hibernation-like states in humans?

[Wayne]

this person is really onto something

Hi @Rufous McKinney -- "This person" (interestingly) has chosen not to disclose their gender. I asked AI if it knew why, and got the following response. I also have found "their" articles to be quite interesting.

Spoiler: On Midwestern Doctor's Decision To Not Reveal Gender

There's a person who goes by the moniker "A Midwestern Doctor". They write fairly provocative articles on health issues of all kinds. "They have chosen to not disclose their gender". I read something once as to why, but don't recall specifically. Could you fill me in?

ChatGPT said:​

Yes, “A Midwestern Doctor” is a pseudonymous medical professional who writes extensively on Substack and other platforms about health, medicine, and particularly critiques of mainstream medical narratives. They often take contrarian or investigative stances on topics like COVID-19, pharmaceutical influence, vaccine safety, and medical ethics.
As for why they do not disclose their gender or identity, the author has explained that this decision is rooted in a few key reasons:

1. Protection of personal and professional life: They remain anonymous in order to avoid retaliation or professional consequences, especially given that their views often run counter to prevailing medical and institutional positions.
2. Avoidance of bias: By not revealing their gender, background, or specific credentials (beyond being a practicing physician), they aim to focus readers on the content and arguments rather than the person behind them. They believe identity can bias perception, and withholding it encourages people to judge the material on its merits.
3. Safety concerns: Due to the controversial nature of their work, they may face harassment or threats if their identity were public. Anonymity provides a layer of personal safety.

In their own words (paraphrased from past posts), they believe that in today’s climate, whistleblowers and dissenters in medicine often face serious repercussions, and staying anonymous allows them to speak more freely.

 

[Johnmac]

this person is really onto something

And the lack of fluidity is KEY to this syndrome we are experiencing and Im' excited to read this doctors theories.

Glad you are enjoying.

I hope I live long enough to read everything he's written: he is prolific (and prolix).

 

[wallace]

A million and a half words!!!

joghnmac are you a paid subscriber?

I find it annoying to get his pay wall when we get to practical measures to take!

I did a search on his site for Nitric Oxide and came up with very little. Pity.

Since on my diet I have noticed an increased sensitivity to sunlight.

 

[Johnmac]

No I'm not paid. Yes it is frustrating at times. However:

Go to Grok & ask it "What does the blogger "A Midwestern Doctor" say about nitric oxide?

1. That will find what there is on nitric oxide (you could easily have missed it with so many hundreds of articles).

2. The approach will also often work to dive into his paid content & summarise it for you.

3. Grok's summaries are much less work to read than AMD's articles - & more to the point.

 

[stellaluna]

some symptoms with parallels to hibernation (from the top of my head):

• the ravenous hunger before PEM hits (a bear would eat considerable amounts before going into hibernation)
• the inability to produce heat while in PEM (for me it's not just "being cold" but it feels like my body has >shut down< the production of warmth). producing heat through cellular respiration is a major drain on resources (calories) so it gets reduced to a minimum during hibernation.
• the feeling after waking up from a nap (where it feels like i am crawling out of a deep swamp although i been asleep for only an hour) makes much more sense in the context of a hibernation-like state
• it could explain why some of us do better/worse during certain seasons

Interestingly, I lose my appetite before PEM and in early PEM and then become ravenous after a day or two in PEM (depending on severity)