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Truly Natural Alternatives for Pain Relief in Muscles, Back and Joints

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:07:04 +0000

I realize I may be making some of you uncomfortable talking about products you might be using. My long term goal, however, is to equip you to make the best choices in your personal care and body products. There are a lot of people doing great things with diet and exercise, and personal care is another component of wellness that can’t be ignored. Chemicals are absorbed into your skin and can accumulate over time. The great news is there are truly natural options in pain relief that will support what you are already doing. Anyone with aging parents, friends or colleagues knows that the a great deal of our population is overmedicated. You can lessen exposure to more toxins by making educated choices for pain relief. The last I checked, Amazon.com had 5,870 pain relief products available. How do you begin choosing products for pain relief? Start by reading the labels of what you are already using and know what you are applying to your body or ingesting. Many products not only have synthetic ingredients and artificial colors that could cause a reaction, any with artificial fragrance could be disrupting your thyroid and hormones. There are many Therapeutic Grade essential oils that can replace chemical filled creams and pills. Essential oils can be applied topically or to the Vita-Flex points on the feet for direct relief. While essential oils cannot repair serious injuries like a torn rotator cuff or the need for knee replacement, they can decrease inflammation, speed healing and lessen the time you have to take potent narcotics for post-surgical pain. Essential oils also work on physical and psychological aspects of pain. Here are some of the best choices for pain in the muscles, joints and backs. In addition to pain relief, essential oils have many uses, so when you apply an oil to your muscles or joints, you will be supporting your whole body’s health.

Idaho balsam fir- anti-inflammatory, grounding and relaxing to the body. Effective against respiratory infections, fatigue and sciatica.
Lavender – calming, relaxant physically and emotionally. Supports skin health, speeds wound healing in cuts, scrapes and 1st degree burns.
Wintergreen – naturally warming, muscle relaxant, highly anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic.
Basil – anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, also anti-bacterial and anti-viral.
Copaiba - powerful anti-inflammatory oil, antiseptic with almost imperceptible odor.
Marjoram – relieves muscle spasms, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, promotes intestinal peristalsis, mucolytic, expectorant.
Peppermint – cooling, anti-inflammatory, stimulating (don’t use before bed!) Synergistic and increases penetration when applied after other oils.
PanAway - an essential oil blend of helichrysum (heals tissue & nerve damage, anti-inflammatory), wintergreen, peppermint and clove
Deep Relief Roll-On is a convenient oil blend in an applicator bottle that you can roll on directly to sore muscles.

Joint Pain – is often caused by systemic issues. Essential oils can bring some temporary relief, but an honest assessment should also be taken of environment, diet and lifestyle. You can get a Healthy Home Checklist when you subscribe to the Pure Home and Body Newsletter as a starting point. MSM can be helpful in decreasing systemic inflammation, as well as looking at your diet. Ningxia Red is a powerful anti-oxidant that works to give your body added nutrition with whole foods rather than synthetic vitamins. Consult an Essential Oil Desk Reference, Prescription for Nutritional Healing and your holistic practitioner for management of chronic joint pain and autoimmune disorders.

For serious back injuries, essential oils can help bring relief until medical intervention is needed. Many individuals have prolonged or even avoided the need for surgery when they used essential oils with integrated care by a chiropractor, physical therapist and gentle exercise like yoga with an experienced instructor. The Raindrop Technique contains many anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic essential oils that are helpful for chronic back pain and even for individuals with scoliosis.

Name That Product: Here’s a challenge for you, a product labeled with “Natural Herbal Ingredients”. Used by chiropractors, acupunturists, massage therapists and nurses in clinical settings to relieve muscle pain. One of my biggest concerns is the use of menthol (made as a synthetic or watered down peppermint ), camphor (inexpensive filler that “smells strong”, may be derived from terpentine, used as insect or moth repellant and in embalming) and lavender “oil” (not even listed as essential oil, this is probably hormone disrupting synthetic oil) and artificial colors, and chemicals that release formaldehyde (also used in embalming):

menthol 5%, camphor 3%, water, aloe vera gel, isopropyl alcohol, lavender oil, triethanolamine, carbomer, ginseng extract, angelica extract, polysorbate 60, DMDM hydantion, imidazolidinyl urea, blue 1, yellow 5

The first person who guesses this product correctly will get a 5-pack of Ningxia Red singles to help fight inflammation from the inside out!

Growing Pains

suep — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:08:06 +0000

It’s been a while since any of the kids woke with growing pains, but this morning my 12 year old woke with a severe one in his calf. I rubbed on it 2 drops of Panaway and layed a warm rice pack on top. He’s now sleeping again – and no pain meds needed – I wouldn’t have even considered it. My second oil of choice would have been Copaiba if the Panaway was not working. Panaway is one of several Young Living blends that are powerful natural alternatives to over the counter pain meds. It has wintergreen, clove, helichrysum and peppermint. I don’t always like to use it at nighttime as the peppermint can be stimulating and might keep one awake. I new I wouldn’t have to worry about my growing teenager with this. I’ve also used one of their roll-on blends: Deep Relief roll-on which has peppermint, wintergreen, copaiba and Palo Santo essential oils. Aroma Siez is another blend that might be useful for growing pains.

One reason I like Young Living products is Gary Young has formulated some great blends like Panaway, Deep Relief Roll-on and Aroma Siez that contain some expensive oils like helichrysum. You don’t have to purchase all the different oils to mix up a recipe and you get synergistic blend of powerful oils that is greater than the individual oils themselves.

Copaiba

suep — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:26:47 +0000

Copaiba (copaifera reticulata/langsdorfii)is also known as Copal and is the only oil tapped directly from a tree. It is harvested from trees in Brazil. Only the Brazilian copaiba has a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) distinction in the United States. It is the only copal distilled from the tree, other species may be distilled from the hard resin. Historical data shows healers in the Amazon use copaiba for many types of pain and inflammation as well as external skin disorders. In Peruvian traditional medicine, a couple of drops of resin are mixed with a spoonful of honey and taken as a natural sore throat remedy. It is also used in these cultures as anti-inflammatory and antiseptic especially for cleansing the respiratory tract. Some individuals may have relief from joint pain if the oil is applied directly to joints. Copaiba is certified safe as a food additive by the FDA.

Copaiba is found in the Young Living essential oil blends: Deep Relief Roll-on and Breathe Again Roll-on

Copaiba essential oil #3431 – 15ml bottle wholesale $39.75 Retail $52.30

You can order Young Living oils at wholesale (select Independent Distributor and order a $40 Start Living Kit for lifetime wholesale pricing, and no monthly minimums) or retail (select customer).

The information in this article is for education purposes only, it has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

Managing Headaches With Essential Oils

suep — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:17:15 +0000

Headaches can be caused by a number of things including hormone imbalances, blood sugar imbalances, stress, spinal irregularities and inflammation. Many over the counter medications offer temporary relief only to have a rebound effect once medications have worn off. I know if several individuals who personally have been attached to their OTC medications for headaches. Since everyone has different causes of headaches and different body chemistry, the oils that help them find relief from headaches may vary. These are only suggestions of essential oils that might help – Many essential oils have wonderful anti-inflammatory properties which might alleviate pressure. When applying oils to the temples be sure to keep them away from the eyes. Single oils that might be helpful include: Peppermint which is very cooling and anti-inflammatory, wintergreen, lavender, copaiba, valerian, chamomile (Roman & German), clove, rosemary, Eucalyptus globulus. I know if individuals who use Lemon oil on the big toe – which in reflexology is connected with the brain. You can consult your Essential Oils Desk Reference for the full Reflexology Chart.

Young Living has several blends of oils that might be useful for managing a headache: M-Grain (marjoram,lavender,peppermint,basil,Roman chamomile, helichrysum) Brain Power (frankincense,sandalwood,melissa,cedarwood,blue cypress,lavender,helichrysum) Clarity, Deep Relief Roll On (cardamom,rosemary,peppermint,basil,bergamot,geranium,jasmine,lemon,palmarosa,Roman chamomile,rosewood,ylang ylang) (peppermint,lemon,Idaho balsam fir,Copaiba,clove,wintergreen,helichrysum,vetiver,Palo Santo) and Relieve It (spruce, black pepper, peppermint, hyssop).