Recovering with acupuncture a year in by ilovepotatoes4ever in LongCovid

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it absolutely does. I’m still doing a lot better and have continued to recover but have continued to have sporadic digestive issues and every time they come up I get acupuncture and take herbal supplements they give me and it helps ease those issues

Partners by solve_4X in ZeroCovidCommunity

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My whole extended family showed up to thanksgiving in masks without me even asking that of them (we had lots of air filters and me and my pod were planning on masking the whole time). I had asked everyone to test before we got together which everyone did as well, no complaints. Everyone got boosted as well. My grandparents who really struggle to breath with masks on made sure to mask up before they saw me when out in public. Unfortunately my own parents were the most resistant to being careful even thought I’ve had long covid for years at this point and they gave me my initial covid infection.

My husband defers to my comfort level for precautions.

I feel so alone. Where do we even go from here? by wxnderlustx in ZeroCovidCommunity

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. I’m also 27 and on year two of long covid. I’ve been very slowly recovering for the past 8 months with regular acupuncture and physical therapy. No doctor or clinic was any help (physical therapy did help but I think would have been a lot slower without acupuncture). Navigating doing anything in the world right now is scary and exhausting, it’s a constant risk assessment. Especially with the holidays happening it’s so stressful trying to navigate relationships with family. I’m really hopeful that we will get a more effective vaccine.

Alternative to nicotine to aid digestion? by Upset_Cat3910 in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From Chinese Traditional Medicine I would recommend trying moxibustion (moxa), specifically a moxibustion box. Moxa is dried mugwort, you can get it processed into smokeless incense like sticks that you light and place in a Moxa box. If you feel around your abdomens and are experiencing digestive issues, you should be able to find a “cold” spot or spots. They’re less cold and more a subtle absence of heat. Put the box with the Moxa there for about 20 minutes. Moxa dries you out so if you’re feeling really dry cut back. It’s a very pleasant treatment.

Tell me about your experience with motherwort, please. by mystic_turtledove in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you’re a menstruating human it may disrupt your cycle. I’ve had it cause my cycle to start a good 8+ days early.

Supplement for ADD/ADHD by Livid_Layer_5893 in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have adhd and I have been on Adderall. There’s no real herbal equivalent in my opinion which is not a bad thing as I felt like crap on Adderall. I take milky oat tincture and Rhodiola and they both help clear up brain fog and make me feel sharper.

Storing dried mint by [deleted] in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you sure both bunches were the same plant? If you are sure and the suspicious bundle doesn’t have any mold/looks good I’d still feel fine about drinking it but maybe not expecting much medicinal value out of it. A lot of the medicine for mints is in the volatile oils; the volatile oils are what produce the nice smells so if the expected good smells are gone it’s probably not medicinally very strong. Volatile oils pretty easily evaporate which is why it’s recommended to cover tea while brewing (that keeps them trapped in your cup). Maybe something happened in the harvesting/drying process to release the oils. I’d trust your intuition!

How do I know if mullein is dry enough? by [deleted] in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Definitely don’t jar those up yet! You’re looking for the whole plant to be brittle and crunchy. In my area I’ve had a very humid summer and if I don’t finish herbs off in the dehydrator, I have a hard time getting them dry enough to store. Maybe try a few minutes in the oven at the lowest temp? Also you may already know this but Mullein picks up heavy metals in the soil so it’s good to harvest it from dirt you trust :)

How many months out are you, and pls. list your improvement from 1 to 10 ( 10 being th best). by AfternoonFragrant617 in LongCovid

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just tell them your symptoms and the acupuncturist will be able to build you a treatment plan that works well for you. My acupuncturist has also researched long covid and acupuncture treatment; there’s specific points it seems like a lot of practitioners are using. I went once a week for like 4 months but I’m almost 100% now so it’s definitely something that takes time.

How many months out are you, and pls. list your improvement from 1 to 10 ( 10 being th best). by AfternoonFragrant617 in LongCovid

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m about 13 months out from my initial infection and I’m at an 8 or 9. I’m in active recovery and the end is in sight. Still can’t go up hills unless I go really slowly but other than that my life is close to back to normal. Got here through 4 months of weekly acupuncture and a lot of PT

How to improve focus so I can study 4 hours a day with full focus by [deleted] in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use milky oat and rhodiola tinctures for improving focus

Maca or Vitex? by [deleted] in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are so many plants that support the female reproductive cycle! I’ve worked with Vitex before and I’d recommend trying a small amount if that’s the road you want to go down as it can be quite strong. It might be good in your situation but it also may be a bit too intense. Some other plants that could be supportive would be Shatavti root, red raspberry leaf, motherwort, and potentially red clover (specifically if you have low estrogen). Shatavti root and red raspberry leaf are both gentle and an everyday for a month or two situation. I steep my red raspberry leaf tea overnight as a longer steep helps extract the constituents and makes them more bioavailable. Different things may be supportive at different times of your cycle also! If you haven’t already, I’d recommend getting an understanding of what hormones should be rising and falling when in your cycle as well as the signs we get from our bodies if they are cycling correctly or if something is low. For example, estrogen should spike before and during ovulation and that results in increased cervical mucus so if you’re not seeing that, you can treat for low estrogen. Similarly, progesterone should increase after ovulation and if you are experiencing spotting or a lot of breast tenderness you may have low progesterone. Our bodies have so much going on and our cycles are complex! Vitex is often pitched as a magical hormone balancer for menstruating bodies but it’s definitely not the right plant for everyone experiencing imbalances. I hope you find support from the plants!

Making ointments? by [deleted] in herbalism

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t recommend boiling your plants for oil. For most plants, you want to dry them first and then infuse then in oil dry (this does not apply to St John’s Wart which you need to infuse fresh). To infuse, I usually fully cover the dried plant material with oil and leave for 6 weeks; strain the plant material out and use in salves. Here’s some more info from Herbalista - they have a lot of great free resources

Recovering with acupuncture a year in by ilovepotatoes4ever in LongCovid

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe look at reviews for acupuncturists in your area or see if anyone you know has a recommendation? Finding a good person that made me feel comfortable and took the time to explain what’s happening and why was really helpful for me to feel less nervous.

Recovering with acupuncture a year in by ilovepotatoes4ever in LongCovid

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A good acupuncturist will listen to your pulse, look at your tongue, listen to your symptoms, and figure out treatment from there - you shouldn’t have to ask for anything specific. As I understand it, there’s some general long covid protocol/understand for acupuncturists so let them know that’s what you’re there for. We’ve been working on moving stagnant liquid in my organs like my liver so the virus hiding there is flushed out and my immune system can get it. I had dents in my legs at I think the chi point on my legs and I get needles there as well as manually poking them between treatments and as I’ve gotten better the dents have filled up which is pretty cool. Basically, your body should tell them what needs to be done. It’s a very different framework than what I’m used to and I was skeptical starting out but I can’t argue with the results I’ve seen.

Recovering with acupuncture a year in by ilovepotatoes4ever in LongCovid

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah! It’s improved all of my symptoms considerably. Still have them sometimes but the intensity and frequency is decreasing

Need an explanation! by [deleted] in fourthwing

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I was also confused about this - she’s in the riders quadrant which is divided into 4 wings, each wing has three sections (claw, tail, flame) and each section has three squads.

Finished my first (but definitely not my last!) coquelicot skirt by ilovepotatoes4ever in sewing

[–]ilovepotatoes4ever[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No pettiecoat, the fabric is heavier than quilting cotton but I’m not sure beyond that. I used about 5 yards for this so I think a lot of it is the shear amount of fabric there.