VALO'S ARCHIVE

After suffering through cancer, the middle-age woman decided her illness was too much to bear. Everything she ate, she painfully vomited back up. The prospect of surgery and a colostomy bag held no appeal. And so, against the advice of her doctors, the patient decided to stop eating and drinking. Over the next 40 days in 1993, Dr. Robert Sullivan of Duke University Medical Center observed her gradual decline, providing one of the most detailed clinical accounts of starvation and dehydration. Instead of feeling pain, the patient experienced the characteristic sense of euphoria that accompanies a complete lack of food and water. She was cogent for weeks, chatting with her caregivers in the nursing home and writing letters to family and friends. As her organs finally failed, she slipped painlessly into a coma and died. In the evolving saga of Terri Schiavo, the prospect of the 41- year-old Florida woman suffering a slow and painful death from starvation has been a galvanizing forc...

A while back I tried Modafinil for the purposes of a review, and shortly after uploaded a video on the matter to YouTube. This quickly became one of my most watched videos (it’s number one for ‘Modafinil’ on YouTube currently). In the video I said that Modafinil was  undoubtedly  potent and impressive for increasing focus and attention, but that it also had side effects which led to me being unable to recommend it. Despite my warnings I’ve since been contacted by lots of people asking where they can get it… kind of missing the point but demonstrating just how interested people are in this particular study drug. One of my concerns regarding Modafinil has always been the lack of long-term studies and the lack of information. We aren’t even sure  how  it affects the brain and most people seem happy to gulp it down without doing any research. That’s where this article comes in… Here I will look in more depth at precisely what Modafinil is and how it appears t...

When it comes to food, there are two types of people in this world: those who EAT TO LIVE and those who LIVE TO EAT. I, unapologetically, belong to the second group. I am a foodie through and through! If I hadn’t become a scientist, I would have become a chef or a baker. Whenever I’m having a bad day, food has the ability to cheer me up. When I’m having a great day, food is how I celebrate. My favorite foods have generally included anything that is fried, but recently I’ve acquired a craving for all things spicy, especially peppers. A few years ago, I swore up and down that spicy food was not for me! “I would have to be insane to want to eat something so spicy it brings me to tears,” I would tell my now hubby, who has always had an affinity for spicy foods. Inevitably, he got me to try a spicy dish that he ordered and my life changed. I’m not going to lie, that first taste was rough. My mouth and lips were on FIRE!! I probably downed a whole glass of cold water to get any kind of r...

When it comes to improving brain function,  nicotine  is king.  There’s quite a few benefits from nicotine that you might not be aware of. Introduction Nicotine , considered a potent nootropic is a naturally occurring liquid alkaloid found in many plants of the nightshade family. Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and tobacco all contain nicotine, although for humans, tobacco is the only plant containing significant enough quantities to have an effect  (R) . Nicotine has recently been under the scope of research examining its beneficial role in  ADHD ,  anxiety  disorders,  depression ,  Alzheimer ’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, and even cognitive performance in the general population. **This post is not suggesting to take up smoking as a means for nicotine consumption. The Nicotine That I Use I tend to use nicotine maybe 5 times a week, and usually not more than once a day.  Moderation is key, as well as your individu...