#and how does this effect and harm their components?

[malewife-overlord]

I went insane in the tag and hit limit. I’m so fucking sorry

Apparently my faves hit such a specific niche that I’m absolutely astounded that this is a thing that’s happened twice.

[fatliberation]

Anti-Obesity Drugs in Sociopolitical Context

Abstract

This literature review critically examines the use of Body Mass Index (BMI) as a diagnostic tool for obesity, highlighting its historical and scientific flaws. The diagnosis and treatment of obesity is heavily stigmatized and reflects deeper socio-economic and racial biases. Fatphobia, or anti-fatness, is deeply rooted in white supremacy and colonial history. I argue that anti-fatness and weight-based discrimination significantly impact health outcomes, rather than body fat percentage alone. The way that the medical system focuses on body size rather than the overall health of patients perpetuates harm and yields even poorer health outcomes. To genuinely improve the lives of fat individuals, we must dismantle anti-fat systems and remove barriers to healthcare, job equity, and basic infrastructure by implementing legal protections, rather than simply promoting weight loss. This review emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to health that considers socio-economic factors and systemic discrimination.

Journal Summary

Recently, two anti-obesity medications, Ozempic and Wegovy, which are primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), have shown promise in causing weight loss. The 2022 scientific journal “Ozempic and Wegovy for Weight Loss, Pharmacological Component and Effect” by Abdullah Mohammed, et al explores the pharmacological components and effects of these medications on weight reduction, summarizing findings from existing clinical studies.

Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist primarily used to manage T2DM. Clinical studies indicate that semaglutide can also promote significant weight loss. Ozempic's mechanism involves binding to GLP-1 receptors in the brain, reducing food intake and increasing feelings of fullness. This leads to a decrease in body weight and improvement in glycemic control. Wegovy, also a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is the same drug as Ozempic but two times the dose, specifically approved for weight loss for fat people even without T2DM. Administered as a weekly injection, Wegovy has shown effectiveness in inducing sustained weight loss. The STEP trials demonstrated that participants using Wegovy experienced an average weight loss of 15.8% over 68 weeks. Wegovy's pharmacokinetics involve prolonged activation of GLP-1 receptors, enhancing satiety and reducing hunger. GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide mimic the action of the natural hormone GLP-1, which regulates appetite and blood sugar levels. By slowing gastric emptying and promoting a feeling of fullness, these medications reduce caloric intake. Clinical trials have shown that GLP-1RAs, including semaglutide, can result in weight loss from 5% or up to 10-15% of body weight. However, sustained weight loss requires ongoing lifestyle modifications, as discontinuation of the medication leads to weight regain. Common side effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists include gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Other potential side effects include increased heart rate, fatigue, headaches, and changes in thyroid function.

Obesity as a Disease

How does one get an obesity diagnosis? There is one single criterion used for diagnosing someone with this disease: The Body Mass Index (BMI). A person’s BMI is their weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters, rounded to one decimal place. It does not account for muscle mass versus body fat. For these reasons, the BMI has been widely proven to be an ineffective health measure. The BMI was also never intended to be a measure of health in the first place.

The BMI was created in the 1800s by a statistician named Adolphe Quetelet, who did not study medicine, to gather statistics of the average height and weight of specifically white, European, upper-middle-class men to assist the government in allocating resources. It was never intended as a measure of individual body fat, build, or health (Karasu, 2016). Quetelet is also credited with founding the field of anthropometry, including the racist pseudoscience of phrenology. Quetelet’s L’homme Moyen would be used as a measurement of fitness to inspire, and as a scientific justification, for eugenics (Eugenics archive).

Studies have observed that about 30% of "normal” weight people are “unhealthy," whereas about 50% of "overweight" people are “healthy” (Rey-López, et al, 2014). Thus, using the BMI as an indicator of health misclassifies 75 million people in the United States alone. “Healthy*” lifestyle habits are associated with a significant decrease in mortality regardless of baseline body mass index (Matheson, et al, 2012).

*I put “healthy” in quotation marks here because the definition of an individual’s health is oversimplified and depends on many socioeconomic factors.

While epidemiologists use BMI to calculate national obesity rates, the distinctions between weight classes can be arbitrary. Ever notice that the weight classes on the BMI are nearly intervals of five? In 1998, the National Institutes of Health lowered the overweight threshold from 27.8 to 25—making roughly 29 million Americans "overweight" overnight—to match international guidelines (Butler, 2014). Critics have also noted that those guidelines were drafted in part by the International Obesity Task Force, whose two principal funders were companies making weight loss drugs.

Jackie Scully, Senior Research Fellow at the Unit for Ethics in the Biosciences, University of Basel, in her scientific journal titled “What is a Disease?” states the following: “As the business literature shows, new clinical diagnoses are often welcomed primarily as opportunities for market growth (Moynihan et al, 2002). One recent example of this is female sexual dysfunction (FSD). The huge commercial success of sildenafil (Viagra) for erectile dysfunction in men provides a strong motivation for drug companies to identify an equivalent market (that is, condition) in women. And some ethicists feel that drug companies were, to put it mildly, over-involved in the medical consensus meetings held between 1997 and 1999 that effectively drew up very inclusive clinical criteria for the definition of FSD (Moynihan, 2003)."

How can one diagnose a person with a disease and sell them medications solely based upon an outdated measure that was never meant to indicate health in the first place, especially when obesity has no proven causative role in the onset of any chronic condition? (Kahn, et. al., 2000), (Cofield, et al, 2010).

This is why the term “obese” is recognized as a slur by fat communities. It's a stigmatizing term that medicalizes fat bodies even in the absence of disease. The word directly translates to "having eaten oneself fat" in Latin. Obesity, as a medical diagnosis, doesn’t have much ground to stand on. Aside from being overtly incorrect as a medical tool, the BMI is used to deny certain medical treatments and gender-affirming care, as well as insurance coverage. Employers still often offer bonuses to workers who lower their BMI. Although science recognizes the BMI as deeply flawed, it's going to be tough to get rid of. It has been a long-standing and effective tool for the oppression of fat people and the profit of the weight loss industry.

To treat obesity, patients must eat less. Making someone smaller still means they will be healthier, right?

Fatness and Mortality

The idea that obesity is unhealthy and can cause or exacerbate illnesses is a biased misrepresentation of the scientific literature that is informed more by bigotry than credible science (Medvedyuk, et al, 2017). Fatphobia existed long before fatness became medicalized. Yes, obesity is correlated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes, but some scientists are looking into possibilities that don't equate correlation with causation. Obesity has no proven causative role in the onset of any chronic condition (Kahn, et al, 2000), (Cofield, et al, 2010) and its appearance may be a protective response to the onset of numerous chronic conditions generated from currently unknown causes (Lavie, et al, 2009), (Uretsky et al, 2007), (Mullen, et al, 2013), (Tseng, 2013). A portion of these correlated conditions are likely brought on by the stress of being part of one or more marginalized groups with little to no support or basic access in society. Weight stigma itself is deadly. Research shows that weight-based discrimination increases risk of death by 60% (Sutin, et al, 2014).

Dieting also poses serious health risks. The reason that these weight loss drugs are so successful by comparison is that dieting is unsustainable and does not lead to prolonged weight loss. Over 50 years of research conclusively demonstrates that virtually everyone who intentionally loses weight by manipulating their eating and exercise habits will regain the weight they lost within 3-5 years, and 75% will regain more weight than they lost (Mann, et al, 2007). Evidence suggests that repeatedly losing and gaining weight is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and altered immune function (Tomiyama, et al, 2017). If most fat people have historically tried to lose weight their whole lives through dieting, this has major implications on overall health. Prescribed weight loss is also the leading predictor of eating disorders (Patton, et al, 1999).

Another factor that may be impacting fat people’s rate of mortality is that they are being mistreated at the doctor’s office. I have personally heard dozens of stories about doctors refusing to treat or investigate a problem that a fat person came in for until they lost a certain amount of weight, only to discover years later that the problem was unrelated to their weight and has progressed severely because it went untreated. Fat people are often mistreated and looked at with disgust and disdain in medical settings, leading them to avoid going to the doctor in shame or fear of abuse. This can seriously worsen health issues. Fat stigma in the medical establishment (Puhl, et al, 2012) and society at large arguably (Engber, 2009) kills more fat people than fat does (Teachman, et al, 2003), (Chastain, et al, 2009), (Sutin, et al, 2015). This impact is too significant not to be taken under consideration.

Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness

The issue of anti-fat bias is directly rooted in white supremacy. The ideal thin body was constructed as a marker of whiteness and “purity” before any of this was ever made to be about health. Dr. Sabrina Strings has spent her career studying this history. In her book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, Dr. Strings discusses how constructions of race led to the thin ideal. “Over the decades, the rise in biracial children would break down the way that slave owners saw Blackness and whiteness. To combat the hypocrisy they created, owners invented new ways to dehumanize the enslaved population. They made a calculated decision to start putting more value on white physiques versus Black ones. In her research, Strings found that Black women’s bodies were otherized even more than Black males. For colonizers who hadn’t seen diverse body types before, they quickly categorized the Black female figure as ‘deviant,’ ‘greedy,’ and ‘overtly sexual.’ The fact that we still use these terms to describe fat bodies today is all the evidence we need to understand that fatphobia is directly linked to racism, not health. This mindset was also strengthened by Protestantism. Slave owners looked for any way to prove their power over the enslaved people, and they frequently used religion as ‘proof’ of their racist superiority. Additionally, Protestant belief encouraged various ways to become closer to God, which included eating as little as possible. This would resonate the most with white women. They had as much to do with perpetuating fatphobia as their husbands. White women were desperate to show their own power against Black women on the plantation, and the difference between their bodies was the perfect rift. And so began the centuries-old belief that thinness is beautiful, and fatness is ugly” (Sassenrath, 2023).

Revisiting the Journal with Context

Thinness has been an important value throughout history in the United States. Our positive associations with thinness and negative associations with fatness have led to a collective schema that is black and white, good versus bad, beautiful versus ugly, healthy versus unhealthy, and life versus death. This has led the FDA to approve Wegovy as a weight loss drug with haste, after just sixteen months of testing. It is known that going off the drug will result in rapid weight regain, so patients are expected to be on it for the rest of their lives when there have been no long-term studies. We do not yet know if the drug will have long-term effects, yet it has been approved for kids as young as twelve (FDA, 2021). As of July 2024, Novo Nordisk has a market cap of $633.01 billion (Marketcap). 

Wegovy is prescribed along with diet and exercise, which has been proven to lead to weight regain and eating disorders. Patients are being prescribed Wegovy and Ozempic when they are fat, but otherwise metabolically healthy. If this drug is truly a game changer for public health, we should be measuring how patients' health improves over the long-term rather than how much weight they lose. For example, if these drugs improve heart health, they should be prescribed as a heart health medication for patients with heart disease, rather than prescribed as a weight loss fix based on body size alone. With the evidence we have, we know it is possible to be fat and healthy, so these drugs may be solely cosmetic in many cases.

Future

If we want to improve the lives of fat people, we will remove barriers to care, not try as hard as we can to make all fat people disappear. That will never happen. If we truly cared about the well-being of fat people and not their disappearance, we would work to dismantle the systems that oppress them and abolish anti-fatness. 

Currently, fat people have next to no legal protections for being discriminated against (NAAFA, 2023). Fat people are denied housing, (Kariss, 1977) jobs, and receive less pay and promotions legally because of their size (The Economist). They are denied access to clothing, seating, transportation, and other human rights because infrastructure has been designed to exclude them. Fat people have less likelihood of receiving a fair trial (Beely, 2013), and are denied necessary surgeries (Barrett, 2022) ––but not weight loss surgery that amputates the digestive tract. Fat people are denied gender-affirming care (Conley, 2023), in vitro fertilization and reproductive healthcare (Muir, 2024), even adopting children (Carter, 2009). Fat children have been removed from their loving parents because when their diets failed, it was seen as neglect (Badshah, 2021). Fat people have disproportionately high suicide rates (Wagner, et al, 2013), and are facing medical malpractice and mistreatment (Kolata, 2016).

Can a drug fix that?

References

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“Quetelet, Adolphe.” Eugenics Archive, www.eugenicsarchive.ca/connections? id=5233cb0f5c2ec5000000009c. Accessed 5 July 2024.

Rey-López JP, de Rezende LF, Pastor-Valero M, Tess BH. The prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity: a systematic review and critical evaluation of the definitions used. ObesRev.2014 Oct;15(10):781-90. doi: 10.1111/obr.12198. Epub 2014 Jul 16. PMID: 25040597.

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Butler, Kiera. “Why BMI Is a Big Fat Scam.” Mother Jones, 25 Aug. 2014, www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/why-bmi-big-fat-scam/.

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Medvedyuk, S., Ali, A., & Raphael, D. (2017). Ideology, obesity and the social determinants of health: a critical analysis of the obesity and health relationship. Critical Public Health, 28(5), 573–585. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2017.1356910

Kahn BB, Flier JS. Obesity and insulin resistance. J Clin Invest. 2000 Aug;106(4):473-81. doi: 10.1172/JCI10842. PMID: 10953022; PMCID: PMC380258.

Lavie CJ, Milani RV, Ventura HO. Obesity and cardiovascular disease: risk factor, paradox, and impact of weight loss. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009 May 26;53(21):1925-32. doi: 10.1016/ j.jacc.2008.12.068. PMID: 19460605.

Uretsky S, Messerli FH, Bangalore S, Champion A, Cooper-Dehoff RM, Zhou Q, Pepine CJ. Obesity paradox in patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease. Am J Med. 2007 Oct;120(10):863-70. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2007.05.011. PMID: 17904457.

Mullen JT, Moorman DW, Davenport DL. The obesity paradox: body mass index and outcomes in patients undergoing nonbariatric general surgery. Ann Surg. 2009 Jul;250(1):166-72. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181ad8935. PMID: 19561456.

Tseng CH. Obesity paradox: differential effects on cancer and noncancer mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Atherosclerosis. 2013 Jan;226(1):186-92. doi: 10.1016/ j.atherosclerosis.2012.09.004. Epub 2012 Sep 21. PMID: 23040832.

Sutin, A. R., Stephan, Y., & Terracciano, A. (2015). Weight Discrimination and Risk of Mortality. Psychological Science, 26(11), 1803-1811. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615601103

Tomiyama, A Janet, et al. “Long‐term Effects of Dieting: Is Weight Loss Related to Health. Socialand Personality Psychology Compass, 6 July 2017, escholarship.org/uc/item/0tv27311.

Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Westling E, Lew AM, Samuels B, Chatman J. Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. Am Psychol. 2007 Apr;62(3):220-33. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.220. PMID: 17469900.

Patton GC, Selzer R, Coffey C, Carlin JB, Wolfe R. Onset of adolescent eating disorders: population based cohort study over 3 years. BMJ. 1999 Mar 20;318(7186):765-8. doi: 10.1136/bmj.318.7186.765. PMID: 10082698; PMCID: PMC27789.

Puhl, Rebecca, and Kelly D. Bronwell. “Bias, Discrimination, and Obesity.” Obesity Research, 6 Sept. 2012. doi.org/10.1038/oby.2001.108

Engber, Daniel. “Glutton Intolerance: What If a War on Obesity Only Makes the Problem Worse?” Slate, https://slate.com/technology/2009/10/the-health-effects-of-discrimination-against-fat-people.html 5 Oct. 2009.

Teachman, B. A., Gapinski, K. D., Brownell, K. D., Rawlins, M., & Jeyaram, S. (2003). Demonstrations of implicit anti-fat bias: The impact of providing causal information and evoking empathy. Health Psychology, 22(1), 68–78.

Chastain, Ragen. “So My Doctor Tried to Kill Me.” Dances With Fat, https://danceswithfat.org/2009/12/15/so-my-doctor-tried-to-kill-me/ 15 Dec. 2009.

Sutin AR, Stephan Y, Terracciano A. Weight Discrimination and Risk of Mortality. Psychol Sci. 2015 Nov;26(11):1803-11. doi: 10.1177/0956797615601103. Epub 2015 Sep 29. PMID: 26420442; PMCID: PMC4636946.

Sassenrath, Jenna. “Anti-Blackness Is Anti-Fatness in ‘Fearing the Black Body.’” Bookstr, bookstr.com/article/anti-blackness-is-anti-fatness-in-fearing-the-black-body/ 26 July 2023.

“Novo Nordisk (NVO) - Market Capitalization.” CompaniesMarketCap.Com - Companies Ranked by Market Capitalization, companiesmarketcap.com/novo-nordisk/marketcap/ 2024.

Commissioner, Office of the. “FDA Approves New Drug Treatment for Chronic Weight Management, First since 2014.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014. 5 July 2024.

Karris, L. (1977). Prejudice against Obese Renters. The Journal of Social Psychology, 101(1), 159–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1977.9924002

“Campaign for Size Freedom.” NAAFA, 2023,

naafa.org/sizefreedom. 5 July 2024.

“The Obesity Pay Gap Is Worse than Previously Thought.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2023/11/23/the-obesity-pay-gap-is-worse-than-previously-thought. 5 July 2024.

Elizabeth Beety, Valena (2013) "Criminality and Corpulence: Weight Bias in the Courtroom," Seattle Journal for Social Justice: Vol. 11: Iss. 2, Article 4. https:// digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjsj/vol11/iss2/4

Berrett, Martyn. “More Obesity Discrimination: The NHS Will Deny Non-Urgent Surgery to Obese Patients.” Healthier Weight, 24 Nov. 2022, www.healthierweight.co.uk/blog/more-obesity-discrimination-the-nhs-will-deny-non-urgent-surgery-to-obese-patients/.

LaRosa, John. “U.S. Weight Loss Industry Grows to $90 Billion, Fueled by Obesity Drugs Demand.” Market Research Blog, The Freedonia Group, Inc., 2 May 2024, blog.marketresearch.com/u.s.-weight-loss-industry-grows-to-90-billion-fueled-by-obesity-drugs-demand.

Conley, H. “Studies Show Top Surgery Is Safe for FAT Patients, but Some Surgeons Still Mandate Weight Loss.” STAT, 25 July 2023, www.statnews.com/2023/06/02/top-surgery-safe-fat-patients/.

Muir, Becca. “Opinion: Women with Obesity Are Often Restricted from IVF. That’s Discriminatory.” NPR, 14 Jan. 2024, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/14/1224546666/opinion-women-with-obesity-are-often-restricted-from-ivf-thats-discriminatory.

Carter, Helen. “Too Fat to Adopt - the Married, Teetotal Couple Rejected by Council Because of Man’s Weight.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Jan. 2009, www.theguardian.com/society/2009/jan/13/adoption-rejected-couple.

Badshah, Nadeem. “Two Teenagers Placed in Foster Care after Weight Loss Plan Fails.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 Mar. 2021, amp.theguardian.com/society/2021/mar/10/two-teenagers-placed-in-foster-care-after-weight-loss-plan-fails.

Wagner B, Klinitzke G, Brähler E, Kersting A. Extreme obesity is associated with suicidal behavior and suicide attempts in adults: results of a population-based representativesample. Depress Anxiety. 2013 Oct;30(10):975-81. doi: 10.1002/da.22105. Epub 2013 Apr 10. PMID:23576272.

Kolata, Gina. “Why Do Obese Patients Get Worse Care? Many Doctors Don’t See Past the Fat.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/health/obese-patients-health-care.html.

[spametc123]

The phrase “maybe the curtains were just blue” is genuinely so harmful to media literacy as a whole. Yes, things can just be the way they are, but almost everything exists with context. Do you exist or do you exist because of everything that has happened in the world? Your parents met, you didn’t die that one time when you were eight, you’re the person you are because of that awful haircut you had in seventh grade. You exist because of all of that.

So, nothing pisses me off more than when someone uses an incomplete quote. “A jack of all trades is a master of none” without the second half: “but oftentimes better than a master of one” (everyone say thank you Shakespeare) has an entirely different meaning. The first half by itself is utilized to shame people into ignoring things they love or are interested in; meanwhile the full quote praises people interested in a variety of things. Ignoring context literally erodes the meaning behind anything. Machiavelli said ��it’s better to be feared than to be loved.” Wrong. Loud incorrect buzzer. Kind of. As Malcolm Gladwell writes, “it’s not wrong, exactly, it’s just incomplete.” (Or something like that anyways.) Yes, Machiavelli did write that. Congrats! But you forgot a kinda, semi, VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT component of that quote. “It is better to be feared than to be loved if one cannot have both.” It should be common sense right? I wish. Ask anyone about their opinion on the incomplete quote and see how many of them think they’re revolutionary when they say “oh I’d rather have both!” If the full quote doesn’t seem to make a difference in your mind, great! But there’s still more context that you need to know to actually understand it (let alone teach it (Mr. History teacher that is NOT a philosophy teacher and should not try to be one)). The quote is from The Prince, a writing in which Machiavelli talks about what makes a good leader. In his opinion, The Prince should know when to utilize love and fear to his advantage. Be loved by your people and feared by your enemies. Seem more trusting than you are so you can see who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He says that one should prefer to be feared than to be loved in time sensitive situations, not sustainably. That when things need immediate change being feared makes a stronger and more effective leader (which is unequivocally correct and I’m tried of hearing otherwise). So again, without context: a random quote that no one agrees with or really understands at all, whatsoever vs. with context: the assertion that in times of need it is better to be respected and feared than it is to be loved. Or, a personal favorite “dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum.” I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am. Oh wow! So cool, he thinks therefore he is - being capable of thought means I exist, how neat! Not wrong, sure, but lacking context. What makes the philosophy so powerful is the fact that it’s a paradox. You doubt your existence, therefore you are capable of thought, therefore you exist. Because you doubt your existence, you prove that you exist. But if you are then confident you exist, do you no longer exist anymore? And now you doubt it again. Without context, it’s just words on a page, nothing notable or interesting. Without looking for the context it’s yet another thing people will complain about having to learn because “why does it even matter?”

It’s the same with characters. Armand is batshit fucking insane, yes, but he only is that way because of who he is. The tv show fails his character when they age him up, because even with some of his backstory, he is the way he is mainly because he’s eternally trapped in the body of a 17 year old. ____ is too trusting! Maybe in different circumstances, yes, but that character is the way they are because of the life experiences they’ve had. ____ is the right amount of trusting for the life they’ve lived.w

It’s the same for people too!!! Please find it within you to have basic human empathy! Someone is the way they are because of their life experiences. You can’t have something happen to you, good or bad, and not be affected by it. Someone can only change if their experiences change. No, it’s not your responsibility to change someone’s behavior or to tolerate it, but it is your responsibility to try to understand why someone is the way they are.

Empathy and media literacy are so clearly intertwined it’s would be comical if it wasn’t depressing. Read between the lines, try to understand things that you don’t get immediately. The curtains aren’t just blue. It doesn’t matter if it’s to represent sadness or just because it’s the author’s favorite color or even because the author was so indecisive they made someone else pick it, there’s still a reason. Anti-intellectualism is the curse that keeps on dooming us all.

[astra-ravana]

Notes On Crossroads

• A crossroads is any place where two roads cross each other.

• There are 3 different versions of crossroads; Female (cross-shaped), Male (T-shaped), and Damned/Divine (Y-shaped).

• The female style of road is most common. Use these locations for all general crossroads work, mental, spiritual and emotional matters, to draw or influence woman, or for baneful magick.

• The male crossroads is ideal for manifesting in the physical world, money, success, good fortune, as well as drawing/influencing male targets.

• The Damned/Divine style of road is best for working with/evoking spirits, leaving offerings, conjure work, road openings, vengeance, baneful magick, shadow work, and many other activities.

• Crossroads dirt is a very effective spell component that can be used for drawing, banishing, spirit work, road opening, luck, success, and opportunity.

• Dirt from a Damned crossroads is especially powerful, makes an exceptional addition to road openings, and helps when working with crossroads spirits (ie: Hekate, Papa Legba, Astaroth)

• To dispose of a working, throw it in the intersection of a crossroads and walk home without looking back.

• To gain an extraordinary talent or skill, tradition says you must go to the crossroads at midnight for 9 nights to practice your desired talent. On the 9th night, a large shadow man may come to you. If he does, let him show you how to do the skill properly. You will then possess the great talent you seek.

• To send an urgent message to someone you can't locate, write a letter to them and burn it at a Y-shaped crossroads.

• If someone physically harms you, write their name 9 times on a paper and nail it at a Damned crossroads. A revenging spirit will beat them in return until they leave you alone.

[gobbogoo]

Everything We Know About Who Pyro Is/Was:

Obviously Pyro remains ​​⁠​⁠​⁠an enigma and I'm not going to pretend I have much in the way of definitive proof, however there ARE aspects of their background we can reasonably assume based on the skills and behaviours Pyro displays. First and foremost, we need to understand the extent of the disconnect between their consciousness and reality. Most folks understand it as mainly auditory and visual hallucination, however if you look at side-by-side moments in Meet The Pyro, you'll realize that there's a clear disconnect between Pyro's physical stance:

What Pyro believes they are doing with their body and what their body is actually doing can be entirely disconnected. Furthermore, if you listen closely to Pyro's more comprehensible dialogue, you'll notice that what they say lines up more with what they're actually doing, and not what they THINK they're doing:

Put together, this implies Pyro possesses not just a disconnect from reality, but also a full-blown division of personality. There's Conscious Pyro, who is the bundle of joy frolicking through Pyroland, and then there's Unconscious Pyro, who is the maniacal murderer actively interacting with reality. Both of these personalities seem to play a factor in Pyro's behaviour. While Conscious Pyro clearly seems to possess a degree of control over how they act in Pyroland, the fact that all those actions also happen to be very effective methods of murder in the real world says that Unconscious Pyro is steering these decisions.

Now, these two are not ALWAYS so disconnected or extreme. When not actively burning things, Pyro's perceived reality seems to line up more closely with what's actually happening from a visual, auditory, and physical standpoint:

Conscious Pyro's whimsy and Unconscious Pyro's murderousness both seem to drastically tone down in these circumstances, however both never fully go away. Pyro is ALWAYS capable of extreme violence/destruction:

Speaking of extreme violence, Conscious Pyro DOES share Unconscious Pyro's capacity and willingness to cause harm. This implies that the difference between the personalities' behaviour is more-so the result of their perceived environments, not demeanour.

To summarize, Pyro's disconnect from reality becomes more powerful when in the presence of fire/destruction, and this causes a divergence in Pyro's perceived and presented personalities. Moving on to in-game lore, it is stated that Pyro built/improvised the majority of their weapons (mainly out of stuff found in a garage.) This is immediately clear if you look at the individual components of their flamethrower:

The primary exception to this is their shotgun, which is a standard weapon they nonetheless operate with a trained familiarity:

Building a flamethrower is no easy feat. Besides being extremely complicated and dangerous, all information regarding flamethrower construction and schematics are strictly controlled by the U.S. government. Therefore I'd say it isn't much of a leap to suggest that Pyro's ability to construct and operate improvised military-grade incendiary weaponry must have been the result of formal training.

This is further supported by the fact that their flame-retardant suit is not equipment provided by Mann Co, as they continue to wear it even after being fired. All this together implies that before becoming a mercenary, Pyro had a job that provided them with both the knowledge and tools of an incendiary specialist. This more-or-less confirms that Pyro was not ALWAYS so insane, as at some point they were considered stable enough to be trusted with such a dangerous job. Since Pyro seemingly hasn't taken the suit off since that job, it can be deduced that whatever triggered or inflicted the madness they now suffer from must have occurred during their service. It would also explain why all of Pyro's incendiary weapons are homemade while their suit is standard-issue. After being fired they obviously weren't allowed to keep any weaponry, meaning they had to construct their own.

There are a lot of ways to interpret all of this, but my personal theory is that Pyro was at one point part of some Cold War experiment. One that sought to disconnect soldiers from the reality of their actions during combat, while ALSO allowing them to operate with brutal efficiency. Considering this was the era of the Vietnam War, a way to make soldiers not feel guilty or resentful while being ordered to commit atrocities would have been an invaluable tool for the USA's military. Pyro being a highly trained candidate for such an experiment is the only explanation I can think of for how they could be simultaneously highly trained in incendiary weaponry AND be too blatantly insane to ever justify such training. This would ALSO explain why Pyro is both so frighteningly dangerous and unstable, yet still somehow employable as a mercenary. While extreme, they remain capable of understanding and following instructions from superiors. Even if said instructions have to be delivered in a slightly different manner:

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Sentient Media:

In a new paper, University of Miami Professor Jennifer Jacquet and a team of researchers argue that the industry-funded National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) knew about the harms of beef production on climate change as early as 1989 and worked to obfuscate the science. In a subsequent paper, Jacquet and post-doctoral associate Loredana Loy trace how trade groups worked to incite doubt that consumers could make a difference, by choosing to eat less meat, on global climate emissions. There is some evidence, albeit indirect, that these efforts have paid off — a 2023 public poll of 1,404 U.S. adults found 74 percent of them said not eating meat would have little or no impact on climate change.

“Meat and dairy does not want the individual or the consumer to think they have any power, or to think that their choices make a difference at all,” Jacquet tells Sentient. “They’re constantly saying what you do as a consumer will not make a difference. ‘Eating less meat and dairy will not make a difference.’”

Yet a large body of climate research from nonpartisan research groups like the World Resource Institute and EAT-Lancet have concluded that dietary change, in the form of reducing meat consumption, is a necessary component of reducing the anthropogenic effects of climate change.

In a parallel to Naomi Oreskes’s and Eric Conway’s Merchants of Doubt, which details how a group of scientists worked to incite doubt around scientific topics such as anthropogenic climate change and the harmful effects of tobacco, Jacquet’s and Loy’s research describes how the meat and dairy industry worked to create doubt that consumers can take action to address the harmful effects of beef on the environment. “I call them the moo-chants of doubt,” Jacquet says.

In their other paper, Jacquet and her fellow researchers trace how this stems from a history of recognizing, then downplaying, the effects of the beef industry on global warming.

“There is a long, well-documented history of industry attempts to downplay, discredit and even outright deny science that demonstrates the harms of its activities and products. This strategy was honed to a fine art by the tobacco industry; the beef industry now appears to be following the tobacco model,” Oreskes wrote to Sentient.

The question that underlies the research investigating the impacts of industry funding is just how much free will consumers have in their decision-making — especially if the information they receive is flawed. 

Trade groups like the NCBA are funded by industry checkoffs, which farmers who sell the commodity pay into on each unit they sell. The checkoff industry is a pot of money worth over $1 billion, and is used for researching and marketing the commodity. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that a commodity program would work to make its commodity look good. But the result, in this case, Jacquet argues, is a misinformed public.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Um hi sorry for asking but I saw a reblog where you said ADHD is dysautonomia? I thought those were different things that just happen to be comorbid sometimes? I'm so confused, please help 😭😭

Yes and no!

There are dysautonomia diagnoses (such as the one I carry since childhood for Orthostatic Hypotension), but there are also diagnoses that may cause dysautonomia as a secondary symptom/condition (e.g. diagnoses that may impact the autonomic nervous system such as ADHD, PTSD, diabetes, etc.)

Dysautonomia isn't a diagnosis in itself exactly, it's a class of diagnoses. And while some are treatable/resolvable medically, many require what are called "lifestyle" treatment plans that focus on actions taken or not taken, exposures/symptom triggers restricted, etc to stabilize and enhance quality of life and to perform harm reduction for some of the more dangerous outcomes of dysautonomia symptoms

PTSD and ADHD share certain similarities in how they interact with the autonomic nervous system, especially the parasympathetic nervous system specifically, and one major risk area for folks with either diagnosis is the way that development of dysautonomia secondary to their ADHD/PTSD symptoms can seriously impact their ability to safely experience intense emotion. The "emotional dysregulation" component of ADHD specifically often comes from some combination of "hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system in the sympathetic portion" or from "hypoactovity of the autonomic nervous system in the parasympathetic portion", which is basically a fancy clinical way of saying "the part of the ANS that activates a threat response is overactive and throws that switch more often or more intensely than is reasonable/appropriate for the person's environment and/or the part of the ANS that soothes threat responses is less likely to kick in when needed, while being less effective when it does".

Now. I'm not a neuroscientist, so I couldn't tell you WHY we believe this to he happening in ADHD. But I can tell you as a healthcare provider who treats several forms of secondary dysautonomia and provides collaborative care for several primary dysautonomias, as well as someone who experiences both personally, it IS happening. All the literature we have demonstrates that mitigating this secondary dysautonomia is one of the most important aspects of treatment for ANY condition which causes it, as dysautonomia, whether primary or secondary, is extremely high risk in the long term when un-/under-managed and is associated with substantial worsening prognoses pretty much across the board.

This is complicated stuff! And I do sort of get why the medical community takes the easy way out and doesn't explain well WHY these things matter. What they're doing to the body. But I have seen the difference it makes, to my care, to the care my clients receive, when they know this medical background.

I really do need to circle back to this topic because I keep meaning to but ironically I've been in and out of the hospital for going on 18 months now due to high-risk interactions between my primary and secondary dysautonomia presentations. So I really just haven't had the time and energy lol. Anyway, I know this is complicated stuff, and often I have an easier time answering people's questions about it ratjer than trying to frame out an entire educational guide from scratch, so until I finally get around to updating my current guide with the last few years of research, if folks want to just ask me whatever, I'm happy to give what answers I can. And definitely let me know if anything I've said here needs clarifying or further info!

[lochlogie]

Do you see Saxon as violent or aggressive?

Not really. He never like physically overpowers or intimidates anyone and he is a pretty Big Boy. But, would he need to act intimidating when he already towers over Piper and when he could bench press Lochlan with one arm? I mean it speaks for itself. They don't seem afraid of him though, so I sincerely doubt he would ever lay a finger on either of them with the intention of harming them.

He seems to pride himself on being in control of himself. He's averse to taking mind altering drugs (even though he takes what is essentially meth every day lol), and we never see him get drunk enough to lose control. Ecstasy has a cliché effect of inducing, well, ecstasy, so he's happy and fun and carefree during that sequence. So that's a wash. We have no direct evidence that losing control of his faculties would bring out an inner violent streak within him. Though as an (alleged) heterosexual man... I would not put it past him. I wouldn't bet money that he's a pacifist or that he's never gotten in a physical altercation with someone before.

Here's what he does do: he ignore his siblings' (as well as Chelsea's and his masseuse's) boundaries, but it's always (at least in his mind) teasing, playful (in the case of Chelsea, he feels entitled to sex, female attention, the cure to the ~male loneliness epidemic~ whatever you want to call it; in the case of the masseuse he probably doesn't even consider her personhood). Is he aggressive as in testosterone fueled rage, well no. But he is aggressive in the sense that he's stubborn, domineering, controlling, and kind of just doesn't respect what other people think or say (except for Tim and maaaaaybe Chelsea a little bit at the end), and he feels quite comfortable bulldozing over people's boundaries and objections to his behavior.

He was definitely the Big Brother Bully growing up, but I truly doubt that bullying manifested as beating Piper or Lochlan up. It was probably just hurtful words and general condescension (and perhaps lingering looks/touches/sexual comments YIKES). In fact I think his smug protectiveness was a tool in his kit to feel superior to them and tell them what to do all the time and belittle their personalities and choices in life.

His faux concern over Piper "throwing her life away" is such a perfect example of that, as well as his entire attitude toward Lochlan being a virgin at the *checks notes* absolutely haggard and spinster age of 18 🙄

The most aggro he ever gets iirc is when he says "Come on, let's go, drink it," to Lochlan (or something like that) when he's whining that he doesn't want the protein shake, and when Saxon starts yelling at Piper "No you always get what you want!!" And to his credit, Piper does not display fearful body language for a single frame of that argument. She knew her chile tea was unclockable.

Do I think Saxon would get violent on behalf of his family or his other loved ones? It's entirely possible. I've seen it enough in fics that it feels like an ascended headcanon to me, like how everyone agrees he was in a fraternity at Duke. Like yeah, he would get into a fight if a guy disrespected Piper. He would throw down with Lochlan's schoolyard bullies.

Another headcanon-ish component is that I think this kind of old school Southern Charm masculinity is supposed to be paternalistic, not threatening. So Saxon would absolutely feel comfortable using violence to protect others, as opposed to using it sadistically to feel powerful. Saxon already conceives of himself as a success, intelligent, cool, calm, collected, confident, handsome, just all around awesome. It's a front for his emptiness and insecurity, but he does already have a framework in place in his mind to validate himself. He doesn't need to hurt people or physically intimidate people to (pretend to) feel good about himself, or even to feel superior to others.

Actually, we do see him join his dad in defending Victoria's honor(?) because she's offended by Rick's cigarette smoke in the first episode. And it's played very much as palms out, appeasing, still quite patronizing, "I'm approaching you man to man, let's talk about this," kind of a confrontation. It's not chest puffed up, in his face, ready to throw a punch. So I think I'm right.

Again, put certain drugs or too much alcohol into his veins and see what happens, I still ultimately wouldn't put violence past him. Especially post incestgate. Because Lochlan kind of unraveled this very fragile system in Saxon's brain, or at least started to pull at the frayed edges. So if Saxon were in his feels enough and/or drunk enough, I could easily see him stepping over the line. But he would immediately regret it, at least if it ended up with Lochlan or Piper getting hurt. God he'd actually never forgive himself. Who ordered the angst uber?

[loflr]

Punishment within a Loving, Obedient Female-Led Relationship

Hi, Brian here.

I have already talked about the way we handle discipline in our FLR. Diane is training me, and whenever my behaviour falls below the level that she expects, then she takes steps to correct that and get me back on track. Punishment is only required if the woman's corrective action does not have the desired effect, or if the man's disobedience has been serious. For example, if I was late with dinner she would probably just scold me and warn me not to let if happen again. If it did happen again, then she might consider punishment. The question of a wife punishing her spouse is quite an emotive one, and I wouldn't be surprised if some couples skip this part of FLR entirely. I personally think that some form of punishment is essential as a component of FLR, especially during training.

I'll first repeat something that I said during the post on training, we are not long into our FLR dynamic, and because I have been so eager to please, training has not been much of an issue, with disobedience even less so. Basically, she tells me what to do and I do it. The only situations we have encountered where punishment might have been necessary have been for very minor shortcomings which would not have really warranted much more than light scolding, if that (well, I would say that, wouldn't I). So, if I'm going to write a post about punishment, having never actually been punished, then it's all going to be a bit speculative. Just as with the training post, Diane will read it and let me know if she agrees with what I've written, or if she has something else in store for me. Whatever she says, I will pass on to you all. Another thing to mention is that this is all new to us and we are a pretty vanilla couple. I have no idea how comfortable Diane will actually feel being in the position of punishing her husband. She is becoming more and more assertive as our new relationship grows, but it wouldn't be at all surprising if this was something that she found very difficult.

The first things that I should emphasise are the questions of consent and boundaries. Punishment without consent is abuse, and if one of you ends up in prison, then you may have a whole new set of complex personal relationship dynamics to learn! I have come across the term "CNC", or Consensual Non-Consent, which sounds very risky to me. This is essentially giving someone permission to punish you beyond the point at which you can tell them to stop. In this case, your only protection against abuse, and possible harm, is your trust that your partner loves you and would not intentionally harm you. Having been married to Diane for 50 years, I would probably take that risk, but I don't think that this is something that I would advise generally.

I have empowered Diane to train me, which may involve punishment, at her discretion. However, that does not mean that she can pummel me half to death with a rock if I forget to wash the dishes! I have given her consent to punish me, but only within specific boundaries. In reality this means, "up to" a certain severity, as there isn't really any such thing as a lower boundary, or a minimum, in respect of punishment. We are living a kink-free FLR, and between us we have agreed that I will not be subjected to corporal, i.e. physical, punishment, but there are other "red lines" for me. For instance, I would not allow myself to be punished in public, or in front of her friends, and neither would I perform demeaning or distasteful tasks; I'm not going to lick the toilet clean if I forget to make the bed, nor would I allow my mouth to be washed out with soap for swearing, which I think is quite a common non-physical punishment in the FLR community. Any punishment necessarily involves an element of humiliation, but in our case, this must always be private, and does not extend to verbal humiliation or insults. We all have our own boundaries, and those are mine. As I have said several times, we are a pretty vanilla couple.

So, bearing mind that my wife has not yet needed to punish me, I'll make a start and talk about how she "might" punish me. It will be interesting to see what she makes of this little lot. I have put the suggested punishments in an order of severity, with harsher punishments used to address progressively worse disobedience.

Scolding: I already mentioned this in the post on training and in that post I gave an example of quite a severe scolding. I truly believe that this would address most of the day-to-day disciplinary requirements between us. I can’t know, because it hasn’t happened yet, but I would feel humiliated and embarrassed at being scolded, sad that I had disappointed Diane, and determined to follow her instructions to make sure that I was not disobedient again.

The only downside that I see to this form of punishment is that it would take a considerable degree of assertiveness from Diane, and she might find it difficult. Still, she has been know to be quite fiery in the past.

Adult Timeout:  While I was chatting to Diane last week she mentioned that she had an idea for a way to punish me, if necessary. This would involve being sent to the bathroom and made to sit there quietly for however long she decides. I can't remember whether this was to be done naked or clothed, but in the scenario which she came up with this would be happening at night time, so I would be alone in the dark. I was chatting with a follower of this blog the other day and he called this the "Denial of her Presence". It does make a lot of sense: if she is cross with me then this gets me out of her sight, and I want to be with her but I can't be.

However, I think that this would only be useful as a relatively light punishment, just one notch up from scolding. It seems to me that it lacks visibility, with the offender being alone in a separate room, out of sight and out of mind. Much better, I believe, to know that he is being watched.

Corner Time:  I do not think that it is possible to rely solely on scolding, and the most obvious punishment that I can think of is corner time. This certainly seems to be about the most common non-physical punishment spoken about with the FLR community. What exactly does this entail? After a scolding, the man is sent to either stand or kneel in the corner of a room, facing the walls. Obviously, he will have no phone, TV or any other distractions, and is not permitted to speak. The woman can choose whether he is to stand in a different room or the same room as her, and there can be various additions, such as placing his hands on his head, or putting a finger on his lips (appropriate if it was his mouth which has got him into trouble). The woman decides how long he must remain in the corner, which can be anything from a few minutes up to several hours (in which case she should allow toilet breaks, within reason). Quite apart from the inconvenience of being unable to use his phone or watch TV, being made to stand in a corner in silence like a small child on the “naughty step” is extremely humiliating and gives the offender plenty of time to consider his behaviour.

Corner Time Plus: In this punishment the humiliation factor is increased by making the man remove his trousers and underwear. The purpose of exposing his bare bottom is not to inflict physical punishment, but to increase the humiliation and embarrassment associated with the experience. Silently thinking about his behaviour while facing a wall with his bare bottom facing outwards will certainly focus his attention. I can't speak from experience, but I would imagine that this would start to be very embarrassing after a few minutes. He will be acutely aware that she can see the embarrassing situation that he is in.

Remember that punishment is intended to be an unpleasant experience, with the goal of correcting disobedience. If it is fun for the man, then it becomes absolutely pointless. There is no reason why a couple cannot engage in “funishment” as part of their relationship, but it should be kept separate from punishment inflicted as part of the disciplinary process. It is not uncommon for men to enjoy receiving punishment from a woman, but if a husband is deliberately disobedient in order to be punished, this completely inverts the dynamic, and becomes female led in name only. This is sometimes referred to as “topping from the bottom”, a phrase borrowed from the BDSM world.

So, I can think of three, non-physical punishments, suitable for correcting a disobedient husband. I wonder what Diane will think of these, or what other delights she might dream up.

I will keep you posted on her response, but if anyone out there has any ideas, then feel free to let us know.

Brian

[windvexer]

hey chicken! do you have any tips on crafting a good return to sender spell? this is my first time doing one and i am completely lost

Hello Anon,

A classic remedy is to carve out the bottom end of a taper candle so that the wick is exposed, and then burn this candle upside-down. A suitable holder can be obtained by burying the former top of the candle in a deep dish of salt or dried rice, of course keeping it supervised at all times.

This candle is best dressed with very aggressive Allies, either applied directly to the wax, or gifted to the spirit of the spell and placed around the candle.

In a "return to sender" spell we might consider allies of a deeply protective and aggressive nature, the sort of powers that drive away the enemy unto the ends of the earth.

These powers might beneficially include rust, perhaps suspended in water for easy application, or rusty nails or sharp metal things arranged near the candle; basil; cloves; any variety of hot pepper (***best arranged near the candle; burning them can trigger asthma or other problems***); hematite; red stones; associates of Mars (the planet, or the god, whichever you feel best calling in times of need).

All allies, including the flame of the candle itself, should be spoken to in a flattering and courteous manner. Each of them should be asked to apply its specific talents to chase the unwanted spell away, hounding it until it returns to whomever sent it, or if that person cannot be found, to chase it so far away that it can never return.

As a matter of targeting, especially go to lengths to describe why you think there is a spell against you or your client, any symptoms you suspect are related, and other relevant details that can pinpoint the spell.

Light the candle and burn it down.

Prayers of protection against evil are especially well-employed.

In cases of serious concern, multiple spells may be cast:

A general reversal or clearing-away of all opposing forces,

A specific reversal (as described above) of the worrisome spell,

A general protection against all ill-influence or poor conditions,

A specific protection against the effects of the worrisome spell and witches in particular

In cases where candle-burning is not possible, consider the symbolism of a candle burned "backwards," and how such symbolism could be applied to other physical components.

A witch hard-pressed for representations of reversal may have to settle for a spell to be bound, destroyed, frozen, or otherwise rendered harmless. Consider the utility of tying up a spell into a braid or a knot, trapping it within; the threads then buried, thrown away, dissolved in corrosive chemicals, etc.

I never recommend spells which are done only mentally, and I double never recommend them in cases where you fear enemy action. So: select some physical thing to be the "body" of your spell, and deal with it physically; in doing this, you exact powerful change.

Prayers to benevolent and protective powers, or at the very least powers who favor witches, are well served at this time.

General offerings of kinship to the spirits of the house and the land are recommended in all cases of potential enemy action.

All home wards and protective amulets are best fed, or created if they don't exist.

If effects of the unwanted spell appear to linger, no need to discount your reversal efforts, but you still may need to perform magical healing and uncrossing to soothe the roiled waters.

Perform divination as desired to help build spells and determine their outcome, but at all turns avoid paranoia that may advise great harm is upon you and your own actions are in vain. From time to time, divination does more harm than good.

[serpentface]

so sorry if youve talked about this before, but what is hidije? (mentioned as something Palo ysed as epilepsy treatment in the past). And id love to hear anything else about traditional medications/drugs used in this universe in general!

It's an alchemical Concoction that has fine particles of silver as a core ingredient (which is widely believed in the region to have broad purifying qualities) along with ground black pearl (specifically thought to ward off curses and evil spirits). This is why prolonged use can result in a form of argyria.

Epilepsy is at least understood as originating within the brain, so attempted treatments mostly target the head and are often the same treatments used for migraines. The two other main components of hidije are a type of willow bark (which can relieve headaches), and the leaf of the hidijenum tree (which has some sedative effects). Other herbal and medicinal components may be added as needed for the individual patient. The ingredients are boiled in wine and consumed in small doses on a regular basis.

In Wardi medical theory, the silver and pearl are spiritually purifying agents that may weaken the evil spirits that cause epilepsy (as well as most forms of disease), while the willow bark and hidijenum leaf treat the physical damage and improper bloodflow to the brain that these spirits cause. This condition is permanent and the spirits cannot be fully expelled, but regular treatment will weaken them and assist the body's natural self-purification processes, and thus should reduce the frequency of seizures.

No component of hidije is an actual anticonvulsant, and there are no direct and efficacious treatments available for epilepsy, just mitigation methods. Hidije consumption may provide a degree of physical comfort and relaxation via its sedative qualities, and (aside from argyria when used for many years) does not have harmful effects in typical doses and frequencies. Overuse can result in physical dependency on the sedative hidijenum, especially in more expensive forms of hidije in which the plant matter is alchemically refined.

---

Traditional medicine in Imperial Wardin is a very broad body of knowledge and folk belief. The underlying theory is related to other cultural applications of body taboo/spiritual pollution/curses, and supplemented by a degree of rigorous medical scholarship in the region (which peaked during the reign of the 3rd Burri Empire).

The core conceit is:

The body and spirit exist in a natural balance. The spirit physically inhabits the blood, and its proper flow through the body ensures normal bodily functions. The body is constantly bombarded by sources of pollution and has some internal defenses (healthy blood is a purifying agent, spitting can expel minor evil spirits, curses, and wandering ghosts invited by invocation via speech, and urination is the body expelling day to day spiritual impurities). However, the body is highly vulnerable and must be protected from uncontrolled metaphysical vulnerability in order to avoid curses and spiritual pollution. When cursed or spiritually polluted, the flow of spirit/blood is interrupted (either systemically or to certain points in the body), which can cause physical ailments (as well as more spiritual concerns). There are several kinds of evil spirit in the world, one of which causes disease. These are called dagia. They feed on the spirit in blood as tiny, invisible parasites, which can result in various ailments and contagious disease, depending on how much of the blood is infected and where pure blood flow is interrupted. Infection is much likelier when metaphysically vulnerable/polluted, but their entrance of the body is physical and occurs through orifices and wounds. Systemic infections by dagia result in contagious disease. Lifelong afflictions such as epilepsy are generally caused by dagia entering the body while in the womb (especially via the mother having been cursed), and permanently sealed into one's very being during the exceptionally metaphysically vulnerable moment of birth. Therefore, the dagia cannot be truly expelled, but may be subdued and restrained through proper treatment. (By this same virtue, a central part of any midwife's job is to dispel any curses on the infant, ensure its immediate purification, and magically shield it during its vulnerable period. Wealthier mothers may hire priestesses devoted specifically to this practice)

Diseases are both spiritual and physical in nature and thus require both spiritual and physical treatment (the lines between the two are not always well defined). In Hidije, the ingestion of silver is purely spiritual- it's not thought to act directly on the body but to purify the spirit. The willow bark and hidijenum are thought to (and do) interact directly on the body, and to help heal physical damage caused by the interruption of pure blood flow.

Treatments are a wide range of herbalism and other traditional medicines (animal parts are used as well and have a litany of ascribed benefits), strict cleanliness regiments (which double as spiritual purification), and dietary regimines. Bloodletting is used to remove bad blood polluted by dagia at certain points in the body in the case of serious infection (this is distinct from the ritual bloodletting used in prayer, which is an offering of one's pure blood/spirit. Dagia infested blood is an impure substance). A treatment similar in form (though not very similar in theory) to acupuncture is used to gently treat the blood in less dire circumstances, or as a preventative measure.

All this combined results in treatments that range widely between those that would be supported by evidence based medicine, those with ambiguous/no effect, and those that actively make things worse. All in all this system is not wildly effective but has its benefits, and is far from the worst medical system for the setting.

Main strengths

The dagia disease model understands the physical entry of disease into the body (while not directly conceptualizing microbes), leading to safer handling of infectious disease (even including barrier methods protecting the nose and mouth when in proximity to illness).

Many of its treatments are based in direct evidence, acquired both via longstanding cultural knowledge and more recent medical experimentation. This system is fluid and methods of treatment are readily reshaped when confronted with new knowledge (though not the core theoretical elements, which are rooted in religious belief and change on a more gradual scale).

As with herbalism in general, many of the herbal elements have direct physical effects on the body and may be beneficial (willow bark really does have mild pain relief properties, etc).

Wound-cleaning is understood as of utmost import (a wound is more vulnerable than orifices to the entrance of evil spirits, as it directly exposes the blood). Strong alcohol and vinegar is used to clean wounds and avoid infection (not the absolute best method, but one of the better available in this setting).

alchemy (as a form of proto-chemistry) exists and is effective enough to isolate and concentrate naturally occurring compounds with beneficial elements (ie salicylic acid from plants can be refined into a smaller and stronger doses than can be acquired in direct consumption of plant matter) (there's also some pretty damn strong drugs available by the same virtue, mostly in the form of opioids and stimulants).

Physical parasites are generally well understood (though infections by microscopic parasites will be assumed to be dagia).

[abboudlawfirm-omaha]

What is the difference between negligence and recklessness in personal injury cases?

Dealing with a personal injury case can feel overwhelming, especially when trying to make sense of complex legal terms like negligence and recklessness. These two concepts are pivotal in determining how an injury case is handled, but their differences might not be immediately clear. Whether you're dealing with an accident on the road, at work, or elsewhere, understanding these distinctions can help you take the right steps to protect your rights.

Negligence and recklessness may sound alike, but they represent two very different levels of responsibility in personal injury law. Negligence refers to carelessness—a failure to act with reasonable caution that results in someone getting hurt. Recklessness, however, goes a step further, involving a blatant disregard for the safety of others. Knowing where your case falls on this spectrum can make all the difference in how you proceed.

If you’ve been injured in Omaha due to someone else’s actions, working with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney can be a critical step. They can guide you through the legal process, helping you navigate the nuances of negligence and recklessness to build a strong case. With the right support, you can focus on your recovery while pursuing the compensation you deserve.

What is Negligence in Personal Injury Cases?

Negligence occurs when someone fails to take reasonable precautions, causing harm to another person. It doesn’t require intent to harm; rather, it involves actions (or inactions) that fall below a standard of care. For example, a driver texting behind the wheel might not intend to cause an accident, but their carelessness can lead to severe injuries for others on the road.

To prove negligence, you’ll need to show that the responsible party had a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused your injury as a result. A personal injury attorney in Omaha can help gather the necessary evidence, such as accident reports, witness statements, or medical records, to build your case. Whether it’s a slip-and-fall accident or a car crash, negligence is a key component in seeking fair compensation for your damages.

What is Recklessness in Personal Injury Cases?

Recklessness involves a more severe disregard for safety than negligence. It’s not just carelessness; it’s knowingly taking actions that are likely to cause harm. For instance, if someone drives through a busy intersection at high speed, fully aware of the potential danger, their behavior could be considered reckless.

In these cases, the court may treat the responsible party more harshly. Recklessness often opens the door to punitive damages—additional compensation intended to punish the wrongdoer and discourage similar behavior in the future. A skilled personal injury attorney can help you determine whether your case involves recklessness and fight for the maximum compensation available.

Why Does This Distinction Matter?

The distinction between negligence and recklessness can significantly impact the outcome of a personal injury case. Negligence cases often focus on proving that someone failed to act with reasonable care. Recklessness cases, on the other hand, require showing that the responsible party knowingly ignored the risks of their actions.

This difference influences not only how the case is presented but also the type of compensation you may receive. Recklessness cases may result in higher damages due to the egregious nature of the behavior involved. Whether your injury stemmed from negligence or recklessness, having an experienced personal injury attorney on your side is vital for ensuring your case is presented effectively.

How an Omaha Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

Navigating the legal landscape after an injury can be intimidating, but you don’t have to do it alone. An Omaha personal injury attorney can assess your case, explain the legal terms involved, and guide you through each step. Whether it’s gathering evidence, negotiating with insurance companies, or representing you in court, an attorney’s support can make the process less daunting.

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness, don’t wait to seek the legal advice you need. A dedicated personal injury attorney can help you understand your rights and pursue the compensation necessary to move forward.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Leave Those Kids Alone - Published Aug 29, 2024

Bullying a child for wearing a mask exposes a stark hypocrisy in some people's view of personal freedom.

If someone bullies a person for wearing a hijab, they face consequences. If they bully a person for wearing a turban, they will be sanctioned according to the rules of their institution or laws that punish racism and discrimination. Most people view the racist bully with disdain because society has determined that targeting someone based on their race or religion is inherently a bad thing.

But what about people who wear masks?

A recent social media thread1 outlined the abuse suffered by a child at the hands of fellow students and adult staff for wearing a mask to protect against the risk of respiratory infection. Replace mask with turban, hijab, crucifix or Star of David and see how you feel about the victimized child and the people who’ve been bullying them. Talk to members of the COVID-safe community and you’ll understand that this sort of bullying is commonplace.

There is never any justification for targeting someone based on their personal choices, attire or appearance. A child or adult who chooses to wear a mask is doing so for their own reasons. They might be immune compromised or have a family member who is immunosuppressed. Diabetes puts people at higher risk of poor outcomes of COVID-19 and other infections2. Perhaps they have a family member with diabetes, or perhaps they themselves live with the condition. Maybe they have an autoimmune disease or a family member who does. Or perhaps they just want to avoid participating in the largest experiment in human history.

Whatever their reason, it is private and none of anyone else’s business. Bullying is often portrayed as the strong picking on the weak, but it is usually the weakest members of society who engage in bullying. Those who seek to externalize the way they feel about themselves, to draw attention away from their own flaws or downplay their own fears.

Mask wearing is backed by science. It has been shown to be almost wholly effective at preventing infection3,4. And there are thousands of scientific studies that demonstrate the short- and medium-term harms of COVID-19 infection5. The long-term impacts of this virus are yet to come, but we do know that SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 results in a rise in autoantibodies even in children6-8. Autoantibodies are components of the immune system that attack the self.

Children who have had COVID-19 are at higher risk of a diverse range of autoantibodies, including those implicated in diabetes6-8. The long-term harms are yet to be determined, but at the very least, societies can expect a rise in autoimmune disease.

The ignorant among us believe infection is a good thing, that it trains the immune system and makes us stronger. We’ve previously written about the error of this belief9. If infection made us stronger, the areas of the world that have the most disease would have the best population health and life expectancy. The opposite is true. In fact, both COVID-19 specifically and infection of any sort more generally have been found to age the immune system, a discovery which may upend conventional views of the immune system as a ‘muscle’9-14.

Take a moment to think about your immune system and the layers involved. We know that infections often deplete immune cells. COVID-19 is particularly well studied in this regard and has been found to deplete dendritic cells, T cells, and other immune cells15,16. Whether transient or longer term, this depletion will leave people more vulnerable to infection and might explain the rise in prevalence of other diseases experienced since the arrival of COVID-1917,18.

In addition to depleting the immune system, COVID-19 is implicated in the creation of autoantibodies19,20, meaning the immune system is being mistrained to attack the body, further weakening the host, and in some cases, causing long-term autoimmune disease, which also further weakens the host.

Some viruses exploit the aftermath of another infection. Dengue has been demonstrated to use antibodies created by prior dengue infection or COVID-1921,22 infection to infect the host more effectively, a process known as antibody dependent enhancement. This phenomenon is also seen in relation to Zika, West Nile Virus and HIV23-26.

In short, there are many ways in which an infection can impact a person and make them more vulnerable to other infections. So, the child who chooses to mask should be commended for taking responsibility for their health and the health of those around them. Under no circumstances should they be bullied or singled out, often by people whose connection to science and current affairs is so feeble that they believe COVID-19 has ‘gone away’ and are shocked when they are reinfected.

In 2020 and 2021, when members of the John Snow Project hypothesized about the long-term impacts of SARS-COV-227, it seemed implausible that a ‘common cold’ could cause so many issues. SARS-COV-2 is not and never will be a common cold. More and more people are noticing an uptick in illness28-37. People are sick more often with a wider variety of illnesses. This was predictable because the mechanisms by which this would happen were understood in 2020. What was also predictable was the rise in all-cause mortality that continues to be seen around the world38,39. We are also likely to see a significant rise in autoimmune diseases over the long-term and a general increase in ill health40.

Instead of bullying a child strong enough to be the only person wearing a mask in school, those being cruel should show some humility and confront the possibility the child might be better informed about human health or have private reasons for continuing to be cautious. Public health bodies and public institutions should do more to protect personal choice and prevent bullying and stigmatization for masking. After all, we are living in a world of individual responsibility and an individual should not be penalized for choosing to be responsible.

[ukrfeminism]

Some period pants sold by high street retailers contain high levels of silver that could have health and environmental implications for consumers, an investigation has found.

Silver is used as an antimicrobial agent and is typically added to period pants to combat user concerns about smell and hygiene.

However, scientists have increasingly warned about the potential health effects. The US Food and Drug Administration found that nanosilver can kill lactobacillus, the healthy bacteria in the vagina that help fight off infection. This can put period pant users more at risk of harmful bacteria, potentially leading to an increased risk of bacterial infections and pregnancy complications.

Natalie Hitchins, the head of home products and services at Which?, said: “Consumers should be cautious buying period pants which contain silver as experts have concerns about the health implications.

“Which? believes brands should also clearly state which products contain silver so shoppers can make informed decisions about what they are buying and the possible risks.”

The consumer rights group worked with an Italian consumer organisation, Altroconsumo, to independently test popular brands and check if they contained any chemicals of concern. They were worried to find that some products contained significant levels of silver, and this was not always made clear on the packaging.

Intima by Bodyform and pants by Marks & Spencer in particular contained notably more silver than other brands, at 126.7mg/kg and 57.8mg/kg respectively. Other brands contained 8.3mg/kg, 7.4mg/kg, and 0.9mg/kg.

Essity, the owner of Bodyform and Modibodi, said silver copper zeolite was used to “prevent odour when wearing the pants for up to 12 hours”. It added that all of its “washable underwear is certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which means that every single component has been tested for harmful substances” and “that the underwear has been designated as harmless for human health”. An M&S Spokesperson said: “We do not use either nano silver or silver zeolite and, like many brands, use a small amount of silver chloride in the middle part of the gusset – away from the skin – which is perfectly safe, approved by the UK and EU, and designed to combat odour.”

Which? said it believed the use of silver was unnecessary and that previous testing by Altroconsumo had shown that textile items treated in this way did not have the promised antimicrobial properties.

The European Chemicals Agency says silver treatments, such as nanosilver and silver zeolite, are toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.

The tests Which? carried out can detect any silver above 0.1mg/kg, and it found none in Primark, Repeat, Wuka, Lovable and Sloggi pants. Sloggi’s website says it does use a silver-based antimicrobial, and Primark says it uses Micro-Fresh, which contains silver chloride.

A Primark spokesperson said: “The nature of period pants means there is a potential for odour to develop during wear (in the same way that bacteria can cause socks and shoes to develop odours during wear) and our antimicrobial finish minimises such odours.”

Sloggi did not reply to Which? at the time of publication.

There are no legal limits in the UK about how much silver can be added to period pants. Manufacturers do not have to declare the presence of silver on their packaging or website.

[lensdeer]

I wish vaping's* health effects were better understood :<

flow-of-consciousness rambling below the cut. (TL;DR I'm annoyed at the moral panic and have personally seen it be good* for people quitting nicotine, but non-smokers probably shouldn't pick it up, which annoyingly includes me)

So far signs point to it* being significantly less harmful than smoking in the areas where smoking does the most damage, and there's both anecdotal and proper evidence of it* being a highly effective tool to quit nicotine and eventually smoking/vaping at all. It's* likely a net positive/good alternative for smokers with an established nicotine habit who don't feel comfortable quitting cold turkey or have failed to quit using other tools.

Bbbbbbut I'm not a smoker! I don't even remotely enjoy nicotine! I'm just autistic and the specific act of blowing clouds of smoke/vapor is a fucking UNPARALLELED stim for me, and all the "use your mouth for something else" alternatives don't do it for me (I mean I do like hard candy but it's for different reasons y'know?)

I was forced to learn a lot about vaping in 2018 bc of my ex (and I've loosely kept track of developments since then bc I find the hobbyist/diy side interesting), so I know harm reduction and how all the ingredients and components work and how to properly store/handle this shit safely etc etc etc. I'm like 90% sure casual light usage of well maintained hobbyist hardware with unflavored actually nicotine-free liquids and proper harm reduction practices would be fine enough for my non-smoker ass*, so I should know enough to make an informed decision that won't bite me in the ass later, right?

Buuuuut obviously emotionally there's the whole tobacco-planted moral panic + rationally there's the "smoking itself used to be publicized as good for you and you're not immune to propaganda so you should err on the side of caution" part of the issue, right? Like, I've had 6 years to get into this stuff since I first tried it, and I haven't, and I won't, bc I know that even though it's* likely fine there aren't enough long-term studies to be fully sure! And I know that even when those studies do come out they'll say as a non-smoker I'm obviously better off not picking it up!

...And yet I yearn for the cloud stimmies :c the accursed sensorial white whale will forever keep eluding my grasp :c

*: (Using safely produced liquids** on clean and well maintained high-quality hardware with safely and carefully handled batteries. """Pods""" and the landfill-ready disposable shit that's become popular lately should not exist.)

**: I'm not as well informed on THC liquids so I can't speak for those, but last I heard they were still Kind Of Messy bc of temp requirements or something?

***: Yes, none of it should be advertised or sold to children; hell, nothing at all should be advertised for anyone anywhere ever anyways, but I digress.