Cupping guides
Strengthening the immune system: how it works and why it should not be boosted, what actually has an effect (sleep, movement, stress, diet, vaccines), what does not (most supplements), the lymphatic system and what cupping does and does not do
Every autumn millions are spent on supplements that will "boost the immune system", and every autumn we catch colds anyway. The immune system is not a muscle that can be pumped up, but a balanced system of cells, signals and barriers that should react just right: too weakly and infections take over, too strongly and you get allergy, inflammation and autoimmune disease. What actually affects how often you get sick and how fast you recover is not a capsule but the basics: sleep (the single biggest factor, measured in how many get a cold after the same virus), regular moderate movement, manageable stress, a diet with enough protein, vegetables and fibre, normal weight, moderate alcohol, not smoking, vitamin D if you are deficient, and vaccines. Here is how the immune system works, what has proven effect and how much, what is wasted (most supplements, "detox", cold baths as a miracle cure), the lymphatic system's role as the immune system's transport network, and honestly about cupping and lymphatic massage: they don't stop you catching colds, but they keep the lymph moving, lower stress and improve sleep and recovery, which are the routes that actually matter.
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Gout: how a gout attack feels (big toe, foot, knee), why uric acid rises (diet, alcohol, kidneys, medicines, heredity), how the diagnosis is made, treatment and prevention with medicines and diet, and why you shouldn't cup a joint during an attack
You wake in the middle of the night because the joint of your big toe is glowing red, swollen, so tender that the sheet hurts and so hot you can feel it through the sock. That is the classic gout attack, and it is one of the most painful experiences a joint can give. Gout is due to uric acid, a normal waste product, crystallising in the joint when the level in the blood has been too high for too long, and the crystals trigger a violent inflammation. It affects one in twenty men and one in fifty women, more often with age, and it is the joint disease that can be treated most effectively of all, if it is taken seriously: attacks can be stopped within a day, and with uric acid-lowering medicines and a few dietary habits they can stop completely. Here is how an attack feels and how it differs from an infection, osteoarthritis and hallux valgus, the causes, how the diagnosis is made, what to do during the attack, how to prevent the next one, what diet actually means (less than many think, with some important exceptions), and a clear message on cupping and massage: never on a joint during a gout attack, but by all means on the muscles around it between attacks.
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IBS (irritable bowel syndrome): symptoms, how the diagnosis is made and what to rule out, diet that helps (FODMAP done right, fibre, meal rhythm), stress and the gut-brain axis, medicines, and self-care that works: abdominal massage, breathing and cupping
The stomach rumbles, bloats towards evening, alternates between hard and loose, and hurts in a way that eases once you have been to the toilet. You may have seen a doctor, had tests that were normal, and been told it is IBS and that you'll have to learn to live with it. It is true that IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, doesn't show on tests and isn't dangerous. It is not true that nothing helps: a properly done dietary change removes most of the symptoms in three out of four, stress and sleep measures make a difference because gut and brain steer each other, there are medicines for each main symptom, and simple self-care, abdominal massage, deep breathing, walks and cupping of belly and lower back, noticeably calms a restless gut for many. Here is how IBS is recognised, which warning signs are not IBS, how to do FODMAP without ending up on an unsustainable diet, what applies to fibre, coffee and probiotics, how to work with the stress, and a ten-minute daily routine for the gut.
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