Big love of cold showers, occasional lakes/sea swimming and more recently the cold plunge. It can be the only thing at times that will break a pain cycle (even if it comes back). Always important to listen to your body though (which I see people override). Some days it can be your medicine, some days not. Great for tension, vagal nerve, skin, feeling alive and grounding.
I also got in to natural toothpaste powder and tongue scraping in the last year too!
A few intentions set for the year, clear on a few things, new boundaries to bring in, a new word of the year (expansion) and, after 5.5 years of unrecognised, unrewarded deep inner work to get as well as I am now, I’m super excited for this one🤩
Really important what you said, Amber, about listening to your body. Some days I'm in the shower and I'm like, "today is not the day" (to turn to cold water). And how has your experience been with the toothpaste powder and tongue scraping?
I LOVE your word for the new year. It's so full of possibility. You've definitely earned it this year; going deep on inner work is a beast. I hope to keep up with you in 2024 regarding expansion through your newsletter 💛
I love tongue scraping! The toothpaste takes some getting used to. I’ve been slowly moving to chemical free products in all ranges these past few years so it was a case of persevering with it and now I’m used to it 🙂
I too think the tongue scraping is pretty amazing - kinda gross, but it works so much better than just brushing your tongue. I haven’t tried the tooth powder yet; I’m still using a paste, just one with better ingredients. So far, so good - my teeth have actually gotten whiter 🤯
I seem to be happier with my teeth colour now I’m oil pulling with coconut oil. Had read that whitens teeth naturally over time. No longer thinking my teeth are yellow in photos which is welcome 🙏
Cold showers are great. It took me a while to go from hands and feet only to full body cold water. I really appreciate your comment about listening to your body. There are days when gentle warmth is what's needed.
Zira is SO FLUFFY I wanna squeeze her. There is this amazing outdoor wonderland of a spa by me in California - Glen Ivy Hot Springs - and they have hot and cold plunge pools, you do five hot, one cold, back and forth a few times. It’s horribly amazing. You feel so good after like your brain and body got a lil squeeze of dopamine. But cold showers nooo thank you 😂
She absolutely despises being squeezed and would have no problem bitch-yowling at you to let you know 😹. But she does like to sit on your lap and for you to pet her (on the head only, or see bitch-yowl above).
And those hot springs sound AH-MA-ZING! we went to some hot springs in Utah on our honeymoon twenty years ago and I can say we didn't fully enjoy it because it was so new to us and seemed very new agey at the time. Try the cold shower! At the end of your warm shower, turn the temp down a bit. Do this each time until you can tolerate cool water, and eventually, cold. You will not shiver when it's done - you'll actually feel just as great as you did at the hot springs! Dopamine blast for the win!
Refreshing topics. I love the cold showers but it took me months to be able to tolerate full emersion. I agree that cold showers are not for everyone, everyday. Indeed, pay attention to your body.
Thanks Mardi! I may have forgotten to mention that I never enter a cold shower. The majority of my shower is warm; I only do a cold blast at the end for a minute or two.
My first long covid doc order a micro nutrient panel and then created a diet plan with expensive supplements to “cure” me. When it didn’t I was asked how compliant was I. With my type A personality- very. Some time later, I did a microbiome stool test and was prescribed another diet and bucket of supplements. Again no dice and frustrations from my provider that I didn’t get better. I do believe there is a long covid link to the microbiome, but perhaps the solution is more complex than diet & supplements. These diets conflict with each other and the anti inflammatory diet. I would feel more confident if they all were mostly aligned. The real bitch of it is the costs and feeling like I have to try not only in the desperation for me improve, but I owe it to my family who has taken on so much due to my disability. This is then followed by disappointment from it not working, questioning my gullibility, having to defend my compliance, and then figure out a systematic way to distinguish which foods/supplements may have or potentially will help to continue versus which ones to discontinue and how to do that safely. I wish there was more oversight of supplements so we know how much is absorbed & effective in correcting the deficiency.
So much resonates here, Molly. The multiple recommendations, the following to a T, the cost, the feeling of inadequacy/disappointment. The cost (that one deserves to be mentioned twice). I keep reading a new study and if the study applies to me and they mention a supplement, I add it. My functional medicine doctor thinks that if you don't feel any different after two months, just stop the supplement. But I agree; I wish there was more consumer-friendly info on supplement uses and efficacy.
My FMD did this for a while. But then I realized he was charging the same prices as Amazon so it didn’t bother me as much. And he never got his nose out of joint when I opted to buy them there instead.
Changing my diet saved my life. I was living with MCAS, ten trips to the toilet every day, brain fog, autonomic symptoms and more. I went onto the Gundry diet (Plant Paradox) and saw a dramatic change within 3 days. Virtually all inflammatory symptoms stopped. It took months for my gut to fully normalize, likely because of significant damage to the cells that line the gut.
Instead of trying to treat symptoms, I have focused on helping my mitochondria return to vitality. Since the mitochondria are also what fails as we age, seems like a good place to put my attention.
oh I love 'do more feel good activities' such a good one and easy to implement one would hope. For me that means more yoga (only time I feel truly relaxed I think, and doing gigs). I suppose that could be a post for you in itself? :) Loving the optimism
I advocate for and take cold showers. I have been taking them for a few years. When I take a cold shower in the morning, I feel warmer for the rest of the day with definitely less inflammation. Cold water on the skin might stimulate the endocrine system (?).
I shower for just a minute or two for several reasons. First thing in the morning, it doesn't take a lot of water to feel the heat and tension release. I like to get my day started, so I don't spend a lot of time in the shower. We're in California and try to use less water. When I wash my hair, I use cold water and it seems to be smoother and shinier. Like fasting, silence, going to bed early, etc., cold showers are counter to what we have usually done in the past, but for me have been beneficial.
The trick is to build up slowly! Try a few seasons of cool water at the end of your shower. Then build up your time and also nudge the faucet a little closer to cold each time. I know it sounds crazy, and it sounds sucks at first, but now I crave it!
Big love of cold showers, occasional lakes/sea swimming and more recently the cold plunge. It can be the only thing at times that will break a pain cycle (even if it comes back). Always important to listen to your body though (which I see people override). Some days it can be your medicine, some days not. Great for tension, vagal nerve, skin, feeling alive and grounding.
I also got in to natural toothpaste powder and tongue scraping in the last year too!
A few intentions set for the year, clear on a few things, new boundaries to bring in, a new word of the year (expansion) and, after 5.5 years of unrecognised, unrewarded deep inner work to get as well as I am now, I’m super excited for this one🤩
Really important what you said, Amber, about listening to your body. Some days I'm in the shower and I'm like, "today is not the day" (to turn to cold water). And how has your experience been with the toothpaste powder and tongue scraping?
I LOVE your word for the new year. It's so full of possibility. You've definitely earned it this year; going deep on inner work is a beast. I hope to keep up with you in 2024 regarding expansion through your newsletter 💛
I love tongue scraping! The toothpaste takes some getting used to. I’ve been slowly moving to chemical free products in all ranges these past few years so it was a case of persevering with it and now I’m used to it 🙂
How do you find it?
I too think the tongue scraping is pretty amazing - kinda gross, but it works so much better than just brushing your tongue. I haven’t tried the tooth powder yet; I’m still using a paste, just one with better ingredients. So far, so good - my teeth have actually gotten whiter 🤯
I seem to be happier with my teeth colour now I’m oil pulling with coconut oil. Had read that whitens teeth naturally over time. No longer thinking my teeth are yellow in photos which is welcome 🙏
Hi Amber,
Cold showers are great. It took me a while to go from hands and feet only to full body cold water. I really appreciate your comment about listening to your body. There are days when gentle warmth is what's needed.
Congratulation on all of your personal hard work.
Regarding cold showers/plunges: tried, no dice. My body responds better to heat than to cold. I'm a jaguar, don'cha know!
ha ha - ME-OW 😸
Your Massmecfs link leads to a form with your name, address, etc.
likely best that you modify the link a little so your personal info isn’t freely available
Yikes - thanks for the heads up. I've changed it now. It turns out the young adult support group is now closed so I also removed that info.
Zira is SO FLUFFY I wanna squeeze her. There is this amazing outdoor wonderland of a spa by me in California - Glen Ivy Hot Springs - and they have hot and cold plunge pools, you do five hot, one cold, back and forth a few times. It’s horribly amazing. You feel so good after like your brain and body got a lil squeeze of dopamine. But cold showers nooo thank you 😂
She absolutely despises being squeezed and would have no problem bitch-yowling at you to let you know 😹. But she does like to sit on your lap and for you to pet her (on the head only, or see bitch-yowl above).
And those hot springs sound AH-MA-ZING! we went to some hot springs in Utah on our honeymoon twenty years ago and I can say we didn't fully enjoy it because it was so new to us and seemed very new agey at the time. Try the cold shower! At the end of your warm shower, turn the temp down a bit. Do this each time until you can tolerate cool water, and eventually, cold. You will not shiver when it's done - you'll actually feel just as great as you did at the hot springs! Dopamine blast for the win!
Hi Amy,
Refreshing topics. I love the cold showers but it took me months to be able to tolerate full emersion. I agree that cold showers are not for everyone, everyday. Indeed, pay attention to your body.
Thanks Mardi! I may have forgotten to mention that I never enter a cold shower. The majority of my shower is warm; I only do a cold blast at the end for a minute or two.
Me too. I love my hot shower. I do stretching exercises while showering... only after that do I turn on the cold.
In warmer weather we have an outdoor shower. It's great looking up at the big tree above me with the birds and squirrels.
But, it's a little chilly for that now. We live in Vermont... so, no outdoor showers again until spring!
My first long covid doc order a micro nutrient panel and then created a diet plan with expensive supplements to “cure” me. When it didn’t I was asked how compliant was I. With my type A personality- very. Some time later, I did a microbiome stool test and was prescribed another diet and bucket of supplements. Again no dice and frustrations from my provider that I didn’t get better. I do believe there is a long covid link to the microbiome, but perhaps the solution is more complex than diet & supplements. These diets conflict with each other and the anti inflammatory diet. I would feel more confident if they all were mostly aligned. The real bitch of it is the costs and feeling like I have to try not only in the desperation for me improve, but I owe it to my family who has taken on so much due to my disability. This is then followed by disappointment from it not working, questioning my gullibility, having to defend my compliance, and then figure out a systematic way to distinguish which foods/supplements may have or potentially will help to continue versus which ones to discontinue and how to do that safely. I wish there was more oversight of supplements so we know how much is absorbed & effective in correcting the deficiency.
So much resonates here, Molly. The multiple recommendations, the following to a T, the cost, the feeling of inadequacy/disappointment. The cost (that one deserves to be mentioned twice). I keep reading a new study and if the study applies to me and they mention a supplement, I add it. My functional medicine doctor thinks that if you don't feel any different after two months, just stop the supplement. But I agree; I wish there was more consumer-friendly info on supplement uses and efficacy.
Then add the conflict of interest where the providers want you to get the supplements from them...
My FMD did this for a while. But then I realized he was charging the same prices as Amazon so it didn’t bother me as much. And he never got his nose out of joint when I opted to buy them there instead.
Absolutely!
Hi Molly,
Changing my diet saved my life. I was living with MCAS, ten trips to the toilet every day, brain fog, autonomic symptoms and more. I went onto the Gundry diet (Plant Paradox) and saw a dramatic change within 3 days. Virtually all inflammatory symptoms stopped. It took months for my gut to fully normalize, likely because of significant damage to the cells that line the gut.
Instead of trying to treat symptoms, I have focused on helping my mitochondria return to vitality. Since the mitochondria are also what fails as we age, seems like a good place to put my attention.
oh I love 'do more feel good activities' such a good one and easy to implement one would hope. For me that means more yoga (only time I feel truly relaxed I think, and doing gigs). I suppose that could be a post for you in itself? :) Loving the optimism
I advocate for and take cold showers. I have been taking them for a few years. When I take a cold shower in the morning, I feel warmer for the rest of the day with definitely less inflammation. Cold water on the skin might stimulate the endocrine system (?).
I shower for just a minute or two for several reasons. First thing in the morning, it doesn't take a lot of water to feel the heat and tension release. I like to get my day started, so I don't spend a lot of time in the shower. We're in California and try to use less water. When I wash my hair, I use cold water and it seems to be smoother and shinier. Like fasting, silence, going to bed early, etc., cold showers are counter to what we have usually done in the past, but for me have been beneficial.
The trick is to build up slowly! Try a few seasons of cool water at the end of your shower. Then build up your time and also nudge the faucet a little closer to cold each time. I know it sounds crazy, and it sounds sucks at first, but now I crave it!
*seconds 🤦🏼♀️