[UPDATE] March 7, 2018. Well, I was skeptical, but I got my final amalgam filling removed five days ago. The improvement has been immediate and dramatic. Muscle tension is all but gone. I feel like I may be getting my body back. There’s still chelation to do. We will see and I hope to post a detailed update after the smoke (or the mercury) has cleared.
I assume part of the problem is an interaction between whatever illness I’ve had and the fillings. I still don’t think they’re a problem for most people. This document from the Swedish government outlines how some people can be aversely affected by amalgam fillings.
[UPDATE] September 10, 2017. Here are some things I’ve tried since originally writing this post.
I got more serious about the targeted ketogenic diet. I add pure dextrose to a drink 30 minutes before a workout, and that has worked wonders for my energy while lifting. It’s important to have pure glucose so you don’t replenish liver glycogen.
One reader asked me if I had looked into histamine intolerance. I tried Ranitidine (Zantac), which is a histamine-2 blocker, and it was like a miracle for my muscle tension for about a month or two. I then experimented with a low-histamine diet (which ironically involves cutting out fermented foods), and it has about eliminated my esophagus problems. I avoid canned fish, and I freeze leftover meat.
Another reader asked me if I had looked into Andy Cutler’s chelation protocol, and getting rid of my amalgam fillings. I have a mouth full of amalgam. It sounds like quackery, but I feel like I’ve tried everything else, so I’m giving it a shot. It will take time to remove all of the fillings, and I have to wait until I’m finished with Invisalign treatment, so I haven’t started with actual chelation. In the meantime, Andy’s protocol of taking a gram of Buffered Vitamin C a few times a day has really helped reduce inflammation. I also take DHEA, Forskolin, Borage Oil, and Molybdenum. I can’t point to most of those making a particular difference, but the Vitamin C definitely has helped.
And on with the original post:
About two years ago, after something like 20 years of mysterious maladies, my doctor diagnosed me with “Chronic Lyme Disease.” This diagnosis raises red flags for many people, because it’s doubtful whether “Chronic Lyme Disease” even exists (I discuss this further down in the post under “Diagnosis”). I share some of these doubts, but I’ll continue to refer to the condition as such for the sake of simplicity. keep on reading »
UPDATE, December 9, 2020: My UltraErgo had a nice life, but since it’s discontinued, I couldn’t replace it. I’m currently enjoying my Mistel BAROCCO MD770, with Cherry MX switches. (I went with the extra-clicky blue.)
UPDATE, September 2, 2017: For the past couple of years, I’ve had readers asking if there’s an alternative to the UltraErgo Wireless Split Keyboard that I now love. Apparently it’s discontinued. The answer is still that I know of no better “truly split” alternative than the Kinesis. Happy to hear other suggestions in the comments.
UPDATE, March 10, 2016: A few months ago, I switched to the UltraErgo Wireless Split Keyboard (thanks to commenters stcorbett and cfc).
Here’s the UltraErgo (left, with its tiny USB dongle), next to the Kinesis (right).
The UltraErgo is objectively better than the Kinesis Freestyle2 on nearly every dimension that matters to me.
It’s significantly smaller, making it much easier to travel with.
It has built-in “feet” that flip up and put the keyboard on a tilt.
It’s wireless (NOT Bluetooth – there is a USB dongle), the primary benefit being that it reduces its size and weight when loading into my backpack.
I experienced a strange phenomenon with my Kinesis where sometimes keys would register in a different order than I had typed them. I emailed with their engineers, who seemed confident that this wasn’t possible, but still I experienced it both with their wired and Bluetooth versions. I haven’t had this problem with the UltraErgo.
The UltraErgo is not without compromises, though. A few potential “cons:”
It’s primarily made for Windows, but I use it fine on my Mac. So, there’s a “Windows” key, which I have used Keyboard Preferences to designate as “alt/option.” I have the “Alt” key set to function as the “Command” key.
Where the left “Command” key would generally be, there is instead a backslash key \ which I still hit accidentally.
There is no way I know of to change the volume with the Function keys. I can change the brightness with the “Scroll Lock” and “Pause Break” keys, but there is nothing graphically to indicate that on the keyboard.
The biggest, scariest “con” is that it relies on a tiny USB dongle that has to be in the computer for the keyboard to communicate “wirelessly.” I live in fear that I will someday lose this dongle, and wonder how hard it would be to replace. I simply leave it in my USB port all of the time in the hopes that will prevent my losing it.
Since portability is a huge factor for me, this keyboard is a clear winner for me, but if you’d prefer a keyboard built for a Mac, you may prefer the Kinesis.
Here is the UltraErgo as I use it. There are two “slant” settings, and I prefer it on the lowest one. Notice that there are “battery” indicators on the UltraErgo. The keyboard comes with a mini-USB (?) cable for charging (?) the keyboard. I never had to use this, but I did it anyway, and that was months ago. The keyboard came with no instructions nor manual.
Here is the UltraErgo ready to be put in my backpack (I just keep the tiny dongle in my USB port), next to my Kinesis. You can see the flaps that deploy to slant the UltraErgo. The difference in size and weight is night-and-day in a backpack.
Now, back to the original post:
Standing desks are everywhere these days. More and more office workers are switching over to standing desks, to prevent the health problems associated with sitting. keep on reading »
Back in the good ol’ days, I could spend countless hours on my computer without much care – except for ergonomics, maybe. I noticed over the last few years that I was able to spend less and less time on my computer – my young supple eyes aren’t getting any younger. Apparently this is creatively referred to as Dry Eyes Syndrome. I figured there was no hope – that my days of spending long stretches on my computer were over; but a friend of mine told me to try Acuvue Oasys contact lenses. The Acuvue Oasys lenses – when used with Clear Care – have worked great for me. I’ll tell you more about it in this video.
Here’s a summary of the video:
I noticed over the last several years that I wasn’t able to spend as much time on the computer as I used to. My eyes were getting dry and irritated.
A friend introduced me to Acuvue Oasys contact lenses. I noticed a difference instantly upon putting them in. I hadn’t realized that before, when I was wearing Acuvue 2 contact lenses, that I could actually feel the lenses in my eyes.
My doctor also instructed me to use Clear Care solution to take care of my contact lenses. This is an acidic soluiton that reacts to a platinum disc inside of a case. You leave your lenses in it overnight, and it cleans your lenses, while converting the solution to saline.
If you’re looking for contact lenses for dry eyes, I highly recommend the Acuvue Oasys and Clear Care combination!
Apparently, the problem is that most contact lenses are made with too much water. The contact lenses dry out during the day, and then wick moisture from your eyes. Which is a bad thing. One alternative is to switch to Gas Permeables, but they require an adaption period – though the vision they provide is supposedly superior to soft lenses.
Lenses like Acuvue Oasys are made with a Silicone Hydrogel, which contains less water than most lenses. Apparently this doesn’t fix dry eye discomfort for everyone, but it definitely works for me. Silicone Hydrogel is also used to make lenses that can be worn for 30 days at a time without removing them. That just sounds painful to me!
The Clear Care lens care system is a hydrogen peroxide system, which works great for me. For times that I’m traveling though, it’s not always convenient for me to use this system. In these cases, I’ve been advised to use straight saline solution because the chemicals in the multi-purpose solutions will get embedded into the lenses. I’ve got to wonder if I can just use hydrogen peroxide instead of the Clear Care system, though 😛 It would be much cheaper! (PS don’t try this – of if you do, it’s at your own risk. you may end up like this poor girl)
I have a foot injury right now. The bottom of my foot sort of hurts. I could go to the doctor, but I don’t because of a couple of reasons. 1) I already know what he’ll say: “stay off it, keep it elevated, ice it regularly, and take ibuprofen” and 2) because while I’m one of the lucky Americans who has health insurance, my insurance totally blows. A simple checkup would probably cost me about $150.
Until recently, I was prone to sinus infections – or not so much prone, but rather, I had a sinus infection all of the time. My voice was nasally, I was fatigued all of the time, and I pretty much felt gross. I had seen a number of doctors over the years for my recurrent sinusitis. They tended to test me for environmental allergies, stick a camera up my nose, and ultimately prescribe some bullshit allergy medication that didn’t work, or even convince me to try nasal irrigation – which was actually their best idea. keep on reading »
[UPDATE: 03/26/2008 11:02AM] If you’ve been keeping up, you know now that I have discovered that wheat gluten can cause sinus symptoms. So, you may want to consider experimenting.
[UPDATE: 11/01/2016] I eventually was diagnosed with, and started treating “Chronic Lyme Disease” (or something like that)
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After this post I’m sure I will be the blogger who talks about mucous more than any other. It truly isn’t by design. If you don’t want to read a gross post, I’d suggest not reading further.
Right before New Year’s, I noticed a lump inside of my lower lip. Now, being the hypochondriac that I am, I was naturally petrified that I had Oral Cancer. Why? I’m certainly not at risk. I don’t have a family history of Cancer. I’m 25, not a smoker or chewer, and am otherwise healthy. Because any Google search for “lump in mouth” or lump in lip will likely have even a reasonable person convinced that this is a sure sign of Oral Cancer. keep on reading »
