Posts by Jerry Phillips2

electricskipper80 said:Is it true that every boy under the age of 14 experiences nocturnal emissions, or what people commonly call "wet dreams"?

And while we're on the subject, I was also wondering about the typical volume of seminal fluid released during ejaculation.

Not necessarily.

It’s usually less than what you’d see during intercourse.

Betty Davis said:Honestly, I’d say just ignore them; most people are far too wrapped up in their own business to notice anyway. When folks show up at the local YMCA to hit the pool, they're really just focused on their own lanes and their own progress—hardly anyone is judging how someone else looks. My suggestion would be to stick with freestyle until you find your rhythm, and then you can gradually start mixing in different strokes.

I actually have the complete opposite take on it—freestyle can be surprisingly taxing when you're first getting back into it, so I'd recommend sticking to breaststroke or maybe some backstroke instead. It’s much gentler, and frankly, it does wonders for keeping your spine aligned properly.

Henry Nelson95 said:The real issue is that my spine is going to be completely wrecked if I don't put on some weight,
since it’s already starting to curve a bit.

Honestly, trying to gain weight just to fix that might actually make things worse for you. You really need to focus on movement. Your doctor suggested swimming, which is honestly the gold standard for spinal issues, but I know how it goes—if you don't have easy access to a pool, or if you’re anything like me and absolutely can't stand being in a public pool setting, there are other ways. Just try to stay active through any kind of movement, focusing heavily on stretching and introducing strength training very gradually and moderately. You shouldn't go out and start lifting heavy weights right away when your body feels fragile; that’s a quick way to end up sidelined with an injury. Instead, maybe try jogging, jumping around, working in the garden, or even some light hiking. Any kind of activity is better than nothing at all.

Don't sweat it, man; you'll fill out in due time.
I remember being exactly where you are at your age—standing about 6'1" and weighing barely 145 pounds. Fast forward to my 25th birthday, and I've settled in at 6'1" and 160 pounds. So, please, don't lose any sleep over the scale; those pounds tend to find their way onto you naturally if you just focus on eating decent, regular meals. You don't need to go out and become a hardcore bodybuilder or anything extreme, but if you're looking for a bit of direction, I’d suggest some simple stuff like squats, push-ups, running, and staying flexible with some stretching. It'll gradually build up your strength and give you that lean, athletic kind of build.

Nicole Davis7 said:Yeah, there is a difference between LASEK and LASIK, but even I'm not entirely sure what it is. I had the one where you stare at a red dot. Mine took 12 minutes.

The fundamental distinction between LASIK and LASEK really comes down to the surgical technique itself. You see, LASIK falls under the umbrella of refractive eye surgeries where the surgeon actually creates a corneal flap during the procedure, which they then lay back down once the stroma has been reshaped. LASEK, on the other hand, works directly on the surface of the cornea; there isn't any flap involved, instead, they just gently remove a thin layer of the epithelium—often using a bit of diluted alcohol to loosen it up first.
Now, I should mention that the recovery process tends to be a bit more drawn out and, frankly, a little more uncomfortable with LASEK, but since they aren't making those deeper incisions to create a flap, the risk of certain complications is actually lower. LASIK is a bit more versatile in its application, too, covering a range from -12 to +6 diopters and handling astigmatism up to 6 cylinders.

And yes, I actually visited Stambuk twice, and honestly, the experience was wonderful. My prescription used to be sitting at -2.5/-17, but after everything was done, I'm currently at 0/-2.👍

fadedbear8 said:Oh, honestly! This is exactly what I mean—you can never find any reliable information. One day it’s about whether it contains aspartame or not, and then suddenly everyone starts talking about "formaldehyde accumulation," and suddenly it all feels so overwhelming.

Right now, I am dealing with such high levels of stress that it feels like it could be the primary trigger for just about any health issue I might run into. And I have to say, I think Joseph Watson3 makes a fair point: it really seems to come down to whatever a person decides to fixate on regarding their health. Whether it's aspartame, white sugar, dairy, fats, stress, or being completely overwhelmed at work—people tend to latch onto one thing.

As for my own habits, no, I don't avoid coffee with Natreen because I'm terrified of gaining weight; it’s more of a matter of habit, unfortunately. Growing up, everyone in my household—my parents and the rest of them—always had coffee, so I just picked up the habit from them. I’ve certainly never experienced what someone else mentioned earlier about breaking out in sweats or having stomach pains after consuming Natreen. 😕 That’s news to me! 🤷

I do eat cookies and chocolate and other sweets; it's not that I live in a state of panic over sugar, nor am I one of those women who obsessively counts every single calorie. I maintain a healthy weight, I'm not overweight, and I certainly don't overindulge. However, I simply don't drink sweetened beverages, not out of fear of weight gain, but just because I don't enjoy them. I'm not a fan of sweetened fruit juices (most of which are loaded with sugar anyway), and I don't touch Coca-Cola or any kind of soda. I drink all sorts of teas without sugar (and without honey, except when I have a sore throat or feel under the weather 🙂 🙂 ), and I don't sweeten things like lemonade either...

So, by way of circumstance, coffee has become the one thing left where I consume Natreen. Honestly, I would much rather switch to brown sugar (which my husband uses quite a bit), but only if I could be certain it’s actually genuine brown sugar and not just what everyone has been talking about lately—that "colored white sugar" trick...

First off, please accept my apologies for my previous comment regarding aspartame in Natreen.
After looking through some literature—something even many doctors aren't fully aware of—
Natreen does not contain aspartame.
Instead, Natreen consists of a mixture of cyclamate and saccharin in a 10:1 ratio. While there isn't proven evidence linking it to cancer in humans, there are legitimate concerns regarding its potential to lower testosterone levels in men.
Natural brown sugar made from sugarcane contains more molasses than other varieties of brown sugar, which are often just white sugar mixed with molasses.
The main difference between that and white sugar is simply that it hasn't undergone the bleaching process and doesn't contain those extra chemicals, but the chemical composition is essentially the same—it's practically just sucrose.

I have decided to add Joseph Watson3 to my ignore list, primarily because his recent contributions have been riddled with inaccuracies and an unfortunate tendency toward unnecessary rambling...

jadesailor14 said:is it the same thing?
sugar?
stevia?
artificial sweetener?
what exactly?

the label claims it's made from sugar, that it's ten times sweeter, and carries ten times fewer calories
but they can write just about anything on those labels, can't they? 😬
the real question should be directed toward our chemists, rather than the housewives reading through ingredient lists at the local grocery store. 😁

Splendid or sucralose is categorized as an artificial sweetener; fundamentally, it’s produced using dextrose, meaning it consists of roughly 95% dextrose—which is essentially just the industrial term for glucose—and the body typically absorbs about 20% of what passes through the stomach into the bloodstream.
That being said, sucralose itself is actually 600 times sweeter than standard white table sugar, or sucrose, and four times more potent than aspartame.
As far as I am aware, there haven't been any long-term controlled studies conducted on humans yet, and if memory serves me correctly, there aren't even many independent studies out there; most seem to be funded by the pharmaceutical industry, which naturally makes the conclusions feel somewhat biased. Nevertheless, it has been approved for use in the USA, Australia, the EU (since 2004), and New Zealand, and has been permitted in over 60 countries since 2006.
Supposedly, consuming daily amounts up to a few thousand packets doesn't cause issues when measured on a one-month scale. So, in principle, it might be considered a lesser evil compared to aspartame.
Still, I would say that the long-term consumption of any artificial sweetener isn't something one should particularly recommend.

fadedbear8 said:Now, don't go telling me that every single sweetener tablet you find on the shelves here in the States—you know, things like Aspartame, Snowy Peaks, or whatever other brand names they're pushing lately—is packed with Aspartame. I’d love to believe otherwise, truly, but I have my doubts.

I have to admit, I’m starting to feel a bit weary from all this constant maneuvering and mental gymnastics. It feels like we’ve been taken on quite a ride, doesn't it? For years on end, the prevailing wisdom was always that same gentle nudge toward health—you know, the whole "let's just switch to brown sugar instead of white" movement. We all bought into it, thinking we were making a more wholesome choice. But then, after all that time passing, the rug gets pulled out from under us with the sudden realization that much of what we thought was brown sugar was actually just white sugar with a bit of coloring tossed in. Honestly, it leaves you feeling a little lost; you're left standing there wondering which way is up, trying to make sense of how we're supposed to navigate these shifting goalposts.

It’s not as if we all went out and earned degrees in nutrition or biochemistry just so we could navigate these topics with ease. Most of us are just regular folks trying to make sense of it all without a PhD in hand.

I truly believe that every single sweetener on the market should be required by law to clearly list its full ingredient profile. It really shouldn't be a guessing game, so please, do me a favor and actually read those labels before you toss anything into your cart. In my own experience browsing the aisles at Whole Foods, I've found that while saccharin might be slightly less concerning than aspartame, the margin of safety isn't exactly wide. And don't even get me started on cyclamate or acesulfame—those are absolute disasters in my book.
I am fairly certain that Aspartame is definitely present in Natreen, though as for that other one, I really can't say for sure.

Lisa Nelson96 said:...diagnoses for what? I can't seem to get the page to load.

Well, you see, it isn't really just some simple webpage; it is more like an incredibly massive, sprawling book. 😁

fadedbear8 said:Sure, but we have to look at the actual dosage being discussed when people bring up these health risks, don't they?
I mean, I find it hard to believe that taking, say, two packets of Aspartame a day—just enough for my morning coffee and an afternoon pick-me-up—is going to be the thing that actually kills me... When you consider everything else we deal with in our daily lives, like constant stress, a diet that isn't exactly balanced, environmental pollution, the general chaos of a busy schedule, and not getting nearly enough sleep... am I really supposed to sit here and obsess over whether those two little packets of Aspartame (which, honestly, I don't even use every single day) are going to lead to cancer?

The real issue lies in how these substances build up in the body over time, specifically regarding the formaldehyde produced by Aspartame. Besides, why bother with artificial stuff if you can just opt for natural alternatives?
Kyle Moore55, would you mind expanding on that a bit?

jadesailor14 said:I was actually just wondering where you had disappeared to today
how you weren't part of this discussion 😁

Well, he popped up once he realized there was a bit of a need for some actual enlightenment regarding artificial sweeteners around here. 😁

I’ve always felt that if you tell a bright person something once, they get it; if you tell someone a little less sharp twice, they might catch on; and then there are those who simply won't listen at all—but I suppose that’s just their prerogative.

It's worth mentioning, by the way, that Rockefeller was recently honored as the top chemistry student of his class. So, please don't go thinking the man is just making things up as he goes along. 🙂

Sarah Edwards38 said:It’s simply because I read it in that book by Elaine Hollingsworth, the one titled "take control of your health."

😁 😁

Elaine RULES!

She really is a true health Crusader. If we all followed her lead, we’d probably all be hitting 120 years old, no problem.
For those who haven't picked up her work yet—and I honestly can't recommend it enough—she basically runs what I consider to be the premier wellness center in the world, or at the very least, the best one out in Australia.

As for the folks who insist on sticking with artificial sweeteners just because they think it's the "lesser of two evils," well, they're in for quite a shock when they dive into her research on excitotoxins and all the other junk people are constantly loading themselves up with—stuff like soy, most of those common vegetable oils, and similar garbage...

Honestly, I’d suggest you just stop worrying about grooming your private areas. It isn't really your thing, and frankly, it doesn't feel natural to me either.

nimblepanther23 said:For the last couple of nights now, I’ve been dealing with these strange abdominal muscle spasms, and they always seem to kick in right before I try to go to sleep.
It is quite an unsettling sensation, almost as if there is some intense pulsing happening deep within the muscles that just won't quit; you can actually see the skin twitching as the muscles contract and relax (it’s strictly in my stomach area).

I should mention that I don't do any sit-ups or anything of the sort to build up my core strength.
Could this perhaps be tied to a calcium deficiency? About a month ago, I cut out all milk and dairy products because of a lactose intolerance, and I can't help but wonder if that might be triggering these cramps.

I wouldn't attribute it to that, honestly; it would typically take years of deficiency before your body's calcium levels dropped enough to cause issues like this.
I am not entirely sure how old you are, but if you are still in that growing phase of life, then what you're experiencing is actually quite common. You might want to try bumping up your protein intake and getting a bit more active—not necessarily doing crunches, mind you—and it will likely settle down on its own.