Jack Smith5 said:So you claim you see some happy little family pushing a stroller, even though what’s actually there looks more like... well, something else entirely.
You swear you see sunshine, fluffy clouds, and a cozy little cottage, when all anyone can see is a machine gun...
You insist it's just a sleek car with nice alloy rims, despite the fact that it's clearly a tank...
You tell me there's nothing but cabbage growing in the garden, while ignoring the two old ladies out there brawling in the dirt...
With these kinds of delusions, I really don't know what to make of you.😉
So basically, you have to lie just so people think you're one of the good guys.😛
How am I supposed to extract anything meaningful from a test like that? It’s absurd. You’re presented with options like "warmhearted," "cautious," "impulsive," or "irritable." Naturally, everyone just picks "warmhearted" over and over again because that’s what people want to believe about themselves. But eventually, the choices narrow down. Suddenly, you're forced to pick between things like being impulsive or cautious. The whole setup is flawed. It feels like they intentionally design these assessments to force people into picking negative traits—you end up having to select "cautious" or "irritable" or "impulsive" just to finish the damn thing. It’s a rigged game designed to make the subject look bad.
David Barrett6 said:The researcher I. P. Pavlov (1849-1936) studied a specific type of hypnosis through his work with animals.
After a long series of trials, Pavlov concluded: "Any lasting stimulus, or one that repeats systematically and reaches a certain point in the cerebral cortex via neural pathways, will inevitably lead to drowsiness and then to sleep, or hypnosis."
In his work, Pavlov made a sharp distinction between innate, "unconditioned reflexes" and conditioned reflexes learned during life. Using his science of conditioned reflexes, researchers were able to experimentally explore parts of the human subconscious—specifically the automated mechanisms of nerve activity.
As the well-known psychologist Frederick Lambert puts it: "Everything that affects our psyche is a matter of suggestion, because the moment we succumb to mental influence, a belief is born that aligns with that influence."
Our entire lives are shaped by conscious and unconscious suggestions. If they didn't, all propaganda would be useless. But it isn't just external forces acting on us; we are constantly influencing ourselves. This self-suggestion is incredibly important, as every thought we have shapes our personality and, ultimately, our destiny. That’s why we should never nurture negative thoughts, or worse, speak them out loud.
So, there you have it. It proves curses are real. Someone wishes ill upon another with enough intent and belief, and that person ends up in the gutter.🙂
goldeneagle8 said:"The most common symptoms of schizophrenia involve patients believing someone else is controlling their actions, reading their thoughts, or even persecuting them."
I just stumbled across this a few minutes ago and man... if you go by this logic, it sounds like everyone walking the streets today is basically dealing with some form of schizophrenia. It’s wild because nobody actually wants to be manipulated anymore—everyone is too busy trying to pull the strings on everyone else. You see it everywhere, from those cheap airport books like "Manipulate Anyone in 5 Minutes" or "Close the Sale in 10 Seconds" to those "Hypnosis for Beginners" guides... even the mainstream media is constantly hacking away at how we think and control our perspectives... so now I'm left wondering, am I the one losing my mind here, or is it the people actually pulling all these stunts? I'm feeling a little sketched out, honestly...
I know plenty of people who buy into Big Pharma conspiracy theories and all that... is that a symptom too? 😁
George Harris67 said:I was wondering if anyone knows if the tap water in Washington, D.C. (specifically at the university dorms) is safe to drink...
People keep telling me it isn't healthy, but they can't give me a single solid reason why. To my eyes, the water looks perfectly clear and fine to drink🙂. Of course, it doesn't taste quite like the well water you get out in the countryside, but whatever...
Thanks!😁
Lately, the tap water I've been drinking has a distinct taste and smell😁. It tastes like disinfectant and minerals, and the smell is exactly the same
I’ve heard that 70% alcohol—and especially weaker concentrations—actually thins out the skin. It seems unwise to be slathering it on constantly. What about Lysol? I need some kind of hand disinfectant to use about ten times a day, and I have my reasons involving work. I really don't know what to use that will actually kill the germs without wrecking my skin. Does anyone have a recommendation?
melloworca6 said:No, they aren't medical pros. They’re administrators who really should have backgrounds in business or office management, but in this country, anything goes. You end up hiring just about anyone for those roles.
Honestly, I don't care. I just want them to show some basic decency if I'm being decent to them. I haven't said anything yet, but next time? I'm not staying quiet.
They are terrible. With this new system, everything from referrals to intake is typed into a computer. They just stare blankly at the monitor. You’d think they were doctors making some profound clinical assessment, but they aren't. 😂It feels like you're walking through a courtroom where they're just waiting for you to slip up so they can let you go. And they are so incredibly slow. There is zero effort to speed things up. Maybe they actually want Milinović's failures to take hold. Patients are treated like mere numbers now. It’s all pure bureaucracy, even though the whole point of this change was supposed to be the exact opposite.
Maria Gomez4 Asks: That already exists! If you smoke, drink, or carry too much extra weight, you’re going to pay more for your health insurance. Of course, that isn't how things work here in America. I’m not sure that’s really the right way to look at it. To me, that lady who loves mushrooms is just a reminder that in America, we actually do some incredibly advanced, high-level work that costs a fortune. In her case, her life was saved, and nobody blinked at the price tag. She received the kind of care you'd only find in a handful of places on this planet.
Anyway... since we've already started wading into all this ethical territory: here's one for you. It’s the same hospital; a young woman attempted suicide and took a pill that completely wrecked her liver. Since she didn't die instantly—meaning they actually managed to start life-saving measures in time—they decided to go ahead with a liver transplant. For that kind of poisoning, it’s the only way to fix it, and it's a total emergency procedure. No... did that 17-year-old—I think that was her age—actually deserve a life-saving organ? She attempted suicide, after all. Because of her, someone else didn't get that organ.
Look, if we're going by that logic, half the population shouldn't even have health insurance unless they're willing to pay through the nose for it. I mean, come on. Some people are just plain stupid.
And what about the hypochondriacs? Honestly, it drives me insane when I realize someone is just a total hypochondriac—getting every single damn test and specialist referral handed to them on a silver platter, only for it to turn out that absolutely everything is perfectly fine.
I know that stuff already exists overseas, and honestly, I’m fine with that. If you’re making a conscious choice to do something you know is going to wreck your health, then go ahead—just be prepared to pay a higher premium on your State Farm policy.
I asked her, and honestly, there are things she just doesn't get. I’ve gone through this mountain of immunological data myself, and while she has a vague idea of what's going on, if you actually sat her down and asked, "Hey, what does this elevated antibody level actually mean?" she wouldn't have a clue. But look, I get it. That's exactly why specialists exist. You go to the expert when you need someone to actually break down the details.
My immunologist looked at my labs—considering everything I’ve had removed and all those elevated markers they explained to me—and pointed out just one thing that was seriously high: the ANF. As for the rest of the antibodies? Honestly, I didn't have a clue what any of them actually did until I started doing some digging online. There are still several on my list where I don't have the slightest idea what they even mean.
My mind immediately goes to the administrative staff. The attitude those women have is just unbelievable. I’ve always been polite and decent; honestly, I’ve never walked into a place and snapped at someone just because I was having a bad day. It’s beyond me how someone can be that rude for absolutely no reason. You show up and ask a simple, standard question—which is literally what those people behind the desk are there for—and they practically tell you to get lost.
Like, sorry, I feel bad that you're having a rough day, or that you're stressed out, or that your job sucks... but I don't care. If I come in asking something nicely, I expect a nice response back. If I were being rude and someone snapped at me like that, I wouldn't say a word, but this kind of behavior is just incomprehensible to me.
One of these days, I am seriously going to lose it on that woman at the front desk. Either I'll snap, or I'll go straight to her supervisor and make a massive scene. You can have one bad day, but it can't be every single day. She is constantly rude, but last time, she almost sent me flying when I asked if she knew where a certain doctor was; she just slammed her little glass window shut in my face.
And besides, we have this centralized scheduling system at the hospital that's supposed to work by letting you call in to book an appointment. Do I really have to mention that those people act like they can't even pick up a phone? Or they just hang up because the line is "busy," forcing you to drive all the way down to the hospital just to schedule something. I can't wait for the online booking and email system to actually start working so I never have to deal with these people who refuse to do their jobs again.
I have to admit, regarding the medical staff itself, I haven't had any negative experiences yet, at least in terms of kindness. My only gripe so far is with the specialists; they don't seem to have the time to explain things properly before rushing you out the door. But then again, they aren't the ones to blame—it's the system.
So, you're saying that front desk staff aren't even medical professionals, like nurses or technicians?
Kyle Lee7 said:Since you brought up the USA, it’s actually pretty fascinating how they topped a recent study on the best places to live. They looked at everything, including the quality of the healthcare system. Up until recently—and I know Obama started some reforms, but he didn't go nearly far enough—it was basically a "pay up or die" situation, or you end up drowning in debt. You either have no coverage at all, or you have a policy that covers absolutely everything except the one thing that actually happens to you. Honestly, if you look at it that way, it feels like one of the most inhumane societies out there, and I’d argue their healthcare system is probably the worst ever. So many people there just don't get treated because they can't afford it, and that includes the middle class and even the upper-middle class. I honestly don't see the point of having such supposedly "genius," cutting-edge healthcare, world-class specialists, and elite hospitals if the average person can't access them. For whom is it intended?
Getting back to our own system here—there is so much that needs to change, and frankly, three pages wouldn't be enough to list it all, ranging from massive systemic failures to specific individual incidents.
Here is my top list of issues: 1. Milinović and the issues surrounding assisted reproduction. 2. Milinović and the merging of hospitals. 3. Milinović and Vuk Vrhovec. 4. As a chronic patient, I need specialist follow-ups—but the process is ridiculous. First, I have to see a GP via a referral, then wait for an appointment, then have the exam, then take the results back to the GP just to get prescriptions and more referrals for the tests the specialist requested. WHY? It’s as if I can't just receive subsequent referrals and prescriptions directly from the specialist after that first visit. 5. The current situation where clinics are handing out medications like candy, deciding what people should or shouldn't take, while chronic and critically ill patients have to live in fear wondering if their expensive life-saving medication will be approved. Why can't people just pay for their own nasal sprays or a box of antibiotics (which are overprescribed anyway), instead of forcing people to fight for their very lives? 6. Gynecologists who don't think it's necessary to send women for full swabs, opting for just a Pap smear instead—at least once! Not just right before pregnancy. 7. If I am on a permanent therapy regimen and need the exact same prescription and referral every single month, why am I forced to show up and wait two hours at the GP's office every time? Surely there could be a way to issue (semi)permanent orders. 8. The sheer rudeness and laziness of certain medical staff. You see nurses at the reception desks creating lines that stretch out the door simply because out of three people working, only one is actually helping while the other two are busy gossiping. 9. The level of hygiene and food quality in hospitals—we're talking dirty, stinking bathrooms and unappetizing cafeteria food that isn't fit for purpose, let alone meeting the dietary needs of recovering patients.
You get laid down on that filthy green paper sheet that's been swapped under countless patients; there are black stains from the hips down, but the funny thing is how doctors look at you with disgust if you actually show up clean, yet those little bits of fabric stay stuck to your body (because the fabric is cheap quality, which is why it sticks to you; none of us can afford the good stuff).
brightpilot12 said:I find myself wondering about the physiological consequences if one were to inject 5 ml of air directly into a vein.
It is frequently cited as a method of self-destruction, which leads me to ponder the specific mechanisms by which such an act induces fatality—is there a definitive certainty regarding death following such an occurrence?
In my opinion, anesthesia before surgery is the easiest and most painless way to die.🙂 You just have to get lucky enough to find a compassionate anesthesiologist who gives you a bit too much.
Sometimes I deal with such massive stools that after I go, I’m literally groaning in pain—feels like I’ve been kicked in the ass. Usually, I have a major weakness for meat and sweets... is it possible to pass blood during defecation? Is that a total death sentence??
Carol Barrett29 said:Invalid how, exactly? Even if you're right, Listeria can trigger encephalitis, and we're looking at an entire alphabet soup of medical conditions here... Not to mention spinal myelitis. My own snake actually caught it after encountering one of those infected rats, and now its spine looks like it’s been run over by a bicycle. Multiple times.
I don't know which specific cheese you were reading about, but that stuff is absolutely not worth the risk. It causes everything from the issues mentioned above to miscarriages, septicemia, and who knows what else (Google will give you a much better breakdown than I can...).
We all pretty much understand how Salmonella works, but regarding that third thing—I have nothing to say to you on that.
If you're worried, just go buy some cheese from a local farmer's market you actually trust and call it a day.
But what really baffles me is this processed cheese, maybe something like Kellogg's but slightly higher in fat, used for sandwiches, rather than actual fresh cheese from a farm stand.
Carol Barrett29 said:I dealt with a case of Listeria once. I brought home a hamster from a pet shop that turned out to be infected, which was quite an unexpected turn of events. I didn't catch it myself, but my other pets did, so it caused a massive headache.
Salmonella can also come from animals, though it’s usually through food.
As for Shigella, I really don't know.
Why the sudden interest? 🙂
I read this article about a guy returning from Austria who bought some cheese there—the kind you see at Walmart—to make a sandwich. He ended up catching Listeria, fell into a coma, and was left disabled.
Diseases like Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, and Echinococcus—I want to know how you actually catch them. Have there been any outbreaks here in the States? And where is the highest risk? Is it in college dining halls or at restaurants? It’s honestly shocking to read an article suggesting Listeria could be lurking in mass-produced, processed cheeses. I always assumed cheese was a safe bet, much like how people assume deli meats are fine if they're bought from a local butcher. Clearly, I was wrong.
Gary Barnes3 said:I deal with these exact same "issues" whenever I’m dealing with a female 😲 relative, specifically my aunt.
"Oh, just eat something, honey, you'll feel better! Just try a little bit, don't be shy!" That right there? That is hands down the absolute worst part of it all. The constant pressure to "not be embarrassed." Look, when I'm actually hungry, I'll grab a burger and dive in—I don't care who's watching. But if I'm not hungry? Then I'm not hungry! It shouldn't be a debate. 🤣
LOL, I saw this play out in real life with a friend. That whole "don't be embarrassed" thing? Once I finally convinced her to dive into some dessert, her sister absolutely lost it, and then she ended up taking all that stress out on me instead.😠
brighttiger41 said:Alright, let's kick this off with a classic: "Chuck Norris once convinced his grandma that he wasn't actually hungry!" With that, I’m officially opening this thread. Honestly, I’ve found myself in this exact position more times than I can count—where a grandma (mine or anyone else's, doesn't matter) just won't stop badgering me to eat. I’ll say no, clearly stating that I'm full, and then she’ll ask me forty-five more times! She just keeps insisting!! Seriously, why is it that most grandmas act like this? (And honestly, why isn't it grandpas too? 🤔)!
Personally, I tend to get pretty irritated when someone tries to push me into something after I've already said no. I'm as stubborn as a mule; once I make up my mind, that's it. It's settled!
Can someone please explain this phenomenon? 👎
It is pure control. My grandmother back in the Midwest was exactly the same. It was always "eat this," or "let me make you this," or "you barely ate anything, have another helping." Even with an uncle who was quite elderly, she would constantly meddle in his business and the lives of the women.
hollowtinker18 said:Schizophrenia is basically just a disease where you lose your own center.
What’s your take? If you don't have a sense of direction—no real goals, no purpose—I feel like there's a razor-thin line between depression, anxiety, regression, and full-blown schizophrenia.