LegendaryLife.com Blog

Well, it has been one month now since I completely stopped using toothpaste, my oral hygiene regimen of rinsing my mouth with baking soda / salt twice a day followed by brushing my teeth with plain water twice a day seems to have actually IMPROVED things!

Stumbling upon a far more effective alternative to mouthwash

I use to use mouthwash but it seems that, after a few hours, the “ickiness” would always return and overnight, well, in the morning I felt like I had drank from a swamp the night before. All those chemicals moving around in my mouth also don’t inspire much confidence considering all the health issues people are having later in life due to environmental and lifestyle choices followed over a lifetime. There HAD to be alternatives, I read a few online articles a few years back and stumbled upon the “salt” rinsing. It’s quite easy, fill a 1/2 cup of hot water and mix in about a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda. The result? Well, the best damn mouthwash you can ever have at a fraction of the price of what is being “marketed” as the best. Throw the rest into an oral irrigator and your mouth will be as clean as an emergency room floor (before the patient comes in of course).

Toothpaste, for all it’s wonders, is actually rather useless

I was brought-up being “marketed” by dentists and businesses that if I don’t use toothpaste, my teeth would fall-out and gingivitis was just around the corner… what a bunch of BS! Standing-up to commercial forces even in the face of conventional wisdom is actually a fantastic habit to have! Most of toothpaste ingredients are geared towards polishing, considering it’s thrown-out a few seconds after being “applied”, it makes you realize how either incredibly potent (ei: dangerous) or useless it really is. Consider toothpaste is a rather recent invention, I can safely say that it isn’t worth the status it has been given.

Results after one month

After one month of the no-toothpaste lifestyle, my gums have went from a slight redness along the gum-line to pink! My mouth always feels fresh and clean even after a meal or a few hours of heavy exercise. Even better… “tartar build-up” is gone and my teeth are actually WHITTER! What can I conclude? Well, I wish I started this regimen 30 years ago! It has saved me money and proven incredibly effective! Before you ask your dentist about following this regimen, realize that he or she, although a professional, is still being marketed rather heavily by companies that want you to use their oral products. Try this regimen for a month, go see your dentist, ask them if they see (or you feel) a difference THEN tell them what you have done!

Is Listerine environmentally friendly?

I have nothing against Listerine or other products but when a far more effective (and cheap) method exists that is environmentally friendly, why are we being marketed bogus junk? Just think of the chemical and logistical footprint that a simple product like Listerine has on the environment? A lot of wasted energy to produce an inferior product… that is mass-produced and marketed as THE BEST when it really falls rather short. I have no qualms about the “chemicals” in my salt/baking-soda mouthwash but who knows the long-term ramifications of the chemicals found in most toothpastes and mouthwashes these days. I think our governments have truly failed us on so many levels, it’s astonishing how much of our daily lives are influenced on a subconscious level by marketing whose focus is on profits rather than co-existing within our environment.

The Bigger Issue: The government doesn’t care

If the government really cared about our health, things such as alcohol, junk food (including TV diners), tobacco products… the list goes on, would simply not be available for consumption much less marketed to us on a daily basis. If the government really cared about the environment, mass-production of useless products when environmentally friendly alternatives existed wouldn’t be profitable. If the government really cared about it’s citizens, it would put a higher priority on physical education (government run gyms, school programs etc) instead of promoting a lifestyle of stagnation. Governments are there to help guide a population regardless of economic considerations but this sadly has changed where financial considerations have a higher priority than of the people it “should” be representing.

The Bottom Line

Only by standing-up against conventional wisdom can truth be discovered.

Cancer is a disease that, in a high portion of cases, is completely avoidable with proper diet, exercise and healthy living choices (including where and how you live). But for those unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer, I found this video that has some promising results. Screw chemotherapy, hello radio waves!

The Bottom Line

The best cure is avoidance.

Drug addicts all seem to develop specific physical and habitual characteristics as they spiral down into the hole of addition; Meth addicts seem to show these traits in an especially ugly form! I believe knowledge is power, I may dedicate my life towards my passion but I also try to educate myself about those who dedicate theirs towards self-destruction. Why? If you don’t know how bad things can become, they you cannot fully appreciate the gift of not living that type of life can be!

What is Meth?

Meth is a nervous system stimulant which gives its users an instant rush of energy, they feel like they are 10ft tall and can do anything. It is also goes by the name “ice”, “crystal” and “glass” for its smokable forms while the pill forms go by “billy whizz”, “speed”, “sulphate”, “fast”, “uppers”, “powder” and “crank”. It is made up of mix of commonly available, hazardous chemicals, as such it can be mass produced relatively easily and requires no importation such as other hard drugs.

How is Meth taken?

Meth can be taken in various forms such as powder, pill, injectables and I am sure there are other creative ways addicts have found in order to receive a high from this awful drug.

Why do people take Meth?

When the dangerous mix of peer pressure, low self-esteem and easy availability come together, the perfect storm begins. I can easily say that these are the same pressures that create many other types of addicts from nicotine to alcoholics.

What happens after a user stops use?

Well, the reason they took the drugs was to feel 10ft tall, once off, they receive the opposite effect and feel like they belong 6ft under. With prolonged use, Meth addicts become extremely paranoid and develop a host of traits that would make a schizophrenic appear normal. Like other drugs, there is also an adaptation that the body does to cope, meaning more regular and higher doses are required to achieve the same effect.

What do meth addicts look like?

These aren’t pretty pictures, it shows you what drugs can do to you in their extremes. Note that cigarettes and alcohol have the same effects but they are to a lesser extreme and more internalized.

Governments “War on Drugs” commercials: The Montana Meth Project Ads

I may be wrong, but I believe these commercials where actually produced by a concerned individual who had enough with seeing the government do little in the face of the Meth epidemic that was happening in his city. Hopefully these scare the shit out of you… if they don’t, you have deeper problems.

The ugly physical effects of Meth

Like other hard drugs, Meth has a profound effect on the physical body. As the substance is completely toxic to the body, it tries to excrete these substances through the skin’s pores, which tend to get infected. This specific trait seems to be specific to Meth users. In addition, many Meth users end up with mouths that would make even the local dentist freak-out! The internal organs are also taxed beyond recovery most of the time with prolonged use, which means that you don’t only age much faster, but you are really screwing yourself internally as well. Any type of drug use leads to malnutrition, lack of exercise and the usual culprits that don’t have any positive impact on living a long, healthy life.

The Bottom Line

Drugs, of any kind, produce nothing of any positive value to a life.

Buzvia: Documentary Review -> The Meth Epidemic, Amphetamines/Methamphetamines on myfoodcount.com drug listing

We are all a product of a dream, whether realized or otherwise, they are among the most powerful mechanisms in our lives that help guide us, give us new ideas and play around with alternative realities!

Why develop Dreamclue.com?

Well, I originally began on this project a little over a year ago now after realizing that there was a huge amount of knowledge we are all acquiring but forgetting nightly! I wanted to create a system that not only makes sense of our dreams but more importantly, allows us to record them for prosperity. Our dreams are also a visual medium, so the site had to be chalk full of imagery to help guide you through the exploration of the dreamworld. The results? Well, launching with over two thousand dream symbols written by yours truly and a quarter of the entries with photographs also taken by me, I have big expectations for this site!

How does Dreamclue.com work?

Dreams are our own business, so it has to be built anonymously, as such, like myfoodcount.com before it, the system has no clue who you are and it’s drop dead easy interface for adding and learning about the dreamworld only helps to make the exploration that much easier!

Other cool Dreamclue.com features

The site features both text and image based navigation, in addition to interesting statistics not only about your very own dreams but all the dreams on the site as well. You can also read other peoples dreams (they are rendered anonymous by our system) and even comment on any interpretation on the site!

What’s next?

A lot, will let all our visitors know when the time is right
The Bottom Line

Passion is a dangerous thing as it can only bread more passion!

I have many passions in life one of which is to allow others to freely share the influenced they have earned online with others. Life is just like the web but unlike life, you can now share your influence with complete strangers… Karma at its best!

Why develop buzvia?

Well, I have had this concept in my mind for a very long time, I believe that humans are at their best when they freely share information and knowledge with one another, just like the original spirit of the web. What has changed over the past decade on the web? Well, walled gardens, people FEAR giving links to sites other then their own because they don’t want to loose traffic. I wanted to change this with a simple and straight forward system.

How does buzvia work?

Each link on the internet has a source page and referral page, what buzvia does is act like a middleman which tracks both source and referrals by simply adding http://buzvia.com/#url#… it couldn’t be any simpler! The information is captured and stats are collected by all those involved. The beauty of this system is two fold, you don’t need an account to participate and everybody knows how to make external links.

Other cool buzvia features

I have a lot of knowledge about the web, as such, I have also launched a blog to highlight trends, experiences and sites in order to help other with their SEO, SEM and whatever other acronym you can imagine. I also look forward to writing about the companies that decide, in all their great wisdom, to join the buzvia revolution and see how much they can truly benefit by breaking down their walled gardens and embracing change.

What’s next?

Ah well, that’s the million dollar questions isn’t it, don’t worry, if things go to plan, I will have something truly special to announce in about two months or three depending on how development goes. It won’t be LegendaryLife, that is still deep in production mode but it will be something I believe equally exciting for a particular demographic of our society I am very happy with how WoodMarvels.com is coming along and am looking forward with great glee to see how this year works out for professionally and personally. Life is amazing when your having fun and everyday is like a vacation! I wouldn’t want it any other way.

The Bottom Line

Passion is a dangerous thing as it can only bread more passion!

Visit buzvia at http://buzvia.com

Most people, like it or not, stick with being themselves most of the time. They don’t go out trying to be somebody they aren’t nor do they try to change others to become one of them.

Why would you assume an alter ego / persona?

You see this a lot in artists of all types, from Madonna to movie stars, the public (their fans) get tired of seeing the same-old all the time, so to re-invigorate the interest in them (income)… they make a change. Sometimes it’s a drastic one, other times, it’s barely noticeable. It all depends on how the person markets themselves towards others. It isn’t just the rich and famous who change their looks and even mentality, we ALL do it to a certain degree! Sometimes it’s to forget something from the past, other times, it’s to begin anew. You see a lot of this around New Years Resolution time. Change is good!

Halloween: the ultimate excuse to try on a new persona

Today is Halloween, what better time to make a drastic change! People will enjoy the change and then, you can either go back to your old self or keep the new personification of yourself. I am not saying come into the office on a daily basis from now on wearing a “Scream” mask but who knows… for some people, it might be an improvement!

Top 10 Dos and Don’ts of Personification Modification

10: DO include both an attitude and mental state change that matches your new outer look

9: DO make a change you are both comfortable with and can stick to, if you choose to keep the new YOU.

8: DON’T warn others about what you are about to do… new first impressions are important!

7: DON’T allow others to stop you from making a change in your life, you are an individual, act like one!

6: DON’T make a drastic change on a daily or weekly basis, this works against you in the long run. A change every quarter or two is more the adequate.

5: DO spend a little time thinking, planning and studying what you will become… you don’t want to change into something you HATE but others love!

4: DO it all in one shot, migrating from an old persona to a new one will deaden the blow, changing your persona is as much to shake up your life as those around you.

3: DON’T ask others if they like or dislike the new “you”, this kind of defeats the purpose. Make the change for yourself and others just have to accept it, if they don’t, that is their problem, not yours!

2: DO make sure that you truly believe in the new you, commit to it and no matter what, stick with it!

1: DO IT!

The Bottom Line

A new you is always in fashion… have fun with it!

If you are unlucky enough to require the use of an artificial limb, I hope this gives you hope that the functionality desire may not be that far away.

Dr. Goldfarbs Background

Dr. Goldfarbs is a professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University who has been fascinated by prosthetic limbs since childhood, and did his masters degree into designing a robotic artificial leg. He later did his doctorate in developing a computer controlled brace that would allow paraplegics to walk with the use of electrical stimulation on their muscles! He’s currently doing research into dramatically improving the usability and functionality of artificial limbs.

Power requirements are the next hurdle

Dr. Goldfarbs realized while doing robotic research that the achiles heel of any powered prosthetics is the inability to function for extended periods of time without having to have the power supplies refreshed (plugged in). As a result, he exchanged motors for special materials that expand and contract based on varying voltage, functioning very much like normal muscle tissue. In 2000, while doing research for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency), he developed a fuel source that simply used hydrogen peroxide instead of conventional motors and batteries.

Military needs artificial limbs!

With impressive advances in body armor, the number of casualties that the military suffers from was sharply down but as limbs are still exposed, a record number of limbs where being amputated. Having impressed other researchers, he then set his sights in 2005 towards developing an advanced prosthetic arm ever with 30 million dollar in funds from DARPA.

DARPA Results

The artificial arm developed by Dr. Goldfarbs was radically different then anything currently in the marketplace and has almost the same functionality of a real one! The artificial arm has more dexterity, freedom of movement and power then what is currently available with the added benefit of using a liquid fuel power system which can be refreshed when ever the user desires. Other researchers are also studying implantation of electrodes directly within the central nervous system to control artificial limb movement instead of using current methods.

The Future of Artificial Limbs

Dr. Goldfarbs is now researching the development of an artificial leg using the same technology he developed with DARPA funds for the next generation artificial arm.

Video

I found a video by Dean Karmen, I don’t know if the arm is the same as the one developed by Dr. Goldfarbs but the end of the video is interesting regardless.

The Bottom Line

Follow your strengths and success will surely follow.

Buzzvia
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Creating_The_Ultimate_Artificial_Arm_999.html

I started a little experiment on myself about two weeks ago, it being the peak of summer, I can’t go more then a few hours without being drenched in sweat, I consider air conditioning evil so my only comfort is a fan.

Cold Showers in Summer

About two weeks ago, I shut off the hot water in my place, not only will this save me a bundle in the summer but really, it’s already so damn hot outside, why would I want to take a hot shower on top of that? I usually take about 2-4 short showers throughout the day, I use them to break up my day and refresh my mind.

Cold Shower Experiment Week 1

First week, I can tell you, jumping under a COLD shower wasn’t something I was looking forward to, although it was incredibly refreshing, they where rather short affairs. Cold water running down my back made me short of breath and I was even shivering! My body was, oddly, use to hot showers in a hot environment and switching to chilly water was a complete shock. Suffice it to say, they are a great mechanism to wake a person up in the morning.

Cold Shower Experiment Week 2

Now into my second week and you know what, my body has adapted, the cold shower doesn’t feel so cold anymore, I am able to last a few minutes now and it’s rather enjoyable. I no longer shiver nor feel short of breath, the cooling effect also lasts for a good 20 minutes after the shower is complete as well!

Hot Showers

Think of a cold shower being the equivalent of a steaming hot shower in the dead of winter, well, after a week of adaptation, they are just as great! I will, from now on, take only cold showers in the summer (to cool me down) and hot ones in the winter (to warm me up).

The Bottom Line

Experiments involving your own bodies senses, done safely, can lead to new doors of experiences being opened.

According to a new study, yes, it is! HIV apparently has the ability to not only kill off mature brain cells but also prevent the brain from fixing the damage!

Journal Results

In the latest Cell Stem Cell journal, the University of California (San Diego) performed found out after performing experiments on mice that HIV viral load had a direct relationship with the amount of brain damage occurring and the inability of the brain to repair the damage caused. Although it was already known that HIV has a protective protein coating called gp120 which kills normal brain cells by disrupting their internal chemistry, what was discovered is that this same protein also slows the production of new brain cells in the hippocampus. This is bad news as the hippocampus is responsible for processing memory and solidifying learned behavior/materials.

HIV induced dementia

One of the known symptoms of advanced HIV Disease is dementia but until now, the depth of the damage it caused to the brain wasn’t known. Before antiviral drugs where developed, patients suffering from full blown AIDS often had mental illness but as this was segregated to those who where already in a state of waste, it was hard to pinpoint cause and effect. The brain is like many organs in our body, it regenerates itself on a regular basis, optimizes its processes and adapts to new challenges but this process occurs over an extended period of time, HIV is too quick.

Ramifications

Well, although the triple drug cocktail and other medications help keep viral loads down as much as possible, they don’t travel as easily through the brain as other organs due to its complex structures. As a result, even though a patient may live longer, the compound effects of HIV on the brain may still produce dementia in an otherwise relatively healthy individual.

The Bottom Line

HIV Disease is really proving to be one tough cookie to not only crack but understand as well.

Buzzvia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6944255.stm

You know, those red blood cells that carry oxygen to the bodies cells, the white ones that fight infection and the ones that heal battle damage (platelets)… well, they produce their own waves to get to their required destinations.

Where do cells get their power?

Cells are so beyond our modern technology it’s absolutely mind blowing. Each cell within our bodies is powered by the equivalent of a nuclear reactor, the mitochondria but instead of producing radioactive waste, it simply produces carbon dioxide (along with a few benign chemicals) and is powered by sugar! Now that we have the power plant out of the way, now it’s time to explain the drive system that has only recently been discovered using very high power microscopes.

How are these waves produced?

To greatly simplify the process, think of a shotgun being fired. You have a bullet (Hem-1 protein) in the chamber, the trigger is pulled by the cell leading to a controlled explosion. Right before the bullet leaves the chamber, another one is put into it’s place (right hand side of cell) while the spent cartridge is then discarded but enough of the cartridge is left for regenerating a brand new bullet (recruitment of Hem-1 protein on left hand side). What you end up with is a system of propulsion system that never needs refueling due to being self-generating and works almost anywhere in the body where these proteins are present.

Ramifications

Once you discover how cells within our body propel themselves and more importantly, their driving force, you can develop therapies that either enhance or impede these movements based on the chemical nature of a specific cell type. For instance, a drug could be developed to prevent all cancerous cells within the human body from being able to move or gene therapies that would give helper cells a locomotive boost if, say, somebody was infected with a potent Virus. Although far into the future, once you understand the control mechanisms behind cell movement, radio controlled device could be created to focus cells onto a particular activity such as clearing out blocked arteries or repairing a heart muscles after a heart attack.

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is like a river, winding and ever changing yet always expanding.

Buzzvia
http://www.interndaily.com/reports/Bursts_Of_Waves_Drive_Immune_System_Soldiers_Toward_Invaders_999.html

View the video
http://cvri.ucsf.edu/~weiner