Wednesday, November 7, 2012

April's Recipe for Natural Pain Relief



I’ve had a lot of people ask me about this natural remedy, so I’m going to share it publicly.  This is my personal recipe for a natural, safe anti-inflammatory that is low cost and has no side effects (that are known to me). It's also inexpensive and easy to make.

Here’s how I came by this remedy.  A few years ago I had an injury that ended up putting strain in my lower back.  Eventually that issue in my back began to travel down my left leg causing both pain and numbness during the day and night.  I had developed sciatica secondary to my injury.  I managed to heal my primary injury, but even after I returned to exercises that support the spine, the sciatica didn’t abate.   Let’s be clear about this: it was not just a throbbing pain that didn’t stop.  It was the worst kind of horrific pain that just as I thought I could stand it, would suddenly get worse.  The numbness and tingling that accompanied it all down my leg were also painful.  If you suffer from this issue, I sympathize with your pain.  The pain stopped me from doing all kinds of normal activities, and caused me to start hating things I had previously loved.  I was given all kinds of painkillers to help, but quite frankly, they just didn’t seem to make a dint in the pain.  However they were tearing up my stomach lining.

Frustrated with that absolute futility of conventional methods, I decided the pain had to stop, and I was not giving up any other aspect of my health or mobility in exchange for being pain-free!  I did some research on natural anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers.  Turns out, I had everything I needed already in my kitchen.  My recipe was mostly a guess in terms of amounts, but the final result was extremely effective.  After a short time of taking it, I was feeling functional again.  Sometimes I would still feel the pain, but never as bad as it was before, and eventually I healed this issue entirely.

Here’s what you need to recreate my magical concoction: ground turmeric, fresh ginger root, organic molasses, organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar.  I’ll be honest with you; this stuff tastes bad.  It truly does taste like medicine, but the relief made it worth the effort of swallowing it down.  The result was truly magical.  It isn't something you feel right away.  Rather about 15 minutes after you take it, you'll realize that you feel more like normal than you have in ages, and your every thought is not filled with some side-effect of being in pain.  It's a very gentle remedy. It allows you to be comfortable.  If I did something that aggravated the nerve, it would remind me that I was not yet healed, but I could get back to a regular routine without pain being in my way.  I like to think of this remedy as a way to reset your body so you can focus on the work of healing rather than being caught in a cycle of pain.  Just being able to relax without constant pain is valuable beyond words.
 
I didn’t measure the exact amounts, but the mixture comes to about 2/3rd turmeric to 1/3rd freshly grated ginger.  Add just enough molasses to roll the powder into tablespoon sized medicine balls.  This is the anti-inflammatory element, and it is powerfully effective.  In a shot glass, pour apple cider vinegar and molasses in equal portions.  You’ll use this to wash down the medicine balls.  The combination of natural molasses with unfiltered apple cider vinegar will combine in your stomach to make a gentle muscle relaxer which boosts the effect of the turmeric-ginger mixture.  I recommend you hold your nose when you swallow this (I did).  You can chase it with water or any beverage that you like.  I would recommend starting with 3-5 doses (1 medicine ball and 1 vinegar shot per dose) equally spaced throughout the day, and as you feel less pain, taper off the use until you don’t need it any more.

For the record, I no longer have any kind of back pain or issues with my lower back or sciatic nerve.  The remedy I used didn’t cure the sciatica, but it did allow me to release the pain and inflammation enough to get back to my life and allowed me to be able to do physical therapy exercises that relieved the pressure on the nerve.  Previously, the inflammation was too great to be able to gain any benefit from the physical therapy.  But once I got the inflammation and tension down, the pain was no longer an obstacle, and I could gently work on realigning my spine.   That, in turn, eventually cured my problem.  This little remedy is also effective for muscle and joint pain.  If you want pain relief that won’t harm your body or cause you drowsiness or other mental setbacks, then I recommend you try my recipe.  You can find all of these items in large quantities for very little cost at any grocer or apothecary.  Of course, I should also state that I am not a doctor or naturopath, and I cannot diagnose or prescribe for you.  I am just a Yoga Teacher who wanted to make peace with her body.  This is the way that I did it, and I am more than happy to share the route to my success with you.