Read, nap, make things. Play games with friends.
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Skied a lot. House parties. Cooked elaborate meals with matching cocktails. Snowshoed occasionally.
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Has anyone heard of or used DMSO for pain relief? I have an Aunt who is… a bit kooky let’s say. She came to my moms at Christmas and was touting this stuff. She had a terrible accident about 8 months ago and claims that along with red light therapy, DMSO is why she’s not in a wheelchair. None of us have heard of it so I’m wondering if it’s actually helpful or just another gimmick. She certainly believes in it.
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DMSO is heavily used in my sport. It works really well for some people, not at all for others.
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Thanks!
Uh. I wouldn’t. Not that I’ve looked into it that much but.
In lab use it’s pretty toxic. A lot of drugs that you can’t dissolve in water are dissolved in it, but you always have to do a “vehicle control” with just the DMSO to make sure you haven’t killed everything.
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Agree - I used it to make monoclonal antibodies (fuse two cell lines). Brief exposure for cells, and it was diluted a lot quickly after.
It can be used as a carrier for compounds that aren’t very water soluble.
It’s been around as a folk remedy for arthritis for decades. I think if it was really efficacious we would have clear data by now.
ETA: here’s a quick summary from WebMD.
WebMD - DMSO
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Yeah my first thought was “the solvent?!” Agree with the lab people saying be very cautious.
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I did say my aunt is kooky, which is why I asked the question. She did say they mix it with water, so they are not using it full strength. But yeah. Kooky in many ways.
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Yeah it’s very dose dependent. But. Not having researched the proper dose for a full human to ingest, 5% is very toxic, get it off the cells asap. 0.1% is toxic, check your cells. 0.01% is maybe toxic, better check. 0.0000001% is probably not doing anything so it shouldn’t impact your pain.
So I would not eat it without a lot of extra research.
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We would go out for dinner, have people over for dinner. Occasionally, we’d go to theater performances: folk music mostly, We’ve always tended to be solitary. Museums and art exhibits are good too, as are book shows, and just staying home.
One thing I ran into early on was essentially this:
“Why do we work so hard all year to buy, furnish, upkeep, and upgrade where we live but go out, or elsewhere to relax?”
Which made a lot of sense to me. As we’re not party people, staying home makes a lot of sense. Before the bookstore, we used to have people over for brunch as our main socialization.
During the bookstore, what I did to relax was hide from people. Since the bookstore, I’ve been drowning in books, so no socialization at home either.
One of my end goals for the stuff and house cleaning is to have a Cinco de Mayo or bread/soup party for the neighbors. I’ve been thinking about both, literally for years.
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THANK YOU! I always thought “Mutual Aid” was code for the fire department. I never realized that we had such a thing here in this state. Also, never realized there was something where I could donate such small things as underwear, socks, etc. I have a freebie gift card at the local discount store and they always have underwear and socks, so I may just tithe to the Mutual Aid that way.
Again, THANK YOU! I’ve been wanting an “underground” way to help others (we live in the highest homeless county of the state) where I knew the resources went where they’re needed the most.
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My aunt and her husband both use it topically. But, maybe that is not any better.
ETA they brought it so my mom could try it on her foot, but I don’t think she’s going to use it again. They mixed with it water and said if it itches it’s working, and it did not.
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Topical is safer than ingesting.
ETA: from the WebMD page “While it can sometimes be found as an oral supplement, its safety is unclear. DMSO is primarily used by applying it to the skin.”
So “safer” might be a misstatement due to lack of information. But OTC products sold are topical AFAIK. It smells bad, and I don’t expect an industrial solvent to taste good.
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At one point it was cleared for use in interstitial cystitis. And I should remind everyone that strongman is a rough sport. And just because athletes there use it doesn’t mean genpop should. DMSO works wonders on a sprain or other acute inflammation. 70% seems to work better than 50% or 90%+
Also heavily used in race horses. Not that a normal person should consider treating themselves like a horse…
But, it’s a little scary and not a lot of info on it. I wouldn’t suggest using it outside of a doctor’s office, I can send the name of a few clinics if needed.
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How much should I pay my friend for a 1hr Spanish lessons? She lives in Orlando area.
Is anyone watching the new Dexter? I enjoyed the original and just got a month of showtime for .99 figuring I will binge it and cancel. If it’s terrible I won’t feel bad.
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I really like it. It has the same feel as the original.
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I looked it up and I think there’s only 2 more episodes so it shouldn’t run past my cheap month. Glad it feels the same, I will enjoy it.
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Does anyone have any experience with getting heating ducts cleaned? The EPA says there’s no evidence that it improves indoor air quality - does anyone have a different experience?
I’ve noticed my sinus congestion worsens when the furnace is on. The areas in the house where it’s consistently worse are right next to a heating duct. I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do like getting the ducts cleaned out to improve the situation. Thoughts / experience?
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