TOTAL self-improvement

[xxxPantero]

Okay then.

I officially rename this post \"TOTAL masturbation.\"

Anyone want to help?

[BassMan]

Sure [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] That better?

[franki]

LOL ...

[Watcher]

Lol

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Why, I\'m surprised you need help, xxxPantero, with all the practice you\'ve had ...

[Buddydust]

LoL,Like They Say,\"Practice Makes Perfect\".........

[BassMan]

<blockquote><font class=\"small\">In reply to:</font><hr>

LoL,Like They Say,\"Practice Makes Perfect\".........

<hr></blockquote>Not to mention, Lucky Pants...

[sabSpeaks]

heh

The quote wasn\'t referring to masturbation literally; it\'s supposed to be a metaphor. Self-improvement feels good while you\'re doing it, has a climax, and leaves you right back where you started.

Greg

[proteus]

re: self-improvement masturbation &lt;----- Don\'t do it or moderate. It helps your game - motivates you to go out there and approach the women plus the buildup of sexual energy is something she\'ll pickup on and make you that much more attractive to fems.

[EXIT63]

Hey Proteus,
That\'s a GREAT idea but it\'s easier said than done.

[Buddydust]

Does anyone know if Growth Hormones are effective and safe? I was thinking about trying them out.

[xvs]

Growth hormones are effective, not that safe, very expensive, only available from doctors, and must be injected. Typical costs run to $2500 or more per month for treatments.

There are loads of fake \"growth hormone\" products on the market, and you can tell that they are fake because:

- real growth hormone must be kept refrigerated and is fresh only for a few weeks
- real growth hormone must be injected. If you were to take it orally, it would simply be digested.
- real growth hormone is very very expensive

There is an alternative to HGH (human growth hormone) injections, and that is secretagogues. These are substances which cause the body to increase its own HGH output, however the most effective of these are produced by pharmaceutical companies and are currently still under clinical trial.

There is some evidence that fairly large doses of the amino acid arginine cause increased HGH output, however there is also some evidence that increased HGH is associated with some cancers such as colon cancer.

Bottom line: Don\'t waste money on any product that claims to \"contain real human growth hormone!\". They are all fake and/or useless. If you really want to increase HGH you could take 2-4 gm of arginine per day, but it may not be totally safe to do so.

[DrSmellThis]

Homeopathic growth hormone works for many, and is totally safe. I tried it, and noticed my voice lowered and I started sleeping like a baby.

[MOBLEYC57]

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO WIN MR. OLYMPIC? ALL YOU NEED IS SOME GOOD PROTEIN, CREATINE, TRIBEX500, ZMA, A GOOD DIET, SLEEP, AND A WILL TO GROW!! STOP GAMBLING WITH YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU WANT AN OVERNIGHTER!! TIME AND TRAINING WILL GET YOU THERE. ON THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS, AND KNOWING THE PROTEIN WINDOWS, I WILL BE MORE THAN GLAD TO SEND YOU A PIC OF WHAT I LOOKED LIKE BEFORE I QUIT SMOKING, AND TWO MONTHS AFTER I QUIT, JUST SEND ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. I WAS AMAZED AND HAPPY, AND I COULDN\'T STOP EATING. THE PROTEIN WINDOW DID AMAZING THINGS TO ME. READ, EXPERIMENT, AND STOP LISTENING TO EVERYBODY\'S SUPPOSINGLY SECRETS. 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES IS THE MAX AMOUNT OF TIME ONE SHOULD TRAIN, BECAUSE YOUR TESTOSTERONE DROPS AFTER 90 MINUTES, AND UNLESS YOU\'RE DOING SOMETHING STUPID LIKE JUICING, YOU\'RE WASTING YOUR TIME. PEOPLE OFTEN FORGET TO TELL INQUIRING MINDS THAT THEY ARE TAKING STERIODS, WHICH IS WEAK IN MY BOOK. NEVER BE ASHAMED OF NOTHING YOU DO, IF YOU\'RE JUICING, SAY YOU\'RE JUICING!! DON\'T DO IT!!!

[xvs]

Probably a placebo effect.

Homeopathics of all kinds have been extensively tested and as far as I know, controlled tests have never found them to be more effective than a placebo. But those placebo effects can be quite strong and useful.

Read this review article and make your own decisions:

http://www.naturalinvestor.com/nutritionsciencenews/NSN_backs/Nov_00/vanitymeds.cfm

[DrSmellThis]

I respect and share an attitude of skepticism in general.

I was told by a natural practitioner familiar with that research that there\'s a big difference in \"homeopathic\" formulas -- in particular HgH formulas, most of which aren\'t rigorously constructed -- and that there is indeed a more recent study out using a well made tincture that suggested the authentic homeopathic mixture helped the effects of the shots continue after the shots were stopped, when compared with a placebo. That\'s the brand I used. (I could find out the brand. It was not a spray.). The effect felt strong to me and to a friend of mine, whom I respect intellectually.

On the other hand, if one believes there\'s nothing to the idea that energetic components of matter have effects, as do the authors of that article, then one is likely to dismiss homeopathy out of hand.

The article talks exclusively about \"molecules\", and how the molecules can\'t get into the blood. Any lurking Naturopaths can correct me if I misspeak here, but this kind of homeopathy (as opposed to the \"hair of the dog\" kind) is not about the molecules at all. It\'s about the physics. It\'s about the sort of imprint (imagine something like a magnetic field) left in an aqueous solution when the molecules of a substance are systematically and gradually removed from it, through a rigorous dilution and hand secussion process. As molecules get removed, the imprint gets more defined, and the homeopathic potential gets stronger.

The referenced article dismisses hand secussion and energy effects without further comment. Yet the \"psuedo-homeopathic\" tinctures used in the \"nay-saying\" study were mixed by industrial machines, which according to homeopathy typically ruins the delicate imprinting process (through electro-magnetic contamination).

There is a certain amount of prejudice against homeopathy in the academic and allopathic medical community. But even according to traditional scientific standards, research that doesn\'t give a condition the strongest chance to succeed on it\'s own terms lacks \"construct validity\", as research methodologists say, due to \"measurement\" or \"instrumentation\" problems, and also lacks \"statistical power\". I mention this because you are a bio-researcher.

[xvs]

The idea that there\'s some kind of \"imprint\" that gets stronger as you remove more and more molecules til all that\'s left is \"imprinted water\" has no basis in current physics, nor has it been borne out in tests.

Here is a good review article which discusses this:

http://www.phys.hawaii.edu/vjs/www/med/homeop.html

[DrSmellThis]

Thanks. I read it. I found the article interesting, but inconclusive compared to the author\'s confident discussion. Meta analysis is problematic due to statistical problems (alpha level corrections are rarely done, and when done, almost always render results statistically insignificant and inconclusive. The authors ignore the issue.), methodological inconsistencies, and other reasons. So that article is really difficult to interpret. The authors seem to give uneven emphasis to the studies reviewed, and completely dismiss scads of studies due to methodological problems. Finally they seem to settle on a few studies they regard as important, which could well have turned out the way they did due to chance. (this is the alpha correction problem). I\'d have to look at it much more in depth to understand why all the positive results they cite should be ignored when most all the research either way is clearly flawed.

Here\'s a review that says the opposite of yours. I don\'t know what to make of it either without spending 3 months on it.

<a target=\"_blank\" href=http://www.lyghtforce.com/King_bio/research.htm>http://www.lyghtforce.com/King_bio/research.htm</a>

I tend to wonder whether researcher preconceptions aren\'t the major determinant of results. I\'m not confident either way. The degree of authoritarian scoffing by traditionalists or unbridled enthusiasm by homeopaths certainly can\'t be taken to mean much.

The fact that mainstram physics can\'t account for homeopathy seems to indicate to you that there\'s no physical basis for it. I don\'t know. Reality seems bigger than what corporate/government/academic egos and their fearful colleagues allow for. There\'s lots of research about structured water involving MRI technology, (from Japan, I think) although it\'s not accepted by the mainstream institutions. I do like to see clear evidence someone can well think outside the box, and even has a taste for it, before I would trust their terse, authoritative scoffing.

[a.k.a.]

The physics of homeopathy is discussed in “The Field” by Lynne McTaggart. Not being a physicist, I can only say that it doesn’t sound any more far-fetched than Stephen Hawkins “The Universe in a Nutshell”.
Of the homeopathic remedies that I’ve tried, I can only vouch for Oscillococcinum (manufactured by Boiron), which reduces flu symptoms better than any conventional remedy I\'ve tried.

As far as self-improvement...

The best thing I ever did for myself was to take up yoga as a teenager. At my age (almost 44), the benefits to flexibility alone are worth the time spent. But I’m convinced that it also improves mental clarity, emotional stability, and overall health at a more fundamental level than regular exercise.

About four years ago I took up aikido and have noticed many positive effects from that as well. I would say the self-defense applications are no more questionable than any other martial art.( Who can train you to dodge bullets? At least aikido teaches you how to take a fall without hurting yourself.) But the effects on overall attitude are superior to Tae Kwon Do — which I studied in my twenties. Practice consists of a few limbering up exercises and a lot of non-competitive, structured sparring. So you really get your aggressions out (without the extra baggage of winners vs. losers) and end up feeling calm, balanced and in control. Sometimes I walk out of the dojo feeling unconditional love for the whole human race. But, no, it doesn’t last long.

[MaxiMog]

Cool! Gonna consider taking up Aikido after my lessons at college! Always wanted to do Martial arts, but never knew which one to do. Aikido probably isn\'t as popular (at least here) as the other ones, and I kinda like that.

[Whitehall]

If the active ingredient is in a fluid at body temperature, how can one \"leave\" a structure without preventing Brownian motion?

As to feeling unconditional love for the whole human race, that\'s dangerous because the whole human race does not love you.

[DrSmellThis]

Unconditional love clarifies street smarts, rather than hinders, as long as it\'s applied to yourself. And most of us should be pretty good at that. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Watcher]

Its easier to help those who help themselves and others and to ignore the rest of the world unless you can get something out of it as well. A very dangerous discussion point that one.

Screw the world me first seems to be best.

[BassMan]

In my rather limited understanding, unconditional love seems to be based more on understanding and compassion than on emotion - springing from the intuition, often carefully developed though long practice, that we are all in this boat together, and that ultimately what affects one of us, affects us all.

It does not depend upon anyone doing anything _back_. If it did, it wouldn\'t be unconditional.

[DrSmellThis]

Well to the point. Your understanding is none too limited.

[Whitehall]

Back to \"structure\".....

Is one to abandon Brownian motion to support \"left structure in fluids\" and homeopathy? Or is there some way to reconcile the two contradictory theories?

Actually, Brownian motion is easily observed with one\'s own eyes in a microscope and so is probably more than a theory while the effectiveness of homeopathy is seldom supported in objective, statistically valid tests. Brownian motion in turn is a foundation of the atomic theory.

Is there physical evidence for \"left structure\"?

[a.k.a.]

Most people don’t realize the fear, anger, and insecurity that they live with every day. These emotional states insinuate themselves into the muscles of our body, eventually disfiguring our faces and wrecking our postures. Worse they disfigure our world views and wreck our capacity to connect with others. Drugs, philosophy and psychotherapy don’t adequately address this problem of psycho-somatic armoring. You have to work the kinks right out of your nervous system.

I don’t know what it is about aikido, but it works the kinks out (at least for me). At first the moves seem counter-intuitive. You enter the opponent\'s attack, rather than backing away or trying to stand your ground. Eventually the logic of this becomes clear. Whenever someone exerts force against you they are projecting their center of gravity. If your timing is right, you can step in and snatch it from them. This gives you the leverage to drop them, flip them, throw them, twist their bodies into submission... When I experience that kind of control, all the anxieties and frustrations of the day are fogotten.

Unconditional love is our natural state when we have nothing to fear. Of course it’s dangerous. But traditionally that’s what bushido’s all about: learning how to lay your life on the line. Anybody that says they teach self-defense is a fraud. In the final analysis, there is no defense. So we might as well learn to live courageously = lovingly.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Thank you, that was so good.

[a.k.a.]

Whitehall,

From what I’ve read, it’s not about the molecules themselves but the frequency at which they vibrate. A “signature frequency” is supposed to remain in a properly deionized solution. Not trying to defend homeopathy. (Like I said, I’ve only found one homeopathic formula that works for me.) I just don’t understand what Brownian motion has to do with it.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I regularly use a homeopathic remedy for computer eye strain. It\'s effective and has made my work life a lot more comfortable.

There are a lot of things in the world that just work, whether you can prove them with paper and pencil or not. Homeopathy, I think, is one of them. Don\'t knock it till you\'ve tried it. ...