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Ask HN: How do you hack your health?

by kovek on 2/10/22, 12:49 AM with 6 comments

I've read here about people who found out over much time that their son was allergic to an orange pigment present in foods. [0]

I've read here about people figure out over long trials how to fall asleep.

I've read here about people who had headache issues and found out that it was related to some bacteria in their gut. [1]

And I'm wondering for me, who is trying to figure out why is my memory poor, how do I deal with my mental health.

I heard about functional medicine, though I'm not sure how much that will help my case. How would you go about it?

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24568047

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16672434

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30236175

  • by new_guy on 2/10/22, 1:16 AM

    It's possible to train your memory like any other muscle. In fact, personally I think all children should spend the first couple of years in school learning how to develop a photographic memory.

    It'd make the rest of their lives so much easier! Instead most people only learn this stuff (if at all) after graduation when it's not as useful as it could be.

    Method of Loci is one generally used ( https://artofmemory.com/wiki/How_to_Build_a_Memory_Palace/ ) there's lots of resources out there.

    But also don't neglect your physical health, and your diet etc. Get a good relationship with a doctor, shun pills etc. Most times the person is perfectly healthy it's the environment and situation that's killing them, get out to the countryside etc.

  • by BoorishBears on 2/10/22, 1:03 AM

    Way too many factors (Age, weight, activity level, etc.) to get anything useful from this question that you wouldn't already know:

    - Build a relationship with a good doctor

    - Get more sleep

    Even advice as innocent as "more veggies less red meat", isn't as universal as it sounds. Someone morbidly obese and eating empty carbs all day might be better served temporarily choking on red meat if it helped them control their eating for example.

  • by clouddrover on 2/10/22, 1:17 AM

    > How would you go about it?

    See a doctor. Doctors are better at medicine than you.