Natural Pain Remedies & Supplements

[nasakido]

Okay,

My thoughts for this thread are to post different concoctions I have come up with for tea, as well as different herbs and supplements I take that help with pain and/or swelling. Please feel free to share what you are doing...

First up... Homemade Tea

1 Teaspoon Organic White Willow bark for every 8 ounces of water
1 Teaspoon Organic Chamomile for every 8 ounces of water
1/2 Teaspoon Organic Lemon Balm for every 8 ounces of water
1/16 Teaspoon 90k Organic Cayenne powder for every 32 ounces of water
1/16 Teaspoon Organic Ginger powder for every 32 ounces of water
1/32 Teaspoon Organic Cinnamon powder for every 32 ounces of water
2-3 Black Peppercorn for every 32 ounces of water

NOTE:
Smidgen = 1/32
Pinch = 1/16
Dash = 1/12 (mine is 1/12, others may be closer to 1/8)

Enjoy 3-4 8 oz. cup of tea per day! This tea tastes kind of similar to "Tazo Chai Spice Tea." If you want it stronger, I would change the Cayenne, and Ginger powder to a DASH, and Cinnamon powder to a PINCH per every 32 ounces of water... as well as increase the Black Peppercorn to 2-3 peppercorns per every 32 ounces of water. You can add raw honey to taste or drink plain.

[nasakido]

Currently I take the following Supplements to help with pain:

1. Magnesium Glycinate from Pure Encapsulations (I take two capsules in the morning at the moment, but may increase it... I just do not like the cost. But, you can't beat the quality).
2. Curcumin Complex w/ 95% Standardized Curcumminoids from Naturewise (I take as directed on the bottle)
3. Triple Strength Fish Oil Omega 3 Gold from Nutrigold (I take as directed on the bottle)

[nasakido]

The most replenishing balance of electrolytes include:

• tomatoes
• bananas.

Fruit, such as watermelons, apples and pineapples, are also beneficial in maintaining electrolytes.

Adequate potassium level maintenance can be achieved by eating:

• sweet potatoes
• avocados
• spinach
• oranges

I am leaving out kelp (seaweed) because it is so expensive I do not believe I will every be buying it. However, seaweed is a very good source of a spectrum of minerals.

[nasakido]

Here is a list of herbs that can help manage pain from a few on-line sources. The ones starred I currently use. I might add some more to my diet, but it is hard enough to get me to eat, so for the moment it stays as is.

• Basil
• Cardamom
• Chamomile *
• Cilantro
• Cinnamon *
• Cloves
• Fennel Seeds
• Garlic *
• Ginger *
• Nutmeg
• Parsley
• Turmeric *
• Rosemary

[nasakido]

There are so many ways to make protein shakes, but here is one that my whole family loves. It is simple without too many ingredients. I take extra protein right now to help with my atrophy in rebuilding my muscles:

• 14 Tablespoons of Natural Goat Whey Concentrate from ZNaturalFoods
• 4 Tablespoons Organic Raw Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Organic Raw Cocoa Powder
• 8 ounces Organic Rice Milk
• Appox. 28-30 ounces of fresh water
• Two handfuls of ice

I blend this in our Vitamix. All the ingredients come to just above the 40 ounce mark. I keep it on variable, turn it on half way for about 30 seconds, and then turn it up all the way for 10 seconds, then slowly bring the speed back down to off. This blends everything really well, and also fluffs it up to above the 8 cup mark all the way to the rim (without going over once the lid is removed). The texture is similar to a real milk shake.

[donmas2000]

Hi nasakido,

I thought you have no much pain after the ADR, so is that your new pain? I am going to do a single level LP-ESP ADR at my L5S1. Really worry about the disc span life time and thinking about fusing it now. What do you think and how you feel now? Any thing that you can do or you cannot do? Please share, as i love you hear from you. As you sound like taking good care of your body now by getting more healthy stuff to speed up the recovery process. Cheers Good job !!!

[nasakido]

Yes this is new pain, not my pre-surgery pain. I do not have any pain in my back per se, it is a combination of things for me. For one I was down in bed for over 2 years... the last year of that time I was only up for maybe two hours max per day. This led to my downfall, and I ended up with severe muscle atrophy.

I say a combination of things because it is not just atrophy. Part of it is ghost pain that I can actually fight against in my mind and it goes away. It is just my body remembering the former pain because of how severe it was before surgery, and how long it lasted.

Second to this, having bad atrophy can cause all sorts of imbalance in the body, and I am slowly learning this one, hence me trying to change my eating habits. However, some habits die hard, and I struggle in this area. I do not eat much in a day, actually very little to what I should be eating, but at least I do not eat unhealthy foods. The worst right now is I like tortillas. I would just grab them out of a bag and eat them. Do you know what is actually in that stuff? Yuck. Well, my daughter has been a blessing, and she is making homemade tortillas now so at least I know that it is all organic now with no preservatives, and the flour does not come from a field where round-up was used at any time before, during, or after harvest.

My leg muscles hurt from about my upper thigh in the front down to my toes. Not all the time, but enough to where I definitely notice it and it takes a lot of energy to remain focused. That is why I am going through so much effort to try different foods, herbs, and supplements.

One of my fears is that my Metal-LTT test pre-surgery showed I was highly allergic to Nickel. I pretty much already knew this in part because I cannot wear anything or have anything against my skin that is nickel. I immediately break out in a red ringed rash that burns. This left me with implants that were titanium based.

Here is the kicker. You cannot really test titanium properly with a Metal-LTT test because they are only testing shavings. This is not a sufficient test. It helps, but it only tells you so much. I state this because my Metal-LTT test showed I was allergic to Titanium too, but only barely. It was not even that significant. Nickel was off the charts for me. So, there is a small probability I am slightly allergic, and that could also be part of this pain.

This is where I stop. I do not want to dwell too much on the what if(s). There is always an unknown variable. People and testing are not perfect. With that being said, the drawbacks that could occur from ADR are far less than the drawbacks of fusion. Every one of my family members that have gotten fusion, and others I have talked with all regret getting their discs fused. But, they did not have a choice in some cases either. Insurance is only as good as what they will in the end cover. And for most that is what they go with so they do not have to pay much out of pocket.

I hope this answers your question. I am much, much better in terms of my back, probably 95% or better from where I was at. I still have some swelling, but this is in part due to atrophy. The other part I am unsure as of yet. I am stuck with Medi-Cal now, since my Settlement went towards my surgery, so I do not get to pick from a very good doctor pool. And my local doctor's office is really bad. I am calling Partnership Health Plan tomorrow to get that changed. I will have to drive an hour now to see a doctor. I just want someone to coach me a little or give me some advice other than the vast information I already know. When my doctor sits with his elbow on the counter, and hand on his chin leaning to the side, starts using profanity and says "What are you here for" I want to kick the chair out from under him. But, that is not very Christian like so I will just leave and find a new doctor. I do not expect much from this liberal state of California though. My family is trying to move, and if I get a job soon (have been applying back with the phone company) I will just bite my tongue, deal with the pain, and move on.

Can I do it? Yes.

Will it be hard? Yes, for now at least or until I can get through this next hurdle.

I just do not know what else I can try. I quit my Gabapentin months ago, and do not take Ibuprofen since I bleed real bad when taking it; and recently had to stop taking Aleve because I am bleeding again. So, medication is pretty much out for me. I am now down to only 50mg of Tramadol per day, and will have to stop that too because of bleeding. I tried last week to stop for one night, and I did not sleep at all the burning was so bad. But, now Tramadol is considered a narcotic so Medi-Cal will only approve 60 days worth and no more. Oh well, I am going to consider this a blessing since I want to stop taking it anyway. Again, this is why I am trying so many different things to help with the new pain.

My next step, I think, is to see a Medical Examiner and see where I can go from here. Maybe I might get approved for more aqua-therapy. That really helped for the 3 months I was doing it. The CoreStix I use now, and walking are strengthening me, but the pain is increasing with it, especially in my stomach. Now this I understand because my muscles tore a little more than usual during my recovery, and I am still bruised in some places.

Please do not let all this scare you though. I would not change a thing if I had to do it all over again. I know ADR has helped tremendously. I just need to figure out how I can push through this new pain since I was so overjoyed that I felt so good for 4 1/2 months, and then wham!


Time.

Healthy Diet.

Rest.

Exercise the body

Exercise the mind (prayer)

I am not sure if a doctor is going to be able to tell me much more than this. If you remember these things at least three times a day, you know you are doing just fine. J.K. I just had to find a way to make sense of the Acrostic above, and it looks like I failed miserably.

Don't worry so much about the time span. In the time the LP-ESP would wear down (40+ years) you would have more problems with a fusion especially at that level... most likely compounding further disc issues above the L5/S1 level and/or facet joint syndrome. It is possible for none of those things to occur, but not likely. At least this is the case with everyone I know. The Charite disc only lasted around 12-15 years, and that was a common disc people had put in them. My sister had this done as well as her fusions, and she has to get the Charite disc replaced already, and it has only been 12 years. Just look at how far we are now, 40+. I will be over 80 by the time the LP-ESP even gets close to its EOL. I do not think I will be worrying about that being an issue at that age.

As far as my mobility? I can walk, jog around a little, get on the floor and play with my kids, hold my youngest son, put on my own socks and shoes once again, and I can drive...some. Driving is more difficult because of the concentration it takes, and my new pain is really distracting. I drove an hour the other day down to get some building supplies for our kitchen, and I almost could not make it back. Mentally it was really straining. Thank goodness we live in a rural area, just over 3,000 people. I can only imagine what I may have caused had it been the city.

I walk every day or go on mini hikes with my family. I can sit, and stand with no change in my condition. I can sleep on my sides, yeah!

So, I am doing everything I was before I got injured, and actually more so because I was so busy with work that I did not get to see my family very much.

What can I not do?

Like I said, driving is still pretty difficult. But, that is about it.

I have new pain, and it may keep me lacking in being able to be fully aware mentally in some situations. But, my overall health has improved, and that is really important to me.

It is not the quantity or amount of pain that matters with new pain that may come and go at whim. It is the quality of life that improves once you take that next step to your road to recovery. My road went to the right, and now I am heading towards a known unknown, yet not unknown at the same time; and my family is right there beside me. I would not trade this moment for anything.

Keep the faith.

"Coram Deo"

[Gorrito]

Originally Posted by nasakido

The most replenishing balance of electrolytes include:

• tomatoes
• bananas.

Fruit, such as watermelons, apples and pineapples, are also beneficial in maintaining electrolytes.

Adequate potassium level maintenance can be achieved by eating:

• sweet potatoes
• avocados
• spinach
• oranges

I am leaving out kelp (seaweed) because it is so expensive I do not believe I will every be buying it. However, seaweed is a very good source of a spectrum of minerals.

FYI. High levels of potassium can be cardiac toxic and fatal.

[Harrison]

Excellent and eloquent post, Nasakido. Thanks for sharing this information as it will help others.

With the focus and discipline you are now performing daily, and the right regime, I am sure you will get better.

Keep up the good work, you will get there.

BTW, how much of your produce is organic? That's a biggie.

[nasakido]

Originally Posted by Harrison

Excellent and eloquent post, Nasakido. Thanks for sharing this information as it will help others.

With the focus and discipline you are now performing daily, and the right regime, I am sure you will get better.

Keep up the good work, you will get there.

BTW, how much of your produce is organic? That's a biggie.

We are trying to change everything we can to organic. However, our local produce is lacking. So far we order the following that is organic:

• Organic Pastry and Bread Flour from montanaflour.com
• Kirkland Organic Virgin Coconut Oil 3-pack from costco.com
• Kirkland Organic Sugar 2-pack from costco.com
• Anthony's Organic Cocoa Powder from amazon.com
• Frontier Organic White Willow Bark Cut and Sifted from amazon.com
• Amy's Organic Split Pea Soup from amazon.com

These are just a few of the items we get on a regular basis. The coconut oil replaces all dairy butter for all of our cooking. We do not eat dairy any longer unless it is raw, and preferably goats milk. However, we still do buy eggs. We use the above mentioned raw sugar in all of our cooking that requires sugar irregardless of whether it calls for fine powder or not. We bake our own bread from all organic ingredients, i.e. flour, sugar, sunflower oil, salt and of course bread yeast. I make tea every day for me and my family. My wife and two out of three kids drink approx. 12 ounces of all organic herb and spice tea I brew, i.e. chamomile flowers, lemon balm, cayenne powder, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, and raw organic honey. I brew the same tea for me but add white willow bark, and I drink approx. 32+ ounces per day. I make the special shake I referenced for my whole family out of all organic ingredients, including the goat whey powder, and we drink this every day... approx. 16 ounces per person. There is a ton of other foods that we make that are all organic including all of our treats, i.e. organic brownies, lemon bars, pies, etc. We have to substitute ingredients at times to keep things organic, and away from dairy, but my daughter does an excellent job at cooking so we are eating very healthy now. Most of our herbs come from mountainroseherbs.com. And all of our essential oils come from Eden Botanicles.

There are some foods we struggle with such as the ham for the pork fried rice. It is natural but not organic, and I really want to find a better source because I hate preservatives and/or nitrates in any food. And the eggs, yuck. But, we have no other choice at the moment.

I have been off of work for almost three years now, and we are in the process of trying to sell our home next month to get ready to move. I want to go back to work, have applied to 6-7 telecom jobs again, but nothing yet. Once we get into a better situation, and we pray out of California, we want to raise our own chickens and goats. We are simply at a place in our lives where we do not know what is next for us. Silence...

I can state that I feel a big difference eating organic. I do not feel as sluggish. I feel more mentally aware. We rarely get sick as a family, maybe a light cold with fever every year but that is it. And we stay far away from any type of vacs. I do not want any of that stuff in my kids.

And lastly, I finally figured out a little of why my pain has been so bad... I have been losing more weight. So, I eat more, and the pain is subsiding. Go figure. It makes sense though. I did drop from 186 to 157. And since I have gone through two back surgeries and had severe muscle atrophy my body needs more calories than say the average person because I am trying to recover, overcome atrophy and still eat what I should to keep me healthy. So, even with me feeling nauseated from the pain... I eat more anyway. It is slowly working.

I also stopped all medications except Tramadol. I tried to stop completely two weeks ago and the pain was too severe. I know it is part mental so I decided to cut the dose in half down to 25mg per night, and next week will cut it in half again. This way my brain can slowly adapt to the change rather than be shocked all at once.

Second to this I stopped using Penetrex and Arnica gel rub. Something tells me I was poisoning my body. Okay, it wasn't something. It is just the known fact that too much arnica for too long is not good for the body. Now I use emu oil as a substitute and my own concoction of essential oils, herbs, and almond oil for a rub and/or beeswax for a balm, i.e. infused chamomile, st. john's wort, and calendula and 3% total essential oil dilution of Myrrh, geranium, helichrysum, clary sage, cypress leaf, peppermint, yarrow, and ylang-ylang.

Anyway, I know I answered more than what you asked, but I thought some of this information might be helpful to others.

Nathan
"Coram Deo"