/hb/ - Health & Beauty

I know it will sound fake, but you can do your research. Viagra helps with menstrual cramps, I found out they killed the research when results where appearing bc 'not very important' or something like that. Has helped me a lot, BUT mine were never disabling, just eventually bad, so YMMV

I wouldn’t say periods are a beautiful thing necessarily but they force me to take care of myself both physically and mentally every month. If I don’t want to get suicidal ideas and feel like total shit for a week, I have to prepare the week before and get my shit together mentally so I’m less inclined to have emotional bursts. I meditate more and try to be more aware so that I can put things into perspective and remind myself that it’s a vulnerable time for me. I used to have very bad cramps the first two days, I can now limit that and keep it to a few hours if I make sure I don’t eat greasy, salty food or red meat the days before it starts. It forces me to eat healthy digestible stuff and drink more water, as alcohol and sugary drinks also trigger pain for me. I also have to stretch more and exercise as it helps a lot with body aches (my hamstrings and legs get super tight if I don’t). Used to be really annoying to prepare that much just to avoid pain but I got used to it and I feel like my body is hacking my brain to get and feel better, like a hamster that gets shocked if they don’t run the wheel.

>>19068
Based and witchpilled. I think abrahamic religions had a big share in fucking up the relationship of the sexes.

>>19068
What are some mythologies that are more period-positive if you don't mind me asking? Is it all new-agey stuff or is there stuff from antiquity?

>>19133
There are a few scattered modern tribes around the world that have different menstrual rituals like the Yurok of North America or some African cultures with women's societies that are not as bad.
Most period-positive mythologies that existed in antiquity have been either completely wiped or edited to match a patriarchal narrative, so a lot of the new agey stuff is people's attempt to piece together ancient female religions (or completely modern frameworks) with limited historical information as well as their own modern needs. I'm not an historian so it is difficult for me to know for sure how much is woo and how much is real, but something in it feels really intuitive and meaningful so I can't help but be moved by the idea. Of course take all of this with a grain of salt and look into it yourself if the idea interests you.
A great book about mythology and menstruation was The Wise Wound by Penelope Shuttle, it was my intro into questioning narratives behind menstruation. I think it was the first major book contemplating why menstruation is such a taboo. It brings in mythology, history, psychology, and some medical science to explore the question. it is a bit old, bit still good. its on the internet archive: https://archive.org/details/wisewoundmythsre00shut/mode/2up
I also liked some books by erich neumann. specifically fear of the feminine. It doesn't directly imply menstruation but it was still useful in making a good female-positive mental framework. He uses a jungian framework to examine feminine psychology and mythology.
Blood Magic by Alma Gotlieb is an anthropological book on different culture's ideas around menstruation. It's on my list but I havent gotten around to it yet.
In general, mythologies in which the moon or the number 13 (13 lunar months in a year) are prominent usually have some proximity to the menstrual cycle. The king arthur myth about the 'grail that bleeds' could be read as a menstruation myth. It is a stretch, but even jesus christ could be seen as a menstrual symbol (born of a virgin mother, bleeds, and is resurrected again. 13 disciples if you count mary magdalen). Though both of these are heavily colored by patriarchal narratives.
Definitely read one of the books I listed since I probably don't do thPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

>>18798
Oh nona, I'm the exact same way. I KNOW I cannot drink forever, I'm one of those people who are a 1 or a 0 with anything and everything, I absolutely cannot with drugs and I fucked up hard with alcohol. You don't sound dramatic at all, alcoholism is a very serious addiction that society should pay way more attention to but aren't. At least for me, the crushing defeat of knowing I can't drink forever (especially during bad cravings) absolutely destroys me. Things like "I'll try quitting again later" or "I can just move it to once every x days" and "why am I even doing this? I should just die young" surround my mind, so I just tell myself "alright, but later" and it helps pacify those thoughts for awhile. I understand if it doesn't work for you, it's really not for everyone. I know one technique that helps is writing down why you want to quit, what you want to get out of it and different rituals you could do on a piece of paper, and then read it whenever it gets difficult.

I'm going to be honest, I have my delivery app open with a bottle of that poison in my basket, just waiting for the order to sent. I just switched my phone off and decided to procrastinate and check threads on CC instead. The craving is lesser than before right now. It's still there, but I don't want to mess up. In a way I'm so glad that you came by this thread and replied, I would've cracked otherwise. I need to hold myself accountable. I hope you're doing well too. WAGMI

>>18791
try meth :) this is a JOKE please dont lol just remember that being drunk is gross and makes you smell bad and you're so much prettier when youre sober :)

>>18798
I used to feel the same way as you, nona. Not just with alcohol but in general. However, I've come to realize that more people struggle with substance abuse than you think. You'll also find that half of those people who you see "partying" do not feel in control of their usage and wish that they could cut back on or quit altogether. Someone "partying" (AKA binge drinking) 3+ times a week undoubtedly has a problem regardless of whether or not the "party" setting makes it socially acceptable. We also have no idea whether or not these people continue these patterns in the privacy of their own homes, when they are not out with friends.

Hope your journey to sobriety goes well :)

I feel dead inside. I want to look for comfort like I always do, staring down at the bottom of a bottle.

I've been sober since April but I was having a really bad time last week and snuck a drink. It was really nice.

I might have, problem is I don't really know what my earrings are made of

Is it possible there are an issue with my earring holes themselves?

Have you tried sterling silver or genuine gold earrings? If those are fine you've probably got nickel allergy.

I experience the same thing. I don't wear earrings for long periods of time now (weeks to months) and whenever I fight to wear earrings again I have to deal with them being super irritated because I had them pierced in the mall with a piercing gun, twisted them a throughout healing (they told me to), changed the jewelry too early it reacted pretty badly, all back when I didn't know any better and so they didn't heal 100% unproblematic and still act up almost as if they're 6 months into still healing since getting them rather than 7 years. And I only wear one pair of 18k gold earrings now rather than any pair I don't know the material of back when I used to wear earrings all the time in the immediate years after getting them. I guess having earrings in all the time is a necessity to keep the irritation and acting up down to the very bare minimum of fucked up-ness.

That sounds super similar to me, I guess I might have to try some real gold or silver earrings then.
Anyone have any recommendations on where to buy some cute ones?

wait you guys can still wear earrings after years of not wearing them? I stopped for a few years and when I wanted to wear them again, I found that the holes had sealed shut, so now there's just a dent instead. I haven't felt like repiercing them since my new hairstyle covers my ears
I got them done in a mall and twisted them nonstop as well but mine never had any complications. Maybe because at that time I took the aftercare so seriously and would literally wake up in a cold sweat because I only applied the anti-infection cleaning fluid 2 times that day instead of 3 times like they said.

Went from 127kg/280lbs(?) to 68kg/150lbs and am still losing. I'm not proud of the way I lost the weight since it was just due to extreme stress and working insane hours in a toxic work environment to avoid dealing with my extreme emotions, however now I do eat much healthier and workout regularly. Before I was practically invisible to men and served as the stupid fat friend to a pretty and popular girl (I don't know why but I always had one best friend who was just a hot girl who acted normie but was actually mentally ill and that was something that made me relatable to them). People didn't bother me and I didn't bother them, which I liked as an introvert, but as I lost weight I started to receive INCREDIBLE amounts of attention that I never experienced before. This unfortunately led to a couple of small traumatic experiences. Of course, any girl friend that I had would turn on me because I found myself being more productive and focused on my goals since I felt I didn't have any more fat to drag around, and I was able to realize just how toxic they were and they couldn't believe that someone who used to be "below" them would drop them first. Now I look great and feel great, although things like losing my boobs and a tiny bit of loose skin (thankfully I barely have any despite losing so much weight in a year) did take me a little while to come to terms with. The hardest and most negative thing that has come out of this all has been my social life. I feel so jaded because of how people who I thought were my friends would hurt me and turn on me, now I have huge trust issues and no friends, and people who are nice to me always have ulterior motives. But I look good and am doing excellent in a new career field and with my studies, so for me, it's somewhat of a fair trade.

I went chubby kid and towards the end of my teen years I am 5'9 and 116 pounds. One big thing I noticed older people sometimes say quite off colour things, like assuming you don't eat and say my parents should feed me more. Some older coworkers have even grabbed my waist and hips to remark on my weight. It makes me really uncomfortable. I don't think men really care about weight too much in my experience.

I lost 25kg and yeah, everyone is much nicer to me in general. Having people, men in particular, actually smile at me instead of giving a pleasant neutral expression, changed the entire disposition of my days.

I was really fat in high school and had a huge crush on a fat boy because he was the only person who treated me well. A while back I met him and some others from school and I was hoping we'd have this moment where we'd both grown up and form an attraction, but he just gave me the same serene, warm smile I remember and proceeded to treat me the exact same way. Kind of a letdown, but it's nice to know he's just a very warm, nice person.

>>19061
same here, I used to feel so hungry all the time and now I get full so easily. It's actually a little bit frustrating sometimes bc I'll want to eat something yummy but feel stuffed so fast lol
I was also surprised that a lot of the junky stuff I used to eat uncontrollably doesn't really appeal to me anymore; I feel more attracted to healthy stuff and just outright feel disgusted at super processed stuff. And it's easier to just have 1 of a snack without feeling compelled to keep going and have like 5 or 6

>>19091
>someone who used to be "below" them would drop them first
Jealousy and insecurity is a very ugly thing. Glad you don't have those types of "friends" anymore

op here to give a bit of an update. first of all, thanks for all of your thoughtful responses i appreciate them. i've started on an antidepressant and been going to a few therapy sessions. i just feel numb instead of sad and my apathy has increased tenfold. i still want to die. i thought therapy would be helpful but i don't really feel that i'm getting anything from it. this is mainly because i think that i don't want to even be there or put in any effort. i'm only going because my doctor told me to and i realized i don't like it. i'm open during my sessions and give information, but it seems like a lot of what i say is maybe too heavy and my therapist is more commonly at a lost for words.

i don't really know what i'm doing at this point in my life. i had to take leave from work and start this treatment plan because i reached my breaking point. i don't have a plan or direction and am hoping my eating disorder slowly kills me

i'll continue to go to therapy and take my medication though. take care everyone

>>19073
which antidepressant you use?

>>19075
sertraline

I've tried so many antidepressants and other classes of drugs in my life that I've lost count, and none of them ever made a difference for me. In fact they were a net negative because of the side effects.

But that was years ago, and nowadays I'm genuinely way happier and emotionally resilient. I haven't had suicidal thoughts in a while and I feel generally content with just existing.

For me what changed was stuff like eating better, getting away from abuse, developing more independence and confidence in doing things, developing new hobbies (I like cooking and fashion), adopting religious beliefs, working on self-esteem… But I know these are all sort of meme suggestions, it's hard to really put your finger on it when you come out of that sort of thing and I think that's maybe why people sound so retarded and unhelpful when talking about how to get better. Like on a surface level, taking care of yourself helps, but it's really more of a deeper philosophical thing where you have to find intrinsic meaning and value in your life. For me it started with stuff like "I hate my life but I sort of want x goal so I'll work towards that."

I'm not good at advice but I hope that maybe it would help someone to hear that someone who got nothing out of any medication or therapy was able to get better. (also if you have specialist issues like trauma, it might help to see a specialist therapist rather than a normie one who just helps people deal with stress)

>>19113
It did help me to read that. My problems aren’t really fixable. There is nothing wrong with my life. It’s just me existing in this world and the agony I feel in existing. But it’s not constant agony. I have done a lot and nothing really worked but reading about your experience was kinda soothing. I hope my brain can fix itself somehow

Trying milk, orange juice, and coffee with my lunch today. I had to cut out the carbs so it's just that and protein. I'm not sure if all the liquid is going to be filling or not.I'd like to try the carrot salad as well, maybe tomorrow.

>>18441
Wow. I had a juice box, a small black coffee, 500ml of lowfat milk, a serving of protein powder and some canned sardines and I was uncomfortably full. But I also had energy throughout the day and don't feel that hungry. I'm calling this a success.

>>18447
I forgot how utterly disgusting canned liver is. Opening is like opening cat food and the texture/taste is so bad. But I felt great for the rest of the day. I'll definitely incorporate it into my meals a few times a week. There's a Chinese place nearby that does good liver but it's in a stirfry and probably drowning in pufas.

I actually got into him after years of struggling with PCOS and OBCD and I don't follow this fully because meat grosses me out. I thought there's no other way for me to lose weight then to just starve myself but now I just eat a lot of fats/dairy/sugar and I've lost around 5kg in a month

>>18448
if you can, you should try to get fresh liver from a butcher's it tastes SO much better

Get some excersise in that's easy on your joints and not too daunting to start. Taking a walk around the neighbourhood or local park is probably the easiest thing you can do. You can listen to some music or a podcast and treat is as a break from your studies, get some fresh air. And being around some nature every day boosts the mental health too! If you can afford a subscription, swimming at the swimming pool is great too. You also don't have to do keto to lose weight if it's difficult to fit in your budget. Gl!

>>19079

Theres zero evidence for this. Your arteries clog up when you have excess calories leading to fat being stored. Keto is actually healthy, before agriculture humans ate keto and we've existed for a lot longer than since the agricultural revolution.

Obviously avoiding carbs like the plague isnt good ESPECIALLY if you lift weights and or do cardio.

>>19077
calorie defecit + excerise even if its just walking, swap out drinks for water or tea, and look at pop as more of a dessert, work on portions sizing more, prioritize protein in your daily cals

You can try doing exercises sitting in your chair with light dumbbells like the ones designed for seniors or people recuperating from injuries

>>19077
keto is just another fad diet
youre going to end up binging if you cut out carbs completely, i see it with my diet obsessed family all the time. maybe try getting a job or some sort of volunteer position that could get you out of the house. your family probably taught you unhealthy eating habits and you should try to move out if you can, its hard to change eating habits if you're in an unhealthy environment. you may not know what healthy eating habits are. perhaps see a registered dietician if you have the means.

>>7849

What direction do you wipe in? It should be front-to-back.

For years I wiped back-to-front and didn't realise I was smearing poo into my vagina which made it stink.

I don’t think green is a healthy color for discharge. Maybe you’re wiping the wrong way like this anon is saying >>7853

Those types of farts shouldn’t be causing an issue (unless maybe you’re not wiping yourself clean enough after pooping? Sorry to pry, but just throwing some possibilities out there). It’s pretty normal to get farts that travel in front like that.

Don’t use soap or special washes. That messes with your pH level and could actually cause issues like this.

>>7853
Front to back. I use wet wipes too.

>>7854
But if I don't use something to wash it smells bad. It's soap designed to clean there and keep your ph right so I don't think it's causing this. I've also used different soaps throughout the years and it's always been the same.

I forgot to mention, I started having sex and it's the only thing that seems to stop it for 1-2 days.

>>7856
>>7849
it's obviously because you're washing too much and using soaps and fragrances down there. vaginas are self cleaning. you should wash the folds with water or mild unscented soap/wipe, but never get soap/wetwipe fluid/etc near the opening
the healthy bacteria have been killed and the bad bacteria are proliferating in your vagina. the foul smelling discharge is your body trying to fight against the bad bacteria, or the bad bacteria growing in there…

>19096
male spotted

>>19004
yeah knowing some people, shit upbringing like lot of trauma/stress or growing up neglected/in a biohazard kind of house.

>>18999
I don't feel like I'd make it through the scrutiny of the process and if I did I think I would feel too guilty for exaggerating how chronic the debilitation is.

>>18972
EDS is real but can be faked. I know a high school girl with EDS and autism and I might assume she was faking it but you should see how easy it is for these ppl to dislocate their joints and contort themselves. Sometimes the physical symptoms seem to cause the mental, idk.

As for endometriosis, it is fairly common and a real physical overgrowth of endometrial tissue. But it can't be diagnosed without surgery or laparoscopy. I get period pain is bad but holy shit just cope if you think you have PMDD and there is nothing physically wrong.

There's a hilarious study out there showing supposed celiacs having severe "reactions" to GF foods that they were tricked into thinking had gluten.

>>18965
i have no idea my dad has it and scoliosis and he was a chef and then for most of his life worked in construction so i assumed it was from that, though he also just smokes weed for it instead of taking opiates

>>18972
Crohn's is diagnosed using biopsies and tests that show inflammation markers

I think my bf stretched me out, but everything I’ve read says that’s impossible. Why do I feel so “open” down there?

>>18897
Do kegels

>>19034
your bf is gaslighting you

>>19036
Smells like bait tbh

How normal is it to break out in hives before menstruating? I used to not have this issue it's only recently I noticed that my skin itches and gets red right before my period.