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fatliberation · 3 months ago

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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.

Matheson EM, King DE, Everett CJ. Healthy lifestyle habits and mortality in overweight and obese individuals. J Am Board Fam Med. 2012 Jan-Feb;25(1):9-15. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110164. PMID: 22218619.

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.

#fat liberation #systemic anti fatness #systemic fatphobia #medical fatphobia #medicalized fatphobia #fat activism #fat acceptance #anti fat bias #fatphobia #essay

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videolari · 4 months ago

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crippleprophet · 4 months ago

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let me open by saying I Know How This Sounds (fem whose undergraduate chemistry professor recommended ze take turmeric to cure zyr arthritis, etc) so no hard feelings if you keep scrolling, but hopefully folks who know me know i'm speaking honestly about my experiences, even if those don't end up being the same for other people. so!

2 Tbsp of a common kitchen spice is doing as much or more to manage my ME/CFS as any of my meds or self-medicating drugs

@lakeeffectbitch outlines a way of trying this with a control in their reddit post (link); i just went directly to the one they thought might work so i'll put my experiences & the science/theory behind this under a cut for folks who want to avoid potential placebo effect :)

i'll get more specific about this in the "spoilers" but please be aware, especially folks with diabetes or other blood sugar conditions, that this substance may cause a blood sugar drop. it's less likely at this dose but probably keep a sugary snack on hand just in case

if you experience post-exertional malaise & want to try this but don't have spare money to spend on spices feel free to dm me & i'll see if i can help!

my experience:

i took 2 Tbsp ground sumac mixed with warm water on February 11. i tried taking it with a straw first because that's what my colonoscopy prep had said would make that go down easier but because the sumac particles were so big they didn't want to remain suspended & trying to get them in the straw was difficult, which then made it harder to swallow without, yknow, noticing that you're slurping down sediment

what worked better was getting the powder wet, putting a big clump of it on my tongue, then swallowing it with water like a pill

within about half an hour of taking the sumac it was like my fatigue just faded around me where i stood. it dissolved to the background & when i thought "oh i want to do this" or "i should do that" suddenly i found myself just doing it. i had spent the past week at least bedridden except for the bathroom, & though i took the sumac on a better day, i'd been planning to return to bed with a snack after taking it.

instead, i made myself lunch, and i sat on the couch to eat it. all of this was without taking an edible that day; usually i've gotta take at least 25mg delta 8 + 25mg cbd to even consider sitting on the couch. also, it was storming.

from my write-up the day of: "everything felt very sharp & clear & lucid." i washed the dishes from my lunch. all of these activities were about 2 hours, & at that point i emphatically needed a nap. waking up felt like after taking a muscle relaxer & sleeping: my muscles were more relaxed, & my whole body felt like it'd gotten a bit of a break

i've taken sumac at least 8 times since then on at least 5 different days (this time by modifying this sumac tart recipe to include a lot of sumac powder in the crust, which has been much more enjoyable than the Glass O' Sediment lmao) & adjusting for factors like weather, the effect has been comparable every time:

i watched Inception on the couch with my husband, & understood when she explained things to me

i watched leverage on the couch all day when it was below freezing

i worked a bit on fanfics i've barely been able to touch in a year

i "meal prepped" measuring spices, gathering ingredients, & soaking beans to make beans & rice in the instant pot later that day. i literally can't remember the last time i was able to use my instant pot, after thinking about it i think it was when i made palak paneer last summer, but that was a one-off special occasion thing, i've used it maybe 3 other times since developing ME

i wrote this post

the science:

okay a lot of this shit was over my head before i developed ME so i'm gonna be summarizing at my level lol, look to @lakeeffectbitch for a higher-level analysis

but what i do know! (all images from "The malic acid inhibiting inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis by interfering M1 macrophage polarization" by Ji et al., January 2025)

sumac contains high levels of malic acid, which is found in certain fruits (apples, peaches, etc)

the drugs.com page classifies malic acid as an inactive ingredient, so there are no known drug interactions

mice with ankylosing spondylitis had lower levels of peripheral malic acid than control mice

ID: bar graph showing mice with AS had about 0.03 micromoles per milliliter of peripheral malic acid, compared to the control mice level of over 0.2 micromoles per milliliter. the difference is labeled significant via asterisks. end ID

mice with higher malic acid concentrations had lower ESR and CRP (inflammation markers)

ID: two graphs showing lines with a downward slope. the top graph, ESR versus malic acid concentration, is labeled: r=-0.6802, 95% confidence interval =-0.8843 – -0.2578, p=-0.0053. the graph shows ESR, an inflammation marker, decreasing as malic acid concentration increases. the bottom graph, CRP versus malic acid concentration, is labeled: r=-0.6068, 95% confidence interval =-0.8537 – -0.1371, p=-0.0165. the graph shows CRP, an inflammation marker, decreasing as malic acid concentration increases. end ID

mice treated with malic acid had lower levels of TNF-alpha than the mice with untreated ankylosing spondylitis. humira & similar biologics that treat autoimmune diseases are TNF-alpha blockers

ID: a bar graph of relative mRNA expression of TNF-alpha. M0, the control mice, has a relative expression of 1. M1, the mice with ankylosing spondylitis that did not receive treatment, has a relative expression of slightly less than 4.5. M1+MA, the mice with ankylosing spondylitis who received the malic acid treatment, has a relative expression slightly less than 3. this indicates that the mice treated with malic acid had lower expression of TNF-alpha than the untreated mice. asterisks between M0 and M1 and between M1 and M1+MA indicate significance. end ID

the mitochondrial function of M2 macrophages in mice treated with malic acid "was significantly enhanced"

analysis of the mice's spinal tissue blew my fucking socks off. trying not to jump to conclusions & i know journal articles are full of errors but that looks potentially disease-modifying.

ID: a 5x3 presentation of samples of mouse spinal tissue. the control mice, which are healthy, have thick, undamaged, glowing tissue. the mice with ankylosing spondylitis have thin, curved, cracked-looking tissue. the mice treated with celecoxib, a common prescription NSAID for arthritis, appear very similar to the untreated mice. the mice treated with 250mg/kg of malic acid per day have tissue in between the untreated and healthy appearances; the tissue is "glowing" like the healthy tissue but still narrower and curved, although less so than the untreated tissue. the mice treated with 500mg/kg of malic acid per day have tissue which looks even closer to the healthy appearance, with less curvature than the other treatment groups. end ID

since i started drafting this post i've started taking these malic acid supplements from Nature's Life – the full dose made me feel weird including some heartburn so i cut the capsules & take roughly 2/3 – 3/4 of it at a time (i drop the rest into a spare pill jar to make more doses from). it's been similarly effective for me

please be aware that the supplement instructions say to only take it once a day, i haven't had any issues but everybody is different & this avenue is definitely under-researched! (the mice were given 250mg/kg per day which for me would be like 27 grams but i am not a mouse lol)

#myalgic encephalomyelitis #me/cfs #chronic fаtiguе ѕуndrоmе #chronic fatigue #post exertional malaise #pem #chronic pain #chronic illness #long covid #malic acid #sumac #mac.txt #image described

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sayruq · 11 months ago

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Hi world, it’s Eman Please read this as if I’m a member of your family, may be your sister , daughter or a friend and as if my family who’s under death now is yours.Today, I reach out with a heavy heart and a place for your kindness and support . I am not just seeking to fundraise. I am seeking to save the lives of my beloved family members who are currently trapped in a nightmare. All of whom depend on your generosity to escape Gaza Strip to Egypt , get the medical help needed and begin a new life where we are seeking safety. This is me Eman

My name is Eman , a girl in her thirties (39- years old) and a computer science graduate .Iam speaking from the heart of Gaza, a place that was once vibrant with life and has now become painfully marked by the effects of wars that spared no war. I live with my mother, Etemad (60 years old ) and my father, Saed (70 years old . My mother and my father

My sister Khaleda is ( 41 years old ) She has four children. Three sons .Saed ,3 years old. Abdul Rahman, 5 years old ,and Adam, 9 years old .Her daughter, Lyan, is (4 years old) .

Khaleda's Children

Iam suffering of one of the most common generic disorders which is thalassaemia. It’s so tiring and difficult disease. And due to the war, I lack medical care and treatments. My health is getting worse and deteriorating as treatment became insufficient. Iam in need to plasma exchange regularly ,the thing that my family find so difficult because of blockage and destruction of hospitals , in addition to the risks of going out our shelters every day as the bombs everywhere . My family deserve the opportunity to live a full life. I can’t bear the thought of losing any member of them.

My father, Saed, is suffering from heart disease .He has blockage of the heart arteries . Doctors advised him not to expose himself to the news and events that affect his mental and physical health. He urgently needs to undergo the necessary tests and surgery.

My mother, Etemad, has chronic diseases (blood pressure and diabetes ) . She needs regular follow up and medical treatment .She is struggling to obtain the necessary medications , waiting too long in clinics for subpar alternatives if found.

My family and I were very close knit enjoying simple pleasure and cherishing moment together. Now all that remains are memories scattered among the rubble of our destroyed home in Gaza. We witnessed death with our own eyes and were forced to flee our home in fear of our lives .During this time , we also received the news of the deaths of several relatives and friends due to indiscriminate bombardments. Now, I find Myself with my family displaced in a plastic tent in Al-Zawaydah , our last refuge, living inhuman conditions and enduring unimaginable hardships along the way.

We’re currently sleeping on the ground in a tent that does not protect us from the heat of summer or the cold of winter . We are located there ,with no access to essential items like clean drinking water , electricity , healthy food and cooking gas .Death and destruction followed us everywhere , Our home was bombed and bulldozed and our hopes and dreams were shattered along with it .We are enduring a suffering that is beyond anything you can imagine. Me with my family are in a very critical situation in tents .Tasks are divided among us to sustain ourselves. My father fetches water if ever found from a distant area early every morning. My mother cooks and washes our clothes using traditional methods .This is why we are asking for your help, as we are still in danger in South Gaza and can’t receive the medical care needed. Our new life in tents

Since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza, we were forced to evacuate several times leaving behind our home and the future we had been working towards. Walking without carrying our personal belongings, our clothes or even money in search of a safe place until we managed to escape to the south of Gaza Strip .

Gaza, a place that I call home has been transformed into a landscape of destructions and despair . The reality we live in is one of the constant fear, where the sounds of explosions drown out the dreams and aspirations of its people .In what seems like an instant , everything my family and I held there had been ripped away by the chaos of war . A side of our suffering in tents

This campaign is not just about escaping Gaza. It’s about reclaiming a future where my family can live without the shadow of fear , where we can get the medical care and treatment needed and where we can once again embrace the joys of life without grief . The price of leaving Gaza is high and far beyond my family means. so I have initiated this fundraising campaign to urgently gather funds to help my family leave Gaza as soon as possible. The funds collected will be carefully allocated for the following purposes: Firstly , it will contribute to providing a safe passage to Egypt , which is a vital step for the family’s safety. Secondly: covering the medical treatment. Costs and medications for me , my father and my mother . In addition to the need for comprehensive examinations in Egypt to ensure our safety after the war. Thirdly : the funds will be allocated to provide temporary accommodation for the family in Egypt, giving them stability and the opportunity to explore the best path for their future . Finally , it will cover initial living expenses in Egypt granting the family the time and space needed to relax and rebuild their lives after the ordeal of the genocide in Gaza .

Eman's family has only raised $610 USD out of $50,000 goal. Please support the family by sharing. Donate if you can

#yemen #jerusalem #tel aviv #current events #palestine #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #news on gaza #palestine news #news update #war news #war on gaza #palestine donation #aid for gaza #palestinian donations

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augustjoy · 6 months ago

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You’re Not Alone In This.

Based on the following ask: @itzvenus04 Hotch is my comfort character, maybe it’s because he takes care of others and I like that especially when I take care of people all the time, I’m like Cinderella in my house like no joke, if I don’t do it, nobody will ever do it. Anyway, I was wondering if you could do like an Aaron x Diabetic reader fic, as I have diabetes and it’s extremely difficult and exhausting and love to maybe see that with a comfort character of mine. Like Aaron does anything and everything he can to understand the reader and the illness, like when the reader sugar is high or maybe low, taking care of doctor’s appointments, medication drop off, just putting effort in I just want to read something that could comfort me in that way because it’s exhausting being a diabetic and having no one bother to care about it or put effort in, I’m alone essentially - I really hope you like this babe! I did my best!

Aaron Hotchner x Diabetic! Fem Reader

Angst/Fluff

Word count: 1709

REQUESTS ARE OPEN - not edited - please be kind. Requests are open and feedback is welcome if it's constructive!

Warnings: My blog is 18+, minors DNI, some explicit language, reader has type 1 diabetes, mention of doctors and appointments, mention of medication/insulin management, no use of y/n, Fem reader, reader has no physical description – other than being a diabetic and having an insulin pump (worn tucked into their waistband or pocket) and an administration site located on their leg (there is mention of a site failure and relocation) as well as a sensor worn on the arm, reader is mentioned to work as well as being active in college courses (not full time), Hotch cares a lot, use of pet names, I think that’s everything – let me know if I missed any!

I do not consent to having my work translated or reposted to any other site. That being said I do not own the characters portrayed in this story.

You were the type of person who couldn’t bear the thought of burdening others. As exhausting as it was, constantly doing things on your own and taking care of others, you did so without complaint because things needed to get done. It would be much easier to just do them as opposed to putting it on someone else, or worse, adding weight to their shoulders.

This growing sense of solitude grew when you began dating Aaron. It wasn’t that he made you feel alone, actually it was quite the opposite! Aaron was always reassuring you that he was by your side through it all, especially as your relationship progressed. But as things intensified, you couldn’t help but notice the sag in his shoulders, bags under his eyes, and the air of weariness he exuded. Aaron had an extremely difficult job, one that had taken far too much from him, so who were you to make his life any more difficult than it already was.

You did everything in your power to hide things from Aaron – just to keep from filling his plate with anymore worry. You would suffer in silence through the highs and lows of your mental health, the business from working full time and taking classes at the local college…and even more so, your physical health.

You had kept the fact that you had type one diabetes a secret from Aaron…not because you were embarrassed or because you didn’t trust him, it was simply because you knew he’d make it his mission to ensure that you were taken care of, ahead of everything else.

But that was the problem with dating a profiler. Aaron could see through the façade that were your replies of “things are good!” “I’m great.” “Classes are going well.” “I feel fine, just a little tired.” Aaron knew that there was something deeper, looming under the surface, something you weren’t telling him. So, two months into dating you’d had to come clean.

“Sweetheart, I know something is wrong. I just wish you’d tell me so I can help you.” He’d beg.

“Aaron everything is fine I pro-”

“Please don’t say everything is fine…honey, you were basically lethargic the other day when we facetimed, and I was so worried about you.”

“I’m diabetic Aaron. That’s what was wrong. My sugar was low. But everything is fine.” You explained.

After that, Aaron made sure to keep a closer eye on you. Not so much that you’d feel suffocated or like he was babying you, but enough that he could tell if your sugar was too high or too low. Once Aaron found out you had type one diabetes, he dove into late night research sessions on what all your condition entails, how to best manage your insulin, what an appropriate level looks like, how to calculate your carb intake so the proper amount of insulin is being administered as well as how to change your site and how to use the pump.

The change in his behavior was subtle…but noticeable. Aaron started keeping small snacks or juice with him in the case of a sugar low, he also started checking in on you more frequently. When you moved in, the changes became far more obvious, Aaron was doing so much around the house – always doing the dishes, taking the trash out with him on his way to work, doing laundry on the weekends, setting up deliveries for your groceries. It was overwhelming to have someone this attentive.

“Aaron, I can do this!” You giggled as his arms snuck around you, pulling the vacuum from your grasp.

“I know you can sweetheart, but you don’t have to. I will.” He pressed a gentle kiss to your shoulder, encouraging you to go sit.

His overprotective nature didn’t surface until he witnessed a pretty intense low.

The morning had started off normal, you’d skipped out on breakfast, which wasn’t unusual. You’d completed an assignment for school and taken your dog on a walk when you started to feel off. It had been a little bit warm outside, but with the way you were sweating, you knew that wasn’t it.

You managed to get back home, but not without feeling lightheaded. You reached down to unclip the dog’s leash, and that’s when Aaron caught it, your hands were shaking, so much so that you were struggling to open the clasp.

“Sweetheart, are you okay?”

“I uh, I feel a little…” You pressed the back of your hand to your forehead and with the other, steadied yourself on the entry table. “Can you – would you grab me some…some juice?”

“Yeah, honey why don’t you sit down.” Aaron quickly went to the kitchen and poured a glass of juice.

Aaron watched you insistently as you sipped the juice. He reached over to check your phone, to see if your numbers were starting to regulate. Taking note of the number beginning to rise, he sat next to you and rubbed soothing circles on your spine.

“Honey, did you eat breakfast this morning?” Aaron inquired.

“No, but I never eat breakfast Aar. When I do, my numbers usually end up to high and then I feel sick all day.” You huffed.

“Okay, we will figure it out. Maybe we should schedule an appointment with your doctor.” He suggested.

“It’s always been like this, it’s okay really.”

“I’ll schedule an appointment for you sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to your temple.

Aaron was far more attentive with your illness, going with you to your doctor’s appointments, asking them how to avoid highs and lows, figuring out the best way to manage your insulin. He also began to monitor your medication, making sure you never ran out and that the pharmacy was processing your refills, when they got low.

This day was not going the way you had hoped. Things had been super overwhelming, you had finals coming up for your classes and work had been particularly busy, truthfully you were exhausted. You’d been nauseas all day, your numbers elevated, despite your best efforts to lower them.

You had taken a break from studying to change the laundry when you heard Aaron get home.

“Hey baby!” Aaron pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“Hi hon.” You mumbled.

Aaron knew you had been stressed out about school and work, you had put your finals dates on your shared calendar, and he figured that was taking its toll on you.

“Why don’t I make us some dinner? I can grill up some chicken?” He posed.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I can steam some broccoli to go with it.” You suggested.

“Perfect!” Aaron left you with a peck.

You’d finished up with the laundry and went to the kitchen, pulling out a water bottle from the fridge while you got started prepping the veggies.

Aaron glanced at you through the sliding door, he had noticed there were quite a few water bottles and cups scattered around the apartment, more than usual. He couldn’t help the bit of concern that crept in – you’d previously mentioned sugar highs sometimes came with unbearable thirst.

“Sweetheart, have you checked your number recently?” He asked.

“Yes, it’s been a little elevated today.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, a little nauseous but I’m fine.”

The two of you sat and ate dinner while talking about your days. You told Aaron about a new project at work and how you were more than ready for your finals to be over. He shared that he had consulted on a few cases today with some law enforcement from other states – hopefully they wouldn’t get called away this weekend.

After dinner you’d excused yourself to the restroom and Aaron cleared up the table, placing the leftovers in the fridge. He made his way to your shared bedroom and softly knocked on the bathroom door.

“Baby, is everything okay?”

“Aar, I’m fine.” You sighed.

“Would you let me in? Maybe I can help.” He offered.

“I don’t need help – Shit!” You hissed.

With that Aaron let himself in the bathroom, worried that you were hurt.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think there’s something wrong with my site.” You were fiddling with the site attached to your leg.

“Honey, why don’t we change it out, I can help.” Aaron moved to grab everything you’d need for your new site. “Is your sensor good still?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, go lay on the bed.” He commanded gently.

You went to lay on the bed, sliding your sweats off, carefully moving your pump to lay beside you on the bed. Aaron made his way over to you with the new injection set. He assisted you in removing the old one and placing the new one, taking note of the needle being bent slightly.

“Sweetheart, I think this is why you’ve been high all day. Your insulin wasn’t injecting properly.”

“Ugh. Stupid thing! Let’s just put in the new one so I can get this all sorted out.” You stressed.

You had tears in your eyes. Not from the pain of the needle entering your skin, or the sick feeling you’ve endured all day…but from the fact that you don’t get to have a normal day that’s carefree. Aaron has taken so much off your plate by being especially helpful with day-to-day things, but this feels like too much and you feel so alone in your illness.

“Alright honey, you’re all set.” Aaron began cleaning up all the trash from the new injection set.

“Thank you.”

“Hey sweetheart…” Aaron began. “I know that I will never be able to fully understand, but I want you to know that I’m here for you. I want to help you in anyway I can, whether it’s changing your site for you, doing the dishes after a long day, or even just to give you a hug.”

Your tears were falling freely at his confession. You had never felt so seen, so weightless, so supported. You let your head fall back and your shoulders finally relaxed.

“I love you so much. You have no idea how much that means to me Aaron.” You wrapped your arms around his middle.

“I love you too sweet girl.” Aarons arms enveloped you as his lips connect with your forehead.

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ana-bananya · 7 months ago

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Support Kamal and his family

€4,482/€9,000

This campaign was shared by Sara (bsonblast)

Randa is supporting her uncle Kamal and his family in Sudan. The funds will be going towards their survival until the family can renew their passports and evacuate.

Kamal's family consists of 8 people, including himself. He and his wife Tasneem have 5 children who are all under the age of 10. Their youngest child was born at the start of the war and has known nothing outside of it. Also accompanying them is Tasneem's elderly mother.

The funds raised will help them afford food, water, hygiene products, transportation, and medicine. Kamal suffers from hypertension and diabetes and has been without the medication he needs to manage these conditions.

They are hoping to travel to a safer area where they can access healthcare and begin renewing their passports. The goal of the campaign will then be increased to help them afford the evacuation fees.

Please help support Kamal and his family by donating and sharing. Your contribution, no matter how small it may seem to you, is a lifeline to them during these times of danger and uncertainty.

#sudan #keep eyes on sudan #sudan aid #eyes on sudan #sudan crisis #free sudan #sudan fundraiser #sudan genocide

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thenewsinfinite · 2 months ago

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7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Sugar Without Medication — Proven Strategies That Work

Discover 7 natural ways to lower blood sugar without medication. These simple lifestyle changes and home remedies can help manage diabetes naturally. 🩺 Introduction Managing blood sugar levels naturally is a goal for many people—especially those living with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. While medication can be life-saving, not everyone wants to rely on prescriptions alone. The good news is…

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cripplecharacters · 4 days ago

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Hello! I’m writing a story that takes place in a hot, poor, dystopian world. Most civilians and extras don’t really have access to proper medical care, as it’s rare and expensive. My protagonist is a doctor and has been for a while. He runs a makeshift hospital with a biologist and a hit man(neither one of the latter 2 is a doctor but they both know quite a bit about human anatomy, hence why I included them), as well as anyone else who will take orders from him. However, he doesn’t always have the resources to correctly treat people, even when he knows how. How would this affect disabled people who can’t get access to proper meds? For example, ik that amputations from diabetes would likely skyrocket, and people with mental disabilities/mental health issues would have a much harder time functioning in society, to give u an idea of what I’m asking. (I’m sorry if this question is too vague, I’m not really sure how to phrase it).

Hello!

The actual answer depends greatly on the specifics of your world/setting as well as the circumstances of the makeshift hospital.

To put it bluntly: there would be a lot less disabled/mentally ill people.

A lot of medical conditions (especially more severe cases) are managed with medication and, without that medication, can very quickly become fatal. I'm thinking of conditions like epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, even common food allergies.

There's also the fact that a lot of people wouldn't survive long enough to become disabled.

In our world, somebody who survives a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may end up with brain damage. Somebody that survives a spinal cord injury may become paralyzed. Somebody who survives a major infected wound may become an amputee.

This is because they survive.

If they don't get the proper medical care in time (or at all), the chances that they survive (and, subsequently, become disabled) are much lower.

Not to mention how many conditions are present at birth that require immediate medical intervention. Or injuries that occur at birth. A broken collarbone, oxygen deprivation, heart complications. These are generally treatable in our world but if they don't have access to proper medical supplies, devices, and training, many of these babies likely wouldn't survive.

Aside from those who'd die, the quality of life for disabled characters would likely be strongly decreased.

This is because of the lack of major aids (such as mobility aids, diapers and other incontinence supplies, feeding tubes, bed lifts, etc.) as well as aids/tools that may seem pretty minor. Things like jar openers, adaptive cutlery, grabber tools, etc. can greatly improve somebody's quality of life and increase their independence.

Without assistive technology and devices, many disabled characters would also require much more assistance. Those who can get by with very little assistance in our world may need a full time caregiver in your setting.

Regarding specific disabilities (or particular types):

People who are immunocompromised would likely be much more isolated and need to be much more careful about interacting with others.

Similarly, those who are more susceptible to injuries (such as those with connective tissue disorders who are at risk of dislocations; those with osteoporosis, osteopetrosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, and similar conditions who are at risk of broken bones, etc.) would be much more limited in what they could safely do.

Those with limited mobility would have a much harder time getting around -- both in general and when it comes to obstacles such as stairs, rough terrain, etc.

Although sign languages would likely remain unaffected, those with communication disorders who rely on other methods of communication (particularly ones that use technology such as text-to-speech [TTS], some augmentative and alternative communication [AAC] boards, etc.) would have more trouble.

People with some types of mental illness would have a lot of trouble. Medication like anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, anti-anxiety meds, etc. have a HUGE impact on somebody's day-to-day life. Without medication, some characters may turn to other, less healthy coping mechanisms such as drinking, drugs, self-harm, etc. I'm very certain that without my own anti-depressants, I wouldn't have survived very long.

There's countless other specific examples I can give but let's speak more generally for a moment and talk about the population as a whole.

There's a lot that many of us take for granted in our world that, without it, could cause issues for people. I'm thinking of medical supplies like disinfectants and bandages but also even just... clean water and food.

Malnutrition or an otherwise improper diet can cause all sorts of diseases, many of which will have lasting effects on somebody. Scurvy, for example, is caused by a vitamin deficiency that generally stems from a lack of fruits/vegetables in the diet and malnutrition can stunt growth (among other things).

In terms of the lack of medical supplies, infection is a HUGE issue for wounds. People get serious infections in our world a lot as it is. Without proper medical care and supplies, that number will skyrocket, as will the severity of the infections. There will be more fatal infections and, at the very least, more amputations as a result of infection.

If they don't have access to safe, clean water, they'd likely see a reemergence of diseases and illnesses that aren't as common in our world. And this isn't even considering things like dehydration -- which is pretty mundane for us but can have lasting consequences in your setting.

This is all pretty bleak and, although I think this is a super interesting topic to explore, it's kinda bumming me out a bit so let's talk about solutions.

The fun thing about working with fictional settings is that you, as the author, get to make the rules.

The not-so-fun thing about reading stories in fictional settings is that most authors decide to eliminate or otherwise ignore disability in their worlds. Which is a shame, because I think there's a lot of potential for some creative solutions and world-building here.

For mobility aids, people may be restricted to lower-tech aids such as manual wheelchairs, canes, crutches, etc. instead of power chairs or similar aids. Characters may also have fewer options available to choose from and may end up using an aid that doesn't fit them properly, which can cause damage or exacerbate pre-existing problems.

This [link] is an older post by @scriptmedic that talks a bit about medicine in a post-apocalyptic setting. I'm not sure how specific it will be to your setting but it's worth a read anyways!

I think the two biggest questions you need to ask about your world are "how do disabled people fit into this society?" and "how does this society treat disabled people?"

Before we answer these questions, we need to know a bit more about your society. Is it a permanent city/town or more of a temporary, camp-like settlement? What do most people do during their days? Do they work regular jobs? Do they hunt/gather, build/improve their settlement, etc.? How big is this settlement?

The answers to these questions will help you answer the next ones.

The first question about disabled people in your society actually encompasses a lot of secondary questions/prompts such as:

Where do they live? Are there supports in place for them to live alone if they choose to? Are the resources there for them to live with a support person if needed?

Speaking of supports and resources: what kind of supports, aids, and resources exist in this world? What does the settlement have access to? Do people ever have to share things like mobility aids? How does this impact the lives of your disabled characters?

What role do they play in the society? Are there jobs that some of them can do? What about the people who can work with limitations? What about people who can't work at all?

What kind of currency does your world (and the settlement in particular) use? Is there money or an equivalent? Is it an exchange of items of value (such as trading food for pillows or blankets)? Is it more of a community, where everyone gets some of everything? If so, how is it divided up? Is it based on equality (everyone getting the same thing) or equity (everyone getting what they need)? Whatever this system is, how does it include disabled people? Particularly those who can't work or can't work as much as others.

These last two questions are already starting to veer into the territory of the second major question so let's look at that in a bit more depth.

The easy, obvious, and (dare I say) lazy solution is for your society to treat disabled people negatively.

Most of the time, these types of stories cast disabled characters out in some sort of warped interpretation of "survival of the fittest". Societies will kick these characters out of the settlement, leave them behind, or otherwise abandon them to fend for themselves. Sometimes the disabled characters even encourage this in some sort of "go on without me" move which is... deeply upsetting and problematic on several counts.

Going in this direction comes with a lot of issues, both ethically and mechanically. The first problem is that it -- quite explicitly -- shows disabled people as being worth less than abled people. It shows us as disposable and says that in order to survive, we have to be able-bodied. More over, it shows us as something to be discarded when we're no longer useful rather than, you know, actual human beings.

There's also the fact that it doesn't really make sense from a plot standpoint, especially since disability (especially acquired disability) would be so much more common in these worlds. Why would a group abandon disabled people when there's a significant chance of them becoming disabled themselves at some point?

Of course, this isn't to say that this can never be a realistic course of action in these stories. People can be incredibly selfish and we see this problem to a degree even in our world. We know that people become less mobile as we get older and we know that a notable percentage of the population is disabled or will become disabled but the accessibility infrastructure in place is severely lacking.

What I'm saying here is that this kind of thing could make for an interesting and realistic story but it needs to be addressed within the story in some way, especially since it comes with a host of plot considerations. Do characters end up hiding wounds/disabilities out of fear of being abandoned? What happens if the leader/the person who decided on this course of action becomes disabled themself?

This could be an excellent opportunity to explore how the rules tend to change when they begin to affect the people in power. It could also be a great commentary on how we define a person's "worth" or "usefulness" in society.

What I'd really like to see more of in settings like this, however, is disabled characters being treated like human beings and actual members of the society in question.

Sure, I'd like to see this on an individual level (disabled characters making friends and forming relationships) but also on a wider, more systemic level.

One of the good things about the world ending is that you can build it back up, better than what it was. Your world could be a more accessible one.

In many places, our current work system is very rigid with strict limits on how many sick days you have, how many hours you work, and what deadlines you have to meet. Maybe your world takes a more flexible approach to accommodate people with disabilities, other responsibilities other than work, and other limitations.

This is a more concrete example but what's more important than the infrastructure and the policies is the attitude.

What I want to see most in these kinds of stories is societies where disabled people are loved and cared for. I want to see a society that acknowledges the worth of its members beyond what they can provide. We, as humans, are at our best when we're forming communities and taking care of each other.

One last thought: I'd encourage you to consider the impact that all this has on your protagonist.

How does he cope with that feeling of helplessness? How does he deal with having the necessary knowledge to save somebody's life but not the necessary resources? How does he deal with losing so many people?

Working in healthcare or any similar fields is already stressful. Add in an incredible lack of resources and a very low ratio of doctors to patients and it would be an incredibly taxing job.

I wouldn't be surprised if your protagonist ends up becoming disabled or mentally ill himself in some way -- whether that be developing depression and/or PTSD from his job or developing some sort of chronic illness from overworking.

I know this is a lot of information and it can look a bit intimidating but just keep in mind that this is your world. It's entirely up to you what happens in it. I've given you a lot of advice and you can take all of it, some of it, or even none of it if you want! It's entirely up to you. :)

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

#mod icarus #anonymous #dystopian setting #worldbuilding #writing resources #long post

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licorice-and-rum · 11 months ago

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SOC and Neoliberlism

So, as promised, here it is my analysis of Six of Crows and how neoliberalism is amazingly portrayed in Ketterdam, and how the city is an example of what happens in a community that is not provided for.

Before we begin, I wanted to say that English is not my first language, and, considering I read SOC in Brazilian Portuguese, I might translate some names literally or differently from the English version but I think it's manageable to read and understand my point. If not, I'll edit the text.

The first thing we have to understand is how neoliberalism works and the theory behind it, and then we'll talk about how it's portrayed in Ketterdam.

So neoliberalism is a theory born more or less at the end of the 20th century (70s-80s), and it finds its roots in laissez-faire capitalism, meaning that it's a political current that tries to suppress and/or eliminate the State's influence from the market. The neoliberalist view understands that the market can supply by itself the population's needs without help or limitations imposed by the State.

The thing here is that most people listen to this and think neoliberalism is about electronics, cars, and other stuff. The truth is, that neoliberalism aims to suppress the presence of State-run facilities in ALL corners of society, such as health care, housing, water access, electricity, etcetera.

So, we can use the American and Brazillian health systems to understand it better, for example:

In the US, the ones providing health care for the population are great corporations - they decide the price of care, they work together with pharmaceutical companies to define medicine prices, and the laws that bind them are pretty much only offer and demand. There is almost none State intervention to provide the population with accessible health care.

However, this brings problems, of course: not everyone (actually, most people) has real access to health care simply because they can't afford it, or they can't afford it without taking a big financial hit, which threatens their other basic needs, such as food, housing, water, electricity, etcetera. Not everyone can provide for their medical needs, such as diabetic and disabled people.

That leads to:

(a) an increase in poverty;

(b) a decrease in educational levels - if you don't have the means to pay for higher educational levels because of health care debt, or if you're sick and need to go to class and tough through it but you're not really learning anything, and so on, which leads to a major workforce in base level production and a minor class who has access to this education;

(c) an increase in overworking people - meaning that we have a lot of people taking on several jobs to be able to pay for things like health care, which increases the competitiveness between people, making individualism levels go up and breaking up human beings' natural sense of community.

I could also talk here about how this breeds isolation and increases the potential for mental health problems but I think you got what I was saying.

On the other hand, we have the Brazilian health care system (SUS), which is a universal gratuitous medical care service through the whole country. Its purpose is not profit, it's providing health care for the community, so therefore, any SUS unit is bound by State law and run by the State. By law, every SUS unit must provide for anyone who enters its premises in need of medical care. Everyone, Brazillian and foreigners, poor or rich, must be treated if they need to. It's the law.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's all rainbows and flowers, there are definitely many problems in SUS. However, what I'm trying to showcase here is that, when the needs of a population are met, the population itself is more resilient, their life quality goes up and so does their participation in their community.

On the other hand, in neoliberalism, when the State is absent from these areas of community service, the market is, in theory, the one providing for the community. In practice, however, what we observe from neoliberal policies in cities with a great poor population in Latam for example, is that when the State doesn't provide for the community, the market is unable to step up for them because of their obscene prices.

The poor population that doesn't have their needs met by the State or the market sees a great boom in criminal activities within their spaces. That's mainly why criminal organizations are so present in slums and favelas throughout Latin America: criminal organizations are a way for the community to provide for themselves and, as a means to become more powerful, they provide for the community in exchange for their services (not to say they do that for the good of their hearts, of course not).

It's why it's so common, for example, that criminal organizations such as PCC in Brazil pay for kids from favelas to undergo Law school, for example.

And that's is where I wanted to go to start the conversation in SOC: one of the main traits of Ketterdam is the Barrel and, in the Barrel, we have the presence of many criminal organizations, such as the Dregs, the Dime Lions, the Menagerie staff (not the girls, ofc), etcetera.

This, as observed by Kaz himself, is one of the only ways to survive on the Barrel - you filiate yourself to a gang because you need to be able to provide for yourself and, more times than others, for your family as well.

Kaz's story is actually a perfect example of how Ketterdam is the representation of America in the early 20th century in full policies of laissez-faire (neoliberalism): as we can see in Titanic and many other historical fictions, the said American Dream had people believing the US to be this economical paradise where they could all enter the market and become millionaires.

The result of it is the Great Depression, of course, but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

When Kaz and Jodi leave Lij for Ketterdam, Jodi believes he'll become a merchant - which is a pretty common belief of those who arrive at Ketterdam, as Pekka Rollins and Kaz himself state in Crooked Kingdom.

The reality of it, though, is much harsher, because the truth is that when you have a market that controls everything, as we see in Ketterdam with the Merchant's Guild (I think that's how it's translated?) and the Stadwatch as a police force, you see perfectly how neoliberal policies really work in real life:

You have a higher class who controls the market and the riches (question: who do you think got the money Shu Han sent to Ketterdam at the beginning of the first book: the people of the city/country or the merchants in the "government"?), and a lower class that, without support from the State or the market to have their needs met will turn to their own means to do so.

So you have the trafficking that brought Inej to the island, the unlimited gambling that Jesper was trapped in, the cons Jodi and Kaz fell for - it's all product of liberal policies.

And so, you have Ketterdam and its neoliberal policies (:

(I really love to make this kind of analysis, please, if you have something you want me to talk about, don't hesitate to ask)

#soc #soc wylan #soc inej #soc fandom #social science #soc jesper #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #ketterdam #leigh bardugo #six of crows duology #six of crows #jesper fahey #crooked kingdom #book analysis #books #book review

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xavisbabie · 13 days ago

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Haikyuu Boys with a Medically Complicated S/O- Karasuno HC

Summary: having a medically complicated significant other can make little details matter a whole lot. How do the boys navigate the changes?

A/N: Some of complications are based on me lmao so hold on ;)

Daichi- (Diabetes)

When it comes to you Daichi takes every little thing very seriously. He always keeps juice boxes in his bag and will remind you to check your blood sugar if he sees you forget. Having a pump makes it easier but he still keeps the app on his phone so it'll alert him also. He wants to keep you safe as possible and will check your drinks without fail when you two go out to eat to make sure that they really gave you diet. If he notices early signs of a high or low he'll point it out without hesitation and make you check your sugar manually. One time your pump malfunctioned and you hit a low so bad you passed out. Thankfully he was right there and knew exactly what to do. He's very informed about your situation and takes great care of you.

Suga- (Severe Allergies)

Suga has all your allergies memorized whether its one or multiple. Although he can't be faultless he still tries really hard when you two go out to make sure nothing happens. He calls the place ahead of time to make sure they can accommodate you with separate cookware, etc. He will check everything he buys food and drink wise to make sure there's no risk before he give it to you, he's so scared of being the reason you have a reaction. Knows where your epipen is and will check that you have it anytime you leave the house. Keeps one at his house and on him at all times also. He is not taking the chance.

Asahi- (Epilepsy)

Asahi was told about your Epilepsy immediately before you two started dating. It was wide known that you suffered from it before you two were even friends so when you started getting close to each other he made a huge effort to research the issue and prepare himself in advance. He reminds you to take your medication daily and takes great care not to get in your dog's way when you're out together. He get's nervous about missing an alert so he watched your dog closely to make sure he doesn't miss anything even if you do. Stays with you and comforts you when you do have a seizure, takes all the steps he needs to and does it to a T. Keeps your emergency medicine on him to make sure he knows where it is at all times.

Tanaka- (high blood pressure)

It's hard for Tanaka to deal with at first since he's so excitable around friends but he learns slowly your limits and tells. There have only been a few times that it got high enough around him that you had a nosebleed. He helped you sit and cleaned you up and ends up calling for help when you mention chest pain. He listens intently to symptoms of an issue when you first start getting close and will stop you before it gets out of hand usually. He knows you have a bp cuff in your bag and knows exactly what to do if there's an issue. Somehow is actually really great when it comes to dealing with crisis and can stay calm even when you're freaking out.

Noya- (asthma)

This ones really hard for him because all he wants to do is make you laugh. Thankfully, it's not super severe and its definitely manageable. He knows where you keep your inhaler and will help you if you can't get to it quickly. Makes sure he keeps an extra at his house or on him whenever you two go out just in case. Will rub your back and sit with you if you have an attack while out. Thankfully, he's never really seen a severe attack but that's mostly because between the two of you it never gets too far before it's taken care of.

Tsukki- (Heart rate issues)

Tsukki trusts you to take care of yourself. That's what he says at least but, he has your heart tracker synced on his phone also, set up to alert him if it gets above a certain point. If you're not with him he'll pull up your location and make his way there if possible. If he's there with you he's pretty good at making you stop before it gets too high but, every now and then it's unavoidable. Keeps your emergency medication in his bag and will make you sit and take it if he see's the tracker alerting for more than a few minutes after you sit down. Will scold you for not being careful but in reality his anxiety is spiking with each alert. He's very calm about it all though, poking fun at your reddened face.

Yamaguchi- (hearing loss)

When you first met you didn't have as bad of an issue as you do now. He knew you had hearing issues but they had slowly gotten worse until you relied heavily on signing and hearing aids. He learns sign quickly along side you and makes sure he knows each sign without fail. He quickly becomes skilled at it and it comes in handy when you two are in a crowd of loud people. If he sees you getting overwhelmed he'll pull your aids off gently and give you a sweet smile, signing 'just for a moment'. He knows how overstimulating it can be to be in loud situations when you had already gotten used to not hearing much. He still will talk to you like normal, maybe just a little louder if you make a face trying to figure out what you'd heard. He tries his best to not startle you, coming around to face you before he touches you if he notices you're not wearing your aids.

Kageyama- (absence seizures)

Kageyama didn't understand it at first, wondering why you'd suddenly look off and through him, your eyelids twitching slightly. It was like you couldn't hear him at all and when you came out of it it was like you had blacked out. When you get diagnosed you tell him you're on medication but it'll still probably happen often. He doesn't mind too much. He tries to prevent your triggers as much as possible and when they are inevitable he sits beside you, holds your hand silently, his thumb rubbing circles into the back of your hand until you come out of it. Explains to friends gently if it happens in front of them.

Hinata- (Anemia)

Notices you shivering and tired more often, brings it up and nods when you tell him about your anemia. Tries to be understanding when you're just too tired for normal activities and will try to accommodate you as well as possible, keeping fluffy blankets around his room for you and giving you his seat often. Will make sure to remind you to take your medicine and eat well as long as he remembers also. Ends up putting a reminder on his phone so that he can remind you. Will always be up for cuddles and holding your hand if he notices you're cold.

#headcanon #haikyuu!!#haikyu x reader #sawamura daichi #sugawara koushi #asahi azumane #tsukishima kei #yamaguchi #tanaka #nishinoya yuu #hinata shouyou #kageyama tobio

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dailyanarchistposts · 4 months ago

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“Without Civilization People Would Starve, Epidemic Diseases Would Break Out and there Would be no Medicine to Heal”

Then ask yourself why the Hadza, for example, survive until today. Hunger didn’t exist in such lifeways, but to a rather high degree in the civilized world. Naturally you can reply that eight billion people can’t be fed by hunting and gathering and you would probably be right, even if food forests appeared overnight where there were once shopping centers, commercial districts, insutrial complexes, and streets. Precisely for that reason, even I don’t advocate for a return to pure gathering and hunting. Perhaps a means of agriculture will be found that is sustainable enough to provide for all people without continuing the colossal ecocide. Monocultures are definitely out. Here also, Indigenous cultures deliver us teachable lessons.

Regarding diseases, it is once again the opposite. Civilization first made possible the serious outbreak of epidemics. We are currently treading into an Era of Pandemics. I certainly don’t have a crystal ball, but I can’t imagine any scenario in a decivilized world where something like the current Corona Pandemic could kill millions of people, let alone that such a pandemic could even exist when you have destroyed its very basis for existence. The past should prove me right: epidemics first broke out regularly with the arrival of civilization. There were of course earlier infectious diseases, I certainly don’t want to lie. But never to the extent reached in the civilized world.

With that we finally arrive at the topic of healing and medicine and start off with a Fun Fact: an essential part of modern western medicine is based on the botanical knowledge of Indigenous peoples, which people appropriated in the course of colonialism and later synthesized. Indigenous cultures often utilized methods which modern science only barely understands, if at all. In fact, Indigenous groups as well as uncivilized/precivilized people have at their disposal not only a deep knowledge of nature, but also discoveries which have been lost to city-dwellers.

The majority of modern medicine doesn’t even heal but only relieves the symptoms. Take for instance medicines for the Diseases of Civilization like thyroid disease or diabetes, which as a rule must be taken for a lifetime in order to “manage” the illness. In decivilization, the cure itself stands in focus. Healing of the fissures which have grown inside the individual, between people, and between humans and nature. The fissures made by civilization, by power. Our modern medical progress is also anything but innocent – stop romanticizing it. Colonialism, imperialism, and horrific medical experiments largely on the African continent (as well as in the animal world) were always a part of this so-called progress. They remain to this day. My ancestors were tortured and killed so that today a pill can manage your illness brought about by the modern way of life.

Ask yourself: do I want to stand for the continued existence of this world, in which my children will be plagued by the same (and new) ills as me? Or do I want to take this destructive world and destroy it and renew it so that future generations can be spared from these ills? In the end, the best medicine is not fighting symptoms. In so doing, new symptoms often emerge and you end up taking Pill B against Pill A. Instead, you fight the underlying causes wherever possible. Here, at least, civilization is honest when it admits that it has created the worst illnesses and itself speaks of “Diseases of Civilization.”

We have and will all be mutilated in one way or another. Our psyche is damaged and we are destroyed physically by illness and disease. As Diseases of Civilization and other infectious diseases withdraw from life, the need for complex medicine will steadily decrease. A world which places healing at the center would energetically strive to heal ills. For the few modern medicines which could possibly be brought into a decivilized world, people will find non-civilized and anti-colonial ways to produce them. Today’s science also won’t suddenly disappear into thin air. (This also shouldn’t be taken to mean that you should suddenly throw out all your pills just because they have a colonial history behind them. We must recognize that the ills and destruction of our bodies brought on by civilization will not be undone overnight. It means to fight so that future generations will be spared these ills and destruction by tackling the root causes. Some will be corrected quicker than others – a change in lifestyle and diet, the abolition of work, letting wild the surviving specks of the Earth, all can have a quick and not insignificant impact. On the other hand, some threats will continue to harm us for a long time. The poisons which have accumulated into the soils, for instance, will remain with us for decades and centuries.)

With this piece I hope to have offered a glance at a perspective on restoring our lost anarchy, and to have shown that it is modern society which is backwards-looking, not primitive lifeways. Alongside eurocentrism, modern-centrism is revealed to be a grave problem. Our society endlessly describes the possibilities offered by modern technology and entirely ignores what it simultaneously takes from us. It is of critical importance that we examine with sober and objective eyes what we have won with the coming of civilization, but most of all what we have lost.

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ryuusei-boi · 1 month ago

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some Resistance Japan headcanons ^_^

Kurosaki enjoys soccer, but his first love has always been ballet. when Ishido Shuuji showed an interest in sponsoring him, his parents pressured him to quit ballet and put all his time into soccer. while excited to start a new adventure, he was sad to say goodbye to his old dance group.

Yukimura lost his parents when he was younger. with no other relatives to take him in, he became a ward of the state and lives at Hakuren. he really looks up to Fubuki and they grew close when he started coaching him, which is why it hit him hard when he disappeared without a goodbye.

Yamato is trans ftm. his dad is very supportive, but somewhere deep down Yamato feels like he's just glad to have a son to keep his dream alive, and he isn't sure how he feels about it. at least he's able to transition easily, since money isn't a problem. still, it feeds that pit of guilt in his stomach about how he's just been handed everything he's ever wanted, compared to his teammates in Dragonlink who had to work tirelessly to get to where they are.

Kishibe struggles a lot with his own self worth. he's always compared himself to other players, and even more so when he became captain. he doesn't like talking about his feelings, preferring to bottle them up rather than dealing with them. this leads to a lot of frustration that he doesn't know what to do with.

Mahoro's been dealing with bullies even before starting school- his dad and older brothers always push him around and make him feel worthless. when he witnessed his best friend getting bullied by their classmates, Mahoro stood up to them to become their target instead. he was already used to it at home, and wanted to save Amagi the heartache. he's very quiet and prefers to keep to himself so he doesn't attract unwanted attention.

Kita has diabetes. his mother has always been neglectful, leaving him to manage his illness by himself. he takes great pride in having learned to take care of himself from a young age, even though deep down he knows it's not supposed to be like this. he thrives on routine and enjoys making rules for himself because it brings some semblance of structure to his life.

Namikawa lives with his dad, who's always putting a lot of pressure on him to be the best and the strongest. he's afraid of failure because it means making his dad angry and going without dinner for the night. he joined Fifth Sector to become the best so he'd never have to miss a meal again.

Makari keeps most of his face covered to hide scars he got from a dog attack when he was younger. he's okay with showing them around his classmates and friends, but prefers to cover them up during matches with an audience. it takes a while before he feels comfortable enough in Resistance Japan to show his teammates. he gets dressed in a shower stall, and coach Fudou gave him permission to eat meals in his room away from the others.

Gomaki had to grow up fast when his mom was diagnosed with an illness. trying to hold down the fort and take care of her and his little sister, he had to quit school to start working. he was crying near a soccer field once when Senguuji Daigo stumbled upon him and asked if he played. he showed him some moves, mentioning that he played a lot before he got busy. Senguuji decided he'd be perfect for Dragonlink and took him under his wing, paying for his mom's medical bills so he wouldn't need to worry.

Minamisawa is gay. when he was outed at school after being blackmailed by an ex, his parents found out and were not happy. they didn't object when he asked to move schools later on, but picked the Gassan Kunimitsu military school for him, hoping it'd set him straight. luckily, he ended up making friends there who accept him.

Hakuryuu is afraid of doctors. he and the rest of the trainees at God Eden were subjected to a lot of tests to see what their bodies could handle under extreme stress. aside from that he's also suffered a lot of injuries from the harsh training and the conditions they were in. the doctors and nurses were never kind or gentle, so being in a doctor's office only brings back bad memories for him.

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covid-safer-hotties · 8 months ago

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Also preserved in our archive

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from fringe figure to the prospective head of U.S. health policy was fueled by skepticism and distrust of the medical establishment—views that went viral in the Covid-19 pandemic.

People once dismissed for their disbelief in conventional medicine are now celebrating a new champion in Washington. Scientists, meanwhile, are trying to figure how they could have managed the pandemic without setting off a populist movement they say threatens longstanding public-health measures.

Lingering resentment over pandemic restrictions helped Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign draw people from the left and the right, voters who worried about the contamination of food, water and medicine. Many of them shared doubts about vaccines and felt their concerns were ignored by experts or regarded as ignorant.

Kennedy merged a crowd of Covid-era skeptics with people who long distrusted mainstream medicine and food conglomerates. Together, they helped return Donald Trump to the White House. With the president-elect’s selection of Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services, the medical establishment is bracing for an overhaul of U.S. health policy.

Health authorities who beat the pandemic worry about losing more trust from the people they worked to save. Doctors, scientists and public-health officials are asking themselves how they can win it back. Among their postelection revelations: Don’t underestimate or talk down to those without a medical degree.

Officials fear that Kennedy will promote unproven remedies, appoint vaccine skeptics to immunization-advisory committees and hamper the government’s infectious-disease detectives in a future pandemic.

Kennedy has said he opposes food coloring and additives, the widely used pesticide glyphosate, seed oils and foods with added sugars, among many other issues. Medical authorities say some of his views, such as suspicion of ultra-processed foods, have scientific merit, while others are unfounded. The food and pharmaceutical industries are planning to win him over where they can and do battle where they can’t.

Much of Kennedy’s popularity reflects residual pandemic anger—over being told to stay at home or to wear masks; the extended closure of schools and businesses; and vaccine requirements to attend classes, board a plane or eat at a restaurant.

“We weren’t really considering the consequences in communities that were not New York City,” the places where the virus wasn’t hitting as hard, former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said at event last year.

Authorities focused on ways to stop the disease and failed to consider “this actually, totally disrupts peoples’ lives, ruins the economy and has many kids kept out of school,” Collins said. The U.S. overall took the right approach, he said, but overlooking long-term consequences was “really unfortunate. That’s another mistake we made.”

Public-health officials wonder if they have sufficient clout for the next national emergency. “Science is losing its place as a source of truth,” said Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious-disease physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “It’s becoming just another voice in the room.”

Pandemic restrictions wore on Joel Grey, a 62-year-old retired car salesman in Belfair, Wash., who voted for Trump. He got vaccinated only because diabetes put him at higher risk of complications from Covid-19. He said he watched acquaintances lose jobs because they wouldn’t get the shot and blamed his mother’s death at 87 partly on the isolation of lockdowns.

Grey became frustrated with scientists telling Americans how to live, he said: “I just don’t think they have a place in our lives.” His view resonated broadly.

In October 2023, 27% of Americans who responded to a Pew Research Center poll said they had little to no trust in scientists to act in the public’s best interests, up from 13% in January 2019.

‘Latest Nonsense’ Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit group founded by Kennedy, got a boost during the lockdown era, a time of surging interest in alternative medical and nutrition information and advice. The nonprofit raised more than $46 million from 2020 to 2022, nearly 10 times more than it collected in the three years before the pandemic, tax filings show.

The group published articles saying Covid-19 vaccines sabotaged the immune system and enriched shareholders of drugmakers. “Ignore the Latest Nonsense About ‘Variants.’ Stay Focused on Dangers of COVID Shots,” read the headline of one 2021 article. Others took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the federal government’s infectious-disease research center, and groups that supported vaccines, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

To counter such views, Jessica Malaty Rivera, an epidemiologist with hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, shared information on the importance of vaccines and face masks. She dismissed unsupported claims as misinformation and described some of their purveyors as grifters.

Looking back, Rivera said her sometimes scolding messages weren’t helpful. “Everybody has been tempted by the slam dunk,” he said. “It’s not an effective way to communicate science. It’s just not.” She and others say they are dialing back the use of the word misinformation, saying it makes people feel they are being called liars or dumb.

During the pandemic, Palmira Gerlach had questions about the Covid-19 vaccines, but doctors “were very dismissive,” the 44-year-old recalled.

Gerlach, a stay-at-home mother outside Pittsburgh, said she falsely told her child’s pediatrician that she got the shot, seeking to avoid judgment. The doctor told her, “Good girl.” Gerlach turned to podcasts featuring Kennedy, drawn to his willingness to question pandemic measures.

One challenge for health authorities was learning how to combat Covid-19 while hundreds of people died each day. Researchers needed months just to clarify how the virus spread. That meant answers to common questions kept shifting: Was it OK to gather outside? When was it safe to visit grandparents? Do I have to wear a face mask everywhere?

Health authorities sometimes got it wrong. At first, officials said Covid-19 vaccines would prevent transmission or infection. Later, they learned that the shots instead cut the risk for hospitalization or death.

Shelli Hopsecger, a small-business owner in Olympia, Wash., who described herself as an independent, said she listened closely to health officials when the pandemic hit. But as school closures and lockdowns dragged on, she began questioning what they said.

Hopsecger, 56, said the pandemic made her realize how powerful a role federal health agencies played in her life. “We all are aware now that there are these agencies that look at these things on our behalf,” she said. “As citizens, it’s time for us to start telling them what we want them to look at.”

Last year, Hopsecger said she started listening to Kennedy’s podcast interviews on the recommendation of her 26-year-old son. She recalled Kennedy pointing out how millions of Americans suffer from chronic diseases, despite vast sums spent on healthcare.

“Mr. Kennedy is definitely on to something,” Hopsecger said. “Our current policies and systems are not doing the job of preventing or even reversing chronic diseases.”

Us and them Kennedy’s polling as an independent presidential candidate had fallen to the single digits when he threw his support to Trump in August and embraced the slogan “Make America Healthy Again.”

The career of Kennedy—an environmental lawyer, former heroin addict and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy—took a turn in 2005 when he began questioning the use of vaccines. He says he exercises, meditates and attends 12-step meetings every day.

While campaigning for Trump, Kennedy talked about how more Americans were obese and more young people were getting diagnosed with cancer. He decried the quality of foods and warned that water and medicines were polluted by toxins and chemicals. He criticized the medical establishment for pushing pills and shots, rather than addressing the root causes of disease.

“We were all told in Covid: ‘Trust the experts.’ But that’s not a thing,” Kennedy said in an episode of the “What is Money?” podcast in April. “Trusting the experts is not a feature of science. It’s the opposite of science. It’s not a feature of democracy.”

Many doctors, scientists and health officials with traditional credentials share Kennedy’s view that ultraprocessed foods contribute to obesity, yet they also say more study is needed. Likewise, many establishment health figures agree that scientists need to do more to understand the role of microplastics and so-called forever chemicals in food and water.

Yet many scientists and food-industry officials say some of the food colorings and chemicals Kennedy pinpoints as dangerous don’t affect human health in such small quantities. Nearly all are alarmed by Kennedy’s unproven or disproved claims—that vaccines cause autism, AIDS might not be caused by HIV and antidepressant drugs might be linked to mass shootings.

Ashley Taylor, a 33-year-old entrepreneur in New York City, sides with Kennedy’s views on food safety and the role of experts. She became critical of traditional medicine after scoliosis surgery as a teenager left her reeling in pain and reliant on Tylenol. She said she rejected her doctors’ recommendations and found relief from her back problems with acupuncture, a nutritious diet, yoga and positive thinking.

Taylor said that health authorities during the pandemic ignored studies on natural immunity and didn’t acknowledge that people who had been infected with Covid-19 might not need to be vaccinated. “What I just don’t approve of is purposefully presenting information in a way that is not allowing the American public to arrive at their own opinion,” she said.

Taylor listened to part of Kennedy’s book, “The Real Anthony Fauci; Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health.” She was attracted to his ideas even more after watching a September roundtable on nutrition featuring Kennedy and his allies, hosted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R, Wisc.) in the Senate.

After previously voting for Democrats, Taylor said she cast her ballot for Trump.

Mainstream doctors, researchers and health officials are bracing for a Kennedy-led federal health department. They are considering how best to communicate with the public if they need to counter decisions that stray from established public-health measures.

Some Food and Drug Administration staffers have already stopped saying that vaccines are safe and effective, instead advising that the benefits outweigh the risks, a person familiar with the matter said. The change is intended to make clear that all medical interventions have risks, the person said, and to spike the argument that rare side effects mean vaccines aren’t safe.

Virologist Dr. Greg Poland said he advises scientists to communicate with humility and empathy, to speak as a compassionate physician would with a patient. “We’re not dogmatic. We’re not about forcing people,” he said. “We’re about imparting information.”

To build trust in vaccines, Poland, who is also a Presbyterian minister, speaks to conservative churches and civic groups. He tells them he will be truthful and transparent and then explains how vaccines work and how scientists arrive at a consensus.

Poland said he stays until he has answered every last question.

#mask up #public health #wear a mask #pandemic #covid #wear a respirator #covid 19 #still coviding #coronavirus #sars cov 2 #us politics

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christinebloodwrittings · 1 year ago

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Hi, I'm not sure if you requests are open but I'd like to ask for a Lucifer Morningstar x oblivious! fem! reader. He met her when he visited the hotel and was immediately intrigued when Charlie told him that she was a a fallen angel. Later on he decides to court her but she is oblivious to his advances. Fluff! Have a good day/night!

Pairing: Lucifer x Fem!reader Summary: Believing she's underserving of love, every intent of the king to make his affections clear go unseen, until he had enough. Warnings: Blood, child marriage, a bit of angst. Diabetes quality fluff.

Note: I kinda forgot it was a fallen angel thing and already got up to 4k of words when I realized...Sorry, but I threw in the redeemed sinner thing that choses to be in hell, does that count?

Fireworks

To be put in simple words, love was a foreign term. You had seen it, but felt it? Your marriage in life was an arranged one, made by your father who forcefully had you marry one of his wealthy friends. Sure you lived with all the money in the world, but love? No, the man that was your husband lusted you a few times a week and then he was off to see the world. Leaving you behind locked doors to do the cleaning duties while he was gone.

After years of that routine, you felt disconnected, separated from your body, as if you couldn’t feel anything but coldness and loneliness. The era you were alive in wasn’t great in medical advances, so an unusual flu took over your health violently. You thanked to life and whoever who listened that your husband wasn’t there to mock your state, but from the bleeding cough to your last breath, at least four hours of suffering passed until you finally gave up.

Maybe it was the money you took from your husband without him knowing, or the times you tried to kill him in his sleep, but something sent you to hell.

After meeting Angel, by accident in a bar, where he barely managed to escape some guy wanting to harm him, he used you as an excuse, “client” or so he said as he pushed you down the street.

After thanking you for playing along, he told you about the Hotel and invited you to spend some time with him until you could stand on your own, in an economic and literal sense, the fall was not kind to your legs, the which had adopted a reverse position, like that of a dog.

“Hey, are ya aware you look like a husky?” you opened your eyes to his comment, looking your reflection in a turned off tv screen. Your ears were pitch black on the reverse, while white and fluffy on the inside.

The signs of when you wanted to tear out your throat with your nails were printed as gray scratch marks at the level of your larynx. And speaking of colors, your hands up to the wrists were black, up to where your forearm began, from there everything was a creamy white color, with a soft layer of fuzz, just like that of a peach.

You no longer had feet, but rather paws and claws like a dog's, with everything and pads. Your hands had light blue endings, with retractable claws. Your teeth were sharp and menacing, and just to top your silly appearance, just above your lower back, a long fluffy tail occasionally wagged.

“You look so cute toots” the spider supported your weight in two of his arms as if you were a feather, while with another hand he ruffled the hair in between your ears.

Once at the hotel, comments poured in about your stuffed dog appearance. Some made you laugh, others no so much. However, the barista and the smiling demon were not very comfortable with your presence. One being a cat and the other despising dogs.

“Your tail is so soft” Pentious hissed while softly caressing your tail on the couch. Compliments, how exactly you could receive one? But was it? He was stating a fact, so you just simply agreed with him in a matter-of-fact manner.

“Alright fellas, I’m taking ‘er upstairs, her leg needs work” Angel scooped you up again, taking you into his fever pink room. After discovering you could growl and whine like a dog you and Angel laughed, you leg now bandaged and secured with two pieces of metal to keep it straight.

In the privacy of the bathroom, you were able to let out a couple of tears given the abrupt change in realities. You died, you're in hell, and you couldn't even say goodbye to anyone. Furthermore, without even knowing you, a stranger gave you more support than any person in your life. You didn't know how yet, but you were going to pay him.

Angel had to go work while you stayed with his pig, idle sat by the window, observing and reflecting. Will your husband be in mourning? Have they buried you or thrown you into the river? They probably burned your remains and scattered them in the lake near the house.

You shook your head, then made your way to the door, decided to go look around a bit, even if you had to limp all the way to the hallway. Which you did, and wasn’t the brightest decision, given that in the middle of the stairs you tripped.

Mid-air you couldn’t grab onto the railing, so you accepted your fate and closed your eyes waiting for the impact, but all you saw were white and red feathers flapping not so far up the floor. “That could’ve been a nasty fall, you okay dear?” he laughed as a prideful smile took over his face, he looked just like Charlie, could they be related?

“Uhm, I think so, thank you sir” he flew upstairs, gently lowering you so you could get on your feet, “Is your leg okay?” he pointed to the bandages, soon showing spots of blood, “A bit bruised, I’m…new” your ears pulled back, while something pulled you away from him, like a voice from within telling you to run.

“Oh! Welcome to Hell then, my name is Lucifer” he outstretched his hand, a bright and warm smile adorning his face. “Y/n” you took his hand, calloused yet soft. “Nice to meet you, Y/n” he said your name like it was the title of a song.

“That, looks a bit nasty, mind if I take a crack at it?” he pointed to your now dripping back knee, “I think I should head back, I’ll take care of it” a step back made you almost fall again, seemingly failing to remember for a second how much it hurt to step on the ground, “Yeah no, I insist” he scooped you up his arms again, one of his hands pressing your legs into him and the other rubbing circles with his thumb on your back.

His room was considerably bigger than Angel’s. There was circus and apple décor everywhere, even on his bed, but covering corners and scattered on the floor there were roughly a hundred rubber ducks or more. “I love ducks so much, it has become a hobby” he noticed your staring, very much so, that when you turned to see him, he had a bashful expression and a golden blush on his cheek.

“It’s cute” he laughed at your comment, softly seating you on his bed, “I’ll undo the bandage, we can stop whenever you like, okay?” you watched him kneel down, taking in his hands the broken and tender flesh, “Mmh, long fall, huh? What did you do?” was he trying to make a joke? You didn’t know.

“I’m not sure, I just remember an intense amount of hot air against my body and then nothing” your answer was so straight to the point it made him nervous, so after swallowing a lump of saliva, he tried again, “I’m sorry, but uhm-I mean, anything exciting?” you furrowed your brows, “Like what?” he shrugged, finally discarding the stained bandages on the floor. “There’s a lot of reasons one can wind up down here, I mean… take me as an example” you weren’t the most religious woman, so you couldn’t judge something you didn’t knew much about.

“I didn’t do church, so I can’t really judge you” could atheism be a reason why you’re in hell? That would be fucked up. “Can’t or won’t?” he eyed you up, summoning new bandages, “Both? Considering you saved me and you’re patching my leg” his touch went away for a second, but it was enough to feel cold, nonetheless, when he accidentally made a bit of pressure in your wound an animalistic whine came out your throat, and, painfully so, your body pulled back, a few inches away from him.

Realizing what had happened, you couldn’t dare to see his face, “I don’t know why- I’m sorry” you stammered, “Hey, it’s not your fault, it takes time to get used to all of this” he searched in your expression something, anything that told him he could continue, since he didn’t saw much, he tried once again.

“I used to have feet, like you, now I’m stuck with hoof cleaning at least twice a week, otherwise I’ll be shorter than I already am” he opened his hand again, just waiting. He was inviting, calm, warm, nothing like you thought the devil would be like. So you pushed yourself back to the edge of the bed, and allowed him to touch you again.

“And done! How about I make you some crutches, mmh? That way you can limp around safely” he winked, snapping his fingers to make a little glitter sparkle while doing so. “Even if you say that I shouldn’t bother I’m going to either way” he stopped you before any word could leave your mouth, so all that was left to say was, “Thank you, sir” you smiled.

He was made aware of a rhythmically fast thumping on the sheets, when he looked over to your tail his heart fluttered, he decided he wouldn’t tease you about it, but he was going to make one thing clear. “Lucifer” he said his own name as if he was making himself acknowledged, seen.

“First names basis?” he nodded with a hum, “Thank you, Lucifer” it may have been just his interpretation, but his name rolling off your lips, he felt as if you were naming a painting. It sent a shiver from the tip of his tail to the tip of his horns.

He didn’t know how long has he been staring at you, but as soon as his mind started ticking again, he cleared his throat, taking seat by your side. “It itches my mind, what were you doing on the stairs if you’re injured?” say anything, literally anything, “Wandering, I…don’t enjoy feeling useless” ‘stupid’ you scolded yourself.

He knew the feeling, that’s the same one that made him start with the ducks. “You like books?” you nodded, “Let’s see here” he whisked his hand in the air, making a golden line of light shine brightly, “I have most of everything, is there something you’re particularly interested?” he turned to see you, his eyes ever so warm and gentle.

“Uhm, what do you recommend?” you didn’t know, in the living world you just read Anne Frank, which was sad and not very hopeful. “Oh I have just the thing” he put his hands inside the light and pulled three books, leaving two on the nightstand, and the other in your lap.

“It’s about a princess, dragons and an idiot you could call a sad excuse of a knight” he chuckled, eying you pass your fingers along the ridges on the hard cover, “As soon as you finish reading that one, let’s chat about it” you nodded, your tail going up and down against the silky bed.

“Oh and here” he snaped his fingers, a pair of ducky crutches fell on his hands, “Alakazam!” he smiled, “Thank you, Lucifer”.

Maybe it was how you got along with his daughter, or your care for her and everyone at the Hotel, including grumpy old Alastor, who still kept you at an arm's length because of his dislike of dogs.

Although of course, Lucifer was doing him the favor of reminding him that you are a lady, so the poor guy had no choice but to accept your peace offerings with a kind gesture. The fact that his pride burned because of it, made the king laugh until his stomach ached.

Over time, he started to notice the little things you did for him. Like when he came down to breakfast, you already had his place on the table next to Charlie, with his plate served accompanied by a small sweet or pastry and his duck cup of coffee.

Nevertheless, ever since that afternoon in his room, he started seeking for you more often.

“That dress is looking pretty good on you” he would say, to which your first response was, “Vaggie chose it, she has great taste” immediately dismissing his compliment, and that wasn’t his first intent.

“Hey, Y/n, how about we go out today?” he was quickly drowned under the sound of a thunder, followed by acid rain, “It’s raining” you walked away, silently tethered into the book he lent you.

Lucifer didn't fully grasp the concept of frustration, until the afternoon he tried to drown himself in sweet cocktails, poor Husk falling victim to his whining and the incessant sound of the wedding ring rolling across the table.

"She's kind of dense, isn't she?" Angel tried to make conversation with the defeated king, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I tell her that she looks good, she tells me that's how she looks every day" Angel let out a comprehensive hum, “Like in a ‘I don’t look different, what do you mean’ way?” Lucifer nodded, “Maybe she just has a hard time taking a compliment?” “It’s not just that, I ask her to go out, she asks me what for! Or that she just wants to finish up the book” Angel took a side look to Husk as if asking ‘has he been like this for a while?’, the only answer was a silent nod as the king continued his rant.

“And pickup lines, you youngsters still use them right? My best material just disregarded!” his best lines and your responses were something like this:

L:“I’d like to take you to the movies, but they don’t let you bring your own snacks”

Y/n: “Oh bummer, but we can buy them there right?”

L: “Hey, how was heaven like when you left it?”

Y/n: I don’t remember being there, sorry. But Charlie recently went up, maybe she can tell you about it!”

L: “When I text you good morning tomorrow, what number should I text to?”

Y/n: “We live under the same roof… why do you need to text me?”

L: I’m not an electrician, but I can light up your day”

Y/n: You sure do Luci, and so everyone else’s…well, maybe not Alastor’s day, but Charlie lights up every time she sees you happy, and around.

L: “Want a raisin? No, perhaps I could interest you with…a date?”

Y/n: I’m sorry, I’m not a big fan of dates, the texture is just not my thing”

L: “Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten-I-see”

Y/n: Nope, from California. I think I haven’t traveled to Tennessee, have you?”

And though Angel could make himself an idea of his efforts, and wanted to laugh at how sappy he could be, he needed to focus. “Look, she had told me few things about herself” Lucifer was ready to do anything for a single crumb of information, “Look, maybe she is oblivious about your advances, or she just doesn’t know what you’re doing”.

Angel was wishing you weren’t listening, because you made him promise not to tell. When he helped you into another set of clothes, while playing some sort of dress up, he could see a lot of the damage your husband did on your skin, and he could imagine the emotional damage he inflicted, seeing your eyes adapt a dead-like look while you tried to summarize years of pain into five minutes.

“How can I- how can she not know?” Angel took a deep breath, feeling guilty already, “She was married off to a fucked up man, at a VERY young age” a stab, in a metaphorical way, was placed into the king’s gut, “How young?” nine years old, you were placed in his care, then he granted you the mercy to wait until you were fifteen, then your dad signed the consent for your marriage.

“Illegal young” Lucifer felt a knot forming on his stomach, followed by nausea. To think you were alone living that sort of situation made him sick, angry and feel very much hopeless. “Maybe, you need to be more direct, say ‘hey I’d like very much to know more about you, to hold you, kiss you’ an’ shit like that” his fluffy friend was right, he needed a more direct approach, no more pick up lines.

“And ya’ definitely need to think about getting rid of that” Angel pointed to the ring Lucifer was obsessively fidgeting win between his fingers. “To be honest, it did cross my mind, let her go… it’s time don’t you think?” Angel opened his hand, asking for the ring, seeing that it was a painful process as it is and he clearly needed a hand. Lucifer took a deep breath before he slid the cold metal off his finger and leave it in the spider’s hand.

He made his way upstairs, decided he needed to be honest and forward with you, but also he was drunk out of his mind, so instead of his room he stumbled into the library he made for you to enjoy your reading.

"Y/n?" he slurred out your name, missing a few letters, still peaking your attention from the second book of the saga he lent you. "Everything okay Luci? You look a little...off" you put the book on the coffee table, looking at him with a worried face.

"I need to confess-s-s something" he did a sort of hiss while 'tripping' with his own forked tongue, and with that he also made a miss step on the carpet and proceeded to fall. Though you were quick to brace his fall, his face landing in between your neck and your chest.

"Uhm. You okay?" he looked up, breathing had been hard for him lately, it was as if a thick fog was all he had in his lungs. Around you, the fog clears up, a refreshing feeling washed over him as soon as your perfume attached itself to his clothes.

He took a second to process your voice, being that he was into a sort of drunk-trance, deeply wrapped into your warmth, better than he had ever imagined. "I-I am, better than ever" he softly sighed, taking your waist into a tight embrace, the lack of self-awareness that the alcohol provoked, gave the king enough courage to fix his posture and nuzzle into your neck, never once letting you go.

"I adore you, in more than one way. I'd like to have more than the warmth of your presence in the room. I want the freedom to have you like this every day, to caress you, to kiss you" his eyes turn red, his horns sprouted out his forehead as his wings from his back, slightly ripping his suit, "If you let me, of course, what do you say?" he made an internal prayer, not only for you to say yes, but also choose him in every way. For you to see the depth of his emotions, wearing one of his realities: the scaring that the fall printed on his body.

"If I choose you, and she comes back... will you still choose me?" you pulled him off, slowly, softly. From your jacket you took out a halo, shining bright with your full name printed. You had earned your place in heaven; redemption had worked on you.

"Holy fuck! You made it, congratulations! Now you can go enjoy paradise, dearest" he gave you a reassurance smile and a caress on your cheek, though his heart felt as if someone threatened to squeeze it out of his chest as your eyes scanned the light of the halo.

He struggled to get to a better position in the couch and to keep his tears at bay, seeing that you have an option to leave him forever. But he wasn't going to trap you in hell out of greed, you had the choice and he was going to honor whatever you went with.

"But what about you?" you took your eyes off the angelic light, to look into his sad looking eyes, "What about me? I can't go to heaven" he laughed off a bit of the pain and the urge to rip the halo to shreds.

"You look sad, what if I don't go?" he shook his head, "Oh pff, I will miss you terribly, but it will warm my heart to know that you're in a better place" he patted in between your fluffy ears, "Wait, you like-like me?" he found reason in what Angel said, you were merely a child married off to an old man who tried to corrupt you, that's why your lingo was so child-like and your mannerisms were so gentle and soft.

"I do, and more than that too, if you'd let me, I could make you happy" he took your other hand, "And if you choose Heaven, that's alright too, even better, you'll be in a place where everyone is kind to one another, the clouds are soft and fluffy and it's always warm and sunny" he recalled heaven form memory, might been an outdated version of the same, but it didn't mattered.

You spotted one of his wings that was at arm's reach. He watched your fingers slowly making contact with his feathers, your eyes scanning his for any sign of discomfort. At that he moved a little closer so you could have a better access, fully extending his wing to you.

"I am needy" you broke the silence, repeating the words from your ex-husband, "And cannot understand a lot of things" he turn his eyes off of yours, not out of negativity, but of safety, if he looked at you right now, you would see him cry his heart out.

"I'm needy too, and even being as timeless as I am, there's still things I don't comprehend" you tried to look at his face, but he hid himself in his feathers, "Like what?" you whispered, searching in between until you saw his face, "You will laugh" in response you shook your head, he took a second then answered with the brightest golden blush on his cheeks.

"What are fireworks made of? And what makes them colorful?" you took a second to think, then he watched you jump off the couch towards a shelf, took a book and then you came back to him.

"Here it is, gunpowder, potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal, that is what makes it explode. It's also combined with Barium, which produces bright greens; strontium yields deep reds; copper produces blues; and sodium yields yellow" you read from the pages, "Now we both know now" your tail wagged at the sight of his smile.

"So, what are you going to do with that?" he pointed to the disregarded halo on the couch, "What should I do?" he eyed your troubled stare, then shoved his own mind aside, "Whatever your heart desires" to comfort you, still the devil on his shoulder advising him to be selfish and beg you to stay.

"I don't want to leave" you put the halo on his lap, “Is there a way to give this to someone else?" he slowly shook his head, "Want to do the honors?" almost in command he threw the angelic halo into hellfire. "I guess you're stuck with me now" his own tail wrapped around yours. He was excited and happy for your decision, even if it meant that you would remain in hell.

Now a little more sober, he got up from the couch, with his heart in his hand, metaphorically. He took the liberty of taking your hands in his, and guiding them over his cheeks, his neck, his shoulders, chest and wings. "I'm not much, but if you were to give me the title of "Yours", happily I would stop being the king of hell".

"Just to clarify, those sappy phrases were...romantically intended?" you were suddenly hit with a flash of realization, "YES!" he exhaled a breath he had stuck in his throat for a while. You laughed, "Then why didn't you said so?" good thing you were almost his same stature, he could watch you unravel with giggles without hurting his neck.

"I should have, huh?" he pulled you into his arms again, his hand caressed the back of your head before pulling in for a kiss. Taking your lips into his with a stored up passion he hadn't used in more than seven years.

Happy, how long has it been since you felt genuinely happy? especially in the arms of another, who was nothing more and nothing less than the devil himself. Who showed you more affection and affection than any other man alive. "I think I chose well" You soon noticed that his blonde hair was silky and knotless, it just slid through your fingers as you combed it. Something that ruffled Lucifer's feathers as soon as your fingers made contact with his head.

"Please do that forever" he melted in your embrace and ministrations, "I promise" he purred in response.

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