Caffeine, a symptom?

I think we’re getting closer to an answer here. You always hear about all the health benefits of coffee. Drink coffee and live longer. Drink coffee and stay sane. Coffee wards off Alzheimer’s. I can’t ignore these studies. They’re out there. We’ve written before about how it forces us to be present by increasing the stress of the current moment.

So let’s flip the script. Caffeine is a stimulant, but our choice to use it is a symptom. Of what? Lower brain entropy. So essentially, you being able to stomach four cups of coffee says much more about your ability to endure stress than you think.

If we assume that we all have different energy states, the lowest energy states can operate with more stimulation, or stress. So your ability to consume caffeine is more a symptom of your brain state than anything else.

It would explain why ‘Black people don’t drink coffee.’ Because remember, they have the smallest skulls of all.

So if we assume that the brain is system that strives for equilibrium. The further you are from your brain’s highest energy state, the more stress you can endure [without complications]. And the more room you have for entropy in your brain, the more coffee you can drink.

 

 

I am an addict [And so are you]

Preliminary reading: Expecting Unhappiness

While I was doing my Venn Diagrams for my article about expectations, I did a set on addiction. At some point, I realized that I’ve always been an addict. 

Addict (noun) – someone that looks forward to something with expectation. That would make the opposite of addiction being fully present. Habit becomes addiction when hope becomes expectation.

I’ve been addicted to

• fitness
• caffeine
• learning
• sex
• porn
• food
• social media
• writing
• gambling
• fear
• work
• money

The tricky part is that most of these things by themselves are not inherently bad. They become bad when I start thinking about them instead of the present moment. Eating a hamburger isn’t bad, but if I’m thinking about eating hamburgers all day, I have issues.

Working out isn’t a bad thing, but thinking that my reality or happiness depends on my workouts is.

Caffeine is not a bad thing, but thinking that I need it to be myself is.

If you decide you need something to be happy, you’re right.

Once you start trying incorporate things that can never be a part of you into your character, you begin to need them. To expect them. And when your reality doesn’t include them, you think about the next time that you could have a reality that could. You make plans to achieve that as soon as possible. This mindset is what an addict is. It’s not a chemical need for a drug, it’s the refusal to accept the present moment as being enough. Or refusal to accept yourself in that present moment in your current state. And when the present moment is not enough, you decide what you think would make it enough.

The chemical need comes from perceived mental want. [For more, read the Conservation of Dopamine] When your reality requires a drug, any reality without that drug increases stress. You’re basically comparing who you are right now to who you think you should be. Whether that be working out, writing, eating, or doing drugs, etc.

Suicidal thoughts come when your reality can no longer meet your expectations. Not only that, but you can’t foresee any future realities that meet your expectations. You have no hope. And the opposite of hope is despair.

• Hope (noun) – belief that there is a chance of a future where your reality is better than now.
• Actual needs- food, water, shelter, human contact, air, sleep
• Perceived needs- anything else

Chances are great that you’ve never even been close to needing food or water. The human body can go days without water and over a month without food. People have lived long and healthy lives without working out. Coffee may help you function, but you do not need it to survive.

When we mentally categorize things as needs that are not needs, they become needs. Not because we actually need them, but because when we think we need them to function, we think we’re incomplete without them. We expect them, and thus our reality is incomplete without them.

Another interesting perspective on this is time: Because time does not exist in the brain, there is not a set amount of caffeine, sex, or working out that makes it an addiction. It’s the mindset. For example, if you’re addicted to food and working out, an outsider may not even know anything is wrong with you. Someone would just think you have a fast metabolism because of all the working out that you did.

Remember, we already made the spectacular claim that there is only one brain disease. That gives us the freedom to make some other observations about these addictions.

Addictions are highly correlated with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and many other mental health issues. Now our big leap of logic becomes more of a short step. Let’s define these with our new definition of addiction:

• Attention Deficit Disorder: looking forward to the next thing
• Obsession Compulsive Disorder: looking forward to [relative] perfection
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: looking forward to a reality that excludes a past event
• Anxiety: looking forward to the next potential negative reality
• Depression: looking forward to despair

So what about the medications that resolve these issues? We’ve discussed it several times in Don’t Trust Your Psychiatrist and Void Avoidance. But the short answer is really at very least, psychiatry has no idea how their drugs work. At worst, they only mask underlying issues. With our brain model, we believe that you have the ability to be happy if you’ve been happy before. With that in mind, and the fact that time doesn’t exist in the brain, the permanent addition of psychiatric drugs is terrifying. It would literally prevent you from becoming who you were designed to be. It would stop you from facing your fears, overcoming your demons, and telling your true story.

Sources:

1. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
2. https://www.dualdiagnosis.org/mental-health-and-addiction/the-connection/

 

 

Finding Right Now

Alternate Title: The Caffeine/Exercise Time Shift

I don’t think anyone wants to argue about the health benefits of caffeine or exercise. The big question is why are they so beneficial? Everyone seems to have a theory, but the jury is still out.

Here’s my theory on it. I call it time-shifting.

By increasing the stress in the current moment, these two stressors force the subject to be more present right now.

If you’re a worrier like me, your mind may automatically wander to the next big event, the next crucial moment in your life. Basically, I’ll find something to worry about. And you will too.

For example, there is no reason to worry about something that may or may not happen in a month, when you’ve made right now an important situation chemically or physically. You’ve essentially tricked yourself into being present.

The question naturally becomes, can we be this present without either of these external stressors. I think the answer is yes, although I’m not sure how. For better understanding, we need to ask the people who are happy and healthy, and don’t drink coffee or workout. These people have the ability to focus on the present moment without any assistance. Because we always want to be present, but the next run or espresso shot may be hours away. 

Sources:

1. https://www.caffeineinformer.com/top-10-caffeine-health-benefits
2. https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html

Menopause, periods, and what they tell us about aging

So apparently there’s a time in most women’s lives when their bodies stop working the same. We call it menopause. The average age of onset is around 49 to 52 years of age, according to Wikipedia. Some countries have average ages around 44 [like India]. It’s not completely uncommon to have someone hit menopause at 40. Here’s a little chart of the onset age:

So what in the world does this tell us about aging? Here’s my take: menopause is a definitive milestone in aging, and should be a key factor in determining life expectancy and overall health.

Menopause, I think we can agree, is a negative thing. It happens as you age and is associated with depression, mood swings, anxiety, and irritability. It’s a negative indicator, but still an indicator. It tells you how you’re doing. It tells you how your body perceives time.

Why do people in India go through menopause so early? At least in part due to their caffeine consumption. Check out these articles. They drink more caffeine younger than most countries. Girls are hitting their periods as early as eight. Not to mention, that early menopause is on the rise in India as well. It is not a coincidence that all of these happen in the same country.

Menstruation periods are also another interesting set of time data. There’s a fairly wide array of different times of menstruation. Periods can vary from 21 to 35 days, and as always, we just chalk it up to ‘every person is a little different.’

So take a look at this chart. Obviously, there is a pretty wide spread of possible outcomes here. But what does it mean, if anything?

You have a couple interesting measurements here, that are personalized for your body. They are not meaningless.

Periods are just part of life for most women. They are told that the timing varies from person to person and from cycle to cycle. But just think about it for a second. If your body is doing the same thing this month in 21 days, and did it last month in 35 days, what did you do differently? Which is better?

The latter. Ever heard of exercised-associated Amenorrhea? It’s when lean female athletes miss periods. If you’ve read any of my other posts, I think the athlete is the ideal human. So when you’re cycle is longer or you miss your cycle, your lifestyle has basically been better than the month before. Whatever you’ve done, you’ve done it right. You’ve reduced mental strain in your life and begun to slow the aging process.

As you can imagine, studies have shown that average length of menstrual cycle correlates to the onset age of menopause. Here’s an excerpt from this study:

The age at which the final natural menstrual period occurs may be a marker for hormonal status or changes earlier in life.⁹¹ In the landmark Treloar longitudinal study of largely white, well-educated women, those whose median menstrual cycle length between the ages of 20 and 35 years was fewer than 26 days underwent natural menopause 1.4 years earlier than women with cycle lengths between 26 and 32 days, whereas a later natural menopause (mean = 0.8 year later) was observed in women with cycle lengths of 33 days or longer.⁹² In addition, 9 or more days of variability in cycle length has been associated with a later age at natural menopause in this and other studies,^52,59 although 1 study reported an earlier natural menopause in women with irregular menses.⁵³

Does caffeine effect your cycle? Yes. Ladies who consume more than 300 mg of caffeine a day were twice as likely to have a cycle under 25 days. These same women were much less likely to have periods long periods. [Source]

Wow. That’s a lot of info. What does it mean? It means you should think critically about the length of your periods, because they are a very valuable tool of how fast you’re aging.  How can I possibly know that? Because I understand how it effects the human perception of time.

So use your cycle as a tool to avoid menopause and aging as long as possible. Reduce your caffeine intake, and help prolong these unwanted parts of late life.

Should I drink caffeine while I’m pregnant?

No. Absolutely not. 

Here’s why: the verdict is really still out on this. Some people say you can have a cup or two of coffee a day. There are studies saying up to 300 mg per day of caffeine is safe for your baby.

Here’s my issue with that. We don’t even know what caffeine does to the brain yet, so how can we possibly tell you how much to take?

We’re really not all that sure about what you should do about your anti-depressants either. We know that they increase several different risk factors in your baby, but if you’re chronically depressed, it seems like the consensus is to stay on your meds. I mean this makes sense on the surface.

Read the warning labels and side effects on your anti-depressants. They do not mix well with pregnancy. So, in my opinion, just don’t get pregnant while you’re depressed. Adding another variable to your happiness equation just makes no since at this point. Here’s an article tying SSRIs in expectant mothers to depression and anxiety in teenagers and teens.

We know you shouldn’t smoke while you’re pregnant. There’s all sorts of info on this subject. The most interesting reason is that is causes premature birth. We’ll get into why that’s interesting later.

We know you shouldn’t drink while you’re pregnant. But do we know why? Because it messes with the neurological development of the baby. But why and how?

You’re already on board with these things. They are common knowledge. More than that, you’d be scorned if you did anything else. It’s been common practice for years, maybe longer. But there’s more to the story. 

Older women have a higher rate of miscarriage? Check out this chart.

It’s clear that older women have a significantly higher percent chance of miscarriage. But how can this be? If time does not exist, as we’ve discussed before, what is different in these woman as they get older?

Mental strain. Blink rate. Brainbeats. Call it whatever you want. These women have already started aging, and their time perceptions have begun to accelerate. They are more likely to have glasses, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and whatever else.

So by having higher resting brain activity, these women in general have a harder time getting pregnant, and are much more likely to miscarry.

The cool thing is, you may can get pregnant at 60 if you understand this concept. It’s not just for that actress that looks 40. The only barrier between you and your former self is you.

 

So you may be aware that my brain model includes a perfectly functional human brain for everyone. That’s where we may have an issue here. The unborn baby may have the perfect opportunity for a perfect brain, but his or her mother’s habits will impact his life. If the mother is taking antidepressants, something that we largely do not understand, she may be robbing her baby of a chance of normalcy.

Pregnancy is a young woman’s game. More like a healthy woman’s game. If aging is in the mind, it really doesn’t matter how many days into your life you get pregnant. The biggest issue, though, is that we don’t even know the things that are hurting us. So you can do “all the right things” and still end up depressed, bipolar, manic depressive.

So it’s actually pretty simple: younger people get pregnant easier for the same reasons they don’t get cancer as often. We know that aging is a brain disease, and it starts in the brain. We’ve talked about how to slow it, by reducing mental strain.

There are other factors at play here, obviously. But I’m not a doctor, so I’m not going to weigh in on those. What I know about is the human perception of time. And this is how it applies to pregnancy.

In summary:

• Alcohol effects pregnancy.
• Tobacco effects pregnancy.
• Antidepressants effect pregnancy.
• Caffeine effects pregnancy.
• Younger people get pregnant easier, and have fewer complications.

If aging is the biggest correlation to miscarriages, and we have the solution to aging, then we know what to do have the best possible chance at a successful pregnancy.

We’ve already connected tobacco, alcohol, and antidepressants before. But there were some other items on that list: caffeine and glasses. I know what you’re thinking. That’s absurd! Maybe so. Take a look at some of my earlier posts and decide for yourself. We don’t have the full story here. Eliminate the things that are changing your brain, and retake your life, and give your baby the best possible chance.

 

 

There is only one [brain] disease

I don’t know what to call it yet. But give me a chance to explain.

Here are the symptoms:

• depression
• obsessive compulsive behavior
• fear
• loss of eyesight
• tiredness [poor sleep]
• aging
• anxiety

Mood

• apathy
• general discontent
• guilt
• hopelessness
• loss of interest
• mood swings
• sadness

Sleep

• early awakening
• excess sleepiness
• insomnia
• restless sleep

Whole body

• excessive hunger
• fatigue
• loss of appetite
• restlessness

Behavioral

•  agitation
• excessive crying
• irritability
• social isolation

Cognitive

• lack of concentration
• slowness in activity
• thoughts of suicide

Weight

• weight gain
• weight loss

 

Treatment:

• Caffeine
• Glasses
• SSRIS
• Stimulants
• Illicit Drugs
• Alcohol

Each of these loses their effect over time in the same manner. As the mind develops resistances or weaknesses, depending on how you look at it, it becomes dependent on these drugs [and devices] as their strengths need to gradually increase as the patient’s mind weakens.

Cure:

No known cures at this point. The disease typically progresses as the subject ages. The mind and the body begin to break down. The subject eventually dies of “natural causes.”

So how can I possibly lump all this together? We were all given the most perfect and complex machines to run our bodies, and some of us need to re-calibrate, or even need to relearn how to use them. Our computers catch these loops, and latch on to our treatments, and we can start downward spirals that end up killing us, sooner or later.

Your eyes are the way in. They can change your mind. They are your treatment. You brain is perfectly capable of doing everything that you need it to on its own. Your fears are slowing it down. Fears about the present, the past, or the future. Maybe your dysfunction has the same name as mine, or maybe not.

You were made for happiness. Your mind is a perfect tool that you need to relearn how to use. Fix your vision and fix your mind.

 

Eye Twitches

I’m sure you’ve seen one of your friend or coworkers struggle with a twitchy eye. I’m sure you’ve struggled with one at least once or twice before. Actually, if you’re reading this, chances are great that you have some refraction errors, some I’m guessing you’ve had more than just a little eye twitching over the years.

Here are some reasons that we say that your eyes twitch:

• eye irritation
• eyelid strain
• fatigue
• lack of sleep
• physical exertion
• medication side effects
• stress
• use of alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine

Wow. Those all seem like negative things. They all seem like things that we’ve either discussed before or will in the future. All of these things effect your vision and your brain. Whatever is causing your your eye twitch, stop it. It’s not good for your brain.

Consider this for a moment. When were you your happiest? Have you ever seen a kid stressed out, smoking, or with alcohol or caffeine problems? Of course not. If you’re like me, you had a happy childhood. You were pretty carefree and never had to deal with much stress, fatigue, medication and definitely not glasses. So what changed? What would you have to change to find your true self, the past you that was perfect?

If all of these items affect your vision and your brain, how deep does our cycle go. If my sleep and caffeine intake and Zoloft affect my vision, but my vision gradually gets worse, and my SSRIs lose their effect over time, what is happening? This is what they call in the medical profession as aging, but really you’re stuck in a cycle of misery. There is a way out: the entry point is the eyes.

“Black people don’t drink coffee”

This is going to sound farfetched, so bear with me. I want to look at African Americans, a class of people that we consider “genetically superior” to other races. Here’s why:

Black people have better vision. According to this census data, white people are almost twice as likely as black people to have visual impairment. That’s significant. And now we know that it’s not genetic. What is it?

Black people age better. “Black don’t crack.” You know this.

Black people are better athletes. You can find hundreds of articles and books to support this. The question is why?

Ok. You agree with all of those. You know by now that I don’t completely buy in to the fact that our genetic code determines everything about our lives. So is there some part of black culture or tendencies that could be helping them in all of these categories, categories where we all want to improve?

We know that vision is of utmost importance in athletics, so for now, let’s assume that vision and athletics are the same. Good vision is also indicative of a lowered ground state, which is where the body sees and performs the best.

“Black people just don’t drink coffee” -Shaq said it. Here’s why it matters:

Caffeine affects your refraction. Why? My theory would be that it alters your base mental state. Regardless, it effects it on a day-to-day basis. The mind sees best when it is at it’s ground state, and this alters that. Caffeine stresses the mind and the body and dilates our perception of time. Think about all the baristas that wear glasses. That is not a coincidence. [Side note: caffeine is not the only external factor that effects refraction. We’ll get into others later.]

No. Keep calm by not drinking coffee.

Refraction effects how you age. Obviously, the article is more the other way around. How aging effects your vision, or something like that. My theory though, is that we have causation in the wrong place. Our minds control it all. As we lose our minds, we lose our bodies.

Conclusion: We control our refraction, so we control our athleticism as well as how we age. Naturally seeing better is a symptom of a lowered ground state, and the closer we are to that the happier we are, the more athletic we are, the better we perform, the slower we age. Think about your hayday in high school or college. What if I were to tell you the only difference between you then and you now was your mind?