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Consider switching to a whole foods, plant based diet.

In addition to being highly nutritious and satiety inducing (therefore leading to relatively low effort weight loss) there are immense health benefits (markedly reduced chance of cardiovascular disease and cancer), ethical benefits (you will reduce the demand for ethically bankrupt, cruel factory farming practices that permeate more than 90% of the food industry) and environmental benefits.

Suggested reading: - 'Whole' by T Colin Campbell. - 'Eating Animals' by Jonathan Foer

'numbers don't prove anything'...

Sir, this isn't 'The Huffington Post' discussion forum.

Is this seriously your argument?

The point is that men who have sex with men (commonly abbreviated to MSM in sexual health literature) have higher incidence of HIV and STDs.

I think your point is ridiculous (from both personal experience and published surveys), homosexual and bisexual men make up a small minority. Regardless though, it's easy enough to say whether or not you've had sex with a man.

And in answer to your question, seeing as I've never had sex with a man (nor intend to), I'm 100% sure that for all intents and purposes, I'm heterosexual.

Just to be clear, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with homosexual/bisexual activity, but there are provable additional risks for MSM.

If the prevalence of HIV in bisexual men is significantly higher than it is in heterosexual men (it is) then clearly they represent a higher risk.

Sorry if numbers offend you.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10461-018-2083-8

It's primarily that it's wrong.

Men who have sex with men are a tiny proportion of the population so the effective rate of infection is still (as we've known for four decades) far higher in these people.

They also don't account for other key risk factors: IV drug abuse, increased immigration from high incidence populations such as Africa and heterosexual woman who have sex with bisexual men.

Apparently understanding numbers and statistics is too hard for people trying hard to fit facts to woke narratives.

I wish there was anything close to this in healthcare.

Most medical group meetings are:

a)A small number of people that understand the issue (generally specialists) being drowned out by:

b)A large number of people with a vague understanding of the issue (related specialists and generalists)

c)A number of people with no understanding of the issue with the most political clout (administrators)

And then a final decision made by the least knowledgeable, most political administrator with the most vested interests.

Making that assessment based on one appearance on a podcast is a pretty weak conclusion.

David Swanson has taken several openly anti-Russian positions:

https://davidswanson.org/why-russia-is-crazy/

This is probably a good time to endorse the work of the World Beyond War.

https://worldbeyondwar.org/

And to remind everyone that militarism is a major public health threat, a significant cause of death, injury, homelessness, and disease, a completely preventable epidemic that consists of the large-scale killing, wounding, impoverishing, making homeless, orphaning, and traumatizing of people.

We need to get past the mentality of trying to DOMINATE every domain in the pursuit of the disease of nationalism.

I'm curious, you seam to have a particular animosity towards physicians. (Or at least animosity towards the idea that physicians should be well reimbursed.)

Is there a particular reason for this?

In a world where people are making billions for photo-sharing apps and financial rent seeking, is it really that egregious for people that treat disease to do well financially?

Says the guy commenting with no explanation or reference.

Stick to watching fox news.

Not sure the opportunity to work for the federal government is a great way to incentivize the best and the brightest.

Doctors already come from a variety of different backgrounds.

I encourage you to rethink this stance.

https://worldbeyondwar.org/ - is an organization dedicated to the abolition of war. I encourage you and anyone reading this to take a look.

Also take a look at possible alternatives. (A global security system that doesn't require violence) - there's an ebook discussing this system in full.

https://worldbeyondwar.org/alternative/

Continuing to head in the direction of militarism, will continue the disaster of a world that we live in, and almost certainly guarantee the end of mankind.

This simply isn't true.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/payer-issues/what-5-he...

And its not just the CEOs - its all the parasites in the c-suite.

And these people contribute less than nothing to the health of patients, quite the opposite.

I guess it depends on your comparison - that article didn't include Australia, NZ or Canada.

Also if you factor in earnings and expenses over a lifetime (including cost of studying and the fact that many of the countries mentioned have free healthcare and education and far lower insurance requirements) it evens out substantially.

More importantly, even the highest physician salaries are orders of magnitude less than insurance company CEO salaries.

Disclosure: I'm a physician, currently practicing in the US, previously in New Zealand and the UK.

Predominantly (there's also general overall bureaucratic bloat with absurd numbers of administrators at all levels) .

It's certainly not the majority of healthcare workers.

Physicians are often scapegoated as responsible for healthcare costs when in reality physicians in Canada, New Zealand and Australia earn similar salaries without the massive cost blowout.

On the euthanasia point I would agree that this should be a legal option (but on a humanitarian rather than a financial basis).

We definitely need do do a better job with end of life care/terminal diseases - in practice this would look like earlier/more hospice/compassionate care, less needless end of life treatments and interventions).

The greatest healthcare improvements in the US could be brought about by:

- Dismantling the insurance/big hospital complex that milks the US population for the enrichment of c-suite executives.

- Removing the capacity for lobbying by insurance companies, large hospital groups, device and pharma companies (so they're less able to price gouge consumers).

- Price transparency on all links of the chain of healthcare delivery.

- Changing the incentives for physicians and other providers towards expensive, often harmful and unnecessary interventions.

- Facilitating improved therapeutic relationships between providers and patients (More time spent, more communication, more incentives for harm reduction).

- Social changes including less stigma for things like drug use, greater emphasis on community cohesion and care.

- Demilitarization (Not only are absurd amounts of money spent on the military that could be redirected to better community health services; but innumerable veterans (not to mention foreign and local civilians) are injured psychologically and physically annually in the absurd pursuit of 'global security'.

- Better end of life care. I think something around 40% of healthcare expenditure is on patients in the last 2 years of life. Patients and families would benefit from earlier access to hospice care and less aggressive therapies that only prolong suffering.

- A greater emphasis on preventative health and lifestyle choices (better diet, exercise and sleep regimes - ideally within the context of a long term health care provider relationship).

Its very typical of modernism (especially in the US) to think that the way to address everything is a nice app with a better UI. This also facilitates the corporate narrative of marketing the shiny new thing to throw money at (make money for the company) to solve everything whilst digging the hole even deeper (and letting society absorb the collateral damage).

EDIT* Thanks for the feedback, I have added some of the points made by others to the list above.

I strongly encourage anyone reading this to watch Dr Ben Sessa's lecture on using MDMA to treat addiction and trauma. https://youtu.be/11u7iX4j1tA

The reality is, SSRIs and other pharmaceuticals that have been used to treat common psychiatric illnesses (anxiety/depression) have dismal outcomes and fail the vast majority of patients that they have been given to.

Fortunately, there is a growing body of evidence that MDMA and psychedelic assisted therapy could revolutionize the treatment of mental health disorders.

Unfortunately, for the last 50 years, governments, industry and the military industrial complex (together with the MSM) have spread lies and scaremongering to block the therapeutic use of these life-changing therapies.

Here is another video for anyone wanting to know more about the topic:

(Lecture by Prof. David Nutt: The New Psychedelic Revolution)

https://youtu.be/1JjzVcfei60

I'm optimistic that the next few decades will bring about better approaches to these massively underserved (and largely exploited and discarded) people.

References: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01336-3

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540261.2021.1...

Thank you for sharing your experience Will.

Fortunately there is a growing body of evidence that MDMA and psychedelic assisted therapy could revolutionize the treatment of mental health disorders.

Unfortunately, for the last 50 years, governments, industry and the military industrial complex (together with the MSM) have spread lies and scaremongering to block the therapeutic use of these life-changing therapies.

Here is another video for anyone wanting to know more about the topic:

(Lecture by Prof. David Nutt: The New Psychedelic Revolution)

https://youtu.be/1JjzVcfei60

I strongly encourage anyone reading this to watch Dr Ben Sessa's lecture on using MDMA to treat addiction and trauma.

https://youtu.be/11u7iX4j1tA

The reality is, SSRIs and other pharmaceuticals that have been used to treat common psychiatric illnesses (anxiety/depression) have dismal outcomes and fail the vast majority of patients that they have been given to.

I'm optimistic that the next few decades will bring about better approaches to these massively underserved (and largely exploited and discarded) people.

You've articulated a very real problem that exists across all public policy and communication.

As other people have stated, its not as simple as lie/don't lie.

Many people simply don't want to acknowledge certain realities:

There is an overwhelming majority of people who lack the capacity/ability/attention span to look clearly and rationally at a complex topic and evaluate the available evidence in anything remotely close to a nuanced, well educated fashion.

You then have to add to this that these same people are being mass manipulated by bad actors with nefarious agendas and large budgets and resources. And then there's the fact that the internet has allowed people to live with the illusion that their understanding parallels that of people with infinitely greater education and experience.

Any public communication has to take this in to account. Believing that the rubes will somehow find their way to a reliable conclusion if you simply tell them 'the truth', is a recipe for playing into the hands of the nefarious (who are more skilled at portraying their self-serving bullshit).

This is my first exposure to the organization 'world beyond war'.

I absolutely agree with its stated aims and intents. I would love to believe that what they are suggesting could be achievable - but the cynic/skeptic in me worries that this will end up being steamrolled by the people in power as some sort of fringe hippie movement.

Does anyone have direct experience with working with this organization that could relay how effective they are in their approach? Any thoughts on how their stated aims could be realizable?

Your comments are unusually poorly informed and mean spirited for HN.

Here is a course on neuroscience to get you started. Take a look and get back when you may have some idea of what you're commenting on.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/medical-neuroscience#syllabus

Did someone who uses mushrooms steal your girlfriend? You clearly have no medical, biological or neuroscience background, yet keep spewing the same bad faith arguments.

I've taken a look at some of your previous posts - you come across as consistently obnoxious and uninformed yet willing to post an uncompromising opinion. Google scholar is great if you actually want to search for evidence that may counter your view (which you don't seam to).

For anyone interested in a good faith discussion on psychedelics and creativity, there are several articles (although the reductionist approach may not be the best one on this topic), but here's an example:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105381192...

'Brains are designed to work in a narrow corridor of environmental states and any shift away from it is likely causing a malfunction.'

This runs completely contrary to everything we know about the structure and function of the brain. The brain's function is in no way similar to that of a motor engine.

That's a surprisingly disparaging and unsupported reply (but I welcome the discussion).

You may want to review your comments and question whether they're a fair response to what I've written. I also wonder why you find it necessary to be so adamant and pejorative. You clearly have a strong negative bias on this issue (without any demonstrable knowledge on the topic).

I'm a physician with subspecialty qualifications and publications across multiple fields in neuroscience, so I would strongly argue against your points on the nervous system (you seam to be talking from the position of someone without biological or neuroscience training).

There is substantial 'non-biased' evidence for the utility of psychedelics. Here are just a a few publications, which may interest you:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01336-3

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02698811166755...

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-017-4771-x

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medici...

Thank you for sharing your experience. I've reposted below what I wrote to someone else, in the hope that you (or anyone reading) may find this helpful (and hopefully find a way to more peace).

I would point out, in particular that:

1. When using psychedelics, there may be a period of emotional and intellectual turmoil (which may loosely coincide with a 'bad trip' at the time of ingestion or subsequently, during a period of integration). This generally, but not always, results in a long term overall improvement in mood and overall outlook.

2. Openness to more creative ideas is a common feature of psychedelic use. A cynical take would be that you become more suggestible/easily influenced (and this may be a feature also). There definitely seams to be a new willingness to consider new viewpoints, new ideas and new options. You may find yourself re-engaging in old intellectual pursuits, exploring previously unsolved problems and/or using previously unrelated topics/fields in conjunction.

----- Repost: Psychedelics are very powerful compounds acting on the infinitely complex human nervous system.

It should therefore be expected that the outcomes will be extremely variable and highly contingent on the background and predispositions of the user, the type(s) and dose(s) of the drug(s), the context of the usage of the drug (including related psychotherapy) and other events, practices and influences in the individual's life.

That being said, I have noticed, a general trend towards:

- Less combativeness, agitation and aggression. There is less tendency to want to engage in petty squabbles or incite your own (or others) negative emotional reactions.

- Openness to more creative ideas. A cynical take would be that you become more suggestible/easily influenced (and this may be a feature also). There definitely seams to be a new willingness to consider new viewpoints, new ideas and new options. You may find yourself re-engaging in old intellectual pursuits, exploring previously unsolved problems and/or using previously unrelated topics/fields in conjunction.

- In a similar vein, you may also find yourself exploring spiritual/philosophical topics, especially those related to compassion, empathy, group cohesion and 'reduced ego'. This probably looks an awful lot like hippiness lol. This may include rethinking political, social and economic attitudes.

- Generally more positive thoughts and emotions (positive valence). This often follows a period of emotional and intellectual turmoil (which may loosely coincide with a 'bad trip' at the time of ingestion or subsequently, during a period of integration). This generally, but not always, results in a long term overall improvement in mood and overall outlook.

- Psychedelics may help in getting through/integrating past trauma. This may be part of what underlies the above. Many of us live with the after-effects of trauma and being able to work past this can be life-changing. This may be a traumatic process in itself, but sometimes psychedelics facilitate approaching these issues in ways that were not previously possible. IMHO many of the most severely affected by trauma are not even aware of the fact that they're affected and this manifests in a plethora of negative outcomes. Psychedelics in a positively reinforced environment (ideally with therapy) can help tremendously here.

There are a lot of really great resources online for anyone who is interested (regardless of your level of personal experience or opinion):

Highly recommend qualiacomputing.com and qualiaresearchinstitute.org (along with the group's online videos), especially for the HN crowd looking for a more multifaceted, more 'scientifically rigorous' (I use the term loosely here lol, but I think you'll get what I mean).

I'd also recommend some of the lectures on the Oxford Psychedelic Society's website: https://oxpsysoc.org/#things

I hope you find this helpful. Psychedelics are a complex topic but overall I believe they have immense potential to help many people, including but not limited to the following. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to learn more.

- Pain syndromes, including intractable, severe, pain syndromes like cluster headaches. - Resolving trauma (including but not limited to PTSD). - Psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety. - Overcoming addictions.

Psychedelics are very powerful compounds acting on the infinitely complex human nervous system.

It should therefore be expected that the outcomes will be extremely variable and highly contingent on the background and predispositions of the user, the type(s) and dose(s) of the drug(s), the context of the usage of the drug (including related psychotherapy) and other events, practices and influences in the individual's life.

That being said, I have noticed, a general trend towards:

- Less combativeness, agitation and aggression. There is less tendency to want to engage in petty squabbles or incite your own (or others) negative emotional reactions.

- Openness to more creative ideas. A cynical take would be that you become more suggestible/easily influenced (and this may be a feature also). There definitely seams to be a new willingness to consider new viewpoints, new ideas and new options. You may find yourself re-engaging in old intellectual pursuits, exploring previously unsolved problems and/or using previously unrelated topics/fields in conjunction.

- In a similar vein, you may also find yourself exploring spiritual/philosophical topics, especially those related to compassion, empathy, group cohesion and 'reduced ego'. This probably looks an awful lot like hippiness lol. This may include rethinking political, social and economic attitudes.

- Generally more positive thoughts and emotions (positive valence). This often follows a period of emotional and intellectual turmoil (which may loosely coincide with a 'bad trip' at the time of ingestion or subsequently, during a period of integration). This generally, but not always, results in a long term overall improvement in mood and overall outlook.

- Psychedelics may help in getting through/integrating past trauma. This may be part of what underlies the above. Many of us live with the after-effects of trauma and being able to work past this can be life-changing. This may be a traumatic process in itself, but sometimes psychedelics facilitate approaching these issues in ways that were not previously possible. IMHO many of the most severely affected by trauma are not even aware of the fact that they're affected and this manifests in a plethora of negative outcomes. Psychedelics in a positively reinforced environment (ideally with therapy) can help tremendously here.

There are a lot of really great resources online for anyone who is interested (regardless of your level of personal experience or opinion):

Highly recommend qualiacomputing.com and qualiaresearchinstitute.org (along with the group's online videos), especially for the HN crowd looking for a more multifaceted, more 'scientifically rigorous' (I use the term loosely here lol, but I think you'll get what I mean).

I'd also recommend some of the lectures on the Oxford Psychedelic Society's website: https://oxpsysoc.org/#things

I hope you find this helpful. Psychedelics are a complex topic but overall I believe they have immense potential to help many people, including but not limited to the following. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to learn more.

- Pain syndromes, including intractable, severe, pain syndromes like cluster headaches. - Resolving trauma (including but not limited to PTSD). - Psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety. - Overcoming addictions.

It's an unfortunate feature of our culture that a shift towards peace, love and empathy is perceived as detrimental.

He can't, because it's garbage.