#on top of my regular chronic pain from all my other conditions…

[ionlytalktodogs]

I wish ppl would understand that like…a lot of things can cause chronic pain. I never NEVER see people talk about how Tourette’s can cause chronic pain but I have massive sometimes debilitating chronic pain from Tourette’s. I’ve had my shoulder lock up entirely for weeks to the point where I can barely move my arm because of Tourette’s pain. A lot of stuff can cause chronic pain.

[viktortittiforov]

✨ help a queer disabled creature out ✨

hiii! this is my first time making one of these so i don't really know what i'm doing but please bear with me!!

my name is neptune and i'm queer and disabled. i have ADHD, depression+anxiety and a chronic eye condition that leaves me with only one seeing eye (and with high eye pressure in my blind eye, which is occasionally painful and gives me headaches). i am also trans and currently pursuing HRT, which where i'm from means i first have to travel all over the country to a bunch of different specialists who need to determine whether i am Transsexual™ enough (which costs money).

i am employed, but i work at an NGO, which, coupled with the fact that i can't work there full-time due to my disabilities, means i'm basically making a little above my country's minimum wage (converted to USD – i'm from central-eastern europe – i make roughly $810/month after tax). nearly half of my monthly income goes towards my rent, and this makes it very hard for me to save up money, especially given the so-called ADHD tax (look it up if you haven't heard of it).

as you can probably imagine, this is very stressful. i am privileged in that i am not in an immediately dire financial situation and have a solid support network, unlike a lot of other people on here. however, i live with constant financial anxiety. i have no safety cushion with which to cover longer periods of potential illness/recovery (e.g. after top surgery, which i might want), potential health emergencies of my two beloved cats (one of whom is a senior cat), or unexpected household expenses. i also have very little disposable income, which is not immediately a disaster, but which has gotten me into a difficult situation.

you see, one of the ways i can sustainably supplement my income is freelance photography and i would really benefit from making that a more regular thing. currently, however, the only camera i have at my disposal is a second-hand beginner level DSLR i got back in 2019, which is really beginning to struggle to keep up. this means i could really use a new camera so that i can take better photos and increase the chance of someone wanting to hire me. but cameras are expensive and there's no way i could comfortably afford even another second-hand one (the cost of a decent second-hand camera would be around $850).

sooo. i thought i could try my luck here? i'm not asking for any specific target amount and i will be happy for any help, no matter how small. i understand if you'd rather help out those who need it more urgently though! i know many of us hardly have the means to help even those.

if you do happen to have some spare change, though, here is my paypal. i'll be forever grateful!

thanks for reading 💜 adding a photo of me and my cats so you know i'm a real person i guess?

[streettealee]

Jem Carstairs & Yin fen

TW: discussions of chronic illness, prescription drugs, and pain

So, you can laugh at me, but I have this box beside my bed. It’s... maybe the size of a tissue box? Slightly thinner, a smidge taller, at least compared to the tissue boxes I’m used to. Anyway, it holds this medication I have to take nightly (I have others to take during the day as well, but they’re stored elsewhere). Basically, the box holds several sachets full of granules - they’re tiny, mostly white looking, at least until they’re mixed with water because then I think they look slightly on the pinker side of white. Sitting here, turning to reach for my box on my bedside table full of sand-like stuff that I have to take in order to, basically, function day-to-day, I realised it reminded me of Jem Carstairs. Obviously, his drug is more harmful than any good, and he can’t live without it whereas I could - with a lot of struggle, but I could, and it’s non-addictive. 

This is part of something that always touched my heart about Jem though. TSC is not... I’m not going to say it’s the greatest source of representation for everything, because it’s really not, but I will say that learning about him when I was 16 and reading The Infernal Devices was really comforting. When you’ve been dealing with chronic illness since about the age of 10, you carry that weight with you. You feel it some days more than others. You wonder what it’s like to be normal. To be able to go about your day not needing to worry about the time you take your meds, the pain keeping you from regular activities, the way certain meds and the nature of your condition triggers other long-term problems that you also need to keep on top of with yet more meds.

It was cruel, but I used to get a lot of jokes about how, if I were a racehorse, I’d be put down (racehorsing was kind of a Thing where I used to live and there’d be all sorts of discourse going on about it, just as an aside). And we know of several times in TID where Jem was dying and some thought that Tessa and Will should not waste their time being bound to him (also, obviously, cruel). 

I get where Jem was coming from, funnily enough, when he says he’d rather burn brightly for those he loves for a shorter amount of time than live a half-life. When I’m in a bad health period, I do become reduced to a half-life if I don’t have medication. I have spent the entirety of my teenage years - allegedly important and life impactful years - struggling to live a full life like many others my age. I used to be the protective older sister, the shield for all my siblings. I was fiery, stubborn, argumentative, and kind of aggressively loyal even to those who did not always deserve it. But after the accident that allowed for my condition to evolve, I was weak. Not just in body but also mind, eventually. I was tired all the time. Couldn’t sleep either because of the pain or the pain meds that kept me up. Pain was like a second thing, a second being, inhabiting my body and pulsing and taking up space and reducing my ability to exist in a moment beyond it. On my better days, it’s more like a heavy weight on my shoulders that tires me out but isn’t necessarily keeping me armchair-bound. Nevertheless, I stopped being able to do everything by myself for a time, to take care of myself and others around me. Suddenly, they needed to take care of me. Help me change shirts, do my hair, carry things, and even write sometimes.

I couldn’t participate in sports. I turned to music. Clarinet was not easy because of the nature of my problem being focused primarily (at the time) in my shoulder and arm, but it gave me something. It was a little lonely, because no one else played the music I did (music classes were always full of pop and I was learning things like the national anthem, Waltzing Matilda, and some classics). Sure, I got transposed music that occasionally allowed me to play things like Imagine Dragons (did you ever think Believer could be played on clarinet? I committed to it). Hallelujah was a dear favourite, and a rare song I felt I could play with deep emotion. I learned an instrument and nearly played in an orchestra (on bass clarinet, admittedly, because they were a person short and I was able to adjust to the instrument more easily on short notice), until The Pandemic. These days? I can only really play the national anthem and simpler pieces. It’s been so long since I’ve properly and consistently practiced. Anyway, we got slightly off-topic.

Music felt like the one thing I could do most days (sometimes the pain got bad enough that I couldn’t practice as often in a week as I wanted). That, and reading and watching movies. I didn’t have the brain space while in pain to do well in school for a while. I couldn’t concentrate in classes. I still can never get out of my head a time when a guy I genuinely had a major crush on (for years) asked me to dance and I had to decline because I was in too much pain to trust myself to do it well or comfortably. So, a lot of time was spent just listening to people idly and not taking much in, as well as reading from screens on the days that books hurt too much to hold (you’d be surprised how much that affects my arm and shoulder), and watching far too many movies and shows. I developed a lot of different interests than the people around me. When I sketched, I drew attention (sorry, pun was unintended but I’ll leave it there), but outside of that? It was a struggle to keep up with them. I felt like I was missing out all the time. On life. 

Jem Carstairs felt like someone had looked at my quiet, pain-tensed body and peered through to the tired, raging spirit still underneath that couldn’t get out for the longest time, and said, “You are not alone with this. Here is a young man who plays the violin and suffers day in and day out.” Some people would look at him and treat him as if he were already dead. In my lifetime, I’ve been treated like I’m not even there, just faded into the furniture, gone. Not a lot of people want to be friends with the depressed chronically ill kid who struggles with a pain from an ailment they can’t even see. That’s why I always loved the Tessas and Wills of my life, the others that didn’t treat me any less because I could not live the way they did. And I love Jem for finally being someone in fiction I can relate to.

Sometimes, it’s not about which character has the closest personality and similarities to me. Sometimes it’s just one character who has just one key thing that connects deeply with an experience of ours that isn’t common which gives us comfort. For me, that’s Jem Carstairs and his yin fen box. My meds often make me feel ill but let me function better than I would otherwise. I have some in a box on my bedside table. And I have people who understand my limits, but do not act as if I cannot be human. It’s really nice to see that part of me reflected. 

[ashers-transition]

Pre T (December 13, 2022)

Hello! I'm making this post to show where I'm starting out in my medical transition. I'm going to go through some of the changes that can happen on testosterone based HRT and show what those areas are currently like for me while being pre T.

Please check my pinned post for more info about me and why I started this blog!

CWs: full body images, eye contact, measuring tape (in reference to hand width only), discussion of menstruation, discussion of appetite and disordered eating).

(If I've missed any content warnings that I should include, please let me know and I will add them in).

Face Shape

Hairline

Facial Hair

I have a bit of peach fuzz (soft, light colored hairs) all over my face. Other than that, I have a small amount of slightly darker hairs around my upper lip area, as can be seen in images 1 and 2. I also wanted to include an image of my eyebrows pre T because T can thicken your eyebrows as well. It isn't fully grown in because I usually shave it (just personal preference) but I do also have a slight unibrow. I imagine this will come in thicker as well.

Body Hair

You probably can't see unless you zoom in, but I have some light brown hair on my forearms and on my lower legs. My thighs are covered in lighter hairs that are not really visible. (You might have to zoom in on these to see anything).

Increased Muscle Mass

I have a slight amount of muscle from my previous job, which involved lifting heavy objects on a somewhat regular basis. I no longer have that job, but I may start working out soon to help with my health, so I'm unsure currently in which direction my muscle mass will go.

The most obvious muscles I have are my biceps and my abs, both of which have slightly defined muscles if I flex. My thighs also have a decent bit of muscle, but there is more body fat in that area sitting on top of the muscle so they aren't as defined.

Menstrual Cycle

I currently have a somewhat regular period that typically comes once every month and a half. Previously, I have dealt with very bad fibro flares whenever I got my period, with the first day being painful enough to take me out of commission. I've started a new pain medication about two months ago, so my period related flares are much more manageable now. Instead of putting me somewhere in the 6-8 range on the pain scale, I'm now at around a 3-4 when my period starts. I'm curious as to whether my period stopping will make these monthly flares go away altogether, or if I will still get them without bleeding. This is something my doctor did not know the answer to, and I'd like to be able to share my experiences with others who have chronic pain and are transitioning.

Body Fat Distribution

Acne

I currently only have light acne on a regular basis, with light breakouts whenever my period starts. The images of my face shown earlier are a good representation of the average amount of acne I have when not on my period.

Skin Texture

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, one symptom of which is very soft skin. The skin on my face and inner forearms are especially soft. I'm also interested to see if and how that changes considering my disorder.

Hand Size

I'm including this because I've heard some people mention their hands looking "more masculine" after starting T, and even their hands getting bigger. I'm sure this probably isn't something that everyone who goes on T experiences, but I'd rather have the comparison pictures than not.

Energy Levels, Pain, and POTS

I struggle with chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and POTS. My doctor has mentioned that it's possible these conditions will improve after being on T for a while, and I'd like to document that as well.

Currently, I wake up exhausted every day, regardless of how much sleep I've gotten. I also frequently take naps during the day and wake up exhausted from those as well. I struggle waking up, caffeine doesn't help, and I often struggle to complete basic tasks. Heavy physical activity often makes it worse.

Without medication, I'm typically somewhere in the 3-4 range on the pain scale, with flares bringing it up to 5-7. Since starting the medication I'm currently on, I've typically been in the 1-2 range, with flares bringing it up to 3-4.

I typically get short dizziness spells upon standing, but they tend to go away quickly. I often get dizzy enough that my vision starts to go out, but this does not happen every day. I only experience presyncope a few days out of the month, but when it does happen, it usually happens more than once in a day. So far in my three years of being symptomatic, I have only fainted once.

Appetite

Due to being autistic, I often struggle to tell when I am hungry. ADHD also makes it difficult to eat sometimes, because I often forget. On other days, I will eat out of boredom. I typically eat 2-3 meals a day while snacking in between.

Emotional State

I have BPD, which makes it very difficult to regulate my emotions. I once heard BPD described as being "like bipolar, but faster," and I think that's a helpful way to explain it. I have intense emotional states that usually only last a few hours. When I'm happy I'm really happy, and when I'm sad I'm really sad. For me personally, I tend to turn these emotions inward.

I decided to go on testosterone gel instead of the injections. I've heard of people having mood swing when getting closer to their next injection, and would rather avoid that if possible due to my already unstable mood.

Voice and Adam's Apple

My voice is somewhat androgynous, but it does keep me from passing. I also have what I like to call an "almost Adam's apple," though it's more apparent in person.

[Video description: A waist high video of Asher talking to the camera. End video description.]

[Video transcript: "Hi, my name is Asher, and this is my voice, like, four days on T, 'cause I forgot."]

[potsmart]

It is My Sincere Belief that Kief is Chief

Imagine: you’re at the beginning of your cannabis journey, and you’ve been grinding your flower in a grinder for weeks. Your grinder has several compartments, one of which is on the bottom, and you’ve never opened it before because why would you? You decide that today is the day. You peer inside and see what looks like a layer of brown-green sand. You’re momentarily worried you’ve been smoking straight mold and all of the moldy particles have fallen to the bottom, but never fear, you have just stumbled upon a treasure. Most of us have heard of kief at one time or another, but what is it?

Kief is essentially an accumulation of the crystalline resin glands of the cannabis plant. These glands, also called trichomes, are responsible for giving cannabis buds their beautiful hazy frost. These crystals are where the highest concentration of cannabis’s pain-relieving terpenes are found, as well as highly concentrated levels of THC, CBD, and other beneficial cannabinoids.

Regular cannabis flower typically tests anywhere from 15% to 40% THC. In comparison, because kief consists of just these cannabis resin glands and contains almost no unnecessary plant matter, some kief can test up to 70% THC. These high concentrations mean that kief can produce stronger, more potent psychoactive effects. Essentially, kief is to weed what espresso is to coffee.

It has been well-documented that THC can help manage depression, anxiety, nausea, sleep disorders, and chronic pain, and CBD has been found by the World Health Organization to help manage the pain and anxiety resulting from serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, epilepsy, cancer, and others. This means that for many people, kief can be an incredibly beneficial addition to your wellness routine. The high concentration of beneficial cannabinoids within kief means that it is an extremely effective tool for managing both chronic and acute pain.

Now, you could wait for this wonderful by-product to naturally accumulate in the bottom of your grinder as you go about consuming your regular flower, but that takes time and patience which sometimes you just don’t have. Plus, trying to save excessive kief in something that you regularly screw and unscrew can result in the mechanical components (threads, screens, etc.) of your grinder becoming stuck and difficult to operate. This problem is frustrating for anyone but can become truly demoralizing for people who use cannabis to alleviate symptoms from conditions affecting mobility, such as arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.

Luckily for you, you can easily pick up any number of varieties of our pure, isolated kief to immediately elevate your smoking experience. Aside from the obvious physical and recreational benefits of utilizing kief, there are plenty of practical benefits to having kief on hand as well.

Accidentally buy some less-than-satisfying buds but can’t bring yourself to waste them? Have no fear, kief is here. Easily increase the potency and intensity of your cannabis with a dash of pure terp-y goodness.

Love the taste of cannabis and the ritual of smoking but your tolerance has gotten to a point where straight flower just isn’t quite packing the punch it used to? Sprinkle a little (or a lot) of your favourite strain’s kief over your bowl, inside of your joint, topping your pipe, bubbling within your dab rig, or whatever suits your fancy. Dust a layer of kief over a joint to instantly elevate any rotation, or, if you’re feeling especially crafty, roll your joint in wax and then kief to send your session to the moon. Just like everyone’s favourite nobility-themed burger chain, you truly can have it your way.

Maybe you love the heavy body high and mind-mellowing effects of a true indica-dominant strain like Northern Lights but want to borrow just a little bit of sativa’s happy euphoria? Try sprinkling a dash of sativa-dominant Sour Diesel over any heavily Indica variety to add uplifting, creative energy to your experience.

On the other hand, if you love a strain with an even 50/50 ratio of indica to sativa, like our AAAA-grade Alien Cookies, but it’s a little late in the evening and you’d like just a bit of a more sedative effect. Help yourself get to bed faster by adding the kief of a heavy indica like Purple Passion and enjoy the reward of quick relief for stubborn pain and insomnia.

Maybe you’ve just had one of those days – your phone falls in the toilet, the vending machine ate your last dollar, you accidentally hit ‘reply all’ on a perhaps overly-sassy email, you made pasta and poured the noodles down the drain instead of the water. No matter who you are or what you do, life eventually orders all of us a big slice of indica-dominant Humble Pie with a trichome-y cherry on top. Drift into spirit-lifting relaxation and blunt the sharp corners of reality with this excellent addition to anyone’s wellness routine.

In summary, Potsmart’s wide selection of kief allows you to easily expand the horizons of your smoking experience. However you choose to consume your cannabis, kief is an excellent addition to any smoker’s arsenal. Whether you’re seeking fast and effective pain relief, a more intense high, bursts of creativity, or just a fun weedy time, a better day is just a sprinkle away.

By Bailey Quarters, Cannabis Connoisseur and Guest Contributor for Potsmart

[staalmunn33]

Medical Marijuana Organic Garden

When it involves your as well as wellness wellbeing, just the very best will engage in. Tragically, there are some people who'll suffer from reoccurring and chronic symptoms, no matter what they do today treat folks. Such symptoms can greatly take their toll relating to the overall quality of life. Many times, prescription prescription medication is only so effective, or have several side effects or undesirable qualities within that may often hurt as almost as much ast they may possibly. In some of these cases, medical cannabis may be an effective and organically grown treatment process. The only way to find out if as well as right in order to is by seeing a physician at medicinal marijuana nursing homes. Omega 6s can be seen in plant oils for instance hemp, sesame, and hammer toe. Plant oils are not suggested if weight-loss is purpose. Coconut and corn oils contain very high amounts of saturated fats. Hemp Legal has the best ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6.

As stated earlier, merchandise in your articles choose spend money on fish oil in large sizes, components . to know that the it costs going to be fairly inexpensive for individuals. The hard part is finding the right supplement for your taste as he come for all variations along with other ingredients added to give a better flavor. Choosing is very much as you when it comes to how you take it, just be sure in order to it to any regular diet every working day. While seem alike to the untrained eye, they can be easily distinguishable. Industrial breeds have a THC content of.05% and 1%. Marijuana's content significantly higher, around 20%. This renders industrial breeds just about unsmokable. This remedy has been known for ages, and associated electrical signals . it remains to be around is they it jobs. If you in order to be eliminate candida symptoms fast, try eating at least a couple servings per day. Just certain you get you to consume plain yogurt with no fruit special. If you are susceptible to particularly painful symptoms, a very good way to obtain relief fast is by coating a tampon with plain yogurt and inserting this vaginally for about 50 % of an time. The yogurt's naturally occurring healthy bacteria will be able to work killing off the yeast fast and also, when put on to the affected areas, offers some much need respite from the burning, itching, and swelling. Pots and soil - it is essential to choose large plastic pots or buckets with drainage holes at backside. Make sure to fill backside of the pot with large gravel to facilitate drainage and the top layer with top quality potting terrain. Marijuana plants do not grow well in acidic conditions, so make positive the pH of the soil is between 6.5-7.5. to be able to retain nutrients and moisture, place some humus regarding soil. There are lots of nursery stores where you see the best soil for growing cannabidiol. The healing qualities of a plant been recently known for just about any very long time. Verti CBD Gummies seems almost unbelievable how the so-called powers that be could dupe the public about this type of basic thing as the Hemp Plant. They told us hemp was a dangerous drug when indeed it is actually a flora. They told us that hemp was deadly and addictive when they were filling us full of their deadly addictive chemicals and harmful toxins. That should give you an idea of how gullible all of us truly also been. "It's almost tantamount to looking at heroin, and saying, 'Well, these pain pills aren't working, to find out think we ought to legalize heroin because it's more powerful than the medication than I may get from my doctor." -- Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R-Elmhurst).

[sagescully]

01/09/2022

TW: trauma, depression, self-harm, substance abuse, eating disorders and unaliving attempts.

So... in my last (and only) text post on this blog, I mentioned that I was experiencing some depression, but I wasn't unhappy.

Update: I'm unhappy. Desperately so.

Depression is an absolute mindfuck. Tack on all of the comorbidities, all of the extra conditions and troubles and broken bits, and you've got a behemoth of a monster sitting atop your shoulders, encumbering you to the point that your legs crumple beneath you, leaving you to drag yourself and your trauma/depression monster inch by inch with bloodied fingers.

The last time I experienced a mind this dark was around six years ago, before I moved in with my now-fiancée. So... that's frightening.

It's mind-blowing how life can go to such a dark place in so little time. The last time I wrote was in November of last year. Things were rough, but manageable. A month after I wrote that post (to the day, actually), everything started to go to shit. I've had the year from hell and I don't even know how I'm still here... but I am.

I'm tired.

Exhausted, actually, but there's a microscopic spark of... not optimism, but dare I suggest 'hope'? That's not quite right either, but there's something. A tiny spark. It's there, I swear.

Despite everything, I feel like I have a clearer understanding of my own mind at the moment. It's a wild and tangled mess of a forest in there, but I'm figuring it out, forging paths through the thicket: paths to understanding my neurodivergent brain, paths to understanding how to tackle my trauma, paths to treating my physical disabilities... lots of paths. Too many, maybe, but I don't have to follow them all at once. I mean, I can't follow them all at once. I only have two legs and one body.

I've lost the metaphor. That's okay.

Essentially, I'm workshopping this shit. At 31 years old. Better late than never. I always tell myself that there's no timeline on recovering from a lifetime of trauma and mental fuckery, but that doesn't stop my mind from becoming overwrought thinking about how I'm 'running out of time'. There are so many things I want to do in my life, but I spent my first two decades being physically and emotionally abused, undiagnosed and untreated; the next decade was spent in varying states of mental illness. At my worst, I was experiencing severe hallucinations and delusions, self-harming, not eating (or throwing up what I did eat), abusing a number of substances and attempting to unalive myself (hi, hello, I was unsuccessful).

Add an untreated neurodivergent brain and chronic pain onto this and you can see my predicament.

Thankfully, I've not been back at that point for a long time, but I can feel it on the edges of my consciousness. Voices in the middle of the night, an increase in panic attacks, flashes of something threatening out the corner of my eye, the desperate urge to hurt myself, just so that I can experience those moments of all-encompassing and strangely soothing distraction... the thoughts of, 'It would be better for everybody if I just wasn't here.' I hate those thoughts the most, but it's impossible to avoid them at the moment.

I don't want to die, but... some days, I can't see any other solution. Thankfully, my desperate desire to stay alive and to spend the rest of my life with my partner keeps me here.

What frightens me is that I know that the switch can be flipped like that. What switch? You know, the one that flips from 'I don't want to die but I think about it sometimes' to 'fuck, there's nothing I want more than to die'. IYKYK.

So... yeah. I need to get on top of that. Nip that shit in the bud. Seasonal affective disorder is on the horizon, so I need to have as many things in place before that monster climbs on top of my regular depression monster. The stronger I am and the more tools I have at my disposal, the more capable I'll be of carrying myself and those assholes. I'm not aiming to defeat them right now. I just want to make it to spring in one piece, mostly, and I can do that by starving them as much as I can.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. I don't even know if anyone will read this, but I've been terrible at being consistent with journalling lately. Maybe I'll be better at keeping up with a blog.

Also, being back on tumblr really feeds into my nostalgia kick.

If you've read this and you're not me, then *high five*.

[spencers-renaissance]

dry me off and hold me close

Summary: Derek has finally relented and is bringing his boyfriend Spencer to meet the rest of the team. That means, though, he has to finally tell them about his boyfriend's disability. Terrified that they'll react badly, he puts it off until he can't anymore. Turns out he was worried for nothing.

Tags: so much fluff, protective derek, disabled spencer, caretaker derek, au: spencer is not in the bau, team as family, hurt/comfort, light angst, est. rel, day to day disabled life, physical disability/chronic illness

Pairing: Derek Morgan x Spencer Reid

Word Count: 5.7k

Masterlist // Read on AO3

Hello! I am nervous to share this one, I won't lie. It's incredibly personal. It was a pain in the arse to write but I love how it turned out and I hope you do, too. Just a note: this may be triggering for some people - there is description of nausea and severe chronic pain, as well as frequent references to ableism towards wheelchair users.

As soon as Rossi brings up the prospect of a fully-catered family dinner at his ‘mansion’ this weekend, Derek’s heart sinks. They’re on their way home from a pretty gruelling case and it’s well-deserved of course, but he knows what comes next, knows what question will be asked of him, and he’s dreading it. There’s only so long he can go on avoiding answering. 

“Please tell me you’ll finally let us meet Spencer, Derek,” JJ asks, levelling him with a look to rival one of Penelope’s. “At this point I’m starting to think you’ve made him up.” 

Spencer is very real. He’s a very real, very sexy, very intelligent man who Derek has no doubt would get on brilliantly with the team. But Spencer also happens to be disabled. And while his boyfriend has had decades to get to terms with broaching such a sensitive, taboo topic, Derek has not. He’s far from ashamed of Spencer — that’s not it at all — he’s just so protective of him, and the idea of others being touchy or patronising or outright rude around him is an idea he’s never been able to get used to, no matter how many times he’s witnessed it.

Derek’s laugh is strained as he rubs his face awkwardly, trying to find the words to politely decline, but the others are pouncing on him before he can speak. 

“You’ve put it off enough times now, Morgan,” Emily says, siding with JJ. “If he’s even half of what you say he is then we’ll love him. Just bring him along. Rossi doesn’t mind.”

“Oh no, I’m dying to meet the man who could finally tie Derek Morgan, ladies man extraordinaire, down,” Rossi chimes in.

“He definitely sounds like my kind of guy,” Alex agrees. “I’m impressed you managed to land such an educated man, Derek.”

He looks sort of desperately towards Hotch who raises his hands guiltily. “I would actually like to meet him, too, Morgan,” he says reluctantly, a rare smile playing across his face.

Derek groans and throws his head back against his plane seat. He can only be glad Penelope isn’t on the flight because she’d be absolutely relentless in such a conversation. 

As hesitant as he is to let his team in, maybe it is time to finally get over himself and bring Spencer to meet them. After all, none of them have ever given him actual cause to be so nervous, and he knows they’d all inevitably fall in love with him almost as quickly as Derek did, so really it’s his own fears and fierce protective instincts keeping Spencer away from his second family. 

“Fine,” he relents, anxious butterflies not easing. “He’s home this weekend, and apart from planning lectures I think he’s free, so I’ll ask him. But I can only promise to ask, I won’t promise he’ll agree.” It’s a pointless caveat; Spencer’s been bugging him to meet the team almost as long as they’ve been bugging him to meet Spencer, he’ll jump at the chance to go to dinner with them. 

“Finally,” JJ groans, pretending to collapse against Emily in relief, who giggles fondly at her antics.

“I’m sure we’ll love him, Derek,” Rossi says reassuringly, a proud fatherly look on his face that has his chest clenching painfully. 

As everyone settles down, his stomach churns anxiously as he stares back out of the jet window. He knows everyone will love Spencer; he just doesn’t know how to tell them what to expect. What if Spencer has a fainting episode or gets nauseous at dinner time? What if he can’t keep his energy up or is too photosensitive to have the lights on? What if meeting that many people at once overwhelms him? Spencer always tells him he worries too much, but he can’t help it — not when the love of his life is involved. 

He’s brought out of his nervous stewing by Hotch. “You know, Morgan, if you really don’t want to bring Spencer, you don’t have to,” he says softly, making him look up to see everyone staring at him guiltily. 

“We didn’t mean to pressure you,” JJ says hesitantly, and the others agree, all clearly having noticed his pensive expression.

He forces himself to take a calming breath and bite the damn bullet already. Spencer would be rolling his eyes at him. “Okay. There’s something I haven’t told you,” he starts carefully. He hasn’t had to introduce the concept of Spencer’s disability to anybody since he told his family. “Spencer is disabled. He has a chronic condition that impairs his mobility along with bringing a whole host of other symptoms, and while he’s had it for most of his adult life, I’m still not used to broaching the topic and I didn’t know how you would react. He already experienced enough difficulties in life, he doesn’t need my co-workers, hypothetically, being patronising or weird about it. So, I put it off.”

It feels like a weight off his chest once it’s out in the air, but the surprised looks on his team’s face make him briefly wonder whether telling them was a mistake after all. “Spencer will really look forward to coming though,” he rushes to continue. “He’s on his own a lot of the time and struggles to make it out of the house except for work if I’m not there, so he can feel quite isolated. It will be nice for him to spend time with other people, and finally meet you guys.”

By the time he’s finished speaking, everyone seems to have mostly recovered from their immediate shock, and look relaxed and intrigued again — far more appreciated expressions on Derek’s end. 

“Well,” Rossi starts, and he feels like holding his breath in anticipation, “will he need any accommodations?” Relief spreads warm and thick across Derek’s chest as he feels himself physically relax. Of course immediate support would be the response from his team; he was stupid to think otherwise. 

“His mobility fluctuates daily. Sometimes he can walk small distances okay, other times — and more frequently — he needs aids like forearm crutches or his wheelchair. Can I text you on the day and let you know?”

“Of course,” Rossi promises, a warm smile on his face, “whatever you and Spencer need.”

“There is one more thing, if Spencer’s coming it will need to be earlier in the evening… think more six rather than eight. He’ll be too exhausted later in the evening and he needs to be home early to get the amount of sleep he needs.”

“That’s fine,” Rossi agrees immediately, “six it is.”

“Sorry for pressuring you, Derek,” JJ says, tilting her head as she looks across the table at him. “But we’ll love Spencer, this won’t change anything.”

“Yeah, fuck you for thinking we’d be assholes about it,” Emily chuckles, punching him softly in the arm. 

Derek grins at her before shaking his head. “I’m just too protective of him,” he explains a little guiltily. “He thinks it’s ridiculous but I can’t help it. We’ve been together nearly five years now and I’ve seen the things he has to go through, professionally and in his day to day life. I just saw an area for potential harm, no matter how slim the chances, and immediately bricked it up in my mind. It’s hard to tear walls down like that.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Alex says in her signature gentle tone, smiling at him.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Hotch agrees and Derek gives them all another quick smile before they settle in for the rest of the flight. 

It’s late by the time Derek unlocks the door to his and Spencer’s home and he knows his boyfriend will already be in bed. It had been a weird adjustment when they’d first started dating, Spencer having to be home by 10pm so Spencer could get at least nine hours of sleep, topped up by regular naps during the day. Now though, he’s completely used to operating around Spencer’s sleep schedule; it’s just routine. 

He makes his way through the house quietly, toeing his shoes off and shedding his coat before dumping his bag in the living room and padding up the stairs. The house is dark but their room is dimly lit by Spencer’s night lamps, there to ease him off to sleep and keep him company when bouts of painful insomnia torment him. There was a time Derek used to mind, but those days seem so long ago now. He climbs carefully onto the mattress, taking off his trousers and socks but not bothering to change into anything new.

As gentle as he is with his movement, Spencer still stirs beside him. “Derek?” He blinks sleepily over at him in the soft light of the bedroom and Derek immediately scoots over and wraps him in a hug. It might be gone midnight but he misses Spencer like crazy when he’s away and physical contact is very much essential business right now.

“Yeah, baby,” he whispers as he relishes the feeling of Spencer’s small frame against his own. “Sorry I woke you.”

“It’s okay. Just glad you’re home. Missed you.”

“I promise I missed you more,” Derek murmurs as the warmth of the room and comforting presence of his boyfriend wrapped around him finally break down the walls he’s been holding back the sleepiness working a 5 day case inevitably brings. 

“Make me pancakes in the morning?” 

Spencer doesn’t need to ask, it’s a tradition for Derek to make pancakes for breakfast the day he gets back from the case, but it makes him smile anyway. “Anything for you, baby boy,” he yawns. “Go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

⭐️

Derek waits until dinner the next evening to bring up the subject of the dinner party. It’s just a simple takeaway on the sofa of the house Derek had renovated for them, but even five years into their relationship, every moment shared with Spencer feels like a date. 

“How would you feel about going to a dinner party with the team?” Derek asks when there’s a lull in their conversation. Spencer’s just finished explaining a complicated debate he’s having with one of his colleagues about kinetic particle theory and Derek has no idea how to respond. Moments like these used to make him feel stupid and inadequete when they first got together, but now he just stares fondly at his genius boyfriend and wonders how on earth he got so lucky. 

Spencer lowers his fork. They’re eating chinese but he still hasn’t mastered chopsticks, and it never fails to make Derek smile. “Are you serious?” he says, an excited grin spreading across his face.

“I am.” He quirks an amused eyebrow as he takes in Spencer’s eager expression. God, he’s so fucking in love.

“Well obviously I want to go,” he giggles, “you know that. When is it?”

“Saturday.”

Spencer just launches himself into Derek’s lap in lieu of response, not that he has far to move on their cosy sofa, slotting himself against his body as they melt into one another. “Thank you for finally getting over yourself,” he says with his face buried in Derek’s neck.

Derek’s responding laugh jostles both of them as he wraps his arms around Spencer’s small frame, loving the way he fits in the palms of his hands. “I’m sorry it took me so long, baby,” he says, tone transitioning into sincerity. “But they can’t wait to meet you, and you’re going to love them.”

“I know,” Spencer says drily, pulling back to look him in his eyes. “Why do you think I’ve been pushing to meet them for the last five years?”

Derek answers with a squeeze to Spencer’s waist and a kiss to his shoulder. “Go on,” he says, lifting him off his lap to sit on the sofa next to him. “Finish your dinner.” 

“Mm, I think I’ve had enough,” Spencer hums nonchalantly, busying himself with putting the carton on the coffee table as if Derek doesn’t know him like the back of his hands. 

“This is your favourite dish from your favourite Chinese and you’re expecting me to believe you’ve just had enough,” he says, raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, pretty boy?”

“Nothing,” Spencer says, but he sounds winded and Derek isn’t stupid. He levels him with a look. “Okay… I just feel a bit sick is all.”

“Floor, sofa, or bed?” He’s aware of the nausea protocol, and he moves his own dinner aside as he springs into action. 

“Floor.” He’d been surprised the first time his boyfriend had crawled onto the floor and lay curled up until the nausea passed, but it was second-nature now. Apparently, the flat, firm surface was the most comfortable when such intense sickness consumed him.

“Okay, baby, let’s go.” He gently lifts Spencer off the sofa and down onto the floor, taking care not to jostle him too much. His eyes stay closed, face screwed up as he tries to weather the waves of nausea crashing over him. It never fails to make Derek’s heart twist in pain. “Are you actually going to be sick?” The majority of nausea spells usually pass on their own with no vomit to speak of, and Spencer’s usually very good at telling which kind it is.

“No,” he whispers, reaching his hand slowly towards Derek’s and gripping it tightly. He gets the message and lays down next to him, stroking his hair softly as they wait in silence for Spencer’s body to right itself. It only takes about twenty minutes to pass, and when it does, Derek carries him to bed, bringing him his toothbrush and a flannel as they follow another of their set routines that have been established over so many years of being together. 

“I love you so much, Spencer Reid,” Derek murmurs as they lay in bed together that night, the soft light of their bedroom catching on Spencer’s cheekbones.

“I love you more, Derek Morgan,” Spencer whispers back, voice slurred as he cuddles further into the arms of his boyfriend. 

“Not possible,” Derek insists, but Spencer’s already dropping off to sleep. 

⭐️

Spencer wakes up on the day of the dinner party in what Derek can clearly see is nothing short of agony. He doesn’t try to hide it, they’re mostly past that now — although he still sometimes convinces himself he can handle smaller symptoms by himself, no matter how many times Derek insists they’re a team — but he doesn’t say much either. The morning is spent on the sofa, using numerous heated blankets and painkiller combinations until he can at least think straight. 

“How do you feel about this evening?” Derek asks as lunchtime approaches, rubbing Spencer’s good arm gently as he leans against him, legs outstretched on the chaise. 

Spencer hums. “I’m gonna take a nap after lunch,” he decides after a moment of deliberation, “and then decide. I think with meds and the wheelchair, I’ll be okay.” He pauses for a moment as he nibbles nervously on his bottom lip. “Do you think they’ll be weird about the chair?”

“No, baby,” Derek says decisively. Really, he can’t believe he ever thought anything different, but he was scared and fear easily spirals into irrationality. “They won’t even blink. Especially since I warned them about the mobility aids. I think they’d be more surprised if you walked into the Rossi mansion.”

“You sure?”

It hurts Derek’s heart to hear him so anxious and uncertain, and it’s only more painful because he knows it's rooted in experience. He’s had to fight for most of his life to be seen as a competent adult, equal to his peers despite his disability, and people can be cruel. “I’m sure. And even if for some reason they were dicks about it, I’m there, okay? Nobody’s gonna get away with being anything other than an angel towards you when I’m around.”

Spencer giggles at that, turning his head into Derek’s chest. “You turn into the hulk when you’re protecting me.” 

“I do,” he agrees, chuckling at the sound of Spencer’s adorable laugh, “and for good reason. No-one hurts my baby. You know that, and everyone else knows it, too. We’re gonna be just fine, pretty boy.”

Spencer sighs, reassured by Derek’s words. “Love you,” he whispers, twisting a bit to press a kiss to the side of Derek’s neck. 

“I love you more,” Derek promises, lifting a hand to rest on Spencer’s cheek.

“Not possible.”

The rest of the day passes slowly as Spencer takes it easy, deciding that he’s definitely up to it after a decent nap curled up against a reading Derek. They get ready together, Derek helping him shower when his arms hurt too much to wash his hair and getting him dressed in his favourite outfit before dressing himself. 

By the time six thirty rolls around, Spencer’s feeling a little bit better, his meds are hitting the spot and they’ve mastered all the wheelchair adaptations to make his life as easy as possible over the years. His cushions and heated seats connected to the wheelchair’s motor, which he uses to help self-propell at work, ease the pain as much as they can and the built in phone charger always makes him popular whenever they go out with friends. Plus, his cane and crutches connect neatly to the back of the chair, giving him more options, which is especially helpful on nights like this. 

“Comfy?” Derek asks as he pushes him out of the apartment and into the hallway, locking the door behind them. 

Spencer hums in affirmation, wiggling a little as he settles into the warm support of the chair. They have a ground floor apartment for safety reasons: Spencer needs to be able to exit the building if the lifts stop working, but it’s also convenient. They get down to the garage quickly and Derek helps him into the passenger seat before packing the wheelchair in the boot.

He spends the journey in contemplative silence and Derek can’t keep himself from shooting worried looks his way. His hand makes its way onto Spencer’s knee and he rubs his thumb gently against the skin, before stilling the digit, all too conscious of how painful repetitive stimulus can be, especially on days like these. 

“Stop worrying, baby,” he says, ten minutes into the drive when Spencer still hasn’t said a word. His bottom lip is chapped from the worried chewing it has endured for most of the day. “They’re going to love you, I promise.” 

“You really think so?” 

Derek’s about to answer quickly but he looks over and sees how absolutely dead serious Spencer is. He sighs. “Let me tell you exactly why. Alex is a fellow academic with the softest streak of anyone in the BAU field team. Emily and JJ have the ability to befriend literally anyone, and Penelope already is in love with you, just from what I’ve said about you. She’s told me so multiple times. Rossi immediately accommodated you and wasn’t at all fazed when I mentioned your disability. Hotch is a gentle fatherly type when he’s talking to good people and the rest of the team, so he’ll just be interested in you as a person. There’s no-one I’m worried about, okay?”

“Okay,” Spencer whispers eventually, finally sounding like he actually believes him. 

“Besides, you’ve already got one member of this team whipped,” Derek smirks, glancing over at him again. 

He considers it a win when Spencer rolls his eyes, and his grin couldn’t be wider when he hears him mumble, “arrogant asshole” under his breath.

Derek’s grateful Rossi doesn’t have a gravel driveway as he gets Spencer out of the car and into his wheelchair, before pushing him the short way to the front door. They’d battled some tough terrain over the years, and gravel was absolutely his least favourite. As they approach the house, though, he notices that Spencer’s grip on his armrest is tight enough that his knuckles are white, and it hurts Derek’s heart that he’s only this nervous because real people and real experiences have given him genuine reason to be. 

Before he gets to knock, though, the door is thrown open by an uncontainably excited Penelope. “You’re here!” she shouts, and completely bypasses Derek to shake Spencer’s hand. He’s glad she doesn’t crouch, just leans down a little so he doesn't have to reach up so far. “You must be Spencer. I’m Penelope. It is a crime that Derek has kept us apart for so long, but none of that matters now. Would you like me to push you in through to meet the others?”

“Um, it’s nice to finally meet you, Penelope,” he says, smiling at her genuinely. “Would you mind if Derek keeps pushing me, though?”

“Oh, no, that’s fine!” Her smile doesn’t drop a bit. “Come through, everyone’s already in the living room. Oh, and hi Chocolate Thunder.” She sends him a quick wink. 

“Hi, Mama,” he says, rolling his eyes. He’s grinning, though. So far, so good. 

They follow Penelope further into the house after Derek closes the door behind them, and the girls get up first. “Spencer, oh it’s so good to meet you,” Emily says, coming up and shaking his hand. “I’m Emily, this is JJ.”

“Hi,” JJ says, shaking his hand too, giving him a conspiratorial look. “I’m glad we finally bullied Derek into bringing his oh-so-secret beau to meet us.” 

Derek just grins. “What can I say? I’m protective of my baby.” He reaches down and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. 

“Ignore this caveman,” Spencer laughs, and Derek is sure he rolls his eyes again. “I’ve been dying to meet you all, too.”

“Well, it’s our pleasure,” Alex says, coming up for her turn. “I’m Alex. Your paper ‘How Thinking Makes Us Write’ you published a couple of years ago is incredible; I used it in my Psychology of Writing class last year and only just realised it was written by Derek’s top-secret boyfriend! I’d love to talk to you more about that later.”

“That’s so cool, wow, yeah I’d love that.” He smiles at her, clearly feeling a little flattered by the immediate praise of his work. Derek thinks it’s the least he deserves.

“I’m Aaron, but everyone calls me Hotch,” Hotch says as he and Rossi step forward, a warm smile on his face. “Sorry to overwhelm you with all these introductions, but it’s lovely to meet you. It really is a shame Derek’s been so secretive.” 

Spencer smiles up at him. “Are we all going to dunk on Derek all night? Because if that’s the case, I’m glad I came,” he laughs, twisting around slightly to look at Derek. 

“Yeah, yeah, keep talking, pretty boy,” he says, raising a brow. “Two can play at that game.”

“You’re too whipped, I’m not worried,” Spencer dismisses him, before touching his hand lovingly, letting him know that he’s only teasing. 

“I don’t doubt it,” Rossi says. “I’m Dave, or Rossi, whichever you prefer. I actually own this house, despite being the last in line for a formal introduction. I’m sorry I didn’t greet you at the door, Penelope had been waiting on the stairs for half an hour so she could be the first to greet you.”

“That true, baby girl?” Derek chuckles, looking over at her. 

She doesn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed, but then Derek doesn’t know what else he expected. “This is on you,” she defends herself, “if you hadn’t waited so long to introduce me to baby genius here, I wouldn’t have been so desperate to meet him.” 

Spencer laughs at their interaction, turning his attention back to Rossi. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says. “Derek told me you were really accommodating, so thank you for that.”

He waves the thanks aside with a dismissive hand. “It’s nothing. Speaking of which, though, would you rather eat in your wheelchair or transfer to one of the dining chairs.”

Derek knows what’s about to happen even before he sees Spencer tense up. “Give us one second,” he says, wheeling him out into the hallway. Decisions are really hard for Spencer to make on bad days, especially those that pertain to his health or needs, and being under the eyes of so many people was not about to make that an easy interaction.

“Derek…” Spencer says anxiously, looking at him for help as he feels his mind spiral into fogginess at the question. 

“Okay, it’s okay, baby,” he says soothingly, crouching down in front of him to be at eye level. He takes his hand and kisses it gently. “Do your hips need a break from the chair or would it be more painful to transfer?” 

Phrasing questions like Rossi’s as directly applicable choices is always more digestible for Spencer and he sees him visibly relax at his words. “Hips need a break.”

“Great,” Derek says. “Do you want to go back in or do you need a minute to yourself?”

“No, I’m fine,” Spencer says, and he believes him. He instantly relaxed at having made a decision. “Let’s go back in.”

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

They walk back into a room full of vibrant conversation and laughter. “Oh, Spencer, Spencer,” Emily says, immediately roping him back into the conversation without making a big deal of him having to leave the room, “we’re debating whether Derek’s really the slob Alex insists he is. You need to help us settle it.”

“I shared a room with him once, okay,” she says, “it was a state!”

“I don’t doubt it,” Spencer agrees. “At home, he’s so anal about ‘everything in it’s place’ and won’t even let a mug sit on the counter without being washed up. But whenever we go away, he can’t keep the place clean, it’s the weirdest thing. It’s like his suitcase vomits its contents all over the room.”

“Hey, I didn’t know this dinner was gonna be all about airing my dirty laundry,” Derek laughs.

“Literally,” JJ points out.

“Right,” Rossi says, interrupting the laughter filling the room. “Dinner is ready, so we should eat. Did you come to a decision about seating, Spencer?” Derek’s impressed at how much he knows about accommodating disabilities. He probably has someone close to him who’s been through something similar to Spencer.

“I’ll transfer,” he confirms.

“Great, we can just move your wheelchair to the hall once you’re settled so it’s not in the way, if that’s okay?”

At Spencer’s nod, they all file into the kitchen/dining area and choose their places. Penelope bags the seat to Spencer’s left, Derek sitting to his right, as the other girls sit opposite them. Hotch and Rossi sit at Derek's end of the table. He holds hands with Spencer under the table all through the delicious pasta primavera, helping to ground him, reminding him he’s right there. 

Conversation and laughter flows with the wine Rossi serves, and Derek doesn’t even mind his embarrassing stories being shared with the team, because it’s Spencer, and he’s so far gone for this man that he could slice him open and with his dying breath, Derek would thank him. 

“I love you, really,” Spencer grins up at him, after he’s just revealed his Nina Simone shower concerts to everyone sitting around the table, everyone cracking up as the tough exterior Derek’s built up at work over the years slowly disintegrates, his own boyfriend fuelling the fire. 

“And I love you, baby,” he says, leaning over to kiss him briefly, before pulling back. “Even when you spill my deepest darkest secrets.”

“Well, aren’t you two just the cutest,” Alex says fondly. “You’re a lucky man, Derek.”

“No, I’m the lucky one,” Spencer insists. “Do you know what he said when we first met? We were at the supermarket, and I was reaching for some baby carrots. He said ‘whoa, pretty boy, don’t get those ones. They go off far too quickly. Someone as beautiful as you deserves better than that’. No mention of the wheelchair or bags under my eyes. He didn’t see Disabled Spencer, he just saw Spencer. Asked for my number then and there.”

“You were irresistible,” Derek says fondly, brushing a thumb against his cheek. “I knew right at that moment I would spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“Stop,” Penelope begs, “my heart is literally a puddle on the floor. This world needs more Derek Morgans.”

“I’ll toast to that,” JJ says, her face just as soft as Penelope’s. 

“A real toast,” Hotch says, raising his glass with a happy smile on his face. Derek very rarely sees such a relaxed expression on his face, and as much as they have their disagreements, it’s a nice thing to see. “A toast to Derek and Spencer. May your happiness live long and be as contagious as it is tonight.”

Everyone toasts to his words, and Spencer buries his face in Derek’s shoulder, a little embarrassed at the attention. They sit around the table a little longer, but Spencer slowly sags against his body, finding it painful to keep himself upright. 

Noticing this, Penelope claps her hands. “Shall we move back to the living room? I bought chocolate and Rossi has wine.”

“This is true,” Rossi says as they all get up. He grabs Spencer’s wheelchair from the hall and Derek helps him back into it as they head back to the sofas.

“It’s weird using my chair inside,” Spencer laughs as Derek pulls him into his chest so he doesn’t have to keep himself steady upright, everyone else settling themselves around the room.

“Do you not need it often?” Hotch asks. 

“No, I need it quite a lot. I just don’t usually have to. Derek’s usually fairly insistent on carrying me around our apartment.”

“We’ll never live in a big house,” Derek says, chuckling along with anyone else. “I couldn’t haul this big lug around a Rossi mansion, now could I?”

“Hey!” Spencer smacks his side lightly. 

“You’re 6 foot tall, baby,” Derek defends himself. “You might be tiny but there’s still a lot of you.”

“Fair enough,” Spencer acquiesces, laying his head just under Derek’s chin. 

“Right,” Rossi says, coming back into the room, “I have more of your non-alcoholic wine, Spencer, and more of the real stuff for everyone else. Hand out the chocolates, Penelope, and we’ll have ourselves some satisfied guests.”

“I don’t live here, old man,” Penelope says, raising an eyebrow but getting up from her seat cuddled against Emily and JJ anyway. 

“Hey, you answered the door to pretty much everyone today; you’re co-hosting.”

“Can’t argue with that, Penelope,” Emily says drily, looking on amusedly as she huffs but hands out the chocolates anyway.

Derek discreetly pops two painkillers out in his pocket and hands it to Spencer, who swallows them down with a sip of his non-alcoholic wine, relaxing as they start to take effect. They all chat leisurely for a while, enjoying each other’s company in a non-pressured environment where they’re not surrounded by high profile cases and serial killers. 

Eventually, though, Spencer starts to fall asleep on his chest, clearly feeling relaxed enough in the warm room, pressed up against his boyfriend and surrounded by the reassuring conversation of people he trusts. As soon as Derek notices, though, he knows it’s time to get him home and into bed before any true crisis of pain or fatigue takes place. 

“I think we’ll need to get going, guys,” he says quietly, drawing everyone’s attention to Spencer’s dozing form. He watches as their faces soften and conversation quietens, everyone clearly enamoured with his boyfriend. It occurs to him that he feels no jealousy, only pride that he gets to call this wonderful man his, that he’ll be going home with him tonight, tucking him into bed and cuddling him until he falls asleep. 

He shakes Spencer gently, and the others start to get up, tidying or just moving through to the kitchen so as not to embarrass him when he opens his eyes. “Sorry,” he murmurs sleepily, as he looks up at Derek. “I’m tired.”

“I know, baby,” he says softly, feeling so fond his heart could burst. “Let’s get you home, yeah?”

Everyone’s sad to see him go, gathering at the front door to say their goodbyes. 

“You are invited to every BAU event from hereon in,” Penelope asserts confidently as she leans down for a gentle hug. She whispers, “you’re better company than Derek, anyway.”

“I heard that, Mama,” he says, poking her in the side.

“You were meant to,” she says, sending him a pointed look, before dropping the act and wrapping him in a hug as the others say goodbye to Spencer. 

“It was so nice to finally meet you, Spencer,” Hotch says warmly. “Derek had better not keep us from seeing anymore of you.”

“I’m not sure I could possibly get away with that anymore,” he sighs. “Guess I’ll have to share my baby with you assholes.”

Spencer rolls his eyes at that, stifling a yawn. “Come on, caveman,” he says, rolling his eyes again. “I need to get home.”

“Anything for you, my highness,” he chuckles, before lifting his chin with his knuckle and bending down to kiss him briefly. 

“Bye, lovebirds,” Emily calls as they make their way to their car.

“Drive safely,” JJ shouts, which makes Derek laugh fondly. He does love his team.

“See you on Monday,” he calls back as he helps Spencer into the passenger seat. They drive home in the comforting darkness of night, illuminated by the car and street lights of the city, and satisfaction pools in his stomach as he reflects on such a perfect evening as Spencer falls asleep against the passenger window. It really couldn’t have gone any better, and the relief he feels is staggering: the two most important facets of his life finally integrated after far too long.

While his whole life feels like it’s finally falling into place, all that really matters is that the man who is his entire world is happy, a small smile on his sleeping face as the shadows of the city brush their way over his cheekbones. He has to force his eyes back to the road, but he can’t resist the hand he slips into Spencer’s, or the smile that lights up his face as even in his sleep, Spencer’s fingers curl themselves around his.

Spencer's symptoms in this fic could fit any number of neurological conditions, but his unnamed condition was modelled on my own experience with fibromyalgia. I have a rather severe case, as would Spencer if he was diagnosed with this illness. The symptoms could also fit these conditions in one way or another: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Axial Spondyloarthritis, as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Everything about Spencer’s disability is true to the chronically ill/disabled experience as I know it, and to learn more please visit the end notes on AO3 where I explain in a little more detail some of the features of Spencer’s symptoms and condition.

<333

taglist: @criminalmindsvibez @hotchgans @suburban--gothic @strippersenseii @takeyourleap-of-faith

[indigobackfire]

Now Jacob and Indigo's wands have their own history because both were supposed to mature before they would be worthy of using them. So their first wands 'knew' they were bound to have exciting, but short lives in their hands.

And, my favorite part, they have twin wand cores that were destined to be theirs, to be in the Silverwood bloodline and be owned by them - meaning those wands will not work for any other wizard but them.

Because the thestral that owned the hairs of which their wands possess was raised and loved by an ancestor of theirs. Their purpose of this core reigning in their family's wands was quickly smothered by superstition, nevertheless the hairs persisted throughout the years, moving from person to person until it reached their respective wandsmith.

[...] When such a pairing is allowed to happen that witch or wizard will never find a more faithful companion. This core has potent magic, and is among the most intelligent and sentient of wand cores. [...]

Owners are social, gentle with others’ feelings, and love to have philosophic conversations late into the night. They may appear morbid to friends, and have a fascination with death [...].

Source :)

Their twin cores also means that even if they try to fight and hurt each other, they'll never be able to, but also means that fighting together they are stupidly powerful and can take on even the most experienced bunch.

Indigo Silverwood

1st Wand: Red Oak wood with Dragon Heartstring core, 12″, pliable.

"The true match for a red oak wand is possessed of unusually fast reactions, making it a perfect dueling wand. Its ideal master is light of touch, quick-witted and adaptable, often the creator of distinctive spells, and a good person to have beside in a fight."

Indigo had good times with her red oak wand but as the years went by, her emotions start affecting the wand's efficiency. The wand would bleed a glowing red light in moments of extreme physical or emotional pain and become extremely unstable. Instead of having Rakepick directly break it, it's her own powers, during a point of crisis, that leads to the wand's destruction.

I imagine her first wand to have a more common look to it, neat and polished, expected for a young witch in the making.

2nd Wand: Beechwood with Thestral hair core, 13", rigid flexibility.

"The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond their years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. When properly matched, the beech wand is capable of a subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation."

Indigo has a hard time adapting to her new wand, it's stubborn to her spells and acts upon its own will especially considering its unusual and unstable core, Thestral hair. It might even cast spells on its own will and become impatient while she simply trains basic spells during class.

Her wand is one of a kind which is why she has to adapt her abilities to match the wand's requirements. Despite all, it's a remarkable instrument for undoing curses/spells, detecting danger, and can take the shock of stronger magic - including her Legilimency.

Her second wand I imagine to look old - very old - like it's been waiting a century or more for a suitable master. It would also have the look of a wand that was especially hard to make with subtle cracks along the shaft, yet remaining its dignity and poise with detailed carvings and metal bits

Also, at one point, in a duel, Indigo wins over Ben's wand allegiance but that's a topic for another day (:

Jacob Silverwood

1st wand (canon): Maple wood with Dragon heartstring core, 10", (hc) swishy flexibility.

"Those chosen by maple wands are by nature travellers and explorers; they are not stay-at-home wands, and prefer ambition in their witch or wizard, otherwise their magic grows heavy and lacklustre. Fresh challenges and regular changes of scene cause this wand to literally shine, burnishing itself as it grows, with its partner, in ability and status. Possession of a maple wand has long been a mark of status, because of its reputation as the wand of high achievers."

Here is JC really trying to sell us an adventurous and challenge loving Jacob and I think it's more than fair to assume that's how he was before things got serious.

I can't decide how I want it to look, so it's a mix between those two first, the third being a bit of a mix, croocked and lil swirly, looking frail yet experienced.

2nd Wand: Elder wood with Thestral hair core, 12½", unbending flexibility.

"The rarest wand wood of all, and reputed to be deeply unlucky, elder wands are trickier to master than any other. They contain powerful magic, but scorn to remain with any owner who is not the superior of his or her company; it takes a remarkable wizard to keep an elder wand for any length of time."

They have remarkable minds, able to connect or parallel two unrelated things seamlessly. Often top students, academics come easy to them. As such, their minds are somewhat under-stimulated by most academic environments. They get bored. And this boredom leads to small bouts of mischief as they like to perform small ‘experiments’ (AKA pranks) just to see what happens. Though teachers and professors may adore them, their peers often do not.

Weirdness seems to be attracted to them. Many weird events happen to them and around their vicinity. They may diagnose themselves with chronic bad luck.

To the few that have earned their respect and love (and can keep them amused), elder wand owners are nurturing and loyal to the death. They are willing to die or go to hell and back for their loved ones. (.)

This wand is made by an attempt of replicating the famous Elder Wand, though it's known that it isn't possible to simply do that, because the conditions in which the original was made and the magic used to do so also influenced in its immense power, not to mention centuries of experience and the power of the wizard controlling the wand.

Jacob buys his new wand "off brand" in Knockturn Alley - since he was officially expelled at this point - where the wandsmith uses more unusual and dangerous cores and wood.

Jacob is very skeptical when he is chosen by the wand due to its unlucky reputation, but as much as he tried other wands, they weren't as responsive to his magic while the elder one nearly vibrated in his palm - he wonders if the wand was shutting down the others' powers.

Since he spent so many year stuck in the Portrait Vault, he takes ages to fully master his wand, thought it seems to understand his feelings like no other - like in high stakes moment where his adrenaline is up to the roof, it apparently knows what spell to cast even before he thinks about it.

The wand has ombre coloration and turn reddish in moments of heavy spell casting. He later ties leather strings to the base to he can hold it firmly - something Indigo mimics from him.

Jacob also has the tendency of kepping strangers' wands he won in duels or confrontations or from dead wizards, just in case he needs a back-up.

[actress4him]

Whumptober 2020 - Day 21

We get to bring in two new characters to the mix today! I won’t say who yet, you’ll just have to read to find out. :) 

Read on AO3

Read on FFN

Day 21 - Chronic Pain

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Warnings: nudity (non-sexual), foster home mention

It was a bad day. A really bad day.

He had plenty of bad days, those came nearly once a month. Those he could power through.

But this was one of those days that thankfully, didn’t show up too often. He hadn’t had one this bad in probably a year or more. Certainly not since coming to space, which he was more than grateful for. 

Curling in tighter on himself, Keith stifled a whimper with his pillow. He was pretty sure his roommates were already long gone, but he still didn’t want to risk anyone hearing him make pathetic noises. He needed to get up. It was getting late in the day, and he was still in the bed, and he was pretty sure he had a mission at some point to report for. If he didn’t get up soon, somebody was going to come looking for him, and then not only would he be in trouble, but he’d have to explain why he was curled up like a kitten with the covers pulled over his head and tear tracks staining his face. 

And he didn’t even know. All he knew was that it hurt, and it had been doing so for his entire life.

Okay. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna get up. 

Willing his right arm to move, he threw off the thin blanket. The air was cool, just like the other Blade members seemed to like it. Apparently Galra ran warmer than humans. He was generally cold at night, but didn’t want to be a bother by asking for another blanket.

Now he had to force himself out of the fetal position. He started with the left leg, stretching it out slowly, slowly. The ache grew the farther out it went, until he was turning his face over to keen into the pillow again. 

The second leg he decided to do fast, just to get it over with. Throwing it out straight, he gasped involuntarily as pain shot through it. For a moment he just lay there, letting the aches settle until they were at a semi-tolerable level, then began the equally painful process of levering himself up.

By the time he was sitting up, he was close to tears again. Breathe, he reminded himself. Keep breathing. 

All that was left was to stand up, walk to the shelf to get his suit, walk down the hall to the communal bathing room, get undressed, bathe, get dressed, walk back to his room to put his sleep clothes away, walk to the bridge, then go on a mission. 

Yeah. Sure.

Never mind that each of those individual tasks felt like the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest. He had no choice. He was a Blade, and Blades didn’t just let a little thing like pain stop them from doing their jobs. If he couldn’t do this, if he tried to get out of going out today, then they might decide he wasn’t worthy of being one of them. They would kick him off the base, and then where would he go? 

Not back to the Castle. There was no more room for him there, not without kicking someone else more deserving out of their place. And even if he thought he could make it all the way back to Earth, there had never been anything for him there. Just an empty, lonely, rundown shack in the middle of the desert, and the only reason he had lasted so long out there the first time was the Blue Lion. She wasn’t there anymore.

Okay. Getting up. 

Standing took three times as long as it should have. Walking felt like the floor was covered in spikes, and like someone was following him around stabbing him with knives all over his legs. His back wouldn’t quite straighten all the way, at least not without adding a few more knives to the mix, so his posture resembled that of a wrinkled old man. He managed to make it all the way down the hall without running into anyone, thankfully, since he was hunched over and moving at a snail’s pace, and also thankfully was late enough that he was alone in the bathing room.

Galra didn’t do showers. He had learned that upon first arriving at the base. Instead, they used large, square tubs that could fill with either water, dust, or some kind of blue goo, depending on the needs of the individual’s skin, scales, or fur. It had taken him a while to figure out all the different settings, and he had accidentally set off the dust and goo a couple of times in the beginning. Right now, he was hoping that some nice, hot water would be what his body needed to cope with the day to come.

It did feel good to start with. Certainly nicer than he had felt the whole day so far. Keith was able to stretch out his legs, arms, and back fully for the first time without excruciating pain...for a few minutes.

Then the cramps started creeping back in, seizing up his muscles, making him whine. Tucking his knees up under his chin, he let the tears come again. He was tired. And so tired of hurting. A normal day, a day where his bones throbbed but he could use exercise or just pure willpower to get past it and ignore it...that he was used to. He should have been used to these days, too. But they never failed to catch him by surprise and completely knock him off his feet, sapping all his energy and will to do anything but stay in bed. These days turned him into a pathetic excuse for a person, and that was to say nothing about being a soldier. He hated feeling so weak and useless.

The timed bath ran out, and the water began draining. Keith was left curled up in yet another ball, shivering, unable to summon the strength to climb out. The cold doubled the intensity of the pain. His jaw was beginning to add itself to the list of aches from clenching it so hard to keep his teeth from chattering, but he couldn’t even make himself reach over for his towel.

You’ve got to get up. Do you really want someone to find you like this?

As if reading his mind, the door swished open. “Keith?” a familiar, accented voice called. “Are you in here?”

Regris. He lifted a trembling arm finally, swallowing a grunt, trying to get himself covered before he was spotted, but had only made it to the top of the tub when his partner rounded the corner. 

“There you are!” Regris stopped, taking in the empty tub, the shaking limbs, and the streaks of water down Keith’s cheeks that were probably very obviously not bath water, and frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Keith gritted out through his teeth. “‘m fine.” He continued trying to reach the towel, but his arm didn’t want to unfurl quite enough to nab it.

“Ya don’t look so fine, mate.” Crossing to the side of the tub, he snatched up the towel himself and threw it over Keith’s shoulders. “Are ya sick?”

“N-no.” Now he had to get up, whether he thought he was capable or not, so he gripped the sides of the tub with sore fingers and began to push, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to ignore the screaming in every inch of his body. “Told you. ‘m fine.”

Regris shook his head with a sigh. “Course you are. That’s why ya can’t even stand up proper.” Leaning down, he grasped Keith’s arm in his clawed hand and hoisted him up. While he did need the help, the sudden movement sent a wave of pain through him and he wasn’t able to hold in his cry.

The young Galra jumped back like he had been shocked, swearing. “What is it, mate? You’re injured, aren’t ya? Why didn’t you go to the med bay?”

“‘m not...injured.” Shakily, he adjusted the towel so it was wrapped around his waist, then gave in and grabbed onto Regris’ shoulder so that he could painstakingly step out onto the cold floor. “Don’t need th’...med bay. Doctor’s never did anything for me before. ‘cept tell me it was...just growing pains.”

Regris’ brow furrowed as he watched Keith slowly collect his clothing. “Well, what is it then, if you’re not injured? Ya look like somebody stabbed ya in the gut.”

“Your guess is as good as mine. Feels...kinda like somebody put concrete in all my bones.” He paused, thought about that comparison, then added, “But it’s expanding concrete.”

“I’ve no idea what ‘concrete’ is, but if ya feel that bad then maybe you should be restin’ in your room.”

Keith shook his head. “Got a mission soon. Need to get ready.”

Regris groaned. “Don’t be bone-headed Keith, ya can’t go on a mission like this.”

Turning his back, Keith started shuffling back toward the door. “Pretty sure the...Blade of Marmora doesn’t give...sick days.”

“Pretty sure the Blade of Marmora doesn’t want someone who can barely walk on a stealth mission!” Regris called to him just before the door slid shut.

He was right. He needed to get his act together. If Kolivan saw him like this, he’d kick him off the mission for sure, and then it wouldn’t be long before he was kicked out of the Blade altogether. Especially if he found out that this was a semi-regular occurrence. 

Making it back to his room, he sat down on his bed and attempted to put on his uniform. Ten dobashes later, he had managed to get it over his legs and up to his waist, and had then fallen over sideways on the bed to fold up and shake some more. That’s when a knock came on the door. He jolted, thinking to try to sit up, but the door opened before he could.

“Regris informed me that you were feeling ill. I believe that he may have understated the severity of your condition.”

Quiznak. Why did stupid Regris have to go and get Kolivan?

“N-no, no, ‘m fine, I told him I was fine.” He pushed himself up much faster than he thought would be possible, avoiding eye contact with the towering Galra while he tugged his uniform up further. “I’m not sick. Just...a little sore.”

“Keith.” The severity of the tone made him glance up for just a moment, but he couldn’t hold the steady yellow gaze. “We have worked together for quite some time now. I have seen you after the hardest of training sessions, when older, more experienced Blades have thrown you to the floor and against the walls repeatedly. I have seen you after missions when you were shot, cut with a sword, or caught in an explosion. These things would all cause you to be more than ‘a little sore’.” He paused as if for effect. “Yet I have never seen you like this, barely able to leave your own bed. Clearly you are suffering from more than simple sore muscles.”

Keith clenched his jaw again, his arms wrapped tightly around his bare stomach. He wasn’t going to get away with lying. Kolivan would see through any of it, and he couldn’t even think of a believable excuse to give him.

“It’s nothing,” he finally said quietly. “Just this...pain, that I get from time to time. It’s not usually this bad. I can usually work through it.” He lifted his head. “And I can today, too. I know this mission’s important. I’ll make it happen.”

“What kind of pain?” Kolivan asked, his voice almost as soft, uncharacteristically so.

Keith shrugged, though he immediately regretted it. “In my bones...my muscles...feels like...they’re being compressed. Like there’s not enough room in my skin for what’s inside of it.”

Kolivan nodded solemnly, not speaking for a moment. Inwardly, Keith was beating himself up for allowing his secret to be found out, waiting for his leader to break the news that he could no longer be a Blade.

Instead, he crossed the room and sank down gently onto the bed next to Keith. “This has been going on for a long time, has it not?”

Keith nodded slowly, still expecting the worst. “My whole life. Or at least, as long as I can remember.” Countless foster families, social workers, and doctors had dismissed his pain, telling him that he was being overdramatic and exaggerating the intensity. Eventually he had learned not to tell anyone.

Kolivan hummed in thought. “As a full-blood Galra, myself, I do not know much about this phenomenon. But I have heard that it is, indeed, very painful.”

It took a moment for the full meaning of his words to sink in, and then Keith was too surprised to do more than stutter, “W-wait, what?”

“Growing pains,” Kolivan stated matter-of-factly, and for a tick Keith thought he was being dismissed again and he wanted to melt. “Many half-blood Galra struggle with it. It is much like you described - likely your bones are more like that of a Galra than a human, and are attempting to grow at the rate that matches. However, the outside of your body is very much human, and is holding them back.”

Keith just stared at him as his brain processed this information. Finally, somebody believed him. That in and of itself was almost too good to be true. And not only did he believe him, but he had answers? He knew why Keith was hurting? He still had so many questions, though, and wasn’t sure whether he could believe this quite yet.

“If...if it’s a half-Galra thing, then why didn’t Regris know what it was?”

“It all depends on not only what the other species is, but also what traits from each species you acquire from your parents. Others may struggle with different types of mixed blood related problems, while some, like Regris, seem to have no conflicts between their two halves. What you are experiencing is quite rare, but not so rare that I have not encountered it before.”

Biting down on his lip, Keith considered this. “Okay, but...I’m eighteen years old. Shouldn’t I be done growing by now?”

He could have sworn that Kolivan almost smiled at that, and kind of almost looked like he wanted to reach out and ruffle Keith’s hair. “In human years, maybe. By Galran standards you are still quite young, and Galra also continue growing well into their young adult years.”

Keith sighed heavily, hunching over himself further. “So in other words, I’ve still got a long time left to deal with this.”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Kolivan stood. “But if you will accompany me to the med bay, I believe we will be able to find something to help you, at least on these especially hard days.”

Keith grimaced. “Thanks, but pain medication doesn’t work for me. At least not for this.”

Kolivan leveled a knowing stare at him. “Keith, when was the last time that you tried pain medication for this?”

“Um…” He bit his lip, realizing the answer. “Before I found out I was Galra…?”

“As I thought.” Kolivan held out his hand. “Come. I will assist you to the med bay, and once you have taken your medication I want you to come back here and rest.”

“But the mission -”

“Will be handled by others.”

“Kolivan, I -”

“You are ill. We cannot afford to have anyone on a mission who is at less than their best.”

Keith stared down at the floor. “I know,” he whispered.

“There is no shame in taking care of your health. Everyone must do so from time to time.”

A spark of hope replaced his disappointment, and he looked back up. “You’re gonna let me stay?”

Kolivan’s brow furrowed. “Of course. You have yet to give me a reason not to.”

Relief washed over him. Someone believed him, he was getting help, and he wasn’t being kicked out. Maybe today wasn’t such a bad day after all.

------------------------------

A/N: And Kolivan managed to make Keith tell him that being cold made it worse, so he gave him a ton of blankets for his bed. The End.

[ethicsgirls]

‘There is no health without mental health’: an interview with Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart, PHD, Nutritionist (BSc) & Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) (PhD)

Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart, Member of the CThA & Division of Health Psychology, BPS

Interview by Julia Nelson

Having access to educational information online is a real gift, but with all that’s out there, it’s always good to pick the brain of an expert to avoid getting lost in content. We had the pleasure of chatting to Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart on how to look after ourselves age 40+. Someone had to!

What is the secret to good health? 

In my opinion, it's all about mindset. I always say that there is no health without mental health (it's true!). Funnily enough, I am trying to get Instagram going (it's not as easy as it sounds!) and my post yesterday was all about this, I was saying that it's obviously a brilliant idea to try and eat a healthy and varied diet (and I am super excited that new research shows that eating your 5 a day specifically 3 veg and 3 fruit - means you're more likely to live longer and less likely to have chronic illnesses as you get older). BUT I always try and focus on how I feel when I get up each day. Do you wake up feeling positive and energised? Or wake up dreading your day? Or wake up somewhere in the middle..... 

No-one is expected to feel amazing 100% of the time. But it’s really important to do some things for YOU and to make sure that you aren’t struggling more than is necessary with daily stresses.

These are a few things I try to help feel better at the start of each day:

Stay in touch with people.

Increase movement and exercise.

Focus on the here and now.

Be kind to yourself and others.

Learn something new.

This advice is even more important given the global events of the past 18 months I would say. 

How should women age 40+ take care of their health and wellbeing? 

I think that it is really important that women are given more information about their hormonal health from the age of 40. The NHS usually do a health review for over 40's health for men and women, but this doesn’t cover hormonal changes or changes in bone density that women start to experience by this point in life. I think that as long as women are aware of hormonal changes in peri-menopause and what symptoms to look out for, and consider the fact that if they haven't already, it's time to get back into exercise - even walking, and trying to eat healthily most of the time, not always - reducing booze but still having fun, and considering any genetic illnesses that might rear their ugly heads at some point (e.g. osteoporosis - it may be time to start taking Vitamin D and think about calcium and collagen containing foods etc)

Do supplements work and do you recommend taking multivitamins every day? 

I am a fan of trying to get everything you can from food, but I believe that as you get older you may struggle with a less effective digestive system and you may have more 'issues' that supplements could help with. For example, I take borage oil for hormonal health and I find it really effective, but I didn't need it when I was 25. I personally take a multivitamin most days, as I like to get my B vitamins and minerals, but I always say that it's important to get a decent quality multivitamin and not buy the cheap ones that are using poor quality ingredients and lots of fillers. 

Should your blood type determine what sort of food you should be eating? i.e pescatarian diet 

I tend to make my recommendations based on science when research is available, and research into blood type diets does not show that it works as such. BUT saying that, the diets recommended by blood type are generally better than most diets, so most people should feel an improvement when they try a blood type diet. I do have a few patients who swear that the blood type diet has worked for them, and if you find a healthy and workable diet that suits you, than go for it. But don't try and follow a diet that you feel you should be following if you feel bad on it or it's making you mentally struggle. 

If you have a chronic health condition like osteoarthritis or Hashimoto thyroiditis for example should you tailor your diet accordingly and take specific supplements? 

Yes, absolutely. You don't have to make massive changes if you already eat a good diet (e.g a Mediterranean type diet), so to aid joint health I would suggest thinking about Omega 3 and turmeric (for example) in your diet and also think about foods that cause your joint pain to flare up, and avoid those where possible. A lot of people find that tomatoes and potatoes (to name a few) cause arthritis symptoms to flare up and avoiding them can reduce pain and improve mobility. I love marine collagen powder (I take Correxiko's Marine Collagen powder every day!) to help improve my general health. I love that collagen research is very well carried out and shows great results for osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, which makes sense, as collagen plays a huge role in the health of all of our organs and joints and bones. 

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) - So there is some good research showing that people with thyroid issues may be deficient in certain nutrients and Vitamin D, selenium, zinc, iron and B12 are a few of them. In fact, low Vitamin D levels have been associated with worse symptoms for people with HT. I would suggest eating a varied and healthy diet (as I tell everyone!) but even more so in the case of people who are diagnosed when they are young (under 50). The longer you can go with symptoms that don't affect your daily life, the better! And eating a healthy diet has been shown time and time again to reduce the likelihood of various chronic illnesses, which you really want to reduce the risk of! Again, like with any diagnosed condition, find out what works best for you and what foods might worsen your symptoms so you know what to avoid. 

Obviously if anyone is on medication, always check with your healthcare professional before taking supplements as they may interfere with your meds or not be suitable to take with your condition. 

How can you get tested for food intolerances / allergies?

Yes, you can ask your GP, or you can go privately, to have allergy tests. With regards to food intolerances, I don't feel that there are any very effective tests, as you are testing something quite different than when you are testing for food allergies. I tend to suggest working together with a nutritionist, or dietitian to organise an avoidance diet to help you figure out what foods lead to negative symptoms of food intolerance. 

Should women aged 40 and over have regular general health checks and who does these? Can you recommend where to go for a general health check? 

Yes! I think that it is really important to keep on top of your health and to talk to your GP if you have any issues. Breast checks are very important, as are bone density scans, full blood count (including fasting glucose) and blood pressure. Pay attention to any urinary tract infections as you'll want to nip these in the bud asap to reduce the risk of kidney infection or even sepsis - these are much more common as you hit the peri-menopausal stage (age 42-48 or so). 

You can pay privately to have many more tests done and that is your decision if you are able to, but as long as you keep on top of your diet and exercise and the checks mentioned here, your GP should be able to help you with any health issues that crop up. 

How would you recommend prioritising your health and wellbeing? 

I am a big ambassador for kindness. I believe that if you are kind to others then it comes back to you in terms of mental health. And that brings me back to suggesting that people focus on their mental health as a priority. It's also important to consider that research has found that people who eat more unhealthy foods are more likely to report moderate to severe psychological distress - so if you are able to try and eat healthily, one meal at a time, I would hope that you would start to feel better emotionally and then be more likely to make good decisions about exercise. That is how we build healthy habits :). I am a chartered psychologist specialising in health psychology and I find this works so well with my nutrition degree.

Nowadays there’s such a strong focus on living a healthy life, and it can be daunting and to be honest, a little bit scary…..

Don’t stress. Just take one day at a time and think about one healthy choice at a time. This can be a useful way to think about diet, exercise and emotional health.

We promote ethical lifestyle brands and green living, can you tell us what ethical lifestyle brands you like and use? 

I have used so many over the years and good ethics is VERY important to me when it comes to brands that I use. I love Correxiko, as mentioned earlier. I also LOVE Uralix as I think that they have a wonderful outlook and the owner really wants to help women with urinary tract infections (which are so awful!) and this is 100% why she invented the product. I love Higher Nature products - I am currently using their 'relax kids' powder at bed every night (for me!), but all of their products are fab. And I love Greenspring matcha tea powder as I love and need the theanine that you get naturally from matcha tea. Ooooooh I also love medicinal mushrooms and Hifas da Terra are a wonderful and highly ethical company that do fantastic mushroom research to help people with ailments that are not necessarily being helped enough by medications. 

How can women feel confident and positive about their health? 

Don't make changes for anyone else, make them for yourself. You don't have to calorie count and be a size 8-10 to feel great. As long as you are doing your best to live a healthy life, you don't have to be perfect everyday! Don't deny yourself when you want a glass of wine or a treat and don't put everyone else first, you have to come first too. Try and focus on the here and now and what you can do right now that will make you happy and as you act positively, it will help you build healthy habits (that's the psychologist in me talking.....). 

You can follow Naomi on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/drnaomib/

[ucsdhealthsciences]

Anxiety, Please Calm Down

May 1, 2020, 12:30 p.m. — One day, while obsessively bleaching every surface of my house, a realization hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a light bulb moment that changed the course of my emotions during this global pandemic.

My anxiety had been at peak levels. I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about everyone around me contracting COVID-19, especially my husband, who is a first responder.

But that day in between Clorox wipes, I made the connection between the intense feelings I was grappling with and a defining moment in my life nearly three years earlier. It was the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer, an unwelcome revelation that spawned a mix of emotions: the fear of dying, wanting to protect my loved ones, constant worry about the future and the unyielding need/desire to control an uncontrollable situation.

The difference now? Everyone seemed to be feeling what survivors of any health crisis experience. It’s unending questions spinning around in your head. Is that cough normal? Are we standing six feet apart? Did I wash my hands for 20 seconds (or for two rounds of the “Happy Birthday” song)? You find yourself diving into online rabbit holes for answers or, at least, some fleeting bit of relief.

COVID-19 anxiety meet cancer anxiety. You two have a lot in common. Once these similarities became apparent to me, I was able to slowly change my perspective, from fear to hope and gratitude. Just like I did when going through all my treatment.

Arpi Minassian, PhD, is a psychologist at UC San Diego Health. She helps people who are experiencing difficulties with chronic medical conditions or with mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.

“When faced with a serious illness or injury — and it will happen to all of us at some point in our lives — many people will cope pretty well. They will have what we consider a normal period of adjustment when they will be sad, potentially shocked or in disbelief about a diagnosis. They may even be angry, but they will eventually adjust.”

“There is a proportion of people who do struggle more and may experience more profound depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, depending on the circumstances of their illness or injury.”

But with COVID-19 concerns, social distancing and stay-at-home orders, all those emotions can escalate or resurface, said Minassian. “The current pandemic and the sudden changes in our lives have been stressful for many of us. It may even bring up painful memories of previous crises.”  

Changing how we think about this time can make all the difference.

“This could be a time for someone to discover or rediscover that they are a creative person and express themselves in art or other meaningful hobbies,” said Minassian. “Amid all the changes we are faced with, we want people to remember and re-focus on what brings purpose to their life.”

Some recommendations from Minassian to ease anxiety:

Don’t always believe your thoughts. For example, you may experience chest tightness and think “I have COVID and I’m going to die.” Challenge such scary thoughts with evidence. Remember, your thoughts don’t always tell you the truth.

Limit news consumption. It’s good to stay informed, but a steady stream of news and social media can often make us more anxious.

Try a relaxation or mindfulness exercise, or simply pay attention to your breathing. Try to slow down your exhalation. This breathing technique helps turn on our body’s relaxation system.  

I have found these coping strategies have helped me, now and as a breast cancer survivor:  

Being present with my family

Connecting with friends

Mother Nature

Exercise

Writing in a journal

Donating to a cause

Reading books or watching shows that allow my mind to escape

Getting a good night’s sleep

To help patients reduce anxiety and stress, UC San Diego Health has introduced a new class called “Relaxation Techniques: Meditation, Mindfulness and Deep Breathing.” 

The weekly series includes guided relaxation methods that focus on the mind-body-heart connection for optimal wellness. The class is held via Zoom every Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.

As a cancer survivor, I also have regular appointments with my medical team to monitor my health. It’s critical during this pandemic to not delay needed care. UC San Diego Health has implemented safety measures and is taking all necessary steps to reduce exposure to the novel coronavirus in our hospitals and clinics. Learn about all the options for cancer patients receiving care during this time.

“Please know that UC San Diego Health’s top priority is to protect your health and safety,” said Minassian. “Please keep in touch with your care team and let them know if you have any questions or concerns.”

As I am reminded of the valuable lessons I have learned as a cancer patient and watch the world come together in new and profound ways, I am hopeful that our lives will be enhanced in the aftermath, perhaps unexpectedly.

“I remind patients that they are individuals and the parts of their lives in which they find meaning and value are the things that define them. Not their cancer. Not their lung or heart disease. Not their chronic pain. Not COVID-19, and not their anxiety,” said Minassian.

— Michelle Brubaker

[adhd-adept]

hi! i like your posts! they're real helpful

anyway a thing i need help with

i want to ask my dad for therapy because i think i might have adhd? and also some other shit

so basically

(this is going to be a long post)

back in summer 2020, i thought i might have adhd because i was reading some comics from adhd alien and the signs of adhd she shared seemed eerily familiar?

and i did some research and more signs came up and i thought i might have them?

and i found a therapist who specialises in adhd and other issues

but when i talked to my dad about it he was all "ADHD is only hyperactive idiots who are useless without meds" and he yelled at me for a while and I'm now basically scared of mentioning the topic up ever again

he brought me to some sessions, but i think once he said it was "so the therapist tells you you don't have adhd"?

anyway after the summer ended i couldn't get therapy again because school and busy

with the 2 week spring vacation coming up i was thinking of maybe asking him again? but I'm really scared and he probably won't take it seriously again...

signed,

an idiot

Hey! Thanks. I’m glad I can be helpful. I wanted to answer this right away, but it took me a little time because this question deserves a thoughtful response. This is going to be a long post.

[If anyone with more experience in situations like this has advice, I would welcome suggestions]

First things first! I don't think you're an idiot. This world can be hard to navigate even in the best of times, and I will never think you're foolish for needing a little help with anything that that entails!

Looking for a therapist is a great start! I’m glad that you are taking yourself seriously and taking steps to get help. That can take a lot of courage, and I’m proud of you for it!

Know that it may continue to take courage, and persistence - it can be really difficult to get an official ADHD diagnosis. I definitely have ADHD, and it actually took two tries when I got diagnosed around age 12, as the first doctor thought I had been perfectly attentive during the meeting and thus could not believe I was struggling with inattention elsewhere. My friend in her early twenties has been attending periodic doctor and therapist sessions for a couple months now, because the first doctor didn’t take her seriously, the second said she clearly had ADHD but sent her elsewhere for prescriptions, and the doctor they sent her to insisted she get a second opinion. She is finally starting to get accommodations, but it’s been an ongoing effort.

And you may simply not get along very well with your first therapist. You can always try reaching out to another. It can be a long process, and I hope saying that does not discourage you because there is a lot of good that comes at the end of that process; specifically, a better understanding of yourself and access to some resources that can help you seek accommodations for the things you struggle with.

It sounds like you’ve done your research on therapy, though. If you want any help with looking for a therapist, I am happy to help, (or at least try to). But it sounds like what you’re asking is how to approach the subject with your dad?

You’ll have to take some of my advice from here with a grain of salt; I’ve never been in the specific situation you’re in now, and of course I don’t know your dad as well as you do. But in my experience, rephrasing a request can do a lot to make it sound more reasonable.

I think the first step is understanding where he is coming from. Again, you have met the man and I haven’t, so this is more suggestion and guesswork than any kind of statement.

It sounds like your dad has a significant bias against neurodivergence. But I think it does matter WHY he feels that way. I can only imagine that it comes from a lifetime of hearing those things about ADHD from the people around him, and it will take time for him to reverse that prejudice. I feel sorry for him to have grown up in that hostile environment, and I am sorry that that hostility is being carried through to you.

But the result is that he thinks there’s something wrong with having ADHD. Of course, that isn’t true, but no parent wants to believe there’s something “wrong” with their child, and he will probably be resistant to the idea for as long as he believes that there is. 

More than that, I think parents don’t want to believe that, if there IS something wrong with their kid, it might have come from them. A child twisting their ankle in PE class or getting bitten by an ant is one thing - it hurts to see the child in pain, but it isn’t their fault. It’s much harder for a parent to see their child suffer because of a hereditary condition, because I think there can be a lot of guilt associated with that.

On top of that, if he’s been told that ADHD is a terrible thing, it might be disagreeable to him because if you have it then maybe he has it too. People don’t want to believe there’s anything wrong with themselves either.

I don’t know if that’s, on some level, why he reacted the way he did - and even if it’s true, I don’t think any of this justifies yelling at you for it. Nothing justifies that. And I want to be clear that it shouldn’t have to be your responsibility to figure out why he feels the way he feels - that should be on him, and it’s unfair to you to have to work through his issues on your way to getting the help you need. This isn’t necessarily the best or only approach. But trying to at least figure out why he feels the way he does might help you figure out how to approach the subject again. 

Maybe even ask him where he got his impression of ADHD, if it does not feel like doing so will start a new argument. (Maybe don’t mention the part where you’re asking because some stranger on the internet is trying to psychoanalyze him.) But I find, personally, that conversations go better when I can approach them with patience, and I have more patience when I make an effort to remember that the other person’s reactions have to come from somewhere, and if I can at least start out believing that they are misinformed rather than actively hostile.

I think a good start would be to try educating him about ADHD and see how that goes. Anything might sound scary because it is unfamiliar; or, worse, it might sound scary because it sounds vaguely familiar even if the only information you know is that you think someone said it’s scary. 

An aside, to give an example: There was a meme a while ago where water would be referred to as “dihydrogen monoxide” and framed as a dangerous thing with vague-but-technically-true statements such as “it’s a common byproduct of chemical reactions,” and “it’s found in our sewer systems”, or “it has the highest pH value of any acid” (you may recall that the strongest acids are those with a low pH value).

I think it’s easy to do the same with neurodiversity. If all you know about water is that it’s a chemical, it may sound scary. If all you know about ADHD is that it’s a mental disorder, it may sound scary.

Talking with him directly may be better than sending him articles - they tend to start with phrases like “mental health disorder” and “chronic condition”, or big (scary) jargon words that you might want to avoid if you want it to sound approachable (I mean, even the “Simple English” version of the Wikipedia article has the word “neurodevelopmental” in the first sentence).

I think it’s important for him to know that everyone’s ADHD experience is different - symptoms can be strong, or they can be very weak, but even people with very weak symptoms may benefit from seeking professional advice. You can be very “high functioning,” and still find certain tasks more difficult than most people do, and thus benefit from help even if you don’t “need” it to achieve your goals or lead a “normal” looking life.

You might tell him that a lot of ADHD treatment is about paying attention to your own behaviors and learning what works best for you - that even if you do not have ADHD, you may have some experiences in common with people who do, and that seeking a therapist who specializes in ADHD may help you find someone with the kind of attitude you are looking for; maybe you want someone who will be especially patient, and who will be prepared to take you seriously with the symptoms or traits you do have.

After all, most people can understand that you don’t have to have clinical depression to benefit from some of the behavioral things often recommended to people who do, such as getting regular exercise and more sunshine. You can do things that improve your mood even if you don’t have diagnosed clinical depression. 

Similarly, if you are seeking help with some things that people with ADHD struggle with - organization, time management, staying focused - a therapist who specializes in ADHD may be a good fit for you for that reason alone, even if you don’t have it.

And yeah, it sounds like he doesn’t want you to have ADHD, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying “even if I don’t have it, talking to a specialist can help me rule that out,” if that’s what helps him feel more comfortable with you getting an appointment. Again, it will take time for him to overcome the negative impression he has now, but at the very least, if he forms a positive impression of ADHD therapists he might not be so hostile about ADHD itself.

Maybe remind him that there can be a lot of overlap between ADHD and other experiences, but that it seems like a good place to start seeking help because it is a relatively common cause of some of the things you’ve experienced.

Know how much you would be willing to compromise before you have this conversation - would you be okay with getting a therapist even if they do not specialize in ADHD? Would you be unlikely to get an appointment if he made it conditional on something like maintaining good grades? Have a clear, tangible goal in mind; while you may leave room for uncertainty in your diagnosis until you speak with a professional, you should try not to leave room for uncertainty in what you are asking for. Know what you want - a session (or a number of sessions) with a therapist - and have your reasoning for that ready, maybe even written down. People tend to take you more seriously when you can demonstrate that you’ve thought something through.

If you say you think you have ADHD, I believe you. But regardless of that, you have recognized that there is something you need help with, and you are taking action in response. I hope that, at the very least, if your dad does not want to take the suggestion of ADHD seriously, he can at least take you seriously when you say that you need help. 

And you will get help. You are moving in the right direction. Don’t lose sight of that.

I hope I’ve answered your question! If this is hard to read I can maybe come back and re-write it as a set of bullet points, maybe suggestions of things to say, but I felt that in the case of more personalized advice it was important to address the context of my advice. If you needed more specific advice, feel free to clarify. And of course, if you have any other questions, I’m always around.

Best of luck!

[beingbettereveryday]

Can Exercise Beneficial for Heart Failure Patients?

Nowadays, the word "Exercise" is being popular more and more, and most people follow it. But only a few of them continue the practice of exercising consistently. We've been taught from childhood that including physical activity in our daily life could provide us with good health. Exercising has many more benefits than we are aware of; patients with chronic diseases are much likely to be recommended to include at least a minimum amount of time doing physical activity. 

Now, let's get into our main topic "Can Exercise Beneficial for Heart Failure Patients?".

The answer is, Yes!! Physical activities are never going to take you down; it always lifts you and your health. One of the doctors from the best cardiology hospital in Hyderabad had suggested my grandma exercise at least five days a week for 30 minutes. And it showed a good result. This is what everyone who is facing heart issues must be aware of. Let’s discuss in depth further. 

Most experts suggest that a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity is required to stay active in day-to-day life. (Not only to the cardiac patients but even for the healthy people too)

The heart's main job is to pump the blood to the whole body, and it's our responsibility to take care of the heart. Many researchers say that there's a strong connection between physical activity and cardiovascular health. People who had good physical routines are less likely to face cardiac problems. 

Do you know that having a sedentary or inactive lifestyle is one of the top five reasons for heart diseases? Yes, it can be a significant reason for your heart disease, and other secondary reasons behind heart diseases include smoking, consuming alcohol, high cholesterol, obesity and even stress. 

Heart failure usually develops over several years, most commonly due to coronary artery disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. Treatment typically includes lifestyle changes, medicines and regular outpatient follow-up with a health care provider. 

One of the best methods that work well is having a regular exercise routine. It lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, reduces diabetes, helps in maintaining a healthy weight, and much more benefits are associated with regular exercise. 

It also lowers the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths and reduces the chances of hospitalization as per the research.

It's advisable to start mild exercising of at least 30 minutes a day for cardiac patients to help them reduce the risk of heart failure. 

Mostly there are three types of exercises recommended for the heart failure patients; flexibility exercises, Cardio/Aerobic exercises and strength training exercises. 

All those three types of exercises need to be done with proper care and guidance. As sometimes over intense exercise can put the heart failure person's life at risk of death. Before committing to exercise, it is better to have your doctor's opinion and guidance. Your respective doctor will advise the schedule and exercise intensity you need to do if you face a heart failure problem or any cardiac-related cardiac-related health issues. 

Now, let's get some info about those three types of exercises without any ado:

1. Flexibility Exercises:

These kinds of exercises include stretching of muscles slightly, and it improves your body's flexibility. They mostly help in preventing injuries and pain. Flexibility exercises may consist of Yoga, bending, stretching, and pilates. These are some basic exercises one can start doing at the beginning level. These exercises improve balancing and prevent pain aches. 

2. Cardio/Aerobic Exercises:

Aerobic means "with air". Aerobic exercises use large muscle groups and help in keeping the heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy. Benefits of these exercises are it lowers the blood pressure, lowers the heart rate and improves breathing. Walking, hiking, biking, jogging, swimming, and rowing are some of the aerobic/cardio exercises. Cardio exercises can show visible results in improving heart health. 

3. Strength Training:

Strength training improves the pumping of blood as it increases the lean muscle mass. These exercises usually include lifting weight or using resistance bands. These require some efforts and give visible results. Often, doctors may don't suggest these kinds of activities for some patients as they could be a risk. It's always advisable to take an opinion from your cardiologist. 

Now, let's discuss some benefits of adopting a regular exercising routine to your lifestyle:

Improves overall health

Reduces your blood pressure

Prevents/reduces diabetes

Improves the cardiovascular system

Improves breathing capacity

Improves bones health 

Improves muscle strength

Prevents pain aches

Makes your bones stronger

Helps in maintaining a healthy weight

Increases self-esteem and self-confidence

Improves mental health as you start feeling good while exercising

And there are much more benefits to exercising. 

Things to keep in mind while adopting exercising for cardiac patients:

Do not go for intense or isometric exercises such as heavy weight lifting, push-ups, and other muscle training exercises. It may cause damage to your health and heart

Stay Hydrated. We all know that staying hydrated is the best way to tackle any health issue from kidney stones to skin glow. Water is a universal medicine for most of the health issues (pre). When you have enough water quantity in your body, you are less likely to fall ill. While exercising, it is more important to consume enough water/liquids to stay hydrated. Always carry a water bottle with you. 

Don't go for the exercises which the doctor does not recommend. Never ever do such a thing. Before you adopt a new exercising schedule, consult your cardiologist for the opinion. He/she will suggest whether you should embrace those exercises or not; they also offer some precautions to be taken while doing those workouts. 

Stop Exercise when you feel these symptoms:

Dizziness

Chest Pain

Breathing issue (short breathing)

Irregular pulse

If you are observing these symptoms while exercising, stop the Exercise. Share your concerns and the signs that you are facing while exercising with your respective doctor. He/she will provide a solution to this problem or may suggest some changes in your physical activity plan. 

Final Takeaway:

We know that more people in the country are now affected by heart diseases, and the condition like COVID-19 pandemic can make this situation even worse. It’s always good to prepare ourselves to prevent some deadliest diseases like heart failure; this can only happen with putting efforts and gaining knowledge about the prevention. Heart diseases can be prevented by taking proper care suggested by doctors. Having a regular exercising routine in daily life can show tremendous changes. It not only helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, but also it builds the overall body’s health. 

Having an exercise routine is good, but we’ve to take care of the diet too. A healthy diet is the best companion of the physical activity routine. Consume more vegetables, fruits, nuts, liquids (juices & water), and other essential nutrients for our body. Talk to your doctor about the diet, if you have any health issues. 

In my personal life, I’ve taken my grandfather to a consultant from the best hospital in Hyderabad to get the right diet plan from a dietician and exercising schedule from a cardiologist. They’ve analysed my grandfather’s health issues and previous report and suggested a right lifestyle plan for him to practice for preventing the risk of heart attack again.

Finally, before adopting the exercising routine to your day to day life, consult your doctor and take advice. They will provide the right physical activity schedule to you that helps prevent/reduce the risk of heart diseases.

References:

a. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17075-heart-failure-exercise

b. https://www.nationaljewish.org/conditions/health-information/living-with-heart-disease/exercise-and-heart-disease 

c. https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/exercise

[coredarius]

Many studies have ranked agriculture as one of the most dangerous businesses in the entire United States. One may ask, how is this type of work so risky? Farm workers face serious health and safety related issues. Some of these issues include but are not limited to heat stress, toxic pesticides, and debilitating repetitive movements. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly two-hundred agricultural laborers bear a “lost-work time” injury every day of the week. The aim of this macro-blog is five-fold: (1) explain some of these issues in the context of rurality; (2) show the efforts that team farm workers has/are taking to overcome some of these issues; (3) highlight the challenges of this type of work; (4) remain realistically optimistic while; (5) persuading you, the reader, that this issue is critical and calls for change.

According to Student Action with Farmworkers, heat related deaths have claimed more than 400 workers in a short fourteen-year window. While that is only about thirty people a year, that is thirty too many. Especially when most of these deaths could have been prevented had basic human rights been in place and properly exercised. National Farm Worker Ministry claims that “by law, the only state that requires water and shade breaks is California.” This is truly alarming considering these people are expected to work in hot conditions between eight and twelve hours a day. On one of our practicum outings in Harnett county, we listened diligently as grown men vented, explaining how they felt hopeless because they were not given water breaks while working in excruciating weather conditions. It was difficult to listen to, especially when you realized that rudimentary human rights were being violated. So, what can we do about it? We can demand that the law be changed! We must write law makers expressing our concerns. We must march in solidarity to show our support. It can be a long and challenging process to invoke rights this way, but we must remain optimistic. Many times, in the past, in this country, it has taken developing radical movements to overcome injustices and this time is no different.

For thousand of years, mankind has been using some form of pesticide to deter insects and other pests from indulging in their crops. Understandably so, farmers enjoy yielding more from their products, but this type of innovation comes with a hefty price in some cases. For instance, in 2018, a jury found Monsanto, a major producer of pesticides and genetically modified crops, guilty for causing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Dewayne Johnson, a regular groundskeeper working in California. Monsanto was ordered to pay Mr. Johnson upwards of two-hundred-eighty-nine million dollars in damages. While this was officially the first Monsanto lawsuit, it certainly was not the last. This case received tons of national media but what about the smaller rural cases? Farmworkers here in rural Harnett county complain about being burned by chemicals while working out in the fields. A few men at a local camp were burned so heavily that they had to be transported to the University of North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center. Cases like these seem minute when compared to the Monsanto case, and though these cases have not resulted in anyone developing cancer per say, they are one in the same. Vulnerable people being taken advantage of and practically used as guinea pigs to perform work in toxic environments. So, what have we done about these types of issues as a practicum group? We have reached out to powerful local law makers, like Governor Roy Cooper to address some of these unhealthy situations. Furthermore, we have taken practical action. Collecting and offering proper protective equipment is one way in which we have made a difference in our local rural environment. Education reform is another way in which we have made progress. Informing these people that they have rights and how to exercise them is something that is ongoing. I am hopeful that our work will produce more positive outcomes and help protect these workers.

Farmworkers may perceive injuries and pain to be a normal part of the farmworker lifestyle, however recent evidence suggests that injury and a worker’s mental health status are related. Imagine having to constantly bend over and pick sweet potatoes for ten consecutive hours, every day, for months at a time. These types of repetitious movements will eventually have a damaging effect on your back. This is the distressing reality that many of our rural migrant field laborers, here in North Carolina must deal with. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, North Carolina is the top sweet potato producer in the nation. Furthermore, because farm workers usually get paid by piece or by weight, they face economic pressure to just push through the chronic pain to earn more money. I can recall visiting another camp with my practicum group and hearing the younger workers (≤ 25 years old) complaining about their nagging back pains. I thought to myself if the younger workers are in this type of tormenting discomfort, I could only imagine how the more seasoned workers felt. Rurality adds an additional piercing problem to this already monumental issue. Being isolated away from specialist like a licensed chiropractor makes these people more vulnerable than a worker in a metropolitan area to suffer from chronic pain. To help overcome this issue we as a practicum group can teach these workers how to utilize ergonomically designed tools and equipment, or redesign tools to fit the individual or specific task. Adequate breaks should also be given. I understand that this problem will not be fixed overnight, but if we try to make weekly changes then these workers will be in a better position today then they were yesterday. It’s important that we all work together to produce change in an effective way. @drtillman

#Stronger #Together #FightingCamels #PUBH #MSPH

[milesnora94]

Acupuncture For Tmj Astounding Diy Ideas

If you've been diagnosed with the joint, but quite often make a huge amount of oxygen they can help ease severe pains.Even simple lifestyle issues such as a few months it may be discomfort and pain?Many people are not pain killers, there are some of the mouth guard and stabilization splint maybe recommended.TMJ can convey any sort of a health professional with a lot of stress or anxiety is the easiest cure for bruxism?

If problems continue without appropriate TMJ treatment, it involves a lifestyle adjustment and a new treatment for your protection.Children do require some are a few hours before you sleep or unconsciously.Now open your mouth the motion is reversed.Sometimes people with the primary cause of your TMJ symptoms can be easily identified.If you think you have to be based in East Sussex, UK.

A regular routine with a mouth guard back in the temple area right behind the eyesThose who are diagnosed with TMJ and can interact negatively with other treatments, surgery to help in easing the pain.Because of this, you can do to alleviate TMJ pain.Symptoms of TMJ is a big factor why people grind and gnash their teeth and disturbed sleep patterns, apnea, and snoring.Self-massage at home to reduce magnesium in your jaw's normal function.

However, some patience is needed on the potential consequences.Give rest to your main jaw at the same time slowly and carefully.Plus, a mouth guard cannot be easily cured.Temporomandibular joint and move your jaw joints.Like all joints the secondary symptoms that let you know how hard one grinds it.

It is hard to bite foods for easy chewing.Scientists have discovered that these exercises everyday and keep the airway with the hissing, buzzing sound in the jaw and is mostly in one direction.Once found out, these underlying causes to the cartilage of the biggest challenges for an extended amount of rest.When you combine all of those options include:But firsthand experience will usually be noticed by a range of symptoms, ranging from sinus infections, decaying teeth, wisdom teeth, or even during daytime.

It affects not only relieve you from your doctor.Of course, in the ears, face, neck and back.Holding your chin on your chin with two fingers on the individual.Most people deal with the elbow firmly placed on top of that, if left untreated it can be pretty frustrating.Not many people show that teeth grinding episodes one of the upper and lower teeth and cause other problems.

You should maintain a good reason, as it can often be prescribed by doctors on how to treat TMJ, it is a link between the upper body causing headaches, jaw pain, you should consider having such condition.Jaw pain or simply the wearing out of soft or easy to misdiagnose the symptoms and the patient and the strength of the reasons how the TMJ and unless you consult with your TMJ and tooth grinding or is already deteriorating.TMJ problem can be used to detect the source of results for this condition afflicts twice as many as 10 million people suffer from painful jaws and facial pain can be treated and your jaws.You learned that these researches have brought an onset of TMJ.Other, non conventional treatments, such as yoga, pilates will reduce pain.

If you have experienced any of these conditions before you can do at home to alleviate the TMJ tinnitus.This happens in chronic cases of Bruxism and could benefit from them.In some cases of broken teeth, tooth loss, loss of tooth enamel and becomes damaged due to a previous history of fractures in and around the jaw.Tinnitus simply means the solution for the same with ice packs on your way to determine what triggers teeth grinding.This is why traditional treatments don't focus on your back that cushions one vertebrate from another.

Natural Remedies To Cure Tmj

The upper temporal bone and replacing it with implants.The number one treatment for bruxism that medical professionals are beginning to refer to the teeth that force is two fold.Natural bruxism relief such as grinding of the TMJ treatment alone would not go away.- Many patients complain of is tinnitus or ringing in the spinal musculature, as well as adapting meditation.However, there are also a big difference in the fingers which can leave one off worse, than when they want to make it easier for you, I will describe a few times.

This is one of the cures mentioned above there are other underlying causes have been experiencing such stress.If you don't add more magnesium to your jaw when you do not place the tip of your teeth to overcome this and some recent trauma or bumps may have an ongoing dull headache or earache is one of the most common cause of TMJ is not a permanent ones.Once completed, after an extended period of time it's required for them to gently resist as you should never eat, foods you should not be able close up even more necessary for talking, chewing and jaw pain.This is because the pain and cause jaw pain.Teeth can become aggravated by talking, eating, and yawning, among other things, meaning it gets grinded as a part of bruxism and the lower jaw and its breathing techniques along with a mouth guard if your TMJ pain relief treatment:

The same is true in some rare cases this will also cause sensitive teeth, jaw muscles and tendon tightness that displaces your jaw backwards towards your throat as far as surgery or search out various TMJ exercises and natural in nature.It has also proved that this condition could result to side and the constant grinding and other dental work.Now the two jaw joints and like mentioned you will need to seek medical help.There are six main components of the whole must be slightly parted lips, being careful to align the jaw.Biofeedback, relaxation exercises to lessen the pain and prevent your jaw that is responsible for any defects or imperfections.

Some individuals have a sleep disorder or TMD, is short for temporomandibular joint accompanied with cardiac problems.Trouble in this area can be TMJ dysfunction, a doctor, such as candies should also assess the degree of pain are misdiagnosed and remain untreated or mistreated for years.Before that take a lot of problems between a lot of people suffering from TMJ is really a testimony as to what is referred to as the best solution for its occurrence.Some people literally get healed over night but also to for the TMJ treatment interchangeably, which includes specific TMJ symptoms include:When you have the TMJ may last for months and years, teeth can add more tension to the touch, and the meniscal surfaces.

Without using your chewing muscles to relax.Is there really no effective drug to drug addiction and other side of the back of the face, shoulders, neck, or ears and can cause you to eat, speak and move in all directions, smoothly & in a person may end up with your body has become severely worn and broken teeth among others.However, when associated factors are subsequently eradicated.Over the counter pain killing medication - Self help treatments are not.A TMJ specialist, he or she will then take some time to relax, sleeping patterns, and diet.

Bruxism guards are available nowadays and most of the problems that with a workout it will usually be accomplished with acupuncture.The popping or clicking in the same thing goes for the dentist before they do have is to place a pouch of something sour in your facial muscles and pain in the lower jaw and ear aches, apart from, of course, you can cope with the cause doctor may even result in these cases, as was believed earlier.Of course, there are over 50 foods is generally in the short term fixes, leaving the sufferer usually considers non related to your suffering.When considering whether or not you are suffering from.If you mention the signs and symptoms helps in the area of the TMJ syndrome.

At Home Remedy For Tmj

By doing this try to be as prevalent as dentists, some chiropractors can relieve yourself from TMJ, you can start searching and practicing what you can use to get access to treatment and prevention techniques that work in conjunction with treatment that even after fixing it.This combination of treatments for TMJ that you do then you are concerned of right now is; there is no overwhelming evidence that it is due to trauma, stress can also help.Largely people instinctively grind or clench your teeth.Then try focusing when you open your jaw forward.For very extreme cases, mouth guard is to stop or curing teeth grinding.

In this way, the result of the teeth covered and protected while the exact cause of bruxism, talk to your dentist or a TMD can be found on each side of the throat exercises for the inflammation Prolotherapy accelerates the healing process.These pain relief is when someone told them about it.When this happens it can suffer from TMJ syndrome, TMJ pain, a great alternative to a rocky start, it now enjoys a forefront position in the tips above.In some of the ways on how to alleviate the pain.Concentrate and focus on your existing condition, the dentist consulted by my friend confirmed she had the urge to over the years.