I'm sure some yogis have got this thing down to self-control already. The body does this itself, slowly if unfocused. I'm sure tech is the answer though, it is on HN.
A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
161–170 of 178 posts
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#162This sounds like a really bad idea. Controlling pain, maybe, but even than raises issues of what exactly is pain and what is control. What people are not seeing here is that pain is a generalized concept in the brain. The pain of loss, the pain of remembering, and so on are also pain and without that pain we are at risk of losing our humility and humanity. I have some personal experience with this in an ex-friend who…
who takes a lot of pain killers and has done a lot of terrible things to me and others apparently in part because he feels no pain over anything he does and hence no guilt Out of curiosity, what is this conclusion based on? Going off of only what you've said here, insofar as there is a relationship between the painkillers and his antisocial behavior, I would be more inclined to believe any of the following before the…
Good points and it would be difficult to rigorously say either way. What I would add to this is that all these other factors were in play and then after the painkillers came in everything changed and he went off the deep end.
If nothing else this is a point worth at least brief consideration. This is not about whether or not I rigorously tracked my ex friend's descent into evil, it is about whether or not being relieved of pain is the consequence free or limited consequence option that it is being portrayed to be. We used to think polluting wasn't a big deal and we used to think that toxic fire retardants in clothes and furniture wasn't a big deal. As it is if you offer me no more pain ever again medical treatments then I will refuse that.
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd like to hear as much as you'll talk about this.
It's just Kratom. It's basically a low level heroin. It's addictive and not really a walk in the park and detoxing from it is very bad. Google Kratom Withdrawal. It also fucks your kidneys, in a pretty short time of chronic use.
I was hoping to hear the parts that make those things more bearable than what they had before.
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
Opioid addiction is not like other addiction mechanisms. After prolonged use the gastrointestinal system is ravaged and when people want to stop they find themselves plagued not only with withdrawals symptoms but also by incredible abdominal pain, so they take more opioids, which worsens the pain, which requires more opioids to alleviate , which worsens the gastrointestinal damage and subsequent pain, and so on... It…
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for pointing this syndrome out to me. I'm almost sure I have this after years of being prescribed Tramadol for chronic abdominal pain that only ever gets worse. At first it was a life changer. Am now on the max prescribed dose, and the progression of pain seems to only accelerate each time I've upped the dose.
Did they at least try to figure out why you have this abdominal pain?
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#165The Hedonistic Imperative outlines how genetic engineering and nanotechnology will abolish suffering in all sentient life. The abolitionist project is hugely ambitious but technically feasible. It is also instrumentally rational and morally urgent. The metabolic pathways of pain and malaise evolved because they served the fitness of our genes in the ancestral environment. They will be replaced by a different sort of…
>The Hedonistic Imperative outlines how genetic engineering and nanotechnology will abolish suffering in all sentient life.
Aside from the suffering of a boring life without suffering, like a pampered baby in a glass bowl...
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Two hundred years ago, powerful synthetic pain-killers and surgical anesthetics were unknown. But opium sure as hell wasn't! And it seems to check most of your suggested boxes too, however I don't think it makes for a good society, perhaps you should consider why, because it's pretty much what you're suggesting. Why enjoy social interaction? Why enjoy arts? Why learn things? You'd be perfectly happy with more magic…
> Unpleasantness, and yes, pain is as important a part of being as any other part. That's not really an argument; that's just "pain is an important part of being because pain has always been a part of our being". It's not hard to imagine a world where we can live without pain but still live meaningful lives. The one thing I'd worry about is losing pain where it's useful. If I touch something hot, I want to know immed…
>It's not hard to imagine a world where we can live without pain but still live meaningful lives.
Actually it's pretty hard to imagine it.
Tons of people conditions without adversity dwindle and end up shooting heroin, killing themselves, or worse, living long lives as accountants.
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
> running across the hot desert sand in order to reach water would actually feel good And so people would seek it out. We already seek out every other form of pleasure- both positive (intimacy) and maladaptive (drugs). If anything, this sounds like attempting to over-fit for fitness.
They would deliberately set themselves up to need to run across hot sand to reach water? Why? (I understand why a standard human might do that, but how would stranding oneself in a desert be adaptive? And if it isn’t adaptive, why would a hypothetical “harmonized human” do it?)
Parkour, skydiving, downhill skiing, motorcycling, drag racing, autoerotic asphyxiation, Russian roulette.
Out of all the things known to nature, humans find the most incredible ways to entertain and please themselves to death.
If you remove the element of pain and replace it with pleasure, people will find new and exciting ways to chase that pleasure too.
Run into unsafe neighborhoods at night and feel the joy of running back home. Roll around in broken glass and let the euphoria of stitching yourself back together set in.
> And if it isn’t adaptive, why would a hypothetical “harmonized human” do it?)
They'll do whatever you want them to do, because they are neither real nor human.
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd like to hear as much as you'll talk about this.
It's just Kratom. It's basically a low level heroin. It's addictive and not really a walk in the park and detoxing from it is very bad. Google Kratom Withdrawal. It also fucks your kidneys, in a pretty short time of chronic use.
Wow, smear campaign much?
I don't know of anyone who ever injected this plant or did sexual favors for it. What about it makes you compare it to Heroin, one of the most addictive and elicit narcotics on the planet?
I've been taking Mitragyna for years and have no kidney issues. My kidney function is checked regularly and my GFR and BUN ratios are fine.
Secondly, any drug, even antidepressants, have some form of dependency. The withdrawal from Mitragyna isn't bad. With a simple taper, one can easily get off of it. I've done so myself a couple times. Google oxycodone withdrawal, Xanax withdrawal, Lexapro withdrawal..ad infinitum. Most controlled prescription drugs have far worse withdrawals.
Here's one bit of truth I'll agree with: buying Mitragyna from gas stations or head shops is a terrible way to acquire it. And these sources may be impure or tainted and cause health issues. Perhaps that's where your kidney damage statements come from.
Always buy Mitragyna from a reputable and GMP certified vendor. The American Kratom Association lists some vendors: https://www.americankratom.org/
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's just Kratom. It's basically a low level heroin. It's addictive and not really a walk in the park and detoxing from it is very bad. Google Kratom Withdrawal. It also fucks your kidneys, in a pretty short time of chronic use.
I was hoping to hear the parts that make those things more bearable than what they had before.
It doesn't cause constipation like the prescription opioids. It's a partial agonist, so it does not build up tolerance and continues to work at the same dose for extended periods of time. It's all natural and a green leafy vegetable, so it's a good source of micronutrients. It is a better pain reliever, more similar to Tramadol/Tapentadol (partial norepinephrine agonists) than the other opioids. Tramadol is too weak and has a max dosage that is quite low. Tapentadol is extremely expensive and not covered by all insurances.
Mitragyna is affordable, shelf safe, and sustainable. It's a silver bullet compared to the unsustainable lifestyle that chronic pain doctors are pumping out with their prescription pads. What other questions do you have?
Re: A new brain implant automatically detects and kills pain in real time
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
My dad cannot feel pain in his feet- it is terrible, as he often doesn't know they are even injured until he leaves bloody footprints around the house, or infection sets in deeply. "Abolition" of all physical pain is an asinine desire that will only lead to our detriment.
Something similar happened to an old friend of mine - he didn't know he had diabetes, and due to the resulting nerve damage in his feet had no idea anything was wrong until after gangrene had set in. I haven't seen him in a while but I understand he came out of it pretty well, in that he "only" lost a few toes and managed to keep most of his foot. I hope your dad is managing ok and avoids this sort of mishap.
Everyone should get an annual hemoglobin A1c screening blood test. There are a huge number of undiagnosed diabetics.