Hello, reader. How’s it going? This post is a few things you should know. Please pardon my presumption of what’s important. Yes, I do find these things important.
essential oils
Ming and I enjoy taking on health as our own responsibility. We find healing in all sorts of places. We do radical mental health, but also radical physical health. I still dream of becoming an herbal abortionist.
Breathing steam is a common way to ease airways, and Ming has pneumonia. So yesterday we boiled some water on the stove, and he put two drops of teatree oil in the water to breathe the steam.
danger
I moved the bottle and got some teatree oil on my hand. Oops, I sort of panicked. I wiped the oil off with a paper towel, then washed my hands with soap.
Essential oils are commonplace. But they are intense substances: volatile, actually kind of caustic. Yes, they are natural and from plants. But they are super concentrated, not like a plant you would eat which has fiber, water, and other materials in it.
Some essential oils are diluted in a carrier oil. Then they can be worn like perfume. But oils that are not diluted are called “neat.” The neat oils can be dangerous.
Essential oils, even when they’re diluted in a carrier oil, can be harmful to a specific person. Also certain oils can be harmful if the sun shines on the skin where the oil is, in a photosensitivity way.
I explained to Ming how if you get an essential oil directly on your skin, it can “burn” you. If you become sensitized to it, that essential oil can become like poison to you. Your body hates it, and you can never use it again without a bad reaction.
I cautioned Ming as I was going to bed that if he was going to do the steam again, he should wash his hands if he got any essential oil on his hands.
interview with Chaya Grossberg
There’s a bright person Chaya Grossberg who I admire– she speaks up about the harm of psych meds and how we can do better. Her advisement was expensive, but she was a great person to consult about five years ago, as I weaned myself off the bipolar cocktail that sedated me for more than ten years.
Chaya Grossberg was interviewed, and I like the interview. I hope you can read it here.
track not found
A new friend makes music and other art. They made this song called “track not found.” I thought you might like to hear it. I love the name.
they/them FagDyke patch
I embroidered this they/them FagDyke patch for my dear friend. They wanted to cover the logo on their new purple sweatshirt. Let’s hope it helps people use the right pronouns too.
thank you
I hope you enjoyed reading about these things you should know. Thank you for caring about what I do, what I make, and what matters to me.
