Arthritis Adventures…

So I grew up eating pork & shellfish, stepped on a few rusty nails, dug up a septic system when I was a kid (forced labor LOL!), had a run-in with a chemical something-or-other in an on-campus apartment in college, and spent a few decades running around getting Rx’s from docs for various ailments, which didn’t work, and then hunted down natural healing & detoxes, which finally did. After that mess, I’d finally got my body back, and I hit another “chemical something-or-other,” with a husband and 4 babies in-tow! My best guess is that it was an ex-meth house made over like a dream-home rental. At any rate, that sent me into a tail-spin, and fast. We got outta there, quick as we figured out it was the house, and I’ve been healing since.

One of the things the doc tried to pin on me was Rheumatoid (autoimmune) arthritis. He told me I had fibromyalgia, and that my “something-or-other” was high. I asked him what it was, and he said, “Oh, it’s a big word. You don’t need to worry about that.” …um, yeah… that went over like a lead balloon! I’m no doc, and don’t pretend to be one, but don’t tell me that somethin’ in my body is “too big a word”, and that I “shouldn’t worry my pretty little head about it.”!!! I was livid! All done with that doc, LOL!  My body got a LOT better once we got out of that house, but it took time and a LOT of work to make the headway that enabled me to become a strong, active, and even athletic woman again.

With that nut-shell background, a bit on what has been helpful for me in fighting the symptoms of severe, crippling (had to be carried when I could no longer crawl) arthritis:

MSM: methylsulphonylmethane– organic sulphur. No USRDA on it. Too much can give loose bm’s (which is a place where the zeolite can come in handy), but when I’ve been hurting badly, 2,000 mg every 2 hours has helped immensely. 3-5,000 / day maintenance dosage seems to be about right for me now. Also a nice anti-cancer tool.

FYI (by Garden of Life) or Rejuvenzyme (cheaper, but same strength of stuff): It’s pineapple enzymes, but super-potent: stronger than regular bromelain. Works better than Ibuprofen, and without the side-effects.

Wild Yam Root: terrible tasting stuff, and it took a good bit when I was in real pain. I’d take 2 heaping Tbsp of it every 2 hours, alongside the MSM when I needed it. I ordered it in by the pound b/c it’s cheaper that way, but it’s like swallowing gravel, so I had to be sure to have plenty of liquid on-hand to get it down. Again, an anti-cancer tool.

Ginger Root (Rhizome for technical folk): STRONG-brewed tea– great anti-inflammatory stuff. I was doing 3 quarts / day of about a heaping TBSP of ginger root powder per quart of hot water. Be sure to cover it while it brews to keep in the healthy stuff– steam can leach out some of the best properties in teas of all sorts. Also great for warming up cold tummies, and great for digestion.

Aloe Vera: 2-6 ounces / day– recipe here, and another post I wrote on it, with the Ancient Hebrew pictograph here. I’ve seen this plant do some beautiful things, both inside and out! Another anti-cancer tool in my basket!

Cod Liver Oil: 4 Tbsp / day– more info on my experiences with it & what king here. Great for weight loss and detox, too!

Zeolite: Great for drawing toxins out of the body. Slows down bm’s a bit if you have difficulty with diarrhea. Special kinds of minerals are just amazing tools!

Arnica: (only if you have some form of trauma you’ve dealt with) I was at the 1M level, as-needed for quite a while, but have since healed, got a reaction (“proving,” meaning that I’d healed at that level, and needed to move down to a lower potency) at the 1M level, and moved down to the 200C level, eventually had a reaction at that level, and was able to move down to the 30C level, again, as-needed. Only need it very occasionally now 🙂  More info on different potencies and how I use them here.

Diet : No GMO’s, No sugar, no grains except for brown rice, no legumes, TONS of Brassicas (broccoli, kale, collards, maca, etc.), no “unclean” animal meats (pork, shellfish, etc.), and for a while there, no dairy or eggs. Later on, I’ve been able to incorporate eggs & dairy back in, slowly and carefully– no hormones or antibiotics, no blood spots in the eggs, and the milk has to be RAW, and CULTURED– raw-milk organic cheese, or keifer, for example.

Sauna / Sweat: Great for getting rid of pesticides and petrochemicals– my joints LOVE sauna sessions. More info here.

Exercise / gentle movement, increasing as able– this one started out as moving whatever small appendage I was able to move in the mornings when I would wake up in the toxic house. Eventually, I’d be able to move another finger or toe next to that one, and so forth, until I could crawl, and then walk (most days). During that time, it was a choice– I could lie there and just quit breathing, or I could move a bit, even when it hurt. I recommend moving… as gently, and as much as possible 🙂

Heat at night: When I was living in the toxic house, I found that my lymph fluid would kind of “freeze up” in my joints– I’d wake up in the mornings with lumps everywhere– fluid that “got stuck” All but two are gone now– one in my right hand, and one in my left leg. Still working on those, but they don’t impede movement anymore 😀 Anyhow, I warm a cotton bag filled with rice or other grain in the oven or microwave ’till it’s as warm as I can touch, wrap it in a towel to hold the heat all night, and put one on my guts (where lymph fluid is supposed to drain into so that it can be eliminated through the normal channels), and one on whatever joints were worst-off, and elevated those joints, so the lymph fluid would flow back down toward the gut for natural elimination. I invariably woke up with better functioning when I started doing this.
I’m currently working on a book– if you have time to investigate any or all of those links (yeah… I know LOL!), I’d love feedback on what is / isn’t clear, helpful, etc– The book will be entitled, My Body Knows Torah… And I’m Not Jewish! (btw, for my Christian friends: Torah is the first 5 books of the Christian Bible)
OH… and the disclaimer thing:

I’m  no doc, and don’t pretend to be one. I am therefore not legally licensed to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or otherwise mitigate any disease, and neither is the stuff I generally choose for healing… but then, I’ve not been educated indoctrinated by boards with big pharma reps on them, either   so do your own research and find what works for you

I’m also no rabbi, so please don’t take my experiences and path as your Rx for Kosher living

Well-Rooted, Deep Healing

Our shallow, modern society is screaming for ROOTS!  Ever hear the expressions “rooted,” “deep,” and “roots” when nobody’s talking about plants? We all love these ideas– getting back to something “foundational,” “nourishing,” and “pervasive”… like comfrey 😉

We’re tending a garden, studying Ancient Hebrew, Drinking Ginger Tea, Eating Garlic, Onions, Beets, and Yams… and I think it’s all connected 🙂 We’ve moved a dozen or more times in the last decade or so. We’ve uprooted from the mythology we were brought up with, and are finding the Original Roots of the original Rabi Yashua. It’s not been a popular move, and changing cultures is never easy. No matter how good the change is, change still equals stress. I’m thinking that gardening– that Original Picture of “Perfect Life” in the Garden– and our root-rich diet may be medicinal for this spiritual and cultural “transplant.” I’m thankful for Ginger Root for digestive trouble (anybody ever had that when they’re stressed-out?), Garlic Root for warding off whatever bug is floating around (yes, it really does work– raw, diced garlic cloves, 3-4 X a day!), Onion Root Konji for warming cold tummies (thanks again, to my Chinese MD’s wife), Beet Root for eliminating uric acid from the lymph system, and Wild Yam Root for balancing hormones. Combine that with the level of sanity found nowhere outside a garden (they’ve done studies on that– touching dirt really is “grounding” LOL!), and the Ancient Roots in the pictographs we get to look at and learn from… I’m pretty thankful for roots of all sorts 🙂

Here are some of my favorite roots, and a brief introduction to their healing properties:
If you get information overload, take what you want now, and bookmark it for later 🙂
Comfrey Healing broken tissues of all sorts, soothing to broken skin, and can aid in healing broken bones. I’ve loved this one for rubbing the root-infused olive oil into the sprains and broken bones (less scratchy on the skin than the crushed leaves, though that works, too), and for salad greens and tea leaves. Yes, I’d steer clear of eating the root, and Russian Comfray internally, but the upright plant has never given me liver pains, where chemical toxins have, and certainly the topical applications have never been accused of anything but healing.
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/COMFREY.html
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail89.php

Ginger Great for digestion, nausea, cold tummy, or being out in the cold, and helps w/ circulation. I’ve done quarts of ginger tea and found wonderful, warming benefit from it for joint pains: a beautiful anti-inflammatory (pain reliever) 🙂 One word of caution on this one: if you’re pregnant, limit your ginger intake to a normal cup of tea a few times a day– small amounts can help w/ morning sickness, but high doses can stimulate contractions.
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Ginger.html
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail27.php

Garlic Highly anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, great for heart health,  and promotes “friendly bacteria” in the guts. I’ve had wonderful results with killing all sorts of infections with this Natural Miracle.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail128.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/GARLIC.html

Onion Similar properties to garlic (in the same family), and the juice from the greens can be used to draw toxins out through the skin, helping to heal infections.
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Compresses.html

Chives Another member of the allum family (onions & garlic), and good for all the same purposes. The bigger plants are easier to work with, and so are more popular for medicinal usage when they’re available. If your back yard is crawling with chives in stead of garlic & onions, though, you’re good 🙂

Wild Yam Root / Bitter Yam Root My favorite anti-inflammatory herb of all time!!! GREAT for pain. I take a heaping tablespoon of the dried root every two hours ’till I don’t hurt any more. Warning, though: it’s not easy to get it down. Have a LOT of water handy: it’s like swallowing gravel. It’s also great for speeding up bm’s, so if you’re not needing that so much, you might like to take a bit of Zeolite or Bentonite clay with it. I’ve also used this to keep a pregnancy when I’d recently lost two. Bitter herbs and “more ancient varieties” of plants are higher in MSM, or “organic sulphur.” I’ve not found a real, reliable source for the sulphur content of various foods, and there is no USRDA on it, but it’s a natural pain killer, and it’s not in most of the “modern” foods in the grocery store at any useful level for killing pain. Once upon a time, it was these “bitter herbs” that were considered a necessary part of a healthy, well-balanced meal…. I think it’s interesting that when YHWH delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, they were commanded to eat the Passover meal “with bitter herbs.” After so long in slavery, and so much physical and psychological pollution from living in a culture of unclean practices– orgies to worship idols, hideous oppression, and unclean food all around, it may be that they needed those bitter herbs to help them heal and detoxify their bodies for the trek they had ahead of them!
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail119.php

Dandelion Root Beautiful blood & liver purifier– also good as a salad green when they’re young & tender. I’ve used milk thistle seeds, rinsed & soaked overnight, and swallowed in the morning to alleviate liver pains, but I’m told dandelion root works well, too.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail92.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Dandelion.html

Valerian Root Reduces anxiety, mild sedative. I like St John’s Wort tincture better, but different bodies react differently. The St. John’s wort is more about breaking down uric acid, which is helpful in conditions involving joint pains along with the nerve-soothing effects.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail117.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Valerian.html

Beet Great for digestion that needs a bit more HCl. The natural red dye in beets is GREAT for Gout symptoms, especially.
www.thespringoflife.net/beetroot.html

Maca This one I’ve only used a couple of times, but I loved it when I had it– my body seems to respond well to everything in the brassica family (broccoli, collards, kale, etc.). I’ve also seen it as a tool in the basket, along with wild yam root, of a friend who was concerned about losing her pregnancy. She has a gorgeous, healthy baby now. Traditional usage of it for that purpose in both man and beast ranges from ancient to modern times in South America. Both Maca and Wild Yam Root have been accused of being the “mandrakes” that Rachel bought from her sister in order to be able to conceive. I can’t verify that, but the concept that a root of some sort should be medicinal for infertility has been a “good direction” for me in finding more help along my healing path, and I’ve seen other women benefit from this general “pointing the way,” whether they’d connected it to Torah or not.
www.medicine-plants.com/articles/36/
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail251.php

Marshmallow Great for coughs and sore throats.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail133.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/MarshmallowRoot.html

Licorice Great digestive aid & soothing to the alimentary canal
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail102.php

Black & Blue Cohosh Both great womens’ remedies for miscellaneous needs… consult your midwife for appropriate timing &/ or homeopathic preparations.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail67.php
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail88.php

Burdock This one doubles as a Thistle. It’s similar to Dandelion: a great blood & liver purifier & tonic.
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail65.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Burdock.html

Ginseng Great for energy, circulation, and the immune system
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail68.php

Goldenseal This one has been a life-saver on multiple occasions– most notably in major cuts (that *technically should’ve been stitched). We’ve had doctors particularly impressed with the results. Great for killing infections of all sorts!
www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail155.php
www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Goldenseal.html

Dong Quai Another ladies’ remedy. Great for menstrual cramps. I wouldn’t use it during pregnancy. I like the flavor of ginger tea better, so I tend to go for a quart of hot ginger rather than the Dong Quai, but I’ve seen good effects from both. Eliminating every trace of sugar and dairy from my diet has been immensely useful there, too.
www.naturalherbsguide.com/dong-quai.html

These roots are only scratching the surface. Take these “pointers” from Torah, and see where they might lead you!

Standard Disclaimer:

I’m  no doc, and don’t pretend to be one. I am therefore not legally licensed to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or otherwise mitigate any disease, and neither is the stuff I generally choose for healing… but then, I’ve not been educated indoctrinated by boards with big pharma reps on them, either   so do your own research and find what works for you

Naked in the Sun & CLO

Most folks are a bit familiar with the story of the Garden of Eden– the whole Adam & Eve being naked-and-not-ashamed thing. There was something good / functional about that. Yes, there are dysfunctional things that happen when folks twist that beautiful, functional picture, but the original picture and the original design was to have folks runnin’ around naked in the sun. We don’t do that so much now. Not only was it a “good thing” for Adam and Eve, but according to the prophet Isaiah, there’s a “good thing” coming where there’ll be a significantly greater sunlight at some point– a time of healing:

Isaiah 30:26“The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.”

With these two pictures in mind, maybe there’s “something good” that we can use in the here-and-now, in-between times.

A significant and mounting body of research suggests that, unless you’re a surfer year-round in the tropics, you’re probably not getting enough sunlight on your skin to produce sufficient Vitamin D. The USRDA is extraordinarily low, when compared with the requirements that are being suggested by some studies to prevent depression and build bone & dental strength… and danged if we don’t find a bazillion people in a world o’ hurt over dental issues and depression– especially seasonal affective disorder. *I’m no doc, so do your own research, and find what works for you.* That said, I find that my body responds extraordinarily well to around 10,000-14,000 iu of vitamin D drops daily. I tend to alternate with Cod Liver Oil ( I like Carlson’s Brand, Lemon Flavor best, and so do the kids. We put it in smoothies & yogurt & what-not). I tend to ignore their “recommended dosage” of 1-2 teaspoons, and give the kids 1-2 Tablespoons, and myself 2-4 Tablespoons / day on days when I don’t take the vitamin D drops. Let me repeat that– I do either, or– not doubling up b/c the CLO has good vitamin D in it at that dosage. My skin, hair, nerves & fingernails like the CLO best, while my teeth seem to like the lanolin-based vitamin D drops best (I get Nature’s Answer brand on that– 2,000 iu per drop), so I alternate between the two.

My world has been improved by this “Natural Miracle” among many others. Things I can see directly correlated to my own experiences with Cod Liver Oil: Reduced nervous tension, healing dry, brittle, paper-thin skin that would tear upon brushing against soft fabrics, reduced joint pains, reduced pain in cavities in my teeth, smoother, stronger-feeling teeth (they felt like brittle glass, and I was afraid to bite down with them for a while, certain I’d chip a tooth at any moment), watching a child’s feet, pointed in toward each other, point straighter, and the child walk straighter same-day with 2 Tbsp / day dosage. I’ve watched children’s hair go from a frayed, frizzy mess to smooth and shining with sufficient CLO, and complaints of “growing pains” eliminated by CLO.

Our grandmothers, or great-grandmothers knew the good of this “Natural Miracle.” Maybe their wisdom, combined with the wisdom of TaNaK can point us in a direction that validates some modern research 😉

 

Standard Disclaimer:

I’m  no doc, and don’t pretend to be one. I am therefore not legally licensed to diagnose, cure, treat, prevent, or otherwise mitigate any disease, and neither is the stuff I generally choose for healing… but then, I’ve not been educated indoctrinated by boards with big pharma reps on them, either   so do your own research and find what works for you