like eating a lot of butter. and eggs, maybe. depending on the year of the study lol.

[trendingarticles]

Understanding High Cholesterol and Its Impact on Health: Recognizing the Importance of Early Symptoms

What is high cholesterol? Let’s understand High cholesterol, a common yet significant health concern, continues to pose a considerable risk to public health. As a researcher, it is essential to shed light on this topic, explaining the concept of high cholesterol, its potential impact on overall health, and the critical importance of recognizing early symptoms. By understanding the implications…

[scientia-rex]

Wound Care

Ok so, take this with a BIG grain of salt, because I may be a medical doctor BUT you need to know how much wound care training we get in medical school: none. Zip. Zilch. There may be medical schools where you do, but mine wasn't a bozo factory and there was NO wound care training. Everything I know I learned from one of several sources: an intensive 2-day wound care course I did in residency (highly recommend), the local Home Health wound care nurse (highly recommend), a completely batshit insane old white male doctor who started our learning sessions by yelling Vietnam War stories at me (do not recommend), a hospital wound care nurse (highly recommend), and experience (oh god do not recommend).

The first thing you need to know is that wound healing varies dramatically across the course of a lifespan. Kids? Kids will heal. If they don't, get their ass to a pediatrician because there's something genetic going on. Young adults will heal. Middle-aged adults will heal. You know who doesn't heal for shit? The elderly, and people with severe illnesses, and people with uncontrolled type II diabetes.

Your body needs several things in order to heal. It needs macronutrients, so you need to be able to EAT protein, fat, and carbs. If you are on total parenteral nutrition, aka TPN, aka IV nutrition, you are going to be worse at healing. If you are starving yourself, you are going to be worse at healing. If your body is desperately funneling all the calories you take in to surviving your COPD or cancer, you are going to be worse at healing.

It also needs micronutrients. If your diet sucks, you won't heal. Take a multivitamin once in a while.

There are two CRITICAL skin components to healing: collagen and elastin. Guess what we stop making as we age. Promoting collagen isn't just good for "anti-aging," it's good for NOT ripping your skin apart. Taking oral collagen is probably bullshit because your body is going to have to disassemble it to get it across the intestinal membranes to absorb, but it's also harmless, and if your diet REALLY sucks, who knows. Give it a try. Collagen is made of amino acids; think protein.

Another absolutely crucial component is blood flow. As people age, they start to develop cholesterol plaques lining arteries that eventually pick up calcium deposits. This makes blood vessels less elastic, which is a problem, but eventually also blocks them off, which is a much bigger problem. If someone has the major blood flow to their feet decreased by 90% by arterial stenosis, they are not going to heal for shit AND their foot's gonna hurt.

One component of blood flow I hadn't thought about before going into medicine is fluid retention. The way your body works, blood exits the heart at a very high velocity, but slows to a crawl by the time it gets into capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body. Water is a very small molecule and can leave the blood vessel, especially if there aren't big, negatively-charged molecules like proteins like albumin in the blood vessels to hold the water there. And we're built for this--some water is supposed to leak out of our blood vessels when it gets to real little vessels. It gets taken back up by the lymphatic system and eventually dumped back into the bloodstream at the inferior vena cava. But if you aren't making albumin--for instance, in liver failure--you may leak a LOT of fluid into the tissue, so much that your legs get swollen, tight, the skin feeling woody and strange. This isn't fixable by drainage because the fluid is everywhere, not in a single pocket we can drain. And because it puts so much pressure on the tissues of the skin, it often results in ulcers. Congestive heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure--these are all common causes of severe edema, aka swelling due to fluid in the tissues. And they're a real bitch when it comes to wound care, because we have such limited resources for getting the fluid back out, which is a necessary first step to healing.

Pressure is another common cause of wounds. Pressure forces blood out of those little capillaries, so you starve the cells normally fed by those capillaries, and they die. It's called pressure necrosis. Very sick people who can't turn themselves over--people in the ICU, people in nursing homes--are especially prone to these wounds, as are people with limited sensation; pressure wounds are common in wheelchair users who have lost some feeling in the parts of their bodies that rub against those surfaces, or diabetics who don't notice a rock in their shoe.

So, if you're trying to treat wounds, the questions to ask are these:

Why did this wound happen?

-Was it pressure? If it's pressure, you have to offload the source of the pressure or else that wound will not heal. End of story. You can put the tears of a unicorn on that thing, if you don't offload the pressure it won't heal.

-Was it fluid? If it's fluid, you have get the fluid out of the issues or else it won't heal. You can sometimes do that with diuretics, medications that cause the body to dump water through the kidneys, but that's always threading a needle because you have to get someone to a state where they still have juuuuust enough fluid inside their blood vessels to keep their organs happy, while maintaining a very slight state of dehydration so the blood vessels suck water back in from the tissues. You can use compression stockings to squeeze fluid back into the vessels, but if they have arterial insufficiency and not just venous insufficiency, you can accidentally then cause pressure injury. The safest option is using gravity: prop the feet up above the level of the heart, wherever the heart is at, at that moment, and gravity will pull fluid back down out of the legs. Super boring though. Patients hate it. Not as much as they hate compression stockings.

-Was it a skin tear because the skin is very fragile? This is extremely common in the elderly, because they're not making collagen and elastin, necessary to repairing skin. If this is the case, make sure they're actually getting enough nutrition--as people get into their 80s and 90s, their appetites often change and diminish, especially if they're struggling with dementia. And think about just wrapping them in bubble wrap. Remove things with sharp edges from their environments. I have seen the WORST skin tears from solid wood or metal furniture with sharp edges. Get rid of throw rugs and other tripping hazards. I had somebody last week who tried to a clear a baby gate and damn near destroyed their artificial hip.

The next critical question: why isn't it healing?

-Are you getting enough nutrients? Both macro and micro?

-Are you elderly?

-Are you ill?

-Do you have a genetic disorder of collagen formation?

Fix why it's not healing and almost anything will heal. If you're diabetic, find a medication regimen that improves your sugars and stick to it. If you're anorexic, get treatment for your eating disorder. If you have congestive heart failure, work with your doctor on your fluid balance. Wear the damn pressure stockings. Prop up your feet.

If, after those two unskippable questions are done, you want to do something to the wound--apply a dressing, do a treatment--that's a whole other kettle of fish. I'll write that later. The dryer just sang me its little song and I need to put away the laundry.

[peaxhygirl]

𝙰𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙾 𝙰𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙰𝚂 𝚇 𝙵𝙴𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚁

: ̗̀➛𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙺 𝚏𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝙾𝙲

: ̗̀➛𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: On the final night of an AMMO investigation their bust is blown up by an unexpected party.

: ̗̀➛𝙰𝙽: Hey y'all! This is my first time writing in a while, so it hope it doesn't suck lmao. Let me know if you guys are interested in this series cause I got lots more to come!

AMMO's newest addition to the team was Armando Aretas. That's right, the same Armando Aretas that had been a convicted drug dealer, cop killer, and fugitive.

It took some serious string pulling but Rita and Judy managed to get Armando amnesty due to his help with bringing down Lockwood and McGrath. It took a while, but they managed to get it done. In exchange, he needed to work with Miami PD.

Armando was a dangerous man, that was true enough, but he was also an asset. Better to have him on your team than to be against him. Plus, it helped everyone keep an eye on him. He hadn't quite earned the trust of those in his new life.

There was a part of him that didn't care. He'd lived this long without the approval or validation of others, so what was different? Then there was a part of him that wanted to put that behind him. His previous life was a tiresome one.

AMMO had been steaking out a night club for about a week. They'd finally gathered enough proof for them to carry out their raid. Tonight was the night, they just needed to get the green light from their UC.

"Yo, Mike. You think we could stop at that hot dog shack on the corner after this?" Marcus attempted to whisper but the small space in the truck provided no privacy. "Hell no, Marcus. Teresa just said your cholesterol was sky high and you gained about three pounds this month."

"Uh.., now, see. Did you have to put my business out there like that, Mike?" Armando shook his head. His father and surrogate uncle were admittedly the best part of his new life, even if they were annoying. "Will you two shut up?" He muttered.

Kelly and Dorn's smirks of amusement always seemed to be present whenever they were with the three men. "Hey hey hey. What's happening?"

Armando's eyes locked on the commotion breaking out on the scene. The place was getting swarmed. Their UC hadn't sent the signal so it sure as shit wasn't them. A woman appeared on screen gun drawn and shouting for everybody to get down. "Who the fuck is that?"

After the raid ended, AMMO exited their van. Armando charging over to the woman who was speaking to who he could only assume she was debriefing to. This woman was clearly police, but she wasn't with them, so as far as he was concerned-- She was out of line. The area was lit up with flashing red and blue lights, cops littered throughout the parking lot, but he was zeroed in on her.

"What the fuck was that and who the fuck are you?" His accent thick in anger at this woman who'd just blew up his mission. His first big chance at showing the team he was really with them.

"Excuse me? You better back the fuck up that's who the fuck I am. Who the fuck are you?" She was feisty that's for sure, responding to him in the same way he'd come at her. In all honesty, it'd taken her a moment to register he was speaking to her because, what?? His hostility towards her was at an all time high for someone who she'd never laid eyes on before.

"Your little raid fucked up our cocaine bust." His nostrils flared in anger as he stepped to the woman a few inches shorter than him. "Or maybe your cocaine bust got in the middle of my prostitution bust." She shot back. "Again, who the hell are you?" The low rasp of his voice was venomous. "I don't answer to you, I don't even know who you are. Let's start with that before charging over here like you hot shit or something."

Armando opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Marcus. "Hey! Ok, everyone. Let's just calm down." Marcus laughed nervously, stepping between the two of them. "Miss, I'm so sorry for Armando. You know, it's that Latin fire in 'em. Hard to turn off. Um, I'm Marcus and We're AMMO. You are?"

"Raven." Her tone softened but her eyes still blazed with anger in the direction of the young male, who was admittedly cute but clearly had her fucked up. "Vice."

[soft-dolll]

💗Nutritional ways to help gain weight💗

These tips are definitely for the feedees who may not be into unhealthy weight or death feederism! Please do not take this as bashing any sort of denomination of feederism, this is simply here to educate someone who wants to take a different approach to gaining weight❤️

Also, I am not a health professional, this is simply research I’ve done on my own time. Sources will be below👇

Fill up on protein!

Having a large amount of protein and not doing a lot of physical activity can help promote weight gain! This happens because the protein that wasn’t used for physical activity gets turned into glucose, which turns into fat

Portions

While gaining it is always important to eat lots (of course), but especially when you are eating less calorie dense food!

Sumo wrestlers eat plenty of nutritious foods, but their secret is to of course is to fill up on it all!

Indulge in weight gain shakes!

Using bulking powders in your weight gain shakes is a definite way to pack on those calories! Like protein powder, it can either cause muscle gain or fat gain depending on how you use it. Not doing much physical activity can cause weight gain if you’re using bulking/weight gain shakes!

Typically, you’d probably add a dairy product like ice cream, or heavy cream to your shakes, which is completely fine to do! But do keep in mind that there are lots of cholesterol in high fat dairy products, which may or may not be what you want on your journey. A good alternative would be coconut cream, and coconut milk, as they are high in calories, and low in both trans fats, and cholesterol!

Another tip is to use your weight gain powder in things like smoothies, or even baking!

Fats!

Fats are definitely an important part in weight gain, and there are many nutritious ways to get fats in you! For example, nuts, oils (such as avocado oil, and olive oil, fatty fish, high fat yogurt, avocados, and eggs! Another thing you can use is animal fats such as duck fat which isn’t very high in trans fats and cholesterol!

I hope this was somewhat helpful to some of you guys!!

I apologize that the links were kind of posted weird, it’s my first time really doing something like this, so I’m not super used to or good at the format.

Again, please do not take this as me shaming any sort of denomination of this fetish, you do you <3

[ashswordsman859]

the effects of the gases used by the bigger bodied smiling critters

Bobby bear hug: rose helps with stress, seizers, aging, and diabetes. (Nurse?)

Hoppy hopscotch: peppermint helps with pain management, digestive issues, common cold, sinus infection, and headaches. (Child care?)

Kicken chicken: ylang ylang is good for anxiety, depression,mood enhancement, and cognitive function. (Councilor?)

Craftycorn: jasmine is useful for immune support, blood circulation, optimizing hormone levels and relieving stress. (Nurse?)

Picky piggy: citrus is useful for heart health, help maintain cell health in brain tissue, prevents heart disease, kidney stones, brain dysfunction, and emotional regulation. (Food?)

Bubba bubbaphant: lemon grass helps with menstrual issues, improve digestion, nausea, headaches, muscle cramps, spasms, rheumatism (joint pain), high cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, bloating, and boosting red blood cell counts. (Child care for kids with chronic issues?)

Dogday: vanilla as said before helps relax and calm people by reducing anxiety and calms the nerves but also helps with fevers, spasms,blood clotting, although from what I found large amounts can lead to sleep issues but I don't know how accurate that is so take that with a grain of salt. (Kid care?)

Catnap: poppy flower as known does cause a fatigue affect but also has traces of opioids, along with that it also analgesia (inability to feel pain.), euphoria (the laughter), respiratory depression (breath shallow leading to build up of carbon dioxide in the blood.), decreased gastrointestinal mobility (digestive problems resulted when nerves or muscles in the gut do not work in a coordinated way.), and physical & psychological dependency.

eat your heart out au makers!

[diabetes-health-corner]

High Cholesterol: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Our bodies produce all the cholesterol it needs; in fact, high-cholesterol foods, being high in saturated fats, should be avoided. Dietary sources of cholesterol are primarily animal products, such as eggs, meat, and full-fat dairy. To avoid any such situation, it is best to get a regular cholesterol screening done.

Read full blog here: https://www.freedomfromdiabetes.org/blog/post/high-cholesterol-symptoms-causes-and-treatment-ffd/2847

[gottalottarocks]

You guys have probably heard that the EPA just set new Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for the first time in decades for PFAS, which is BIG news in the industry, but not a surprise. I've been in meetings for months hearing about how new PFAS regulations were in the works, and the consensus in the environmental sector is that it's long overdue. But for the rest of you who've never heard of PFAS before I can break down what the big issues are and why they've taken so long to address.

^stolen from pubchem

So PFAS stands for per- and poly- flouroalkyl substances, and it's not one chemical compound, but an entire class of thousands of chemicals that have these chains of Carbon and Flourine atoms. For anybody who doesn't have a chem background fluorine is a nasty atom, it has seven electrons in its valence shell and it will do anything to fill it up to eight, creating incredibly strong bonds.

So you have really strong C-F bonds and these chains of C and F atoms are hydrophobic, which means these compounds are durable and water resistant, which makes them great for all sorts of industrial uses. And we've used them in everything: clothing, fast food wrappers, paints, solar panels, and non-stick pans just to start.

Unfortunately, these wonder chemicals are PBTM- Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic, and Mobile. They don't break down, they build up in the food chain, they have adverse health effects, and even though C-F chains are hydrophobic, additional compounds connected to them can make them soluble in water (so they're in our drinking water). We're starting to realize PFAS can raise cholesterol, inhibit immune response, interfere with your thyroid (part of your hormonal system), cause liver toxicity, is linked to cancer, and more!

At this point you're probably starting to think wtf, how did we allow the continued widespread use of these chemicals? Well, we have phased out quite a few high profile PFAS compounds including PFOA and PFOS, but we still want to regulate and test for them in our drinking water. While PFAS is in many different products, the biggest sources of contamination are industrial runoff, areas where fire fighting foams were tested and used, landfills that leach out PFAS into the surrounding area, and wastewater treatment plants. So don't feel too stressed about eating microwave popcorn or using nail polish.

The reason these regulations took so long to implement was because of how difficult it was to connect such small amounts of PFAS with health hazards. The level of concern for PFAS is extremely low- in the ppt (parts per trillion) range. When I sample for contaminants I'm generally testing in the ppm range and higher, for PFAS we're looking an entire scale lower. We literally did not have the technology before the last few decades to detect PFAS in the ppt range in water, let alone study their effects (you can't just impose massive regulations without any proof to back it up).

States that currently have PFAS limits in drinking water have mostly capped it in the 10-70 ppt range. The new MCLs are 4-10 ppt for the six PFAS compounds the EPA addressed, which are six of the most common and most studied PFAS compounds. Most of the bitching I've seen is about how much this will cost and that the new limits are too low. The conservative take on this is that there isn't enough evidence to support such low MCLs, although most people in the environmental industry feel that more and more research keeps coming out and will keep coming out (remember studying such small amounts of anything is difficult) to support these levels. On the other side of the spectrum, there's the consensus that this is just the beginning and that more and more regulations on PFAS will be needed.

And they're in the works! I saw a proposed rule by the EPA that would ban 12 (already defunct) PFAS substances from pesticides. It wouldn't really affect the current manufacturing of pesticides, but it would be a safeguard from letting them back into the manufacturing process in case of a conservative presidency.

If you're still here I'd like to end on the note that as our science improves, our understanding of how we have impacted the environment and our health will improve. We are constantly going to find out about the adverse effects of new chemicals or things that we may not even produce anymore, and that's a good thing. Over time we are going to make the world a healthier and safer place.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for talking about how happy I am that I switched medications and discussing side effects I had?

CW for mention of eating disorders and vomiting

Sorry if that question is phrased weirdly.

I (F24) am in a fandom Discord server with about 50 or so people in it. I'm friends with a few of the people in the server, but the rest are just sort of acquaintances that I sometimes talk to.

We have the usual non-fandom areas for talking, sharing pictures, a vent channel, etc. There's also a sort-of vent channel that's more for discussing life stuff and getting advice.

We were talking about medications for depression/anxiety and I basically said "Yeah I used to be on SSRI's but stopped because of a few specific side effects, and then when I finally switched to a non-SSRI and realized that it was MASSIVELY fucking with my appetite to the point of causing severe binge eating issues."

The person (who was asking if we had experience with any meds) asked what I meant, so I told them how obsessed with food I was, how I would wait until my parents went to bed (I live with them because fuck this economy) and then go around the house looking for candy, I could eat an entire bag of chips in one night, and one night ate so much candy to the point I got sick and vomited.

I told them that once I started Vyvance for my ADHD the issue improved quite a bit (turns out it's used to treat binge eating disorders), but now that I'm not on a SSRI my appetite and relationship with food is actually normal.

I'm not constantly thinking about food 24/7, I would actually feel full after eating a meal, and I'm no longer having extreme cravings for sugar and salty stuff. I don't have an obsession with taking all the candy in the house and eating it in one sitting, I can just... Leave it there and have some the next day.

I also mentioned that because of that, I've lost 50lbs and I no longer get out of breath just from going up the stairs, and my chronic ankle pain is SO much better to the point I barely notice it (I fucked it up when I was younger). I also no longer have high cholesterol, and when I go outside in the summer I don't feel like I'm going to die.

All of this was put under a cut, with a CW for eating disorders. The person I was talking to basically said "Holy shit thank you so much for letting me know"

I sort of forgot about it afterwards, but a few days later I went onto Discord and saw that the server was gone. I thought Discord was glitching out, but eventually messaged a friend (F20s) who's also in the server and asked her what was going on and if something happened to the server.

She said no, and was confused as to why I wasn't in it anymore. I didn't leave it on accident, it was just... Not there. She sent me an invite link, but it said the link was expired.

She messaged one of the mods (NB28) and asked them if anyone else was having problems joining the server/it disappearing, and they told her that I was permanently banned from the server.

She asked them why, and they said that I was banned for fatphobia and promoting an eating disorder.

She asked them how I was promoting an eating disorder (since I literally talked about recovering from one), and they said that it was because I was discussing weight loss as something positive, which I guess to them automatically = anorexia???

My friend, without me asking to, told me that she tore the mod a new one and called them a dumbfuck for thinking me no longer having binge eating issues and feeling healthier after losing weight is even close to promoting an eating disorder.

Context: My friend literally has anorexia, so she's familiar with how eating disorders work.

The mod then told her she and I are both fatphobic pieces of shit, and banned HER too. The mod in question has posted multiple selfies before, and they're not even fat. I'm like twice the size they are, even after losing weight.

AWTA or is the mod just on some kind of weird savior-complex powertrip?

What are these acronyms?

[bleedingichorhearts]

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐌𝐚𝐲: 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐬

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗: This one reminded me of Subnautica.

𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖉: @kit-williams, @egrets-not-regrets, @bispecsual, @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan, @sleepyfan-blog.

TW // Injury, Violence.

|°𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬°| |°ᴛᴀɢ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ°| • {𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧} • {𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐮𝐬} • {𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐢’𝐬}

Collecting minerals across the deep-ocean floor was a rather pleasing experience, especially right next to the lava lakes and volcanoes. It was cool to see when they would pop and create this “pillow lava.” All round and bulbous, its sphere crust erupting to other Little Rock’s called “igneous rocks.”

Of course, you have to be careful on doing this sort of job. Be wary where you go, how deep you go, what and where you decide to collect your mineral or samples. Creatures and Mother Nature might not like you if they so much desire to rip you to pieces or shoot pillows of lava at you. It can be a very dangerous job in a second. So it’s best to leave it up to the professionals who have more experience for these types of jobs.

This also accounts for the equipment needed to use for this type of job. You can’t have some weak and classic diving suit to swim to the approximate depth of your area filled with underwater lakes of lava. That suit has to be modified for a human to be able to take on the heat of the lava in order to get the goodies like: Gold, silver, copper, manganese, cobalt and zinc.

Though, you gotta be careful of how much the human weight and pressure can take. You don’t want to sink to the ocean floor and be pressurized by the water for going too far down for a human being. So you got to be careful with your selective gear, but your absolute must haves are a storage pouch, underwater flashlight(s), lining, and a knife. All these are important for your survival into the depths of the ocean, and if you think you can take a harpoon? Go for it, the ocean can be quiet and scary when it wants to be.

Pushing of some rock with my hand. I avoided some hydrothermal vents as I took my diver knife from my waist and stabbed it into piece of rock wall a couple times, digging out some mineral with in it. The disrupted sand on the rock obstructing my vision for a second before I spot that shine of the material and grab the mineral with my other hand.

Zinc, I recognize from the splintery metal it has and the sheeny grayish color it’s known for. A good chemical element for to help you immune system fight of bacteria and viruses inside of your body. Though, I would not recommend to blankly just touch, inhale or eat raw zinc before giving it over to the scientists. It can could cause some side effects too like: Stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. For higher levels: Anemia, damaged pancreas and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

Opening my pouch, I place the small mineral into the storage pouch on the other side of my waist, from the knife holster and sheathed my knife back into its holster. Swimming carefully near the edge of the cliff where a lava lake resides just a few inches below. The boiling heat of it warning me if I was too close to it or not while I looked for some more minerals to collect. My feet and hands pushing off rocks when I didn’t find anything in the surrounding area.

I hum unhappily into my mask when I couldn’t find anything more than just zinc and occasional copper. Bubbles obstructing my vision when I stop and float in place, looking around me carefully for one last scan for minerals. The feeling of unaccomplishment pressing onto my shoulders as I didn’t want to leave the area without another mineral stocked into my pouch. I wanted them for a reason.

The weight on my shoulders pull off instantly when I spot a sliver of gold shining against the red and yellow of the lava lakes light. My legs already working to swim closer to the lava lake; more than one should. The heat threatening to burn off my heat resistant suit if I got anymore close to the lake, having its limitations.

Rounding the material, I made sure there wasn’t any more that I was going to miss. My hand reaching and unsheathing my knife back from my holster as I get ready to dig at it. Head tilting back and forth on how I would like to dig at it to make sure I didn’t damage the gold too much before resting a hand above it for support and giving the surrounding rock around it a good stab.

It took about 7 times before the noble metal popped off its spot. Breifly floating in the water as I made a reach for it. My fingers almost closing around the metal before I found myself scarcely close to the lava lake. A muffled cry ripping from my throat.

Rapid bubbles surrounded my vision as my hand clutches at my shoulder. A line of red threading through my fingers and through the water from the harpoon stuck into my shoulder. My back slowly burning up for being too close to the lava lake; like when you get too close to the campfire for comfort.

My eyes go wide when another harpoon tinks itself near my ankle, cutting my suit there as I scramble back as far as I could to the best of my abilities without getting scorched by the lava. The harpoon in my shoulder not helping when I find myself pinned under the hands of another human. Their knife threatening to crack my goggles as the tip of the knife scratches them, creating a line in them.

All I could hear from them are rough mumbles and gestures to my pouch. Their hands occasionally gripping at the harpoon in my shoulder for more power as I cry out at the pain of it being moved. Their eyes giving a certain glee when they did.

What was another person doing down here? Was this person a pirate? How long were they following me? Where did they even come from? How did they know of this area? It’s wasn’t common to have some search the floor of the sea for some scraps of minerals.

The person shoves my body back into the sea floor harshly and backing off; taking my storage pouch with them as I become lightheaded at the force of their push. That feeling of dread, sadness and questioning settling on my shoulders.

Why would one person what to steal from another and wound them in the process? If they could have asked I would have lended over some materials for them. I wasn’t a greedy person! That— that just doesn’t make any sense! Why steal when you have a perfectly good gear to come down into the depths of the water and steal from me?

I groan and exhale slowly in order not to cry at the loss of my materials and with the harpoon in my shoulder. My hand gripping at the handle and pulling the harpoon out with a painful jerk. More of my blood flowing through the boiling waters of the ocean depths.

I jump when a nuzzle to the back of my shoulder takes my attention when I look back behind me to the creature of the lava lakes. His black reptilian-like body rising out of the lava as it bubbles off his scales. His deep, yet glowing reddish-orange eyes, serpent-like irises with a solid black line going horizontally through his eyes looking me over. A deep rumble coming out of him, vibrating the water.

Relived it was just the sea creature, I reached up to the creature. His head coming down to nuzzle into my open arms. His form chuffing bubbles as he slowly moves to the wound on my shoulder. A low growl rumbling through the water before his long black tongue rolls out of his mouth and laps at the wound, sealing it up with his saliva as I nuzzle up against his shoulder, his appearance welcoming as the saddening thought of being stolen from still ranked through my mind. I was going to make a trinket for this loving creature, and now I have to start from ground zero.

The creature gently coos at me when he wants my attention, giving me a little kiss on the neck while he’s at it. His talon-like hands rubbing against my back soothingly. Prompting me to let go of him as he gestures and gently pushes me to go back to his nest. His form curling around me, blocking me for any disagreement of not going to his nest.

Pushing off the sea floor a little. I reached for the creature again before I went and nuzzled him right underneath his chin. Purposely exhaling bubbles as he gives these chuff-like sounds at my antics. Gently pawing at me to get me swimming back to his nest, and giving me a forehead kiss before I make my way back to his nest. His eyes carefully watching me go swim to the location of his nest before he turns a pushes off the ground with quiet power in his talons and tail with a new hunt in mind.

A vengeful one too.

[overwhelmed-overweight]

Plant-Based Benefits and Tips!

A couple of lovely people asked for some elaboration on plant-based eating! I studied nutrition & dietetics in college before I dropped out so I'm not a professional in nutrition but I do have a broad understanding of the biochemistry behind what we eat.

This is kind of a long post, so continue under the cut!

Starting with the basics!

I aim for a more whole foods plant-based diet, which is essentially a low-fat diet that focuses on removing all animal products, limiting processed food, and minimizing oils.

Looking at micronutrients, both protein and carbs have about 4 calories per gram, but oil has 9 calories per gram. Low-fat diets are often easier to manage calories on, as you can fill up on a higher volume of protein and carbs (specifically fiber) to reach satiety, whereas processed/high-fat foods are higher in calories per serving, meaning you get less volume.

You DO need fat in your diet, but it's preferable to reach for nuts, seeds, avocados, etc. instead of oil, which is comparatively nutritionally void.

FIBER IS YOUR BESTIE. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are low in calories meaning you can eat more of them, reaching satiety faster than you would with something processed. Fiber makes your digestive system happy. Be sure to incorporate more plants into your diet gradually so your digestive system can adjust.

Let's talk about animal products...

They are inflammatory by nature. If it comes from an animal, particularly red meat and ESPECIALLY processed meat, it will cause stomach issues in most people.

Fun fact, we are biologically closer to herbivores than carnivores. Our digestive tracts are much longer and our stomachs are less acidic than a carnivore's, meaning we are designed to most efficiently digest plant matter. Carnivores, on the other hand, have short digestive tracts and significantly more acidic stomachs for breaking down flesh and bone. This is why many people experience gastrointestinal discomfort when consuming meat. This leads to bloating, gas, and constipation. We are omnivores because we CAN consume animal products for survival, but it is nowhere near optimal.

Dairy is highly inflammatory and is directly linked to hormonal cancers (breast, prostate, etc.) It is also high in saturated fat, which is inflammatory. When we are born, we have the "gene" necessary to process breastmilk, but for many people, as we age, this "gene" gets switched off. Past infancy, we don't need milk (or other dairy products) because we can get our nutrients from other food sources. Black and Asian individuals have the highest rates of lactose intolerance. Not to mention, dairy is full of foreign bacteria, especially from factory farms, which causes an immune response in the body, leading to further inflammation.

Eggs are saturated fat and cholesterol bombs. They're high in protein, sure, but you can get protein and a wide variety of other nutrients from things like tofu.

To summarize, animal products are high in fat, high in cholesterol, high in calories, and cause inflammation, bloating, gas, and of course, constipation. Eating whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans/legumes, tofu, nuts, and seeds will boost your fiber intake, fill you with antioxidants, foster healthy gut bacteria, and reduce gastrointestinal issues.

Make sure you add more plants to your diet GRADUALLY. If you immediately go full force into eating plant-based, your stomach will experience distress due to the sudden increase in fiber, creating gas and bloating. But this will subside, and you'll feel better overall!

I highly recommend listening to seminars on YouTube by Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, and Linda Davis RD to learn more in depth about what I've talked about.

Extra tips:

An air fryer is going to change your life when it comes to cooking without oil and making stuff taste good and have a better texture! I use mine multiple times a day.

TOFU!!! I'm a soy addicts, and tofu is my favorite source of protein. There's so many ways to prepare it, too!

Berries are so nutrient dense and delicious-- nature's candy!

There's honestly nothing wrong with protein powder even though it's processed. Just be sure to opt for vegan protein powder so you aren't loading your body with whey.

Stevia is a godlike sweetener, imo.

Eat a wide variety of different plants to diversify your gut microbiome and to get a variety of vitamins and minerals!

Take care of yourselves :') 💚🌿 I may add to this post as more things pop in my head!

When I tell you it's so goddamn easy to do dishes when you don't cook with oil 😭

Don't drink alcohol... this is the most hypocritical thing I can say lmao but it will wreak havoc on your gut microbiome

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

how much should the average Gallifreyan be eating and drinking water? if they ate like the average human, would it have adverse effects? are there any nutrients Gallifreyans need that humans don't, or vice versa?

What does a Gallifreyan diet look like?

🌮Nutritional Requirements

Gallifreyans require a balanced diet much like humans, consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. However, their advanced biology allows them to extract nutrients more efficiently.

🍕Nutrition: An adult Gallifreyan needs roughly the same amount of calories as a human (around 2000ish), but they process food so efficiently that one good meal a day is normal, so they appear to eat less.

💧Hydration: Due to their highly efficient kidneys, they need less water. Around two litres of water every day will keep them nicely hydrated.

⚠️Limits: They can go without any food for up to two weeks and up to five days without water before showing symptoms of starvation and dehydration, though they will get increasingly, err, tetchy.

👽Gallifreyan vs. Human Diet

If a Gallifreyan ate like the average human, it wouldn't be catastrophic, but there may be noticeable effects:

🍔Over-nutrition: Given their efficiency in nutrient extraction, consuming the same amount as humans would likely lead to excessive intake, resulting in unwanted weight gain. Their bodies simply don't need as much food to get the same nutrients.

🥤Hydration Overload: Drinking the recommended 2-3 litres of water daily might lead to more frequent urination and unnecessary stress on their kidneys.

🧇Cholesterol and Fats: Gallifreyans can metabolise fats without the negative effects humans face. However, an abundance of unhealthy fats could still challenge their otherwise efficient system over time.

🍫Special Nutritional Requirements

Good news for all the intergalactic nutritionists out there-Gallifreyans and humans have very similar nutritional needs. There are no specific nutrients unique to either species' requirements. However, there are some considerations:

🥛Low Sodium: Their kidneys are excellent at filtering, but a low-sodium diet helps prevent any unnecessary strain.

🍌High Protein and Enzymes: Due to their active metabolism and physical demands, Gallifreyans benefit from higher protein intake and foods rich in enzymes to support their robust bodily functions.

🥬Nutrient Imbalances: Certain foods, especially those rich in Vitamin K (like kale and spinach) and gingerol (found in ginger), could cause issues. Vitamin K can affect their blood chemistry, while gingerol will enhance the effects of other substances, making alcohol, for instance, much more potent.

🌟Special Conditions: In cases of illness or certain medical conditions, Gallifreyans might need to consume specific substances to correct nutrient deficiencies. This might include particular proteins or compounds not commonly found in a regular human diet.

🏫 So ...

So while Gallifreyans can survive on a human diet, their advanced physiology allows them to thrive on less frequent, nutrient-dense meals. So, if you're planning a Gallifreyan dinner party, think high-protein, low-sodium, and for Rassilon's sake, hide that ginger beer.

Related:

Are there any foods that Gallifreyans can eat that humans can’t?: What foods Gallifreyans could eat that humans don’t, with some theoretical examples.

Do Gallifreyans control how quickly their body processes alcohol?: Gallifreyan alcohol processing, its limitations, and the dangers of ginger.

How much caffeine can a Gallifreyan handle?: Caffeine tolerance, with theoretical limits and symptoms of overconsumption.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired😴

[shopwitchvamp]

Hello! You can ignore this if the subject is too personal, but I saw you mention that you got a hysterectomy. I've been wanting to get one for awhile for a variety of reasons (no desire to have children, wanting to permanently stop periods, ect) and I was wondering if there was anything I should know about it that isn't talked about a lot?

Yeah I had one at 25 after yearssss of medical horrors. It's a lot and probably a good deal of people don't wanna read my nightmares so-

I had absolutely life ruining periods from endometriosis/PCOS, and I also never wanted children, but couldn't stay on BC to control any of those things because I found out at 21 that it was making my cholesterol sky high. I then spent a few years being truly, literally insane because I was going off and on birth control of various types every few months to try to find anything that wouldn't give me high cholesterol. Drs were like oh maybe the patches will bypass whatever weird mechanism is making this happen, maybe nuvaring, maybe progesterone only, maybe the hormonal IUD, etc etc.

I'd rather not get into what exactly led to finally getting the hysterectomy (extremely traumatic..) but I don't mind talking about the hysterectomy itself.

All I really have to say is that I have ZERO regrets and that my life has improved DRAMATICALLY since getting the hysterectomy. I had a partial so I still have ovaries, which means still having issues from PCOS, still having a hormonal cycle, still dealing with PMDD at times, etc. But given all of the issues I'd had with hormonal BC I didn't want to have my ovaries removed and need to rely on taking hormones forever when they might have caused me more problems. This is an issue very very specific to me tho.

But yeah, before the hysterectomy I used to spend 7-10 days each month-ish incapacitated by nightmare periods, and then very often end up sick (like with a cold or sinus infection or strep throat) afterwards because my body was so weakened. The only thing that had helped before was being on the kind of BC pills you take for like 3 months straight with no breaks so that you skip periods. But once I found out about the cholesterol problem, well. They just cycled me on and off a bunch of different options while doing frequent blood tests, and then in the end were like "idk guess you just have to live with it forever." Until the obgyn I'd been seeing since I was 17, who had witnessed 8 years of my suffering and already done 2 surgeries on me, was finally willing to just do a hysterectomy back in 2016.

I hear that maybe it's a bit easier these days to find a doctor willing to perform a hysterectomy, but I can't say I know much about the process. If you're on the hunt I think maybe like the childfree subreddit has a list of doctors?

If you have any kind of more specific question I guess lemme know. I'm not sure what people do or don't talk about when it comes to this stuff, but I really don't have any negatives to report, which I mainly credit to not getting a total hysterectomy (so no early menopause issues, etc). (EDIT: just fyi anyone reading this, I've muted notifcations because while I don't mind talking about this it isn't exactly something I want popping up into my awareness every few minutes 😅 if you leave any comments or reblog tags it's totally fine, just know that I won't see them. thanks for understanding!)

[fang-toothed]

I’m going to talk about “passing” (as the opposite sex), because it feels like there are not many neutral and comprehensive explanations of the truth of it.

During my 3 years of identifying as trans, I was told that I could pass completely as male with hormones and top surgery (mastectomy). I looked through a subreddit where trans-identified people posted pics of themselves to see if they “passed” and I gave the most affirmative answers I could. The trans women, I noticed, even back then, always got much more positive comments than trans men, and also seemed much more confident that they themselves “passed,” even though the visible evidence seemed to show the opposite.

2 out of 3 of the trans women I know I “clocked” (could tell they were male) at first glance. Both had long or longish hair, wore (what is considered to be) women’s clothing, and both seemed to be on HRT (had breast development). The 3rd took me about 15 minutes to figure out. I clocked one TIF straight away, though this person wasn’t on artificial hormones and had an obviously female voice. The other had a beard, was obviously on testosterone, and had the “camp” voice gay men (and straight TIFs) tend to have. It took me five class periods to clock the latter, mainly because I never saw this person standing up through the crowded room. The moment I saw this classmate walking outside of the classroom it was very obvious this person was female. Their hips would be considered wide even for a woman, and the other TIF had nearly the exact same height (5’4”ish) and hip width. It didn’t matter how male either seemed; their hips will give them away every time.

I am not saying this out of spite. I genuinely want to help trans people realise what it took me years to realise: that they are being lied to. Sure, you’ll get shown a picture of Buck Angel or Blaire White as “proof” trans women are women and trans men are men fuck yeah, but the former is an outlier and the latter does not pass at all without makeup and strategic lighting, and even they still do not pass naked. You are being sold a lie, and people are making a lot of profit from it.

Trans women, you need to realise that having no one straight-up say “hey, you’re not a woman!” to you does not mean you pass. In real life, you probably never will. Women are instinctively scared of you and will very rarely confront you, especially since you keep making death and rape threats towards “TERFs”. HRT will make you look less masculine, but you will never experience a female level of hormones, simply because you are not female. Ovaries make most estrogen for females, which you can see below, and your hormones will never cycle the way female hormones do because you lack the uterus that controls them. You will never experience menopause. Your body never stops being male. If you are told contrary, you are being lied to.

Trans men, you need to realise that while you do have a chance of passing with hormones, surgery, and clothing on, your health will ALWAYS suffer if you do so. Testosterone HRT causes vaginal dryness, atrophy, and pelvic/clitoral pain directly from the overabundance of testosterone. You will likely gain weight, potentially even developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems from a rise in cholesterol. You will go into early menopause after 12 months of no periods, and have the negative health effects that come with it. Healthy levels of estrogen and testosterone (yes, it is present in all female bodies) do a lot for the body; just look at the source above. There is no possible way for you to pass as male without your body suffering as a result.

Hate me and call me a TERF all you like, but I am telling you the truth. You HAVE to stop relying on word of mouth for information about transitioning medically. I would honestly prefer you to keep identifying as trans and keep doing TRA activism and NOT take HRT/get unnecessary surgery than readily admit you are not the gender you identify as and still take/get them. I am a sympathetic person and I hate unnecessary pain, even from my political “rivals” (I do not consider you rivals). I do not and will never hate trans people. Please just ask yourselves why looking at the other side’s materials is fine for Conservative, Nazi, whatever movement, because their arguments are ridiculous and based on selfish interests that are easy to see, EXCEPT gender-critical material, which is supposedly just as foolish. It is never a sin to educate yourself, despite what certain movements and religions will tell you.

[blubberwhalebelly]

Since I know I have a not-insignificant amount of gainers follow me, here's some unsolicited advice:

Take fiber.

Like a fiber supplement. Soluble fiber is the closest thing to a miracle supplement we have. So like, you've probably learned that eating bad cholesterol will make your body's bad cholesterol go up. This is not true. The cholesterol you eat, both good and bad, is entirely broken down in your gut. What actually correlates with low bad cholesterol levels is high soluble fiber intake. And just by the nature of things, a diet that's high in bad cholesterol is also likely to be low in soluble, and vice versa. It's not a perfect guard against heart disease, but it's a damn good one.

But that's not all. Y'know how apples are better for you than candy with the same amount of sugar? Sure that's partly because of the vitamins and such, but it's also because of the fiber. Because soluble fiber slows down how quickly your body uptakes sugar, so it causes less of a spike in insulin and it'll help protect against diabetes.

Like, do you understand what I'm saying, one serving of psyllium husks a day will go a very long way towards protecting you from both heart disease AND diabetes. Its not perfect, a bad enough diet can still break through the protection, but like. Those are the main two things!