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I had 6 teeth worked on in 3 sessions over the last 2 years. Laser plus abrasion for removal with low speed drill for shaping at the end. I wore foam earplugs plus defenders. I had a spike each time that lasted a couple of days with no permanent worsening. The drill is by far the worst part so...

I think that there are a few levels of effort to help relieve the suffering. First up would be to address the basic lifestyle choices that can be the foundation of the best possible health and coping skills: Eating a varied diet with the least amount of processing possible/practical. I find...

The Bible and the teachings of Christianity are by design, fixed. Assumed to be the inerrant word of God and therefore not subject to revision. When things like dinosaur bones and carbon dating come along, the science denial commences. After a rousing debate about climate change, it's just the...

When I was younger, I thought something was wrong with me. Surrounded by religious families, dragged off to church by relatives, forced to pray by believers but yet nothing. I was raised in an agnostic family so nothing there and my repeated exposure did nothing, no connection, none of it made...

All of this will become moot when we join the 99%, a statistical inevitability.

I wish you all the best. In the end we need to take our journey. George

Thank you for your kind words. Every day is not a good day indeed but if it was easy, anyone could do it. George

It is a shock when life throws you a curve ball, especially when that unexpected change takes away something or changes the plan, what you were expecting. When tinnitus and noxacusis first took away my music, I fell into a depression for about 6 months, the loneliness was crushing. That’s OK...

@gameover, thank you for asking. I have learned to ignore/adapt to my tinnitus probably 90% of the time. My pain hyperacusis is better but not gone. I’ve been very careful with my ears and stopped or modified any old activities that involve loud sounds like power tools and guns. I save my ears...

The universe is unimaginably complex and infinite in both directions. Compared to the vastness and complexity of this massive structure, humans are way too simple and undeveloped to comprehend all of its "laws", physics or otherwise. It is because of this that I believe that any God that may...

Not just the Jews but some Christians cherry pick the New Testament and/or Old Testament to suit their world view. The judgy angry people that like catching people not flying right and seeing punishment go Old Testament. Who says that if there is a God that "he" will be nice? Since we are...

There are so many versions out there to pick from. Hinduism is your Stephen King story but with an eventual offramp (Moksha) if and when you get your shit together through multiple rebirths (Samsara). There are over 1 billion Hindus. My feeling is that people go with either what they are taught...

It's all good, I know how important this is to you so I respect how you feel, same with my wife and her family. It's the journey man, a wild ride to be sure.

Several scientific models based on quantum physics such as causal set theory believe that the universe had no beginning, that it always was. These theories conclude that the Big Bang was an event, not the beginning. It’s unknowable either way. The vastness and complexity of the known universe is...

It gets even worse. My brother-in-law told me that I am the proof of Calvinism because I searched so diligently with an open mind and found nothing. In his view the only possible explanation is that God chose those who would be saved and those that would be subject to eternal damnation before...

No religion is over 50% of the population so, statistically, you're right about that, with any choice. In another couple of decades “no affiliation” is projected to exceed 50%, so...

Pizza sounds good, maybe we should be talking about pizza instead. Lol. Yes salt among other things makes my tinnitus spike but it’s temporary

I have been presented with and read this viewpoint before. The problem is that unless you really believe this in your heart, and any such God that exists will know your heart, then saying you're a Christian won't help you as would/will be the case for many who profess to be so. Searching and not...

After decades of exposure to the concept and searching for my truth I just come up empty on this. I just don’t feel anything towards it. It may have something to do with being very technical and spending a lifetime researching, testing, proving, and doubting critical assertions until I can...

I am not a believer but I have spent a lifetime around Christians. My mother, my wife and her entire family and two of my very best friends. 5 of them died in their 50s and suffered horribly and they were all seriously committed to their lord. I have no idea if there is a God or not but I do...

Step one is election finance reform. Like we have said here about religion gone bad, power and money.

I am not arguing against gun-ownership, it’s fundamental to our constitution but having the ability to rise up against the tyranny of government comes at a great cost to the population at large:

That sounds really good.

Stalin killed 6 million of his own people, many suffering horribly, Cambodia 2 million, Armenia 1 million, Rwanda 1 million, German atrocities on Russian soldiers during WWII 3 million, the Holocaust 7 million, countless war crimes with unspeakable suffering, Ukraine war crimes in progress. The...

@SarahMLFlemmer, in what way do "Christians" persecute each other? What is the basis for the hate?

Einstein once said that "power always attracts men of low morality". Its no different on this subject, inserting yourself between mortals and their God and demanding money has been shown to be very powerful and profitable. This really turned me off to religion in college but I eventually learned...

I am a open-minded person who has searched for truth on countless subjects throughout my life, including this one. I just come up completely empty-handed on religion. I was married to a Christian and was immersed in her families beliefs for over 20 years and nothing. Read their Bible with them...

Genetics, environment, lifestyle choices, who knows. Cancer does not care who you are or what kind of a life you live, only that you are a suitable host for cell mutation. There is no cure for my stage 4 cancer, although thankfully more progress has been made on other types of cancer.

I was married to a Christian, we were together for 22 years. It was never once an issue, we had mutual respect for each other’s beliefs. Other members of her family have a problem with my beliefs but never her.

I often wonder how much of all of this is what you are taught to believe by family and culture, what is passed down. I have met some who were not raised in religious homes that became believers so the family component is not entirely necessary but that seems to be the smaller set. At least as...

@Henry Orlando FL, interesting article, thanks.

I agree that there are plenty of evidence-based decisions being made but there are also metric shit tons of beliefs being formed and sides taken every day without it or based on lies and mistruths, many of them easily verified or disproven. I guess that’s why the old adage involves religion and...

One of the things that I find so interesting about this entire subject is that all the “action” was thousands of years ago and none of the more dramatic events have occurred in modern times. Additionally, the documentation of all of this, as summarized here was so many years removed and second...

I want to thank all of the kind and gracious people who come here to help others and give support and especially to all of those that have been so kind to me personally. Life can sometime deal you some crippling challenges but you can always find grace and compassion and be in the service of...

The "humanization" of spirituality results in a religion largely based on need which for some individuals can be rather fluid.

Religion is a human invention, frequently revised to create a new round of exclusivity and in some cases to wield power and influence. Inserting yourself between God and the worshiper as is often done, is a pretty powerful position to be in. A constant stream of revision, as you say, usually at...

We have a similar point of view. I’ve often wondered if there is a God, why is this so hard? When I have asked that question out loud, the answer I usually get is essentially that it’s my fault. The peak was at the end of World War II so I guess it’s true that there are no atheists in fox holes...

You are obviously very passionate about this subject, how is the priority for tinnitus research established or the priority among all competing medical conditions? Is this forum actually a significant source of information for research grant requests or decisions? If the answer is yes, then how...

So then you do not believe but it's not settled for you, or are you just checking your work? I can tell you that for me I was amazed at the sheer volume of believers, none of whom could offer me a single thing that got me there. For a while when I was younger I thought something was wrong with...

If you are a good person and are not hurting anybody, which I assume that you are, then I am glad that your faith helps or comforts you. I think that some people are definitely more in need of answers about the big eternal questions of life, the universe, evil, etc and finding comfort about...

Thank you. My wife passed away from cancer (her 4th) and I have two cancers, one of them stage 4 and incurable. And of course I am here as well. Yes, sometimes life can be quite brutal and a challenge to face but what choice do we have except get on with it with grace and humility? My wife was a...

Personally I assume at this point that this is what happens so we need to make the best of our 80 or so years and leave behind the best legacy and memories in others since that is what will survive our earthly presence. Never waste a good day. That's been my plan during the second half of my...

I believe that the truth is a mix of all of the above. Some who have tinnitus have comorbidity with a condition of the mind such as OCD or depression or anxiety, this is stated frequently here by members. That said, this is not always the case. Some people who have never had any of these issues...

I have made an assumption that physical proof does not and will not exist and so claims of proof because of only a personal emotion are pointless. If God reveals himself in the modern era in an indisputable form or way, then it would be knowable, I agree. My words would change considerably...

As long as you are not hurting anybody I'm good with all belief systems. For me it's personal and something that we need to arrive at on our own and then have our truth. Either you believe or you don't and it doesn't need to be proven empirically. Constant attempts to do so seem to me to be...

The spectrum of what is experienced here is huge and no 2 people are the same. It only makes sense that what works for one, will work for some others, but not all, maybe not even most. Every experience is still valuable, a tool that gives us more options. In the end, as stated, we must listen to...

Good for you, that's a positive experience. Same thing happens for me. As a matter of fact whenever something causes a spike, I get busy on something distracting. George

I recently dealt with this after a long layoff. This was my experience: I bought my own ultrasonic cleaner on Amazon and got caught up on the worst teeth using short sessions at home with earplugs and phones. I asked the hygienist to only use manual tools and I held the suction tool away from...