Darkness & Light & Madness

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"Seasons are more important, the farther a person is from the equator. In studies conducted in Leningrad, in the extreme north, the mitochondria (which use oxygen to produce most of our energy) of rabbits were examined at hourly intervals during a long winter night, and early in the night they showed changes in their shape indicating that they were being damaged by stress; with each hour of darkness they became increasingly swollen and distorted, and by dawn some of them had collapsed completely and stopped functioning. On following nights, the damage was cumulative, until at the end of winter, when the rabbits’ cells looked like those of old rabbits. With the lengthening days of spring, their mitochondria became progressively better, and by the end of summer, with the extremely long daylight hours, their health had returned almost to their previous state. The majority of the degenerative changes of aging happen during the winter nights."
-Ray Peat


Back in the day when I was kid we played outside all day! We only came in when our parents called us to, because it was getting dark. I knew about depression when I was 10 years old because my mom complained about it between television commercials. She loved spending her days in her dark room with a couple of candles lit, but she wasn't always like that.

When my dad met my mom, in high school, he was attracted to her for her looks, but also because she was outdoorsy. She was in the "Mariner's Club", and he liked that , because he loved the ocean and boating too. She was healthy, beautiful and fun! They went to parties, out dancing often, took us, as little kids, to the beach, and then she stopped going outside. When she stopped going outside it was the beginning of the end, the end of her marriage, the end of her being an adequate mother, and the end of her health. As her health declined she relied on doctors more and more, and saw her medications as being the center of her existence. She talked about her medications, and her various health issues, to anyone who would listen. She seemed to think that her knowledge of medications made her sound intelligent and interesting, and it did to her other like minded friends, but to us, healthy people, it all seemed worrisome. She never got anywhere with any of it, except down the rabbit hole further, with finally prescribed morphine, for her aches and pains, killing her.

Is was such an unecessary tragedy.
Her mother always told her to, "go outside and you'll feel better", but she never did. She thought such simplistic advice was trivializing the complicated issues that she was dealing with. The sun, how silly! She didn't need the sun, her issues were bigger than that, she needed professionals!

Nowadays we wonder why so many are depressed, lazy, fat, with so many chronic illnesses, cancer and many other diseases, and at such young ages now too! Kids, now, spend their days indoors playing video games and the parents watching television in the other room, with nobody realizing that without our precious sun we cannot survive. We can see it with our own eyes, with society declining and the medical system ruling the world! "We need more research, we need more funding, we need to find cures for this or that". No! We need to get light in our eyes! We need to get our brains stimulated and the life giving sun rays on our skin so our body can do it's job to keep us going! The final irony of it all is now our society is all PUFA laden, so our skin burns with the sun's rays. What is to be done about that now? Add more disfunction by blocking all that life giving vitamin D with sunscreen! Yeah we need professionals alright, for all this madness!


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YS-dg3Dc78k
 
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BodhiBlues

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I used to have very bad seasonal affective disorder in the winter, to the point where I could barely function during November - February from around the time when I was 15 or so. I live in the UK, so it is often very cloudy / rainy and in the winter there isn't much sunlight.

I managed to mostly fix it by spending as much time as possible outside during winter (though it still isn't easy with an indoor job). I try and get out for a walk in the morning and another on my lunch hour. I also try to go for long walks on weekends and sit outside with a book drinking coffee even if it is really cold to get more sunlight. Supplementing Vitamin D helps a little too.
 
OP
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I used to have very bad seasonal affective disorder in the winter, to the point where I could barely function during November - February from around the time when I was 15 or so. I live in the UK, so it is often very cloudy / rainy and in the winter there isn't much sunlight.

I managed to mostly fix it by spending as much time as possible outside during winter (though it still isn't easy with an indoor job). I try and get out for a walk in the morning and another on my lunch hour. I also try to go for long walks on weekends and sit outside with a book drinking coffee even if it is really cold to get more sunlight. Supplementing Vitamin D helps a little too.

So you know what that rabbit winter night after night can do! After hearing that RP quote today, and hearing his interview clip, I am thinking those incandescent bulbs may be the answer to our exact opposite problems. We have had terrible heat waves in California. The strange weather, with lots of unusual rain, has been breeding mosquitoes, so it has been tough trying to get the usual sun here for the last couple of months, and I can feel and see the difference.
 
OP
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"Below is our interview with Dr. Raymond Peat.

Beyond The Interview: In what arenas, specifically, do you think our ever-popular Western Medicine is mistaken and why?

Raymond Peat: It would be much easier to name the things that they do right, and why. On average, they are competent at mechanical things, such as setting broken bones, suturing wounds, and even replacing severed appendages. They do that well, because they understand the simple mechanics of the body; they are taught to understand the body as a mechanism.

Unfortunately, that mechanical thinking is extended to other areas, such as the circulation of blood. A good plumber could identify with the standard medical approaches to treating circulatory problems. Beyond the mechanical properties of the body, everything is physiological, and most doctors learned physiology from an absurdly bad textbook by A.C. Guyton, that I discussed in one of my newsletters."

 
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I used to have very bad seasonal affective disorder in the winter, to the point where I could barely function during November - February from around the time when I was 15 or so. I live in the UK, so it is often very cloudy / rainy and in the winter there isn't much sunlight.

I managed to mostly fix it by spending as much time as possible outside during winter (though it still isn't easy with an indoor job). I try and get out for a walk in the morning and another on my lunch hour. I also try to go for long walks on weekends and sit outside with a book drinking coffee even if it is really cold to get more sunlight. Supplementing Vitamin D helps a little too.
Long walks are amazing and therapeutic - any time of the year. Love them!
 
OP
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"Many stimulants--amphetamine and estrogen, for example--can increase alertness temporarily, but at the expense of long range damage. The first principle of stimulation should be to avoid a harmful activation of the catabolic stress hormones. Light, play, environmental variety and exploratory conversations stimulate the whole organism in an integral way, stimulating repair processes and developmental processes." -Ray Peat
 
OP
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"Stress early in life, such as isolation, reduces the playfulness of experimental animals. Playfulness is contagious, but so is the inability to play." -Ray Peat
 

Jennifer

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"go outside and you'll feel better"

I wish overcoming depression was that simple but for myself and a few others I know, it wasn’t.

I wasn’t depressed because I stopped going outside. I stopped going outside because I was depressed. I became depressed during the years I was most active outdoors, climbing mountains multiple times a week, year round. It got so bad I started having crying spells the night before a climb because I didn’t want to be outdoors and eventually deteriorated to a point I could no longer force myself to. At first, I didn’t know I was suffering from depression because I had always been a happy, active person. I just thought I lacked motivation. In reality, I had an unknown thyroid condition, and painful stuff from my past that I had buried finally surfaced.

It has taken a lot of radical self-acceptance and love, healing from a childhood trauma, and a specific diet to fully overcome depression, but what made an almost immediate positive impact when I was in the thick of it was having someone to talk to who listened, like really listened, and didn’t blame or shame me for my depression. Thankfully, I had my mum and grandmother (and fur babies to snuggle) during that painful time. They never trivialized my suffering. I believe there are a lot of us who feel depressed, unheard and invisible at some point in our lives and that one of the greatest gifts we can give each other is our undivided attention.
 
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OP
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I wish overcoming depression was that simple but for myself and a few others I know, it wasn’t.

I wasn’t depressed because I stopped going outside. I stopped going outside because I was depressed. I became depressed during the years I was most active outdoors, climbing mountains multiple times a week, year round. It got so bad I started having crying spells the night before a climb because I didn’t want to be outdoors and eventually deteriorated to a point I could no longer force myself to. At first, I didn’t know I was suffering from depression because I had always been a happy, active person. I just thought I lacked motivation. In reality, I had an unknown thyroid condition, and painful stuff from my past that I had buried finally surfaced.

It has taken a lot of radical self-acceptance and love, healing from a childhood trauma, and a specific diet to fully overcome my depression, but what made an almost immediate positive impact when I was in the thick of it was having someone to talk to who listened, like really listened, and didn’t blame or shame me for my depression. Thankfully, I had my mum and grandmother (and fur babies to snuggle) during that painful time. They never trivialized my suffering. I believe there are a lot of us who feel depressed, unheard and invisible at some point in our lives and that one of the greatest gifts we can give each other is our undivided attention.

I am sorry girl to hear that you have struggled so. Depression is hard to watch, and I have had glimpses of it myself so I feel for you. Everybody's story is different and, no matter if it is the cause or effect, not getting outside and getting natural vitamin D only snowballs the problem. I think with my mom it started with a little unhappiness that made her want to go into her cave, and then it blew up into more from just staying there. We never trivialized her depression, it was our normal. We didn't realize the extent of our dysfunctional upbringing until we all moved away to start our own lives. Her depression grew into anger and finally into psychosis from all the drugs that were suppose to help her. I am so glad to hear you are healthy now! You are always so enjoyable to talk to!
 

Jennifer

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I am sorry girl to hear that you have struggled so. Depression is hard to watch, and I have had glimpses of it myself so I feel for you. Everybody's story is different and, no matter if it is the cause or effect, not getting outside and getting natural vitamin D only snowballs the problem. I think with my mom it started with a little unhappiness that made her want to go into her cave, and then it blew up into more from just staying there. We never trivialized her depression, it was our normal. We didn't realize the extent of our dysfunctional upbringing until we all moved away to start our own lives. Her depression grew into anger and finally into psychosis from all the drugs that were suppose to help her. I am so glad to hear you are healthy now! You are always so enjoyable to talk to!
Thank you, Miss Rinse. :) I gained far more than I lost from that experience so it’s all good. And thank you for sharing your experience with me. I grew up with a mom who suffered from depression and was suicidal so I can empathize. I’m very sorry for your family’s suffering and that you’ve had glimpses of depression yourself. I’m glad you’ve gained the knowledge you have to hopefully prevent it. Much love to you. ❤️
 

akgrrrl

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What a fabulous story of redemption of the human condition! Kudos to you for embracing the suck of that time period to share your emergence of spirit. You have something now, that can never be taken from you: wisdom of what bad seeds do in innocent earth, what is required to prompt gowth to healthy thriving, and the personal power gained at harvest.
Peace to you Jennifer Warrior Human.
I wish overcoming depression was that simple but for myself and a few others I know, it wasn’t.

I wasn’t depressed because I stopped going outside. I stopped going outside because I was depressed. I became depressed during the years I was most active outdoors, climbing mountains multiple times a week, year round. It got so bad I started having crying spells the night before a climb because I didn’t want to be outdoors and eventually deteriorated to a point I could no longer force myself to. At first, I didn’t know I was suffering from depression because I had always been a happy, active person. I just thought I lacked motivation. In reality, I had an unknown thyroid condition, and painful stuff from my past that I had buried finally surfaced.

It has taken a lot of radical self-acceptance and love, healing from a childhood trauma, and a specific diet to fully overcome depression, but what made an almost immediate positive impact when I was in the thick of it was having someone to talk to who listened, like really listened, and didn’t blame or shame me for my depression. Thankfully, I had my mum and grandmother (and fur babies to snuggle) during that painful time. They never trivialized my suffering. I believe there are a lot of us who feel depressed, unheard and invisible at some point in our lives and that one of the greatest gifts we can give each other is our undivided attention.
 
OP
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Thank you, Miss Rinse. :) I gained far more than I lost from that experience so it’s all good. And thank you for sharing your experience with me. I grew up with a mom who suffered from depression and was suicidal so I can empathize. I’m very sorry for your family’s suffering and that you’ve had glimpses of depression yourself. I’m glad you’ve gained the knowledge you have to hopefully prevent it. Much love to you. ❤️

As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Love back at ya Girl!
 

Ben.

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Taking a walk for the sake of sun and relaxing, i find that it is a very good way of assesing my stress levels.

Even doing something as trivial as just walking around i find myself walking fast, muscle tense, posture being completly awful and the urge to get this "walking thing over with", which makes me realize to slow the f down, reduce the speed, keep muscles relaxed, reduce the load of unecessary thoughts, so on and so fourth.

Wierd how these "states" are at times so consuming that one does not eve realize he/she is in it at the moment. Just laying down on the floor for 5 minutes works too ... ideally on a balcony where the warmth of the sun can kiss ones face ever so softy.
 

akgrrrl

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Taking a walk for the sake of sun and relaxing, i find that it is a very good way of assesing my stress levels.

Even doing something as trivial as just walking around i find myself walking fast, muscle tense, posture being completly awful and the urge to get this "walking thing over with", which makes me realize to slow the f down, reduce the speed, keep muscles relaxed, reduce the load of unecessary thoughts, so on and so fourth.

Wierd how these "states" are at times so consuming that one does not eve realize he/she is in it at the moment. Just laying down on the floor for 5 minutes works too ... ideally on a balcony where the warmth of the sun can kiss ones face ever so softy.
You...have embraced the grace of being. Lovely post.
 
OP
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Taking a walk for the sake of sun and relaxing, i find that it is a very good way of assesing my stress levels.

Even doing something as trivial as just walking around i find myself walking fast, muscle tense, posture being completly awful and the urge to get this "walking thing over with", which makes me realize to slow the f down, reduce the speed, keep muscles relaxed, reduce the load of unecessary thoughts, so on and so fourth.

Wierd how these "states" are at times so consuming that one does not eve realize he/she is in it at the moment. Just laying down on the floor for 5 minutes works too ... ideally on a balcony where the warmth of the sun can kiss ones face ever so softy.

Your laying on the ground moment reminds me of being a teenager and wanting to get away from a stressful home. I would go out into the field where the wildflowers were so far overgrown and lay downing a patch of them. I could clearly see the sky, and the weedy flowers would sway back and forth. My mother would go out onto her bedroom balcony calling me back in, but I would be still and not answer. Sometimes I would take my little transistor radio or tape recorder with me to listen to music, and lie in those places for hours. It was a wonderful hiding place!
 

Jennifer

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As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Love back at ya Girl!

I like to think that our challenges reveal to us the strength we already possess. It seems to me that even as a child, you possessed immense strength. :)

What a fabulous story of redemption of the human condition! Kudos to you for embracing the suck of that time period to share your emergence of spirit. You have something now, that can never be taken from you: wisdom of what bad seeds do in innocent earth, what is required to prompt gowth to healthy thriving, and the personal power gained at harvest.


Peace to you Jennifer Warrior Human.

So beautiful! I love the way you express your thoughts. Thank you for that and peace to you too, akgrrrl Renaissance Woman. ❤️

Wierd how these "states" are at times so consuming that one does not eve realize he/she is in it at the moment. Just laying down on the floor for 5 minutes works too ... ideally on a balcony where the warmth of the sun can kiss ones face ever so softy.

So true, and beautifully said, Ben.
 

Ben.

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Your laying on the ground moment reminds me of being a teenager and wanting to get away from a stressful home. I would go out into the field where the wildflowers were so far overgrown and lay downing a patch of them. I could clearly see the sky, and the weedy flowers would sway back and forth. My mother would go out onto her bedroom balcony calling me back in, but I would be still and not answer. Sometimes I would take my little transistor radio or tape recorder with me to listen to music, and lie in those places for hours. It was a wonderful hiding place!

That sounds very peaceful and relaxing. Lovely. In the haste of modern living, these simple acts can be food for the soul and mind.

I like to think that our challenges reveal to us the strength we already possess.

This is very much true. A surprise of ones self, a welcome one i might add.
Beautifully described, gave me goosebumps.
 

Jonnie

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"Seasons are more important, the farther a person is from the equator. In studies conducted in Leningrad, in the extreme north, the mitochondria (which use oxygen to produce most of our energy) of rabbits were examined at hourly intervals during a long winter night, and early in the night they showed changes in their shape indicating that they were being damaged by stress; with each hour of darkness they became increasingly swollen and distorted, and by dawn some of them had collapsed completely and stopped functioning. On following nights, the damage was cumulative, until at the end of winter, when the rabbits’ cells looked like those of old rabbits. With the lengthening days of spring, their mitochondria became progressively better, and by the end of summer, with the extremely long daylight hours, their health had returned almost to their previous state. The majority of the degenerative changes of aging happen during the winter nights."
-Ray Peat


Back in the day when I was kid we played outside all day! We only came in when our parents called us to, because it was getting dark. I knew about depression when I was 10 years old because my mom complained about it between television commercials. She loved spending her days in her dark room with a couple of candles lit, but she wasn't always like that.

When my dad met my mom, in high school, he was attracted to her for her looks, but also because she was outdoorsy. She was in the "Mariner's Club", and he liked that , because he loved the ocean and boating too. She was healthy, beautiful and fun! They went to parties, out dancing often, took us, as little kids, to the beach, and then she stopped going outside. When she stopped going outside it was the beginning of the end, the end of her marriage, the end of her being an adequate mother, and the end of her health. As her health declined she relied on doctors more and more, and saw her medications as being the center of her existence. She talked about her medications, and her various health issues, to anyone who would listen. She seemed to think that her knowledge of medications made her sound intelligent and interesting, and it did to her other like minded friends, but to us, healthy people, it all seemed worrisome. She never got anywhere with any of it, except down the rabbit hole further, with finally prescribed morphine, for her aches and pains, killing her.

Is was such an unecessary tragedy.
Her mother always told her to, "go outside and you'll feel better", but she never did. She thought such simplistic advice was trivializing the complicated issues that she was dealing with. The sun, how silly! She didn't need the sun, her issues were bigger than that, she needed professionals!

Nowadays we wonder why so many are depressed, lazy, fat, with so many chronic illnesses, cancer and many other diseases, and at such young ages now too! Kids, now, spend their days indoors playing video games and the parents watching television in the other room, with nobody realizing that without our precious sun we cannot survive. We can see it with our own eyes, with society declining and the medical system ruling the world! "We need more research, we need more funding, we need to find cures for this or that". No! We need to get light in our eyes! We need to get our brains stimulated and the life giving sun rays on our skin so our body can do it's job to keep us going! The final irony of it all is now our society is all PUFA laden, so our skin burns with the sun's rays. What is to be done about that now? Add more disfunction by blocking all that life giving vitamin D with sunscreen! Yeah we need professionals alright, for all this madness!


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YS-dg3Dc78k

Sad what happened to your mom. I'm glad you made it all the way here to this side of health.

And yes, I've been saying it for the past 5 years, in the winter everyone looks diseased.
I'll be leaving for a sunny destination coming february, I can not survive another full winter.
 
OP
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Sad what happened to your mom. I'm glad you made it all the way here to this side of health.

And yes, I've been saying it for the past 5 years, in the winter everyone looks diseased.
I'll be leaving for a sunny destination coming february, I can not survive another full winter.

Thanks Jon! Yes go to the light! ? it is gonna be a tough winter. I have heard RP talk about having incandescent light on the skin as much as possible during the day when indoors, is that to make vitamin D?
 

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