#things may improve and progresses well but all at the cost of everyones mental well being

[othercrossee]

tbh the idea of irida slowly just become the diamond crew friend over the period of the game is hilarious, she was MOVING

[girlsandboystown]

Exploring Alternatives to BetterHelp for Therapy

Our lives are more connected to digital solutions now than ever before. This includes therapy, offered online for convenience. BetterHelp stands out as a major player in virtual counseling. But not everyone looks for the same things in e-counseling. Some may seek alternatives to BetterHelp for reasons like costs, a need for personalized therapy, or more privacy. The search for the right mental health service is unique.

Choosing the right online therapy service is crucial. We're here to explore what's available beyond BetterHelp. It's important how easy it is to access services and how well they fit your needs. As your guide, we'll look into the varied options. Together, we'll find the best fit for you in the world of online therapy.

Key Takeaways

The importance of finding a therapy service that aligns with personal needs and preferences.

An exploration of cost-effective alternatives to BetterHelp that do not compromise on service quality.

Understanding the range of virtual counseling options available for different mental health requirements.

The value of personalized therapy experiences and how they can influence treatment outcomes.

A preview into the comprehensive assessment of online therapy platforms that await the readers.

Understanding the Landscape of Online Therapy Platforms

The growth of online therapy platforms has changed how we get mental health help. It's key to understand this change in depth. We look at the important players like BetterHelp and how their services vary to find what's best for your needs. As you may know, finding alternatives to betterhelp is really important.

The Evolution of Teletherapy Services

Teletherapy has grown a lot thanks to tech advances and acceptance of mental health care. It breaks down distance barriers and makes getting help easier. Teletherapy services offer everything from light chat to deep therapy sessions, all online.

BetterHelp's Position in the Online Counseling World

A BetterHelp analysis shows it's a top player in online counseling, with many therapists and users. Its wide range of e-therapy features meets many needs, making therapy adaptable for everyone.

Critical Attributes to Consider in a Virtual Therapy Provider

When picking a virtual therapy provider, several things matter. Think about the therapist's qualifications, the services on offer, how much it costs, how easy it is to use, and if the support is good. All these make therapy effective, accessible, and suited to you.

Knowing these points helps you choose the right online therapy platform for your mental health needs.

Personalizing Your Therapy: Tailoring the Online Experience

Today, personal online therapy solutions cater to unique needs. They address individual therapy needs to boost therapeutic success. The tech progress has made customizing therapy essential for benefiting fully from mental health care.

Tailored e-counseling experiences are on the rise. They match users' specific needs and aims. Personalized therapy methods make each session therapeutic and in line with personal growth.

A personalized therapy experience is vital. It fosters close therapist-client relationships and more relevant interventions. Tailoring therapy to each person's story and goals greatly aids their mental wellness journey.

Matching Algorithms: Ensures compatibility based on therapeutic needs and personality types.

Customizable Session Schedules: Offers flexibility to fit therapy into diverse lifestyles and time constraints.

Interactive Therapy Tools: Enhances engagement through activities tailored to individual therapeutic goals.

Confidentiality and Privacy Settings: Empowers users to control their own privacy and disclosure levels.

Choosing a service that customizes therapy to your individual needs improves healing. It’s about selecting a platform that offers professional support and respects your journey.

To conclude, therapy tailored to personal needs enhances the relationship and treatment’s effectiveness. Personal online therapy focused on tailored experiences leads to deeper insights and lasting mental health benefits.

Comparing Costs: Budget-Friendly Therapy Options

When you're looking at mental health support, comparing costs is key. Many want affordable therapy. Learning about different prices can help you find low-cost online therapy without losing quality. Most online services have various payment options to meet everyone's money needs. They often include budget e-counseling to make mental health help more accessible.

We're going to look at different payment styles and their costs. This way, you can see the cheaper choices. You'll learn about subscription plans and pay-per-use options. Our goal is to make therapy pricing clear for you.

Service Subscription Cost Pay-Per-Session Insurance Accepted Platform A $200/month $50/session Yes

Platform B $180/month Not available No

Platform C $250/month $70/session Yes

The comparison shows therapy costs can vary a lot between services. This tells us how key cost comparison is before choosing a platform. You might like paying per session or maybe a monthly subscription best. Knowing the costs can help you budget your mental health care better.

Also, some services have sliding scale fees. They change the price based on what you earn. This makes therapy accessible to more people. It means money won't stop anyone from getting the help they need.

To sum it up, finding the right low-cost online therapy involves looking at different prices. If you're trying to care for your mental health without spending too much, checking out various pricing models is a smart move.

Alternatives to BetterHelp: A Guide to Diverse Therapy Services

Today, people understand the importance of mental health more than ever. They look for therapy that fits their unique needs. While many know about BetterHelp, there are also many other options. These alternatives offer specialized services, support from the community, and new ways of counseling. Let's look at how these options break the mold and offer custom healing.

Niche Therapeutic Platforms and Specialized Services

There are many special therapy platforms out there. They serve different people and problems. Some help with LGBTQ+ issues or challenges women face. Others deal with all kinds of mental health problems. These platforms make sure everyone finds a place where they feel understood. Choosing these options can make therapy more effective and comfortable. It shows how crucial personal care is on the path to wellness.

Community-Supported Therapy Initiatives

Community therapy brings people together to help each other heal. It makes mental health care easier to get, especially for those with less money. These projects work with non-profits and local experts. They often offer low-cost or free services, making the community stronger. This way of therapy shows how powerful being together can be. It helps make mental health care possible for everyone.

Hybrid Therapy Solutions and Localized Support

Hybrid counseling combines online and face-to-face sessions. These services meet the need for a more traditional approach while being flexible. They work well for people's busy lives today. They offer easy scheduling and a place to go for those who want it. Hybrid models serve a wide range of clients, making sure therapy fits the person, not the other way around.

[ukftm]

I’ve just started on the NHS & GenderCare pathways and I would rather top surgery before testosterone, but knowing the NHS waiting times and looking at the £7k+ private price is making me feel despairing.

Is there no way to get top surgery faster and/or cheaper? I’ve spent over a decade wanting this and I really don’t know if I can survive having to wait more years because my mental health has gone down after realising I’m trans & gender dysphoria increased.

I have EU citizenship as well so if there’s a way in the EU I’d be interested.

Thanks.

Hi Anon,

Unfortunately if you intend on being on T and transitioning through the NHS, you will be required to start T first before any surgeries will be offered. This is different however for those that are non-binary or do not want to be on T at all. We have a few posts about this and why the NHS require you to be on T first, so you may find them helpful to read.

The NHS waiting times are very very long and there really is no faster way to progress, as it is based on when you entered the waiting lists. On a positive note though, top surgeries are progressing far more quickly than bottom surgeries as there are more surgeons carrying out these surgeries.

The only faster option is to go privately (both within the uk and Europe), which obviously comes at a cost but can be done within months rather than years. There are still requirements for private surgery, so if you wanted to go down that route you would need to contact surgeons to ask for their requirements.

This process really is long and very difficult and the NHS has made so many empty promises about improving things, but there is still no sign of improvement. The wait is horrible for everyone especially those who are between surgeries and experiencing complications from those surgeries. The important thing is to spend your time while on the waiting lists doing everything you can to prepare your body for surgery. Working out can also help you feel that you are making changes to your body that make you feel better about yourself. If you haven’t already, get your name change done and work on getting all of that side of things sorted, when you feel ready. This can often help with dysphoria and make you feel that you are making some progress while you wait.

If you are struggling with your mental health, you can also ask your GP to refer you for counselling or some GICs offer specific counselling for trans people, but you usually will not be offered that until after your first GIC appointment.

Try to talk to other trans guys and get support from them as talking about how you are feeling with people that understand can also help a lot.

[greenhappyseed]

We need to talk about All Might.

After Chapter 309, everyone seems to be screaming DEATH FLAG (more than normal), and I wouldn’t ordinarily agree given the fakeouts we’ve seen before. However, AM isn’t given much to do yet (except look cute in his sunnies) and doesn’t seem to be in a good position to grow as a person. It makes me sad bc there is a lot of potential with AM, and it all seems pushed aside in favor of Endeavor’s narrative, which I don’t love. As a ::cough cough:: older BnHA fan in a workaholic profession, I want to see the larger hero society narrative use AM to ask if you can be a hero (and therefore of any value to society) when you’re old and/or have less strength/power/endurance than you used to have. What happens when you WERE an equal, and then you lose a step along the way (note there may be a parallel to Bakugo’s/Aizawa’s post-war condition on this theme)? Or, given the focus on teenagers and the role of the “new generation” in rebuilding society, let’s ask whether AM made the right choice in sticking with his teenage ideals through adulthood. Was he right to give up EVERYTHING for his dream, only to crash land into a nightmare? I mean, the dude destroyed himself for years and then watched his life’s work crumble in a matter of weeks. Can he pick himself up, powerless, and still find a new way to help? In BHNA, all of the top heroes have major flaws (a meta for another time!) and a chance at redemption, so I really want to see AM do the same thing.

AM starts the story as the singular, self-proclaimed Symbol of Peace, which was a mission he gave himself as a naive, idealistic middle school student(!!!) Through Nana Shimura, AM received the power to make his teenage ambition a reality and then ... kept at it for 40 years. Alone. Without critical reflection. In Vigilantes, we learn the cost of this relentless pursuit is that AM has no real friends and no social life. Even among other top heroes, he’s not an approachable peer, but the hired gun brought in to clean up the biggest, baddest disasters before he’s immediately called out to the next one. To the extent he socializes after a big win, it’s to talk to the media and sign autographs, not debrief or bond with fellow heroes. The guy has charisma and can do stage banter all day, but he has no idea how to have an actual functioning relationship with colleagues. At the beginning of BNHA, it’s been 20ish years since AM spoke to Torino, 10 years since he spoke to Endeavor, and 5 years since Nighteye. He does keep in touch with Tsukauchi, but he’s more like a “work husband” than a best friend.

When Deku meets him, AM is holding it together on the surface, but is really in mental distress. AM is the first hero in the story whose facade is ripped away (initially to us readers, then eventually to everyone in universe). Unable to do the hero work that defines him for more than 3 hours a day, he seems to spend the rest of his pre-UA time wandering around aimlessly. He’s lost his sense of purpose, has nobody to confide in (he may not “lie” but he definitely doesn’t tell anyone complete truths), and he is indifferent to his own survival. He is certain Nighteye’s prediction is coming true, and he’s looking for a successor because he HAS to before time runs out, not because he wants to. If he can pass on OFA then he can die, ideally in a blaze of glory. And, if not for Deku, he would have let the slime villain kill Bakugo and told himself he can’t save everyone. In Deku he sees his younger self’s ideals and decided his new purpose is to build the next Symbol of Peace, not just do a handoff. With a true successor secured, he can really go for one last big heroic act.

Except it doesn’t work out as planned. Deku — lonely and idealistic himself — desperately needs AM around for approval. And AM, with extra time on his hands, seems to enjoy being needed by his boy, like a parent with a toddler. As hard as they both aim to create the next AM, Deku is his own person (as all children are), which makes the process trickier than either one anticipated. At first AM tries imitating Torino and trains Deku through physical activity and battle, the same way Torino punched a grieving, teenage AM around. AM encourages Deku to sacrifice himself, just because AM also did it for 40 years. But these tactics just don’t work for Deku. AM gets (rightly) scolded by Recovery Girl. Then AM sends Deku to Torino, who teaches Deku Full Cowling and scolds AM for not telling Deku the truth about AFO — and for this one time, Torino is right. Slowly, fuller truths start coming out from AM, and in return Deku learns to protect himself and ask his mentor questions rather than merely imitate. Both begin to grow and change for the better.

After Kamino, Inko uses her leverage to convince AM to stop the blaze of glory nonsense. He wants to be her successor as parent to Deku, and she’s not going to allow it if AM is going to drive her son towards needless self-sacrifice. This seems to take root, and we later see AM openly defy Nighteye’s prediction because he wants to be with Deku. He starts jogging! We even see him confide in Aizawa he has decided to live. Even if he’s not always sure how to give his new life purpose, and he bristles at needing to be protected, he’s accepting his post-pro existence. Progress!

Finally, AM comes into his own as a teacher and member of the old guard with experience to share. He may be using “Teaching for Dummies” as a shortcut, but he’s recognizing his own failings and trying to improve. He tells Deku to quit imitating him, full stop, finally giving Deku permission to become his own hero with his own style. AM takes initiative to teach Deku Air Force, and really guides Deku through the use of the power until Deku becomes proficient. AM also gets actively involved in coaching other students (not as much as he should, but it’s something). AM will similarly counsel Endeavor later, saying Endeavor has to walk his own path and answer for himself why he has his power. AM is building new relationships, new skills, and forming an identity outside of punching things!

Of course, we still see signs AM is a work in progress. Staying up too late at night to do research on prior OFA users for Deku. Diving to protect a woman from a falling streetlight (saved only by a fast-acting Bakugo). At the same time, we see that Deku is coming into his own with his 1A friends. And Deku is no longer looking back to AM for approval (both literally when jumping away and figuratively as part of Deku’s decision-making processes). AM seems both proud and sad, as is natural when a parental figure watches their child become independent.

Fast forward to 309, and a powerless AM leaves all the growth behind to help Deku, Endeavor, Jeanist, and Hawks find the LOV. On the good side, AM isn’t keeping secrets anymore (arguably, telling Jeanist and Hawks about OFA should have involved a consultation with Deku, but okay). Moreover, AM isn’t useless in this fight; he can provide financing, emotional support, police connections, UA connections, and Oracle/guy-in-a-chair backup to the active heroes. But what will this change tell us about AM? Can he ever really get comfortable with this role or is he there just out of duty? Can he actually deliver some hard truths to Deku about AM’s own experience if/when Deku stretches himself too thin? Is this new role respected by the other heroes? If not, will he be tempted to return to battle to be “valuable”? To give his life for Deku so he can claim one last “win” by saving? Or give his life for Deku because he actually loves him and has something personal to fight for? All of these questions bear on where an older, powerless person — that is, an outcast — fits into society and how a lifelong loner can find their role within a group. (Boy, this sounds like a familiar BnHA theme!)

I feel like, if AM dies just to become a vestige, all of these deeper questions are unexplored and we’re just copying Star Wars plot points without any added meaning. I’m not satisfied AT ALL with AM living rent free in Deku’s head and robbing others of his wisdom/experience (which he was just starting to share!!!). Likewise, if AM dies as a plot device so Deku can stand as a hero on his own, or tap into his inner rage or whatever, well, that’s also copied from Star Wars — and it seems to counter what we’re starting to see with Deku calling his own shots and AM supporting. Unlike Torino and AM, who don’t talk for years, I want to see Deku be his own hero AND have his mentor in his life. I want BnHA to keep resisting the absent adult trope, because it’s entirely possible (and realistic!) for grownups to be their own people while having mentors and parental figures in their life. It’s an adjustment for a parental figure to watch their teen become an adult, but it doesn’t mean the parental figure just ghosts and ceases to matter as an influence.

Similarly, if AM turns to sacrifice, it will turn AM’s life story into a cautionary tale with no growth. How can a story about saving people who have done bad things have a good guy succumb to his worst instinct, with nobody to save him? How can AM’s life lesson be “make friends now and learn to give and take in a relationship, otherwise you’ll get too old and it’ll be too late and when you aren’t powerful you’ll have to take a hit to have value”? Even if his sacrifice ultimately allows Deku to win against AFO it feels hollow against the larger narrative. Unlike pre-war Bakugo, we already know AM will self-destruct for others. AM wanting to take on the world alone and die “heroically” is the PROBLEM that drives his pre-Kamino failures, not the solution. And if AM can’t escape this and become comfortable in society post-retirement, who can???

I’m worried we are going to see AM’s growth cut short while Endeavor, Hawks, and the LOV get a shot at redemption, which feels problematic. Of course life isn’t fair, and not everyone gets to have a second act, but it feels wrong for the BNHA narrative to punish someone who is trying (and who wants to help Deku save the villains). Maybe you can argue it’s AM’s fault that the hero society became corrupt, so it’s a cosmic balance for him to die watching it fall. Or maybe the other heroes will realize AM needs their help too (not just Deku) and keep him safe. (Maybe Endeavor will save him in a parallel to Bakugo and Deku.) Much is TBD, but chapters 306-309 make me worry.

[eujazmine]

all gifs from christianscody !

JAZMINE HARPER - TV TROPES

manipulative bastard

The Manipulative Bastard is the master manipulator of people, in essence, a character who manipulates others through their emotions, perspectives, psychologies and any other way they can get them dancing to their tune. This is the guy or gal who gets off on playing head/mind games—clever and dangerous and lacking comedic overtones (usually). She always has a plan ready, but rather than do any work, the Manipulative Bastard prefers to play on other characters' emotions and mental states and then watch the victims destroy themselves as they waste their energy on fighting against fake dangers or their friends.

are we surprised? with a lack of loyalty to others, including her own family, jazmine will gladly step on others and use their weaknesses to her advantage to get what she wants. she’s been a manipulative bastard since she was a child, ever since she first discovered how much her mist control could control the perceptions of others. observant and resourceful, jazmine has no qualms using her talents to gain unauthorized information about others and using it for her personal gain. she views people as her pawns, and her selfish way of thinking gives her little guilt about physically or mentally forcing others into submission. this is a trait she’s picked up from her own father, which we will delve into in the next trope.

daddy’s little villain

mention of emotional abuse tw

She's the daughter of an Evil Overlord, who shares her parent's ambition, cunning, and cruelty. She could be anything from a simple Spoiled Brat to an Overlord in waiting. She's also likely to be a Princess (since even villainy is improved with that), although she will still prefer wearing black or dark colors over pink. 

jazmine’s mortal father can largely be thanked for the way she is now. from as young as she can remember, he was training jazmine to be a powerful force in both the demigod and mortal world. while he raised her to think she could accomplish anything she worked toward, she was mostly a pawn to satisfy his thirst for power. he didn’t care much for her as a daughter; mostly for what she could do for him. she started to recognize this during her formative middle school years, consequently turning her childhood role model into her worst enemy. when she started rebelling against him and acting out, he sent her away full-time to a camp on the other side of the globe. since then, the issues only progressed, eventually leading to a falling out in which she hasn’t seen or spoken to her mortal family in many years. 

this upbringing has fueled her desire to constantly be the best in her fields of expertise, which is partly why she quested for years in hopes of some type of recognition. with the heavily hidden hope that she could one day rub in his face that she had succeeded without him, all her life she has fought to try to ‘prove her worth’ to others despite being the daughter of a minor goddess (or titan). because her father only loved what she could do for him, she places everyone in two categories: the puppets, and the puppeteers. 

and she will never be the puppet again.

broken ace

He's tall, charming, strikingly good-looking, well-spoken in five languages, and classically trained in even more instruments. But inside, he's an ugly, writhing mass of self-hatred and Parental Issues. Expect him to have at least one bizarre trait or ability that should not be overlooked, as well as an unhealthy attitude about love, life, and humanity in general. He most likely doesn't have anyone that loves or respects him for what he really is. This may be justified. This character is usually male, but not always. Also, he may just be a perfectionist crumbling under his own standards. The chief difference between the Broken Ace and the usually female Stepford Smiler is that the Stepford Smiler wants to appear normal at all costs, often to the point of hurting herself emotionally (or because she's sociopathic). This guy has the same setup, but is more talented and wants to be the best, loved by all, and accepted.

although the timeline wasn’t as accelerated as she had hoped when she was a child, jazmine was making waves in the world of deities before her last quest against zeus had occurred. now, as a semi-retired quester, she is captain of the football team and starting to make a name for herself in the mortal fields of business and sports. despite the air of nonchalant superiority that she constantly tries to present, she is in a constant state of despair. right when she starts to undergo some development in her relationships with others, they leave, and she is constantly failing her own impossibly high standards. she’s crumbling, and at any point she is ready to run away again.

ice queen

Much like a Tomboy, the Ice Queen is a major character archetype which is somewhat hard to define. Her signature characteristic is that she is cold; the ambiguity comes from what "cold" means. She has a cold heart, a frosty demeanor and very often a resting bitch face; she attracts but will never be wooed. The Ice Queen is considered dangerous to love because she will not (or cannot) love back. She's not much for friendship either, preferring to be alone. Situations where an Ice Queen "thaws" and learns to enjoy the company of others are so common that they have their own trope.

she’s cold and takes no shit. she holds people at a distance, even those that could potentially be considered friends. she doesn’t believe in unconditional love, and she believes that most affection direct toward her is generally a ruse to get her guard down. she’s unnecessarily rude to others, almost relishing in the negative reactions at times, but to her, she’s just keeping it real.

the trickster

A trickster is a character who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. The Trickster openly questions and mocks authority, encourages impulse and enthusiasm, seeks out new ideas and experiences, destroys convention and complacency, and promotes chaos and unrest. At the same time, the trickster brings new knowledge, wisdom and many An Aesop. Even when punished horribly for his effrontery, his indomitable spirit (or plain sheer foolishness) keeps him coming back for more. Tricksters can be anything from gods of chaos, bedeviling heroes for a few laughs, to master manipulators who use cruel ploys and sadistic choices. They can also be heroes (or more likely Anti-Heroes) who make up for a lack of strength or bravery with manipulation, planning, or just plain cheating. The trickster is often a Master of Disguise and may have magical or super-powers. They're often found Walking the Earth.

although this description was much more relevant when she was younger, jazmine has a penchant for drama and chaos. she genuinely has fun engaging in pranks and tricks, and she gladly lifts a symbolic middle finger to authority in any chance that she gets. in middle school, she was nearly expelled from a mortal school because of all her tricks, and she spent a sizable portion of her adult years before eonia traveling and engaging in casual mayhem. when she isn’t getting revenge or fulfilling a paid request, she generally has fun toying with others.

deadpan snarker

A character prone to gnomic, sarcastic, sometimes bitter, occasionally whimsical asides. The Deadpan Snarker exists to deflate pomposity, point out the unlikelihood of certain plans, and deliver funny lines. Typically the most cynical supporting character. In most cases, it is implied that the snarker would make a good leader, strategist, or consultant given their ability to instantly see the flaws in a constructed plan. More often than not, their innate snarkiness is the only thing preventing the other characters from comprehending this for themselves. In other cases, the Deadpan Snarker resorts to sarcasm because they're the Only Sane Man. Tends to be shot a Death Glare when they go too far (and probably isn't without one of their own, either). Note that due to the definition evolving, the "Deadpan" part of the title has gradually become The Artifact and a deadpan delivery is no longer a necessary part of the trope.

jazmine is no stranger to delivering biting remarks coupled with foul language. she’s quick to point out flaws, opting for the brutally honest approach more times than not. she’s aware that her language can hurt others, but she finds it easier to escape the frivolities and get to the point. depending on the person, she exaggerates this trope by trying to draw out a bad response from them, mostly for her own entertainment. people already view her as heinous, so why not embrace the reputation, right?

survivor guilt

death mention tw

You might be the Last Of Your Kind or someone else made a Heroic Sacrifice for you or you lived through a Restricted Rescue Operation, but whatever the reason, you're going to feel a massive sense of guilt. 

although the quest with adelphie and celeste was technically a success, with the trident successfully being returned back to poseidon, the team had faced major losses. adelphie had lost her life, and celeste had suffered debilitating injuries. physically, jazmine suffered the least, and it’s a guilt that she continues to carry.

aloof big sister

to the majority of the hecate family, especially @rostameu

He's smarter, stronger, faster, more talented, and more refined than the hero, and — just to add insult to injury — he's probably sexier, too. His only problem seems to be moving his face out of that expression of bored, dignified disdain. And he just happens to be the elder brother of one of the main cast, which often gives them a raging inferiority complex. Will most likely double as the Ineffectual Loner and Noble Demon, thereby running the risk of becoming an Ensemble Darkhorse. May or may not be evil, strictly speaking, but is almost guaranteed to fight against the protagonists at one point, and spout off Cryptic Conversation to prove how much better informed he is. May or may not be a Stealth Mentor and/or consider his younger siblings annoying. Often an integral part of a mysterious organisation, and may be the Enigmatic Minion or even a Hero Antagonist in that case.

OKAY, so the running joke with jazmine is that she dislikes her siblings, which is very true tbh. i’m not going to speak for rostam and say most of that stuff actually applies, but jazmine is very cold toward her younger brother and views herself as much better in every way. with loner tendencies, disdain toward her brother, and shady side hustles, she matches this trope very well, and it was only fitting to add a trope about disliking siblings to jazmine’s task. and yes, she’s technically one of the youngest right now but hush.

[amethyst-dreams-and-candy-canes]

Remember

Written for @youngmoneymilla 15K challenge. My score was Capser's Lullaby by James Horner. I listened to this song on repeat while writing this and man I’m so sad now. Not to mention for whatever reason they’ve been playing Casper now and as an adult, I’m seeing just how depressing that movie actually is. I also combined some elements from Remember Me This Way also by James Horner. 

Warnings: Angst, some alcohol consumption, unrequited love?

Words: 1,598

Part 2

The mission was supposed to be a simple in and out. Save the hostages and get out without being seen. The intel had been damn near perfect, down to the very leaves that sat high on the trees that provided your cover. So what happened? How’d it all go wrong? HYDRA had found him, your Bucky, and had taken right from under your nose when you went to search another area. You combed the entire strong hold before Natasha had to drag you away because everyone’s cover had been blown.  

"He needs me! I have to help him." You had cried to her as she and Tony loaded you onto the quinjet. Wanda had promised to help you search for him as you sobbed into Natasha's chest, her hands rubbing circles in the center of your back. You’d burn down entire cities just to have the love of your life back. Fury suggested that you sit the search and rescue of Bucky out because you were too close, would be too emotional. You wanted to argue with him, defend yourself, but every time you thought of what they may be doing to him, you got sick to your stomach. 

“We found him.” Steve’s voice broke the silence over the coms a week after and your heart nearly stopped at the words. He was found but in what condition? What did they do to him? What was the extent of his injuries? Pushing past Tony, you hurried to the helipad and anxiously awaited their arrival. The roar of the jets sent your nerves into a tisy as it landed and it took every fiber in your body not to run towards the too slow opening doors. There he stood looking perfectly healthy save for a few bruises. Hope surged through you as you assumed everything was ok. You released the breath you were holding and allowed yourself to smile for the first time in days. As he and Steve made their way off the jet and towards the small crowd, you ran up to Bucky and wrapped your arms around his waist. 

“Bucky I’m so glad you’re back! I’ve missed you.” tears pricked your eyes as you hugged him with all your strength. You were so caught up in your own emotions that you didn’t notice your hug not being reciprocated. He shifted under your hold and placed his metal arm at the back of your neck. As you went to nuzzle into him, his grip tightened as he pulled you away from him. You yelped in both pain and surprise as your eyes searched his for an answer. Indifference eyes met yours and your hope plummeted. This was not your Bucky. He looked like him physically with the long brunette hair and large build. He even had the same eyes; electric blue that could cause your heart to melt. But now those eyes were cold and emotionally void. With a grunt he released you and pushed past you into the compound. Stunned, you watched him walk away. Clint’s hand on your shoulder shook you from your daze and you looked to him as the tears began to roll down your face. 

“HYDRA wiped him clean. He doesn’t remember much.” Clint paused as you sniffled and wiped your nose with the back of your hand. “He doesn’t remember you.”

After that day, you made it your goal to help him remember. He had been doing so well before and now you had to start at square one. Per his request and the advisement of Steve, Bucky didn’t return to your room. Steve found it too dangerous considering Bucky’s mental state and feared that he might attack you. Your heart sank as Bucky’s things left your room but you told yourself it was only temporary. Everything will be back to normal. Wouldn’t it?

You had created index cards with a few of the memories you shared. Sticky notes littered the compound of little things you found important enough for him to remember. Steve and Sam even took Bucky to the museum to learn about himself in the historical context. After a month or so of this, he began to remember some things: The guys in his battalion, the perfume his sisters used to wear, the weird way Thor ate apples. But even with all his progress, he still could not recall your relationship with him. When you questioned him about it, he shook his head and walked past you. The pain shot through your chest but you were determined to help him. 

“Knock it off already.” the words rang in your ear as Bucky snatched his hand from yours. You made an attempt to hold it during a briefing which wasn’t out of the norm but for this Bucky it was. You muttered an apology and turned your attention back to Fury who no doubt seen what happened but didn’t draw attention. You swallowed the lump in your throat as you retreated into your mind. Maybe this was your new normal. You’d back off and give him more time. This was only temporary and he’d be back in your arms once more. 

“Don’t you think it’s time to move on? He has.” you laughed bitterly as you ignored the concerned gaze of Wanda. She was right. It had been several months and while Bucky’s memory was improving more and more, him remembering your relationship wasn’t one of them. You had hoped, prayed even, that he would return to you but the fates just wouldn’t allow it. Like a cruel joke, he found solace in Sharon Carter. You wanted to be jealous, be angry. Wanted to shout or scream or something. But instead you felt the crushing weight of reality. This was no longer your Bucky. He was hers now and it hurt. All the plans and dreams you made with him were shattered.

“Thanks for all your help. You’re a good friend.” the words twist your heart and you have to quickly swallow the bile that rises in your throat. You had been asked to accompany Sharon and Sam on a mission in Serbia and elected to be the one to complete the mission report. Bucky and Wanda had met you all on the landing pad, his smile wide. Wanda had made her way over to you and Sam while Bucky embraced Sharon with a smoldering kiss. You tried not to look as a huff passed through your nose. So lost in your thoughts, you didn’t hear Bucky mutter the words that made you lightheaded. He gave you a small salute as he wrapped his arm around Sharon’s shoulders and pulled her beside him. You plastered a fake smile as the two began to walk away. With a sigh, you hung your head in defeat. Maybe Wanda was right. It was time to move on. 

The snow fell softly as your tears did the same. The booming bass from the speakers from the party inside moved through your body and sent vibrations through you. The bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon sat mockingly on the rail next to you, as if to remind you how how hard you tried to drown your sorrow. You had willed yourself to get over it, get over him, but as soon as you think you’re over it something else comes up; something like their current engagement party. When they broke the news to the team, you smiled as if there wasn’t a maelstrom brewing within. You tutted and flung the bottle over the railing and watched it shatter on the grass below. 

“That wasn’t very nice.” 

You whirled around to see Bucky standing behind you, his hair pulled into a messy bun. He took a tentative step forward and you had half the thought to jump over the rail and join the glass below. When you didn’t respond, he sighed and looked down shifting from one foot to the other. Unease was written all in his body language. The silence stretched for a long time before he cleared his throat. He went to speak but you cut him off.

“I loved you. I always will.” his brows furrowed but you held your hand up. “Thank you for coming to check on me. I’m fine. Now go. Go enjoy yourself, Barnes.” you smiled as he still regarded you. 

“I’m so sorry. I really don’t remember,” he motioned between the two of you before placing his hands in his pockets. “Us.”

You turned your back to him and looked to the sky as the snow continued to fall. A large flake landed on your lips and you sighed. “It’s ok Bucky. Really and truly.”

You didn’t hear him move as suddenly he embraced you from behind. His arms wrapped around your stomach as he nuzzled his nose into your neck. You rested your head on his and allowed him to hold you. It felt right, like home. But it wasn’t home, it was a lie you had been telling yourself since his return. And you had come to terms with it. You had to.    

“Thank you.” he whispered as he released you. You smiled at him over your shoulder and watched him retreat back to the party. Sighing you turned your head to the sky again and made a wish. A wish that life would be kinder to him because after all he’d been through, he deserved it. A wish that this life would bring him joy and love. With one last look at the falling snow, you vowed to make the wish come true. At all costs.  

Tagging: @youngmoneymilla @plussizeappreciationfics @golden-ariess @avintagekiss24 @letsby

[illidanstr]

these are my latest thoughts on nootropics, my own progression, and applicability 

some people are lucky enough to need like, five hours of sleep and can then work all day.  others only have five hours really awake and functional.

depression does a lot to take you from the 1st to the 2nd.  anxiety does a lot to reduce the effectiveness of the time you do have.  

I don’t think there is any one formula for maximizing function.  It depends too much on where in life you are now mentally and physically, and your biology, and how that biology reacts to things.  

I do think that there is a general place it is really healthy to be for many people.  ~8 hours (depending on biology) of the best deep sleep possible, intermittent fasting (say no eating between 6 PM and 8 AM), regular exercise - both lots of movement during the day, and several bits of weightlifting and cardio through the week, a diet lower in processed foods, inflammatory foods, and higher in the veggies and nuts and fish and all that, and, if you want any energy at all, enough calories.

But I think of these - the general concept, not necessarily exactly this particular list which may well be imperfect for everyone totally and for others individually - as a goal to aim for. They often involve a lot of work before they start really paying off.  They’re an investment which builds your future capacity.  

When I started nootropics, everything was bad.  I had depression.  I had bad anxiety.  I had low energy during the day.  I had bad sleep.  I had trouble focusing.  I went on the Russian peptides N-Acetyl-Semax-Amidate and N-Acetyl-Selank, the slow-release version of the anti-depressant tianeptine, and the stimulant modafinil.  this changed my life.  suddenly I no longer wanted to die, I had far more energy than ever before, less anxiety, I was happier, I had far less pain, I could concentrate and focus better.  everything went way up.  

these all had downsides, as I later found.  tianeptine made me a little bit dulled - not quite as capable as me at my prime without it.  modafinil left me single-minded and messed with my sleep.  So did the peptides Semax and Selank.  Even without modafinil, I was always charged up, wired, thin, and I could never truly fully relax.  I woke up in the morning shooting out of bed on six or seven hours of sleep.  I could be physically and mentally exhausted and my brain would not stop racing.  I was more irritable and calculated, less able to lean into other people.  and I could tell from the bags under my eyes that my body needed more than seven hours of thin sleep even if I could get more done during the day than ever before.

but I was so dysfunctional before I went on them that their downsides were invisible because I was doing worse in every way without them.  now, I am on:

- a sleep support stack 

- 100mg caffeine w/ tyrosine in the morning 

- rhodiola as a minor stimulant, ginseng, a workout stack including cordyceps, ashwaghanda, and bromantane 

and “alcohol defense” if I drink.

I was able to improve my sleep vastly when I went off peptides - semax and selank - and be in less pain, because I’m less frenetically hyped - at the severe cost of productivity.  while they had been much less painful than being depressed, when not depressed, it was even better to be able to relax and really sleep.  When the “Sleep Support” stack came out, I improved my sleep further.  I’ve been working to restore productivity, the feeling of inspiration, since then.  It turns out that too much of a workout stack can make me sleepy, so can not eating enough before going to the gym but eating a big meal afterward.  all of these tiny, tiny levers which in the past wouldn’t have even budged anything are now meaningful drivers of my biology.  

where i’m going with this is that it has been a process of figuring out what I can do to adjust one thing which leads to being able to adjust another thing endlessly with backtracking and “what the fuck went wrong” and “how the fuck does any of it work” and most importantly figuring out how to leverage everything i have at my disposal to get myself to do things that will lead to a better state in the future.  what do i believe about myself and reality, outside stressors, social support, whether I think I’m succeeding or not, and numerous other variables all play a key role.  I vary rhodiola based on how excited I think I will be that day so that I don’t overstim or understim.  it turns out that excitement produces a lot of drugs.  

[positivlyfocused]

^^Photo: Matt Collamer on Unsplash

Every Person Deserves To Be Rich If They Want That

It's a common belief, especially among Americans, that people who don't work, deserve to be broke. People on government subsistence programs are especially judged.

Usually American conservatives are judging. They say such people are "lazy drains on society".

In a sense, they are right. Such people aren't paying attention to the belief constellations they're building around themselves, which creates the reality they have.

But there's another reason too. One the rest of us can do something about.

One reason such programs are necessary is because civilization makes such programs necessary. A civilization is possible where such programs aren't necessary. Such a civilization could enrich everyone, no matter what they're doing. And, said enrichment doesn't have to cost anyone anything.

That last part is important. I'll revisit that later. In short, our beliefs create our reality. Everything is possible. But not if you don't believe everything is possible. And a lot of us don't believe everything is possible. But it is.

I get to talk with many conservatives. I've learned a lot. Their criticism against such ideas as "we can have a civilization where everyone is rich, no matter what they do" feels valid to them. They call such beliefs "unrealistic progressive utopian fantasies”. They call their believers “socialists”, “libtards” or worse. I've found there are a couple reasons for this.

One, they worry such ideas could wreck what we currently have. It's a "don't break what's working" mentality. Or, a "move slow so you don't break what's working" mindset.

That's legit. Throwing out what's working isn't smart. Don't quit your day job, right? Especially if you believe a day job is the only way to consistent income. It's not the only way. But it is the only way if you believe that.

The "unknown unknowns", as Donald Rumsfeld once called them, that conservatives worry about keep them from entertaining ideas progressives believe are needed. Given unforeseeable negative future consequences, these new ideas aren’t worth considering, they say.

Looking at some alternatives offered, I get that concern. But they're not all bad.

But there's a bigger reason conservatives push back against progressive ideas. Whether it's my idea or Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's Green New Deal, conservatives believe they're unnecessary. And so not worth paying for. Especially (and this is critical) if they have to do the paying.

^^Mitch McConnell. He’s not evil. He just doesn’t think America needs progressive improvement. And, he doesn't want to pay for it if it does. (Photo: U.S. Government)

So their legit concerns over practical matters spills over into a distorted selfishness. Their caution becomes an argument for keeping things the same. And their wallets full.

It's not these people's fault. Their belief constellations say the world's working for everyone. Those it's not working for? That's their fault. Why change it? Meanwhile others say it's not working.  These folks want to change it.

Who's right?

Both are. The world is working for everyone. And, the world can always be improved.

For sure, it's unfair to say all conservatives feel the world is fine. It IS fair to say though that some progressives believe the world is fine. Particularly rich ones.  And some conservatives believe that too.

Beliefs Determine Our Civilization

I know human civilization reflects our collective belief constellations. Our collective belief constellations create what we call society. Which is why I know changing infrastructures and institutionsoften compounds problems rather than fixing them.

Infrastructure - government, laws, etc., I've learned are ideas made manifest. Ideas are beliefs prepared to be shared. I can't change a physical structure in my personal life and expect real change while ignoring beliefs I have underlying said structure.

For example, if I'm trying to change my financial status through action, I may become monetarily successful. But if my beliefs about finances and money still reflect lack, then it's likely whatever success and money I have realized will go away. Real change happens at the ideological level, i.e. one's beliefs.

Our collective mindset is humanity's biggest impediment. It shapes our civilization, which in turn, reinforces everyone's opinion. That's because humans like looking at the world as it is, then form an opinion of what they see. That opinion collects about it similar opinions, becoming a constellation of opinions or beliefs. Eventually that collection of beliefs is reflected into the world they're looking at.

^^An excerpt from an email I received from Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang emphasizing what you just read.

They could form an opinion first, then watch as civilization shapes to that. That is what visionaries do. It's what everyone who changes the world does.

Everyone else constrains their opinion to what they see. The more what they see negatively effects their wallet, the more intense their opinion. Their opposition too.

Which is why some conservatives, but not all, express crazy-sounding views about their fellow humans. They are crazy views. Unless you agree with them.

For example, a conservative I was talking with recently compared certain people to drone bees. He said, like drones, people on subsistence programs, or otherwise not "pulling their weight" are worthless drains on productive people. Productive people meaning, like himself:

“Drones, whether bees or other creatures, produce nothing of value. Well, that’s not entirely true - one male bee may get lucky and impregnate the queen of the next new colony. But even that contribution to production is indirect; the male doesn’t produce honey, the females do”.

Distortions fill this opinion/belief. It also shows how such distortions become people's truths. Even though they're distortions.

It is inaccurate, for example, to suppose drones “produce nothing of value”. Or even limited value. If that were the case, drones wouldn’t exist.

^^A beautiful drone brimming with value (By Epgui - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, File:Drone bee (32-image macro stack).jpg)

Drones do exist. Which means they have intrinsic value. Nothing that exists is value-less. If it were, it wouldn't exist. After all, every thing is All That Is. Would All That Is waste its energy creating something of no value?

Of course not.

People sometimes look to science for understanding. But science is mostly wrong about what it knows. I'm not a science denier. I understand science. Possibly more than most lay people.

Science has some things right. But what it gets right is minuscule compared to total knowledge. It’s also small compared to what it thinks it knows as right. In other words, some things science thinks it knows right aren't. And a lot of what it could know, that could be helpful, is not interesting to science:

^^Most of what science knows (blue circle + yellow circle) is wrong. Only a small part of what it knows (yellow circle) is accurate. Critical information about the Universe is uninteresting to science. That’s why much of what it thinks it knows is right is wrong.

Science has proven this over and over. It's amazing to me people get angry when I say this, when it's so obvious.

For example, science at one time "proved" blacks were inferior to whites. It "proved" homosexuals were mentally ill*. It claimed many different species as extinct that aren't. Finally, science largely does not understand the role drone bees play. At least in this case science admits what it doesn't know.

I'm not saying science is worthless. It has value. It exists :-).  But let's not let it alone dictate opinion. For it is often wrong. More often than it is right.

Life’s plenty looks wasteful/valueless. So many drone bees. All those seeds a single tree produces with only a few becoming trees. All those leaves falling to the ground each fall. Leaves humans have to rake up.

…But every seed, every tree, every leaf is purposeful and valuable INTRINSICALLY.

Humans are too.

Human Beings Are “Value” Made Material

Here's what that means, dear reader. Even though you or science may not yet believe it. That human you’re looking at, then claiming has no value, is value in and of itself. It doesn’t “have” value. It “IS” value.

If it wasn’t, the human wouldn’t be.

Which brings us to this post's headline.

As with drone bees, leaves or any other physical reality, humans you believe are worthless are immense value. You just don’t recognize, understand or want to acknowledge it. That’s ok. You don’t have to.

Your beliefs are your truth. They aren't The Truth. And, you can change what you believe.

We also can change civilization. So everyone gets what they want, without it costing you anything.

That last part's worth repeating. That person you think is worthless, whether progressive, conservative, lazy or not, can get everything they want. They can enjoy wealth. Without doing what you think they must to get it.

That can't happen in today's society. That's because it's based on beliefs that aren't true. Well they are, but only in our current version of civilization.

Outside that they're completely and utterly false.

The only thing slowing down progress is this: people's persistent belief that this civilization is the only one worth having.

You may think that. But there are far more people who believe different.

And those people are winning. Which is why you see so much churn today. We can have less churn as we progress. But alas, humans love drama.

Progress is going to happen whether you want it to or not. The question is, how will you relate to it? Will you go kicking and screaming, reviling your fellow human along the way?

Or are you going to enjoy the process? Maybe even get positively focused?

Your beliefs shape your response. Another question: do you realize that?

And if you do, what are you going to do about it?

*For those who argue psychology is not a science

[fear-the-0ld-bl00d]

hello! i was curious, if you feel comfortable discussing it, what does it mean to be a luciferian? i’m not familiar with that term, i’m assuming it’s a religion, but i was just curious what luciferians believe :)

Oh my, this is going to be a long reply but I hope that it will help.

Okay, first of all, I guess I can’t say much about theistic luciferianism from the practical side because of one simple reason - it’s not something I practice. I’m an atheist who finds luciferian philosophy as empowering and simply right, the reasons I will explain later. Just as there is theistic satanism (aka worshippers of devil) and atheistic satanism (good example may be the Church of Satan), there are theistic and atheistic luciferians.

By my understanding, theistic luciferians do believe in God but they find him as the bad guy. From luciferian point of view, he’s a tyrant, a despot. He’s a liar (Eve was told she would die if she had eaten the fruit from the tree of knowledge, which was not true), he’s selfish (guy basically made humans because he wanted someone to worship him and angels weren’t enough), he’s sadistic and cynical for his believers (remember what happened to Hiob?), he destroys everyone who dares to not believe in him or oppose his morality (many stories from the Bible, such as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah). He tries to defend himself with this whole free will nonsense but at the same time he claims that there’s a special place where everyone who don’t believe in him or does something he doesn’t approve will suffer forever. Simplifing, this is how we, the luciferians, interpret the figure of God.

On the other hand, there’s Lucifer, literally the bearer of the light. He’s the fallen angel who opposed the tyrany of God. He didn’t want to fulfill God’s irrational will and decided to no longer serve him. Because of that, he was banished from the Heaven. He’s the very first rebel against God. While God is seen as a despot, Lucifer is a warrior for our free will. Also, Lucifer is the one who made Eve eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. In other words, he is the one who gave us the knowledge and the ability of critical thinking which is essential in analyzing reality and making rational choices (so he gave us the enlightenment). The fact that this one thing made God mad enough to banish humanity from Eden is another evidence of God’s despotic nature.

So as you can see, in luciferian philosophy Lucifer is the good guy who helped humanity to evolve mentally. Being inspired by Lucifer is to seek knowledge and truth, and to rebel against foolish will of authorities. It may be social constructs, it may be government - just think critically and decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, I can’t say much about theistic luciferianism but I’ve seen that many of these people also practice magic. It’s a kind of occult religion, I guess.

End of the most informative part, let’s get to my personal story related to luciferianism.

So here’s my point of viewl. I’m from country where like 85% of people (and there are over 38 millions of us) claims to be Catholics. I would say that the Catholic Church has a huge impact on politics and general life there especially since a conservative party won last election. One of the things I guess are pretty rare in other countries is the fact that there’s a special lesson of catholicism in school and it’s financed from the government budget (so well basically everyone’s taxes). It’s not compulsory but the sole existence of this subject tells a lot about my country I guess (other religions such as islam don’t have such a lesson in our schools). I liked it in middle school because I had had a nice teacher and we learned mostly about the culture and symbolism of specific scenes and events in the Bible then but when I went to high school I escaped this shit after idk month I guess. The priest showed my class a lecture about ‘exorcisms’ which wasn’t about exorcisms at all - but it surely was about spreading hatred against other religions, other sexual orientations, the victims of rape(!) and women who had abortion (the lecturer literally told something about their wombs being haunted and ghosts of the ‘killed children’ possessing another children of these women). And it’s something common in the Catholic Church there.

But it’s just one of many examples of absurds related to the Catholic Church. A Catholic organisation, Ordo Iuris, tried to reduce already limited abortion laws there. Right now, our women can have abortion only in 3 cases: the pregnancy being caused by prohibited action (such as rape or incest), the pregnancy being a serious threat of women’s life or if there’s a suspicion of a serious defect of fetus (such as Down syndrome or toxoplasmosis). The Ordo Iuris wanted to deprive women of the second option, forcing them to give birth at cost of own life. Aaaand the Catholic Church there obviously approved. Fortunately, because of huge and loud protests it hadn’t enter into force.

Something like half a year ago there was finally a sentence in case of a young girl being several times raped by a priest. She had been held in his mother’s apartment, raped and tortured for long time. As an adult, she’s in ruin now, had had several suicide attempts and will never know the peace. He ruined her. And the judge decided that his order should pay her a huge (about 259700 $) reparation. Well, it pissed Catholics off. Many people attacked her on social platforms and it hadn’t even been regular citizens. Even politicians and important journalist mocked her saying things like ‘even whores don’t get so much money’. She tried to kill herself again. She still lives and I hope that she’s better now. This is the Catholic love of neighbor there.

Saying about recent scandals, during Lent, one of parish in Gdańsk decided to make an event for children. They had to bring things related with other religions or occultism in their homes and then... Burn it outside the church. Like, what the heck??? Among burned things were books like Harry Potter but also a traditional African mask. The Church there literally burns things related to other religions or cultures. Also, few days ago there was a huge scandal because of Burning of Judas in one town. It’s a kind of an old folk ritual and there wouldn’t be anything special about that if... their Judas wasn’t designed after the stereotypes about Jews. It had huge nose, payots, and a big wide-brimmed hat. People beat it (encouraging children to do the same), then cut off it’s head and burned the doll at the stake. And that day was an anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Do I have to say more?

As you can see, because of many reasons I guess I have a right to be angry and see this institution there as a bunch of dangerous fools. I don’t have anything against Catholics in general and I mourned the victims of Sri Lanka, but the very institution is just toxic for the society. In my opinion and regarding history, the Catholic Church had always been against people and progress, both cultural and scientific. Because of that, I do and I will oppose them and their tyranny, just like Lucifer once did. He’s my role model and encourages me both to rebel against injustice in society and to improve myself as a person and a scholar.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk *drops the microphone*

[anthropologist-on-the-loose]

Some Issues with Johann Hari's Article

When I opened up my news feed this morning and saw an article in the Guardian about depression, I was excited and intrigued. As someone who has major depressive disorder, as a medical student planning on going into the mental health field, and as a clinician, I was hopeful that I would learn about some new therapy, some new resource or insight I could gain or offer to others. Instead I was met with the self-promoting, sensationalized ramblings of disgraced journalist who is dangerously promoting polarizing views of depression, treatment, patients, and the medical community as a whole.

As you can probably already tell, I found Hari’s recent works offensive - on many levels. From the perspective of a medical student, Hari’s “novel” insights were incredibly disappointing. Our social and physical environment has an effect on our mental health? Shocking! Hari presents this insight as if this is some sort of fringe, radical idea rather than the well accepted theory upon which a good portion of treatment for depression is based on today. The biopsychosocial model has been a standard of treatment and teaching in the medical field for decades. Any decent professional acknowledges that this is one of the major complicating factors in treating patients who have major depressive disorder or a major depressive episode. While pills are incredibly easy to prescribe, it is much much harder to control what happens outside the clinic, which is often the major influencing factor in a person’s mental health. Physicians know this, and there is a growing portion of the medical community that places a priority on dealing with the psychosocial part of the biopsychosocial model of medicine. Hence the swelling of interest, over the past decade or so, in the medical community around community involvement and building resilience.

Furthermore, Hari’s comment that the medical community only offers “one option” for treatment of depression is spurious at best. Pharmaceutical intervention may play a role in an individual’s prescribed treatment, but nowhere does it say that it should be the only or even the major portion of the treatment. Ideally, a treatment regimen is a complex combination of multiple different resources, from pyschodynamic or talk therapy to mindfulness activities, and yes, medication. Ideally, treatment regimens should be deeply personal and individualized, decided on by negotiation between the physicians recommendations and the patient’s desires. Of course this is an idealized model and this doesn’t always happen for a multitude of reasons*, but to claim that that patients are offered only one option for therapy (pill-way or the highway?) is a gross misrepresentation.

Hari’s article was also triggering on a personal level. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder about a year ago, but likely had it from childhood having grown up in a deeply toxic household. When, finally, as an autonomous adult, I started to seek treatment, no one pushed me towards medications. My therapist and my psychiatrist didn’t even mention medication until I myself had reached a point where I felt that life was untenable. At that point, I was willing to try anything. Anything - just so I could get out of bed in the morning and do my school work and pass my exams. Medication was offered to me then and I was hesitant, but I tried it and transformed my life. I am not saying taking antidepressants “cured” me - they didn’t. But they did lift the fog a little to the point that I could do talk therapy and actually have it make an impact. I spent the whole of my childhood in and out of psychologists’ offices, like a revolving door and it made little to no impact on my mental health. In comparison, the strides I have made in the last year with the help of antidepressants have changed my life. I feel like I have a future and even when it feels like the world is in flames around me, I feel I can walk through the fire and survive. It’s not all because of the pills, but they certainly helped kick start my progress.

But from the first day that I started taking antidepressants, there were always people around me who were trying to get me to go off them, despite the improvement they saw in me. Always the constant question and nudge - Can’t you cope without them? Maybe learn new coping strategies? Have you tried yoga? Turmeric? Meditation?

Yes, yes, and yes. I have lived with this problem for 20 years. I coped with my depression for 20 years and never really lived because of it. I am not trying to say that just because antidepressants worked for me, that everyone should use them. But I am worried that my experience of people trying to take away the things that do help me is not unique and the pressure put on vulnerable people seeking treatment to just power through without help (whether pharmaceutical or therapeutic) will turn people away from trying something that may help them. Hari dangerously veers toward this perspective, adding additional pressure on top of the extreme social pressure that treats depression like a personal weakness. Tomorrow, when I go into clinic, I am worried that there will be patients who Hari has convinced to drop their medication. Of course, no patient should take anything they feel uncomfortable with, but it frightens me that I will have to stand to the side and watch people who are slowly getting better regress because some journalist published an irresponsible and highly polarizing account to springboard his own flagging career.

And maybe I am being exceedingly paranoid about Hari’s own reasons for publication, but I can’t help but feel that this is a publicity ploy. From the monolithic, black-and-white, good-and-bad characterizations he makes of the medical community to the way he chose to sensationalize long held and accepted theories to the excessive media campaign and promotional advertising for his book, I can’t help but feel that this is yellow journalism. Hari’s own journalistic integrity has come under suspicion more than once- for plagiarism in the past as well as anonymously editing his critics’ wikipedia pages. Who’s to say this is any different?

And just one final plead. Even if you read my entire monologue and decided that it is just the over bilious nattering of a self-important windbag, please, please DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDICATION COLD TURKEY. You put yourself and you health at considerable risk stopping antidepressants immediately without tapering off. Please go and talk to your doctor (doesn’t need to be psychiatrist, primary care will do) who can help you adjust your medication regimen to your satisfaction.

*Dear G-d, the medical field is so, so far from ideal. Can you believe that it takes 8 months to make an appointment with a psychiatrist in Chicago? And that an initial 50 minute consultation costs about $400, which is likely going to be out of pocket because so many psychiatrists don’t accept insurance? And when you mention this as an ethical problem to psychiatrists they just shrug as if it isn’t in their control to accept insurances (It is. It totally is.). Don’t get me started on physicians not spending enough time with patients to explain their medications and potential side effects so they can make an informed decision, corporate structure in large hospitals, and any one of million things I could rant about.

Please, please read this response. I know it’s long, but it brings up some incredibly important points. 

And yes, PLEASE do not quit any medication cold turkey without consulting a medical doctor. There are so many things that can go wrong if you do.

The rest of this you can ignore if you want, it’s just me blathering

It is relation to this article, which I reblogged earlier today. This is a very important criticism of a topic that is near and dear to me, one where I let my emotions get in the way of my critical thinking.

I did a brief search on the author of the book, Johann Hari, and found that not only is he know for plagiarizing and hack journalism, but he has been open about having issues with drug addiction which makes me suspect that his views on medication in general might be a little biased.

I didn’t realize until a second reading that I had been internally refuting aspects of the article in my head, and how damaging it might be for people who don’t have an intimate knowledge of the medical system, or for those who already distrust it. Sometimes I forget that some of my experiences are not universal.

I’m so glad you took the time to write this, and for your willingness to share your own story.

Thank you so, so much for sending this in.

[fridge-reviews]

Deep Sky Derelicts Developer: Snowhound Games Publisher: 1C Entertainment Rrp: £15.49 (Gog.com, Humblebundle and Steam) Released: 26th September 2018 Available on: Gog.com, Humblebundle and Steam Played Using: Mouse Approximate game length: 25 Hours + Somewhere out in the darkness of space lie treasures from a civilisation long since dead. But the largest prize of them all is 'The Mothership', most believe it to be a myth but some claim to have proof of its existence. Many have tried to find it and so far all have failed... but perhaps you might be different.

I do love a good deckbuilding game and it seems that at the moment there's no shortage of that particular genre around. However one thing that you don't normally find is a deck-builder that's an RPG and mixes in roguelite elements. You start the game by creating your starting crew. Now before we start talking about the character creation you first have to do the most important part of making a crew, picking a name. Sure you could just go with a random name, but everyone knows that this is far too important for some dice roll to determine, so think carefully because this will have NO effect on anything at all. But I will judge you. This crew consists of three people, each of which can be one of six classes (and no I won't go into detail about what the classes do); Bruiser, Leader, Medic, Scrapper, Technician and Tracker. Each class has a set of default stats that dictate how they perform when using certain types of actions or attacks. Now that the class is selected you also get to pick their mentality which will give an additional bonus either in combat or to a skill. Once all that is done you can choose to play on normal or hardcore mode. Hardcore mode adds in permadeath so once all your crew is dead the game is over.

The game opens to your crew being on a space station. This place will be your hub, where you can buy and sell weapons and equipment at the Pawn Shop, research new technology that will make your life easier while on mission at the Lab, heal up and revive your team at the Medical Centre, report your findings at the Station Hall and visit 'The Lair' where you can hire new crew for your team as well as take on and redeem contracts for some cash. The only other way to make money is by selling the junk and equipment you find while exploring derelict ships with a trader on the ship (if one happens to appear) or back on the station at the Pawn Shop.

When out on a derelict everything you do consumes energy. By default your crew starts off with a thousand points of energy, this may sound like a lot but it gets consumed surprisingly quickly. Each time you move from one room to another it costs ten energy. When in combat each characters turn costs ten energy as well, even waiting costs energy. This is where the lab comes in, if you're willing to spend the money you can increase your energy reserves, lower the costs of performing actions as well as many other improvements.

As well as your main mission of finding data on the motherships whereabouts each derelict comes with two optional missions you can complete. Completing these optional missions can reward you with new equipment, money or experience.

You can leave a derelict from a landing pad to return to the station, this costs nothing to do and your progress on the derelict is kept. If while exploring a derelict you discover another landing pad you can choose to land there instead if you choose to revisit that derelict.

Of course these derelicts aren't the safest places in the universe, there are traps that can be set off, other rival scrappers to contend with and other aliens to fend off.

Combat turn based and the uses your crews initiative stat to determine the turn order, the highest being the one to go first. The various attacks and actions you can perform are represented as cards that appear on the bottom left of the screen. These cards come from the equipment your crew is using, the mods that are installed onto said equipment and a few abilities they gain as they level. If you remove a mod or piece of equipment then you also lose the cards that are attached.

As your crew completes missions, avoid traps and defeats enemies they will gain experience which in turn will cause them to go up in level. With each new level ability points are given to spend on a skill tree.

As I mentioned earlier, occasionally your crew will stumble upon a room that has been trapped, in the event of this your crew will need to pass a skill check that compares whatever relevant skill is needed against a hidden number. If you pass you'll be rewarded with experience points, if you fail then one of quite a few bad things happens.

I really enjoyed my time with this game, I did two complete playthroughs on normal mode and I'm working on my hardcore mode playthrough now. If you also enjoy deck builders I highly recommend this game.

If this appeals to you perhaps try;

Slay the Spire Darkest Dungeon Void Bastards

[getambee]

GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING AIR QUALITY

Some air contaminants are particularly hazardous to the elderly, children, and adults with health issues.  The quality of air you breathe in your schools, homes, and workplaces have the potential to cause health issues. Chemicals, gases, and live organisms such as mold and vermin are examples of pollutants. Air pollution may be found in many places, including homes, schools, and businesses. Sore eyes, burning in the throat and nose, headaches, and tiredness are all symptoms of pollution. Allergies, respiratory diseases (such as bronchitis), cancer, heart disease, and other severe long-term problems are caused or worsened by other pollutants. Individual contaminants, including carbon monoxide, may cause death in large quantities.

1. What Is Air Pollution?

Gases and Particles that may be hazardous to humans in high concentrations make up air pollution. There are many kinds of air pollutants. However, the following are six of the most frequently monitored:

·         Fine Particulate Matter

·         Ozone

·         Nitrogen Dioxide

·         Coarse and Fine Particulate Matter

·         Sulfur Dioxide

·         Carbon Monoxide

Individual air pollutants are also classified as primary (directly released air pollutants) or secondary (air pollutants emitted indirectly).

2. What Causes Pollution in the Air?

Artificial air pollution, such as that produced by industrial activity or traffic, is one source of air pollution. Dust and mineral ash are examples of natural sources.

Pollen as a Pollutant in the Air

Pollen is generated by any seed-producing plant type and originates from the male portion of the reproductive system of many plants (not just attractive flowers as many depend on). Allergic pollen is generated by some grasses, weeds, and trees, and wind, insects, and water spread it. Pollen is a Particulate, but since it is bigger than the two most frequently reported forms of Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), it is handled differently.

3. What is the significance of air quality?

The quality of your local air has an impact on how you live & breathe. It may vary from day to day, and even hour to hour, much like the weather. The US Environmental Agency or your local clean air agency has been striving to make outdoor air quality information as accessible and understandable as weather forecasts. The Air Quality Index, or AQI, is a crucial instrument in this endeavor (1). The EPA and local authorities use the AQI to offer basic information about air quality in your area, how dirty air may impact you, including that you can improve your overall health.

4. What Effect Does Weather Have on Air Quality?

Rain may help wash away numerous air pollutants due to a process known as 'wet deposition,' substantially improving air quality. On the other hand, wind may assist in cleaning the air by avoiding contaminants from accumulating in certain places. Wind, but on the other hand, may have the reverse effect, assisting in the spread of hazardous smoke, particularly in the event of a wildfire. Here's a more in-depth look at the relationship between weather and air quality.

5. What are the Implications of Bad Air Quality?

We all know that air pollution is harmful to humans, yet few of us realize the full extent of the problem:

·         The World's Most Serious Environmental Health Risk

·         According to official World Health Organization data, 92 percent of people live in regions wherein air pollution exceeds acceptable levels, 9/10 people breathe contaminated air every day, and 4.2 million individuals die prematurely each year owing to air pollution exposure.

Long-term or even short-term exposure may be especially harmful to those who have pre-existing respiratory and skin problems, children, the elderly, and pregnant women, yet the harsh truth is:

a)      No one is impervious to the negative effects of air pollution on their health. b)      Air pollution impacts our bodies from top to foot; studies have connected air pollution to cancer, strokes, asthma, dementia, skin, mental health, and bones, among other things.

 Incredibly Expensive

The worldwide economic impact of air pollution is enormous. The World Bank estimates that it cost us $5 trillion in welfare expenditures and $225 billion in annual revenue per year (2). Because air pollution has such a negative impact on national and global economies, the United Nations has developed a new Wealth Index that considers the cost of air pollution to country economies.

Different individuals are impacted by air pollution in diverse ways

Regarding how they are affected by high regulation of different pollutants, distinct populations vary from one another and the general population. Elevated concentrations of O3, PM2.5, and PM10, for example, maybe dangerous to youngsters and pregnant women. Depending on the number of concentrations and our exposure, all the pollutants we track get the potential to damage us.

6. What are the most common methods for measuring air pollution?

Methods for measuring air quality are progressively improving as science and technology advance. Here are just a few popular techniques for evaluating the air quality surrounding scientifically:

Stations of Governmental Monitoring

Sensors installed by governments throughout the globe are widely regarded as the most trusted source of air quality data. They're a very costly piece of equipment that resembles walk-in rooms with several kinds of measuring. The stations are placed in particular places and test specific pollutants; each pollutant requires a separate monitor.

Satellites

Earth-observing satellites operated by NASA give data on air quality. The satellites' sensors monitor air quality across the globe, which is then utilized by air quality professionals and scholars who want to learn more about the effects of impacts on human health or agriculture. When it comes to assessing the effect and development of a wildfire from a bird's eye viewpoint, satellite sources of indoor air quality information may be very helpful.

 Low-Cost Sensors

The amount of low air quality sensors on the market has increased dramatically in recent years, with models ranging from fixed to portable. Low-cost air quality sensors may offer air quality monitoring of particular contaminants at best, but their accuracy is dubious without the capacity to perform in-depth air quality analysis of data and sophisticated QA.

7. What is the Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The Air Quality Indicator (AQI) is a daily air quality index. It informs you how clean and filthy your air is, as well as any potential health consequences. The AQI measures the health consequences you may have a few hours or even days after inhaling polluted air. Ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, particle pollution, and sulfur dioxide are the four main air pollutants controlled by Clean Air Act, and the AQI is computed for each of them. To safeguard public health, the EPA has set national air quality guidelines for each of these contaminants. The EPA is presently revising the national standard. If the criterion is changed, the AQI will also be changed.

8. How does it work? 

Consider the AQI as a scale that ranges from 0 - 500. The higher the AQI score, the more polluted the air, the higher the quality risk. For example, an AQI of 50 indicates excellent air quality with no risk to public health, whereas an AQI of 300 indicates air pollution that is so dangerous that everyone may suffer severe consequences. The air quality limit for the pollutant, which would be the threshold established by the EPA to safeguard public health, correlates to an AQI value of 100 in most cases. AQI readings of 100 or less are usually considered acceptable (3). Air quality is deemed harmful when AQI values exceed 100, initially for particularly sensitive groups of individuals, then for everyone when AQI values rise.

Conclusion

Every day, an adult breathes 15,000 gallons of air. When we breathe filthy air, pollutants enter our lungs, which may then enter our circulation and go to our internal organs, including the brain. This may lead to serious health issues, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, even cancer, and reduced life quality and years. (According to new research, every function in the human is damaged). Children, individuals with chronic illnesses, or the elderly are among the most vulnerable populations to the harmful impacts of pollutants emitted. Eutrophication & acidification of natural ecosystems is also caused by polluted air, resulting in a loss of agricultural production, permanent ecological degradation, and biodiversity loss. Last but just not least, air quality degrades architectural marvels that are integral to our European and National identities, causing significant harm to our cultural legacy.

[clementine-lominsan]

WHY I AM NOT A CONSERVATIVE

2018-12-02 

In an era of utter insanity, reaction is the only way to preserve one’s moral conscience. 

Why am I not a liberal? Because I admire the luxuriant giant tree of civilization, including its roots. So it seems being a conservative is the “natural” answer. But what does it mean to be a “conservative”? What do conservatives “conserve”?

A conservative today is usually an economic liberal. He promotes free market whose major principle is free trade and free market. The goal of all this, is actually nothing else than the goal of a socialist: the increase of efficiency, the increase of employment, the increase of living standard, the increase of literacy, the decrease of fetal mortality and the advancement of technology.

We are told that the increase of total social wealth is what actually made these goals possible. Surely I do not oppose the increase of total social wealth, but what does that mean? In the eyes of the bourgeoisie, the word “wealth” usually means one thing, the material profit. As the classical liberals boasted, “it was the capitalist who created the condition where any socialist activism is possible”, and “without capitalism, 80% of world’s people would not be there!”

But is humanity better just because we have more people? Does the happiness of humanity hike with the sharp improvement of the material life? No matter how much the material condition improves, one could not help wondering why, despite all this material progress, the spiritual, or mental wealth is shrinking.

The rise of suicide rate in the more materially wealth parts of the world, and the prevalence of drug abuse and the political consensus of both left and right wings on pot legalization, the trend in legalizing non-hetereosexual “marriage”, and the vulgarization of popular culture.

Even worse, the mind and the behavior of the deracinated masses are now being engineered by social media giant corporations. One may argue “but this is not the intention of free market capitalism!” But the road to hell is paved good intentions, and moreover, I am not sure urging young kids to engage in computer games with gambling functions (“microtransaction”) is “good” intention.

The obsession with the material, is perhaps inherent in the bourgeois mind. Historically, they have no real sense of loyalty to any land, any king, any belief, any community or even any family. Nor do they have any fixed social function. As the great conservative thinker Edmunk Burke put it, “the laws of commerce…are the laws of nature, and consequently the laws of God.” (Maybe Burke and his students believe in Hermes, the God of Commerce? “Orthodox Christians” without charity, what a paradox!)

In other words, they are materialists. What does it take to go from this kind of materialist to the Marxist dialectic materialist? Hegelian dialectics, the black magic of sophistry, that is. Besides, after the rise of industrial capitalism, there has been more and more giant companies which is not actually owned by any private person. Yes, everyone can buy their stock shares, but what is the separation of management from private ownership, aside from being the sheer violation of the private property right?

Of course, usurers need this, so they can concentrate their attention in the financial industry, which makes everyone else “proletarian” – whose only possession is the labor-power. The ideological and economic continuity means industrial capitalism is the prelude of socialism. Surely there are free-marketeers, and there are mainly two sorts of them, “minarchists” and anarchists.

The so-called “minarchists” ask for such as minimal modern sovereign state: it has a standing army, a nationalized police and a centralized legal system. One has to remember the first economic liberals, i.e. Physiocrats called for an Enlightened tyrant – it means compared to the ancient free states supported by pious and loyal people, the so-called “minarchy” is nothing but a tyrannical modern state supported by deracinated masses: the instrument of a Leninist state is already there.

As for anarcho-capitalism, there is no anarcho-capitalism or anarcho-communism; there is only lawless anarchy, where physical violence and “smart” backstabbing are the eternal law of survival. In reality, the so-called minarchy is being practiced, and here we are, bound with quantity over quality, efficiency without purpose, property without ownership, and snobbery without organicity: the greatness of a modern industrial capitalism!

The eternal state with its permanent laws, seems to be ingrained in the mind of the eternal Anglo conservative, and conservatives in other spheres of culture are believing in it as well, thanks to the neoconservative Wilsonian order. It is said, that only by trial-and-error, we will know what works the best.

It is also said that we must preserve the traditional political institutions unconditionally. These two are in fact contradicting each other. The change in the internal and external, material and spiritual environments, requires the relevant changes in the social and political institutions, so a civilization can survive.If we see certain political institutions as god-given eternal entities, the fate of the Late Qing Empire will be repeated: the state is getting paralyzed by European colonists, peasant rebels, cult terrorists and radical revolutionaries – from 1851 to 1863, China’s population declined by more than 200 million! Why? Because they were overly obsessed with their ancient political traditions without making any effort to revitalize them.

As T. S. Eliot put it, “Yet if the only form of tradition, of handing down, consisted in following the ways of the immediate generation before us in a blind or timid adherence to its successes, ‘tradition’ should positively be discouraged. We have seen many such simple currents soon lost in the sand; and novelty is better than repetition.Tradition is a matter of much wider significance. It cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.” This political sloth has proven to be causal to the repeated defeat of conservatisms in history. Surely, many conservatives care words more than reality, so much so that they would sacrifice anything for their “political values”. They are too persistent on political values but sometimes too flexible on moral values. I wonder how much this overintellectualization is related to “sola fide” of Martin Luther.

It is the central conservative dogma that the state can do little, if nothing, to promote moral thoughts and behavior. Edmund Burke once said, “It is in the power of government to prevent much evil; it can do very little positive good in this, or perhaps in anything else.”

But is it true? Centuries before Burke, St. Augustine of Hippo believed that the state simultaneously serves the divine purposes of chastening the wicked and refining the righteous. Many conservatives argue, based on the minarchist doctrine, that the state is an evil, but a necessary one. Meanwhile, they also argue that the state should be impartial, and by “impartial”, they mean amoral. From the theoretical point of view, anyone committed to the mission of promoting evil must start his adventure by convincing evil is “necessary”: “Only Catholics soaked in canon law and papal superstition maintained the old prohibitions against usury”, wrote Cotton Mather; “If we did not nuke Japan, we would have suffered unbearable losses”, argued the 21st century neoconservative.

Even worse, conservatives like Andrew Sullivan are actually the pioneers of various postmodern progressive social movements. So, political amorality becomes political anti-morality. Again, if one looks back into the history of the progress of such a political ideal, despite of its ostensibly just claims, what it has wrought us is one license to vices after another. Virtues need no license, because anyone with moral conscience know that virtues are hard to maintain so there is no real legal restriction on them.

By contrast, an interesting observation from the generation educated under Estado Novo or its Spanish counterpart is said to be extremely polite and respectful. “It can do very little positive good in this”? History seems to disagree. For a traditionalist, as opposed to a conservative, what must be permanent are the moral values, and the political values can be flexible and the political institutions must serve the purpose to preserve the moral values, not the other way around.

Needless to say, the flexibility on moral values has cost conservatives a lot, besides the well-known political defeats. Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn once said, “the urban conservative…is nothing but an inhibited ‘progressive’.” From Lawrence v. Texas to the eventual legalization of non-heterosexual marriage, one sees this pattern, especially from the opinions of the conservative judges, such as this opinion from Clarence Thomas on Lawrence v. Texas, “Although he agreed with Scalia’s dissent for the most part, Thomas felt obliged to write separately to point out that the law was ‘silly’ and should be repealed”.

Is this law really “silly”? One would wonder why CDC stopped publishing data about AIDS back in the years of Obama administration. The progressives are convinced missionaries of their progressive previsions, while conservatives are half-hearted followers of social traditions.In reality, I really do not think any Old Whig could tell others to obey the traditional political values when they themselves were the revolutionaries who destroyed the legitimate ancient institution via the “Glorious” Revolution. Those “eternal” Angloes who boast about Magna Carta never pay any tribute to Alcuin of York: so much respect for tradition! So it is not really surprising that conservatives are just Fabian progressives – progressives with a 10 year jet lag.

Thus, it is not difficult to understand why conservatism lacks real content and has no actual proposal. The conservatives today are more radical than the Radicals back in the 19th century. Paul Joseph Watson, “the defender of gay rights and women rights against bigotry”, once said, “conservatism is the new counter-culture!” By that I guess he means it is the new urban fashion among spoiled middle class kids. Maybe in 10 years, Kanye West will become the new William F. Buckley Jr. yelling “Stop!” in his hip-hop songs.

Why am I not a conservative? Because conservatism is insufficient for the mission of restoration and regeneration: there is little to “conserve” in modernity and postmodernity (or, “neo-modernity”). In an era of utter insanity, reaction is the only way to preserve one’s moral conscience.

[digitalyogesh]

Complan

Complan Actual appearance may not be the main part of an individual, however it can’t be considered as something insignificant. What you look like may matter much of the time. Tallness is one such factor that tremendously affects the actual appearance of the individual. While some might be honored with the ideal tallness, others endeavor to acquire some by participating in other supportive means like enhancements, practices and so forth

We face a daily reality such that commercials have a particularly significant influence. Complan is one such item that has been known to all through these advertisements. It has made individuals, frantic for a decent stature, for their kids, to burn-through it. The issue it addresses – little stature, is overpowering to such an extent that the item has gotten popular in simply an issue of time. Individuals trusted it to be the simplest, least expensive and most open answer for the one thing that they wanted – a decent tallness. Be that as it may, is it truly worth the publicity? Is Complan an accommodating answer for the ideal stature development? We should discover!

Complan POWDER DESCRIPTION

An item by Complan Foods Limited, complan power is a notable, trusted just as strengthened eating regimen sustenance powder that gives the proper measure of nourishment to the body. It is a rich wellspring of the relative multitude of fundamental supplements – fundamental proteins, fats, starches, minerals and nutrients, that one may miss to devour consistently as food. Complan powder helps you in forestalling this by turning into an expansion to the every day system as a caffeinated drink for example complan + milk.

Complan PRODUCTS – Flavors AVAILABLE IN INDIA

With regards to items explicitly intended for kids, certain additional attributes like ‘flavor’ assume a fundamental part in determining the destiny of the item. The age bunch concerned is explicitly determined by the kind of the item, which not just aides in the notoriety of the item yet in addition expands the deals.

Complan for youngsters over 6 years of is accessible in the accompanying flavors:

Complan Kesar Badam flavor

Complan Pista Badam flavor

Complan Creamy Classic flavor

Complan Royal Chocolate flavor

Complan Nutrigro is an item accessible for youngsters between 2-6 years old. The flavors accessible are:

Complan Nutrigro Badam Kheer

Complan Nutrigro Delicious Chocolate

Complan Nutrigro Creamy Vanilla

Note : The above-expressed flavors are the solitary legitimate flavors sold by Complan. Others other than the given are not delivered any longer.

Complan INGREDIENTS

Fixings in the item choose it’s effect on the wellbeing. Complan is comprised of 34 fundamental supplements. The bundle of the item enrolls the accompanying as the principle fixings in the item:

Milk Solids

Sugar

Beet-red

Nut Oil

Maltodextrin

Minerals

Caramel

Nutrients

Inositol

Taurine

L-Carnitine

Hints of nuts, wheat and soya

Regular food shading

Fake flavors

Complan BENEFITS – HOW CAN IT BE USEFUL?

Complan is known for the advantages it professes to give. It has been in the lim-light for the outcomes it guarantees. The item was planned with the reason to satisfy the need of supplements in the body when they are not promptly free in the kind of food that is devoured by kids. Some may eat an excess of lousy nourishment, some dislike eating green vegetables, others may not devour nuts, some may abstain from burning-through while some may shun eating by and large. The issue deteriorates.

Complan is actuated with the decency of the relative multitude of fundamental supplements that when together overwhelmed by milk makes up for the deficiency of supplements in the body because of wrong decision of food. In addition, the additional flavors are simply grand. Be that as it may, to indicate, following are the advantages of burning-through complan protein powder day by day:

It gives 2x quicker development.

It likewise helps in further developing tallness.

It further develops the invulnerability framework in the body.

It works on thinking capacity.

It further develops math capacity.

It guarantees adjusted sustenance.

It gives 34 crucial supplements to the ideal improvement of the body.

It is a rich wellspring of cancer prevention agents.

It is plentiful in nutrient A, E and C.

It is wealthy in calcium that aides in keeping up with the wellbeing and strength of the bones.

It works on mental readiness just as focus.

It has no additional additives.

It doesn’t contain fake food colourings.

It is without gluten.

It is appropriate for vegans.

It is improved with supplements that assistance in fast recuperation from ailment.

It is explicitly intended to give adjusted sustenance.

It helps in decreasing weakness.

It very well may be useful in putting on weight in under-weight kids.

It helps in further developing digestion.

Likewise, READ ABOUT BOURVITA >>

IS COMPLAN REALLY HELPFUL IN INCREASING HEIGHT?

It may sound bizarre, yet complan has not been logically demonstrated to be useful in expanding tallness in kids. While utilization of Complan has demonstrated useful for the general advancement in kids, there is no confirmation of it being powerful for stature development.

Complan is a rich wellspring of supplements that may aid the way toward expanding stature. This doesn’t make it the lone factor liable for it. It very well may be an aftereffect of other dietary components.

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT GLASS OF Complan MILK?

One of the numerous things that guardians need to get right is the formula for complan milk. While managing kids, a slight change in the flavor of the milk can cause inconveniences. Indeed, kids are exceptionally unconventional with regards to the flavor of the food.

The most ideal approach to take care of business is adhere to the guidelines on the mark. The ideal method to get ready complan milk is:

Add a full-tablespoon of the youngster’s most loved complan powder to the mug.

All warm or cold milk contingent upon what the child likes.

Mix it till the milk gets velvety.

While planning cold milk, you can likewise add a couple of ice 3D shapes.

Mix again and appreciate.

Complan PRICE POLICY

It is no big surprise that item evaluating is a significant determinant of whether individuals will take part in buying the item. It likewise adds to item notoriety, in specific circumstances, the cost of the item can be utilized to survey its quality. It is an overall conviction that a decent item comes in return for a decent measure of cash. Keeping this load of things is fundamental for the producers.

Complan is one of the items that is valued deliberately. It is made reasonable for nearly everyone while additionally remembering the previously mentioned thought. According to the online sources, the value structure for the item is as given beneath:

Complan Royale Chocolate Nutrition Box

200 g – INR 110 TO INR 190

500g – INR 230 TO INR 300

750g – INR 330 TO INR 380

1kg – INR 480 TO INR 530

Complan Kesar Badam Nutrition Box

200 g – INR 170 TO INR 195

500g – INR 270 TO INR 315

Complan Pista Badam Nutrition Box

200 g – INR 190 TO INR 200

500g – INR 280 TO INR 315

Complan Creamy Classic Nutrition Box

500g – INR 220 TO INR 250

1kg – INR 410 TO INR 460

Complan Nutrigro Badam Kheer Box

200gm – INR 280 TO INR 295

Complan Nutrigro Delicious Chocolate Box

200gm – INR 280 TO INR 295

Complan Nutrigro Creamy Vanilla Box

200gm – INR 280 TO INR 295

Note: The given costs are liable to change. They may fluctuate with the site, accessibility and limits. The given information just determines the normal of reach between which the MRP of the item is bound to fall. Kindly contrast the information and bona fide sites while buying the item.

Deduction : The item unquestionably costs more than food things like products of the soil that have similar measure of nutrients and minerals.

Complan SIDE-EFFECTS

The issue may start with some fixing that may demonstrate unsafe to wellbeing.

The sythesis proposes almost 30% of the item is sugar which essentially implies the item is only an improved milk powder. While devouring milk, individuals will in general add a greater amount of it to their eating regimen. Paying a decent measure of cash for an item containing a fixing that isn’t ideal for wellbeing can be very crazy financially just as according to the wellbeing perspective.

Inositol and Taurine are counterfeit enhancements that might be advantageous for the body however clinical reports propose that in specific cases, they may build the odds of bipolar problem.

Maltodextrin is a food added substance acquired from starch. It tends to be the explanation for the quick ascent in glucose levels.

The fixings present in the item may not demonstrate supportive to the individuals who are extremely touchy to them. The greater part of individuals are sensitive to nuts, which can make the utilization of this item risky for them. It appears to be that Complan isn’t an item for all.

Weight gain can be one of the issues particularly in kids who are less occupied with consuming calories.

Tooth rot is a characteristic issue emerging from the utilization of this item with high sugar content.

Complan REVIEWS

It is just through the audits from the current clients that assist us with surveying the viability of an item. As on account of Complan, the blended surveys from the clients have raised an uncertainty on the cases made by the makers of the item.

Coming up next were the most renowned audits from the clients:

A greater part of the moms griped that they could notice no progressions in the stature of their kids even in the wake of burning-through the item for a decent measure of time.

Others announced that the item is advertised superfluously. The fixings are pretty much as normal as water in the ocean. It is definitely more successful to devour those through regular food as opposed to through suc fake means.

A few shoppers likewise referenced stomach hurt as a result of the item.

A portion of the guardians detailed that the item is just loved for the pleasantness and flavor it brings to the dull taste of the milk. The prominence steers clear of it being compelling.

Others liked how Complan has made it simpler to remember milk for the eating regimen of children who might some way or another not devour it.

[dxmedstudent]

I’m not familiar with the UK, but I know that understaffing is a very general problem with the healthcare field. What do you think drives this besides the overwhelming stress causing people to leave voluntarily? Is it just lack of interest in the health profession itself? The competition of schools/ programs for the number of people wanting to get into medicine? The gov’t? Where do you see the problem stemming from and what can be done to help? Thank you so much.

That’s an interesting question, though I suspect that given the complexity of the answer, it remains without an easy fix. You’re right to suggest stress plays a huge part. Understaffing, dissatisfaction with lifestyle, pay, progression and training can all play a part. The rise of litigation culture is another key factor; we’re receiving a lot more complaints than we used to, as patients and relatives expect more, sometimes to unrealistic or unfeasible degrees. I know your question suggests glossing over this bit, but I really think this is the crux of the matter; the working conditions in healthcare are probably, in a lot of systems, where the problem arises. Getting into medicine is competitive in I imagine every country. Because it’s thought of as a good job; secure, well-respected. Relatively well-paid. Lately in the past few years, doctors and nurses have been in the press more than usual, and usually for negative reasons. Recent contract disputes, protests, strikes etc have played a role, as have all sorts of high profile cases which are poorly understood by the public at large.  Although still voted the most trusted professions, that position comes at a price; people expect a lot of us, and when you’re put on a pedestal it’s very easy to be knocked off it. If any doctor or nurse is thought poorly of, that can have a knock on effect on the whole profession, even if the reasons aren’t entirely justified. It extends  I don’t think there’s a lack of interest in healthcare, though I suspect that interest could be higher. Now that going to university is much more expensive. In the UK; it’s gone up from being free about 10 years before I went to university.  Tuition was £1000 per year the year before I started university. In my time at university it was £3,000 a year, now it’s over £9,000 a year. That change happened in the space of about ten or so years. The government didn’t even wait a couple of years to see if my generation, the first with fees of £3K, could even afford to pay that back. Students are going to have to think more carefully about what they choose to study, and how to shape their career. By getting rid of the nursing bursary, I do think that some people were put off studying nursing; applicant numbers are objectively down. I don’t know if increasing the number of places available to study nursing would even help, becase I’m not sure that all the current places are being filled. Nursing and medicine also suffer from the reality that though there will almost always be work of some sort, it may not be where you want to go. Jobs are sprinkled throughout the UK, through cities and towns right down to small villages. Whilst working in and around London remains competitive, relatively few people want to uproot themselves to a village on the other side of the UK; therefore the most likely people who’d want to work there might be locals, or foreign-trained staff who are starting afresh with few friends and family anyway and are happy to work there. A lot of people who are from the UK already have roots; they might not want to uproot themselves to a village on the other end of the UK, and that’s OK. But it leaves a situation where some places will always have less people applying because they are remote. The foundation training system combats this by forcing us as junior doctors to rank EVERY possible part of the UK; do badly and you could get sent to the outer Hebrides or Northern Ireland or wherever your last choice was. You can choose to refuse that job, but then you’ll have to wait months, maybe a year, to reapply. But you can’t do that throughout training; after foundation training we have the choice of where we apply and if we continue at all. In reality, a lot of systems are probably propped up by foreign labour; the fact that there will always be lots of people willing to move to Western countries to fill the gap. This is usually advantageous for the receiving country; they take none of the cost of training highly skilled staff and receive a ready-made workforce. However, it’s a huge burden on the training country; their system will have to pay to train more people, only to find that probably more of them will flee abroad. Unfortunately, in the long run this isn’t an ethical situatioin; we shouldn’t be causing a ‘brain drain’ on other nations in order to staff our healthcare service. We, as the NHS rely a LOT on foreign labour; on people trained abroad. On doctors from Pakistan, nurses from the Philippines and Ireland, and on both doctors and nurses (and let’s be honest, domestic staff, catering staff etc) coming from the EU in recent years. This wasn’t usually a problem, but now the government have started making it harder for even people offered good jobs (because those posts were lying empty) even as doctors and nurses, to be allowed visas to work here. Many recent stories suggest that government policies are trying to make it fundamentaly harder for anyone to come here, or to remain if they are already here. I have friends whose choices were complicated by whether the government would let them stay to work as doctors, and know people who had to leave because their visas would not be extended, despite having secured a job and paying taxes. The government may want to show its more conservative voters smaller immigration numbers, but at what cost if we’re making it impossible for the health service to hire the people it needs? As the government make it harder and harder for overseas doctors and nurses to be employed, staffing will drop further. And there’s evidence to suggest that more of our staff who came from the EU are leaving. Create a culture of hostility towards foreign workers, and they will feel unwelcome and decide to go somewhere else. When it comes to med schools, I used to get the impression that the number of graduates are enough; there used to be a good chance of getting an FY1 post when you applied, even despite a number of foreign applicants. I think that’s still probably true. If we don’t have enough FY1s, then yes, increasing the number of places to study medicine would be helpful. However, for further up the ladder it gets… more complex. Medicine is heirarchal and based on years of experience. So if you are short of SHOs or registars, having lots of FY1s won’t help you in the near future (though it might help you in the long term). And if you increase the number of trainees in general, you’ll have to make sure you increase the number of FY1, FY2 etc posts all the way up. You can’t just ‘find’ ready made GPs or consultants, or even registrars; either you get them from abroad, or else you have to train them ALL the way up. Otherwise, you’d be dooming a bunch of people to pay £9K for 5-6 years through med school only to tell them that there aren’t enough places for them to start working as a doctor, I feel that would be unfair. Granted, they might well find work elsewhere, but it’d waste both our money as students and as a society to do that, given that studies are subsidised by the government. So you need a balance.In all honesty, it’s always going to be difficult if you’ve got a leaky pipeline; the system may be set up to deal with a certain amount of staff lost but if the pressure is too high, you’re still probably going to lose too many people. And the people we are losing, they aren’t comparable to the shiny new graduates med schools pop out; it’ll take years for them to be comparable in experience to the SHOs and registrars we are losing. The doctors in the middle; worn down by the system and realising life is just too short to be miserable. Many of these people really wanted to be doctors, and many would probably have remained if conditions were different. Whilst some of us realise that we just weren’t cut out to be in healthcare, or that perhaps what we want and need has changed, I feel that many struggle with leaving precisely because some part of them loves medicine, even if it is making them ill. Occasionally, some smartass politician suggests tying in doctors to work in the NHS for a set number of years, but I don’t think this’d be either helpful or desirable. Medicine, due to the pressures and situations faced, is a field with a higher than normal rate of mental illness and suicide. It’s a risky field with significant effects on our health as a group. I’d go so far as to suggest than anyone who forces those who feel they need to leave, to stay against their will would soon have blood on their hands. The people I know who left medicine did so for their mental health, and if they were not allowed to leave, I’d be very concerned that they might risk a more… final way of leaving. I don’t believe anyone should be bound to a job they can’t stand or which makes them ill. I also think that it would do the field more harm than good; rather than showing medicine to be a desirable job, it would suggest that it is so bad that you have to force everyone to stay. With prospects like that, who would want to join? When you could be a vet, be a dentist, be any number of things where you aren’t forced to do it against your will. The key is to improve conditions so that people want to stay, and can stay without destroying their health and mental wellbeing. So that people feel valued, and respected, and feel that their issues with the health service have been taken on board. That those who are running the service understand the issues we raise and the problems we face That, for me, is the only real longterm solution. but I fear that it might be too expensive, and that few would care enough to try.