Searching for a 'cure-all'

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air head

Searching for a cure-all

If you read my earlier blog post on Gizmos and Gadgetry, then you may recall that I've a chronic health condition.  And I've tried all sorts seeking to alleviate my symptoms.

💤 Also, if you read my 'I' post you might recall that I'm a chronic insomnia sufferer, too.

I almost called this post 'Snake Oil' because it struck me as a somewhat amusing catch-all phrase for a title!  🐍

But, I realised it would've been misleading, as some of the stuff I've tried has been helpful.  (And my odd sense of humour may not come across well in the written word!)

My mini reviews are in the associated Google doc, which can be found by following this link:

🠞  Sick and tired, of always being sick and tired.  🠜

I've reviewed more thoroughly the things I've found most helpful.  I'm not very consistent at remembering to take stuff regularly.  Especially if there's not clear results showing it definitely helps (&, consequently, little incentive to keep using a thing).  So, the ones which weren't helpful tend to just sit on the shelf (or get given away or whatever).  They may consequently have much shorter mini-reviews.

Here are the highlights of the associated doc/list.

Top picks:-

• Breathing exercises
• Cinnamon, and ginger
• Guided meditation (see also, relaxation response)
• Patting – Luohan Patting Method
• Physiological sigh
• Phytoncides / forest-bathing
• Qi Gong healing sounds
• Sports massage
• Tai chi
• Vagus nerve stimulation
• Yoga / pilates

Plus, a salt pipe inhaler (with Himalayan salt, or rock salt) for allergy/respiratory issues.

If you know me, it shouldn't come as much surprise that my top picks are mostly things which are available either free or at a very reasonable cost / online.  (If you don't know me personally, I'm known for being a huge tight-wad!)  And that should therefore also show you just how highly I thought of the sports massage!  As that's much more costly than the other top picks, above.  (Actually, that's me being a little bit flippant; I did in fact go through an objective-ish process to select my top picks based on what works for me and is good value for money.)

Conclusion: I can't recommend any one thing which has fixed everything for me, sadly.  No cure-all to date.  But, I do want to share one final tip.  This is for anyone else who may be in the same position as me, or who has friends/family in my position.

I've been reading up on 'functional medicine'.  And whilst this also has yet to present the single 'cure-all' I've been seeking, it does sound rather promising.

So here's my recommendation, which is the YouTube channel where you can find the podcast of The Doctor's Farmacy:-

Mark Hyman, MD - YouTube*

I also recommend Dr Cynthia Li's book Brave New Medicine, if you're interested in this sort of thing.  It's very good, written in a really readable and relatable style.  So, even if there's no single 'cure-all' in its pages either, it was time well spent.

Do you have a favourite sort of 'snake oil'?  Or any book/podcast recommendations in this area?  Let me know in the comments, if so.

No snakes were harmed in the production of this blog post!  :)

Photo credits (all photos from Unsplash): 'snake oil' by katrin hauf; green cross by Justin Chrn; heart by Sharon McCutcheon; typewriter by Markus Winkler; hightlighter pens by Mitchell Luo; money/pills by Marek Studzinski; coffee by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis; pages by Hush Naidoo; *logo is the intellectual property of the channel/podcast mentioned; neon sign by Kah Lok Leong; snakes by Anne Nygård.

Tree photos: David Clode, Emiliano Lucas, Dan Meyers, Gerrie Van Der Walt, Tim Mossholder and Nicolien Botha.

Song lyric from Anastacia ('Sick and Tired').

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