Hey NOSTR, thoughts on Traditional Chinese Medicine? #asknostr

GM NOSTR. Day 2 of my fast begins. Going for at least 72 hours but if feeling up for it will go longer (96-100+ hours). Attempting to reduce inflammation in my body, and specifically my knee. To add some context, about a year ago my left knee swelled up out of nowhere to the size of a grapefruit. I recall no traumatic injury, it just kinda swelled out of nowhere. The only thing to note (I think) was that it was a period of high stress in my life. Lots of pain and decreased mobility. No more gym, no more hikes, walks reduced to hobbling. I ran some blood tests (not comprehensive, it’s Canada) and got an MRI which did show some slight resting in the meniscus, and some degeneration of the cartilage. Although by the time I got my MRI the knee was back to form (Canadian healthcare) Took about 3 months of physio to get back to regular scheduled programming (I’m a decently fit dude who loves to move his body). Dealing with and coming back from injury is a hero’s journey for sure. Flash forward to a week ago (during another high stress period of my life) and the opposite knee has now begun to swell. I’m pretty bummed out about it but using it as an opportunity to build mental toughness and figure out why my body is doing this. Is it stress? Bad biomechanics?Autoimmune disorder? Anyways, focusing on what I can control. Currently fasting and doing light physio exercises. Mobility for the rest of my body. Stepping up my meditation practice. Once I start eating again I’ll be shifting my diet to eat as little inflammatory foods as possible. Being on NOSTR, you know I’m not fucking with any seed oils, but I could definitely do a better job with gluten and sugar (I live close to some pretty next level bakeries), and I should probably cut back on my already limited use of alcohol. Got some supplements to reduce inflammation like fish oils, vitamin d/k2, and stuff to make sure my gut health is on point. Magnesium to ensure sleep is high quality. Anyways, any tips/feedback on the above will be greatly appreciated. Have a great day and stay positive NOSTR 🤙🏼.

GN.

One of my favourite musings on reality comes from the great science fiction writer, Philip K Dick. In the anthology, The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick, it quotes a speech he delivered in 1978: “It was always my hope, in writing novels and stories which asked the question ‘what is reality?’, to someday get an answer…” But even after writing over thirty novels, he never found one. When asked to define reality, he said: “‘Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.’ That’s all I could come up with.”… He knew we needed a better answer, so he continued: “… because today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups… Very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distress their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power: that creating whole universe, universe of the mind, I ought to know… it is my job to create universes… And I have to build them in such a way that they do not fall apart two days later. “… the matter of defining what is real— that is a serious topic, even a vital topic. And in there somewhere is the other topic, the definition of the authentic human. Because the bombardment of pseudo-realities begins to produce in authentic humans very quickly— as fake as the data pressing at them from all sides. Fake realities will create fake humans. Or, fake humans will generate fake realities, and then sell them to other humans, turning them, eventually, into forgeries of themselves…. It is just a very large version of Disneyland.” Wise words as we navigate a media landscape where powerful actors are trying to fabricate realities and manipulate our perception. Happy to be on NOSTR with you all working to build something authentic and real. Take a few deep breaths. Go for a walk. Call your mom and dad. Hug your friends. Fall in love. Place your time, energy and attention on things that are real and beautiful. ❤️

GM ☀️.

My time preference is too low to eat pizza.