7. What they don't tell you (some of life's hard-earned lessons).
Most of these statements are true, some may not be true, but all warrant further research.
I have no affiliation with any products I've mentioned below; I've just found they work for me.
BIOLOGY
How to tell male & female house flies apart: male eyes almost touch, female eyes are wider apart: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.HTM#:~:text=Adult%3A%20The%20house%20fly%20is,reddish%2Deyes%20and%20sponging%20mouthparts.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Argon is heavier than air and will drop to the bottom of lungs, causing suffocation.
Airplanes at 30,000 feet and above continually expose you to at least 2µSv/hr of hazardous radiation.
Fluorescent lamps contain poisonous mercury vapour which must be avoided if they break.
Mercury accumulates in the body and brain in particular and may cause tiredness.
If you pee on a broken sodium lamp it will (probably) catch fire.
DENTAL
Teeth move over time.
Top teeth may eventually fall out if the ones below them are pulled.
If you have a wisdom tooth out, sharp bone on the jawbone nearby may poke through the stretched skin.
but eventually the mouth should realign itself and the bone should disappear back into the gum.
Chewing peppermints is a sure fire way of getting holes in your tooth enamel.
Fillings are made 10 times bigger than the original hole.
Fillings don't degrade, the tooth around them does.
Lead amalgam fillings have been attributed to tiredness caused by mercury poisoning:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23420-mercury-poisoning
(but removing them may release more mercury into the body).
Carbonated drinks damage tooth enamel.
Charcoal toothpastes probably don't work:
https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/charcoal-toothpaste#the-pros
Teeth naturally darken with age, try using a smokers toothpaste instead, also removes wine stains.
If you have a tooth replaced or a crown fitted, later in life they will appear lighter than the rest so
you might want to consider telling your dentist to make them a little darker to begin with.
Teeth slowly crumble after the root is removed, so think carefully before having root canal treatment.
DIY
Technicqll glue products actually work: https://technicqll.pl/en/
I recommend their shoe glue: https://technicqll.pl/en/produkt/shoe-glue/
Here are similar glues I have not yet tried: https://technicqll.pl/en/katalog/other-repair-adhesives/
I recommend their PTFE/polypropylene glue which includes a primer & what I think is ordinary Superglue:
https://technicqll.pl/en/katalog/adhesives-for-plastic/
I recommend K2 Prolok WC-70 which appears to be a similar PTFE/polypropylene/RTV primer for Superglue:
https://www.k2-global.com/en/products/k2-prolok-wc-70-podklad-20ml-pod-klej-cyjanoakr-pe-pp-ptfe
A house built on clay is liable to subsidence due to global warming drying out the clay.
ELECTRONICS
Electrolytic capacitors dry out: check their ESR; if they bulge it's a sign to replace them.
Tantalum capacitors decompose over time, usually to an electrical short: check their ESR.
An LED has a 3-dimensional misalignment inside its plastic moulding - difficult to align in a row.
Avoid battery fast chargers - they correspondingly shorten battery life - charge @1c (1/10 x mAhr) rate.
Polyswitches (electronic fuses) wear out over time due to heat stress, even if they don't trip.
FITNESS
The best time to exercise is 3pm to 6pm (page 2): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27161671
A brisk walk followed by a long jog or run is a good warm-up.
A hot bath is an acceptable way to end a fitness session.
Opinion: as you grow older you need precision exercise and ideally matched nutrients to sustain tissue.
A fully vegetarian diet is perfectly adequate to build muscle, but may lack some nutrients and vitamins.
I found soya in my diet caused muscle issues amplified by my ageing process, I therefore avoid it.
Nettle tea supposedly increases testosterone production which reduces as we age, depleting muscles.
Exposure to sunlight increases testosterone production.
Balding is attributable to increased levels of testosterone (but some claim the opposite).
TENS doesn't tone muscles but does relieve pain that in turn can aid muscle toning:
https://www.livestrong.com/article/114309-use-tens-unit-tone-muscles
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens
FOOD
Decaffeinated coffee is potentially cancerous: the solvent Methylene Chloride, often used in the decaffeination of coffee, has been marked as a potential human carcinogen. Decaf benefits & drawbacks:
https://www.nationwidecoffee.co.uk/news/decaf-coffee-the-good-and-the-bad
'NIOSH recommends that methylene chloride be considered a potential human carcinogen' Two thirds down:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/86-
114/default.html#:~:text=Because%20methylene%20chloride%20has%20been,methylene%20chloride%20be%20considered%20a
The Swiss Water Process is an alternative safe method of producing decaffeinated coffee.
'Eat breakfast like a king/queen, lunch like a prince/princess, and dinner like a pauper.' [Adele Davis]
Although a lot of small meals overthe day is probably better for you.
The best diet is a balanced one with a little of everything.
Green tea can damage your liver: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45971416
Mushrooms, tea, green leafy vegetables, nuts, blueberries and fish may be good for brain health:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47554966
Butter is fat. It sounds obvious, but it's something a young person often misses.
The vegan diet is low in Vitamin B.
Greens are a good source of calcium.
Keep a thermometer in your fridge to ensure temperature is below 40F / 4C:
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/refrigerator-thermometers-cold-facts-about-food-safety#:~:text=Chilling%20foods%20to%20proper%20temperatures,be%20at%200%20%C2%B0F.
Some vegetables are better eaten raw, others are better eaten cooked (with source links).
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/
Cabbage eaten raw releases more nutrients during digestion than if cooked.
Cooked tomatoes have more nutrients & beta carotene than raw tomatoes.
Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw.
https://www.liveinhomecare.com/vegetables-that-are-healthier-for-you-cooked-than-raw/
Nettle tea can make you tired and is a diuretic, so consume it sparingly, or at night.
Stinging nettle can reduce an enlarged prostate: https://examine.com/supplements/stinging-nettle/
Asparagus, cabbage (cauliflower less so) are diuretics; limit intake to reduce night time toilet visits.
Eat bread that has egg instead of E472e emulsifier.
https://www.nuritas.com/eat-5-popular-ingredients-aware-buying-bread
Eat brown rice instead of white rice which has the husk removed and fills you more with less nutrients.
Soak rice overnight before cooking it in a 5:1 water-to-rice ratio to remove 80% arsenic:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38910848
Boiling rice in a pan until dry removes no arsenic as it is simply re-absorbed with water.
Instead put rice in the filter section of a coffee percolator: the water flushes through it and removes 85% of the arsenic: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33638321
Avoid burned food as it may be carcinogenic - no more than light brown coloured is best.
Hot smoked products also fall into this category due to PAH & NNA chemicals present in the smoke:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/smoked-food
Soak porridge overnight to allow nutrients in the grain to be more easily absorbed by your body:
https://oatpantry.com/4-amazing-health-benefits-of-soaking-oats-overnight/#:~:text=When%20you%20soak%20oats%2C%20it's,are%20healthier%20for%20your%20gut
Simmer asparagus in water in a pan for no more than 2 minutes.
Take vegetables out of plastic bags and keep them loosely apart in the fridge in discarded food trays.
Keep carrots under water in the fridge and they won't go soggy.
Keep potatoes in a cardboard box in a dark cupboard.
Dill & parsley combined are good for the digestion - serve with fish for a tasty treat.
Wild salmon is one of the few fish with minimal mercury content.
Cover strong smelling foods in the fridge to stop them influencing others.
Microwave is the healthiest way to cook food - steam with a little water under a cover with a vent.
Place a larger plate under a plate in the microwave so you won't get scalded when you remove it.
Poach eggs in microwave: Pyrex jug 1/4 full of boiled water, add eggs, microwave to required softness.
Most ice cream has salt in it - manufacturers unnecessarily add salt to most things to enhance taste.
If you like fizzy water with big bubbles like in bottles, don't buy a CO2 fizz maker: bubbles are tiny.
HEALTH
The body heals itself at night.
'You cannot tell an intolerance from a hair sample, saliva sample, or by using metal electrodes':
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/food/healthy-eating/a708294/food-intolerance-test/
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/04/bogus-allergy-tests-causing-real-harm-say-experts
Covid-19 may accelerate the ageing process by modifying the body's immune system, even if vaccinated.
If you feel cold in bed, try putting warm slippers on your feet inside the bed.
If you feel too hot in bed, put your feet out of the bed - they should cool you rapidly.
Flesh tissue thins as you age, reducing muscle mass and warmth insulation from the cold.
One result is previously warm socks with tight elastic cut off circulation leaving you with cold feet.
The chemical composition of the body degrades as you age, altering both mental and physical attributes.
As you get older the body is less able to repair itself because the repair structure is diluted:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004012.htm
As you get older the body becomes less efficient at renewal, needing better nutrition and exercise.
If you see a thin white arc of light when swivelling an eyeball, you may have a tear in your retina.
If a dark unfocused object appears in your line of view, you may have a tear in your retina.
If either or both of the above occurs, take this test: https://tetonretinal.com/self-test/
The body can absorb ~20% of damage and still function is if there were no damage.
A small amount of beer may help broken bones repair:
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20100208/beer-for-better-bones
The most common cause of joint popping noises is air bubbles forming in the joint spaces.
Cold weather narrows the blood vessels near the skin and increases the risk of blockages.
A couple of days after injury, the brain will usually re-route pain, often reducing it.
The body is a balanced mechanical structure - pain in one area may be due to a problem elsewhere.
Muscle knot 'trigger points' can be caused by bad habits of repetition or lack of movement.
Trigger points accumulate in muscles due to toxin build up, and lack of oxygen or poor blood flow.
A muscle spasm is the body's way of protecting itself.
Stop muscle spasm by slowly rubbing 'lumpy areas' upward along the muscle (but never downward).
Cramp can be stopped by engaging and using the affected muscles (and rubbing the area upward as above).
A fast remedy to leg cramp is to get up and walk around for short period of time.
Blood is red because haemoglobin contains iron that changes it to red when combined with oxygen.
The outer layer of the skin has cells containing pigment melanin which protects skin from the Sun's UV.
People tan because sunlight causes the skin to produce more melanin and darken.
A hangover is the body's way of telling us alcohol is poison.
(Generally) keep medicines in the fridge to make them last longer.
Most vitamin supplements (probably) don't work:
A 2011 study on 35,533 healthy men found vitamin E & selenium increased prostate cancer by 17%
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161208-why-vitamin-supplements-could-kill-you
But Bryan Johnson seems to have had some successes: https://protocol.bryanjohnson.co/
An orange a day may be good for eyesight:
https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2018/07/20/15-year-study-backs-higher-flavonoid-intake-for-macular-degeneration
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522029355?via%3Dihub
Garlic does NOT reduce cholesterol: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/411743
If you cut yourself and slice through a nerve, you may forever suffer tingling discomfort.
Uneven fingernails can be caused by stress.
Broken fingernails can be caused by vitamin deficiency or too much e.g. A-Z multivitamins + good diet.
Eczema can be brought on by stress; excessive use of steroid hydro-cortisone cream can thin skin badly.
If you have oily skin it is possible you may develop an allergic reaction to oil.
If you have oily skin you may find you break out in spots after exposure to high humidity tropics.
Avoiding conditioner makes your hair more prone to breakage.
GR-7 has reversed my grey hair: https://gr-7.eu/en/grey-hair-reversing/
Rheumatoid arthritis & type 1 diabetes are autoimmune diseases: the body's immune system in overdrive.
Every injury and illness has a long-lasting detrimental effect on the body.
The less you injure yourself, the better your physique, the longer you will live in good health.
The dust you find in eye corners in the morning is dried up eye fluid from overnight.
If you are unfortunate to get breast cancer, your arm lymph nodes may be removed as they attract it.
If your arm lymph nodes are removed, at times you may need fluid retention to be drained from the arm.
Some hormones & proteins attract cancers; if you get it you may need H/P reduction medication for life.
If you have had a clinical dye injected to trace lymph nodes, expect the dye to come out when you pee,
and expect the dye to remain visible in your skin for many months afterwards.
Don't go back to work before you have properly healed. or it will take longer.
The body operates best in moderation: push limbs to their limits and they will fail sooner.
The body readily adapts; if you don't use parts of it they will slowly shut down.
Advice & apps to avoid your PC ruining your eyesight - https://www.wired.com/2013/09/flux-eyestrain/
Optrex is not just Distilled Witch Hazel. DO NOT apply pure Distilled Witch Hazel to the eyes!
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes brittle nails (a vegetarian diet typically lacks Vitamin B12).
If you use valerian extract as a sleep remedy too often it may make your TMJ (jaw joint) click.
Exercises to relieve TMJ clicking: https://www.healthline.com/health/tmj-exercises#exercise
If you have had a recent muscle injury and it no longer hurts, don't assume it is healed, because
soft tissue injuries can take six weeks to three months to heal in several phases:
https://physioworks.com.au/treatments-1/what-are-the-phases-of-a-soft-tissue-injury
Broken bones on average take six weeks to heal.
Keep your nose warm if you want to avoid catching colds (a Covid mask also keeps a nose warm):
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/scientists-finally-figure-out-why-youre-more-likely-to-get-sick-in-cold-weather
LIGHT
CRT screens produce better quality light and images than LCD screens.
Fluorescent lights are UV mercury lamps. A white phosphor coating converts the UV to white light.
Fluorescent eco lights emit a reduced number of wavelengths that fool the eye.
Fluorescent eco lights don't work on domestic dimmers.
MATHS
The constant Pi (3.1415926535...) can be approximated to 6 places using integers 355/113 = 3.14159292 (the more familiar approximation 22/7 is only accurate to 2 places: 3.14285714, repeating.
An easy way to remember Pythagoras: Some Auburn Haired girls → Sine / Adjacent = Hypotenuse.
MEDICINAL
In general, over the counter medicines start to degrade after about 3 years.
Lie on the right to help medicine go down https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11097319/Lie-right-absorb-drugs-better-new-research-suggests.html
Ibuprofen taken regularly can cause tinnitus.
NSAIDs (like Ibuprofen) block prostaglandins that dilate blood vessels decreasing blood oxygen flow, injuring kidneys. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/drugs-your-kidneys
Alcohol/ethanol burns in wounds as it activates the vanilloid VR1 nerve receptor that responds to heat.
Capsaicin in hot peppers also activate VR1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRPV1
Using hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol on an injury can actually harm the tissue and delay healing.
The best way to clean a minor wound is cool running water & mild soap; rinse for at least five minutes.
Drinking the juice of 2 lemons a day can increase urine citrate which may reduce /remove kidney stones.
Bepanthen nappy rash cream greatly reduces the healing time of spots and small grazes because it forms.
a thin impervious layer to the skin, minimising the amount of dirt or chemicals entering the skin.
Hold burned skin under cold water for 20 minutes to greatly reduce scarring or need for plastic surgery.
Wyeth Chap Stick medicated gel lip balm with menthol and camphor is excellent for small burns.
Noxzema deep cleansing cream with menthol & eucalyptus is even better for burns.
Use non-adherent dressings or cling film on open wounds and burns to stop them sticking.
Nettle stem may reduce an enlarged prostate. Usual dosage 3 times daily at 120mg.
Corsodyl mouthwash with chlorhexdine digluconate quickly clears up minor gum infections.
Some anti-histamines like Piriton stop a runny nose (decongestants in pharmacies do the opposite).
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/decongestants-antihistamines-cold
Ingrown toenails may develop if you have stopped wearing shoes indoors.
Eucerin is an excellent moisturiser that also softens toenails (stopping ingrown toenail pain).
Balsam tissues disintegrate after a couple of days in your pocket, so don't take out more than you need.
Manuka heals wounds quickly and reduces scaring (Activon is a cheaper tube-based variant).
Manuka UMF 30+ is the highest rating (but now impossible to get). other ratings explained here:
https://manukahoneyorganic.com/what-is-umf
Human saliva is a mild antiseptic.
MISC
Keep glue gun sticks in the freezer to stop them making too much string:
https://www.favecrafts.com/Techniques/Hot-Glue-Gun-Crafts-Tips-For-Working-With-Hot-Glue
Pritt sticks seem to be engineered to dry out within a couple of years; Tesco's 'Glue Sticks' don't.
Lemon/lime juice or white vinegar dissolves limescale (calcium carbonate).
Thin lips give the best kisses (a personal observation bound to be disputed).
MONEY
If you buy a product yearly, auto-renewal will usually set a higher price than doing it manually.
Shares go up when people buy them, and fall when people sell them.
PCs, OSs, etc - see also [PC Builds].
SSD write cycles are finite - defrag ('TRIM') them sparingly to extend life.
TIM paste dries out over a couple of years. Either replace it regularly or use indium or graphite foil.
The cooler a PC's CPU, GPU, SSD and semiconductors in general run, the longer their life:
https://www.akcp.com/blog/how-temperature-affects-it-data-storage/
PESTS
Mosquitoes are attracted by exhaled CO2 and other body odours:
https://www.mosquitnoband.com/why-do-mosquitoes-like-me-more-than-anyone-else
Spiders probably aren't affected by conkers but they do keep moths at bay:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/08/conkers-spiders-and-facts
Clothes moths don't like lavender or peppermint:
https://www.thespruce.com/get-rid-of-moths-1388158
If you purchased clothing from a secondhand store, moth eggs may be laying in wait to hatch. Air the clothes outside in sun or cold for a few days then immediately wash or dry clean.
Clothes moth larvae can be killed by exposing them to 30°C (85°F) for 4 hours or more.
SCIENCE
A blood moon's colour comes from all the Earth's sunrises and sunsets at that time:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61423765
The sky is blue because blue light from the Sun travels as shorter, smaller waves than other colours:
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/blue-sky/en
The ocean is blue because water absorbs the red light spectrum leaving the blue part visible:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanblue.html
Both the sky and the ocean get their blue colour from white sunlight being scattered from molecules that make up our atmosphere and our oceans:
https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/05/31/1360804.htm
A star is a luminous ball of gas held together by its own gravity. Nuclear fusion reactions in its core support the star against gravity and produce photons and heat:
We know the earth rotates about the Sun because if it didn't, star formations would be different.
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/what-is-a-star
A rainbow is white light entering droplets of water, refracted into colours and reflected back:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow
Milk is white because casein and certain fats reflect wide ranges of wavelengths:
https://www.livescience.com/32501-why-is-cows-milk-white.html
SLEEP
Melatonin induces sleep.
Grapes, almonds and cod & haddock fish have melatonin so eat them later in the day for better sleep.
The ideal sleeping environment is a cool, quiet, dark room.
Sunlight wakes you up (the natural circadian rhythm of life, often attenuated by modern lifestyles).
Blue light from CCL backlights in LCDs at night disrupts this rhythm, reducing sleep quality.
Alcohol is poisonous to the body and impairs the night time healing process.
Alcohol increases heart rate and the older you get, the more this affects sleep.
Caffeine & chilli peppers increase heart rate and are best avoided later in the day.
After prolonged use, caffeine may have the opposite effect: 30 mins woken up then half a day asleep.
In a tent sleep at opposite ends or CO2 from another person will reduce your own oxygen intake.
Ibuprofen makes you sleepy (but avoid using as a sleep aid as this can cause medical issues).
Many sleep aids are based on anti-histamines; brands use Chlorpheniramine maleate, cheaper by itself.
But use AH in moderation as prolonged use may cause blurred eyesight, floaters and ghosting.
If allergic to a woollen blanket, an open sleeping bag on top of a duvet stops heat escaping from a bed.
VEHICLES
Always take a test ride in/on any vehicle before you buy it.
Before buying any vehicle first check if its engine cam belts are replaced (often every 30k miles).
If you have a badly running vehicle try adding injector cleaner as they can clog after ~20k miles.
Using fully synthetic oil and changing the oil and filter every 2000 miles greatly extends engine life.
How to break in a new (motorcycle) engine: http://www.lazymotorbike.eu/technical/breakin/HP
Always carry a support disc for a motorcycle side stand so you can park on grass.
Always carry a reel of adhesive black tape in your vehicle.
Always keep a (working) torch in a car dashboard; a pen is useful too.
WEB
If you have loaded a different browser xxx to the horrible MS Edge and clicked 'Yes' to the question
'Do you want to set xxx as your default browser?', you have to do a bit more to get it recognised:
Go into Settings/Apps where you will find the browser you want to replace still shown as the default; click on its icon and select the one you want to replace it with.
If you're using Wix under Chrome and need to save URLs, you'll find by default Chrome removes the https:// prefix, but Wix requires the full URL address. Right-click in Chrome's address bar and select 'Always show full URLs'.
The Chrome browser is a TSR (Terminate Stay Resident) program, which means if you close it, it still runs in the background, either deliberately or due to poor coding. Use the Windows task bar processes window to close it or alternatively as the Windows 10 taskbar is hideously complex, an app utility like CrapCleaner.
When the CrapCleaner Browser is first installed it will add unwanted modifications to the Registry. Identify and remove these with an anti-virus app (I used Gridinsoft Trojan Killer).
If you are using the CrapCleaner Browser, copy the URL: secure://flags/#read-later into your browser to reach the hidden localised page containing a horrifically huge set of flags that include unwanted marketing options similar to the ones MS hides in Windows 10 Settings/Privacy.
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