Category: Motivational
A Cholesterol Master Class with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD.
May 17, 2023
Fast-forward to time 23:55 to learn which foods injure our endothelial cells starting with #1 – any kind of oil!
Love Yourself!
The Surprising Truth About America’s Most Popular Sleep Supplement
May 19, 2023
Americans are facing an epidemic of sleeplessness, and it’s killing us: Dr. Matthew Walker detailed in his book, “Why We Sleep,” the fact that insufficient sleep is linked to a range of health issues, including increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and weakened immune function. He also highlights the impact of sleep deprivation on mental health, with sleep disorders being strongly associated with conditions such as anxiety and depression.
As a result, many Americans are turning to melatonin, a hormone supplement to help them sleep. However, safety research is starting to come back with alarming news about the risks of the popular hormone supplement:
- Sleep-wake cycle disruption: When used inappropriately or at incorrect dosages, melatonin can disrupt the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, known as the circadian rhythm. This can lead to further sleep problems, weight gain, and a loss of the restorative effects of deep sleep.
- Hormonal effects: Melatonin is a hormone that can influence other hormones in the body. Prolonged or excessive use of melatonin supplements may potentially disrupt the normal production of hormones, including reproductive hormones.
- Drug interactions: Melatonin can interact with certain medications, including blood thinners, immunosuppressants, and birth control pills. It is important to consult with a healthcare professional if you are taking any medications to avoid potentially dangerous interactions.
- Dependence and tolerance: There is evidence to suggest that long-term use of melatonin can lead to dependence or a decreased response over time, meaning higher doses may be required to achieve the same sleep-inducing effects. In turn, this increases the risks of other side effects manifesting themselves.
- Poor quality control: In 2017, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that the content of most melatonin supplements varied widely from their label claims. True concentrations ranged from 83 percent less than to 478 percent more than the amount listed on the label. Moreover, most melatonin is produced in China with hard-to-validate safety data.
As a result of these human health concerns, melatonin is currently banned from over-the-counter sales in Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada – yet it remains for sale on the US market despite the risk.
https://dailyclout.io/the-surprising-truth-about-americas-most-popular-sleep-supplement/
How Low Can You Go? Forgotten Benefits of Deep Squats
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Many health benefits are associated with deep squats, including improved bowel elimination, production of synovial fluid in the hips and knees, muscle growth that is associated with glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, improved balance and better communication between your brain and muscle groups
- In Western cultures people don’t often squat outside the gym, and even then, they don’t perform deep squats. A deep squat involves keeping your feet flat on the floor and dropping until your hamstrings touch your calf muscles
- Long hours of sitting tighten calf muscles and hip flexors. This alters your posture and increases the risk of back pain. Appropriate stretches for your ankles, calves and hips may be necessary before you can achieve a deep squat
- Consider incorporating deep squats into your daily routine, such as squatting to pick up your child or items off the floor. Resting squats can be used while watching television or reading. Squatting outside while barefoot allows for the exchange of electrons between your body and the earth, also known as grounding or Earthing
Revisiting the Issue of Human Augmentation
March 30, 2023 by Spartacus
A couple days ago, I [Spartacus] had another conversation with ChatGPT and got it to admit some rather stunning things. I posted a partial version of this convo on Twitter and it received quite a bit of interest.
Granted, every reply from this language model should be taken with a grain of salt, for a number of reasons. AIs are prone to hallucinations; if they don’t have a valid answer, they will make one up from scratch. They’re also highly motivated to mirror your questions as much as possible.
However, these AIs are trained on massive data sets that often include information that matches the query, including the contents of peer-reviewed scientific articles and other highly technical publications.
With that in mind, let’s see what the AI had to say when further pressed about IoB [Internet of Behaviors] tech. Again, Midjourney was used for the images.
Nano Networks in the Body
Nanoarchitectonics is an interdisciplinary research field that focuses on the design, synthesis, and manipulation of materials and structures at the nanoscale.
Intra-body nano-networks are a concept in the field of nanotechnology that involves creating networks of nanoscale devices or nanoparticles within the human body to perform various tasks, such as monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. These tiny, interconnected devices can work together to provide real-time communication, data transmission, and coordinated responses to specific biological signals or stimuli.
Conversing with CHAT GPT…
Spartacus: Given the ability of these technologies to influence human health, cognition, emotions, and judgment, isn’t there an extraordinary existential risk here that is similar to other WMDs?
ChatGPT: The potential misuse of intra-body nano-networks and related technologies does indeed represent an existential risk, especially when considering their ability to influence human health, cognition, emotions, and judgment. Although they might not have the same immediate destructive capabilities as traditional weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) like nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, the potential long-term consequences and ethical implications of these technologies can be profound.
Some of the risks associated with the misuse of these technologies include:
1. Loss of autonomy: The ability to control or manipulate human cognition, emotions, and judgment could lead to a significant loss of personal autonomy and individual freedom.
2. Human rights abuses: The misuse of these technologies might result in severe human rights abuses, as they can be used to suppress dissent, control populations, or even force people to act against their will.
3. Unintended consequences: The manipulation of complex biological systems could have unintended consequences, leading to unforeseen health issues or unpredictable impacts on human behavior.
4. Escalation of conflict: The development and deployment of these technologies as weapons could lead to new arms races and escalate existing conflicts, increasing the risk of global instability.
5. Proliferation and accessibility: The potential for these technologies to be acquired and misused by non-state actors, terrorists, or rogue nations poses a significant proliferation threat.
To mitigate these existential risks, it’s crucial to establish international norms, ethical guidelines, and regulatory frameworks that govern the development and use of intra-body nano-networks and related technologies. This should involve interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists, engineers, ethicists, policymakers, and human rights advocates to ensure that these technologies are developed and deployed responsibly and for the benefit of society as a whole.
Additionally, fostering a culture of transparency and open dialogue can help raise public awareness about the potential risks and benefits of these technologies, contributing to more informed decision-making and responsible policy development.
READ DETAILS HERE, and at least scroll down to CONCLUSION to read the closure.
Chris van Tulleken—Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food and Why Can’t We Stop?
“You’re part of an experiment you didn’t volunteer for. New molecules and new combinations of molecules are being tried in your food the whole time. You take all the risks in these experiments, the companies get all the benefits.”
This week on the Mad in America podcast we are joined by Dr. Chris van Tulleken. Chris is an Infectious Diseases doctor at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. He trained at Oxford and has a PhD in molecular virology from University College London, where he is an associate professor.
His research focuses on how corporations affect human health, especially in the context of child nutrition, and he works with UNICEF and the World Health Organization on this area. Chris is also one of the BBC’s leading broadcasters for children and adults and his work has won two BAFTAs. In this interview, we talk about Chris’s new book Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food and Why Can’t We Stop?
The book takes a deep dive into the science, economics, history, and production of ultra-processed food. In particular, we discuss some of the effects of UPF on our brains and bodies and how the food industry positions UPF to dominate our diets.
Could feeling hungry be the key to slowing the aging process? – Study Finds
May 16, 2023
Previously, research has shown that even just the taste and smell of food can reverse the benefits of restricting one’s diet, even if you don’t actually eat the food. This is what inspired first author Kristy Weaver, Ph.D., principal investigator Scott Pletcher, Ph.D., and their colleagues to examine whether the brain activity which triggers the drive to seek out food could be the key to a longer life.
“We’ve sort of divorced [the life extending effects of diet restriction] from all of the nutritional manipulations of the diet that researchers had worked on for many years to say they’re not required,” says Pletcher in a university release. “The perception of not enough food is sufficient.”
Read more here:
The Nasal Hygiene Summit
The Ultimate Vitamin D Explainer – includes Covid Revelations!
May 11, 2023