who only by moving can balance

So I was proper impressed by cliniQ when I swung by this evening as a walk-in patient after a sexual health screening. Actually finding the clinic was a bit confusing - the numbering on Dean Street didn't make a great deal of sense to me and I was initially directed to the first floor where I had a rather confusing conversation with a receptionist before making it to the second floor - but once I was there they were great. I was seen quickly - I think I was in and out inside half an hour - and people were calming and lovely and really just brilliant, and there was step-free access throughout.

( Details! )

It was really really good; I was, as I say, impressed (enough to want to give them some of my time); strongly strongly recommended if you're ever in London (you don't have to be a London resident) and they're relevant to you.

Yes, that is the actual title I gave it because YOU TRY WRITING THIS KIND OF THING AT THE LAST MINUTE WHILE ILL. By popular request (seriously, blame #dreamwidth), here's the leaflet I wrote on... repurposing ingredients. For my student union. If you want the PDF prepped for printing on A4 in black-and-white, give me a shout.

Apple cider vinegar makes a good douche for rebalancing vaginal pH, clearing up yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. Don't use for longer than 10 days. (This is pretty much the only case where vaginal douches don't do more harm than good!)

Coconut oil. Solid at room temperatures, coconut oil is mildly scented and great for frying (high smoke point!) or vegan baking. It's also a fantastic moisturiser and lubricant, with a protective effect against yeast infections (candida). Don't use it with latex – like other oil-based lubes, it degrades rubbers, but it's fine with silicone.

Garlic. Garlic suppositories (peel a clove of garlic, wrap in gauze, and insert into the vagina; leave up to 12 hours) can help relieve yeast infections.

Ginger. Warming or numbing lubes often contain honey (sugars contain yeast); there's also the standard concerns of whether they contain glycerin or parabens. Try using ginger instead: peel a section of ginger root and apply it to mucous membranes.

Yoghurt. Soy or dairy – as long as it's unsweetened (sugar promotes yeast) and live (still contains the active probiotic cultures), this can help kill off yeast infections.

I'm going to be helping to run a workshop on sexual health for women who have sex with women. I wasn't able to make it to the first planning meeting; the plan arising that was e-mailed around was 85 words long.

I've just annotated and sent it back (not including the summary of awesome LGBT+ sexual health resources I'm available of locally & online - that's separate). It is now about 650 words long.

Here is some other stuff I occasionally nerd about in ways that surprise people who only know me offline, mostly in my non-fannish capacity:

1. Horses. "NO YOU BASTARDS YOU DON'T LEAVE THE SODDING BRIDLE ON," I yelled at The Hobbit.
   
2. Gunshot exit and entry wounds. "THAT IS NOT HOW ANYTHING WORKS," I shouted at Skyfall.
   
3. Knitting vs crochet vs other fibrecrafts (including brief excursions into embroidery).
   
4. Fandom, pretty predictably.
   
5. Speculative fiction that explicitly examines sociological ramifications of technological advances.
   
6. Ludicrous nationalism regarding tiny not-actually-nation-states nobody but me cares about (and even then I'm only about 50% serious, and otherwise generally strongly anti-nationalism).
   
7. Railways, particularly of the 18th century, with emphasis on Austria & Cornwall & Isembard Kingdom Brunel & Richard Trevithick.
   
8. Alpine flora.
   
9. Pharmacology and drug interactions (I had Issues with a recent episode of Sad Vampire on this score).
   
10. And for #10 let's have my grab-bag of things I think it's obvious I nerd about: wheelchairs. Mobility aids in general. Mental health, biological and sociological bases thereof. Medical and social models of disability, oppression, etc. Volcanoes. Gender Stuff. Endometriosis. Food preservation. Cooking. Castles. Scrabble. Self-care.