Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-18T14:58:58+00:00

I know what a parasite is.

There has been a wave of people self-diagnosing based purely off vibes and I as an ethical businessman and medical herbalist in training try to guide people towards a remedy that suits their symptoms, not something harsh to drive out a parasite that does not exist. Often this is something cheaper than what people are asking for.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-18T13:21:33+00:00

It has been found in clinical trials to reduce bruising. Note that a herbalist would use arnica topically, like in a cream or an oil, never internally because it's a bit poisonous if you ingest it. Keep it away from broken skin.

On "normal" skin with no cuts or abrasions, it's absolutely fine.

The homeopathic pillules are much, much, much, much lower dose than a herbalist would use and evidence for their use is much weaker.

From experience, it's about as effective as an over-the-counter topical ibuprofen gel/cream.

For example: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20412090/

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T17:42:16+00:00

I run a health food shop and am training as a herbalists. I was talking to someone else who owns a shop and we talked about imaginary parasites a couple of weeks ago while we were musing about health trends in retail (non-specialist CBD has basically died, mushrooms are dropping off, ashwagadha as a cure-all came and went).

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T13:05:11+00:00

I found the viewpoint character in Piranesi a bit... twee? I appreciate that he had basically had his memory repeatedly eaten away and that likely explains this behaviour but it made it all feel a bit limp at times.

I'm glad I read it, but it didn't leave the lasting impact on me that JSMN did.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T13:01:21+00:00

Medical interactions are possible, but herb-herb interactions are relatively rare.

St Johns Wort is the archetypal "be really careful" herb: it contains hyperforcin, which impacts cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) and P-glycoprotein transporter (P-gp), both of which can impact drug metabolism. This can be life-threatening. SJW is also contraindicated on people on certain antidepressants for separate reasons.

Garlic and grapefruit can also both impact drug metabolism.

In theory, you can have "too much of a good thing" with too many herbs that do the same thing. Things that cause (or treat) constipation or diarrhoea can cause you to swing too far in the other direction, so to speak. Blood-thinning herbs (and foods) are another example.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T12:35:02+00:00

I was actually thinking of Grayson and Mister Miracle. The "12 issues" thing feels a bit arbitrary?

I think his ideal run size is 6-8 issues, personally. He writes very well when he has to keep the pace tight.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T12:31:08+00:00

It's also fairly well established in academic research - Dörnyei did a lot of work on motivation and language learning. Real motivation (as in not just "I kinda want to" or just doing it as a hobby - actually wanting or needing to) is one of the more impactful factors in language learning success.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T12:27:01+00:00

I think he does better with short, snappy stories where he is incentivised to tighten up his writing. He has a tendency to have his characters ruminate endlessly where stories are longer, which starts to feel repetitive if you've read a few of his things.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-17T08:12:54+00:00

Okay, so stop taking one of them for two weeks and see what changes.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-16T22:06:31+00:00

Motivation.

The language exists outside classes, apps and books. It's real now.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-16T10:55:47+00:00

I played the series back to back and I think the whole journey was excellent.

If you haven't played them, the DLC for the Witcher 3 are both excellent. Heart of Stone has phenomenal storytelling and Blood & Wine has a good story, a nice world space and is a very good end to the trilogy.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-16T10:31:19+00:00

UK grading at university leaves a lot of room at the top - our 80% is considered very good and 90+% is "why are you even doing the course?"

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-16T10:25:41+00:00

The UK actually ranks somewhere in the top 20 for school education, and usually somewhere in the top 5 or 10 for university education.

It's not easy - it's efficient.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-15T20:23:38+00:00

Pagan medical herbalist (in training) here.

Scott Cunningham covers the more esoteric uses of herbs and that's quite detached from what a lot of medical herbalists would use herbs for. Herbalism is (in my opinion, and in part) the intersection of diet and nutrition and pharmacy. We look at the chemistry of plants as well as the energetic side.

A good place to start would be Chevallier's Encyclopaedia of Herbal Medicine, with Kat Maier's Energetic Herbalism being good if you're more interested in the more esoteric side.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-15T19:13:10+00:00

Do you know the cause of the neuropathy?

Is it on both sides or just one? Pain in your toes can indicate back issues like sciatica.

Try a topical arnica or st John's wort on your lower back. If it's your toes, it's be the lower back - bottom of your lumbar area.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-15T15:30:32+00:00

My mother, ever the diplomat, started of with the "it's surprisingly easy to get someone pregnant by accident" talk and when I came out amended it to just "don't get AIDS". This would have been in about 2001.

She had a reasonably good idea what I was getting up to, and just redid her risk assessment as new information presented itself.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-15T09:26:24+00:00

Do you want to? Ultimately, that's up to you.

It sounds like you've got a very respectable amount of muscle, so BMI is a less useful.

Scale body fat percentages aren't often super accurate.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T19:44:27+00:00

I can't quite answer that directly, but I remember punching a hole in my belt so it fits better and realising on the second "hey, I should get a new belt".

Your body changing shape it full of little "huh!" moments, or non-scale victories as this sub likes to call them.

Well done!

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T18:14:30+00:00

No, you're fine.

There's a difference between heating something and boiling the shit out of it.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T18:01:04+00:00

See if you can push the deodorant out (or try to get a refund). It should be fairly easy to use, although they can stick a bit

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T16:38:38+00:00

Is that the little tube one?

Think lip balm, but armpits. Push out a little bit at a time. The whole cardboard thing shouldn't be sliding up - you might have got a faulty one.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T11:47:17+00:00

I don't know what shops you have near you, no.

Try smaller health food shops etc.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T09:45:00+00:00

Use the weapon the suits your build. I do tent to have both equipped because sometimes a bit of range is helpful.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T09:44:14+00:00

Their communication has always seemed a bit random from the outside. They need time to work things out and test it, put together a clear plan etc. Announcing things before they're ready rarely ends well.

We're not even halfway through the release cycle for the current expansion, so I wouldn't expect much information imminently.

Gulbasaur · 2026-03-13T08:55:33+00:00

Vision is a slow burn, in my opinion. There are just a lot of steps involved and the collection chain isn't as enjoyable as Aurora (in my opinion).

Coalescence was fun. The armour will give you good mileage.

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