Back in early September, 2014 shortly after my birthday (that biological clock is right on schedule), I began to have terrible pain in my right hand from my thumb down to my wrist. The doctor took X rays and diagnosed it as a repetitive stress injury (similar to carpel tunnel). Then I developed bursitis in my left elbow making work very painful and keeping me awake at night. I also started to get stiffness in one of my knees.
Now at my current age of 54, most people would say this is to be expected, but all at once was a little more than I could take. Per my doctor’s advice, NSAIDs were the best course of action before surgery or biologics (those scary commercials about new meds that can cause cancers and lower your immune system response to tuberculosis and fungal diseases). I tried Aleve and Advil. I was up top 6 Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) a day which was tearing up my stomach. Some days I had to add in a few Ibuprofens.
I’d always had a healthy respect and curiosity about herbal and alternative medicines. Back in my early 30s, several thermogenic formulas aided in my weight loss of over 50 pounds. Finally through Mother Nature’s restorative powers, I have been virtually pain free since mid December. I researched and put my faith into some natural treatments and they have more than paid off. You may want to try several or all of these items below and none will provide instant gratification. This won’t relieve immediate pain, but I believe it contributed to my being able to go for a several days and occasionally weeks without any OTC pain meds at all.
1. Chlorophyll: I used to drink this every day back in my late 20s and 30s, and I just stopped one day. In hindsight I wish I had kept using it consistently. Chlorophyll is a plants blood and actually has the same molecular structure of blood except at the heart of a cell in chlorophyll is magnesium instead of iron as in blood. Magnesium deficiency causes magnification of joint pain, and it can be taken as a supplement, but supplements do not absorb readily into the body from pills. In fact The body typically absorbs only 20-50% of ingested magnesium from tablets and pills. Nature’s Sunshine makes the tastiest brand in my opinion. This brand is sweetened with spearmint. If you want to add a little artificial sweetener (stevia is my suggestion), it is like drinking Wrigley’s gum. I drink two or three glasses a day in water. It will turn the water a dark green which might not look palatable to some people, but you can get used to it. My body seems to be soaking this stuff up. For diabetics it has been used by physicians as an injectable aid for pancreatitis. You can find it on their website(www.naturessunshine.com) or on Amazon.
2. Magnesium Oil: The body does not readily absorb magnesium from capsules and there is research to support that carbonated sodas can rob the body of magnesium gleaned from foods. You can easily spritz a few shots of this on your stomach, and it will help meet your daily requirement. It isn’t a cream to help pain and may do nothing at the source of your discomfort. I just spray it on my stomach and rub it in. Some people wrote that other brands might burn a little but this formula from Ancient Minerals barely tingles and that goes away after a few uses. Ancient Minerals Ultra is found on Amazon and their site: www.ancient-minerals.com
3. Zeel: this is a homeopathic that I take in addition to ibuprofen or naproxen when needed. You can safely take it 3 -5 times a day. It is for pain relief. It is from the makers of Traumeel™, the #1 selling, all-natural pain reliever in the United States. I buy it via monthly subscription at Amazon and save. I haven’t had any side effects taking this with OTC medicines, but please check with your doctor before adding any supplements to prescription medications.
4. Aloe: this is my favorite aloe product: Aloe-Cran. If you like cranberry it is like a cranberry Kool-Aid. It quickly dissolves in a glass of freshly poured water or in a shaken bottle of water. If you don’t like cranberry you can buy aloe supplements at the store in the form of gel caps. You might find it at a grocery store and definitely at GNC. You can buy Aloe-Cran exclusively from Nature City (http://www.naturecity.com).
5. Glucosamine / MSM: You need a strong combination of this. Glucosamine chondroitin is not enough in my opinion. I tried a couple of brands but Flexacil Ultra is the best. There are a lot of very expensive brands out there, but when comparing ingredients this formula has the same as those costing 2 - 3 times as much! You can get it from Amazon and most health sites.
Remember, none of these supplements (except Zeel) are designed for immediate relief and will only work with long term use. Try a couple or all for at least two months to see if they work as well for you as they do for me. Cheers to your health and the freedom of increased mobility!