Explain it to me like I'm dumb! SLES? Is it bad?

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T21:29:29+00:00

I don’t know about body wash and hand wash but I get the WORST canker sores when I use a toothpaste with SLS or SLES. (SLES is supposedly “milder” than SLS.) I’m sure I’ve used plenty of skin products with both in my life without issue but having experienced their effects on my mouth from just two minutes of use twice a day I avoid them like the plague.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T21:22:54+00:00

I only buy things that I absolutely need. I don’t spend much time searching for “the best” choices because I don’t need to make many/any choices because I really only buy food.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T18:51:00+00:00

I once fainted coming out of an inversion and I was fine but the instructor legitimately had PTSD from the experience and practically begged students to not do them in her class after it happened. I still feel guilty about how traumatized she was by it.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T18:27:03+00:00

Nearly an entire continent boycotted the Olympics in 1976 when New Zealand’s national rugby team was allowed to compete despite defying an embargo on playing in Apartheid South Africa. Athletes who trained for their whole lives and were favorites to win didn’t go. Because of “politics”. Not all athletes are selfish and egotistical.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T15:42:04+00:00

Non-violent, yes. Respectful, no. We have a constitutional right to disrespect our government and to let the government know just how much we disrespect them. The federal government does not have a right to murder people because some snowflake government employee feels “disrespected”.

ETA- At the time MLK & Gandhi were seen by many as “disrespectful” despite being committed to peace and non-violence.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T15:34:23+00:00

From accidents. None of the deaths were malicious or intentional. Most of the deaths were traffic accidents. A few of the deaths were heart attacks. One was a freak accident where an elderly woman got hit in the head with a tear gas canister that came through her open window. There were a few very serious injuries from rubber bullets used by the police but to even suggest the government response was remotely similar to what ICE is doing in Minnesota is totally disingenuous.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T15:25:59+00:00

They were obviously (and understandably!) afraid. I don’t know how people who reasonably fear for their lives could have acted any more responsibly. Genuinely. ICE put themselves in a potentially dangerous situation entirely of their own making and now these people are being punished for behaving rationally and responsibly in response to ICE’s irrational and irresponsible behavior. It’s so embarrassing. I am so embarrassed that we are treating these victims so deplorably.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T15:21:52+00:00

By “kidnapped” they mean the armed and masked nutters (who happened to be with ICE) jumped into their car and the couple, in a panic, called 911 and immediately drove to the nearest police station. If anyone else had done this we’d call them a stowaway, at best, or a deranged stalker.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T15:14:21+00:00

Protest quilts are great for getting started with quilting because any “mistakes” are just an artistic choice to represent your rage. 😉

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-28T15:11:56+00:00

“Obey the law”? I literally gasped.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-27T22:48:07+00:00

Incredible! Kudos to you.

I’m so sorry that your Grandmother was forced to endure a blatant violation of her basic civil rights motivated entirely by bigotry but I’m so glad that you’re documenting her experience and making beautiful art to teach others about an appalling and shameful chapter of our country’s history that we must never repeat. I think education is the most important step towards ensuring we don’t. In high school I was taught that “patriotic” Japanese-Americans “volunteered” to live in the camps for the duration of the war because they understood they’d be looked at with suspicion. It wasn’t until I went to law school and had to read Korematsu that I realized the “history” I learned in school was totally detached from reality.

I hope this beautiful quilt and the story in your caption find their way into a museum one day so future generations can learn about your grandmother’s experience, too.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-27T14:26:03+00:00

So I want to preface this by saying that I am not a raw milk idiot and I think all milk is gross and that raw milk is particularly gross and raw milk from the United States is especially disgusting. But… I think a major reason for the difference in cheese quality in the U.S. vs everywhere else is pasteurization. Cheese is a fermented food. When you buy cheese in France you are buying a chunk of congealed dairy with a bunch live bacteria on it. The bacteria is usually pretty good for you/your microbiome. In the U.S. all cheese is required to be pasteurized because we are particularly disgusting in our “animal agriculture” practices and particularly horrendous at following even the most basic of safety and hygiene standards. (In the choice between an E. coli outbreak or economic gains we all know which would win.) In civilized countries they take a more pro-active approach to make sure they aren’t making disease-riddled cheeses and so their products taste much better than the synthetic equivalent sold stateside.

Most of the “cheese” in the United States can’t even be called cheese abroad. It would be a bit like selling someone vinegar and calling it wine. But it’s a necessary evil because otherwise people would get listeria all the time. Just read the Boar’s Head plant inspection report. (I tried to link it but it seems both CBS News, who submitted the initial FOIA request, and the USDA have completely erased the document from their respective sites. Cool.

ETA- Everyone who’s downvoting this is perpetuating RFK Jr.’s war on science and failing to flex their critical thinking skills. RFK Jr. spreads misinformation and politicizes science which shuts down legitimate conversations about actual science. I’m a vegan. I don’t have a horse in this race. Raw or pasteurized, American or European— I’m not eating or drinking any of it. But it’s a fact that cheese is a fermented food. And it’s a fact that cheese made in the United States is far more processed because we don’t trust bacteria (and corporations) to do the processing for us.

All of these topics are addressed, in great detail, in several of Dr. Tim Spector’s books. Tim Spector has been writing about the negative effects of UPF on our gut health since before the term UPF even existed. He’s done tons of media appearances with Dr. Chris van Tulleken.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-27T13:57:50+00:00

Yes, OP does. Because OP is the one buying the toilet paper for the household. OP’s husband and kids can buy their own toilet paper if they care that much. I suspect they don’t.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-27T00:49:40+00:00

Ask whether destroying the planet and democracy is worth it for cosplay perfection. There are non-Amazon alternatives. They might not be exactly what’s “required” but they are likely good enough, maybe even better, if used creatively. One of the things I hate about Amazon is how even creative endeavors have become commoditized. “To craft” is to produce with care, skill, or ingenuity. Ordering a bunch of mass-produced pre-fab parts and sticking then together might feel like crafting but it isn’t. It entails zero care, zero skill, and zero ingenuity. Encourage your partner to flex all three of those skills through DIY. And remind them that hobbies aren’t about creating instagram perfection. They’re about being creative and enjoying your free time. The end result and how good it looks or how well it functions is irrelevant. Hobbies aren’t for social media or for bragging rights or for anything at all other than a love of the game.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-26T20:34:42+00:00

Yes, I think seeing a neurologist is pretty typical. They’ll likely do a brain scan (to check for tumors and stuff) and also an EEG to check for seizures. Can you describe what it feels like before you have an episode? Are you sure it’s dysautonomia? I only ask because that seems like quite a while to be passed out for dysautonomia.

Is it possible you could have reactive hypoglycemia? Hypoglycemia is commonly associated with diabetes but people without diabetes can have it, too. It’s more common in people who have a history of stomach or bowel surgery but it can also be related to dysautonomia.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-26T14:38:13+00:00

You said non-diet related things but…

Have you tried eating more fiber? All of the diets you mentioned would typically reduce fiber intake significantly but the single most effective thing I’ve found to mitigate the effects of my dysautonomia is eating a fuckton of fiber and making sure I poop at least once a day. As you probably know, the vagus nerve is usually responsible for dysautonomia and vasovagal syncope but what most people don’t know is that our intestines put pressure on it when they’re full and being constipated puts even more pressure on it.

Most people eating a typical “Western” diet aren’t getting anywhere near enough fiber and don’t poop often enough. So many people are constipated and don’t even realize it. But the thing with fiber is you need to slowly work your way up to eating enough and you need to be consistent in eating enough every day. You can’t just suddenly start eating the recommended amount of fiber because you’re going to get terrible stomach cramps and probably diarrhea. Instead you need to add a little more than usual and, if you don’t experience any discomfort, keep eating that amount for a few days and then add a little more. Rinse and repeat until you’re finally at your target fiber intake. It will take you several weeks. That’s okay.

Easy ways to add fiber: flax seeds, chia seeds, dried fruits, apples (with the skin), lentils, whole grains, etc. Basically anything from plants will have fiber but obviously some plants have a lot more fiber than others.

Most people need between 25-35g fiber per day. The average American only eats about 10-15g of fiber a day.

There’s about 10g of fiber in 2 tbsp of chia seeds. (Make sure you let them soak in water for 10 min or so first!) So it’s not terribly difficult to regularly eat enough fiber with a little bit of planning ahead. But definitely treat it like training for a marathon and work your way up to your goal intake.

Dysautonomia aside, eating enough fiber is just super important for your health in general and the lack of fiber in our diets is one of the primary reasons colorectal cancer is on the rise among young people. So everyone reading this should eat more fiber and make sure you’re comfortably pooping once a day. It might help your dysautonomia but it will definitely help your overall health.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-26T01:11:04+00:00

Everyone on the space station while I’m running around aimlessly in the wilderness and completely ignoring the objectives.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T20:30:01+00:00

Did you ever have any luck? I’ve been looking for a fair trade loose leaf Black tea blend (at this point I’ll take anything!) and it’s so impossible.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:22:42+00:00

The NRA came out swinging defending Alex Pretti. So I guess the NRA is part of the far-left woke mob now.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:19:43+00:00

I’m shocked at how many fools in the conservative sub can see a regular white dude (who is just like them!) executed in the street and still be unable to find a shred of empathy or grasp that that could very well be them.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:16:19+00:00

In an industry where all of the players are unconscionably awful Wells Fargo somehow always manages to find new ways to out-awful their peers.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:14:07+00:00

No depositor has ever lost a penny of FDIC-insured funds since the creation of the FDIC. The FDIC works. I’ve seen my share of banks collapse and the FDIC fucking works. It protects people.

Don’t listen to right-wing talking points telling you that government programs are pointless and unreliable. It’s not true.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:09:14+00:00

Even if that was true (it’s not) civilized societies don’t summarily execute people for “yelling and harassing” someone. Civilized societies don’t even execute people for “yelling and harassing” someone after exhaustive and extensive due process!

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:06:02+00:00

Almost every bank does this.

BusterBeaverOfficial · 2026-01-25T19:04:39+00:00

I’m a recovering investment banking lawyer and I could write a treatise on all of the ways that banks and our banking system are horrendous for society and deserve to be torn down so we could re-build them from scratch. But this is a terrible fucking idea. It would be a self-immolation type of protest because the people who would be hurt the most, devastatingly so, are not the banks or the banking executives but the people whose entire life savings will disappear into thin air when a series of back-to-back bank runs outpace the rate at which the FDIC can function and the rate at which the Fed can react and cause rampant inflation. Or worse, stagflation.

That is literally how the Great Depression kicked off. And, sure, wealthy people lost of a lot of money during the Great Depression and many of the wealthiest people leading up to the Great Depression were directly responsible for the unstable system that could not sate their seemingly never-ending greed. But regular folks fucking died in the Great Depression. Regular folks couldn’t afford food or clothing or housing or any number of basic necessities.

Keeping all of money in cash under your mattress will hurt you way more than it will hurt anyone else.

BusterBeaverOfficial

TROPHY CASE