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Resistance Building, Burn Types, Brain Exploding, then death...it's all covered.

I wanted to share a recent experience relating to 'heat conditioning' and provide some interesting research on this and other related subjects.

So here goes, a little necessary background first -

I'm a hot and spicy guy, have been for many years. But until recently I haven't really stretched the spicy envelope too far out from the limits of a decent Vindaloo, or popping a fresh Habanero on a veggie wrap. Yes I've had extreme heat on many, many occasions, from various bottled sauces etc. But the continuity of that extreme heat has been lacking, therefore my system has always returned back to its normal comfort level.

On Friday I began processing a fairly sizable batch of super-hots in the dehydrator. I setup the dehydrator in a spare bedroom, on the same floor as the living area and adjacent to my own sleeping quarters. For the first few hours the affect was quite overwhelming, as one might expect. The fumes filled the house and my eyes, nose, throat and chest became quite irritated. I was coughing and wheezing like an old smoker, yet remained determined to run the dehydrator 24/7 for a few days to get through the batch. I awoke several times during the first night in some discomfort and eventually ran bath towels under the tap and tried to seal up the crack at the bottom of the doors in both the spare bedroom and my own bedroom.

As the first batch came to a close (around 12 hrs) the fumes had deteriorated significantly as one would expect. But when I immediately loaded up the next batch (of the same pepper type), the discomfort level was significantly diminished when compared to the first batch run the previous day. Most ambient conditions were unchanged, temperature, humidity etc. and all windows remained closed due to the cool outdoor temps.

By the end of the second day of processing I barely noticed the odor around the house and had no visible side effects to the ongoing process. By the end of the 3rd day, I didn't even bother to close the door to the spare bedroom, it was a non-issue.

Now with having more super-hot peppers on-hand than usual, one might have expected that more would be consumed than usual. But that really wasn't the case. I tried various peppers in very small quantities just to get a sample of their different flavors, but I didn't push through to a high burn or discomfort level. So basically, for the first 24 hours or so I was in a high state of discomfort, but after that, without really having eaten much hot food, my body had adjusted to the point where things were barely noticeable.

So today, Tuesday, after 4 pretty much continuous days of processing (and exposure to fumes), I head to the fridge and knock up a cold turkey sandwich. I used my regular jar of hot pepperocinis, which usually give me a nice warm tingle, but absolutely nothing - like eating a bell pepper. I opened up a new bottle of HBD 1498 Cauterizer, dropped a nice dollop on my sandwich, and barely a thing. (Great flavor on the HBD by the way!)

So I have no hesitation in concluding that we can become 'conditioned' not just by ingesting foods, but by being exposed to their odors, airborne releases of capsaicin and whatever else is floating around during processing. This isn't really so surprising, but the speed at which it can occur when exposure is almost constant, blew my mind.

It then occurred to me on Monday, that I wasn't feeling so well :lol: symptoms included headache, lethargy and a little nausea. I also had to pee 5 times during the night on Sunday, which was unusual for me, I rarely go during the night, so clearly something had impacted my liver/kidney function big time!
:eek: :eek:

So I started to research the subject and found some interesting references along the way.

"Airway and Pulmonary Tissue Responses to Capsaicin in Guinea Pigs Assessed with the Alveolar Capsule Techniques" - An interesting research paper concluding that capsaicin inhalation results in negative mechanical effects both in the airways and pulmonary tissue.

"Riot control agents: issues in toxicology, safety, and health" By Eugene J. Olajos - quotes a lot of references to lab testing capsaicin effects on animals and cites many negative results.


Anyway, I could go on, but you get the idea.


So Doctor Roozer, PHd in stupidity has therefore concluded -

If you want to increase your resistance to capsaicin, lock yourself in a spare room with a dehydrator for 72 hours and you're all set.
(But then be prepared to die shortly thereafter). :beer:

A couple other points of note, to fall out of the research -

"Several capsaicin-like compounds found in chiles have slight structural variations in the hydrocarbon tail, which changes their ability to bind to the receptors and their ability to penetrate layers of receptors on the tongue, mouth, and throat. That may explain why some chiles burn in the mouth, while others burn deep in the throat."

"High concentrations are toxic. Exposure is painful and even incapacitating. Capsaicin prevents nerve cells from communicating with each other by blocking the production of certain neurotransmitters; at high concentrations it destroys the cells! Capsaicin's toxicity makes chiles more than just a food- they're also a weapon. The Mayans burned chiles to create a stinging smoke screen, and threw gourds filled with pepper extract in battle. Nowadays, capsaicin is the active ingredient in pepper sprays, used to ward off attacking muggers, dogs, and bears."

Hey, at least I gave it up for a good cause!

Reference -
http://antoine.frost...capsaicin.shtml
 
Interesting theory. A friend of mine in the special forces had to sit in a mace filled room for a certain number of hours without equipment to build up a tolerance.

Oh, you should try running your dehydrator outside! :rofl:
 
Interesting theory. A friend of mine in the special forces had to sit in a mace filled room for a certain number of hours without equipment to build up a tolerance.

Oh, you should try running your dehydrator outside! :rofl:
Ha Ha....I would but they don't run well outdoors when it's wet and windy! (I don't have a garage either, just a hole under the deck where I keep the still and the lawnmower!)

Chaos I tell you CHAOS

:) Yep, The Keystone Cops got nuttin' on me!
 
I pull the extension cord out to the garden shed and run the dehydrator out there. I figure it has the added benefit of clearing out the mice and chipmunks living in there before winter.

Glad you survived the ordeal rooze!
 
I pull the extension cord out to the garden shed and run the dehydrator out there. I figure it has the added benefit of clearing out the mice and chipmunks living in there before winter.

Glad you survived the ordeal rooze!

:lol:

Cheers,

I almost deleted my own cookies, but I'm starting to feel myself again :eek:
 
I can take the dehydrator running in the house with little problem. When my kid gets home from school he barely gets in the front door and I can hear him hacking and complaining. Always complaining!

The dehydrator is on the main floor in a living room we rarely spend time in. I have a window fan in my upstairs bedroom that does a goog job of ventilating the pepper fumes outside.
 
My whole family and pets must be conditioned by now. Been dehydrating in the main dining area for 2 months with no ill effects. It makes a huge difference if the peppers are sliced. I've done all my bhuts whole to prevent gas attack.
 
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