Posts by darkbison81

There are plenty of non-profits and volunteers out there (and judging by what I see on this forum, even here) who might actually want to step up and help.

rapidgull3 said:Suicide will always be on my mind because the underlying issues aren't just going away. As a pessimist, I’m terrified that these thoughts will only intensify. Here is why: my mother’s schizophrenia, the fear of losing my father, my own lack of independence, my anxiety about facing life, and mounting utility debts of around... $6000 The insults keep coming. Even though I signed an employment contract, my lack of confidence leaves me spiraling. I’m constantly panicked about whether I’ll even keep this job. I have had a suicide plan fixed in my mind for a long time; honestly, I think about it every single day. Once my father passes away, I plan to slit my wrists at my temples and bleed out. It’s the only way to avoid the onslaught of negativity. If I'm gone, I won't have to deal with the panic, the insecurity, the inability to be independent, or the social anxiety. Once Dad is gone, the only future I see is my mother ending up in a psychiatric ward and me living like a vagrant on the streets because we'll be evicted from our house. Therefore, killing myself is the only logical way to stay ahead of it all.

Why don't you just step up, take some responsibility, and help your mom once your dad is gone? Isn't that enough of a reason to stay alive—helping someone so they don't end up alone in a facility? That’s your mother. Even if she does end up in an institution, don't you feel like you should be there for her, loving her and supporting her, even if it's just through visits, kind words, or the little things?

If you can't find the strength to stop looking for ways to escape a tough situation, why not ask for help? Reach out to a professional who can actually show you how to face life and fight back. People survive much worse than what you've listed here.
Don't think I'm judging your suicidal ideation, but I do think you're being unfair to your mom, who is clearly going to need you. Besides, maybe your psychology issues (anxieties, insecurities—it's not like you have a terminal illness) are solvable. And maybe your financial problems are solvable too ($6000 is still better than being $20,000 in debt...). Honestly, leaving your mom in the gutter without even trying to fix relatively manageable problems (since unsolvable ones *do* exist...) is just plain sad...

wearyowl29 said:You’d have to take that up with the editors over at Quincy. Honestly, I suspect the parameters were just lifted straight from established Western clinical theories and practices, and then applied globally as if they were universal truths.

When you're wading through a massive forest of data like this, there's always going to be stuff that slips through the cracks—things that raw numbers simply can't capture.

Since I don't have a subscription to The Lancet myself, and since we're basing this whole discussion on data from one of their articles, I’m really hoping someone who actually has access can weigh in here. I'm looking for someone who's had a chance to dig into those specific figures—specifically the person I was addressing in my first post.

Before I decide, I honestly don't know if I should go through with it.
I tend to trust the raw data. I've seen it happen more times than I can count—where information gets pulled straight from peer-reviewed journals and scientific studies, only to be fed into the daily news cycle and completely stripped of its actual meaning.
I trust the research itself.
I’d say 2/3 is a lowball estimate, wouldn't you?
I’d say that 2/3 is a massive overestimate.

Look, I need you to lay out exactly what was discovered—I need the specifics from the original source. Once I actually have the facts in front of me, then I can start forming an actual opinion on the matter. 🙂

Look, I know this might not have anything to do with what everyone else is talking about here, but I'm genuinely curious. If anyone happens to have a link to an article on this, please send it my way.

wearyowl29 said:According to some recent news reports and even studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it turns out that nearly a third of the entire world's population is struggling with some form of mental health disorder. To make matters even more discouraging, most people aren't getting any real help at all—either they can't access therapy, or the treatment they do find just doesn't hit the mark.
The numbers are pretty staggering, too. It’s estimated that about 23% of global disability is actually caused by mental health issues. That’s higher than heart disease or strokes, which sit at 21%, and way ahead of cancer, which accounts for "only" 11%.

What are your thoughts on these statistics?😳

But what exactly are the criteria they're using to draw the line between being mentally ill and being "normal"?
I mean, since they obviously didn't go out and test every single person on Earth, how was this study actually conducted and how did they handle the "sampling" process?

granitebadger25 said:Alexx, you really ought to get your thyroid checked out—definitely an ultrasound and testing for thyroglobulin antibodies—by a nuclear medicine specialist, though if you ask me, seeing an endocrinologist is probably your best bet.

granitebadger25, could you send me a PM with a recommendation for a nuclear medicine specialist or an endocrinologist (or both) in the Chicago area? I wouldn't mind a private practice.

Personally, I don't find options a) or b) particularly alarming. Most people seem to grasp the logic that even if you’re protected against one specific disease via a vaccine, there are still hundreds of other things you can pick up through unprotected sex. Besides, just because you've been vaccinated against one thing doesn't mean you should stop showing up for your routine checkups—those exams aren't just about one single issue anyway. (For what it's worth, I’d still get a Pap smear during my regular exam even if I were vaccinated, if only to ensure Merck and Glaxo get their beautiful statistics 😉 )
The real headache here is the cost. It really needs to be more affordable, and we need to figure out how—or even if—this kind of protection can be integrated into the healthcare system (I'm not entirely sure how that works here in the States, like what's covered, what the copays look like, or who qualifies for what)

nimbledriver81 said:And since everyone’s busy bragging—I actually managed to get a photo with Aragorn. 🙂

Well, I got a shot with Darth Vader myself 😈 😎

mistybear4 said:The study was done back in the late 90s over in San Francisco, specifically at LabCorp (I think I got the name right, but don't quote me on it) 😕

Man, this is going to be tough to track down...
Do you have the actual title of the study, or even just the name of one of the authors?

Maybe you have a summary somewhere that actually cites the references (or at least names the people who originally wrote it)?

It’s a shame we can't get into that one article we have so many citations for... I wonder if your employers have a subscription to that journal? Or maybe someone you know personally does?

Anyway, I've gotta get back to work. Catch you later. 🙂

Jose Miller3 said:: smiling at yourself while you're finger-pointing and talking nonsense:

Oh, it's possible, Jose Miller3, it's totally possible. 😘 😁

Jose Miller3 said:mistybear4 doesn't actually want to have a real conversation with darkbison81 about nutrient density in food; he just wants darkbison81 to buy his supplements!

There you go, being spiteful again. 😁

I forgot to mention

mistybear4 said:I’m completely rejecting any kind of pressure to go out and hunt this down immediately.

Of course. Honestly, my apologies if I came off as pushy. I wasn't sure how much of this info was at your fingertips—I assumed since you work professionally in nutrition, you might have the data right there or could grab it easily—and I didn't account for how much time you'd actually need. Regardless, take all the time you need; it’s really not an issue. 🙂

I don't trust my own taste buds when we're debating the actual chemical makeup of food. 🙂 Besides, whether certain fruits or vegetables are actually "good" for someone is incredibly subjective...

Look, if you want to argue something that isn't common knowledge—like saying the sun shines during the day, which anyone can verify without a peer-reviewed study—you have to back it up with actual data. Just like how many studies have been cited for decades and don't necessarily need a link to the original paper, you still need to provide substance. Unfortunately, the numbers you threw out in your first post don't mean much to us until we can actually weigh their value and determine if they're even true.

If we’re just talking hypothetically:
Assuming your data is right and people can't get everything they need from whole foods, they’re going to have to figure out how to hit their nutritional targets. If food isn't cutting it, supplements become necessary.

But if we're being realistic:
Since darkbison81 doesn't have any data on how food composition is shifting, there's nothing for them to weigh in on. If you guys want to have a serious conversation about this with her, you'll need to provide the actual data first. 🙂

Jose Miller3 said:but that's only because your explanation was longer and more detailed!

Mine was just rambling on, whereas you actually gave a concise breakdown of what we need to do. 😁

Jose Miller3 said:Look, let me try to clarify what we’re actually looking for from you. You keep claiming that certain studies out of Germany showed specific results. If you want us to take you seriously, we need to see the actual peer-reviewed papers behind those claims. That’s just how science works: you don't rely on some news headline; you go straight to the primary source. I tried digging up one of the papers you referenced, but unfortunately, none of us here on the forum can get access to it. All we want is to read that specific study—or maybe you could point us toward another one on the subject—so we can vet it ourselves. Once we've read the data, then we'll form our own opinions, you get me?

Well, looks like she beat me to the punch. 😬

mistybear4 said:My biggest hurdle right now is that my English isn't quite where it needs to be yet. It makes working through the books I’ve managed to pick up a real struggle, let alone trying to parse everything I find online... 🙂

Look, nobody is asking you to translate entire books or transcribe articles—that would be an exhausting amount of busywork and totally unnecessary. All we need is for you to provide the original source or the link to the article itself.
Unfortunately, that one reference you shared is from a journal that neither I, nor Jose Miller3, nor Frank Alvarez8 can access (at least not currently—maybe Frank will have better luck down the road...), and I doubt most others here could track it down either, given how limited access to these types of publications can be.
As for the second study you mentioned, you didn't include a reference, but if I understood correctly, you were writing over in Germany, so you should be able to pull those stats together.

Since you're the one bringing this info to the table and asking us to consider or adopt it, the responsibility falls on you to provide the necessary data. 🙂

We’ve done our best on this end to verify things, but as you can see, we've hit a wall...

I really hope you're working on your English. As you're starting to realize, all the serious research is published in peer-reviewed international journals, and English is the universal standard. If you want to be able to gather raw, primary data, mastering the language is pretty much non-negotiable.

Jose Miller3 said:Unfortunately, I can't get into the full article. Every time I try to click here, it just hits a paywall and blocks me...

None of us have a subscription to that one either.

mistybear4 said:I sent an email directly to the source over in Germany. As soon as they get back to me with a link or the actual file, I'll let you guys know... 🙂

Fair enough.
But looking at that citation you posted (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol. 23, No. 6, 669-682 (2004)), that's actually an American study, not that German one mentioned earlier...
Do you happen to have a specific reference for the German study (maybe it's in a journal we actually have access to)? Or, if you manage to snag the PDF for this American one, could you share it?

Jose Miller3 said:Well, anything else besides chocolate works—there are plenty of options... For instance, I wouldn't say no to some prosciutto... 😂

Besides that, if memory serves, we all grabbed coffee together last year right after my birthday, and not a single soul remembered it. I didn't even get a tiny little shout-out in a forum thread.😢

Oh man, you poor thing, we had no clue it was even your birthday🙂. Look, do you want us to grab a charcuterie board this summer instead of just getting coffee? Honestly, for my birthday, you guys could just give me a pound of Ariela; it’s way too expensive around here.😁

rustymoose54 said:darkbison81, I’ll just bring you some of those "diabetic chocolates"—you know, the kind people hand out when they're just trying to be polite.🤣

I usually just shove them in the fridge, because honestly, if I'm going to indulge, I'm eating the real stuff.

I don't know, people claim the diabetic ones are actually good too.😉

I'm not about to go checking the labels.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother checking either.😁

Jose Miller3, what are we doing for your birthday?

Jose Miller3 said:Hey, what exactly are we talking about in this thread? 🤣

So, we're back to just sitting around waiting for the article to drop.🙂
By the way, those two aren't actually the authors of that specific piece, right?

Jose Miller3 said:Don't tell anyone, but I actually don't eat chocolate... though I could bring you some.

You're out of your mind.🥳
Thanks for the offer, but honestly, you've already proven what you're made of. 😘
I'm going to focus on building up my own supplies (and not just talking about chocolate) before summer hits.😵