Posts by placidjackal36

The mods are going to lose their minds. 😁
They aren't mites... mites are microscopic little things that cause allergies.

If you're still a student, it’s pretty straightforward—just head down to the clinic and let them know you want to transfer. Everything is digitized nowadays, so it's all handled through the system; it just takes a little bit of time for the paperwork to actually process.

Run, kid, get to the ER. Right now.

This is an absolute disgrace. If this actually made its way into The Wall Street Journal, people might finally start paying attention.

Carol Carter5 said:lucky you 🙂 i know a thing or two about this... reverse osmosis filters are pretty much the only real way to actually filter water properly. when we say water, we know what we mean... two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen. all those stories about these machines stripping away everything "good" from the water just don't make any sense... i'm sure water at the source is drinkable and mostly fine, but think about it... what could possibly be good about city tap water??? for example, my building in Chicago is from 1955... i'm positive the pipes leading up to my building haven't been touched since then. just imagine what kind of "healthy" ingredients that water is picking up by the time it hits your glass

Are they pulling out Ca2+ and Mg2+?
Kudos to filtering out pathogens (though, let's be real, chlorination handles most of that in the city supply), but stripping earth alkaline cations out of the water I drink in massive quantities every single day? No thanks. I actually need those.

Unless, of course, those specific ions aren't being removed. 🤷

I don't know what to tell you. Some things just don't click, and no matter how much you try to force the connection, it’s just not there. It's like trying to run high-end software on a laptop from 2005—you can pray to the tech gods all you want, but the hardware simply isn't up to the task. You end up frustrated, wasting time, and wondering why you even bothered in the first place. Sometimes, you just have to accept that the chemistry is missing and move on. kaže:
You’re telling me. I’m right there with you on that... but then again, you could easily stumble right into some kind of scam. Or maybe you wouldn't? Honestly, who knows? It’s hard to say.

It would be an uphill battle regardless of how you look at it. Honestly, we're talking about a situation that's just fundamentally rigged against us from the jump.

Sarah Murphy39 said:Honestly, I think the government needs to get its act together and actually organize itself for once. It’s not like people would have any real issue separating things if there was a functional system in place to manage it. $3.25Honestly, we just need to make it easier for people to actually understand what’s going on and where their money is going. People genuinely want to step up and help—they have the heart for it—but they’re stuck because they don't know who to trust or how to even get started. It's like trying to navigate a maze when you just want to reach the finish line. We need to clear the path so that wanting to donate doesn't turn into a massive headache.
Every single time you turn on the TV and see those telethons popping up with that classic "call now and donate" pitch, I can't help but roll my eyes. It’s always the same script, isn't it? They pull at your heartstrings, play the sad music, and suddenly you feel like you have to reach for your wallet just to prove you're a decent human being. It feels less like genuine charity and more like a highly choreographed performance designed to trigger an emotional reflex. It’s like when a salesperson corners you at a trade show—you know exactly what they're doing, yet there's still that awkward pressure to comply just to avoid the discomfort.$1.75 When it comes to sales tax, I’ve always been pretty good at making the numbers work out in my favor.
If only the government would stop taking their massive cut of sales tax from that money... just imagine how much more people would actually have in their pockets if they stopped bleeding us dry.😛
It’s honestly wild when you stop to think about it. We see billions of dollars being poured into massive new stadiums and endless political campaign funds, while at the exact same time, there are people out here living on the edge, where a single medical bill or a missed paycheck means their entire life is hanging by a thread. It’s a total disconnect. One minute we're talking about multi-billion dollar sports arenas, and the next, someone is staring down a crisis because they can't afford the basics. It just doesn't add up.
It looks like Nick might actually pull enough cash together on his own, so we’re all crossing our fingers that he won't have to make a massive scene in the news to get things moving. But let's be real—not everyone gets that kind of luck. It's like expecting every small business owner in middle America to just stumble into a windfall; some people just don't have those kinds of options.
It’s honestly heartbreaking. On top of dealing with an absolute mental breakdown and the constant, crushing worry over a sick kid, you’re forced to deal with this too—trying to scrape together these massive amounts of money. It's just one more thing draining your battery, taking up time and energy that you already don't have enough of to begin with.

Honestly, it’s just depressing when I think about Rukavina. It’s a damn shame that someone had to pass away and only then get blasted all over the news just to finally force the government to set up that registry.
Look, in all their grief, her family can at least find a little bit of solace in knowing that this shouldn't happen to anyone else anymore.

Thinking about seeing a chiropractor?

Then you might want to give this a look. 1, 2.

If you actually take the time to wrap your head around what’s written here—and if you’ve got any common sense left in you—you'll walk away knowing a hell of a lot more than you did before.

We honestly need to start some kind of association or watchdog group dedicated to vetting these requests—to separate the genuine cries for help from the total nonsense.
Take this one, for example; it’s actually a legitimate case. But then you have that endless mountain of "donation requests" arriving in your mailbox that are nothing more than blatant scams and straight-up fraud.

A dedicated organization or even just a central website would be a game-changer. It would give everyone a single place to gather so people can actually see who truly needs support and who is just trying to play them.

So, we're not looking at some kind of financial scam here? The kid is actually real and dealing with an illness? Good to know.

Honestly, it might not even be a tooth issue at all. Could just be a canker sore or some basic gum irritation. 🤷
What does the painful spot actually look like?

rapidcyclist37 said:Thanks for all the input everyone. 🙂

stormyheron4, that movie someone shared in that earlier thread was actually fantastic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylnQ-T7oiA

Endymion, I’ve only got three fillings, so I’m hoping it won’t turn into much of a headache; though, truth be told, I’ve been diving into this conspiracy theory book lately, so I might be letting a little unnecessary panic get the better of me. 😁

For those of you still looking for some insight into mercury detoxification, I was doing a bit of digging and stumbled upon some really great instructions on an American site—hopefully the language barrier isn't an issue here 🙄—that walk through the whole process. http://www.serbiancafe.com/lat/disku...radjeda.html?8

Give me a break with all this conspiracy theory nonsense. It’s nothing but a massive cash grab—they write that garbage just to fleece the naive people who actually believe it.
Look, you can't just go wandering around trying to flush out heavy metals on your own. It’s not like a weekend juice cleanse where you just feel a bit lightheaded. You have to do it under controlled conditions using specific chemicals—what they call chelation therapy. If you don't do it properly, you're just playing with fire.
Let’s be real: you can't just eat your way out of a bad life. People act like if they swap their cheeseburgers for kale salads and organic quinoa, all their problems will magically vanish. It’s a joke. You can follow every nutrition guide under the sun, obsess over macros, and spend a fortune on overpriced superfoods, but that isn't going to fix your mental health, your job, or the fact that the world is a chaotic mess. Eating "clean" is fine if you want to feel less sluggish, but don't go thinking a bowl of steamed broccoli is a substitute for actually living or solving your actual issues.

rapidcyclist37 said:Oof, that sounds pretty rough. 😢 I’m planning on getting mine replaced too, though I haven't quite decided where to go yet... My usual dentist, the one who put these amalgams in over fifteen years ago, is getting up there in age and nearing retirement, so I don't really feel comfortable sticking with her... And private practices can be so pricey, so I'm still weighing my options.

I'll definitely take a look at that report you mentioned once I have a spare moment—hopefully sometime tomorrow. 🙂

If it isn’t your headache, don't go looking for it.
Hold on a second. Are you seriously trying to mess with perfectly healthy fillings that aren't causing any issues just because you caught wind of some scary rumors about mercury in amalgam?

Look, you need to realize that the supposed danger posed by an old dental amalgam filling is nothing compared to the actual risk you're taking by getting those fillings pulled for no damn reason. You’re basically inviting unnecessary trauma to your mouth. And honestly? You'll probably end up footing the entire bill yourself, too, since most insurance providers aren't going to cover a procedure that isn't medically necessary.
Just hold onto them while you can. Problems are coming—it’s not a matter of if, but when. Until then, just be glad your teeth aren't giving you grief right now.

Look, you don't need to lose sleep over dental amalgams unless your mouth is basically a collection of them. 😬
The amounts we're talking about are microscopic. It’s an amalgam—an alloy. It isn't pure elemental mercury.
Most of the vapor release happens right after they're placed, and even then, it drops off exponentially.

Mercury is proven to be dangerous only when you're dealing with significant quantities. For instance, if you were to spill elemental mercury all over the floor—which releases WAY more atoms than a filling ever could—and those tiny droplets seep into your hardwood or carpet and evaporate for years while you breathe it in, then yeah, you might expect some serious
consequences. Besides, most dentists are phasing out amalgams anyway.

Does anyone know how much those ginger chews cost and what they’re actually called? I’ve been wanting to give them a shot. At least those tablets actually contain something useful, unlike some of those placebo pills people try to defend—I honestly don't get how they can justify using stuff that clearly does nothing. It sounds absolutely ridiculous to me.
There’s ginger.

Matthew Fox4 said:placidjackal36, I really do admire how much you want to educate people. But, man, you tend to butt heads with people's personal beliefs quite often. I don't know what your style used to be, but it seems like you've decided that this Health section is where you're going to shine a light on everything possible. Look, I truly value your expertise and your drive to share it with everyone here. It's great! But sometimes, your tone just feels a bit... off. And I don't think we should all feel uncomfortable when browsing this forum. No matter how misguided someone might seem, nobody likes feeling belittled or looked down upon. Using phrases like "talking nonsense" or "get this trash out of here"... that’s still insulting, even if there aren't any curse words involved. I don't think it helps the flow of conversation at all. Especially in the Health section, where most people are just looking for advice rather than an argument. And let's face it, you get all kinds of advice here. It just seems like you jump in to critique almost anything that doesn't align perfectly with your specific knowledge or worldview. Honestly, whenever I see one of your posts, I can't help but think of Savonarola... And, well, as they say, God works in mysterious ways... and that goes for health, too. Maybe try having a little more faith in the people reading these threads, at least here in the Health section. Do you really think everyone just blindly follows every single thing they read online?

Anyway, back to me—motion sickness used to absolutely wreck me. Even with Dramamine, I couldn't handle a trip. Only difference was, it didn't make me sleepy like it does for most of you; if anything, I was the most energetic person on the road! The only thing it did was make me super hungry, so I always traveled with a massive pile of sandwiches.

But once I switched over to macrobiotics, I didn't need the Dramamine anymore. I managed to beat the nausea using umeboshi plums instead. I'd eat two before leaving and maybe five during the trip. They're pretty tough to eat at first because they're so salty, but after that, I felt wonderful for the whole ride.

Hold on, what does interfering with someone's beliefs and convictions have to do with anything?
Why should I respect that? Even if it isn't causing direct harm, I don't see any reason to stay quiet. I'm standing on my right to free speech here.
But we aren't talking about abstract ideas; we're talking about actual harm. Financial harm and physical harm.

Why do I call those stupid pseudo-medical threads "garbage"? Because the Health subforum shouldn't be hosting that stuff. Honestly, it would be the moral thing to scrub it from the entire site, but hey, they created an "Alternative" subforum specifically for that kind of sandbox play. Fine, let them play there. They haven't even implemented a warning system yet, even though they promised they would when they were planning to turn the old NR wing into an "alternative center."

Having homeopathy in the Health section makes about as much sense as reading tea leaves or praying to some Hawaiian deity.
And I have every right to react. At the very least.
I could sit here and write essays on why it's nonsense, but I don't feel like it. I don't have the time, and frankly, doing so just gives unearned credibility to homeopaths—who are essentially just scammers.

For me, motion sickness used to be a killer; even without Dramamine, I couldn't make a trip. Only difference was, it didn't make me sleepy like it does most of you. On the contrary, I was always the most upbeat person on the road. My only issue was that my appetite would spike, so I’d always carry a mountain of sandwiches.

But once I switched to macrobiotics, there was no longer a need for Dramamine. I successfully managed the nausea with umeboshi plums. I’d eat two before a trip, sometimes five. They're hard to eat at first because they're so salty, but after that, I felt great for the whole journey.

But you're comparing umeboshi plums, which are loaded with sodium chloride, to plain water.
Those plums have a—theoretically speaking—effect. At least, a theoretical effect. And of course, there's the placebo effect, which shows up everywhere. As a theoretical effect, besides certain ingredients in those plums that might be soothing, you also have the hypertonicity of the salt, which has a strong impact on the wet, acidic environment of the stomach.

A homeopathic remedy vial is just water. H2O. Or a sugar pill. There is absolutely nothing in there.
Substances dissolved in water and then removed from it don't leave a trace. Water doesn't have a memory. If it did, chemistry wouldn't even exist as a field because we wouldn't be able to run experiments using water as a solvent and get repeatable results.
Testing blood, soil, or rainwater would be completely pointless. Chemistry wouldn't be a science based on reproducible trials.

So, there's zero theoretical foundation, and there isn't a shred of evidence that any of it works. In two hundred years of this madness, not one piece of proof. Just anecdotes and tall tales. What drives people to believe this stuff? Ignorance.
People simply don't understand what they're looking at. Homeopaths fill their heads with garbage about "natural plant-based remedies" and sell them pure water, sugar, ethanol, wax, or whatever inert carrier they happen to be using. They think there are daisies and apples inside. 🤷

When someone pops onto a forum and claims, "homeopathy helped me beat pneumonia," you might as well swap out "homeopathy" for:

• praying to Zeus
• staring intensely at a AA battery
• tapping your hands on a stone table
• saying "la la la" three times a day
• having a chat with a stapler
• offering a lamb sacrifice to Yahweh
• licking the air
• ...

It all ends up in the same place.
I'm out of things to say. There’s really nothing to discuss regarding the medicinal properties of a teaspoon of pure hydrogen oxide.

I’m going to speak my mind however I see fit, as long as I’m not taking direct shots at anyone. Just remember, my attempt to get a "swear jar" rule added to the moderator guidelines didn't fly. 😉

At the end of the day, I feel like it's my responsibility to keep people in the loop. If you look at the ratio of people who actually realize they're being scammed versus those who are totally clueless, it's easily 1 to 100. Someone has to act as a reality check in these discussions. This forum isn't some billboard for peddling idiocic "alternative" methods.

I don't know what you're getting at with that one. It’s just a single word floating there without any context. Are we starting a debate, or did you just hit send by accident? If you have an actual point to make, lay it out. I'm all ears, but I can't exactly engage with a mystery. kaže:
Look, I’m really not talking about anything life-threatening here. No major medical crises or anything heavy like that. 😲
Why can't we just use a placebo to deal with motion sickness during long road trips? I’m tired of popping pills that leave me feeling like a complete zombie for the rest of the day. It feels like you're trading one problem for another—nausea for total brain fog. Honestly, if the mind can trick itself into feeling better, why aren't we leaning into that instead of relying on heavy-duty meds that knock you sideways? 🤷 I don't see anything wrong with that...

A placebo that costs as much as a gold-plated steak dinner? Give me a break, people. Seriously... 🙄
Why not just find another way to convince yourself? Something that doesn't drain your bank account for no reason. You could easily set up your own little ritual—something meaningful that costs next to nothing. But no, instead we’re all out here dropping serious cash on overpriced, glorified bottled water just because someone convinced us it's a "placeeeeeboooooo." 😲.
It feels like you guys aren't quite grasping the core of it: a placebo isn't some rare medical fluke. It’s basically just the psychological reaction that kicks in every single time someone hands you something and tells you, "Hey, this is going to make you feel better." Whether it's a pill or just a convincing sales pitch, if you're told it works, your brain starts doing its own thing to try and make it true.
If that’s really how things work—and let's be honest, it is—then why on earth would anyone blow a ton of cash on distilled water? Is it just because it's "modern" or something? I honestly don't get it. 🤷

velvetgull9 said:Back when everyone was mass migrating from America to far-off lands at the turn of the century, doctors on those long ocean voyages noticed something weird—mostly adults were getting seasick, while kids seemed totally fine. Turns out, those folks coming from the northern and western parts of the US were packing plenty of gingerbread cookies, which the kids were snacking on constantly. And hey, ginger is still a super legit way to fight nausea today!

Maybe give it a shot. 😉

P.S: placidjackal36, go take a stroll! If people want even less nausea, they can just tie a red bandana around their big toe, so I guess you should try to be happy about that 😉

Look, ginger is fine. Maybe some people can't stand it—whatever. But it’s "something." Beyond just the whole placebo effect thing, it actually triggers real chemical reactions in your system because you're consuming a tangible, physical substance. It has a scent, too. It's real food.

That red scarf really doesn't do anything for you. It’s just not your look. You’d be better off with something else—maybe just a simple jar of those classic sugar spheres. Which ones actually fetch a high price? Look, when people start throwing around terms like "miracle cure," they aren't talking about the same thing. It's not even in the same ballpark. 🤷

Honestly, I just feel bad watching people gather around just to start talking nonsense. They get together, lose all sense of logic, and just start blathering away. It’s like watching a group of people standing around a water cooler at a local office, thinking they’re making sense when they’re really just adding to the noise. support group And then she just starts piling on the misinformation. Honestly, what’s supposed to be good about that? It's like watching someone try to build a house out of wet cardboard—it looks okay from a distance, but the second you lean on it, the whole thing collapses into a mess. There's zero substance there.

The placebo effect shows up in pretty much everything. Which means it applies to medications too.

Look, the placebo effect isn't actually a cure; it’s just a temporary "feel good" sensation. Positive thinking and a glass of tap water aren't going to fix a serious illness. Go ahead and play those games if you want, but don't say I didn't warn you. 🤷
It’s like telling me you cured mono just by staring at sunflowers. It’s the same thing. There is no actual effect.

Those magnetic bracelets are useless because the cheap magnets you find at a drugstore have a pathetic impact on the stuff our bodies are made of. That tiny, almost non-existent effect they do have is basically just nudging water molecules. I’d compare it to an ant trying to push a massive refrigerator. If you’re really that desperate to move your body fluids around, just use your finger. 🙄
It does nothing for your blood, lymph, bones, muscles, fat, or anything else. Zip. Zero. We are diamagnetic, not paramagnetic or ferromagnetic.
"It worked for me"—no, it didn't. Something else did. A magnet can't do it.

Walter Smith8 said:Come on, Endi, don't be such a hardass. If this "water" actually makes me feel better, why wouldn't I try it? Anything that helps with the placebo effect without actually hurting me—I'm all in. 😉

In that case, just grab some tap water. There’s no reason to go out and spend a fortune on tiny little bottles of distilled water. 🤷

Trying to convince people they need to buy overpriced homeopathic nonsense just to deal with nausea is pure stupidity. You might as well tell them to eat a spoonful of flour instead. Most people aren't experts—they're just regular folks. At the end of the day, you're still getting the placebo effect.

Magnetic bracelets and homeopathy. For Jesus Christ's sake. 🙄🙄🙄

Magnets don't do a damn thing—they have zero actual impact on the human body—and homeopathic garbage is nothing more than overpriced water. Seriously, go get an education.

As for motion sickness... what works for me is sitting up front in the bus and keeping my eyes fixed on the horizon. Music helps, too.
But if you're stuck driving down a winding mountain pass, there's no substitute for Dramamine.

Casey Palmer5 said:Her skin isn't going to get infected just from that, provided there aren't bacteria in her urine—which shouldn't be an issue for a healthy person anyway. Look, hormonal imbalances don't just trigger acne; they mess with all sorts of things. It really comes down to priorities—what do you actually care about more in life?

Maybe try talking to a qualified nutritionist and see if you can manage things through your diet. But honestly, if we're talking PCOS, I'm worried that taking oral contraceptives might be the lesser of two evils here.

Yeah, urine is generally sterile. But it’s easily contaminated. The second it leaves the bladder, it's out in the Earth atmosphere filled with bacteria.

I've never heard of anyone using urine as an acne treatment. 😲This is an internal issue. Messing around with urine is just playing games with your skin. You're much better off getting your hormone levels checked by a doctor.