Posted by FireBreather on October 22, 2005, at 9:39:07
In reply to Re: Linkadge-requesting your opinion/thoughts » FireBreather, posted by MM on October 22, 2005, at 3:00:58
> I'm still really lost about how the brain works, but if you keep doing this, is there any chance you would burn out your endorphin? receptors? like the way a heroin addict has to keep taking more and more to feel the effects?....Also, I have no problem with jalapenos, or some sauces that are labeled HOT...I'm sure those aren't close to as hot as the peppers you describe, but what were your reactions to them before you tried this? I love eating hot mexican food because I can feel my body "cleansing" or so it seems (with sweating and sinuses getting cleared...lol, kind of graphic, sorry). Anyway, I find this intriguing as well. And I like the name, lol.
Well, in my opinion I dont think there will be any negative effects on the endorphin system/receptors. I feel that it works on the same level (to an extent) as exercise. Millions of people are addicted to exercise cuz it makes them feel good, it can cause "runners high" which is when your brain releases endorphins, among other things. Drugs like morphine or heroin or even amphetamine have negative effects long term on endorphin simply because they are drugs and our brain knows this, so it compensates. However, responding to pain (or virtual pain caused by peppers) is what the brain is programmed to do, so I feel that the endorphins are only being asked to do what they were meant to do, not something fake like drugs. If I eat a bunch of onions, then pretty soon I will have gas. If I eat onions everyday, I would have gas everyday. My "Gas receptors" LOL are not going to stop working, they are doing there job. As far as needing more, I havent noticed that yet. But if that did happen then that could be considered a good thing. Its showing you are becoming more resilient to pain. Like exercise, start off jogging 1 mile and eventually that becomes easy. You then go to 2 miles. Eventually thats easy. Eventually you will find your threshold where tolerance would not be an option because the effects are so intense, I hope that makes some sense.
My reactions to eating jalapenos/tabasco sauce or mexican food were a tingling in the tongue followed by MINOR pain, and MINOR flushing. The effects from eating a Raw Jalapeno compared to a raw Habanero are laughable. Like being punched by a child vs. being punched by Mike Tyson. On the Scoville Scale (the way to measure heat from peppers) Jalapenos are between One thousand and ten thousand. Habaneros are 200,000 to 400,000. Keep in mind the scale goes from 0 to 16 million Scoville Units, so Habaneros are still actually kind of weak. As I described in my original post, my reaction is fierce. But then again, I am doing it because I believe long term adderall usage has altered my brain circuitry. So, I may be more sensitive than others. It is known that people with depression have a lower pain threshold, so maybe people with depression more intensely.
Sweat, Tears, Mucous, and saliva literally flow from my face. The pain is excruciating, its not a sharp pain. It starts off tingling and then keeps building until it is very intense. It also causes me to get angry and aggressive, but its really a good release, lets out alot of stress. I started with Habaneros which was a bit extreme to start with in my opinion. Now I am using a hot sauce that has a Scoville Rating of 7 million. It has pure capsaicin crystals in it. Its like the Habaneros, but another level of suffering. I may start alternating between Habaneros and the sauce cuz the Habaneros have other heat inducing chemicals besides Capsaicin, but capsaicin is the hottest of all of them and is the most studied. Im definitely interested in hearing if you or anyone may experiment with this. I dont have a hangover or feel like crap this morning which is pretty interesting, I went out last night for the first time in a while. Take Care
poster:FireBreather
thread:570218
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050924/msgs/570373.html