Raythen

Karma: 3

Raythen 23 Apr 2014 8:32 UTC
4 points
on: Welcome to Less Wrong! (6th thread, July 2013)
Hello fellow LWers,

I’m Raythen, a 25 year old European male.

I discovered this community via HPMOR.

I’d say that the rationalist way of thinking is a natural fit for me. It just makes a lot if sense, and it surprises me when other people don’t think this way. To be fair, I haven’t always thought this way either, but I’ve had quite many thoughts on the subject which are now complemented by LW material.

Besides rationality, I’m primarily interested in psychology and understanding human behavior.

To counter my general nonconformist tendency :), here are some of the things I like about what I’ve seen of LW so far: -general intent to be rational -serious effort to improve the world -models of human behavior and human cognition that actually make sense -openness to discuss most subjects, including controversial and “difficult” ones

Raythen 30 Apr 2014 7:21 UTC
3 points
on: Issues with the Litany of Gendlin
I agree with Raemon.

Mostly posting to express my agreement; for group dynamic purposes.

Incidentally, some years before discovering LW I was facing a similar problem to ones that the Tarsky and Gendlin litanies strive to address. The affirmation I came up with was

“You are not choosing whether to have a problem or not. Sure it would be nice not to have a problem, but that’s not a choice that is offered. What are you doing is choosing whether to become AWARE of an already existing problem/situation”

Raythen 6 May 2014 15:38 UTC
10 points
on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
I wonder what you think of the question of the origin of consciousness i. e. “Why do we have internal experiences att all?” and “How can any physical process result in an internal/subjective experience?”

I’ve read some material on the subject before, and reading the quantum physics and identity sequence got me thinking about this again.

Raythen 6 May 2014 20:38 UTC
1 point
in reply to: [deleted]’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Thank you—this is helpful.

Raythen 7 May 2014 17:50 UTC
4 points
on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Hi, I wonder how you would use your rationality skills to solve this problem.

I’m very sensitive to cold and have been for at least 2-3 years. (I’m a 25 year old male). This is manageable with (really) warm clothes, but sometimes very inconvenient.

I’ve seen multiple doctors about this, and the response I’ve got was basically “our tests indicate there’s nothing wrong with you, so there’s nothing I can do”. I’ve left multiple blood samples, and all the things that were tested are within normal (well, my trombocyte count is a bit low. Doubt it’s related to this).

I’m slightly underweight, and have a history of fatigue and depression.

I’m looking for both practical advice and general rationality advice on how to deal with a confusing health problem.

Raythen 7 May 2014 20:12 UTC
0 points
in reply to: Lumifer’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
⁹⁰⁄₆₀ mmHg according to what a doctor told me during a measurement a month ago (though my journal says ⁹⁸⁄₆₀ for some reason). 105/60 in an another measurement a week before that.

Thyroid panel:
P-TSH mIE/L 1.5 (0.3-4.2)
P-T4, free pmol/L 15 (12-22)
P-T3, free pmol/L 5.2 (3.1-6.8)
S-Ak, (IgG) TPO kIE/L 8 (<34)

The last one is TPO antibodies. The parentheses are the reference ranges at my lab.

All values are within what is considered normal range. I’ve also had the thyroid physically examined (though palpation) and it appears there are no abnormalities (it’s not swollen or enlarged).

I have not measured my body temperature.

Raythen 7 May 2014 20:18 UTC
0 points
in reply to: CAE_Jones’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Thanks for sharing.
(just posted my blood pressure results in an another comment)

Raythen 8 May 2014 7:43 UTC
0 points
in reply to: ChristianKl’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Not regularly.
I exercise at a gym (upper body strength program, started quite recently).

Raythen 8 May 2014 7:56 UTC
0 points
in reply to: ChristianKl’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
I’ve had a really bad childhood and experienced a lot of severe emotional trauma throughout my life since then, including at that time.

Raythen 8 May 2014 20:40 UTC
0 points
in reply to: ChristianKl’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Yes, to the extent it’s realistically possible.

Raythen 8 May 2014 20:56 UTC
0 points
in reply to: Lumifer’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
I doubt it’s a “thermoregulation set point” issue, since I haven’t always felt this way.

Thanks for pointing out the blood pressure thing. I hadn’t considered it might be related to cold sensitivity.

I have considered it might be a thyroid issue, and I am familiar with the controversy around thyroid disease. Not completely trusting all the alternative claims—but I think there’s enough evidence to believe something might be going on. I think I might try to get a prescription for thyroid hormone medication, and see if it improves my condition. I’ll probably try other options first, since there are potential side effects.

Raythen 9 May 2014 14:02 UTC
2 points
in reply to: Lumifer’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Thanks, these seem like good suggestions.

I’ve made a list of what I’ll try to have checked. Any comments?

DHEA-S
DHT
Estradiol
Estrone
PSA
Pregnenolone
Total and Free Testosterone
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
Insulin like Growth factor (IGF-1)

Raythen 9 May 2014 14:36 UTC
0 points
in reply to: mare-of-night’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Interesting perspective, thanks.

I am taking vitamins and have been for some time.

My diet has had a random drift over time due to practical concerns, taste changing etc… and random diet adjustments don’t seem to have a noticeable effect. There might some specific nutritional strategies that would help—I don’t have enough information to choose one, though.

More data and more detailed observations seem like a good idea. There might have been some fluctuations, but I’m not noticing any obvious correlations (besides, you know, exposure to cold temperatures).

Raythen 9 May 2014 14:41 UTC
2 points
in reply to: NancyLebovitz’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Thanks. A hormone check does seem like a good idea to me.

Raythen 14 May 2014 17:03 UTC
2 points
in reply to: NancyLebovitz’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
It’s possible. I don’t know. I eat when I’m hungry, which is quite regularly (once per 3-4 hours, maybe 5), so I’m definitely not starving myself. And if I try to eat more, I feel unpleasantly full, and I feel less hungry later—so I don’t think it makes a difference.

I’m not sure how to check whether I’m eating enough save for counting calories (which seems complicated and unreliable).

I’m hoping I’ll gain some muscle mass by exercise, both for its own sake and because weight gain by other means doesn’t seem to be working for me (I suspect I naturally have a slim build).

Raythen 21 May 2014 10:51 UTC
8 points
in reply to: Stefan_Schubert’s comment on: Open Thread, May 19 − 25, 2014
Different people have different needs. Some people would be happy in cheap housing and others wouldn’t—maybe they’re more sensitive to sounds, environmental conditions or whatever else is the difference is between cheap housing and more expensive housing.

The point is, there’s no basic standard that would satisfy everyone (unless that’s a reasonably high standard, which isn’t what is proposed here). Some people would consider more expensive goods and services NEEDS rather than luxuries, and for good reason—consuming cheaper alternatives might not kill them, but it would make them depressed, less healthy and less productive (for example)

So it is unfair to subsidize certain goods and services and not others—one might wonder “why is my neighbor getting her needs met for cheap, while I have to pay full price to meet my needs?”

Raythen 21 May 2014 13:24 UTC
3 points
on: Open Thread, May 19 − 25, 2014
Is there a way to get email notifications on receiving new messages or comments? I’ve looked under preferences, and I can’t find that option.

Raythen 21 May 2014 16:08 UTC
12 points
in reply to: jaime2000’s comment on: Open Thread, May 19 − 25, 2014
That makes sense. Even cooperating across short time frames might be problematic—“I’ll stay in bed for 10 more minutes, even if it means that me-in-10-minutes will be stressed out and might be late for work”

I prefer to see long-term thinking as increased integration among different time-selves rather than a sacrifice, though—it’s not a sacrifice to take actions with a delayed payoff if your utility function puts a high weight on your future-selves’ wellbeing.

Raythen 21 May 2014 16:33 UTC
1 point
on: Group Rationality Diary, May 16-31
Change the dates to May 16-31?

Raythen 22 May 2014 11:49 UTC
0 points
in reply to: Raythen’s comment on: Open Thread, May 5 − 11, 2014
Thank you for all the comments and suggestions. :)

At this point I have made an appointment to have my hormone levels checked (as suggested by Lumifer and NancyLebovitz).

I also think my blood pressure and circulation is worth looking into.

I’m still processing a lot of the suggestions and ideas, and might make another thread on this in the future.