I love my Team's job!! He meets some of the most curious people on his travels. In January he was sent to Florida for a week where he met a gentleman that "specialized" in sore muscles, joint pain, and damaged skin through the use of magnesium. The bath salts that my Team brought back for me were Epsom salt-esque but without the internal fireworks that accompany the magnetic pull and allowed me to actually relax in the tub instead of suffer through the amplified internal pop-rock-fizzies that make me feel as though I am being electrocuted. I actually got some muscle pain relief from that 1 bath!! So we placed an order for more. There is also a heavy body cream and a topical spray that I haven't tried yet, but the bath salts worked so well that I ordered them too. For $75 (plus tax and shipping) I can get all 3. Considering that I spend $45 a pop on massages, $40 on Lidocaine cream, $5 on Aspercreme, $7.50 for Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra Wellness, Tension Tamer and Sweet Apple Chamomile (I live less than 15 minutes away from the Celestial Seasonings main facility and can get wholesale prices), I have come to the conclusion that this magnesium stuff would be easier on my pocketbook and, quite possibly, more effective ... and then I can spend the money I save on the fun tea flavors like Country Peach Passion and Mandarin Orange Spice that I can brew to make iced tea this summer!!
More recently, my Team headed to the other coast and was introduced to a man who spoke the language of natural wellness. While being shown the sites of beautiful (albeit rainy and cold) downtown San Diego, they came across an herb shop and as they walked by, this man said, "Maybe you can find something to help your girl." (This is when it really pays off to be able to describe the symptoms and side effects of RSD, because after only two and a half months, my Team has a pretty good handle on how to describe my symptoms even if he can't remember the actual name of them!! Priceless!!) He explained my nerve pain, shakes, temperature changes and sleep issues to the herbalist who had never heard of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, but wanted to learn more. (OMGosh!! He spread awareness too?? This guy's a definite keeper!!) After hooking up his girlfriend, he remembered that he had a couple of health issues himself and upon inquiry into acid reflux and metabolism, he hooked himself up too!!
The thing about herbs is that they are not FDA approved, therefore, the dosages are kind of iffy and the side effects are rather vague. Having done my due diligence and researched the herbs that my Team brought back, I found that a few of them do interfere with antidepressants and high blood pressure meds, and some, if taken in access, can actually make you feel kinda drunk. The good news is that I haven't had to be on an antidepressant in over 5 years and high blood pressure is a foreign concept to my body, so I don't have to worry about those cautionary tales. But ... having been sober for over 6 years, I'm not too keen on the whole "feeling drunk" thing. Moderation is key!! My research showed that, for the herbs he brought back, 1 tsp; once a day; mixed in juice, smoothies, oatmeal, peanut butter, applesauce, or diffused into a tea is a "moderate" amount that still exudes positive results. So far, I have tried 2 of the 5 herbs that my Team brought back. Yerba Mate and Skullcap Powder. Yesterday morning, in between pots of coffee, I steeped a cup of Yerba Mate tea as it is known to aid in depression, gout, Lupus, memory, and arthritis pain. It didn't taste terrible!! Due to my taste and texture issues, I was rather impressed. My normal 2:30-4 "I don't have the strength to fight the pain" crash didn't happen until almost 8 last night. I could still feel the mid-day pain elevations, but my energy level kept me moving and fighting. Just in case it was a fluke thing, I am trying it again today and will do so for the rest of the week. Last night, just before bed, I mixed a teaspoon of Skullcap powder with some pulpy apple juice. Skullcap is said to help with anxiety, pain, sleep, and nerve pain. The cold sheets still aggravated my skin at first but then the herbal properties seemed to kick in and I was able to restore my breathing techniques quickly, relax, and fall asleep. (I'm still waiting to find that pne herb that can keep me asleep all night ... I'm waiting ... and waiting ...) This morning, I added 1/2 teaspoon of Skullcap to my coffee to see if it will still help with the nerve pain but not knock me out. Today I will be adding a teaspoon of Gotu Kola to my Yerba Mate as it is known to help with pain and for lunch I will add some Slippery Elm to my diet via diffused tea with lemon as it is known for easing pain, inflammation and aids the discomforts of just being a woman. Fingers, toes, arms, legs, and eyes crossed that I can find comfort in these herbs!! I'm very hopeful after yesterday!!
I have faith that I will benefit from the natural herbs so that I can begin to find a healthy balance and my liver doesn't recede further into it's mild state of cirrhosis. I have faith that my Team will continue to spread RSD awareness on his travels while helping me to explore more natural methods of fighting the pain, fatigue, insomnia, pressure and internal pop-rock-fizzies. It's kinda nice to know that someone "gets it" and understands my quirks at the same time and is willing to step outside of the box with me!! Yeah, he is definitely a great guy ... and a keeper!!
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