OT: Mathematical Conundrum II

[Chris Hogg]

+1

[NY]

What's interesting about me is that at school I was always far better at end-of-term exams, and O and A levels than I was at class work that wasn't done under exam conditions. Then I flipped completely the other way at university: I became terrible at exams but compensated by taking great pride in doing really good work when I wasn't hampered by memory and time constraints.

Luckily in the real world afterwards I rarely had to work under the equivalent of exam conditions.

My memory took a terrific knock a few years ago after I had a heart attack and was unconscious for a long time. Most of my (long-term) memory was fine, but I couldn't for the life of me remember things that had happened fairly recently before the cardiac arrest. My wife kept trying to encourage me to remember where we'd been on holiday a month or so before, and the place where we liked going to most weekends. Suddenly something clicked and all the memories came back - not one at a time, gradually, but all together. Once I remembered "Scotland" it unlocked all the memories of where we'd been each day and what we'd done on the holiday; once I remembered "the seaside" I remembered all our favourite haunts.

I'm fortunate that the only lasting effects of being without a pulse (apart from CPR) for a couple of hours is slightly less ability to stick with a problem until I've solved it (I give up too soon) and slightly less patience with other people if I get tired.

But my difficulty with mental arithmetic is something that I've always had - I really *need* a pen and paper.

[pamela]

In my case it was a mixture of those. I discovered a major problem with my metabolism had been overlooked for years, so I took various supplements in line with the standard protocols for that condition. They can be prescribed on the NHS but I just get them myself. These types of supplements wouldn't work for most people.

As you say you're interested, I can tell you the following which would probably send a less interested person to sleep!

Years of unchecked metabloic problems caused damage in my CNS. Consequently I took supplements as used by specialist doctors to treat crisis states and they helped *enormously*. These included high dose B Complex vitamins and modest doses of creatine both of which help overcome problems with energy delivery within cells.

One consequential problem I had was high levels of ammonia reaching the brain. Turns out everyone has some ammonia reaching the brain even if it is only low but this level is not treated until it passes above a certain high threshold. Ammonia is exceedingly disruptive on CNS function and anything to lower it, even in asymptomatic people, will bring benefit. I used very high dose l-arginine and an amino acid supplement known as BCAA. Ammonia is what caused me enormous trouble typing or using a mouse as it adversely affects movement and co-ordination throughout the body (while at the same time it seriously fragments thought processes and perception).

In addition I found high doses of choline in almost any form, N-acetyl- cysteine (NAC) and acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) are distinctly useful. I hold the view that choline is a lynchpin for cognitive improvement.

All these have come from medical protocols for CNS damage but they are also widely used (and sometimes widely misunderstood) by the recreational supplements community. I buy these supplements from companies supplying this community but I choose what I take based only on clinical recommendations and that means not relying on the selective clinical references often provided by enthusiasts.

There are other supplements too but these are the ones which come to mind at the moment. I have others I still need to try which sit on a shelf for a time when all other changes in me have stabilised and then I will try another one.

What didn't work much and had too many side effects were the various expensive meds my neurologists prescribed for Alzheimer's (such as Aricept and Namenda).

Don't get me wrong. I am a believer in conventional medicine and regard most of what is written about supplements as drivel but these have worked for me. Notice that I don't include those evergreen favourites of the supplements community, gingko and ginseng, as I am not impressed by them.

Have I confused you further?

Are you still awake? :-)

[polygonum]

Not confused at all!

I spend an inordinate amount of time discussing various health issues.

L-carnitine (not ALCAR itself) is often mentioned in relation to thryoid:

[pamela]

If you remember always having these problems then you may have life long difficulties with immediate memory which, and I'm not seeking to flatter, intelligence and unusual persistence in handling data has helped you overcome.

From a medical point of view, a problem with "immediate memory" is essentially synonymous with "inattention". Sometimes this is loosely described as difficulties in "concentration" but a more disturbing aspect is subtle shifts in "consciousness". All these are different terms to describe the same condition.

Unless the symptoms are extreme, as I found out, it can be very hard for someone to know if they are experiencing this. Anyway, even if people experience the symptoms they may think that what the feel is normal and not look for a pattern on the mistaken assumption that everyone feels this way.

There are good clinical tests for attention but these are expensive to administer as they require a few hours time from a clinical psychologist and almost always can't be compared to a baseline of results when the patient had no probelms. Although they can be very telling but even they don't point to a solution as inattention is the cognitive end-point for a huge range of illnesses from dehydration and infection through to pain.

[pamela]

Glad you're still awake!

What health issues do you spend an inordinate amount of time discussing?

Carnitine depletion can be primary or secondary and occurs in many other conditions than thyroid problems.

L-carnitine is the only form prescribed medically but ALCAR is cheaper and has an additional benefit for cognitive improvement from its acetyl part. ALCAR is a staunch favourite of the supplements community but from my own experience of high dose ALCAR, I don't know why they are so enthusiastic. I take it because the carnitine part helps replace my low levels.

In fact, I take l-carnitine as well as ALCAR. I want to know if I can take only ALCAR for low carnitine because l-carnitine is hygroscopic and an uncoated tablet keeps so badly that it develops a moist film within hours of being exposed to the open air.

[pamela]

That reminds me of this joke:

There are 10 kinds of people in this world. Those who count in binary and those who don't.

:-)

[Tim Streater]

No, you were doing it correctly. It's the same process as for any long division, even if the dividend and divisor are both equations.

[Tim Streater]

What is a farting? Oh, and a groat has been out of use for considerably longer than 50 years, O ignorant one.

It's you that is the national embarrassment.

[Bob Eager]

There are actually 11 kinds of people. Those who count in binary, those who don't, and those who don't understand the joke.

[The Natural Philosopher]

60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hours, 24 hours in a day, 365.249 days in a year..

Oh dear oh dear.

why didnt god make 'e' a nice round number like 10..or Pi around 5.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Enjoy? You MUST be a socialist who believes they are entitled to enjoyment, and no effort, and nasty difficult stuff should be legislated away to be done by illegal immigrants on sub minimum wages.

[Albert Zweistein]

You think coding is something illegal immigrants could do? Of course you do, you're the retard who has no clue about physics.

[Albert Zweistein]

So the fact that 'nature' happens not have used 5 for Pi means humans shouldn't use a more easily calculable base for there numeric system? Let me guess when you want to take a shit you just do it wherever you happen to be because that's the 'natural' way and you're the 'natural' philosopher. Bet your house smells lovely.

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, I think its something illegal immigrants DO do.

Of course you

Hahaha.

I bet I've more scientific and tech qualifications than you have.

And that is what you cant stand, isn't it?

The the real science doesn't agree with your fashionable bigotry.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Oooh get you! Knickers in a twist up yer bum crack?

I was merely pointing out that making things easy for morons doesn't actually help when you have to do real science or engineering.

See my sig. Are we supposed to make the whole of human society a foam lined playpen so that people of reduced competence, such yourself, can thrive?

Because who is going to build the playpen, if we cant do hard maths?

That's the paradox of socialism. It destroys the very creativity competence and wealth that made it possible.

If you understand maths it's as easy to do it on one base as another.

Of course if you don't understand it, making it base ten gives the illusion that you do.

[soup]

...and rickets, don't forget the rickets.

Knowing about them and wishing their return are two different things.

[soup]

Because the old shilling was 'called' a "bob" . However I am talking about the 'silver' coin worth 10p which I have heard people call two bob.

[Tim+]

So what's the confusion? 10 pence is 2 bob in old money. Just because they shrank the coin doesn't change the value equivalence. Many of us have a fondness for old words and calling 10p "2 bob" is a pretty harmless affectation.

Tim

[soup]

Not anymore it isn't