What is a Healthy Scientific Ecosystem?

Seth Roberts8 Comments

An area of science is an ecosystem in the sense that research builds on other research. In an ordinary ecosystem the animals and plants need each other. Different organisms add different things. Their contributions fit together. In a healthy scientific ecosystem, different types of research add different things and fit together.

Personal science (science done to help yourself) differs greatly from professional science (science done as a job). The big differences help personal science and professional science benefit from each other. They are likely to benefit each other because they have interlocking strengths and weaknesses. Personal science is fast (experiments can be started quickly), has great endurance (experiments can last years), cheap, and intensely focussed on benefit. Professional science has none of these features, but it has other features that personal science lacks: it is “wealthy” (allowing expensive equipment and tests), peer-reviewed, and not intensely focussed on benefit, which allows studies without obvious value. These differences suggest that a system that contains both kinds of science is going to function better than a system with only one kind. Peer review, for example, is a helpful filter but may also suppress the diversity of ideas that are tested. Which implies that not all science should be peer-reviewed.

The relation between personal and professional science somewhat resembles the relation between animals (= personal science) and plants (= professional science). Animals and plants are very different, as are personal and professional science. Animals move faster than plants; personal science moves faster than professional science. Animals range more widely than plants. Likewise, a personal scientist can test a much wider range of treatments than a professional scientist. If you want to sleep better, for example, you can try almost anything. Professional scientists cannot try almost anything. For example, they cannot test treatments considered “crazy”.

Animals and plants helped each other evolve, in the sense of diversifying to exploit new habitats. Animals helped plants exploit new habitats because they increased seed dispersal. This helped plants “test” more locations, helped them survive difficult circumstances such as drought (because some places are drier than others), and reduced competition between seeds (allowing more resources to be devoted to overcoming bad features of new places). Animals are like catalysts that speed up the combination of old plant and new environment to yield new plant. Likewise, plant evolution helped animals evolve because new plants in new places provided more food, more diverse food, and more places to live.

It is likely that personal science and professional science will help each other “evolve” (e.g., solve problems). Personal science wouldn’t function well without professional science. For example, statistical packages, which help personal scientists, wouldn’t exist without professional science. In the other direction, personal science can help professional science “evolve” (e.g., solve problems, build better theories) in two ways. One is idea generation, especially discovery of new cause-effect relationships. Personal scientists can easily do large amounts of trial and error. They can easily test many “crazy” (= low-probability-of-success )treatments, one after the other, until they find something that works. Professional scientists cannot do this sort of thing, which in the world of professional science has a derogatory name: fishing expedition. The other way personal science can help professional science involves idea application. Personal science can tailor ideas from professional science to individual circumstance. Professional scientists don’t like to do this. They would rather do a big study in which all subjects are treated alike. Making better practical use of ideas from professional science is what Richard Bernstein did when he invented home blood glucose monitoring. He made better use of already-known cause-effect relationships.

I have not heard scientists talk about science as an ecosystem. If they did, it might cut down on the dismissiveness (correlation does not equal causation, the plural of anecdote is not data, etc.), evidence snobbery, and one-way skepticism.

Vitamin D3 in Morning Has Ambiguous Effects on Sleep and Energy (Story 15)

Seth Roberts9 Comments

A reader named Murray Love made a comment about Vitamin D3 and sleep that at least sounds negative:

As a counterpoint [to this post], I’ve been taking 4-5,000 IU of D3 for a couple of months now, and while it might be making me feel better in other ways (more vital, upbeat, and energetic), it has coincided with a stretch of poor sleep. I have what they (hilariously) call “terminal insomnia” — that is, I usually have no trouble at all falling asleep, but I wake regularly at night and am permanently awake very early, often from 4:30am onwards. This has been a periodic problem for a few years now, though this stretch is notably tolerable, for some reason.

I asked for details:

Tell me about yourself.

I’m an engineer, Victoria, BC, age 44. A big confounding factor with me is that I started a new job in November, for which I get up at 6 am and (on most days) ride my bicycle about 12 km (7.5 mi) to work, instead of walking a few blocks as I did with my previous job. I started taking the D3 and having this round of sleep problems all within a few weeks of starting the new job, so it’s difficult to disentangle all the correlations.

What time of day do you take the D3? What brand?

I take it around 6:30 am with my coffee. London Drugs (generic Canadian drugstore brand) 1000 IU tablets, though I’d prefer higher-IU gelcaps for ease of swallowing. I usually don’t eat anything for breakfast unless I’m cooking for my sons, in which case it’s meat and eggs with some fruit. Other times, when I’m not cooking but feeling hungrier than the norm at that time of day, I’ll have a handful of almonds or mixed nuts around the same time as the D3.

You started taking D3 because of my posts about it?

That sparked my interest, since I thought it might help with early-morning insomnia. But I’ve also been reading about the benefits of D3 for a while, such as at Dennis Mangan’s blog here and here.

You write: “This has been a periodic problem for a few years now,” What do you mean by “periodic”? For the last few years — before the D3 — on what fraction of nights did you have this problem?

“Periodic” means that I experience it almost every day (weekends included) for several weeks or a few months at a time, then it goes away for some reason and I sleep more normally for several months. The usual pattern for my insomnia is: I go to bed at 10:30, give or take 90 minutes, fall asleep almost immediately, wake up 1-2 times during the night (usually briefly), then around 4:30 am wake up and either a) doze lightly and intermittently until my 6 am get-up time, or b) stay awake.

Since you started the D3, on what fraction of nights do you have this problem?

I’d guess 85%. Once in a while, I manage to get some catch-up sleep and surprise myself by sleeping in.

You write: “this stretch is notably tolerable, for some reason.” Could you say more about this? What do you mean by “notably tolerable”?

It means I am surprised that my typical 4.5- to 7-hour sleeps do not seem to be affecting my energy level, mood, or ability to concentrate, even over several days. Since I went low-carb mixed with intermittent fasting back in 2008, I don’t tend to get mid-morning or early-afternoon energy dips, but since I started taking D3 (NB. plus new job, plus riding my bike again) I seem to be much more alert and cheerful, almost regardless of sleep. My experience seems remarkably similar to the other reader’s comment you posted this morning (27-Jan).

How Things Begin (honey wine vinegar)

Seth Roberts4 Comments

At the recent Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, the most impressive product I encountered was a honey wine vinegar made by Slide Ridge Honey, a small family business in northern Utah. I interviewed the developer, Martin James, about how the business and product began.

How did your business begin?

I started keeping bees when I was 9 years old. It was a hobby. When I was in my thirties, I wanted to start a business. I’d been doing flooring. Carpet, linoleum, that sort of thing. Large commercial jobs and residential. I wanted to be my own boss, control my own destination, have my own business. I started a honey business with my two sisters, one older, one younger.That was 10 years ago.

How did this product begin?

We wanted a more unique product. We wanted to expand beyond Utah. When you ship butter somewhere, it’s already there — local honey. So it’s hard to enter the market. We wanted to diversify our business so we weren’t only selling honey. We wanted higher profit margins.

My sisters and I discussed lots of possible products. Eventually vinegar came out the favorite. There are only two other people making honey wine vinegar — one in Washington State (Honey Ridge Farms), the other in Italy. If you put our products side by side, you’ll see they’re totally different.

The development took 7 years. The first step was to use honey to make wine. I got yeasts from wine shops, brewing shops, and mail order. I needed to find a yeast that was compatible with honey. The first ones I tried produced off flavors — for example, the wine smelled like gasoline. I finally found a yeast that was compatible with honey, that made an excellent honey wine. The next step was to produce vinegar. To do that I used an acetobacter — a microbe that eats alcohol and makes acid. It feels like piece of wet leather. What kombucha makers call a scooby. I found the acetobacter I needed from a vinegar maker in Napa Valley — a vinegar maker.

There was also four years of paperwork. Local, state, federal.

What has surprised you?

The reception. When they taste it, people’s eyes light up. I hadn’t prepared myself for the product to take off so well. Repeat customers buy 3 bottles. A lot of specialty chefs have taken an interest. A lot of TV chefs have come by.

 

 

 

 

 

50,000 IU Vitamin D3 in Morning Once/Week Improves Sleep (Story 14)

Seth Roberts3 Comments

A reader named Tim G commented:

Blood tests last year [2011] showed I had low Vitamin D levels so I was put on a 50,000 IU once/week regimen for 3 months using a prescription D2 (ergocalciferol). A recheck after 3 months showed my level had hardly changed. A search of PubMed showed conflicting views on using the D2 form. So for the next 3 months I used ProHealth D3 Extreme 50,000 IU (via Amazon.com) instead of another D2 scrip my doc had given me. I always took the D2 or D3 in the morning (just lucky happenstance.)

The second recheck, after the second 3 mo., showed my Vitamin D level was normal. I hadn’t put it all together until seeing this post, but when using the D3 I had the same effect [as what is described in this post] — when I got tired, I got *really* tired right at bedtime, and slept like a rock.

Even though it has been less than a month since stopping the weekly dose, I have noticed my sleep degrading somewhat, and lately not even being tired when I should.

I asked for details:

Tell me about yourself.

I’m a 50 year old reasonably healthy guy who is a lifetime Massachusetts resident. I’m in the IT profession (managing computer systems, programming and such). So I am someone who 1) lives at a higher latitude, 2) during the day garners minimal Vitamin D from the glow of LCD displays and fluorescent lights, and also 3) generally dislikes the heat of summer and burns easily.

Why did you take D3 once/week rather than once/day?

My intent was to mimic the original doctor’s prescription of a single 50K/wk dose, while substituting D3 for the prescribed D2. At the time, I had no good reason to change to a daily schedule, although it intuitively struck me as odd to take a single large dose rather than smaller, more evenly distributed doses.

What time in the morning did you take it? What time do you get up in the morning?

I get up around 6-6:30 am. I would take the D3 around 6:15-6:45 am.

Why did your doctor prescribe D2 rather than D3?

I think it was simply rote procedure and cost. When I asked him after my first 3 months on D2, he said that the prescription D2 was cheaper than the prescription D3, and that he had seen the D2 usually work quite well to bring up Vitamin D levels, although it did sometimes take multiple 3-month courses to achieve normal levels. He seemed unaware of the literature criticizing the use of D2 as a supplement.

You write: “When using the D3 I had the same effect of when I got tired, I got *really* tired right at bedtime, and slept like a rock” What was it like when you were taking the D2? What was your sleep like before you started the D2?

To the best of my recollection I did not have a similar response when taking D2. However, since this was not something I intentionally tracked, I may be mistaken.

Before taking D2 or D3 I thought I slept reasonably well. However, in retrospect, I would awake a few times during the night, take longer to fall asleep, and awaken less refreshed than with my “Vitamin D sleep”.

You write: “not being tired when I should” — when is that?

What I meant is that when I’d get into bed at night, rather than feel tired (in the sense of “an onset to sleep”, not “worn out”) I would feel either wide awake or worn out, or both. By contrast, when taking the D3, almost as soon as I would lie down in bed I would feel an onset to sleep. Yesterday morning, I took one of my leftover 50K D3 pills and last night’s sleep did seem to confirm the efficacy of the D3.

When you took the D3 once per week, you slept better every night? Or just the night after you took the D3?

To the best of my recollection, I slept well every night. I don’t recall there being any noticeable variance relative to the day I took it.

Addendum by Seth. It is impressive that two things appear true: (a) the time of day D3 is taken mattered (other stories) and (b) a dose once/week at the right time improved sleep for seven nights (this story). The combination of the two supports the idea that our sleep is controlled by an oscillator and D3 at the right time gives that oscillator a push, increasing its amplitude.

Vitamin D3 and Sleep: 5000 IU Better than 3000 IU (Story 13)

Seth Roberts6 Comments

Jenny West, the Englishwoman who discovered independently the value of taking Vitamin D3 in the morning, wrote again:

Since reading some of the other D3 stories, I increased my D3 [morning] dosage to 5000 IU/day [from 3000 IU/day] two days ago.

1. I immediately slept even better – no longer being aware of mid-sleep turning-over.

2. I’ve had a large boost of energy and the clarity of thought that both Robin Barooah and Alexandra Carmichael mentioned.

3. A year-long injury – specifically a dislocated coccyx – has suddenly taken a step forward, and I found myself running for the Tube last night – something I can’t remember when I last did it. Is this a direct effect of the D3, or an indirect one resulting from much better sleep?

This agrees with what both Alexandra and I experienced: a dose of 4000 IU worked much better than a dose of 2000 IU.

Assorted Links

Seth Roberts2 Comments

Thanks to Anne Weiss, Phil Alexander and Dave Lull.

Vitamin D3 in Morning Has No Clear Effect on Sleep (Story 12)

Seth Roberts12 Comments

Alex Chernavsky, who has used the Shangri-La Diet successfully for two years, recently commented as follows (emphasis added):

For what it’s worth, I’ve taken Vitamin D at different times of the day, and I’ve never noticed any effect on my sleep. Of course, my sleep is already pretty good, in the sense that I fall asleep quickly and don’t usually wake up during the night. (My sleep is not good in the sense that I don’t get enough of it.)

By email, I learned that Alex is now taking Vitamin D3 — this particular product, which is vegan (“plant-source”) — at 5000 IU every other day. On weekdays, he takes it at about 8:00 am, on weekends, 9:30-10:00 am.

What might explain Alex’s failure to notice better sleep?

1. Not enough D3. I found that 2000 IU/day had no noticeable effect, whereas 4000 IU/day did produce noticeable benefit. Alex is getting 2500 IU/day — or less, if he takes it too late on the weekends.

2. His source of D3.

3. Individual differences large enough to matter. If you do sensitive psychology experiments, you will learn there are individual differences in everything.

4. Ceiling effect. Alex’s sleep is too good to notice improvement.

Those are the just the obvious possibilities.

Law Schools Sued For Lying About Post-Grad Employment

Seth Roberts15 Comments

If it isn’t clear for whom law schools exist, now it is clearer:

The saga began last year, when Strauss and Anziska, both veterans of corporate legal work, filed lawsuits against New York Law School and Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in Michigan. The allegation: That Cooley and NYLS, by allegedly inflating post-graduate employment numbers, had committed fraud and violated local consumer protection acts. . . . The job market for lawyers has been contracting for years; hiring is down across the board. At the same time, law schools have continued to crank out young lawyers at an alarming rate.

This is the legal version of the joke that people go to law school because they aren’t good at math. So far twelve schools have been sued. I look forward to learning how the teachers at those schools react. Which side will they take? .

More about the lawsuits. I blogged about the deception a year ago. The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco was successfully sued for similar deception a few years ago. Inside the Law School Scam, a blog.

Vitamin D3 in Morning Makes Her Fall Asleep Faster and Sleep Better (Story 11)

Seth Roberts2 Comments

I have heard many stories about Vitamin D3 and sleep, often in the comments section of this blog. From now on I am going to number them. (I retitled earlier posts.)

Elizabeth Funderburk emailed me:

I’ve always suffered, rather lightly I guess, from SAD in the winter. In 2010 I started eating primal, which I thought would help – it helped in many ways but I still got gloomier all winter and didn’t even realize it til that first warm sunny spring day when I “woke up.” Your November post about D3 reminded me that I wanted to try it this winter, so I got a bottle and started taking it in the morning. I forgot a few times and took it in the midday or afternoon, and yes, I felt noticeably more spazzy and awake those evenings. Now, if I forget, I just skip it if I remember later than 10 am. I do think I sleep better. I take 4000-6000 IU daily.

I asked her for details.

Tell me about yourself.

I live in Reno, NV, USA, and I’m 34. I do home renovations.

What brand?

Kirkland D3 2000 IU gelcaps. The first bottle I got was from Walgreen’s, so I guess it was Nature’s Bounty gelcaps. Both seem to work equally well. I have not tried capsules. I take the D3 while I’m waiting for my coffee, usually 6 or 7 am.

How has your sleep improved?

With D3, I would guess I fall asleep in 10-30 minutes most of the time (trouble falling asleep once every 7-10 days). The wave noise thing by my bed is on a 45 minute timer. If the wave sounds stop and I’m still laying there conscious, I categorize that as a “trouble falling asleep” night and I will usually get back up and read for an hour.
In the fall before I started the D3, I’d take more than 45 minutes to fall asleep more often than after starting D3.

But I think more importantly, the quality of my sleep was not restful more often before D3 – I slept well (lightly, vivid dreams, woke up briefly, woke up feeling rested) maybe twice a week. I slept poorly (heavy, dark pit of sleep, no remembered dreams, unwilling to wake up and get up) 5 nights a week. It’s pretty binary; I usually sleep well or poorly, not “so-so.” Now, taking D3, I sleep well 6 nights a week, and poorly once a week.

What do you mean by “spazzy” (“more spazzy in the evening”)?

When I did take it in the afternoon, I noticed that I felt energetic when I’d prefer to feel sleepy – really raring to go at 7 or 8 instead of starting to wind down. I think it would be a fabulous tool for people working swing or graveyard shifts!

“thanks for the reminder” — you mean you had read elsewhere that Vitamin D3 first thing in the morning is a good idea?

You gave me the idea to take it IN THE MORNING. You “reminded” me about it in the sense that it’s one of the few supplements Mark Sisson (mark’s daily apple) suggests everybody could benefit from – I noted that when I gave up grain and started eating primal in early 2010, but it wasn’t something I’d bothered to take at that point, because I spend a lot of time outside in the spring/summer/fall. (Winter, too, but because I’m all covered up in clothes and the sun is so weak, I don’t seem to get the natural level of D3 I need.)