A good idea for all of us as we go through these challenging days:
Many of us have suffered from occasional or situational back pain but for those who have long term even decades long back pain and cannot now visit chiropractors or acupuncturists here's something worth looking.
"Lower back pain? Self-administered acupressure could help -- ScienceDaily
""Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but instead of needles, pressure is applied with a finger, thumb or device to specific points on the body," says Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine and lead author of the study.
Murphy says that while acupressure has been previously studied -- and found to be beneficial -- in people with cancer-related or osteoarthritis pain, there are few studies that have examined acupressure in people with back pain.
In the study, published in Pain Medicine, the research team randomly assigned 67 participants with chronic low back pain into three groups: relaxing acupressure, stimulating acupressure or usual care.
"Relaxing acupressure is thought to be effective in reducing insomnia, while stimulating acupressure is thought to be effective in fatigue reduction," Murphy says.
Participants in the acupressure groups were trained to administer acupressure on certain points of the body, and spent between 27 and 30 minutes daily, over the course of six weeks, performing the technique."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190821163805.htm
I have been trying to put out "blue" energy -- positive vibes, not feed the negative beast, as it were. I have to consciously choose to avoid the "red" negativity of the cult of 45. It's been difficult for me since the pandemic because there was more to keep me distracted pre-pandemic, family, work, just -- life! Although I am working from home, it's different when you don't have that separation of home and work, which creates its own stress. Plus, the fact that the pandemic exists and persists is a constant reminder of 45's incompetence and the sycophants' enabling of same.
So -- earlier in the spring, I was searching for something to occupy my thoughts --something creative yet comforting. I planted a garden with custom-made hand-painted garden stakes. I made fairy gardens. I read. I wrote poetry. I worked on helping my son with some of the things he is struggling with in life. I hung out with my husband and binge-watched some great TV programs. I re-organized some shelves, etc, etc.
But -- I wanted something . . . different.
Some may think this is a weird hobby for a woman of a certain age. I have started doing vintage Barbie doll restorations. Hahaha.
How, you ask, did I center on this pasttime?
A little background:
Way back in the '90s, I was a stay-at-home mom and did some free-lance writing from home. One of the articles I wrote was for a magazine called Barbie Bazaar. Bizarre, I know. It was an article about adult collectors who had found communities of other vintage collectors online. Back then it was via AOL and CompuServe. I had never known there were grown women -- and a few men -- who collected vintage Barbie dolls. I was also stunned at how much these dolls go for on the collectibles market. Even the clothes are insanely valuable, it seems. I moved on to write about other things. My kids were young at the time I wrote that article, and soon life took over and I moved on to other pursuits, got my teaching credential, etc.
(Continued)
(Continuing previous post)
Cut to 25 years later. I'm stuck at home in a pandemic. I stumbled across some of my childhood dolls I've been carting around all of these years. It brought back some happy memories. Due to the Barbie doll's checkered past and reputation as a sexist representation of women, I debated over whether I wanted to keep mine or get rid of them. Marie Kondo says keep what brings joy, and so I chose to keep these. Plus -- I think it's worth mentioning that this doll was the first that encouraged girls to aspire to being more than a mommy and a wife -- girls could play at having careers, graduating from college, and so no. Barbie and Ken never even got married, according to Mattel. The doll has a whole backstory that I have not fully investigated. Who has the time?
So, I was reminded of that article I wrote, and I started poking around online. I bid on some doll auctions and won some sad little specimens in need of help and some TLC. I tuned in to YouTube and learned a few things. I figured, what the heck? I'd try some of the restoration techniques, see how it went and if it went well, I'd re-sell them at a small profit. I repainted one. I re-created an original ponytail wrap on another. I treated a few more for a greenish discoloration that sometimes occurs if a doll's earrings are left in for too long. Very difficult to get rid of the nickel oxide embedded in the vinyl. I've restored some clothing, too
The sense of satisfaction I felt/feel after restoring these sad little dolls was surprising. I haven't sold any of them which surprises me even more. I am kind of attached to them after having worked on them. Some seemed like lost causes and doomed to the trash heap until I worked a little magic on them. Doing these restorations is relaxing. It's distracting. It takes me back to childhood a bit. It is creative. It's engrossing. But -- it's a little embarrassing, so I don't tell many people about it. 8^D
So -- back to that blue energy. So here I had all of these dolls -- what do I do with them? I am displaying them in a curio cabinet in my living room. SO -- BLUE ENERGY! I decided to dress them all in blue in honor of the blue wave I was hoping for. I have also discovered there are a lot of hand-made doll-sized clothes out there on Etsy and eBay and other places that remain in very good condition and often very chic, believe it or not. Just looking at these blue-clad dolls makes me smile, and the display reminds me to keep the faith and be hopeful -- I did see Biden taking the oath when we did remote viewing a while back. I wasn't the only one -- lots of us did. Seeing the little "blue party" in my cabinet reminds me to think of what's important -- not what's temporary. Focus on hope.
I know it's an odd little hobby, but I like it. Here's hoping for a BLUE outcome!
A 40 million dollar gift by a donor will pay for law school for 50 future civil rights lawyers.
I love this!
Here are some good news stories during this Texas storm crisis.We can all use some good news. Feel free to add more.
Volunteers saving thousands sea turtles in danger from the cold.
A coffee shop owner donating and creating shelf stable food baskets for people in need.
Overnight, dozens of volunteers showed up to cook 2,000 donated eggs and make 800 breakfast tacos for those in need.
@lovendures. These thousands of acts of kindness are just what we all need right now. Thank you.
The Tokyo Olympics Chief stepped down after a 22-year-old female called him out. This is a sign of the rise of matriarchy.
https://twitter.com/i/events/1362563616252325889
I love a story with a great ending.
In Texas, a young teen gave up the money she saved to attend Barnard College, an Ivy League school, to help her single mom pay rent.
And people donated to help her. A lot.
https://abc13.com/society/teen-gives-up-entire-college-savings-to-help-her-mom-pay-rent/10322295/