by changing my search parameters to the actual symptom (having to constantly spit or clear my throat), I believe I found the cause of my problem: an LPR, laryngopharyngeal reflux, which can be mitigated by a modified Mediterranean diet mostly consisting of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. it is almost diametrically opposed to the Neanderthin diet I've been using as a guideline, but my actual compromise diet has some significant overlap with it. I might give it a shot; tonight I bought .6 kilos of tortillas at Ley for about 17 pesos and made bean burritos (with a little beef machaca... it's OK to cheat a little), and drank the low-alcohol Pacifico beer instead of the cheaper rum cocktails I've been making.
also, based on some articles I googled up on how to make yogurt without a starter, I tried a liter of milk with a few fresh green Tamarind fruits to see if it would work. after about 8 hours with a second heating at about the halfway mark it still hadn't turned to yogurt, so when I went to Ley I also picked up some Chilchota drinkable yogurt (they didn't have plain, so I had to get one of the garbagey fruit flavors) and heated it for a third time with some of the yogurt to provide the needed microorganisms. but maybe it wasn't necessary, because when I reached down to remove the tamarind pieces, there were globs of yogurt around them. I could have probably added a lot more tamarind and wouldn't have had to add anything else.
last updated 2018-03-15 00:58:16. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com