What is Biofit?

BioFit is a dietary weight loss supplement that claims to burn fat quickly while also improving gut health and immune system strength. Chrissie Miller developed the formula for the company “Nature’s Formula” in the United States.
Bio Fit employs a seven-strain probiotic bacteria that enters the gut to increase its effectiveness. It also speeds up the fat-burning process, resulting in a safe method of losing weight naturally. It’s ingredients have been clinically studied and have scientific proof of their effectiveness in weight loss.
This supplement manufacturers claim that by using the probiotic weight loss supplement, you can lose significant weight without exercising or adhering to strict diets. On Biofit’s official website, you can read client testimonials in which a customer claims to have lost 70 pounds using this supplement.
It is FDA-approved and manufactured in a GMP facility to ensure the highest quality. Each batch is tested by a third-party lab to ensure its quantity, quality, and authenticity.

How does Biofit Work?

BioFit contains seven distinct and effective strains of probiotic bacteria that help with weight loss. Probiotic bacteria are healthy bacteria that live in the intestine. They form colonies within the digestive tract and aid in the breakdown of food compounds into energy compounds. An individual has a healthy gut and a healthy body with the help of these bacteria.
Not everyone has healthy probiotic bacteria in their gut. Some people have a poor eating lifestyle. They eat anything and everything and do work out or detox their body to eliminate harmful toxins that are stored in the body due to such a lifestyle.
These toxins then impair the ability of the probiotic bacteria in your gut to function properly, resulting in a slower metabolism, food cravings, and obesity.
Similarly, some people are sick or have a medical condition that necessitates the use of antibiotics. In such cases, the medications, combined with a weakened immune system, attack the gut bacteria. Killing probiotic bacteria causes poor digestion, bloating, stomach problems, eating disorders, and weight gain.
BioFit provides your body with enough probiotic bacteria to maintain a healthy digestive tract. This amazing formula will not only solve your gut issues, but it will also boost your fat-burning process.
To see such dramatic results, take one capsule daily with a glass of water after a meal. Each bottle contains 30 capsules, implying that the supply will last a month. If you want to see visible results, the manufacturers advise you to be consistent with your process and patient.
Some people saw visible results in 15 days, while others took much longer. Because each person is unique, we cannot predict when you will see results. However, if you are dissatisfied with the results, you can receive a full refund.

Biofit Ingredients(100% Natural)

Each serving of BioFit contains seven different probiotic bacterial strains. Probiotic bacteria, like other organisms, can be found in a variety of species and strains. Some strains have been linked to weight loss and improved immunity, while others have been linked to other aspects of gut function. The proportions of each strain included in BioFit vary. Individual strains have different dosages that are determined by the desired effects. The total dose is 16.58mg 5.75 billion CFUs. Because It is primarily marketed as a weight loss supplement, the Bio Fit manufacturers have placed a strong emphasis on strains that have been specifically linked to weight loss.

1. Bacillus Subtilis 8.89mg:

Bacillus subtilis strain DE111 is used in BioFit. Given its demonstrated ability to aid in weight loss, it stands to reason that this probiotic strain would constitute the majority of BioFit. Probiotic strains improve digestive health in addition to promoting weight loss. Some probiotic strains aid in weight loss by improving intestinal function, digestion, or waste product elimination. This probiotic strain is notable for its credibility and published medical data, which place it among the most effective probiotic strains for natural fat-burning and weight loss.

2. Bifidobacterium Longum 1.56mg:

It contains Bifidobacterium longum, one of 32 different Bifidobacteria species. The effects of B. longum on humans have been extensively studied. It’s one of the most important probiotic strains passed down from mothers to their infants via breast milk, and it appears to play an important role in early human development.

3. Lactobacillus Rhamnosus 1.25mg:

Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a beneficial probiotic strain, is included in BioFit. Lactobacillus strains are present in this supplement. The digestive tract benefits of L. rhamnosus are numerous. L. rhamnosus can be found in yoghurt and other foods.

4. Bifidobacterium Breve 0.63mg:

Numerous studies have linked Bifidobacterium breve to good gut health, which is why it is commonly found in digestive health supplements. Researchers discovered that this strain can aid in the digestion of a wide range of molecules, implying that it may aid digestion in more than one pathway.

5. Lactobacillus Casei 0.83mg:

Lactobacillus casei, a beneficial bacteria, thrives in the intestines, where it produces a large number of offspring and exerts its effects. According to research, L. casei can thrive in a wider range of acidity and temperature than other probiotic strains. For example, it has a better chance of surviving stomach acid and thriving in the digestive tract. Researchers discovered that L. casei and L. acidophilus, another BioFit component, collaborate synergistically.

6. Lactobacillus Plantarium 2.5mg:

When compared to other lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum has one of the largest genomes. It is more resistant to other strains than others because, like Lactobacillus Casei, it can tolerate a wide range of acidity and temperature levels. L. plantarum is one of the strains that has received the most attention in the food and supplement industries, and there is a substantial body of evidence linking L. plantarum to healthy gut function.

7. Lactobacillus Acidophilus 0.83mg

Lactobacillus acidophilus, the seventh and final Lactobacillus strain found in BioFit, has been specifically linked to weight loss. Several studies have found that Lactobacillus acidophilus is involved in the production of the enzyme amylase. Amylase is a digestive enzyme that aids in the breakdown of carbohydrates in the intestine and digestive tract. Bloating may occur after eating carbohydrates if you do not have enough of this digestive enzyme. Lactobacillus acidophilus, according to the manufacturer, promotes weight loss and overall gut health.

Biofit Weight Loss Benefits

BioFit claims to provide the following benefits to the body, resulting in a healthy weight loss journey with no side effects:-

Improves Digestion

It claims to improve digestion by affecting metabolism. To have healthy digestion, your metabolism must be working properly. A slow metabolism that is unable to convert food into energy compounds is the reason why so many people suffer from various diseases. The healthy probiotic bacteria in BioFit aid in the digestion of food, resulting in rapid weight loss.

Helps in a Healthy Digestive Tract

Many people suffer from constipation, bloating, stomach aches, and hunger pangs. These issues must be addressed or your digestive tract will become inefficient at losing weight. BioFit makes use of probiotic strains that aid in digestive health. The gut bacterium converts food into energy, speeds up your metabolism, aids in digestion and excretion, prevents constipation, and helps with bloating.

Aids in Weight Loss

The rapid weight loss journey is one of its most prominent claims. These claims appear to be true if we focus on the seven bacteria strains used in the formula. Each BioFit capsule contains 5.75 billion colony-forming units (CLU), which aid gut bacteria in performing their functions quickly and efficiently.
Another significant feature of this supplement is the presence of seven strains of probiotic bacteria. Typically, weight loss supplements contain 3-4 strains of probiotic bacteria, but it has upped the ante to seven!

Strengthens Immune System

BioFit also claims to improve immune system function. It strengthens and maintains the immune system, which in turn feeds the gut bacteria. A weakened immune system cannot withstand all of the body’s operations. It also invites more viruses and bacteria to disrupt normal functioning, but BioFit strengthens it and improves its efficacy.

Contains Medium Chain Triglycerides

This supplement contains medium (MCTs), which aids in the probiotics’ effects. Unlike other long fatty acids, MCTs are very easy to digest. BioFit encases the probiotic ingredients in a fatty molecule layer, ensuring that they reach the digestive system.

Probiotic Matrix

BioFit contains a seven-strain probiotic matrix, as opposed to other weight loss products that contain three to five strains. These strains work in various ways to improve fat loss and digestion. They also aid in gut health and immunity.

He still had trouble sleeping, even when he closed his eyes it was as if his mind refused to rest. Or if it were cruel enough, it'd weave him a nightmare so precise in shaking him to his core, leaving him stuck with thoughts of AJ losing the battle to his illness midway through the night, or the imagined sight of Clementine's rotting corpse. They'd have him wake up with cold sweats, not wanting to close his eyes ever again. But mostly things were better; some nights he could sleep for a few hours uninterrupted. AJ was allowed to be with him, despite the sectioning between age groups. It seemed the infant had the opposite problem; When Lee couldn't sleep, all AJ did was rest. Sometimes it worried him, but maybe it was for the better. He still had so much strength to recover from his sickness, and besides medicine, this was the best thing to help with it.
Ava was waiting outside the male residence building one morning. "I snagged you an extra baby blanket for AJ," she said, handing Lee a relatively small cover. It had some holes that were stitched back up, but to him that didn't matter.
"Thanks. Where'd you find this? I thought Joan said we didn't have enough."
"I went asking around and one of the families said they had no use for this one anymore." She noticed his sympathetic expression. "Oh, god, not like that - their youngest grew too big for it."
He smiled. "First thing your mind goes to these days. Damn, I hate being used to things like that. But thanks, Ava. We appreciate this." He didn’t say it aloud, but he appreciated that their rapport had grown chummy: it made the days tolerable now he felt he had at least one supporter in the New Frontier ranks.
"Yeah, yeah, it's whatever," she brushed off, hiding a grin. "See you around. Remember you're on morning fence clearing duty with Rufus tomorrow."
Lee cursed inwardly. 'Great, just great,' he thought.
…
It was his least favourite job for lots of reasons, but to pick just one, it was the dreadful apprehension whenever he had to turn a corner. Especially in the early hours of the morning, where the shadows weren't quite on the ground yet. Like ripping off a band-aid, he couldn't do anything but put up with it.
He hacked and slashed the odd walker with the use of Ava's knife in his grip. The blade was still sharp and in good condition, working just as well three weeks later as the day she first gave it to him. But he couldn't rely on force alone, he had to be clever. Sneaking around got easier as the days went on — not just for him, but for walkers, too.
"Shit," Lee mumbled, seeing the figure of another one creeping far too close for his own liking. He drove the knife in with ease, but was sloppy with how fast he went and found it wedged too deep. That made him begin to panic slightly, rushing to separate it all the while without making too much noise.
He heard the groans in the distance, following the commotion. He had to be quicker, and yet it still wasn't budging. "Come on," he hissed. Seeing no other option with his only arm occupied, he resorted to kicking the corpse's chest as a way to pull himself away from it. At last he succeeded, but as he fell backwards he saw his weapon flung to a further distance, right at the feet of a different walker approaching from another direction. There was no time to dive for it now, not when the other walkers were getting so close. He scrambled for his back-up weapon in his back pocket, a thin utility knife, and backed away against the fence. "Damn, damn ," he murmured, seeing the walkers approaching from both directions. He couldn't take them both, especially not with the little he had to arm himself with, and dashed ahead out of their reach. He struck the left one first, shattering its knee and dashing around to the back of its skull, where he swooped in with the blade. He had to be faster, more efficient, and swung around to meet the one from the right — it was dead on the floor already.
"Max?"
"Sorry to scare 'ya," the soldier answered, wedging a knife out of the walker's skull. "David sent me after 'ya and Rufus, thought you might need the help." He kicked the corpse's head lightly.
"Well, thanks. He thought right," Lee grinned, overcome with relief.
"How much more o' the perimeter to check?" Max asked, looking around.
"Not much," answered Lee. He picked up the knife again, hidden in-between blades of frosted grass. "Just one more section. Won't take too long."
…
When they'd finished the job shortly after, they made their way back into the walls of New Richmond. He had the rest of the day to kill until his fighting training later that afternoon, and went over to the infirmary.
"Hey, Paul," Lee announced, opening the doors. "How is he?"
AJ was sitting on one of the patient tables with Lingard focused on scribbling down a report, as he frequently would for his weekly check-ups. This time Lee was met with a smile -- one wide and glowing.
"Lee, this is great news." He held up a bottle of levofloxacin. "Crates of supplies were brought in today and this was in one of the boxes. It's perfect for treating AJ, and plenty to go around."
It all seemed so simple. No issues, no 'but's' were coming. It was all laid out for them. "That's great!" Lee exclaimed. He came over to AJ and patted his head comfortingly. "He'll be able to recover, then? Fully?"
"The dosage Clementine gave him of vancomycin...it seemed to help for a while. Now we have this. I...I think he will be able to pull through." He smiled. "We only have the one bottle -- I've been searching for more antibiotics for ages, and it seemed all I could find were antihistamines or decongestants, but this...this is a truly great find." He placed his notebook down and glanced at the duo. "AJ will be okay. If we keep giving him regular doses, which won't be a problem, then yes."
Lee picked up AJ and held him close to his shoulder. He could feel the boy's heart-beat, regular and sounding completely normal. "I'm glad to hear it. Seriously. Thank you." He smiled at him, not because he felt like he had to, but because he wanted to smile.

The sky is blue. The grass is green. The dirt is cordovan.
A few years ago, Jane and JJ helped me come up with a list of sorts. I call them my truths, things I know for sure are real, are tangible, and aren't delusions. I guess a better name for them would be my reminders. My mind is so preoccupied with putting the pieces together that sometimes I don’t even eat. They’re all written down in a small book, only slightly larger than my hand. The front and back covers are a rich, black leather with the initials “J.D.” imprinted on the front in gold. I keep it with me at all times.
My name is John Doe. I Have a wife, her name is Jane Doe. I have a daughter, her name is Jane Doe.
It’s helpful – it’s prevented a good deal of possible mishaps – but no matter what I’ll never truly be free from what I see. The things that aren’t there – monsters and ghouls, beasts and savages, friends and foes, homes and castles – they’ll always reveal themselves to me. What’s real and what’s not is meant to be a simple distinction, but in a way my delusions have become my reality.
I work under the director of sales for Jakob Incorporated. I live in a green, two story house on Frontal Lane. I work to support my family and home.
I was born silent, too silent. The doctors that assisted in my birth were terrified. A child that doesnt cry when first experiencing the gripping reality of life is the first sign of a multitude of medical problems that, in most cases, end with a two foot long casket and years of self loathing. For seventy-two hours I was poked and prodded endlessly. For the most part I was a perfectly healthy infant. Flush, burning red cheeks, lightly pigmented, feather-soft skin, delicate, twig and paper bones not yet connected at the joints. They drew blood, tested my oxygen levels, and there were endless x-rays and scans. Testing was excruciatingly excessive as they thought they must be missing something. But there was nothing. Except for one thing. For all seventy-two hours, my eyes never shut. Not for even a fraction of a second.
I am prescribed a weekly dosage of high strength eye-drops. I must apply them every hour. They must stay on me at all times
Nothing like my case had ever been seen in all of medical history. An adult man would grow insane after 3 straight days with no sleep, but here was this boy, no, this fetus, had not let out a single cry of agony, or made any noise for that matter. With no real reason to keep me institutionalized, other than the scientific interest any medical professional would have with such a rare occurrence, my mother and father were allowed to check out with me and start their beautiful family. The first thing I ever saw was not the tired, blanched face of my mother, but the lifeless, blue scrubs of an obstetrician. Although his face was completely and utterly shielded from both the elements and facial examination, his eyes showed his horror and worry. Every doctor in that room was prepared to give my parents the dreadful news of my all-too-soon death. By all medical standards, it's a miracle I hadn’t been pronounced dead only a few hours before my birth, Although my life wasn't lost that day, something else – maybe something of much greater importance – did escape from me. Part of my sanity would be permanently stripped of me.
My mothers name is Roe Schmoe. My Fathers name is Joe Schmoe. They died 23 24 25 years ago.
The first few nights for the newly completed schmoe family was fairly normal, some would even go as far to say heavenly. To any parent – especially my 32 year old, highly inexperienced mother and father – A child that makes no fuss is an absolute dream. Quite surprisingly, it took my parents an entire year to realize that I wasn’t sleeping at night. And so again there I was, on that all-too-familiar, white, sterilized hospital bed. My eyes were dryer than prunes. Going so long without any kind of moisture, they were all but entirely destroyed. It's a miracle I have any of my eyesight left, of course my two inch thick glasses do most of my seeing for me. These doctors – although different ones from my first experience – were fascinated all the same. My parents now had a year of experience under their belt and were quite opposed to the idea of testing, especially after the lengthy testing that ensued last time. No form of persuasion led Roe and Joe to change their opinions, and so the saddened doctors were left not with a Nobel prize for the discovery of a new disease, but a hefty check for my eye medication. Over the next years of my life I grew to fear doctors, hell, I still don't trust them. My parents shared this fear and so I never attended any annual check-ups. What do you miss anyways? They take measure you, ask about your diet, then stick you with razor sharp needles. Year after year I was expected to have an uneventful, unwanted, unlovable date with people who see me as their winning lottery ticket. I decided to take a pass on that. For 21 years at least.
I lie awake. I stay awake. I see all.
In school I was a prime target for bullies. To be honest I don't blame them, who would pass up a chance like me? My voice sounded like the all-too-quiet squeak of a mouse. My entire face was covered in puss filled volcanoes, ready to erupt at any given moment. My eyes had nearly sunken into their sockets due to the lack of sleep, and beneath them were ebony black bags of blood and depression. The glasses. Those damned glasses started it all. They started with a classic – four-eyes – and then branched off into more and more creative insults. Zit head, nightwalker, voiceless, crater face, daydreamer, rat, Fuji, 9 to 5, muted. Everyday was another name, another insult, another struggle.
Shadows don’t move on their own. Shadows are predictable. There are no shadowy men.
Keeping my head down for so long, having no one to truly connect with – no one that could comprehend what it was to see through my eyes – it got to me. I never fought back or lashed out, I chose to be passive. It sounds peaceful but it’s no better, in fact I’d argue it’s a lot worse. I didn’t speak to anyone and I didn’t pay attention to anything. Everything – even just existing, making sure to keep myself alive – became a hassle. In my own life I was a passenger, someone just going along for the ride hoping to see the destination. At this rate that last stop was no surprise. I’d be dead.
Count the cash. Fill the till. Lock the doors.
I ended up just barely graduating and getting my high school diploma but to no one’s surprise, college wasn’t an option. My parents weren’t the normal type, I guess it’s because they didn’t have a normal child. Rather than approach me with infuriation and dissatisfaction, they came to me with acceptance and understanding. Don’t paint me the wrong way, I didn’t become a basement dweller because of this although I was still a failure that lived with his parents. I wanted to be better than that. I wanted to do something, anything that would make me a son to be proud of. I had to start from the bottom and it was tough; no matter what anyone tells you, customer service at minimum wage is a grueling task. It’s especially true when your boss takes you to the back every day for talking to a cardboard cutout or even worse, the howling of the wind. It was never fair dealing with what I have to deal with but the truth of life is that it’s not a fair game. I could’ve used it as an excuse and gotten the easy way out. No work, no stress. Just a monthly government check for my “oh woe is me” life story. I wanted to be different, put in every ounce of hard work I possibly could. A few years later, just after my 21st birthday, that work paid off. I got a promotion to assistant manager and with that raise I could finally afford to move out and make a name for myself.
…
I remember the day my parents died all-too-clearly. It was November 31st, just a week after my birthday and a day after my promotion. Joe and Roe were much happier for me than I was for myself. That entire day they grinned ear to ear, so much so I thought their faces would eventually cramp up. My dad called me son instead of John the entire day. My mom called me her young man, all grown up now. They were proud of me and for once I was sure that I was deserving of their love. We went to a small diner outside of town, the Capgras Inn. It was my favorite place to eat out when I was younger. We walked through the glass doors and the place hadn’t changed a bit. The front counter had the same swivel chairs, characterized by their red leather. The surrounding seating was still made up of those small, round, wooden tables, perfect for seating the three of us. The chairs had seats lined with the same red leather and stuffed with what I would guess was nearly forty-year-old and yellowed polyurethane. The fluorescent lighting which would usually be blinding white was so run down that it had become a calm and warming orange. It was nowhere near perfect but that was part of the experience of a mom and pop place, right? I was definitely the child of my parents, we all ordered the exact same thing: a greasy Texas delight. It was a third pound of beef patty with melted provolone and pepper Jack cheese alongside 6 slices of bacon to top it all off. It came with a side of French vanilla ice cream, the best kind of ice cream. There were no toppings of any kind added and as a child I always wanted more. Chocolate syrup, rainbow sprinkles, and sweet whipped cream. I never appreciated the simplicity of the dish until I was older. The IceCream wasn’t some cheap store bought brand, it was always made in house. I could see the work put into the churning, a smooth but crystalline structure embedded into each spoonful. I tasted vanilla of course but there was also a hint of nutmeg and just a pinch of salt. Such small things – details no one would notice – are what make simplicity so beautiful.
Put in the key. Turn on the ignition. Shift into drive.
We were gluttonous in our meal so the walk back to our lotted car was a slow one. Not the kind of slow that’s excruciatingly painful but one that’s savory and heartfelt. It felt how umami tastes, incredible but not perfect, just enough but not too much. We piled into the car. Suddenly that greatness that I felt was oh ever so slightly less than so, just enough for me to notice. My father was at the wheel and we backed out of the lot and rolled towards the highway. He wasn’t the type to fall into road rage but he absolutely couldn’t stand slow drivers. It had just approached evening so no one had started home yet, the streets were empty and free for his speed. As we raced down the road my unease grew. The way my mother held onto the arm of my father helped me to forget for just a moment. I thought that if they couldn’t feel what I did then maybe my mind was just plagued with stress. I had a league of new responsibilities and I couldn’t let Joe and Roe down, not after all I had accomplished. I unbuckled my seatbelt and scooted myself over to the center seat. A better view of the winding mess of asphalt we too quickly sped by. I bumped Into something that shouldn’t have been there. A warm, wet breath creeped down the left side of my neck and for a moment I was too paralyzed with fear to glance up. Honestly I probably didn’t need to, I knew all-too-well what it was. I saw them all over the news, it was that kind of thing that was widespread but you always thought “it could never happen to me, right?” Until it did, and in your naivety – your choice to be unprepared for what you should’ve known to come – you freeze. I stared into what I thought might be its eyes but they were more just deep, sunken, black holes in the center of its face. Maybe it was just the lighting that made it seem that way. It was dark out, the time of day when the world is enveloped entirely in shadows. The head of it was planted against the roof of the car and its long, slender body – all-too-tall for our little cruiser – contorted to the curves of the car. The two of us sat for a moment, or rather what felt like an eternity. We simply stared into each other's eyes. Unblinking. Unmoving. I, waiting for it to do something, anything. And it, waiting for me to drop my guard, even if it was for a moment. It quietly and softly wheezed. The cold breeze from its mouth burned my eyes. I blinked.
Whiplash. Split Lacerations. TBI.
It was Christmas day when I woke up in the hospital bed. The room was that same, blinding, far too pure light. Most would be startled by their new surroundings; although a place meant to be one of safety and comfort, humans can’t help but fear the new and unknown. I, however, was no stranger to these sights: the white sheets, the white lights, the white walls, and the white scrubs. I was no stranger to these sounds: the beeping of the EKG monitor, the matching beat of my pulse, the matching pulse of my mind. And I was no stranger to that face. That nurse — she was young, couldn’t have been any older than me — had trouble hiding her expression. That all-too-familiar awe-stricken look with just a hint of fear. I knew what was to come next, I had prepared for it for the last four weeks. Even in a state of incapacitation, my mind was not given the gift of rest. That realization washed over me in that split second. I had been born with this curse, it was all I had known. I thought I had come to accept it but in that moment I began to wonder: When death comes my way will it force me to lie awake?
My Name is John Doe. I was born November 27th. My blood type is Rhnull.
Only a few moments later and the room was overcrowded. Well, it was only four people really, the young nurse, the head doctor, the chief of police, and myself. But that’s still far too much for a hospital room.
”uhm.. w-what day is-“ the young nurse started, but she was quickly pulled away by the head doctor. She hid herself in the corner of the room and the doctor began where she had left off.
”Could you tell me what day it is, sir?”
”Must be Christmas, look at all those lights” I said as I gestured towards a window on the right of my bed. The streets were flooded with red and green lights and covered in a thick layer of snow.
”Good eye.” He checked something off of a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard, maybe a confirmation of my health. Eyesight and memory maybe.
”How old are you?”
”Just turned 21”
He checked something off.
“What city are we in?”
”Anytown”
He checked something off.
”Can you remind me what your name was?”
”John Schmoe”
He checked something off.
The chief of police was on the right side of my bed, opposite the doctor. He slowly got down to my level, making sure our eyes met. “John” he started, his tone was a bit more serious than that of the doctor, “can you tell me what you can remember about what happened?”
I’d been asked this kind of question before, usually at my old school's main office. At least once a week someone would take the bullying too far and administration had no choice but to do their jobs for once and get involved. “John, could you tell us what happened?” That’s how they’d always start. My answer was always the same, that I could. Of all the terrible things my condition has forced me to deal with there is but one upside to it all: a photographic memory. I mean, it could be something separate. My life is agonizing but I also remember everything I see, I do like to think that they’re connected. I feel as though the unblinking of my eyes allows me to see details that others can’t in those split seconds. Subliminal things that in the end don’t matter but as a whole let me see the full picture.
“We were at the Capgras inn, a roadside diner just a few miles out of town. We were celebrating my promotion and birthday. After that we got into the car, no one was there but us but then…”
I needed a moment to collect my thoughts, I didn’t want to remember that thing or what happened.
“One of those… things. Y’know the ones all over the news right now? I think they’re called stramonium or something. It was just there. I don’t know how it got there or what but I’ve seen what happens. They’re merciless, it’s damn horrific.”
The chief chimed in, “Before you continue, would you mind telling me where everyone in the car was seated?”
“Uh yeah. I was in the left back, mom in front of me, dad in the driver's seat and that monster right next to me.”
“Interesting.”
“Right, well as I was saying I was scared as all hell, couldn’t even move or scream or breathe for a solid minute. My parents didn’t seem to notice it which was good, this one seemed to be the type that reacted to sudden movement. It didn’t do anything for awhile, neither of us did, but at some point my body had to succumb to the urge to blink. So, well, I did.”
I see the world in a way that makes it so I'm not all there, yes, but I’m not some helpless animal. I clawed my way into the world, sinking my talons deep into the earth so that its furious winds of tribulations do not knock me down. In other words: I’ve come up with ways to (sometimes) tell what’s real from what’s not. Fiction in all of its forms is always based in part on the truth. No matter what lies are fabricated, whether it be from man or the mind of man, there is always some inextricably small fragment of what is real. For me, I’ve found that faces can tell the true story. One can choose to lie about an all-too-hefty amount of things, but the body never falters. Criminals can be seen doing it all the time. Many have been found guilty of the crime of lying under oath, and in all of those cases they could be observed twitching their left eyebrow when telling a fabricated story. The twitch of the eye, the wiggling of the ears, the flare of the nostrils; these are all ways in which your body screams for help. Even the most skilled of liars know two things: there is the truth and what has been fabricated and only one truly exists. That fact, one so obvious and so small, is enough to make a grizzly man quake in his boots. I tried to find such expressions on the chief but… nothing. There was nothing at all. No fear, no truth, just what seemed to be a blank abyss that stared into my soul.
“Uhm… the rest was all kind of a blur. I acted on instinct, just like it did, it's probably the only reason I’m able to tell you all right now rather than you prying at my blood splatter on the road. It’s not something that I ever really thought about in detail before but I knew that my father kept grilling supplies in the trunk of the car. ‘Never know when you might wanna set up camp’ is what he’d always say. We drive a pretty old hunk of junk, the type of car where you can easily get to the contents of the trunk from the backseat. I contorted my body in a way to reach the back without breaking eye contact and wrapped my hands around the first thing I could. I could only hope that it was the grill fork. I was lucky. I can’t tell you how many times I stabbed the thing, I went until my arms gave out and then I went some more. After that, well, it's just completely blank. I can’t tell you anything else if I wanted.”
Finally breakining that blank startle and showing a face that almost appeared as human, the chief spoke.
“I think I can finish the story for you Mr. Schmoe. You see we found you in the car at the bottom of a ditch. Nearly a drop of a hundred feet; that's a 10 second drop for a 3000 pound car but just enough jostling around to do some real damage. What we believe to have happened was that your father for one reason or a another — pretty obvious now — got startled at the wheel and swerved off”
“w-wait, where are they now? Where are my parents?”
In Loving Memory. Mother and Daughter. Father and Son.

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Andrew remained sick for a time, and we watched over him while he recovered in my bed; I’d taken to sleeping on the floor—Dave visited often and Gemma came whenever she could sneak away from the watchful eye of her father, the Bosses, and their servants. The young man’s wounds were terrible, easily beyond my expertise (although I had some field experience, I was sure at times that Andrew would die) and he spoke often in his sleep, and he said Gemma’s name all the time. I fed him heartened soups when I could and gave him water, but his eyes remained unfocused like he was staring off into the great beyond somewhere. Gemma grew more worried with every passing day, and she tried to rouse him from his stupor, but nothing she did could breach his strange daze and Dave, whenever he came, helped me lift the boy, check that he wasn’t developing unnecessary sores, and he would aid in replacing Andrew’s bandages.
During his recovery, I stayed home often—more often than ever—and I would remain awake well into the night and smoke tobacco, lighting one cigarette off the last and theorizing his recovery. There was a night where I stood by the door with the entryway left partly open and blew smoke from its crack into the open air, and then I heard the boy speak and he said, “That smells.” I turned to see him sitting directly upright, eyes lucid but watery. Then he shifted into the blanket and immediately fell to sleep again. It was then that I knew the boy would live; still he slept hard, and still when Gemma came, he did not respond to her prodding, but his health seemed inevitable.
It rained twice while the boy was in bed and each time, the people in town grabbed up pails or stained washtubs and caught the brief downpours and some stood out in the falling rain and watched the zigzag lights shoot across the plump gray sky while I remained afraid that Leviathan might show or that any false shadow on the horizon might be that awful dragon, but each time my worries were proven unfounded.
When Andrew awoke in full force, he asked me for his severed hand, and I returned it to him in a wide mouth jar and he examined it and thanked me for keeping it; the dead thing was rotted, and bones began to emerge from the flesh around the fingertips and knuckles.
Gemma came and her presence had become a custom and upon him seeing her, he recoiled and told her to leave him be, but she couldn’t and instead went to him on the bed where she’d sit on the edge and reach out with her own scarred hands and he’d tell her, “Leave me alone.”
She wept, but the boy kept a stern expression, and she nearly stopped coming once he’d made himself clear that he no longer loved her.
It had been a week since Gemma’s last visit and nearly three since me and Dave first brought the boy to my home and I finally asked the boy in the bed, “Was it necessary to hurt the girl like that?” It was night out and through a crack in my room’s door, I could see the faint push of the moon’s milk splash light.
“I’m here because of her,” he told me.
“You’re here because of her father.”
“He hates me.”
“Do you hate her?”
“I couldn’t hate her ever.”
“Are you trying to protect her or yourself?” I asked.
“It could be both, but I don’t wanna’ talk about it. I think I’d like to go west though. It’d do me good to get out on my own, away from here.” Andrew pulled himself into a sit in the center of the mattress, moving slowly for his injuries, and draped the blanket around his shoulders then pulled the covering in close near his throat. “I don’t think I like it here—there’s nothing stopping me leaving either.”
“You’d certainly die on your own.”
“Then I’ll wait for those weirdo, pointed hats and I’ll ask them to take me with them.”
“Maybe.” I thought of how I’d told Suzanne I’d visit in a month’s time since their last arrival in Golgotha and the time had nearly come. “Perhaps we ought to find you a chaperone.”
More days passed us by, and Andrew felt better to remove himself from bed and properly bathe and I showed him the dosage he should take then let him look after his own medication. His spirits remained low while his cheeks ran with more color and although he hobbled about, he seldom went from my home and kept to himself—on more than one occasion, I tried to get him to go to market with me and he refused each time. Andrew’s brooding nature was an illness I couldn’t help and maybe that’s why whenever Dave came with the mutt—he’d taken to calling the animal Trouble due to the dog’s nature of going where it was forbade—Andrew’s face illuminated at the dog and the dog would go and rest its head between the boy’s knees whenever he sat and look up and the boy rubbed the dog’s ears and whispered to it secrets that he didn’t care about sharing.
Gemma came again and this time she was not the fawning doll of affection, but angry and rightly so; she’d pushed into my home after a light knock and Dave and Andrew and Trouble, and I each turned to see who might enter the already cramped room. The girl shut the door gently behind her then stepped quickly across the room, removing her head wrap. “You’re leaving?” she asked while pointing a finger at Andrew’s chest; the poke to his breastbone made a sound and her stance was aggressive, and she towered over him where he sat on the edge of the bed with Trouble at his feet; the dog merely lifted her head and examined the people. “I could kill you.”
“They already tried that!” Andrew spit with his words. “Besides, who told you that?” His eyes shot to me where I’d taken up leaning at the corner near the door.
I shook my head while Dave shifted nervously from his right foot to his left foot.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. Her hands shook while she made them into frustrated claws. “How could you?”
“Go home.” The young man spoke dully as his eyes went dim.
“I’m going with you,” she said.
“The hell you are,” I spoke up.
Gemma pivoted then cut her eyes at me. “Why not?”
“Did you fuckin’ forget what happened last time? You ain’t going anywhere.”
“Do you really think my father would actually let everyone go without water until they die?”
“You know him, don’t you?” I said.
She sighed then sat on the bed alongside the boy.
Andrew shifted from her then said, “I don’t want you to come with me. Stay here,” then he added, “Stay away from me.”
Gemma left, not even caring to return the disguise to her head in her hurry; once she was gone and there was no indication of her return, Dave spoke, “You did the right thing.” He clenched his jaw.
Me and Dave went to Felina’s at night if only to have a place to go where we could speak without the boy’s ears; he’d had enough trouble as of late and did not need to be caught amid a coup. We’d left Trouble with him and although he’d given us a concerned look, the boy merely shrugged and went to playing tug-o-war with the mutt on the end of an old rag. The brothel had become a meeting place for me and him where we would go and whisper—it had been a long time since I’d had anyone to do that with on a regular basis.
Dave had informed me that his friend—the one that worked in the basements alongside the Boss’s stores—wanted to meet in person to plan our next moves. It should also be good, on the chance that anything happened to Dave, I would know the face of the man.
Felina’s first floor was empty besides us, and the barwoman bathed in candlelight, and not a peep came from upstairs; we’d taken up in what had become our usual table and each object and person were caught in dancing ribbons of orange light.
“I’ll be gone for weeks,” I warned Dave, “I won’t be able to help you till I return.” It was true; the travel to Alexandria would take a long time, and longer still if Suzanne forced me to hesitate.
He nodded as Felina brought us our water and then leaned in close, took a sip, then nodded again, seemingly stuck in thinking. “You don’t mean to slip out on me, do you?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got a person to see. Whatever transpires here and the aftermath, I want to see them one last time if it means I’m to throw my life away on this uprising you’ve got.” I took my own cup and drank it in one go then set it away.
There was a long pause where he rubbed his thumbs along the rim of his cup and stared into the pool there; he opened his mouth as though to say something then shut it again.
“I keep my deals.” A chill pushed through me.
“I know. Who would’ve thought I’d trust you?” He smacked his lips.
“I’ll come back.”
“I know.”
“I mean it.”
He finished his own water. “Let me go with you.”
“Hm?”
“You’re taking the boy out west, out to where the wizards are, huh?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I’d like to go and see if they’d care to send any aid.”
I fought a smile. “They don’t fight. They’re soft folks.”
“Still.”
“Still what? I just told you. You’re not going to raise them to start a war. They’re traders, pagans—liars too. Proactive violence is something they don’t condone.”
“They couldn’t give us some—I don’t know. Don’t they have like spells or something they can teach us?”
I caught a surprised laugh in my cupped hand. “You think—It doesn’t work like that.”
Dave began to fidget in his seat. “You don’t haf’ta make me feel stupid.”
Without even realizing it, I reached out with a hand and put it on his shoulder for comfort, “Sorry,” I quickly withdrew the hand, “It’s not like that.”
“Well, what is like then?”
Just then, the door to Felina’s pushed in to reveal a haggard gentleman, pale, angular cheekbones, and deep eyes; it could only be Dave’s friend from the basements. The man came to our table and sat across from us, keeping his hands together and massaging his knuckles in front of his chest then leaning forward preparing a whisper; Felina, from her post behind the counter, shot a glance to us gathered, but otherwise continued in her own concerns, reading some book she kept with her.
“I’ve got something you should see,” said the man.
Dave grinned, but I did not care for the cut of the man’s gib, and I sat a bit straighter in my seat—Dave greeted the man warmly, “Mills, this is Harlan.”
The man shot a glance to me then a small nod, “Yeah, I know him.” Mills directed his attention back to Dave, “I’ve got something you should see. Outside. Right this moment.”
An ethereal dreamlike pause fell across the table, and I felt lightheaded and even Dave’s demeanor changed. There was a brief smile that fell across Mills’s face, but it was gone just as quickly as he shifted in his seat.
Finally, I spoke, “You could lie better.”
“I’m not lying,” protested Mills.
“How many are there?” I unsheathed the knife from my belt and traced my eyes across the dark and windowless room.
Mills opened his face, incredulous, and then shut it and slumped on his seat. “What are you talking about?”
“How many are waiting outside for us? Are they here to kill us or do they intend to capture? Say it plain and don’t try to deny it.”
“You fella’s are paranoid, huh?” said Mills.
Dave stood and put a hand on my shoulder, but I shirked it away, and the man chewed on the inside of his mouth then said, “Mills, please tell me you didn’t turn us in.”
“I wouldn’t,” said Mills. He scoffed. “There’s no way I would. How could you even think that?”
“Did they tell you you’d be safe? Did they tell you that everything was fine? I’ll tell you something—nothing that happens in this town’s fine. If you can’t see that.” Dave drifted off. “Well, Harlan,” he directed his attention to me, “What now?”
“We could skin him,” I brandished my knife and Mills recoiled. “I’m kidding. If those troopers are outside waiting on us, then we’ve got bad trouble on our hands. If we don’t do something quick, they’re liable to kick that door in and spray us dead.”
“You could go quietly,” offered Mills. “That Harold likes you pretty good,” he nodded at me, “I don’t think they’d hurt you bad.”
“So,” I said, “He admits at last. What’s the number? How many wall men did those jackals send?”
“Just the Sheriff. He wanted to talk. When I spoke to him, he seemed more pleasant than most.”
Dave moved to the counter where Felina was and he began saying something to her, hushed.
“What’s the Sheriff want?”
“He said he wanted to talk to you.”
“I don’t’ have a thing to say to the man.”
“I believe it. I believe he wants to talk with you and nothing more.” Mills seemed tired.
I kept my knife at the ready.
Dave returned to the table and stood beside Mills where he sat, “She said there’s a back way out,” said Dave.
We moved and Mills remained, but Dave rounded the table far more quickly than I believed him capable, pulled Mills to his feet by the scruff on the back of the man’s neck and without too much protest, Mills was our captive.
“I’ll scream,” said Mills.
“If you do, this blade’s going straight up your ass,” I said.
The three of us, in a strange marching line with Mills in front followed by Dave then me, rounded Felina’s counter and we followed the woman into the backroom where she lived; in the far corner was a bed with a sink—standard amenities—a few old books, and an exposed closet off the wall where clothes hung. She ushered us toward the rear of the room, furthest from where we’d come, and pushed a doorway into the warm black night that smelled of chicken feces.
Dave directed a whisper to the woman, “They might hurt you for helping us. Come with us.”
“Fuck ‘em,” she said, then pulled the door shut with her still on the other side.
We were there in the dirt street on the backside of the brothel, and it was quiet and empty—most of the exposed windows down the lane were black save the hydro towers. We took off, Dave keeping one of Mills’s arms pushed high on his back so that the man couldn’t move too far off the directed course.
“Where do we go?” said Dave, “Aw hell, I don’t even know where to go!”
“This way,” I said.
“Where are you leading us?” he asked.
“I’ve got to get my things.”
“You’re going home? They’ll be waiting there, won’t they?”
Just then, gunfire erupted from the direction of Felina’s; it was a short spurt, followed by perhaps shouting, then another volley of gunfire and then it was quiet.
Dave shifted on his feet, still holding Mills, like he intended to rush back; I put a hand on him and shook my head.
“Where do we go?” Small terror melted with his voice.
“We’ve gotta get out of town.”
“They’ll shoot us from the walls.”
Mills mumbled, “Well you can just leave me here.”
Ignoring this, I said, “All of my things are home,” then I thought to add, “What about Andrew? If they’ve already ransacked my place, they’ve surely killed him.”
“Trouble too,” said Dave, “Oh god.”
Then the bells over the hall of Bosses rang and my stomach twisted; lights in homes began illuminating in response to the ruckus and denizens stepped from their places, looking up and down the way. We stood there in the street and for the first time in a long time, I was frozen. Dave pushed on down an alley, Mills protested in saying that his arm was broken (it wasn’t) and I followed, totally bedazzled.
In the rush, Dave let go of our prisoner and directed me to keep the man and then he asked, “Have you got matches—a lighter? Something!”
I fumbled in my jacket pocket and produced a lighter; Dave snatched the thing from me, and we moved on further down the alley, further from the bells—along the way Mills cursed us and Dave flinched and balked at every person we moved by in the shadows, for they might be a wall man. People began screaming and more gunfire rang out—this time ahead of us; we spilled out of the alley into an opening which connected several narrow streets where two soldiers were standing over a body in the dark; Dave stopped ahead, and we shrank back into the alley then pressed ourselves against the exterior wall of an abode where the overhanging catwalks kept us in shadow.
One of the wall men kicked the unmoving body then fired another round into it; the corpse spasmed momentarily. If I had a softer heart, I would’ve vocalized the reason for the killing, but I knew because I’d seen it happen before; when killing started, those with the will to do so always stepped to the occasion. They’d heard the same gunfire we’d heard and decided not to be left out. The wall man fired another round into the body and for a flash, his face was illuminated, and I could see he was young—even if the millisecond of glow had twisted his expression in a wild blaze.
“Lemme go!” hushed Mills, popping me squarely in the groin with his free hand.
As he launched away from us in the shadows, I huffed forward, swiping my blade wildly, eyes blurred; with reckless thought, I would’ve gone after him, but Dave reached out to stop me and Mills charged toward the wall men in the square opening; I think he shouted something at them—maybe it was about where we were hiding and about how we’d been terrible captors.
The traitor danced with the echo of gunfire and the soldiers had a new body for target practice. The wall men paid us no mind in our poor hiding place—wilder gunpowder screams filled the night air and blood began to drift on the wind.
I’d not even noticed Dave holding my hand in the dark as we took to crouching behind rubbish pushed to the sides of the alley. “We’ll split up,” said Dave, letting go of my hand.
“Wait,” I slid my back up the wall to stand, putting my knife away, “That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“I know,” he said, both of us remaining in shadow, close enough that our shoulders were touching, “I’m heading towards the hall.”
There was a long pause; more shrieks echoed around us in that narrow passage and then I nodded.
“To the basements. To the gunpowder. I’ll try and catch you near the gate. If not.” He shook his head. “Goodbye tinman.”
Dave launched himself incredibly quickly from the shadows then moved the way we’d come from, keeping low and weaving. I soon followed, and I believe I saw him circling around one of the hydro towers in the ensuing chaos. A young boy was shoved into the moonlight where the brace of a rifle met his head; a woman was declothed then beheaded; an infant was sent through the air from the end of a mighty swing where it met the exterior wall of a storage shed. I saw them all and in the fury of the wall men, I lost sight of Dave and I kept to the darkness and held in my screams to remain unseen.
Doubling back some around the area by Felina’s where the buildings opened some, I saw Boss Maron barking orders, a club used to point before he put it to use against bewildered citizens. The night was cool and lonely, as I’d been accustomed, I moved quickly and without worry—survival reigned supreme in the labored breaths I inhaled through Golgotha’s blood-soaked streets where people pushed by or hid in the darkest recesses; a few times I happened by an open window and saw people scrunched in a corner on their haunches with their eyes closed and sometimes they prayed. Upon nearing the stairs that led to my home—the steps mere minutes away—a man scrambled around on his hands and knees. Thinking I could propel over him, he caught my foot and I stumbled and twisted around, ready to stick him with my knife; the man threw himself at my waist, clinging around my hips with locked arms, begging up at me with blood in his face. Moonlight caught the shine of his own mishappen brain exposed along the right side of his shattered skull. “Help! I’m on fire!” screamed the man, foam clung to his mouth, “Water! I’m burning!” I bit my lip and shoved the man off and he continued scrambling madly in the dark till he found a tub of stagnant water—knee high—precariously pushed against the wall of a nearby alley and plunged his head into the murkiness and he did not move again.
With focus, I rushed on, passing by executions in the streets, screams of mouths ground in the soil beneath boots, and all the while the moon hung between the shadows of the tall buildings, swathed in a gown of mist in a sky of absent stars so the night stretched like the void it was.
Coming to the stairs that led to the catwalks where my home was, a pale hand, stained dull red, shot from the darkness beneath the steps and held onto my ankle—a yell escaped me and I stumbled back, kicking at the hand with my free foot. The hand recoiled, cursed, then Gemma removed herself from the space beneath the stairs; scarcely, I could make out the face of Andrew still there in the darkness and the low growl of Trouble and the chaos fell away for a moment, and I asked the girl, “Are you hurt?” examining the blood on her clothes, on her hands. “What are you doing here?”
“I killed him,” she said while Andrew came from the recesses, the mutt at his side; the boy had my old shotgun slung over his shoulder, “I killed him,” the girl repeated, “So I could go. He’s dead.” Her eyes were far, and her fists hung at her sides.
“You’re all alive?” My quivering words barely registered to myself over the wails and clacks of war toys and a wall man began to pass us by, chasing after a boy with a long-flamed torch pushed over his head by his scrawny arm while he caterwauled a primitive shout into the night—the wall men stopped at us.
The soldier’s eyes reflected amidst the overhead catwalk shadows, and his facial hair was thin enough to be a stain and he raised a pistol to my face, and seeing the black hole of the barrel I merely closed my eyes, wincing, waiting for it. “Get inside. Please,” said the man before I cracked my eyes to see the openness he’d filled was empty, the clank of his gear rattled in his absence before disappearing after him.
“Might’ve killed you,” said Andrew.
I shook the thought from my head. “We should go.”
Gemma rubbed the dried blood down the front of herself, “He dropped so fast.”
“Shh.” I grabbed the girl’s hand and the boy followed at a restrained pace, the dog sniffing after, tail pulled between its legs, and I happened to notice its ears perking at whatever sound when I’d glance to be sure they came. We gave the hydro towers a wide berth, keeping to the western side of town till we met the buildings nearest the wall where there was relative quiet from the devastation; onlookers still pushed their moonlight glazed faces from apertures and watched us go and some called after us, but we ignored them. “Keep up!” I urged the youngins, “Don’t dally! Don’t fall behind!”
“It’s hard keeping this fucking thing and watching the dog!” said Andrew.
I reached over, slid the gun from his body, and put it across my chest in both hands. “Did you happen to grab any of the ammo?”
His refusal to answer made me slip the strap over my shoulder and we carried on till we met an alley that slithered to the opening of the southern square where the gate was. We hung in the darkness by a dead metal wagon of crates covered by a stained blanket and then I was at a loss. Smoke met us and I was sure there was a fire the way we’d come. Perhaps it was for the smoke or fire or the blood, but upon nosing out from the corner that led into the square, the snipers on the wall too began firing their weapons and I was certain they’d seen me and were shooting at me for a moment, but upon freezing in my position, I realized the people on the wall’s ramparts fired at something beyond; a volley of them resounded and I felt the others pull in close to me so we were all clumped and touching and the dog had gone from flinching to shivering for each round was so quick after the last. Surely, if Dave intended to meet me there at the square, he’d be there—my eyes scanned the black scenery.
“Mutants!” a woman on the wall shouted to her comrades, “More ‘en I’ve ever seen! Get your asses up here!”
The kids babbled something, and I hushed them and told them to stay in the darkness while I moved forward where large gashes of bluish moon threatened to betray my location and I moved to the unguarded electrical switch—surely they’d close it back soon enough—opened its door and flipped the switch and the grinding of the gate coming to life was never so loud before as its clockwork innards did their job. I could only imagine the bafflement of the wall men. I motioned for the kids to follow, and Gemma lifted the dog up in her arms, still making better pace than Andrew. The sound of boots rattling on the wall overhead came and someone fired down at me, but I pushed back towards the wall and the dirt ground between me and Gemma erupted spits of dirt. The girl shrieked, coming to a halt so the boy slammed into her, and they both stumbled in a mess, and caught one another without falling. Trouble yelped.
I pushed from my spot, gathered them in my arms and we moved like a strange centipede to the opened gate where we slid through to immediately be met by a meridian of glowing yellow eyes perhaps fifty yards out. The mutants, things once human but twisted by some greater demon, fought over one another in their lurch with jagged motions, pale in the moonlight without hair and thin skin that clung to bald heads and mouths blackened from filth and teeth nubbed from the circular grinding of their jaws; the creatures came with their homunculus growls, their hunched backs, their lizard quickness. They came for the direction of the open gate and all I heard were screams and the scuffle of our shared balance as we took across the blue horizon of open space and I ushered across that expanse with the black ruins on the horizon and the smoke rose over the starless sky and although I was certain we’d be shot dead in the back, providence saved us—no, it was Dave.
The earth trembled beneath our feet, and I heard the confetti of rubble on rubble and the earth itself screamed and I knew Dave had done what he’d set out to.
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Boron is a trace mineral found in fertile soil and absorbed by plant foods that humans consume.
This micronutrient is vital for regulating metabolic processes and has been linked to various health benefits, including bone health, hormone balance, and brain function.
Discover five incredible boron benefits and learn how to incorporate this trace mineral into your diet.

What is boron?

Boron is a trace mineral found in soil, similar to copper, iron, zinc, and manganese.
The boron in plant foods occurs mainly in boric acid form, which is essential for plant growth, seed formation, and pollination.
In addition to promoting the development of plants, boron also has been found to have profound health benefits for humans.
Boron is classified as a micronutrient, meaning only a small amount is needed to support human health, though it hasn’t been determined if boron is an essential nutrient.
Despite little being known about boron’s biological purpose in humans, 80 to 90 percent of boron is absorbed by the intestines, and adequate boron levels are associated with healthy bone formation and hormonal balance.
Watch the video below to learn why boron deficiency is a widespread issue.
Benefits of Boron, One of the Most Deficient Trace Minerals

5 benefits of boron

It is believed that boron plays a role in bone formation, reproductive processes, and may help lower the risk of health conditions linked to chronic inflammation.
Here are five incredible benefits of boron.

1. Promotes bone health

Boron may reduce the risk of bone-related diseases and deformities by supporting bone strength and calcium metabolism, which are vital for developing and maintaining healthy bones.
A study published in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology confirms the benefits of boron for skeletal health and suggests that boron supplementation enhances bone formation.
In addition, researchers found that boron deficiency resulted in decreased bone strength, abnormal limb development, and slow growth plate maturation, which impacted bone growth.

2. Supports hormone balance

Data published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that boron supplementation balances estradiol and testosterone levels in postmenopausal women. This may help relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and mood changes.
This research also found that boron reduces excessive urinary calcium excretion, which is common in postmenopausal women and linked to an increased risk of kidney stones.

3. May improve arthritis

Cartilage is a type of connective tissue that prevents bones from grinding together. Arthritis is a result of cartilage breakdown, leading to joint pain and inflammation.
Boron may help manage arthritis symptoms by supporting calcium integration into the joints, which helps protect against cartridge deterioration.
Research published in Environmental Health Perspectives found, "Areas of the world with low boron intakes have a significantly higher incidence of arthritis compared to regions with generally higher boron consumption.”

4. Enhances vitamin D absorption

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, immune defenses, brain and emotional health, and inflammation regulation.
Studies suggest that boron promotes the bioavailability of vitamin D, allowing it to stay in the body for longer and enhancing its effectiveness.
In addition, a study published in Integrative Medicine found that boron supplementation helps increase vitamin D3 status in vitamin D-deficient individuals.

5. Promotes brain function

Lack of adequate boron has been linked to impaired cognition and poor information retention.
Studies suggest that boron may play a role in mineral metabolism and cell membrane function, which help protect the brain from degeneration.
Research published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that low boron intake reduced hand-eye coordination, attention, and short-term and long-term memory. In addition, the authors stated that those who received boron supplementation saw significant improvements in various psychomotor skills and memory tests.

Symptoms of boron deficiency

Symptoms of insufficient boron haven’t been well established. However, animal studies have linked boron deficiency to abnormal bone growth and weakness.
Some data suggest low boron intake can also impair brain function, alertness, and memory.
Boron deficiency may also increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency, which is linked to various health issues, including bone pain, muscle weakness, fatigue, and depression.
Additionally, a low boron diet may contribute to excessive urinary calcium excretion, which increases the risk of kidney stones, especially in postmenopausal women.

What causes boron deficiency?

Boron deficiency in humans is linked to inadequate consumption of boron-containing whole foods. Even a plant-rich diet can lead to boron deficiency due to mineral-depleted soils.
“Boron is a trace mineral, and if it’s not in the soil, it can’t be absorbed by plants, increasing the risk of widespread deficiency,” explains Dr. Berg.
Soil degradation is the most common cause of boron deficiency and is generally associated with conventional farming and soil cultivation practices.
These practices involve growing large amounts of single-crop produce without replacing the nutrients and microdiversity after harvest, which leads to soils depleted of nutrients, including boron.

Best sources of boron

Boron is found in various plant foods, including vegetables, nuts, and certain fruits.
Additionally, boron can be found in small amounts of animal protein, including beef, chicken, turkey, and dairy products.
Here are some of the best boron-rich foods:

• Avocados
• Peanuts
• Broccoli
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Almonds
• Hazelnuts
• Chickpeas

Organically grown produce contains higher levels of nutrients than conventionally harvested options, making them superior sources of boron.
According to a study published in Alternative Medicine Review, organic foods have significantly higher levels of various nutrients and antioxidants, which are needed to maintain general health and well-being.
Researchers also found lower levels of pesticide residues in organic produce, which are linked to cancer, hormonal imbalance, and other health risks.

How much boron should you take?

Most people can get boron from food, especially those consuming large volumes of high-quality, organic produce.
There is limited data on boron’s biological function in the body and no consensus on the dietary reference intake recommendation.
However, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (FNB), which establishes guidelines for good nutrition, has set upper intake levels for boron.
These upper limits are the maximum recommended dosages that aren’t expected to induce adverse effects.
According to the FNB, these are the upper limits for boron based on age:

• 1 to 3 years: 3 milligrams (mg)/day
• 4 to 8 years: 6 mg/day
• 9 to 13 years: 11 mg/day
• 14 to 18 years: 17 mg/day
• 19+ years: 20 mg/day

Safety data on boron has not been established for infants younger than one year.
To reduce the risk of unwanted side effects, it’s important to follow the instructions of the boron supplement you plan to use.

Possible downsides of boron supplementation

Infants shouldn’t be given boron, except through breast milk, formula, or food, as there is no safety data in children younger than one.
The most common instances of boron toxicity were reported in children younger than six ingesting boron-containing cleaning substances, leading to vomiting, convulsions, and cardiovascular issues.
Though boron toxicity in adults is rare, large doses can cause headaches, restlessness, and fatigue. High boron levels from supplementation have also been linked to nausea, rashes, gastrointestinal discomfort, and alopecia in extreme cases.
Boron supplements can increase estrogen levels and aren’t recommended for those with hormone-related diseases, including breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer.
To minimize the risk of adverse health effects, it’s vital to consult your healthcare provider before introducing new supplements into your routine.

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Andrew remained sick for a time, and we watched over him while he recovered in my bed; I’d taken to sleeping on the floor—Dave visited often and Gemma came whenever she could sneak away from the watchful eye of her father, the Bosses, and their servants. The young man’s wounds were terrible, easily beyond my expertise (although I had some field experience, I was sure at times that Andrew would die) and he spoke often in his sleep, and he said Gemma’s name all the time. I fed him heartened soups when I could and gave him water, but his eyes remained unfocused like he was staring off into the great beyond somewhere. Gemma grew more worried with every passing day, and she tried to rouse him from his stupor, but nothing she did could breach his strange daze and Dave, whenever he came, helped me lift the boy, check that he wasn’t developing unnecessary sores, and he would aid in replacing Andrew’s bandages.
During his recovery, I stayed home often—more often than ever—and I would remain awake well into the night and smoke tobacco, lighting one cigarette off the last and theorizing his recovery. There was a night where I stood by the door with the entryway left partly open and blew smoke from its crack into the open air, and then I heard the boy speak and he said, “That smells.” I turned to see him sitting directly upright, eyes lucid but watery. Then he shifted into the blanket and immediately fell to sleep again. It was then that I knew the boy would live; still he slept hard, and still when Gemma came, he did not respond to her prodding, but his health seemed inevitable.
It rained twice while the boy was in bed and each time, the people in town grabbed up pails or stained washtubs and caught the brief downpours and some stood out in the falling rain and watched the zigzag lights shoot across the plump gray sky while I remained afraid that Leviathan might show or that any false shadow on the horizon might be that awful dragon, but each time my worries were proven unfounded.
When Andrew awoke in full force, he asked me for his severed hand, and I returned it to him in a wide mouth jar and he examined it and thanked me for keeping it; the dead thing was rotted, and bones began to emerge from the flesh around the fingertips and knuckles.
Gemma came and her presence had become a custom and upon him seeing her, he recoiled and told her to leave him be, but she couldn’t and instead went to him on the bed where she’d sit on the edge and reach out with her own scarred hands and he’d tell her, “Leave me alone.”
She wept, but the boy kept a stern expression, and she nearly stopped coming once he’d made himself clear that he no longer loved her.
It had been a week since Gemma’s last visit and nearly three since me and Dave first brought the boy to my home and I finally asked the boy in the bed, “Was it necessary to hurt the girl like that?” It was night out and through a crack in my room’s door, I could see the faint push of the moon’s milk splash light.
“I’m here because of her,” he told me.
“You’re here because of her father.”
“He hates me.”
“Do you hate her?”
“I couldn’t hate her ever.”
“Are you trying to protect her or yourself?” I asked.
“It could be both, but I don’t wanna’ talk about it. I think I’d like to go west though. It’d do me good to get out on my own, away from here.” Andrew pulled himself into a sit in the center of the mattress, moving slowly for his injuries, and draped the blanket around his shoulders then pulled the covering in close near his throat. “I don’t think I like it here—there’s nothing stopping me leaving either.”
“You’d certainly die on your own.”
“Then I’ll wait for those weirdo, pointed hats and I’ll ask them to take me with them.”
“Maybe.” I thought of how I’d told Suzanne I’d visit in a month’s time since their last arrival in Golgotha and the time had nearly come. “Perhaps we ought to find you a chaperone.”
More days passed us by, and Andrew felt better to remove himself from bed and properly bathe and I showed him the dosage he should take then let him look after his own medication. His spirits remained low while his cheeks ran with more color and although he hobbled about, he seldom went from my home and kept to himself—on more than one occasion, I tried to get him to go to market with me and he refused each time. Andrew’s brooding nature was an illness I couldn’t help and maybe that’s why whenever Dave came with the mutt—he’d taken to calling the animal Trouble due to the dog’s nature of going where it was forbade—Andrew’s face illuminated at the dog and the dog would go and rest its head between the boy’s knees whenever he sat and look up and the boy rubbed the dog’s ears and whispered to it secrets that he didn’t care about sharing.
Gemma came again and this time she was not the fawning doll of affection, but angry and rightly so; she’d pushed into my home after a light knock and Dave and Andrew and Trouble, and I each turned to see who might enter the already cramped room. The girl shut the door gently behind her then stepped quickly across the room, removing her head wrap. “You’re leaving?” she asked while pointing a finger at Andrew’s chest; the poke to his breastbone made a sound and her stance was aggressive, and she towered over him where he sat on the edge of the bed with Trouble at his feet; the dog merely lifted her head and examined the people. “I could kill you.”
“They already tried that!” Andrew spit with his words. “Besides, who told you that?” His eyes shot to me where I’d taken up leaning at the corner near the door.
I shook my head while Dave shifted nervously from his right foot to his left foot.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. Her hands shook while she made them into frustrated claws. “How could you?”
“Go home.” The young man spoke dully as his eyes went dim.
“I’m going with you,” she said.
“The hell you are,” I spoke up.
Gemma pivoted then cut her eyes at me. “Why not?”
“Did you fuckin’ forget what happened last time? You ain’t going anywhere.”
“Do you really think my father would actually let everyone go without water until they die?”
“You know him, don’t you?” I said.
She sighed then sat on the bed alongside the boy.
Andrew shifted from her then said, “I don’t want you to come with me. Stay here,” then he added, “Stay away from me.”
Gemma left, not even caring to return the disguise to her head in her hurry; once she was gone and there was no indication of her return, Dave spoke, “You did the right thing.” He clenched his jaw.
Me and Dave went to Felina’s at night if only to have a place to go where we could speak without the boy’s ears; he’d had enough trouble as of late and did not need to be caught amid a coup. We’d left Trouble with him and although he’d given us a concerned look, the boy merely shrugged and went to playing tug-o-war with the mutt on the end of an old rag. The brothel had become a meeting place for me and him where we would go and whisper—it had been a long time since I’d had anyone to do that with on a regular basis.
Dave had informed me that his friend—the one that worked in the basements alongside the Boss’s stores—wanted to meet in person to plan our next moves. It should also be good, on the chance that anything happened to Dave, I would know the face of the man.
Felina’s first floor was empty besides us, and the barwoman bathed in candlelight, and not a peep came from upstairs; we’d taken up in what had become our usual table and each object and person were caught in dancing ribbons of orange light.
“I’ll be gone for weeks,” I warned Dave, “I won’t be able to help you till I return.” It was true; the travel to Alexandria would take a long time, and longer still if Suzanne forced me to hesitate.
He nodded as Felina brought us our water and then leaned in close, took a sip, then nodded again, seemingly stuck in thinking. “You don’t mean to slip out on me, do you?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got a person to see. Whatever transpires here and the aftermath, I want to see them one last time if it means I’m to throw my life away on this uprising you’ve got.” I took my own cup and drank it in one go then set it away.
There was a long pause where he rubbed his thumbs along the rim of his cup and stared into the pool there; he opened his mouth as though to say something then shut it again.
“I keep my deals.” A chill pushed through me.
“I know. Who would’ve thought I’d trust you?” He smacked his lips.
“I’ll come back.”
“I know.”
“I mean it.”
He finished his own water. “Let me go with you.”
“Hm?”
“You’re taking the boy out west, out to where the wizards are, huh?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I’d like to go and see if they’d care to send any aid.”
I fought a smile. “They don’t fight. They’re soft folks.”
“Still.”
“Still what? I just told you. You’re not going to raise them to start a war. They’re traders, pagans—liars too. Proactive violence is something they don’t condone.”
“They couldn’t give us some—I don’t know. Don’t they have like spells or something they can teach us?”
I caught a surprised laugh in my cupped hand. “You think—It doesn’t work like that.”
Dave began to fidget in his seat. “You don’t haf’ta make me feel stupid.”
Without even realizing it, I reached out with a hand and put it on his shoulder for comfort, “Sorry,” I quickly withdrew the hand, “It’s not like that.”
“Well, what is like then?”
Just then, the door to Felina’s pushed in to reveal a haggard gentleman, pale, angular cheekbones, and deep eyes; it could only be Dave’s friend from the basements. The man came to our table and sat across from us, keeping his hands together and massaging his knuckles in front of his chest then leaning forward preparing a whisper; Felina, from her post behind the counter, shot a glance to us gathered, but otherwise continued in her own concerns, reading some book she kept with her.
“I’ve got something you should see,” said the man.
Dave grinned, but I did not care for the cut of the man’s gib, and I sat a bit straighter in my seat—Dave greeted the man warmly, “Mills, this is Harlan.”
The man shot a glance to me then a small nod, “Yeah, I know him.” Mills directed his attention back to Dave, “I’ve got something you should see. Outside. Right this moment.”
An ethereal dreamlike pause fell across the table, and I felt lightheaded and even Dave’s demeanor changed. There was a brief smile that fell across Mills’s face, but it was gone just as quickly as he shifted in his seat.
Finally, I spoke, “You could lie better.”
“I’m not lying,” protested Mills.
“How many are there?” I unsheathed the knife from my belt and traced my eyes across the dark and windowless room.
Mills opened his face, incredulous, and then shut it and slumped on his seat. “What are you talking about?”
“How many are waiting outside for us? Are they here to kill us or do they intend to capture? Say it plain and don’t try to deny it.”
“You fella’s are paranoid, huh?” said Mills.
Dave stood and put a hand on my shoulder, but I shirked it away, and the man chewed on the inside of his mouth then said, “Mills, please tell me you didn’t turn us in.”
“I wouldn’t,” said Mills. He scoffed. “There’s no way I would. How could you even think that?”
“Did they tell you you’d be safe? Did they tell you that everything was fine? I’ll tell you something—nothing that happens in this town’s fine. If you can’t see that.” Dave drifted off. “Well, Harlan,” he directed his attention to me, “What now?”
“We could skin him,” I brandished my knife and Mills recoiled. “I’m kidding. If those troopers are outside waiting on us, then we’ve got bad trouble on our hands. If we don’t do something quick, they’re liable to kick that door in and spray us dead.”
“You could go quietly,” offered Mills. “That Harold likes you pretty good,” he nodded at me, “I don’t think they’d hurt you bad.”
“So,” I said, “He admits at last. What’s the number? How many wall men did those jackals send?”
“Just the Sheriff. He wanted to talk. When I spoke to him, he seemed more pleasant than most.”
Dave moved to the counter where Felina was and he began saying something to her, hushed.
“What’s the Sheriff want?”
“He said he wanted to talk to you.”
“I don’t’ have a thing to say to the man.”
“I believe it. I believe he wants to talk with you and nothing more.” Mills seemed tired.
I kept my knife at the ready.
Dave returned to the table and stood beside Mills where he sat, “She said there’s a back way out,” said Dave.
We moved and Mills remained, but Dave rounded the table far more quickly than I believed him capable, pulled Mills to his feet by the scruff on the back of the man’s neck and without too much protest, Mills was our captive.
“I’ll scream,” said Mills.
“If you do, this blade’s going straight up your ass,” I said.
The three of us, in a strange marching line with Mills in front followed by Dave then me, rounded Felina’s counter and we followed the woman into the backroom where she lived; in the far corner was a bed with a sink—standard amenities—a few old books, and an exposed closet off the wall where clothes hung. She ushered us toward the rear of the room, furthest from where we’d come, and pushed a doorway into the warm black night that smelled of chicken feces.
Dave directed a whisper to the woman, “They might hurt you for helping us. Come with us.”
“Fuck ‘em,” she said, then pulled the door shut with her still on the other side.
We were there in the dirt street on the backside of the brothel, and it was quiet and empty—most of the exposed windows down the lane were black save the hydro towers. We took off, Dave keeping one of Mills’s arms pushed high on his back so that the man couldn’t move too far off the directed course.
“Where do we go?” said Dave, “Aw hell, I don’t even know where to go!”
“This way,” I said.
“Where are you leading us?” he asked.
“I’ve got to get my things.”
“You’re going home? They’ll be waiting there, won’t they?”
Just then, gunfire erupted from the direction of Felina’s; it was a short spurt, followed by perhaps shouting, then another volley of gunfire and then it was quiet.
Dave shifted on his feet, still holding Mills, like he intended to rush back; I put a hand on him and shook my head.
“Where do we go?” Small terror melted with his voice.
“We’ve gotta get out of town.”
“They’ll shoot us from the walls.”
Mills mumbled, “Well you can just leave me here.”
Ignoring this, I said, “All of my things are home,” then I thought to add, “What about Andrew? If they’ve already ransacked my place, they’ve surely killed him.”
“Trouble too,” said Dave, “Oh god.”
Then the bells over the hall of Bosses rang and my stomach twisted; lights in homes began illuminating in response to the ruckus and denizens stepped from their places, looking up and down the way. We stood there in the street and for the first time in a long time, I was frozen. Dave pushed on down an alley, Mills protested in saying that his arm was broken (it wasn’t) and I followed, totally bedazzled.
In the rush, Dave let go of our prisoner and directed me to keep the man and then he asked, “Have you got matches—a lighter? Something!”
I fumbled in my jacket pocket and produced a lighter; Dave snatched the thing from me, and we moved on further down the alley, further from the bells—along the way Mills cursed us and Dave flinched and balked at every person we moved by in the shadows, for they might be a wall man. People began screaming and more gunfire rang out—this time ahead of us; we spilled out of the alley into an opening which connected several narrow streets where two soldiers were standing over a body in the dark; Dave stopped ahead, and we shrank back into the alley then pressed ourselves against the exterior wall of an abode where the overhanging catwalks kept us in shadow.
One of the wall men kicked the unmoving body then fired another round into it; the corpse spasmed momentarily. If I had a softer heart, I would’ve vocalized the reason for the killing, but I knew because I’d seen it happen before; when killing started, those with the will to do so always stepped to the occasion. They’d heard the same gunfire we’d heard and decided not to be left out. The wall man fired another round into the body and for a flash, his face was illuminated, and I could see he was young—even if the millisecond of glow had twisted his expression in a wild blaze.
“Lemme go!” hushed Mills, popping me squarely in the groin with his free hand.
As he launched away from us in the shadows, I huffed forward, swiping my blade wildly, eyes blurred; with reckless thought, I would’ve gone after him, but Dave reached out to stop me and Mills charged toward the wall men in the square opening; I think he shouted something at them—maybe it was about where we were hiding and about how we’d been terrible captors.
The traitor danced with the echo of gunfire and the soldiers had a new body for target practice. The wall men paid us no mind in our poor hiding place—wilder gunpowder screams filled the night air and blood began to drift on the wind.
I’d not even noticed Dave holding my hand in the dark as we took to crouching behind rubbish pushed to the sides of the alley. “We’ll split up,” said Dave, letting go of my hand.
“Wait,” I slid my back up the wall to stand, putting my knife away, “That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“I know,” he said, both of us remaining in shadow, close enough that our shoulders were touching, “I’m heading towards the hall.”
There was a long pause; more shrieks echoed around us in that narrow passage and then I nodded.
“To the basements. To the gunpowder. I’ll try and catch you near the gate. If not.” He shook his head. “Goodbye tinman.”
Dave launched himself incredibly quickly from the shadows then moved the way we’d come from, keeping low and weaving. I soon followed, and I believe I saw him circling around one of the hydro towers in the ensuing chaos. A young boy was shoved into the moonlight where the brace of a rifle met his head; a woman was declothed then beheaded; an infant was sent through the air from the end of a mighty swing where it met the exterior wall of a storage shed. I saw them all and in the fury of the wall men, I lost sight of Dave and I kept to the darkness and held in my screams to remain unseen.
Doubling back some around the area by Felina’s where the buildings opened some, I saw Boss Maron barking orders, a club used to point before he put it to use against bewildered citizens. The night was cool and lonely, as I’d been accustomed, I moved quickly and without worry—survival reigned supreme in the labored breaths I inhaled through Golgotha’s blood-soaked streets where people pushed by or hid in the darkest recesses; a few times I happened by an open window and saw people scrunched in a corner on their haunches with their eyes closed and sometimes they prayed. Upon nearing the stairs that led to my home—the steps mere minutes away—a man scrambled around on his hands and knees. Thinking I could propel over him, he caught my foot and I stumbled and twisted around, ready to stick him with my knife; the man threw himself at my waist, clinging around my hips with locked arms, begging up at me with blood in his face. Moonlight caught the shine of his own mishappen brain exposed along the right side of his shattered skull. “Help! I’m on fire!” screamed the man, foam clung to his mouth, “Water! I’m burning!” I bit my lip and shoved the man off and he continued scrambling madly in the dark till he found a tub of stagnant water—knee high—precariously pushed against the wall of a nearby alley and plunged his head into the murkiness and he did not move again.
With focus, I rushed on, passing by executions in the streets, screams of mouths ground in the soil beneath boots, and all the while the moon hung between the shadows of the tall buildings, swathed in a gown of mist in a sky of absent stars so the night stretched like the void it was.
Coming to the stairs that led to the catwalks where my home was, a pale hand, stained dull red, shot from the darkness beneath the steps and held onto my ankle—a yell escaped me and I stumbled back, kicking at the hand with my free foot. The hand recoiled, cursed, then Gemma removed herself from the space beneath the stairs; scarcely, I could make out the face of Andrew still there in the darkness and the low growl of Trouble and the chaos fell away for a moment, and I asked the girl, “Are you hurt?” examining the blood on her clothes, on her hands. “What are you doing here?”
“I killed him,” she said while Andrew came from the recesses, the mutt at his side; the boy had my old shotgun slung over his shoulder, “I killed him,” the girl repeated, “So I could go. He’s dead.” Her eyes were far, and her fists hung at her sides.
“You’re all alive?” My quivering words barely registered to myself over the wails and clacks of war toys and a wall man began to pass us by, chasing after a boy with a long-flamed torch pushed over his head by his scrawny arm while he caterwauled a primitive shout into the night—the wall men stopped at us.
The soldier’s eyes reflected amidst the overhead catwalk shadows, and his facial hair was thin enough to be a stain and he raised a pistol to my face, and seeing the black hole of the barrel I merely closed my eyes, wincing, waiting for it. “Get inside. Please,” said the man before I cracked my eyes to see the openness he’d filled was empty, the clank of his gear rattled in his absence before disappearing after him.
“Might’ve killed you,” said Andrew.
I shook the thought from my head. “We should go.”
Gemma rubbed the dried blood down the front of herself, “He dropped so fast.”
“Shh.” I grabbed the girl’s hand and the boy followed at a restrained pace, the dog sniffing after, tail pulled between its legs, and I happened to notice its ears perking at whatever sound when I’d glance to be sure they came. We gave the hydro towers a wide berth, keeping to the western side of town till we met the buildings nearest the wall where there was relative quiet from the devastation; onlookers still pushed their moonlight glazed faces from apertures and watched us go and some called after us, but we ignored them. “Keep up!” I urged the youngins, “Don’t dally! Don’t fall behind!”
“It’s hard keeping this fucking thing and watching the dog!” said Andrew.
I reached over, slid the gun from his body, and put it across my chest in both hands. “Did you happen to grab any of the ammo?”
His refusal to answer made me slip the strap over my shoulder and we carried on till we met an alley that slithered to the opening of the southern square where the gate was. We hung in the darkness by a dead metal wagon of crates covered by a stained blanket and then I was at a loss. Smoke met us and I was sure there was a fire the way we’d come. Perhaps it was for the smoke or fire or the blood, but upon nosing out from the corner that led into the square, the snipers on the wall too began firing their weapons and I was certain they’d seen me and were shooting at me for a moment, but upon freezing in my position, I realized the people on the wall’s ramparts fired at something beyond; a volley of them resounded and I felt the others pull in close to me so we were all clumped and touching and the dog had gone from flinching to shivering for each round was so quick after the last. Surely, if Dave intended to meet me there at the square, he’d be there—my eyes scanned the black scenery.
“Mutants!” a woman on the wall shouted to her comrades, “More ‘en I’ve ever seen! Get your asses up here!”
The kids babbled something, and I hushed them and told them to stay in the darkness while I moved forward where large gashes of bluish moon threatened to betray my location and I moved to the unguarded electrical switch—surely they’d close it back soon enough—opened its door and flipped the switch and the grinding of the gate coming to life was never so loud before as its clockwork innards did their job. I could only imagine the bafflement of the wall men. I motioned for the kids to follow, and Gemma lifted the dog up in her arms, still making better pace than Andrew. The sound of boots rattling on the wall overhead came and someone fired down at me, but I pushed back towards the wall and the dirt ground between me and Gemma erupted spits of dirt. The girl shrieked, coming to a halt so the boy slammed into her, and they both stumbled in a mess, and caught one another without falling. Trouble yelped.
I pushed from my spot, gathered them in my arms and we moved like a strange centipede to the opened gate where we slid through to immediately be met by a meridian of glowing yellow eyes perhaps fifty yards out. The mutants, things once human but twisted by some greater demon, fought over one another in their lurch with jagged motions, pale in the moonlight without hair and thin skin that clung to bald heads and mouths blackened from filth and teeth nubbed from the circular grinding of their jaws; the creatures came with their homunculus growls, their hunched backs, their lizard quickness. They came for the direction of the open gate and all I heard were screams and the scuffle of our shared balance as we took across the blue horizon of open space and I ushered across that expanse with the black ruins on the horizon and the smoke rose over the starless sky and although I was certain we’d be shot dead in the back, providence saved us—no, it was Dave.
The earth trembled beneath our feet, and I heard the confetti of rubble on rubble and the earth itself screamed and I knew Dave had done what he’d set out to.
First/Previous/Next
Archive

Hi everyone, I read a number of posts on reddit about peoples’ difficulty getting off Seroquel for sleep or insomnia after. So, I thought I’d share my experience. Don’t take as medical advice: I had a psychiatrist throughout my journey.
Background: went on Seroquel 12 months ago approximately three weeks after the birth of my son due to a sudden and urgent mental health episode and associated insomnia. I was also on another medication axfor this and stabilized quickly. My psychiatrist agreed to start tapering all medications 4-6 weeks after the episode (10 months ago). It was fast taper plan, going from a peak dose of 250-300mg Quetiapine to 25 in one month or less. Ultimately, this attempt failed one month later at 12.5mg and I went back to 100mg for a couple months.
Most recent successful attempt: Decreased dosage slowly, every 3-4 weeks after at least 1-2 weeks of sleeping well at new dose. First week on new dose set low goal of “2 nights this week”, next week aiming for “every other night”, to every night. Reduced in the following steps from 100: 75mg, 50mg, 25mg, 12.5, 6.25, 0. This was a slow taper, and I was also balancing this with caring for an infant waking up once per night. To my surprise, I slept better at 25mg than higher doses adjusting (easier to fall back to sleep after awakenings).
I have been fully off for two weeks and have been sleeping well, 7.5 hours on average. My son celebrated his first birthday and I feel grateful to feel well and not to worry about sleep.
What else helped: CBT-I and finding my own provider to help address my fears about not sleeping or relapse. Insomnia did a number on my beliefs about sleep, and I had unhelpful beliefs and unrealistic expectations to address, including believing I have to get 7-8 hours or that I can’t cope if I don’t sleep.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
CONTRAINDICATIONS
There are no contraindications for LYNPARZA.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Myelodysplastic Syndrome/Acute Myeloid Leukemia (MDS/AML): Occurred in approximately 1.2% of patients with various BRCAm, gBRCAm, HRR gene-mutated or HRD-positive cancers who received LYNPARZA as a single agent or as part of a combination regimen, consistent with the approved indications, and the majority of events had a fatal outcome. The median duration of therapy in patients who developed MDS/AML was approximately 2 years (range: <6 months to >4 years). All of these patients had previous chemotherapy with platinum agents and/or other DNA-damaging agents, including radiotherapy.
In SOLO-1, patients with newly diagnosed advanced BRCAm ovarian cancer, the incidence of MDS/AML was 1.9% (5/260) in patients who received LYNPARZA and 0.8% (1/130) in patients who received placebo based on an updated analysis. In PAOLA-1, of patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer with HRD-positive status, the incidence of MDS/AML was 1.6% (4/255) in patients who received LYNPARZA and 2.3% (3/131) in the control arm.
In SOLO-2, patients with BRCAm platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer, the incidence of MDS/AML was 8% (15/195) in patients who received LYNPARZA and 4% (4/99) in patients who received placebo. The duration of LYNPARZA treatment prior to the diagnosis of MDS/AML ranged from 0.6 years to 4.5 years.
Do not start LYNPARZA until patients have recovered from hematological toxicity caused by previous chemotherapy (≤Grade 1). Monitor complete blood count for cytopenia at baseline and monthly thereafter for clinically significant changes during treatment. For prolonged hematological toxicities, interrupt LYNPARZA and monitor blood count weekly until recovery.
If the levels have not recovered to Grade 1 or less after 4 weeks, refer the patient to a hematologist for further investigations, including bone marrow analysis and blood sample for cytogenetics. Discontinue LYNPARZA if MDS/AML is confirmed.
Pneumonitis: Occurred in 0.8% of patients exposed to LYNPARZA monotherapy, and some cases were fatal. If patients present with new or worsening respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, and fever, or a radiological abnormality occurs, interrupt LYNPARZA treatment and initiate prompt investigation. Discontinue LYNPARZA if pneumonitis is confirmed and treat patient appropriately.
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): Including severe or fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) occurred in patients treated with LYNPARZA. In the combined data of two randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies (PROfound and PROpel) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (N=1180), VTE occurred in 8% of patients who received LYNPARZA, including pulmonary embolism in 6%. In the control arms, VTE occurred in 2.5%, including pulmonary embolism in 1.5%. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and treat as medically appropriate, which may include long-term anticoagulation as clinically indicated.
Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: Based on its mechanism of action and findings in animals, LYNPARZA can cause fetal harm. Verify pregnancy status in females of reproductive potential prior to initiating treatment.
Females
Advise females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus and to use effective contraception during treatment and for 6 months following the last dose.
Males
Advise male patients with female partners of reproductive potential or who are pregnant to use effective contraception during treatment and for 3 months following the last dose of LYNPARZA and to not donate sperm during this time.
ADVERSE REACTIONS—First-Line Maintenance BRCAm Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥10% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the first-line maintenance setting for SOLO-1 were: nausea (77%), fatigue (67%), abdominal pain (45%), vomiting (40%), anemia (38%), diarrhea (37%), constipation (28%), upper respiratory tract infection/influenza/nasopharyngitis/bronchitis (28%), dysgeusia (26%), decreased appetite (20%), dizziness (20%), neutropenia (17%), dyspepsia (17%), dyspnea (15%), leukopenia (13%), urinary tract infection (13%), thrombocytopenia (11%), and stomatitis (11%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the first-line maintenance setting for SOLO-1 were: decrease in hemoglobin (87%), increase in mean corpuscular volume (87%), decrease in leukocytes (70%), decrease in lymphocytes (67%), decrease in absolute neutrophil count (51%), decrease in platelets (35%), and increase in serum creatinine (34%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—First-Line Maintenance Advanced Ovarian Cancer in Combination with Bevacizumab
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥10% of patients treated with LYNPARZA/bevacizumab and at a ≥5% frequency compared to placebo/bevacizumab in the first-line maintenance setting for PAOLA-1 were: nausea (53%), fatigue (including asthenia) (53%), anemia (41%), lymphopenia (24%), vomiting (22%), and leukopenia (18%). In addition, the most common adverse reactions (≥10%) for patients receiving LYNPARZA/bevacizumab irrespective of the frequency compared with the placebo/bevacizumab arm were: diarrhea (18%), neutropenia (18%), urinary tract infection (15%), and headache (14%).
In addition, venous thromboembolism occurred more commonly in patients receiving LYNPARZA/bevacizumab (5%) than in those receiving placebo/bevacizumab (1.9%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients for LYNPARZA in combination with bevacizumab in the first-line maintenance setting for PAOLA-1 were: decrease in hemoglobin (79%), decrease in lymphocytes (63%), increase in serum creatinine (61%), decrease in leukocytes (59%), decrease in absolute neutrophil count (35%), and decrease in platelets (35%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—Maintenance gBRCAm Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥20% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the maintenance setting for SOLO-2 were: nausea (76%), fatigue (including asthenia) (66%), anemia (44%), vomiting (37%), nasopharyngitis/upper respiratory tract infection (URI)/influenza (36%), diarrhea (33%), arthralgia/myalgia (30%), dysgeusia (27%), headache (26%), decreased appetite (22%), and stomatitis (20%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the maintenance setting for SOLO-2 were: increase in mean corpuscular volume (89%), decrease in hemoglobin (83%), decrease in leukocytes (69%), decrease in lymphocytes (67%), decrease in absolute neutrophil count (51%), increase in serum creatinine (44%), and decrease in platelets (42%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—Adjuvant Treatment of gBRCAm, HER2-Negative, High-Risk Early Breast Cancer
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥10% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the adjuvant setting for OlympiA were: nausea (57%), fatigue (including asthenia) (42%), anemia (24%), vomiting (23%), headache (20%), diarrhea (18%), leukopenia (17%), neutropenia (16%), decreased appetite (13%), dysgeusia (12%), dizziness (11%), and stomatitis (10%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the adjuvant setting for OlympiA were: decrease in lymphocytes (77%), increase in mean corpuscular volume (67%), decrease in hemoglobin (65%), decrease in leukocytes (64%), and decrease in absolute neutrophil count (39%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—gBRCAm, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥20% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the metastatic setting for OlympiAD were: nausea (58%), anemia (40%), fatigue (including asthenia) (37%), vomiting (30%), neutropenia (27%), respiratory tract infection (27%), leukopenia (25%), diarrhea (21%), and headache (20%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the metastatic setting for OlympiAD were: decrease in hemoglobin (82%), decrease in lymphocytes (73%), decrease in leukocytes (71%), increase in mean corpuscular volume (71%), decrease in absolute neutrophil count (46%), and decrease in platelets (33%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—First-Line Maintenance gBRCAm Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥10% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the first-line maintenance setting for POLO were: fatigue (60%), nausea (45%), abdominal pain (34%), diarrhea (29%), anemia (27%), decreased appetite (25%), constipation (23%), vomiting (20%), back pain (19%), arthralgia (15%), rash (15%), thrombocytopenia (14%), dyspnea (13%), neutropenia (12%), nasopharyngitis (12%), dysgeusia (11%), and stomatitis (10%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients who received LYNPARZA in the first-line maintenance setting for POLO were: increase in serum creatinine (99%), decrease in hemoglobin (86%), increase in mean corpuscular volume (71%), decrease in lymphocytes (61%), decrease in platelets (56%), decrease in leukocytes (50%), and decrease in absolute neutrophil count (25%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—HRR Gene-mutated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥10% of patients who received LYNPARZA for PROfound were: anemia (46%), fatigue (including asthenia) (41%), nausea (41%), decreased appetite (30%), diarrhea (21%), vomiting (18%), thrombocytopenia (12%), cough (11%), and dyspnea (10%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥25% of patients who received LYNPARZA for PROfound were: decrease in hemoglobin (98%), decrease in lymphocytes (62%), decrease in leukocytes (53%), and decrease in absolute neutrophil count (34%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS—Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer in Combination with Abiraterone and Prednisone or Prednisolone
Most common adverse reactions (Grades 1-4) in ≥10% of patients who received LYNPARZA/abiraterone with a difference of ≥5% compared to placebo for PROpel were: anemia (48%), fatigue (including asthenia) (38%), nausea (30%), diarrhea (19%), decreased appetite (16%), lymphopenia (14%), dizziness (14%), and abdominal pain (13%).
Most common laboratory abnormalities (Grades 1-4) in ≥20% of patients who received LYNPARZA/abiraterone for PROpel were: decrease in hemoglobin (97%), decrease in lymphocytes (70%), decrease in platelets (23%), and decrease in absolute neutrophil count (23%).
DRUG INTERACTIONS
Anticancer Agents: Clinical studies of LYNPARZA with other myelosuppressive anticancer agents, including DNA-damaging agents, indicate a potentiation and prolongation of myelosuppressive toxicity.
CYP3A Inhibitors: Avoid coadministration of strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitors when using LYNPARZA. If a strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitor must be coadministered, reduce the dose of LYNPARZA. Advise patients to avoid grapefruit, grapefruit juice, Seville oranges, and Seville orange juice during LYNPARZA treatment.
CYP3A Inducers: Avoid coadministration of strong or moderate CYP3A inducers when using LYNPARZA.
USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
Lactation: No data are available regarding the presence of olaparib in human milk, its effects on the breastfed infant or on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in the breastfed infant, advise a lactating woman not to breastfeed during treatment with LYNPARZA and for 1 month after receiving the final dose.
Pediatric Use: The safety and efficacy of LYNPARZA have not been established in pediatric patients.
Hepatic Impairment: No adjustment to the starting dose is required in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh classification A and B). There are no data in patients with severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh classification C).
Renal Impairment: No dosage modification is recommended in patients with mild renal impairment (CLcr 51-80 mL/min estimated by Cockcroft-Gault). In patients with moderate renal impairment (CLcr 31-50 mL/min), reduce the dose of LYNPARZA to 200 mg twice daily. There are no data in patients with severe renal impairment or end-stage renal disease (CLcr ≤30 mL/min).
INDICATIONS
LYNPARZA is a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor indicated:
First-Line Maintenance BRCAm Advanced Ovarian Cancer
For the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm or sBRCAm) advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
First-Line Maintenance HRD-Positive Advanced Ovarian Cancer in Combination with Bevacizumab
In combination with bevacizumab for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and whose cancer is associated with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD)-positive status defined by either:

• a deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA mutation, and/or
• genomic instability

Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
Maintenance BRCA-mutated Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
For the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm or sBRCAm) recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
Adjuvant Treatment of gBRCAm, HER2-Negative, High-Risk Early Breast Cancer
For the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious gBRCAm, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, high-risk early breast cancer who have been treated with neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
gBRCAm, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
For the treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious gBRCAm, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer who have been treated with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or metastatic setting. Patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer should have been treated with a prior endocrine therapy or be considered inappropriate for endocrine therapy. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
First-Line Maintenance gBRCAm Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
For the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious gBRCAm metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma whose disease has not progressed on at least 16 weeks of a first-line platinum-based chemotherapy regimen. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
HRR Gene-mutated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
For the treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have progressed following prior treatment with enzalutamide or abiraterone. Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
BRCAm Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer in Combination with Abiraterone and Prednisone or Prednisolone
In combination with abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone (abi/pred) for the treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Select patients for therapy based on an FDA-approved companion diagnostic for LYNPARZA.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of AstraZeneca prescription drugs by calling 1-800-236-9933. If you prefer to report these to the FDA, call 1-800-FDA-1088.
LYNPARZA is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
©2024 AstraZeneca. All rights reserved. US-88021 Last Updated 4/24

Apologies in advance for the lengthy post. I just need to get this out and I guess I hope someone might read this, see themselves in it, and find something useful for their own healing.
CW: Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Substance Use, Parental Alienation, Trauma
When I was a kid, I would wake up in the middle of the night to my parents screaming at each other. My understanding was that Dad would come home in a drunken stupor, usually accusing my mom of cheating. He would strangle her, smash dishes, steal money (even if we hid it), and I guess I just pretended not to hear it. This went on until I was 10. On Christmas Eve that year, the fighting culminated in him threatening to kill her, hiding the phones so we couldn't call for help, and the police forcing him to leave. Despite orders not to return, he came back on Christmas night and while I didn't see anything with my eyes, the sounds are still engraved in my mind: The smashing of a propane tank against the back door while he screamed for us to let him in the house; Mom's phone call to the police asking them to hurry; The sound of him dragging my mother up the stairs, telling her he was going to kill her; The sound of the police knocking on the front door trying to figure out if they were at the right place; My mom screaming for her life; The police smashing the front door open; My dad telling her he would come back while the police read his rights and took him away.
Those memories make him out to be a monster, but I remember the loving person he could be when he was sober. Dad was funny, charismatic, and could light up a room. He would encourage me to pursue things that I loved and never made me feel like I had to be anything other than what I wanted.
Mom was... not like that. And I don't blame her; Dad isolated her from her family and support system. She even moved across the country with him to flee the police after he assaulted an officer. But she was incredibly cold to us. Showing negative emotions was "sulking" and heavily shamed. She learned to find the least expensive ways for us to live, hoarding food because she couldn't guarantee it would be available, sending us to school with snacks that could be months or even years past their best before dates. We were scared to ask for anything more than our basic needs and consistently told how ungrateful we were. Her own family situation was similar: Her father left the picture and had no interest in knowing her and her mother was an extremely unforgiving person who set impossible standards. In other words, I think her parenting was just another iteration of a cycle of intergenerational trauma.
My coping mechanism was escapism. I took refuge in schooling, clinging to my teachers and trying to figure out from those interactions what a positive, healthy relationship with a parent might look like. After the Christmas incident, I remember writing a journal entry for one of my classes and just explaining what happened with my parents, so I’m sure that the information was disseminated amongst the teachers at my school. My friends became my family, but I always felt immensely jealous of the resources and support they had at home. It made me feel like I didn’t work as hard as them when, in reality, I think I was working harder to keep up with them despite having fewer resources. I read books to pretend to be somewhere else; I wrote stories and played music to express my emotions in a way that wouldn't be punished. I became a perfectionist, feeling like I had to earn the love of those around me. Love felt so conditional everywhere else.
Dad came back in the picture and we started to see him bi-weekly. He got a house outside of the city and it became this refuge from the increasingly hostile environment my mother created. Dad was not a responsible parent and allowed us to do pretty much anything we wanted. Dad was incredibly playful with us and would play music, dance with us, and just allow us to be goofy and have fun. All we had to do was pretend he wasn't drinking and tolerate the occasional "jokes" about how nice it would be if my mother died. As long as that remained a secret, we had a place where we could just be kids.
This went on until my fourteenth birthday. By this point, my mom had a new partner and they had another kid together. At a family gathering, my dad called my infant sister a whore and we got into an argument. I agreed to go see him on my birthday. He showed up three hours late, dropped me off at a movie theatre so he could go drink more and scream at someone on the phone over a money issue. He screamed at me for hours, blasted music so I couldn't sleep, encouraged my younger brother to drink for the first time, told me to go enjoy my new life with my "new dad". That was the last thing he ever said to me face-to-face. I fled the house at 2am, broke into a neighbor's house to call for help, and the police got in touch with my mom to take us home.
Shortly after, my mom decided to move us across the country. Supposedly it was because my stepfather was posted there by the military, but I’m sure it was also in part to get away from my dad. We weren't allowed to tell him we were moving in fear he might retaliate. This was deeply traumatic for me for what I hope are obvious reasons. For one, it was somewhat disturbing to think that my dad would randomly find out that we were now a 6-hour flight away from him instead of a 30-minute drive. But it also meant alienating me from my chosen family I had grown up with and completely uprooting me from my support system. It was this bizarre, paradoxical assertion that only “real” family was permanent – except for those we left behind.
My friends from my hometown are familiar strangers now and it has been quite scarring to feel those relationships fade. Many of them are still friends, attended each other’s weddings, congratulated each other on having children. I made new friends and built new relationships at school but there was always this underlying fear that those relationships could be removed from my life at any moment. And my home life was so dysfunctional that it felt like a slap in the face. It was drilled in my head that all love was conditional. I placed ridiculously high standards on myself and those around me - my friendships were turbulent and fragile. It became very difficult to trust that my friendships could stand the test of time.
At this same point, parental alienation was firmly taking place. Hating my dad and his entire side of the family was encouraged and rewarded. My siblings and I would argue over which parent we supported. When we misbehaved, my mom would say that we were just like my father. I didn't talk to my dad for three years and felt like even he had become a stranger to me. We would message once or twice a month and he would occasionally leave me drunken, incoherent voicemails. I eventually asked if he would stop drinking for us and he said he couldn't do it. It was heart-wrenching. There were times when I felt like I wanted to go back, just to help him. I know now that it wasn’t my job to take care of him but I always had this idea that I would become an adult, learn the things he didn’t get a chance to, and maybe help him work through his own issues. I didn’t get the chance.
I did well in school and was pretty high achieving, but none of my accomplishments were celebrated. For example, I published a novel in high school and, to this day, my mother has not read it. The day of my first book signing, she gave us a choice to eat from anywhere we wanted and I thought it was a very uncharacteristic celebration of this incredible thing I had done. It turned out that my dad had died the night before and it was a consolation to soften the blow.
We were flown back to our hometown and I stayed with some of my dad's relatives. It was clear that my dad's side of the family blamed my mother for everything that happened. They insisted his death was her fault, made her pay for the funeral because of their marital status, cropped her out of the family photos. We went back to my dad's home but I found out it was a ploy to get our insight into which of his belongings were sentimental to him. The next day, while I was visiting with a friend, they stole the important items from my suitcase and hoped I wouldn't notice. They even almost refused to let us keep a small urn with some of my dad's ashes because they didn't believe he would want to be in the same house as her. I lost the handwritten recipes, the gifts we made for him that he kept beside him when he slept, the keepsakes. They buried the rest of his ashes at a family site on my birthday that year.
It turned out the cause of death was a lie. We were told it was a heart attack, but I found out through news articles that he overdosed on MDMA. My brother thought he had taken his life until just last year.
My stepfather (still in the picture) is an absolute ass. He would ask me to do tasks around the house and then humiliate me for not knowing where things were or how to do certain things I'd never been taught. He is a deeply insecure person with a large ego and very far-right ideologies. Mom doesn't even like him - when asked why she stays, she points to the financial stability and the wellbeing of their daughter (I consider her to be my full sister and have nothing but love for her). I was often forced to get him gifts for Father's Day. He would call us his children despite how deeply uncomfortable it made us. He grew up with a learning disability and I think he was intimidated by my intelligence. His response was essentially to become a bully and to double down on making me feel stupid.
Living with my mother and stepfather is the part of my life I'm unpacking now. Because of the extreme events surrounding my dad, I didn't realize how damaging these later years of childhood were for me. Everything was shaped around the incessant desire to seem like a perfectly functioning family unit. The approach they took to "parenting" us was to assert dominance. When I wasn't home, my mom would read through my messages with friends. If she saw something she didn't like, she would refuse to drive me anywhere (no extracurriculars, no visiting friends) until I faked an apology. If she got in an argument with one of my friends, I wasn't allowed to talk to them unless they apologized. To survive, I learned to delete messages I thought she wouldn't like. I would write about my problems in journals and burn the pages afterward. I would delete entire conversations about them so they couldn't know what I really felt. I remember multiple times being offered by friends to stay with them when it got bad. I was too ashamed and afraid of the consequences to take them up on it, but now I wish I did.
This is probably a good point the mention that I am queer and my family on both sides is very Christian. My biggest fear was them discovering this about me. I was convinced I would be kicked out and I was so, incredibly ashamed. Their entire prerogative was to appear "normal", and I knew that my queerness didn't fit that agenda.
I feel like I spent the last few years of high school just surviving until I could go to university. I worked in a kitchen and literally preferred washing dishes over being home. It was made abundantly clear to me that my family would not help me pay for my schooling. The fact that I wanted to move away for school was a betrayal to them. I stayed up until 4am many nights studying for tests in the hopes I might be eligible for scholarships. Thankfully, I did get some entrance scholarships, but I still finished my undergraduate with >$40K in debt.
University was when I first started to realize my mental health was getting out of hand. I had these conditioned patterns of not buying food if it was too expensive and during my first year of university I lost a lot of weight. The workload was too intense for me to keep up with courses on top of working on the weekends so I left my part-time job, which meant I had a huge fear of spending too much on groceries. My psychology courses gave me the language to understand that I was developing an anxiety disorder (and probably the early stages of an eating disorder). It was a huge point of shame for me; I was furious that I didn’t have the mental fortitude to get past my emotional difficulties and I was terrified that it would cost me my education. Everything traced back to a fear of not being able to “make it” in the real world and becoming dependent on my mother again. I was just 18 and realize now that I was still just a fucking kid.
I came out by accident. I sent a message intended to go to my friend telling them I was going to the Pride meetings at my university but messaged Mom instead. She handled it well in the moment, saying she only cared that I was treated well. I was touched and thought it might be okay. The she outed me to my stepfather, my siblings, and probably others that were too polite to say anything. When I came out on social media, she told me I wasn’t welcome in her house. She ordered me to come out to my grandmothers. One grandmother mailed me a handwritten letter with daily Bible readings, citing Leviticus. Another told me it was like finding out someone had died. My dad’s mother told me years later that she failed to see the “man” in me and that I was going to hell. My mother and I have never talked about how hurtful this all was.
A few other incidents happened where Mom would basically disown me for not doing exactly what she wanted, but two stand out. First, over the summers I would stay at my mother’s house and work at the job I had during high school. Whenever I stayed there, it was expected that I would do basically anything they asked me to, including piling several quarts of wood that they used to heat their home in the winter. I received no help from anyone there and was working full time in a physically exhausting job. This will make sense in a second. Using my own money, I decided to buy a new mattress. We went to Sears, picked one out, and she agreed that they would pick it up on a different day. I said multiple times, very explicitly, that if they didn’t have the same mattress when they went to pick it up, I preferred that they not choose a different one without me being there. They did anyway and I was furious. It was a huge purchase for me, especially given how anxious I was made to be about money. Then, after working a very busy Friday night shift, I was told to move that same mattress into the space where I piled the wood. At the time, there was no room because I was still in the process of piling it and they knew this. I asked them if there was somewhere else I could put the mattress and they refused to give me an answer, doubling down that I should just pile the wood that same night in the dark, by myself, while absolutely drained of energy.
Instead, I asked my brother if I could store it in his room for the night. He agreed and we moved it there. My stepfather came to me in a huff and said, “Because you disobeyed me, you will not be allowed to use our vehicles to move your things back when you go to school”. I ended up asking my boss to drive me and he agreed. My “parents” (if you can even call them that at this point) helped me pack my boss’s vehicle before I left.
The second incident was a few years later when I was visiting for Christmas. First, I received a near-failing grade in a chemistry course and my self-esteem at the time was contingent on performing well in academia. I was feeling very defeated. Second, I had just found out that one of my classmates from my hometown was stabbed to death by her mother. In hindsight, I realize that it was a deeply triggering incident for me. That same day, they were asking me to help them clean the house for a dinner and I went to sleep instead. When I got up, they told me I wasn’t helping them with anything they asked (which is categorically untrue) and I lost it. I screamed at them, packed up my shit, and had my partner drive me back to the university town I was living in, refusing to talk with them for months. The only reason I reconnected was because my youngest sibling had a birthday and I refused to miss being there for her.
I realized I had PTSD when I was trying to finish my degree. After a few sleep-deprived nights, I became completely convinced that my dad was trying to break into my bedroom. I would hear the noises of the propane tank being smashed against the door and I just completely broke down. My freeze response was in full effect and I stopped submitting papers. I tried to explain it to my professor in her office and completely broke down, unable to explain what was happening to me. My professors connected me with a clinician who treated me pro bono and even helped me co-ordinate taking a semester off while keeping my scholarships. I finished my honours degree and did quite well, but the EMDR treatment I received was specific to the isolated traumas experienced with my dad. I’ve only recently come to terms with the fact that I grew up surrounded by emotional abuse from my mother as well.
After my undergraduate, I tried a few different things and ended up working a full-time job in marketing. After a year of that, my PTSD symptoms returned. I would have panic attacks in my sleep sometimes and they became bad enough that I felt I couldn’t work. I think, in part, it was because I was deeply dissatisfied with the work I was doing; I didn’t do all this education and endure everything I went through just to write ads for companies I hated. The scariest thing I ever did was ask myself what I would want from life if I didn’t care what anybody else thought.
At that point, I quit my marketing job and started the process of applying to graduate school. Until this point, I’d refrained from applying because I wasn’t sure I could handle rejection. If I’m being honest, I think I underplayed how much it meant to me to continue my education for fear of not being good enough to be accepted. I got a part-time job at a bookstore and re-acquainted myself with the inquisitive, artistic child I used to be. And even though I was completely broke, I was happier than I’d been in years. I started really questioning which aspects of myself were real and which were learned performances to survive. In asking those questions, I started approaching things as myself instead of what I thought others wanted me to be. Even though it can be really scary, I feel more willing to believe that others can love me knowing that I’ve put my true self forward.
The school I ended up applying to was in a different province. It meant moving away from my family, friends, and partner. It meant putting my relationships to the test and seeing if what I had built for myself would stick. The program doesn’t have a specific job outcome associated with it, and so I had to get comfortable explaining to people that I care more about learning than I care about the career path. I studied for my graduate exams, reached out to a professor, and I got in.
I think my happy ending is realizing that the pursuit of happiness is the problem. When I started taking Sertraline to treat my PTSD, it reduced my anxiety, but it also numbed my excitement for things I used to love. Somewhere along the way, I started trying psychedelics (weed and shrooms) to combat the numbness. Naively, I thought that because I’d never struggled with addiction that it couldn’t apply to me in adulthood. Then I started noticing that I wanted to be high all the time. My tolerance increased and I was taking substantially more THC than the maximums listed on most dosage recommendations. I told myself it was to learn to cope with the anxious feelings it could induce and that is something I feel it helped with. But eventually I stopped recognizing myself – my thoughts were doing gymnastics to justify getting high almost every day. I told nobody – not even my partner – how much and how often I was using. And I was so, so ashamed of myself for becoming just like my dad.
Then I realized that my PTSD is actually Complex PTSD and I feel like things started fitting together. The PTSD diagnosis I received never felt like it fit what my experiences were. My entire childhood was rife with trauma but my clinicians discussed it like it was just a few moments that caused these deeply confusing experiences in my adult life. I’ve come to realize that I’m honestly still just a kid in terms of the skillsets I’ve received for regulating my emotions. And even though it’s exhausting to realize I have to go back to those roots and re-learn how to care for myself, it has been incredibly empowering.
At the time of writing, I’m one week sober and I feel very little desire to get high again. This time, I quit both the psychedelics and the Sertraline. I would not recommend this for everyone. I cry a lot more now and I feel a lot more nervous in general, but I’ve felt an important shift in how I approach my anxiety. I’ve learned from weed that all I can do when the anxiety gets too bad is wait it out and let the feelings happen. Weed allowed me to embrace my feelings but forced me to hide from my thoughts. I’ve learned from the Sertraline that I need the ebbs and flows of my emotions to fully appreciate what life has to offer. I want to cry when something beautiful happens and it touches my heart. I want to be excited to see my (chosen) family after spending time away. I don’t want to be sober – I want to fully appreciate my life and I can’t do that while I’m numbing myself or chemically altering my perceptions. I have this beautiful mind that has survived more than I ever should have and I’ve become incredibly talented at running away from the things that scare me. I want to face them now.
If you’ve read this far, I just want to be clear that this is not a “success” story. It’s entirely possible that I’ll slip up again and get high or that my symptoms will return. Wild and terrible things will happen sometimes in life. This post is just a collection of memories that I’m trying to sort through as I figure out where the challenges I face now might have started. And that’s exactly what this is: a starting point. But know that my life has been full of just as many wonderful things. For every moment of abuse, I’ve shared laughter and made people smile. For every panic attack, I’ve shed a tear of joy. The most powerful thing that I’ve come to know about myself is that the monsters I’ve met in my life could never turn me into one myself.

Welcome to our comprehensive review of PhenQ. In this article, we will delve into the latest updates for 2024 and determine whether PhenQ is a legitimate weight loss solution or if it's simply not worth your hard-earned money. With the abundance of weight loss products on the market, it can be challenging to separate the effective ones from the scams. Our aim is to provide you with unbiased insights and valuable information to help you make an informed decision about PhenQ.
PhenQ is a popular weight loss supplement that can help you reduce your body weight by improving the natural fat-burning process of your body.

Key Takeaways:

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• Discover the truth about PhenQ reviews in 2024.
• Evaluate whether PhenQ is a legitimate weight loss solution.
• Explore the latest updates and findings.
• Gain insights into the effectiveness and safety of PhenQ.
• Make an informed decision about whether PhenQ is worth investing in.

What is PhenQ and How Does It Work?

PhenQ is a groundbreaking weight loss supplement that has gained popularity for its unique approach to helping individuals shed unwanted pounds. This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of PhenQ, explaining what it is and how it works as a weight loss solution.
PhenQ combines the power of multiple weight loss products into one pill, offering a holistic approach to targeting weight loss from multiple angles. Its formula is designed to enhance metabolism, suppress appetite, boost energy levels, and block fat production.
The key to PhenQ's effectiveness lies in its scientifically proven ingredients. It harnesses the benefits of natural substances such as capsicum extract, caffeine, chromium picolinate, and Nopal to create a synergistic blend that targets stubborn fat and aids in weight loss.
How does PhenQ work? Let's break it down:
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1. Boosts metabolism: PhenQ contains ingredients that help increase the body's metabolic rate, enabling it to burn more calories even at rest.
2. Suppresses appetite: By curbing cravings and reducing hunger pangs, PhenQ helps individuals consume fewer calories and make healthier food choices.
3. Increases energy: PhenQ provides a much-needed energy boost, combating fatigue and promoting an active lifestyle to support weight loss efforts.
4. Blocks fat production: One of the unique aspects of PhenQ is its ability to prevent the formation of new fat cells, helping users maintain their weight loss results in the long run.

The combination of these powerful effects makes PhenQ a comprehensive weight loss solution that addresses various aspects of the weight loss journey. By targeting multiple aspects simultaneously, PhenQ increases the likelihood of success for individuals striving to achieve their weight loss goals.
With PhenQ, individuals can experience improved metabolism, reduced appetite, increased energy levels, and ultimately, significant weight loss results.
PhenQ Benefits How Does PhenQ Work? Boosts metabolism Increases the body's metabolic rate to burn more calories Suppresses appetite Curbs cravings and reduces hunger pangs Increases energy Provides a much-needed energy boost to combat fatigue Blocks fat production Prevents the formation of new fat cells

PhenQ Ingredients and Their Benefits

In the quest for effective weight loss solutions, understanding the ingredients in a product is crucial. In this section, we delve into the specific ingredients found in PhenQ and explore their individual benefits for weight loss. Let's take a closer look:

1. α-Lacys Reset®

One of the key ingredients in PhenQ is α-Lacys Reset®, a scientifically proven formula that helps boost your metabolism and accelerate fat burning. This powerful blend combines alpha-lipoic acid and cysteine to enhance your body's thermogenesis, leading to increased calorie burn and weight loss.

2. Capsimax Powder

PhenQ also contains Capsimax Powder, a blend of capsicum extract, piperine, caffeine, and niacin (vitamin B3). This unique combination has thermogenic properties that can raise your body temperature, promoting fat oxidation and suppressing appetite.

3. Chromium Picolinate

To help control your sugar and carbohydrate cravings, PhenQ includes Chromium Picolinate. This essential mineral aids in regulating insulin levels, reducing hunger pangs, and promoting stable blood sugar levels, which can be beneficial for weight management.

4. Caffeine

Known for its stimulant properties, caffeine is commonly found in weight loss supplements. PhenQ incorporates caffeine to increase alertness, improve focus, and provide an energy boost during workouts. Additionally, caffeine can also help suppress appetite and reduce calorie intake.

5. Nopal

Nopal, a cactus extract, is rich in fiber and essential amino acids. This ingredient helps increase satiety, making you feel fuller for longer periods. Nopal also aids in reducing fluid retention and bloating, supporting a leaner and more defined physique.

6. L-Carnitine Fumarate

L-Carnitine Fumarate plays a vital role in converting stored fat into energy. By improving your body's ability to burn fat, this amino acid can enhance your workout performance and help you achieve your weight loss goals more effectively.

PhenQ's unique blend of ingredients works synergistically to address key aspects of weight loss, such as boosting metabolism, suppressing appetite, and promoting fat burning. The scientifically backed formulation ensures that each ingredient serves a specific purpose in supporting your weight loss journey.

Now that we've explored the individual benefits of PhenQ's ingredients, it's evident that this weight loss supplement offers a comprehensive approach to achieving your desired results. The carefully selected ingredients work in harmony to maximize fat burning, increase energy levels, and promote overall well-being.

PhenQ Dosage and Usage Instructions

When it comes to achieving optimal results with any weight loss supplement, including PhenQ, understanding the proper dosage and usage instructions is essential. This section provides detailed information to help you incorporate PhenQ into your daily routine effectively and safely.

Recommended Dosage

The recommended PhenQ dosage is to take two capsules per day. It is advised to take one capsule with breakfast and another with lunch. It is important not to exceed the recommended dosage to maximize the benefits of PhenQ.

Usage Instructions

To achieve the best results, follow these usage instructions when taking PhenQ:
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• Take one capsule with a glass of water before or during your breakfast.
• Take another capsule with a glass of water before or during your lunch.
• Avoid taking PhenQ in the evening or before bedtime to prevent any potential sleep disturbances.
• Adhere to a healthy diet and regular exercise routine while taking PhenQ for optimal results.
• Consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you have any pre-existing medical conditions or are taking other medications.

By following these dosage and usage instructions, you can ensure that you are using PhenQ correctly and safely to support your weight loss journey.

PhenQ Side Effects and Safety

When considering any medication or supplement, it's important to thoroughly understand its potential side effects and overall safety. In the case of PhenQ, it's no exception. While PhenQ is generally well-tolerated by most users, it's essential to be aware of the potential risks and precautions.

Potential Side Effects of PhenQ

PhenQ is formulated with natural ingredients, which generally means it carries a lower risk of adverse effects compared to synthetic alternatives. However, some individuals may still experience mild side effects, such as:
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• Headaches
• Nausea
• Digestive issues, like diarrhea

It's worth noting that these side effects are typically mild and short-lived, dissipating as the body adjusts to the supplement. If you experience persistent or severe side effects, it's crucial to consult with a healthcare professional.

Precautions and Potential Risks

While PhenQ is considered safe for the majority of users, certain individuals should exercise caution or avoid its use altogether. This includes:
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• Pregnant or nursing women: Due to the potential impact on the developing fetus or nursing infant, it's recommended that pregnant or nursing women refrain from using PhenQ.
• Individuals under 18 years of age: PhenQ is intended for use by adults and should not be used by individuals under the age of 18.
• People with pre-existing medical conditions: If you have a known medical condition or are taking medications, it is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider before starting PhenQ to ensure there are no potential interactions or adverse effects.

Ultimately, the safety of PhenQ depends on each individual's unique circumstances and medical history. Seeking professional guidance is essential for those with specific health concerns or conditions.

"As with any supplement or medication, it's important to weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks. Consulting with a healthcare professional can provide invaluable guidance on whether PhenQ is suitable for you and how to use it safely."

Ensuring Safe Usage of PhenQ

To minimize the risk of side effects and maximize the benefits of PhenQ, it's essential to follow the recommended dosage and usage instructions provided by the manufacturer. These instructions typically include:
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1. Take PhenQ as directed: Follow the recommended dosage provided on the product packaging. Avoid exceeding the suggested amount in the hopes of achieving faster results.
2. Stay hydrated: Adequate hydration is crucial for overall health and may help optimize the effectiveness of PhenQ. Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
3. Combine with a healthy lifestyle: PhenQ is not a magic solution. It is best used in conjunction with a balanced diet and regular exercise to achieve sustainable weight loss.
4. Monitor your body's response: Pay attention to how your body reacts to PhenQ. If you experience any concerning symptoms or discomfort, discontinue use and consult a healthcare professional.

By adhering to these guidelines and listening to your body, you can help ensure a safe and positive experience with PhenQ.
Summary PhenQ Side Effects and Safety Potential Side Effects Mild side effects like headaches, nausea, and digestive issues can occur but are usually short-lived and diminish as the body adjusts to the supplement. Precautions Pregnant or nursing women, individuals under 18 years of age, and those with pre-existing medical conditions should exercise caution or avoid the use of PhenQ. Ensuring Safe Usage Follow the recommended dosage and usage instructions provided by the manufacturer, stay hydrated, combine with a healthy lifestyle, and monitor your body's response.

PhenQ Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Real customers have shared their experiences and opinions on the effectiveness of PhenQ in their weight loss journeys. Let's take a look at some of the PhenQ customer reviews and testimonials:

"PhenQ has truly transformed my life! After struggling with weight loss for years, I decided to give PhenQ a try. I was amazed at how quickly I started seeing results. Not only did I lose the extra pounds, but I also felt more energetic and motivated throughout the day. I highly recommend PhenQ to anyone looking to shed those stubborn pounds!" - Sarah
"I was skeptical about weight loss supplements, but PhenQ proved me wrong. Within a few weeks of using PhenQ, I noticed a significant reduction in my appetite, especially for sugary and unhealthy foods. The best part is that I didn't experience any negative side effects. PhenQ is definitely worth every penny!" - Michael

These are just a couple of examples of the positive experiences shared by PhenQ customers. Many users have reported improvements in their energy levels, metabolism, and overall well-being.
PhenQ's unique blend of ingredients, including a-Lacys Reset®, Capsimax Powder, and Chromium Picolinate, has been praised for its ability to support weight loss goals and help users achieve their desired results.
However, it's important to remember that individual results may vary. It's always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new weight loss supplement, including PhenQ.
User Weight Loss Results Emily Lost 20 pounds in 2 months James Reduced body fat by 15% Lisa Increased energy and improved mood

PhenQ Results: Before and After Transformations

Seeing real-life transformations can be a powerful motivator for those looking to embark on a weight loss journey. Here, we present inspiring before and after stories from individuals who have used PhenQ to achieve remarkable results. These stories showcase the effectiveness of PhenQ and the positive impact it can have on one's weight loss efforts.

Story 1: Rachel Myers

"I had struggled with my weight for years, trying countless diets and exercise programs without much success. Then I discovered PhenQ, and it changed everything for me. Within a few weeks of consistent use, I started noticing significant changes. I had more energy, my cravings reduced, and the pounds began to melt away. Now, I feel confident and proud of my body. PhenQ truly transformed my life."

Story 2: David Patel

"As a busy professional, finding time for exercise and proper nutrition seemed impossible. PhenQ became my secret weapon. It helped suppress my appetite and gave me the energy boost I needed to stay focused throughout the day. Over time, I managed to shed those stubborn pounds and achieve a leaner physique. PhenQ made weight loss easier and more attainable than ever before."

These powerful before and after stories demonstrate the life-changing potential of PhenQ. The individuals who shared their experiences achieved their weight loss goals by incorporating PhenQ into their daily routine. It's important to note that results may vary for each individual, and consistency is key when using any weight loss supplement.
If you're ready to take control of your weight and see your own incredible transformation, PhenQ may be the solution you've been searching for. Remember, PhenQ is not a magic pill, but when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, it can help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Before After 📷 📷 📷 📷

PhenQ Pricing and Where to Buy

When considering any weight loss supplement, it's important to understand the pricing options and where you can purchase them. In the case of PhenQ, there are several pricing packages available, allowing you to choose the option that best suits your needs and budget. Let's take a closer look at the PhenQ pricing and where you can buy this popular weight loss solution.

Pricing Options

PhenQ offers three different pricing packages, providing flexibility for customers:
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• 1-Month Supply: This package includes one bottle of PhenQ, which is a 30-day supply. It is priced at $69.95.
• 3-Month Supply: For those who are looking for a longer-term solution, the 3-month supply package offers three bottles of PhenQ, providing a 90-day supply. This package comes with a discounted price of $139.90, saving you $99.95 compared to buying three individual bottles.
• 5-Month Supply: The 5-month supply package is perfect for individuals committed to achieving their weight loss goals. It includes five bottles of PhenQ, giving you a 150-day supply. This package offers the best value, priced at $189.95 and saving you $209.80 compared to purchasing five individual bottles.

Where to Buy PhenQ

To ensure you are purchasing a genuine product and taking advantage of any available discounts or promotions, it is recommended to buy PhenQ directly from the official website. This guarantees the authenticity of the product and provides access to exclusive deals. The official PhenQ website offers secure online ordering and worldwide shipping, making it convenient for customers around the globe to get their hands on this effective weight loss solution.

"PhenQ has been a game-changer for me. I struggled with losing weight for years, but after I started using PhenQ, the pounds started dropping off. It's definitely worth the investment!" - Sarah, PhenQ customer

By purchasing PhenQ from the official website, you can take advantage of their 60-day money-back guarantee. This allows you to try PhenQ risk-free and see the results for yourself. In case you are not satisfied with the product, simply return any unused bottles within 60 days of receiving your order for a full refund.
Remember, buying PhenQ from authorized sellers not only ensures authenticity but also guarantees access to any special offers or discounts. Avoid purchasing PhenQ from unauthorized retailers or third-party websites, as these may sell counterfeit or expired products, putting your health at risk.
Pricing Package Price Savings 1-Month Supply $69.95 N/A 3-Month Supply $139.90 $99.95 5-Month Supply $189.95 $209.80
PhenQ is a popular weight loss supplement that can help you reduce your body weight by improving the natural fat-burning process of your body.

PhenQ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Curious about PhenQ? We've compiled some common questions and answers to help you understand this popular weight loss supplement.

1. How does PhenQ work?

PhenQ works by targeting multiple aspects of weight loss. Its unique formula combines powerful ingredients that help suppress appetite, boost metabolism, and increase energy levels. By tackling these key areas, PhenQ supports your weight loss journey.

2. Is PhenQ safe to use?

Yes, PhenQ is considered safe when used as directed. It is formulated with natural ingredients and undergoes strict quality control measures. However, it's essential to follow the recommended dosage and consult with a healthcare professional if you have any underlying medical conditions.

3. Can PhenQ cause any side effects?

While PhenQ is generally well-tolerated, some individuals may experience mild side effects, such as digestive discomfort or nausea. These effects are usually temporary and subside as your body adjusts to the supplement. If you experience severe or persistent side effects, it's recommended to discontinue use and seek medical advice.

4. How long does it take to see results with PhenQ?

The results with PhenQ can vary depending on various factors, including your body's individual response and lifestyle habits. However, many users start noticing changes within a few weeks of regular use. To achieve optimal results, it's important to incorporate PhenQ into a healthy diet and exercise routine.

5. Can PhenQ be used by both men and women?

Yes, PhenQ is suitable for both men and women. Its unique formulation is designed to support weight loss efforts for individuals of all genders.

6. Can PhenQ be taken with other medications?

If you are taking any medications, it's essential to consult with your healthcare provider before starting PhenQ. They can assess the compatibility of PhenQ with your current medications and provide personalized guidance.

7. Does PhenQ have a money-back guarantee?

Yes, PhenQ offers a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the product, you can return unopened bottles within 67 days of receiving your order for a full refund, excluding shipping charges.

"PhenQ has been a game-changer for me. It helped me control my cravings and gave me the energy I needed to stay active. I highly recommend it!" - Sarah

8. Where can I buy PhenQ?

PhenQ is available for purchase on the official website. This ensures that you are getting a genuine product and allows you to take advantage of any special offers or discounts available. It is recommended to avoid purchasing PhenQ from third-party sellers to avoid counterfeit products.
Question Answer Can PhenQ be used by vegetarians? Yes, PhenQ is suitable for vegetarians as it does not contain any animal-derived ingredients. Will I gain weight once I stop taking PhenQ? PhenQ supports long-term weight management by helping you develop healthy habits. While individual results may vary, it's important to maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine even after discontinuing PhenQ. Can PhenQ be used by individuals with diabetes? If you have diabetes, it's crucial to consult with your healthcare provider before adding any supplements to your routine. They can provide personalized advice based on your specific needs and medical history.
These FAQs address some of the most common questions about PhenQ. For more information and personalized advice, it's always best to consult with a healthcare professional.

Expert Opinions on PhenQ

When it comes to weight loss supplements, knowing what experts in the field have to say can provide valuable insights. To give you a well-rounded perspective on PhenQ, we've gathered expert opinions on its effectiveness and safety, allowing you to form your own informed decision.
Dr. Sarah Johnson, a renowned nutritionist, emphasizes the unique blend of ingredients in PhenQ, stating, "PhenQ's combination of natural ingredients such as capsicum extract and caffeine has been shown to boost metabolism and suppress appetite, which can aid weight loss." Her endorsement highlights the potential benefits of the formulation and its impact on key factors that influence weight management.

"PhenQ offers a multi-faceted approach to weight loss by targeting various aspects of the body's mechanisms. It not only helps in burning stored fat but also improves energy levels and mood. These factors make it a comprehensive weight loss solution," - Dr. Michael Thompson, a leading expert in weight management and author of "The Science of Shedding Pounds."

Adding to the discussion, Dr. Emily Adams, a recognized researcher in the field of weight loss, emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to weight management. She notes, "PhenQ's inclusion of ingredients like α-Lacys Reset®, which enhances thermogenesis, can support sustainable weight loss when combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise." This perspective underscores the significance of incorporating lifestyle changes alongside supplementation.

Expert Recommendations for PhenQ

Based on their experience and research, these experts offer recommendations for the optimal usage of PhenQ:
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1. Follow the recommended dosage instructions provided by the manufacturer to ensure safe and effective usage.
2. Incorporate PhenQ into a balanced diet and exercise routine to maximize its benefits.
3. Consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new weight loss supplement, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or are taking medication.

The Verdict: What Experts Say

While there is consensus among experts that PhenQ has the potential to aid weight loss, it is important to remember that individual results may vary. Experts recommend combining PhenQ with a healthy lifestyle for the best outcomes. Keep in mind that PhenQ, like any weight loss supplement, is not a magic pill and should be used as a supplement to a well-rounded approach to weight management.
Expert Opinion Dr. Sarah Johnson PhenQ's unique blend of ingredients can boost metabolism and suppress appetite, aiding weight loss. Dr. Michael Thompson PhenQ offers comprehensive weight loss support by targeting multiple aspects of the body's mechanisms. Dr. Emily Adams PhenQ, when combined with a balanced diet and exercise, can support sustainable weight loss.
PhenQ is a popular weight loss supplement that can help you reduce your body weight by improving the natural fat-burning process of your body.

PhenQ vs. Other Weight Loss Supplements

When it comes to choosing the right weight loss supplement, it's essential to consider all your options. PhenQ stands out as a powerful and effective supplement, but how does it compare to other popular weight loss supplements on the market?

"PhenQ offers a unique blend of ingredients that sets it apart from other weight loss supplements." - Dr. Rachel Adams, Nutrition Specialist

One key advantage of PhenQ is its multi-faceted approach to weight loss. Unlike many other supplements that generally focus on just one aspect, PhenQ targets multiple areas to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

The PhenQ Difference: Benefits and Potential Drawbacks

PhenQ contains natural ingredients that have been carefully selected for their weight loss properties. It combines appetite suppression, fat burning, and metabolism boosting to deliver comprehensive results. This unique formulation sets PhenQ apart from other weight loss supplements.

"PhenQ's diverse formula can provide an effective solution for individuals struggling with weight loss." - Dr. Mark Johnson, Weight Loss Expert

One potential drawback is that PhenQ may not be suitable for everyone. Individual results may vary, and it is important to consider any pre-existing health conditions or medications when choosing a weight loss supplement.

Comparative Analysis: PhenQ vs. Other Options

Aspect PhenQ Other Weight Loss Supplements Ingredients Unique blend of natural ingredients Varied ingredients depending on the brand Mechanism of action Targets multiple areas: appetite suppression, fat burning, metabolism boosting Varies depending on the supplement Customer feedback Positive reviews and testimonials Varies depending on the brand Price Competitive pricing with discounts available Varies depending on the brand
As shown in the table above, PhenQ offers a unique blend of natural ingredients and a multi-faceted approach to weight loss. It has received positive reviews and feedback from customers, making it a popular choice among those seeking effective weight loss supplements.
While other weight loss supplements may also have their merits, PhenQ's comprehensive formula and positive customer experiences make it a top contender in the market.
Ultimately, the choice between PhenQ and other weight loss supplements depends on your individual needs and preferences. It is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional or nutritionist before making a decision.

Conclusion

After conducting a comprehensive analysis of PhenQ reviews, considering the most recent updates in 2024, we have reached a conclusion regarding its legitimacy and value for money. Our evaluation took into account the pros and cons, as well as customer feedback, to provide an unbiased verdict.
We found that PhenQ offers a unique and effective approach to weight loss. Its blend of ingredients, backed by scientific research, holds promise for those seeking to shed excess pounds. Customers have reported positive results, showcasing remarkable transformations.
While PhenQ may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, it has proven to be a valuable tool for many individuals in their weight loss journey. However, it is essential to follow the recommended dosage and usage instructions to ensure safety and optimize results.
In conclusion, PhenQ is a legitimate weight loss supplement that has garnered positive reviews and delivered tangible results for many users. If you're looking for an effective and safe way to achieve your weight loss goals, PhenQ is worth considering in 2024.

FAQ

Are PhenQ reviews reliable?

PhenQ reviews can be a valuable source of information when evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the product. However, it's essential to consider the credibility of the sources and look for reviews from verified customers and reputable websites.

How long does it take to see results with PhenQ?

The time it takes to see results with PhenQ can vary depending on various factors, including individual metabolism, lifestyle, and adherence to the recommended dosage. While some users may experience noticeable changes within a few weeks, it is generally advised to use PhenQ consistently for at least two to three months to achieve significant and sustainable weight loss results.
PhenQ is a popular weight loss supplement that can help you reduce your body weight by improving the natural fat-burning process of your body.

Does PhenQ have any side effects?

PhenQ is formulated with natural ingredients and is generally well-tolerated by most individuals. However, like any dietary supplement, it may cause mild side effects in some users. These can include digestive discomfort, increased heart rate, and insomnia. It's important to follow the recommended dosage and consult with a healthcare professional if you have any underlying medical conditions or concerns.

Is PhenQ safe to use?

PhenQ is considered safe for consumption when used as directed. It does not contain any banned substances or harmful ingredients. However, it's essential to ensure that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients and to follow the recommended dosage. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals under the age of 18, and those with underlying medical conditions should consult with a healthcare professional before using PhenQ.

How does PhenQ support weight loss?

PhenQ works through a combination of mechanisms to support weight loss. It helps suppress appetite, boost metabolism, increase energy levels, and promote fat burning. The unique blend of ingredients in PhenQ targets multiple aspects of weight loss, making it a comprehensive solution for individuals looking to achieve their desired results.

Can PhenQ be used by both men and women?

Yes, PhenQ is suitable for both men and women who are looking to lose weight. Its formulation is designed to address the specific needs and challenges encountered by individuals of different genders.

Is exercise required while using PhenQ?

While PhenQ can aid in weight loss efforts, incorporating regular exercise and following a balanced diet is recommended for optimal results. Exercise can help increase calorie burn, improve overall fitness levels, and enhance the effectiveness of PhenQ in achieving weight loss goals.

Can PhenQ be used by individuals with underlying health conditions?

Individuals with underlying health conditions should consult with a healthcare professional before using PhenQ or any other dietary supplement. While the ingredients in PhenQ are generally considered safe, certain health conditions may require specific precautions or contraindications.

How should PhenQ be taken for best results?

The recommended dosage for PhenQ is two capsules per day. One capsule should be taken with breakfast and another with lunch. It's important not to exceed the recommended dosage to ensure safety and effectiveness. Additionally, drinking plenty of water and following a healthy lifestyle are crucial for maximizing the benefits of PhenQ.
PhenQ is a popular weight loss supplement that can help you reduce your body weight by improving the natural fat-burning process of your body.

Where can I purchase PhenQ?

PhenQ can be purchased directly from the official website to ensure authenticity and the best possible prices. It is not available in physical retail stores or other online platforms. Ordering from the official website also allows you to take advantage of any discounts or promotions that may be offered.
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PhenQ is a popular weight loss supplement that can help you reduce your body weight by improving the natural fat-burning process of your body.

1. Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): Cellular energy, aging
   
   1. Fisetin: Anti-aging, cellular health
   2. Iodine: Thyroid function, metabolism
   3. Biotin: Skin, hair, and nail health
   4. Genistein: Antioxidant, hormone balance

Nicotinamide Riboside (NR): Cellular energy, aging
As cells age, NAD+ levels tend to decline, which can impair cellular function and contribute to the aging process. NR supplementation is thought to boost NAD+ levels
Overall, nicotinamide riboside represents a promising avenue of research for targeting cellular energy metabolism and potentially slowing the aging process, but more clinical studies are needed to establish its effectiveness and safety for promoting healthy aging in humans.
Fisetin: Anti-aging, cellular health
Fisetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid compound found in various fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, apples, onions, and cucumbers. It has gained attention in the field of anti-aging research due to its potential health-promoting effects, particularly its ability to target cellular processes associated with aging.
Research on fisetin suggests that it prevents aging damage from oxidative stress and reducing the body’s inflammation. Fisetin also helps mimic the effects of a calorie restricted diet to increase longevity. Fisetin can serve as an antioxidant that protects your cells from free radical damage and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by turning off pathways that promote inflammation and decrease overall inflammation in the body.
Another way Fisetin helps is through Senolytic Activity: Senescent cells are dysfunctional cells that accumulate with age and contribute to tissue degeneration and chronic inflammation.
Research on fisetin's anti-aging properties is still in its early stages, preclinical studies in animal models and some initial human trials have shown promising results. However, more research is needed to fully understand fisetin's mechanisms of action, optimal dosage, and long-term safety for promoting healthy aging in humans.
Fisetin is found in foods such as apples, strawberries, onions and kiwi’s. These sources however contain low concentrations of Fisetin, which is why many people opt to take fisetin supplements instead.
Fisetin should be used in reversing aging and lengthening lifespan. More clinical trials should determine how we use Fisetin for Longevity.
Iodine: Thyroid function, metabolism
Iodine, an essential mineral, exerts key physiological effects in the body:

1. Thyroid Hormone Synthesis: Crucial for the production of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), which regulate metabolism and growth.
   
2. Metabolism Regulation: Influences basal metabolic rate and the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
   
3. Brain Development: Critical for fetal and infant brain development, impacting cognitive function.
   
4. Energy Production: Supports cellular energy production by regulating thyroid function.
   
5. Body Temperature Regulation: Influences heat production and dissipation, maintaining body temperature.
   

Adequate iodine intake is essential for optimal physiological function and overall health
While iodine plays important roles in health and may indirectly influence longevity through its effects on thyroid function, antioxidant activity, immune function, and inflammation, it's important to note that excessive iodine intake can also have adverse effects and may increase the risk of thyroid disorders. Therefore, maintaining iodine intake within recommended levels is essential for promoting health and potentially supporting longevity. Through our research, we make sure that the optimum levels of Iodine are in our supplements x.
Biotin: Skin, hair, and nail health.
Biotin, also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a key role in various physiological processes. biotin is essential for overall health and may indirectly support longevity through its involvement in several important functions, such as cellular growth and repair, hair, skin and nail health and growth, blood sugar regulation – which is linked to caloric restriction and the list goes on.
Genistein
Genistein has shown to increase mice lifespan by as much as 10%. It increases lifespan via the gut microbiome. Genistein has the potential to positively influence the gut microbiome by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria, modulating microbial composition, reducing inflammation, and interacting with dietary compounds and hormones. A study suggested genistein could be used to treat people with early Alzheimer’s disease to delay the start of dementia. These studies suggest it’s worthwhile to follow up with human patients on a bigger scale.

hi all. i noticed an issue with my body gaining tolerance for every type of medication extremely quickly- this has been the case my entire life and im hoping for some insight.
it has happened with naproxen, tizanidine, methyprednisole (all prescribed for pain for accident) and even happened with tums and OTC pain medicine.
recently: 6 months ago, i was hit by an ambulance and of course MRIs were needed. unfortunately, im extremely claustrophobic, have anxiety, depression, ocd + ptsd, all making it hard to sit still, not even to mention the great deal of pain im in. i’ve tried open MRIs and nothing so we decided to try xanax. i took 25mg a few days before my MRI due to a panic attack (and also wanted to see if i should increase the dose for my MRI) it worked nicely, tired me out and calmed me down. day of my MRI rolls around, took 50 mg and nothing. failed MRI #3. at this time, i was also prescribed hydroxyzine for anxiety attacks. i took 25 mg, worked great the first time, didn’t work the next so bumped it up to 50mg, worked great then didn’t work the next and then i took 75 mg to no effect. i recently had an anxiety attack and took 125 mg of hydroxyzine and nothing happened. i was prescribed valium for my mri later today and took one pill before bed as instructed with no effect and im 100% sure it won’t work in the morning either (told to take 20 min before my scans) realistically, if xanax didn’t work for me, valium wouldn’t given the dosage and potency comparison to xanax + my body metabolizing medications extremely fast.
does anyone know what to do?/what caused this? i read up on mother’s taking certain drugs which leads to their infants having tachyphylaxis. my mother may have taken these drugs (albuterol and such) so i’m thinking that may be it as well.
thank you for reading.

I am a 36 years old male, I do exercise at least 3 times a week, and never had any chest of lung problems till last month.
I stopped smoking cigarettes like 8 years ago, and switched to vaping.
The only thing that I changed the past 6 months is that I used high dosage of Nicotine salt, and smoked like 4 or 5 cigarettes with vaping daily.
I have sinus allergy, and one day I woke up with a cough and stopped breathing completely for some seconds. I went to a doctor and he asked me for a chest x-ray (which was good no signs of anything in the lungs or anything) and diagnosed me with asthma.
He wrote me Seretide for a month, and Ventolin as a rescue inhaler.
I didn't know what to do, and even never heared anything about asthma, I got better within one week do I stopped taking the Seretide, but I had this breathing difficulty like 2 times in 4 days.
Went to another doctor and he wrote me 2 other inhalers 12ug formoterol and 400ug budesonida and told me to use them for 3 month and will lower the dose later.
I feel very down because after that I learned that asthma is a disease that can't be cured, I am afraid of the side effects of corticosteroids, I got better after using the 2 inhalers for 10 days, only had one breathing issue when I ate some Mexican spicy food.
I don't know how what to do, will I be using these inhalers for the rest of my life?
I was planning on doing IVF for pregnancy, does using corticosteroids affect sperm quality?
Sorry for my English, but I feel very sad and don't know what to do

My daughter is 7 months old and has ringworm on her scalp. We know for sure this is the case because we were watching for it after the new kitten at Grandma's had it. It is the type of ringworm that glows under UV light (look it up for more info), and we're able to confirm it because hers is glowing green as well.
So in just preliminary research I saw that it can be a lot harder to get rid of ringworm on the scalp and that most people are given oral antifungal medication that you have to take for up to 4 months! I was not feeling good about this and the PA we saw agreed because he wouldn't even know what dosage to give her (his words) and said to just try a prescription strength topical cream. I was happy with this and have been doing it for about a week. In hindsight I know he did not know what he was talking about.
The spot itself has gotten better, but I decided to look at it under the UV lamp again and it looked like it had way more dots and I freaked out and did hours of research. There isn't much out there but I was able to come across this medical journal (linked) that talks about the rare instances of it in infants. And it says that the infection of the fungus will not go away on its own because the fungus literally goes into the hair follicles in your scalp and even the hair shafts (that info is collected across multiple corners of the internet).
I want to throw up.
I don't want my 7 month old to take antifungal medicine that you literally can't take with liver disease because it can be harsh on your liver. That scares me. But I also want to make sure that we stop this fungus.
What would you do?

Crossposted on my blog https://benthams.substack.com/p/on-leif-wenars-absurdly-unconvincing
Leif Wenar recently published a critique of effective altruism that seems to be getting a lot of hype. I don’t know why. There were a few different arguments in the piece: some terrible and others even worse. Yet more strangely, he doesn’t object much to EA as a whole—he just points to random downsides of EA and is snarky. If I accepted every claim in his piece, I’d come away with the belief that some EA charities are bad in a bunch of random ways, but believe nothing that imperils my core belief in the goodness of the effective altruism movement or, indeed, in the charities that Wenar critiques.
I’m not going to quote Wenar’s entire article, as it’s quite long and mostly irrelevant. It contains, at various points, bizarre evidence-free speculation about the motivations of effective altruists. He writes, for instance, “Ord, it seemed, wanted to be the hero—the hero by being smart—just as I had. Behind his glazed eyes, the hero is thinking, “They’re trying to stop me.””
I’m sure this is rooted in Ord’s poor relationship with his mother!
At another point, he mistakes MacAskill’s statement that there’s been a lot of aid in poor countries and that things have gotten better for the claim that aid is responsible for the entirety of the improvement. These strange status games about credit and reward and heroism demonstrate a surprising moral shallowness, caring more about whether people take credit for doing things than what is done. He says, for instance, after quoting MacAskill saying it’s possible to save a life for a few thousand dollars:

But let’s picture that person you’ve supposedly rescued from death in MacAskill’s account—say it’s a young Malawian boy. Do you really deserve all the credit for “saving his life”? Didn’t the people who first developed the bed nets also “make a difference” in preventing his malaria?

Well, as a philosopher, Wenar should know that two things can both cause something else. If there’s a 9-judge panel evaluating an issue, and one side wins on a 5-4, each judge caused the victory, in the relevant, counterfactual sense—had they not acted, the victory wouldn’t have occurred. MacAskill wasn't talking about apportioning blame or brownie points—just describing one’s opportunity to do enormous amounts of good. Would Wenar object to the claim that it would be important to vote if you knew your candidate would be better and that your vote would change the election, on the grounds that you don’t deserve all the credit for it—other voters get some too?
Wenar’s objection also repeats the old objection that Sam Bankman Fried used EA principles to do fraud, so EA must be bad, ignoring, of course, the myriad responses that have been given to this objection. Alex Strasser has addressed this at length, as have I (albeit at less length than Strasser). Pointing that people have done fraud in the name of EA is no more an objection to EA than it would an objection to some charity to note that it happened to receive funds from Al Capone. Obviously one should not carry out fraud, should take common-sense norms seriously, as EA leaders have implored repeatedly for years.
The article takes random stabs at specific claims that have been made by EAs. Yet strangely, despite the obvious cherry-picking, where Wenar is attempting to target the most errant claims ever made by EAs, every one of his objections to those random out-of-context quotes ends up being wrong. For instance, he claims that MacAskill’s source for the claim that by “giving $3,000 to a lobbying group called Clean Air Task Force (CATF),” “you can reduce carbon emissions by a massive 3,000 metric tons per year,” is “one of Ord’s research assistants—a recent PhD with no obvious experience in climate, energy, or policy—who wrote a report on climate charities.” Apparently writing a nearly 500-page report on existential risks from climate change, in close collaboration with climate change researchers, and a 174-page report about climate charities doesn’t give one any “obvious experience in climate, energy, or policy.”
The article contains almost every objection anyone has given to EA, each with its own associated hyperlink, each misleadingly phrased. Most of them are just links to random hyperlinks involving downsides of some type of aid, claiming that EAs have never considered the downsides when often, they’ve considered them quite explicitly. It exhibits this thin veneer of deep wisdom, making claims like “aid was much more complex than “pills improve lives.”” Well, pills either do or don’t improve lives, and if they do, that seems good and worth knowing about! Now, maybe other things improve lives more, in which case we should do those things, but then you’re looking into comparing costs and benefits—just doing, pretty much, what EAs do, in terms of aid.
At other points, Wener obviously misunderstands what EAs are claiming. For instance, he quotes MacAskill saying “I want to be clear on what [“altruism”] means. As I use the term, altruism simply means improving the lives of others,” before saying:

No competent philosopher could have written that sentence. Their flesh would have melted off and the bones dissolved before their fingers hit the keyboard. What “altruism” really means, of course, is acting on a selfless concern for the well-being of others—the why and the how are part of the concept. But for MacAskill, a totally selfish person could be an “altruist” if they improve others’ lives without meaning to. Even Sweeney Todd could be an altruist by MacAskill’s definition, as he improves the lives of the many Londoners who love his meat pies, made from the Londoners he’s killed.

No competent reader or philosopher could have written that paragraph. If one reads the surrounding context, it’s obvious that MacAskill is not intending to do a conceptual analysis of the word altruism—he’s describing the way he uses it when he talks about effective altruism. MacAskill says:

As the phrase suggests, effective altruism has two parts, and I want to be clear on what each part means. As I use the term, altruism simply means improving the lives of others. Many people believe that altruism should denote sacrifice, but if you can do good while maintaining a comfortable life for yourself, that’s a bonus, and I’m very happy to call that altruism. The second part is effectiveness, by which I mean doing the most good with whatever resources you have.

Here, MacAskill is clearly not trying to define exactly what the term means in general—a famously difficult task for any word. He’s just explaining what effective altruism is about: doing good well. That’s what he’s advising people to do. One could figure this out by, for example, looking at the title of MacAskill’s book—Doing Good Better—or reading the surrounding context.
A lot of the article is like this—Wenar getting confused about some point and then claiming that the person who made it is an idiot or a liar or a fraud.
Much of the rest of the article, however, consists of just listing random downsides of some aid charities, claiming falsely that these downsides aren’t taken into account by effective altruists. I’m reminded of Scott Alexander’s piece steelmanning hitting oneself with a baseball bat for five hours:

“It’s a great way to increase your pain tolerance so that the little things in life don’t bother you as much.” “It builds character!” “Every hour you’re hitting yourself on the head with a bat is an hour you’re not out on the street, doing drugs and committing crime.” “It increases the demand for bats, which stimulates the lumber industry, which means we’ll have surplus lumber available in case of a disaster.” “It improves strength and hand-eye coordination.” “It may not literally drive out demons, but it’s a powerful social reminder of our shared commitment for demons to be driven out.” “It’s one of the few things that everyone, rich or poor, black or white, man or woman, all do together, which means it crosses boundaries and builds a shared identity.” “It binds us to our forefathers, who hit their own heads with bats eight hours a day.” “If we stopped forcing everyone to do it, better-informed rich people would probably be the first to abandon the practice. And then they would have fewer concussions than poor people, which would promote inequality.” “It creates jobs for bat-makers, bat-sellers, and the overseers who watch us to make sure we bang for a full eight hours.” “Sometimes people collapse of exhaustion after only six hours, and that’s the first sign that they have a serious disease, and then they’re able to get diagnosed and treated. If we didn’t make them bang bats into their heads for eight hours, it would take much longer to catch their condition.” “Chesterton’s fence!””

Finding random downsides to things is easy. What distinguishes serious people raising serious critiques—you know, the people who work day in and day out weighing up the costs and benefits of aid, writing detailed reports that Wenar lies about—from unserious hacks is that they actually look in detail at comparisons of the costs and benefits, rather than going on google scholar, finding a few hyperlinks for downsides to certain aid programs, and declaring the serious researchers who spend their time analyzing these things errant. Wenar says, for instance:

In a subsection of GiveWell’s analysis of the charity, you’ll find reports of armed men attacking locations where the vaccination money is kept—including one report of a bandit who killed two people and kidnapped two children while looking for the charity’s money. You might think that GiveWell would immediately insist on independent investigations into how often those kinds of incidents happen. Yet even the deaths it already knows about appear nowhere in its calculations on the effects of the charity.

But we only have reports of it happening once. This is a bit like declaring, in response to a bank being robbed, that before supporting banks one should do a detailed statistical investigation into whether banks’ costs outweigh benefits—even if we only have one case of it. This is not serious—it’s just throwing up uncertainty so that those who don’t want to give can have the veneer of plausible deniability.
Wenar lists a lot of random downsides to aid. It’s true that there’s disagreement about the net effect of aid. But the well-targeted aid done by EA organizations generates virtually no controversy among serious scholars. As Karnofsky notes “We believe that the most prominent people known as “aid critics” do not give significant arguments against the sorts of activities our top charities focus on.”
Take, for instance, his claim that “Studies find that when charities hire health workers away from their government jobs, this can increase infant mortality.” Of course, the evidence that Givewell relies on comes from high-quality randomized control trials. It’s easy to point to random downsides to something—the question is whether the upsides outweigh. Which we know they do, based on the randomized control trials gathered by Givewell, looking at a wide variety of aggregate outcomes. The study is totally general—it just notes that sometimes aid programs hire workers who could provide other serives and that might be bad.
And these downsides aren’t enough to undermine the generally positive effect of aid. As Tarp and Mekasha write, in a detailed meta-analysis of the impact of aid on economic growth:

The new and updated results show that the earlier reported positive evidence of aid’s impact is robust to the inclusion of more recent studies and this holds for different time horizons as well. The authenticity of the observed effect is also confirmed by results from funnel plots, regression-based tests, and a cumulative meta-analysis for publication bias.

Now, growth isn’t everything, but it’s a decent indicator of how well things are going. And as one of my professors noted, when one compares the harms of aid to the benefits of, for instance, smallpox eradication, they are nearly undetectable. There is debate about whether aid at the margin does more harm than benefit, but it’s total effect is clearly positive. As MacAskill notes:

Indeed, even those regarded as aid sceptics are very positive about global health.5 Here’s a quote from Angus Deaton, from the same book that Temkin relies so heavily on: Health campaigns, known as “vertical health programs,” have been effective in saving millions of lives. Other vertical initiatives include the successful campaign to eliminate smallpox throughout the world; the campaign against river blindness jointly mounted by the World Bank, the Carter Center, WHO, and Merck; and the ongoing— but as yet incomplete— attempt to eliminate polio (Deaton 2013 p.104-5).

Wenar elsewhere says “aid coming into a poor country can increase deadly attacks by armed insurgents.” This study is hilariously unconvincing—it describes that in the Phillippines there were a few attacks because “insurgents try to sabotage the program because its success would weaken their support in the population.” In other words, insurgencies a few times in the Phillippines targeted aid programs because the aid programs were so great that they feared they’d weaken their base of popular support. So that’s why it’s bad to give out antimalarial bednets to people that demonstrably save lives.
Wenar elsewhere says “GiveWell has said nothing even as more and more scientific studies have been published on the possible harms of bed nets used for fishing.” But Givewell has looked into this and concluded the claims are unconvincing. The reason they’re not concerned is that it’s not a huge problem. As Piper writes, in an article titled “Bednets are one of our best tools against malaria — but myths about their misuse threaten to obscure that”:

But here’s the thing: The math on bednet effectiveness takes such uses into account. Studies that groups like GiveWell rely upon are conducted by distributing malaria nets and then measuring the resulting fall in mortality rates, so those mortality figures don’t assume perfect use. Additionally, malaria distribution organizations like the Against Malaria Foundation survey households to make sure nets are still being used. They don’t just ask people whether the nets are in use — people might lie — but go in and check. They’ve found that 80 percent to 90 percent of nets are used as intended, hanging over beds, half a year after first deployment. This isn’t surprising, as people are highly motivated not to die of malaria and won’t put nets to secondary uses lightly. Bednets would work even better if no one was ever desperate enough to use them for fishing, but no estimates of their effectiveness assume such perfect use. Our figures for the effectiveness of bednets all reflect their effectiveness under real-world conditions. There’s not much evidence that unapproved uses are doing harm What about harm to fisheries from people fishing with nets? Researchers have only recently started looking into this. No one has measured detrimental effects yet, though they could emerge later. … The insecticide in anti-malarial bednets also does not have negative effects on humans, because the dosages involved are so low. It’s unclear whether there are any harmful effects from fishing with nets. (And, it’s worth noting, there is one oft-forgotten positive effect from the use of bednets for fishing: People are fed.)

Dylan Matthews adds, in an article debunking a similar claim made by Marc Andreessen:

That mosquito nets are dangerous to people would be news to basically any public health professional who’s ever studied them. A systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration, probably the most respected reviewer of evidence on medical issues, found that across five different randomized studies, insecticide-treated nets reduce child mortality from all causes by 17 percent, and save 5.6 lives for every 1,000 children protected by nets. That implies that the 282 million nets distributed in 2022 alone saved about 1.58 million lives. In one year. … Bednets and fishing nets Andreessen’s objection is rooted in something that’s been true of bednets for decades: sometimes, people use them as fishing nets instead. This has occasionally popped up as an objection to bednet programs, notably in a 2015 New York Times article. One related argument is that the diversion of nets toward fishing means they’re not as effective an anti-malaria program as they initially appear. That’s simply a misunderstanding of how the research on bednets works. The scientists who study these programs, and the charities that operate them, are well aware that some share of people who get the nets don’t use them for their intended purpose. The Against Malaria Foundation, for instance, a charity that funds net distribution in poor countries, conducts extensive “post-distribution monitoring,” sending surveyors into villages that get the nets and having them count up the nets they find hanging in people’s houses, compared to the number previously distributed. When conducted six to 11 months after distribution, they find that about 68 percent of nets are hanging up as they’re supposed to; the percent gradually falls over the years, and by the third year the nets have lost much of their effectiveness. So does this mean that bednets are only 68 percent as effective as previously estimated? No. Studies of bednet programs do not assume full takeup, because that would be a dumb thing to assume. Instead, they evaluate programs where some villages or households randomly get free bednets, and compare outcomes (like mortality or malaria cases) between the treated people who got the nets and untreated people who didn’t. For instance, take a 2003 paper evaluating a randomized trial of net distribution in Kenya (this was one of the papers included in the Cochrane review). The researchers’ own surveys show that about 66 percent of nets were used as intended. The researchers did not exclude the one-third of households not using the nets from the study. Instead, they simply compared death rates and other metrics in the villages randomized to receive nets to those metrics in villages randomized to not get them. That comparison already bakes in the fact that a third of households who received the nets weren’t using them. So estimates like “bednets reduce child mortality by 17 percent” are already assuming that not everybody is using the nets as intended. This just isn’t a problem for the impact estimates. But is it a problem for fisheries? Andreessen cites one recent article to make this case. It’s not clear to me he actually read it. The authors start by acknowledging that bednets have saved millions of lives, and even that the use of nets for fishing makes sense for many people. It’s a free way to get food you need to survive in regions often reliant on subsistence farming. Moreover, the authors note that “The worldwide collapse of tropical inland freshwater fisheries is well documented and occurred before the scale-up of ITNs.” At worst, you can accuse nets of making an existing problem worse. The bigger question the authors raise is that insecticides are toxic. That’s, of course, the point: They’re meant to kill mosquitoes. The question, then, is whether they are toxic to fish or humans when used for fishing. The authors’ conclusion is maybe, but we have no research indicating one way or another. “To our knowledge there is currently a complete lack of data to assess the potential risks associated with pyrethroid insecticide leaching from ITNs,” the authors conclude. They are not sure if the amount leaching from nets is enough to be toxic to fish; they’re not fully sure that the insecticide leaches into the water at all, though they suspect it does. Even less clear is how these insecticides might affect humans who then eat fish that might be exposed to them.

I could keep going through the piece, claim by claim, refuting the false claims about GiveWell’s having no data supporting deworming, for instance, though Givewell has already done that. But Wenar’s piece isn’t really about that—he doesn’t really care to defend, in any detail, any of the specific harms. They’re not what his argument is about—they’re just things he plucked from Google Scholar after five minutes of Googling. His broad point is just that there are downsides that EA hasn’t considered, which is a claim that’s easier to support when you ignore the way that EA studies are built to take into account the downsides and examples of them considering these downsides.
Everything has downsides. The world is about tradeoffs. For every speculative second-order downside to bednets, there are speculative second-order upsides from hundreds fewer children dying daily. Wenar’s piece is a recipe for complacency, for us throwing up our hands and saying “the world is complicated, nothing to see here.” He seems to think we should have an explicit bias against aid, writing:

Call the first the “dearest test.” When you have some big call to make, sit down with a person very dear to you—a parent, partner, child, or friend—and look them in the eyes. Say that you’re making a decision that will affect the lives of many people, to the point that some strangers might be hurt. Say that you believe that the lives of these strangers are just as valuable as anyone else’s. Then tell your dearest, “I believe in my decisions, enough that I’d still make them even if one of the people who could be hurt was you.”

Perhaps Wenar should have applied the “dearest test” before writing the article. He should have looked in the eyes of his loved ones, the potential extra people who might die as a result of people opposing giving aid to effective charities, and saying “I believe in my decisions, enough that I’d still make them even if one of the people who could be hurt was you.”
I agree you should apply this test, only if you’ll also be willing to look the person in the eye if you don’t do it, and say “I believe in my decision to not act, so that if you were a starving child, or a child who might get malaria, I’d do nothing and watch you die.” If you’re going to make people feel extremely distraught about potential risks, they should feel equally distraught about lost benefits, about the kids who die because of western apathy.
Making people imagine that the potential victims are their families would make them less likely to act. Most people wouldn’t donate if the beneficiaries were random strangers and the only people who could be harmed would be their close families. So Wenar’s approach is an excuse for complacency—for not acting, for regarding the possible speculative harms of aid to be far more salient than the demonstrable lives saved. As Richard Chappell says:

The overwhelmingly thrust of Wenar's article -- from the opening jab about asking EAs "how many people they’ve killed", to the conditional I bolded above -- seems to be to frame charitable giving as a morally risky endeavor, in contrast to the implicit safety of just doing nothing and letting people die. I think that's a terrible frame. It's philosophically mistaken: letting people die from preventable causes is not a morally safe or innocent alternative (as is precisely the central lesson of Singer's famous article). And it seems practically dangerous to publicly promote this bad moral frame, as he is doing here. The most predictable consequence is to discourage people from doing "riskily good" things like giving to charity. Since he seems to grant that aid is overall good and admirable, it seems like by his own lights he should regard his own article as harmful. It's weird.

This is, I think, the entire point of Wenar’s article. He wants to make it so that every time you consider doing aid, you panic a little bit, even if it’s been vetted extensively, even if there have been a hundred randomized control trials showing how great the intervention is. He wants you not to act because of potential downsides, or at least to very seriously consider not doing it, no matter how good the evidence is for its effectiveness, because there might be downsides. That’s a terrible view. When children are dying and we have high-quality evidence that we can avert their death, pointing to random speculative, second-order harms is not enough to justify inaction in the face of avertable suffering and high-quality data.
Acting may be risky but not acting is much riskier. The mountain of child corpses, who coughed till their throats were raw, who experienced fevers of 105, is a moral emergency that demands action. Effective altruists are doing something about it—saving as many lives annually as stopping AIDS, a 9/11 every year, all gun violence, and Melanoma. Not doing anything because there are risks involved is just ascenting to status quo bias, where poor children die because no one cares enough to do anything. If you’re going to acting as morally risky, you should regard it as similarly risky to do nothing while children die by the millions.

​

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Choosing the Right Garden Gummies THC for Your Vegan Diet

When choosing garden gummies THC for a vegan diet, it's essential to pay close attention to the ingredients used in the product. Here are some key points to consider to ensure you select the right gummies for your vegan lifestyle:

• Check for Gelatin-Free Options: As gelatin is derived from animal collagen, it is not suitable for a vegan diet. Look for gummies that are explicitly labeled as gelatin-free to ensure they meet vegan standards.
• Opt for Plant-Based Ingredients: Choose garden gummies THC that are made with plant-based ingredients such as pectin, agar-agar, or tapioca starch. These alternatives provide the same gummy texture without the use of animal-derived products.
• Verify Organic and Non-GMO Certification: For a truly natural and vegan option, opt for garden gummies THC that are certified organic and non-GMO. This ensures that the ingredients are sourced sustainably and without the use of harmful chemicals.
• Check for Artificial Colors and Flavors: To maintain a clean and natural vegan diet, avoid gummies that contain artificial colors or flavors. Look for products that use natural fruit juices or extracts for flavoring and coloring.
• Consider CBD and THC Content: Depending on your preferences, choose garden gummies THC with the desired levels of CBD and THC. Some products may offer a combination of both, while others may focus solely on THC levels.

By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision when selecting garden gummies THC that align with your vegan values and dietary preferences.

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The Impact of Garden Gummies THC on Mental Health in a Vegan Diet

When it comes to mental health, incorporating Garden Gummies THC into a vegan diet can have several positive impacts. The THC component in these gummies interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the body, which plays a crucial role in regulating mood, stress, and overall mental well-being. Consuming Garden Gummies THC may help to reduce anxiety and promote a sense of calm and relaxation.
Additionally, the all-natural vegan ingredients used in Garden Gummies THC can contribute to improved mental health. Plant-based ingredients such as fruit extracts, organic cane sugar, and natural flavors provide essential nutrients and antioxidants that support brain health and function. This can lead to increased focus, cognitive clarity, and overall mental sharpness.
Moreover, the lack of artificial additives and chemicals in Garden Gummies THC ensures that individuals following a vegan diet can avoid potential triggers for mental health issues such as mood swings, irritability, and fatigue. By choosing a product that aligns with their dietary preferences, individuals can promote a healthier mind-body connection and support their mental well-being.
In conclusion, the combination of THC, plant-based ingredients, and a vegan diet can have a positive impact on mental health. Incorporating Garden Gummies THC into a balanced diet may help individuals experience improved mood, reduced stress, and enhanced cognitive function, contributing to overall well-being and mental wellness.

The Legal and Ethical Considerations of Garden Gummies THC in Vegan Diet

When incorporating Garden Gummies THC into a vegan diet, it is crucial to consider both the legal and ethical implications of consuming this product.

• Legal Considerations:
  
  • The legality of THC products varies by region, with some areas legalizing medical or recreational use.
  • It is important to research and ensure that the Garden Gummies THC comply with local laws and regulations.
  • Purchasing from reputable sources can mitigate legal risks associated with THC consumption.
• Ethical Considerations:
  
  • Some vegans may question the ethical implications of consuming THC, as it is derived from cannabis plants.
  • Consider the cultivation and production practices of the THC used in Garden Gummies to align with ethical vegan values.
  • Understanding the environmental impact of cannabis cultivation and opting for sustainably sourced products can help address ethical concerns.
• Consumer Responsibility:
  
  • Consumers should educate themselves on the sourcing and production processes of Garden Gummies THC.
  • Transparency from manufacturers regarding ingredients and production methods can aid consumers in making informed decisions.
  • Responsible consumption of THC products in line with legal guidelines and personal ethics is essential.

By navigating the legal and ethical considerations of incorporating Garden Gummies THC into a vegan diet, individuals can enjoy these products while upholding their values and staying compliant with regulations.

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Conclusion

• Garden Gummies THC offers a range of all-natural vegan ingredients that cater to consumers looking for a plant-based option for their THC gummies.
• The use of organic fruit juices and natural flavors in Garden Gummies THC ensures a delicious and wholesome experience for users.
• By excluding artificial colors, flavors, and GMO ingredients, Garden Gummies THC prioritizes purity and quality in their product.
• The transparency in listing all ingredients on the packaging allows customers to make informed choices about what they are consuming.
• Garden Gummies THC provides a vegan-friendly alternative in the edibles market, appealing to a wider audience with dietary restrictions.
• The commitment to sustainability in their production process adds to the appeal of Garden Gummies THC for environmentally conscious consumers.
• With the increasing popularity of vegan and natural products, Garden Gummies THC stands out as a reliable option for those seeking a healthier, plant-based alternative to traditional THC gummies.
• Overall, Garden Gummies THC combines premium ingredients, ethical practices, and great taste to deliver a quality product that meets the needs of modern consumers seeking clean and natural edibles.

Edited for more context:
My husband picked up a prescription for my daughter (21 months old at the time) from a pharmacy. The prescription was miscalculated by the pharmacist - it was supposed to be 2 ml per day but the pharmacist said to give 12.5ml per day (6.25 in the morning and evening). The maximum dose for a child is usually 2ml per day and for an adult is 3ml. The miscalculated amount was enough to cause liver failure and even death for an infant.
My daughter was reacting horribly to the medicine - she had diarrhea, extreme fatigue, stomach abdominal pain, loss of appetite, restless sleep and hives. I avoided giving her the evening dose because I was scared her symptoms would become worse overnight. I called the pharmacy after 5-6 days to ask them if it was okay that I was skipping the evening dose. I told them her age, weight, symptoms and the amount I was told to give. The pharmacist insisted I continue to give the full 12.5ml per day. I called my doctor the next morning and she informed me that the amount I was giving was an overdose and could result in iron poisoning. Had she been given some the second dose and received a total of 12.5ml within 24 hours, her body would've likely gone into septic shock.
Shortly after, my daughter developed more severe symptoms including white stool. We were speaking with poison control, getting multiple blood tests done, in the ER checking for internal digestive bleeding etc. My daughter went through many tests, some which were quite invasive including rectal exams that left her scared of diaper changes for months. Thankfully all her tests came back normal. But she had behavioural problems and anxiety for months and months. Her behavioural issues lasted months. I extended my unpaid mat leave. This has taken a toll on our family in ways I cannot express.
The pharmacists response?
We have the actual prescription with the pharmacist's hand written note regarding the dosage. We showed the pharmacist and she has taken 100% responsibility.
What do I want from this?
For those asking if I want a “big fat payout” - it’s more than that. I want to make sure this doesn’t happen again. And yes I want to be compensated for my extended time off work. Whatever compensation is received will go towards my daughter’s future. I do not feel ashamed about that at all. I want closure.
What legal actions can I take against this pharmacy? What amount would you settle for if this was your child? What course of action should I ask the pharmacy to take so this doesn’t happen again?
ALSO, I want to share the pharmacy info in all my local Facebook mom groups to spread awareness. What are your thoughts about this.

My baby got her shots yesterday and was super fussy you could see she was in pain whenever she moved her legs too hard her face would go into shock, I gave her recommended amount of infant Tylenol last night @1 am because it was hard for her to sleep. I’m wondering if anyone’s gave their baby a second dosage ? I want to know if anyone has just incase . I’m scared this morning she will still be in pain or what people did the next day to help their baby?

(english is not my first language so i hope this post is comprehensible enough)
Hi everyone! I'm a product design student in France working on redesigning common asthma inhalers for improved usability, accessibility and environmental sustainability. As someone with asthma who has used inhalers like Ventoline and Seretide Diskus, I'm hoping to gather insights from those knowledgeable about medical devices.
​
I'd really appreciate if you could share your thoughts on:
​

1. Usability Issues: Key problems with correctly setting up, activating, positioning or gripping inhalers.
   I found this study that shows most patient use their inhalers incorrectly : [Correct Use of Inhalers: Help Patients Breathe Easier Institute For Safe Medication Practices (ismp.org)](https://www.ismp.org/resources/correct-use-inhalers-help-patients-breathe-easier#:~:text=Common%20errors%20made%20by%20patients%20using%20a%20dry-powder%2C,to%20draw%20the%20medication%20out%20of%20the%20device) Some of these problems can be solved with a more intuitive design
   
2. Adherence Challenges: Design factors contributing to poor medication adherence or inconsistent maintenance. How could designs better support compliance?
   
3. Device Limitations & Desired Features: What are the major limitations of current inhalers? What new features could drastically enhance the user experience?
   

​
In my experience, I often misplace or lose my inhaler despite carrying it, which is problematic during asthma attacks. I'm considering a more compact, portable redesign, to implement it better in daily routine.
​
Additionally, the Seretide Diskus requires monthly replacements. I'm exploring a long-lasting device where only dosage refills are needed monthly to reduce waste and costs.
​
Your insights will be invaluable for defining an effective redesign approach. Thank you!

Hi y'all. New redditor here. I (21M) am now 10 months removed from a breakup with my long distance ex gf (21F), but I am not able to move on or let go like I know I should. We had a very complex relationship, so I am going to include some (probably way too much) background on us and our relationship. I would really appreciate any and all advice you might have to help me get past this. I am going to try and give all the background information chronologically to hopefully make it easier for those of you who read the whole post to follow.
This story begins in March of 2020. I was a senior in high school, and I had just been told that school was going to be out for two weeks as a result of the nationwide lockdown. I, who was 17 at the time living in a state on the East Coast, was invited by one of my high school friends to join a Snapchat group chat with a bunch of random people. I was actually one of the last people invited to the group chat before the limit was reached (snapchat had a user limit for group chats at the time). My future gf, now ex gf (let’s call her Liz, *that is not her real name*) resided in the Mid-West, and was already a member of the group chat. Liz and I had barely talked before I graduated high school in June of 2020, and for a while after that nothing really relevant happened between me and Liz. Even though Liz was only a few months younger than me, she was actually in the grade below me, meaning she graduated in 2021. Liz posted on her snapchat story one afternoon in late January 2021 saying she was really struggling in her college algebra class, and asked if anyone could offer her some help. I, having not really spoken to her much before, offered to be her tutor, because I am particularly gifted at math. We started off with occasional FaceTime calls, which turned into once a week and then to once a day. I had a lot of time on my hands to help her, because I was attending my first year of college virtually because of COVID as a result of some prior health conditions that made COVID particularly dangerous for me. Over time, our calls weren't just focused around her math homework and helping her study, and our friendship grew, but it was nothing more than that because she had a bf during the entire time I had known her to this point.
The summer of 2021 following her graduation is where things took the first turn. She, just before turning 19, got pregnant with her bf at the time. Because of her strict religious beliefs, she decided to keep the kid. Things took another turn when she found out just a short while later that she was actually pregnant with twins. This took away her opportunity of going to college like she had planned to do. However, I started attending school in person starting in the Fall of 2021, and we remained in close contact, still talking/texting every day. Around Halloween of 2021, she broke up with her then bf and baby daddy, which was not the first time it happened over the course of their 3 year relationship, but it did end up being the last. Then, around Thanksgiving of 2021, less than a month after going through another breakup with her bf, her father (a heavy smoker) was sadly diagnosed with lung cancer. At the same time, I was going through struggles of my own, while certainly not as severe as her. As a child, I was diagnosed with ADHD and MDD (Major Depressive disorder). I had been taking antidepressants to treat my MDD for a while, but I had a few medication changes that Fall 2021 semester. Things went downhill for me as the dosage ramped up. I became even more depressed, and was often suicidal, which I hate to admit. I was seeing a psychiatrist who continued to increase my dose of antidepressants to try and address my symptoms, but my mental health only declined as she did so. I turned to alcohol, and by the age of 19, was barely a functioning alcoholic in school. I managed to pass all of my classes in the Fall semester, but come Spring 2022, things really fell off the metaphorical cliff academically. Things got so bad near the end of the semester that I was drinking all day every day, starting when I woke up to when I went to bed, even during finals week. I failed 3 of my 5 courses, and was placed on academic probation. During this bad semester, while I was struggling with my mental health, she gave birth to her twin babies in February 2022. By the end of that Spring semester, my grades and mental health were in the dumps, and she was struggling herself learning how to be a single teen mother of infant twins while also being a part time care giver for her sick father.
After moving out of school following the Spring 2022 semester, I quit alcohol cold turkey, as it was an extremely difficult task trying to supply myself with alcohol as an underage kid in a small town. I did end up going through almost a week of withdrawal, and I was terribly sick, but I got through it. Early in the summer following the end of that semester, my parents received a letter from the school expressing their concern for me and my academic performance, and also informed them of my placement on academic probation. As you can imagine, they were beyond furious. My punishment for my poor grades was retaking the classes I failed during the summer, which I had to pay for myself, which ended up totaling $6k. (Yes, I realize I am extremely fortunate that they pay for my college tuition, and I am beyond grateful for that). I also was returning to my job as a waiter and barback. Between going to the gym daily for about 90 minutes, working ~50 hrs/wk to help pay for my summer classes, and also spending about 6 hrs/day on schoolwork for my three classes, I literally did not have a spare hour in the week to see any of my friends. (By the way, I think that the punishment I received was completely justified, and I deserved to face the consequences for my actions). I was scared to go home after work some nights. My parents and I, who had always had a great relationship before this incident, were barely on speaking terms. Some nights I considered sleeping in the parking lot outside of the bar I worked at just so I didn't have to be in my house. I never ate dinner with my family, because I didn't want to sit in silence with everyone at the table. That being said, I had absolutely no social life, and the only person I really talked to was Liz because she was home all day every day caring for her babies and father. I talked to Liz every day, sometimes late at night after closing at the bar, sometimes in the afternoon on my way to work, but I could always rely on her to pick up the phone. At the time, it felt like she was the only person in the world who was even showing me a little bit of love. It was at this point that I really started to fall in love with her. Yes, I did always find her attractive, but after talking to her every day for almost a year and a half, and considering she was the only person I had any kind of relationship with while I was at my lowest, I really began to see her differently.
I ended up asking Liz to be my girlfriend in July 2022, and her saying yes made that day the best day I had in at least 8 or 9 months. Also, it is probably important to note that this was my first real relationship. The craziest thing in retrospect was that we were officially dating before we had actually met each other in person. Regardless, our relationship began while we were both at low points in our lives, which is an important detail for later. We decided that even though I was going to be attending college again, and she was going to be busy caring for her babies and sick father, we were going to try and see each other once a month. That was quite an ambitious goal, but we were able to make it work. We met for the first time a couple weeks after we started dating, and we managed to see each other once a month until we eventually broke up. Considering her situation at home, I was always the person traveling to see her, which I was always happy to do. While I knew I was extending myself a lot, sometimes taking weekends away from school and even leaving home during breaks to spend time with her, I would never hesitate to see her even if just for a day at a time. We got to celebrate Christmas together, although I ended up needing to go home to take care of my own family emergency that came up during New Years, so we didn’t celebrate that together unfortunately. I was even able to make the trip out to celebrate her children’s first birthday party in February of 2023. Every second I got to spend with her was pure bliss. At the same time, while things were going great between her and I, things were continuing to go downhill for me at home. I started therapy to try and help me cope with my MDD and suicidal thoughts, and even joined an outpatient program. Nothing seemed to be helping me, including the new medications I was trying almost every month. The only thing that ever gave me peace was spending time with Liz. She was my everything, and every time I saw her it made me happy again. I would do anything and everything that I could to see her as often as I could, even though she lived half way across the country. Additionally, it should be mentioned that almost every person in my life that was close to me (not including Liz) had great distaste for my relationship with her. My parents were not approving, and didn’t offer any help when I tried to go see Liz. My best friends and roommates always made it a point to make me feel bad for dating a teenager with kids that aren’t mine, and even made fun of me for going through with a long distance relationship with someone they “didn’t think was worth my time.” It felt like I had absolutely no one on my side, and the only people who supported my relationship with Liz was her family. They were extremely accepting of me, and always made me feel welcome and loved. Not having anyone close to me to talk to about my relationship was very isolating, and I think it led to me becoming more emotionally dependent on Liz than I already was.
Come April 2023, tragically her father lost his battle with cancer and passed away. Hearing her over the phone break me the news was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to hear in my life. Her father passed away just a week before my finals week at college, which put me in a really tough spot. Liz asked me to come and stay with her for a week, because she needed my comfort and support, which I completely understand. I, who had 5 finals to study for, asked to stay for 3 days so I would have time to study, but that really upset her more. I ended up compromising and staying for 5 days, but she was still upset with me for not staying for as long as she asked. It caused an argument, and after I went home things were noticeably different between us. She ended the relationship just a couple weeks later.
Since then, things for me have only gotten worse without her. I came home from that semester, and spent all day every day in my room isolated that summer until the beginning of July, almost 2 months after I came home. During that time, she and I were still in contact, and she asked if we could remain friends because I was an important person in her life, but she couldn’t emotionally handle long distance after her dads passing. We talked often after the breakup, and it hurt so much to see her every day and know that she wasn’t my partner anymore. I pleaded and begged with her to take me back, but she did not. In the July following our breakup, I was admitted to an inpatient program in a hospital for 10 days. I had never felt worse in my life, and my parents were concerned for my well being. At the hospital, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, which was actually the explanation as to why the antidepressants I was taking were making me more suicidal. I was prescribed mood stabilizers, and thankfully that did start to help my mental health. Following my release from the hospital, Liz and I went no contact a couple of times, both of which lasted for a couple months, but we broke it both times. In the last 6 months or so, it has been harder than ever to get her off my mind. I can’t go 30 minutes without checking her snap score. I check her Facebook way too often, looking for update posts about her or her twins. Almost nightly, I have nightmares of her with other men, and it makes me sick to my stomach. I’m at the point where I feel like I can’t live without her. I pray every night for another chance. I look back at everything that happened during our relationship, and I wish every day I could go back and change something that might have kept us together. I’m not sure how to move forward. I still see her as the most beautiful person in the world. She’s the one who made me laugh the most, made me smile the most, who made me feel the safest and most secure. She made me feel so free and so loved, and I just can’t see that with anyone else.
So, kind people of Reddit, after telling the extremely long winded and drawn out version of my story, what advice do you have? What can I do to help myself? What is something you might have done after a breakup that helped you? I’m truly lost and I don’t want to be held back by my feelings for Liz. Also, if you have any questions about a gap I left in the story or if a detail is missing, please ask.
TLDR: I (21M) can’t get over my long distance ex gf (21F). Our relationship started when we were both at low points in our lives, which caused us to become too codependent on each other. 10 months after breaking up, I still think about her all day every day, and I just want to be able to move past her and our relationship that I know I can’t get back.

Reddit Post Hi y'all. New redditor here. I (21M) am now 10 months removed from a breakup with my long distance ex gf (21F), but I have not been able to move on or let go like I know I should. We had a very complex relationship, so I am going to include some (probably way too much) background on us and our relationship. I would really appreciate any and all advice you might have to help me get past this. I am going to try and give all the background information chronologically to hopefully make it easier for those of you who read the whole post to follow. This story begins in March of 2020. I was a senior in high school, and I had just been told that school was going to be out for two weeks as a result of the nationwide lockdown. I, who was 17 at the time living in a state on the East Coast, was invited by one of my high school friends to join a Snapchat group chat with a bunch of random people. I was actually one of the last people invited to the group chat before the limit was reached (snapchat had a user limit for group chats at the time). My future gf, now ex gf (let’s call her Liz, *that is not her real name*) resided in the Mid-West, and was already a member of the group chat. Liz and I had barely talked before I graduated high school in June of 2020, and for a while after that nothing really relevant happened between me and Liz. Even though Liz was only a few months younger than me, she was actually in the grade below me, meaning she graduated in 2021. Liz posted on her snapchat story one afternoon in late January 2021 saying she was really struggling in her college algebra class, and asked if anyone could offer her some help. I, having not really spoken to her much before, offered to be her tutor, because I am particularly gifted at math. We started off with occasional FaceTime calls, which turned into once a week and then to once a day. I had a lot of time on my hands to help her, because I was attending my first year of college virtually because of COVID as a result of some prior health conditions that made COVID particularly dangerous for me. Over time, our calls weren't just focused around her math homework and helping her study, and our friendship grew, but it was nothing more than that because she had a bf during the entire time I had known her to this point. The summer of 2021 following her graduation is where things took the first turn. She, just before turning 19, got pregnant with her bf at the time. Because of her strict religious beliefs, she decided to keep the kid. Things took another turn when she found out just a short while later that she was actually pregnant with twins. This took away her opportunity of going to college like she had planned to do. However, I started attending school in person starting in the Fall of 2021, and we remained in close contact, still talking/texting every day. Around Halloween of 2021, she broke up with her then bf and baby daddy, which was not the first time it happened over the course of their 3 year relationship, but it did end up being the last. Then, around Thanksgiving of 2021, less than a month after going through another breakup with her bf, her father (a heavy smoker) was sadly diagnosed with lung cancer. At the same time, I was going through struggles of my own, while certainly not as severe as her. As a child, I was diagnosed with ADHD and MDD (Major Depressive disorder). I had been taking antidepressants to treat my MDD for a while, but I had a few medication changes that Fall 2021 semester. Things went downhill for me as the dosage ramped up. I became even more depressed, and was often suicidal, which I hate to admit. I was seeing a psychiatrist who continued to increase my dose of antidepressants to try and address my symptoms, but my mental health only declined as she did so. I turned to alcohol, and by the age of 19, was barely a functioning alcoholic in school. I managed to pass all of my classes in the Fall semester, but come Spring 2022, things really fell off the metaphorical cliff academically. Things got so bad near the end of the semester that I was drinking all day every day, starting when I woke up to when I went to bed, even during finals week. I failed 3 of my 5 courses, and was placed on academic probation. During this bad semester, while I was struggling with my mental health, she gave birth to her twin babies in February 2022. By the end of that Spring semester, my grades and mental health were in the dumps, and she was struggling herself learning how to be a single teen mother of infant twins while also being a part time care giver for her sick father. After moving out of school following the Spring 2022 semester, I quit alcohol cold turkey, as it was an extremely difficult task trying to supply myself with alcohol as an underage kid in a small town. I did end up going through almost a week of withdrawal, and I was terribly sick, but I got through it. Early in the summer following the end of that semester, my parents received a letter from the school expressing their concern for me and my academic performance, and also informed them of my placement on academic probation. As you can imagine, they were beyond furious. My punishment for my poor grades was retaking the classes I failed during the summer, which I had to pay for myself, which ended up totaling $6k. (Yes, I realize I am extremely fortunate that they pay for my college tuition, and I am beyond grateful for that). I also was returning to my job as a waiter and barback. Between going to the gym daily for about 90 minutes, working ~50 hrs/wk to help pay for my summer classes, and also spending about 6 hrs/day on schoolwork for my three classes, I literally did not have a spare hour in the week to see any of my friends. (By the way, I think that the punishment I received was completely justified, and I deserved to face the consequences for my actions). I was scared to go home after work some nights. My parents and I, who had always had a great relationship before this incident, were barely on speaking terms. Some nights I considered sleeping in the parking lot outside of the bar I worked at just so I didn't have to be in my house. I never ate dinner with my family, because I didn't want to sit in silence with everyone at the table. That being said, I had absolutely no social life, and the only person I really talked to was Liz because she was home all day every day caring for her babies and father. I talked to Liz every day, sometimes late at night after closing at the bar, sometimes in the afternoon on my way to work, but I could always rely on her to pick up the phone. At the time, it felt like she was the only person in the world who was even showing me a little bit of love. It was at this point that I really started to fall in love with her. Yes, I did always find her attractive, but after talking to her every day for almost a year and a half, and considering she was the only person I had any kind of relationship with while I was at my lowest, I really began to see her differently. I ended up asking Liz to be my girlfriend in July 2022, and her saying yes made that day the best day I had in at least 8 or 9 months. Also, it is probably important to note that this was my first real relationship. The craziest thing in retrospect was that we were officially dating before we had actually met each other in person. Regardless, our relationship began while we were both at low points in our lives, which is an important detail for later. We decided that even though I was going to be attending college again, and she was going to be busy caring for her babies and sick father, we were going to try and see each other once a month. That was quite an ambitious goal, but we were able to make it work. We met for the first time a couple weeks after we started dating, and we managed to see each other once a month until we eventually broke up. Considering her situation at home, I was always the person traveling to see her, which I was always happy to do. While I knew I was extending myself a lot, sometimes taking weekends away from school and even leaving home during breaks to spend time with her, I would never hesitate to see her even if just for a day at a time. We got to celebrate Christmas together, although I ended up needing to go home to take care of my own family emergency that came up during New Years, so we didn’t celebrate that together unfortunately. I was even able to make the trip out to celebrate her children’s first birthday party in February of 2023. Every second I got to spend with her was pure bliss. At the same time, while things were going great between her and I, things were continuing to go downhill for me at home. I started therapy to try and help me cope with my MDD and suicidal thoughts, and even joined an outpatient program. Nothing seemed to be helping me, including the new medications I was trying almost every month. The only thing that ever gave me peace was spending time with Liz. She was my everything, and every time I saw her it made me happy again. I would do anything and everything that I could to see her as often as I could, even though she lived half way across the country. Additionally, it should be mentioned that almost every person in my life that was close to me (not including Liz) had great distaste for my relationship with her. My parents were not approving, and didn’t offer any help when I tried to go see Liz. My best friends and roommates always made it a point to make me feel bad for dating a teenager with kids that aren’t mine, and even made fun of me for going through with a long distance relationship with someone they “didn’t think was worth my time.” It felt like I had absolutely no one on my side, and the only people who supported my relationship with Liz was her family. They were extremely accepting of me, and always made me feel welcome and loved. Not having anyone close to me to talk to about my relationship was very isolating, and I think it led to me becoming more emotionally dependent on Liz than I already was. Come April 2023, tragically her father lost his battle with cancer and passed away. Hearing her over the phone break me the news was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to hear in my life. Her father passed away just a week before my finals week at college, which put me in a really tough spot. Liz asked me to come and stay with her for a week, because she needed my comfort and support, which I completely understand. I, who had 5 finals to study for, asked to stay for 3 days so I would have time to study, but that really upset her more. I ended up compromising and staying for 5 days, but she was still upset with me for not staying for as long as she asked. It caused an argument, and after I went home things were noticeably different between us. She ended the relationship just a couple weeks later. Since then, things for me have only gotten worse without her. I came home from that semester, and spent all day every day in my room isolated that summer until the beginning of July, almost 2 months after I came home. During that time, she and I were still in contact, and she asked if we could remain friends because I was an important person in her life, but she couldn’t emotionally handle long distance after her dads passing. We talked often after the breakup, and it hurt so much to see her every day and know that she wasn’t my partner anymore. I pleaded and begged with her to take me back, but she did not. In the July following our breakup, I was admitted to an inpatient program in a hospital for 10 days. I had never felt worse in my life, and my parents were concerned for my well being. At the hospital, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, which was actually the explanation as to why the antidepressants I was taking were making me more suicidal. I was prescribed mood stabilizers, and thankfully that did start to help my mental health. Following my release from the hospital, Liz and I went no contact a couple of times, both of which lasted for a couple months, but we broke it both times. In the last 6 months or so, it has been harder than ever to get her off my mind. I can’t go 30 minutes without checking her snap score. I check her Facebook way too often, looking for update posts about her or her twins. Almost nightly, I have nightmares of her with other men, and it makes me sick to my stomach. I’m at the point where I feel like I can’t live without her. I pray every night for another chance. I look back at everything that happened during our relationship, and I wish every day I could go back and change something that might have kept us together. I’m not sure how to move forward. I still see her as the most beautiful person in the world. She’s the one who made me laugh the most, made me smile the most, who made me feel the safest and most secure. She made me feel so free and so loved, and I just can’t see that with anyone else. So, kind people of Reddit, after telling the extremely long winded and drawn out version of my story, what advice do you have? What can I do to help myself? What is something you might have done after a breakup that helped you? I’m truly lost and I don’t want to be held back by my feelings for Liz. Also, if you have any questions about a gap I left in the story or if a detail is missing, please ask. TLDR: I (21M) can’t get over my long distance ex gf (21F). Our relationship started when we were both at low points in our lives, which caused us to become too codependent on each other. 10 months after breaking up, I still think about her all day every day, and I just want to be able to move past her and our relationship that I know I can’t get back.