I think it’s really valuable to go over old ground and try to find new perspectives. We either shut up shop and wait for news or re-examine aspects that we have already discussed. Already in the last 48 hrs or so we’ve had really good new points raised, based on going over old stuff.
just on the subject of poor nutrition etc raised above by RickshawFan...
Can we actually be sure that poor nutrition etc played a part? The reason I ask is because she hikes up a mountain on 2 consecutive days and in the selfie’s looks pretty good! She had been a personal trainer and was very fit... I know she asked for food and only took meagre rations on her overnight hike .. but, just wondering if we can conclude this was definitely a factor. Unless she was somehow feasting on the days when not hiking then I suppose we can. The only reason I have uncertainty is that if eating such meagre rations on a daily basis, not many would be capable of hiking up mountains daily.
Since I teach and research these things for a living, let me say that protein malnutrition is not always visible.
People all over the world get enough calories every day - but protein is irreplaceable in the diet. The body does not store it except in muscles, which require a certain metabolic process to break down and use. So, when the body is low on protein, there's a lag between that event and the body's response - some people are chronically in a state of low protein.
About 50% of the body's protein is used by the brain. To put it briefly, short term protein deficiency can cause deficiencies in
neurotransmitters. The effect can be minor or marginal, but from my perspective, subtle differences in brain functioning, combined with other issues in a human (such as being in stressful terrain, having to do more planning than usual, engaging in strenuous physical activity) can reduce the ability to respond quickly or adequately in an emergency. Brain fog.
It has nothing to do with how she looks or whether she's smiling. Short term protein deficiency doesn't change how a person looks and for most of us, smiling is reflexive. As to whether Esther may have eaten a better diet at other times in her life, one would surely think that she did. She has earlier photos showing good musculature.
We can't
conclude anything here on this topic or practically any other topic regarding the minds of other people.
But I regard what I know about her diet as suggestive that she could have been affected (serotonin and dopamine in particular). Keep in mind that different humans are ready serotonin producers (they don't get depressed or anxious as easily as others) and that all humans need protein to produce their neurotransmitters - no exceptions. Body builders and wrestlers who fast to cut weight for various reasons know this. People adapt to the mental conditions of a low protein diet (I know I did, but my mental performance when protein deprived is definitely affected). If it is true that Esther had CFS and suffered from depression/anxiety, well, one hypothesis about all three of these conditions involves brain function - and specific proteins. Unfortunately for CFS sufferers, it seems that their own bodies may be elevating certain inflammatory proteins instead of using them properly as other people's bodies do. (Too much for me to get into here).
This is why school breakfast programs have helped many children perform better in school and on tests. I know that if I don't have something protein-containing before walking into the classroom, my ability to speak is mildly affected (Foxpro protein in the brain isn't quite up to par). Sure, I can still function, but if I want to do my best, I make sure I have some sort of protein before work. I have had no protein for about 14 hours right now and I can tell a difference. That's too soon for my body to respond by starting to break down my muscles (big yikes - not good) but it's plenty long enough for me to notice differences in my thinking. I'm typing on WS, not going into the classroom or working on my thorny research problem.
One reason I study missing persons in the wilderness and a main reason I post here is that I think people should know that a balanced diet is essential. Lacking 1-2 amino acids might not have much immediate effect, but lacking nearly all of them in a diet can definitely affect behavior, including short term. If, just as an hypothesis. Esther had been on a lower protein diet for a month or neglected to combine proteins in order to get all of her amino acids, then yes - her thinking might have changed. If a protein like Foxpro was downregulated by both solitude and diet, well...I can point you to data on why that increases chances of wilderness misadventure. We'll never be able to prove anything about the thinking of dead people - but the statistics based purely on behavior (going missing) and subsequent accident or death are pretty convincing, to me anyway.
Whether or not this happened to Esther, we may never know but it's worth remembering that smiling, happy-looking people can still be off their game mentally when it comes to crucial decision making and protein needs of the brain.
I just realized I am 15.5 hours out from my last protein intake (and it took me way longer than usual to make that calculation), which is why I feel "lazy" and disinclined to go find protein. I have no sensation of hunger, because I've fasted long enough to lose that (I was hungry when I went to bed last night, no hunger this morning).
My main point is that the human who is suffering these changes will not notice it, because it's hard enough to notice fluctuations in our mental states when in optimum health, nutrition and otherwise. Every time a neuron tries to reach another neuron to communicate...it needs protein. Sometimes we need that process to happen quickly and seamlessly.
You've probably all heard the term "hangry." It's a real thing. Serotonin again. You may also have heard that depression is worse in the morning (yep, serotonin, again).
A half cup serving of raw oats has about half a gram of glycine (one of the most-used amino acids, essential to brain function, mood, sleep, alertness). We need at least 5 grams a day. In fact, some studies say we could use a lot more than that (up to 90 grams has been put into experimental use - and there seem to be benefits, not drawbacks). Esther would have needed a lot of oats. No protein in the lettuce. I can't remember exactly what she was said to be carrying in terms of oats - or even if it was actually oats, I need to get some protein.
(10 cups of oats?)
Or, she could have eaten 600 calories of smoked salmon or canned tuna...or one whole package of dry gelatin mix...or taken 1-2 tsp of a supplement.
(That's just an example of one amino acid - there are others, the brain needs all of them).
