Let's talk pain....

So I have already shared with you that my essential oil journey started with allergies (post here). But really, I had a lot of health issues, and allergies was just the most enduring and daily issue. 

Pain, in several forms, had become my daily companion also. I have hip problems (which have now undergone surgery to repair and correct, results still pending, but positive), arthritis in my hands and other joints, tendon damage in my knee, back pain etc.

I cannot take any NSAIDS and did not want to be dependent on narcotics. Aspercreme is full of chemicals, and really only worked on my hands a short while... sometimes. Tylenol didn't touch the pain. Plus taking that stuff for an extended period of time is horrible for the liver and kidneys.  I wanted a natural pain relief product.  After discovering that the essential oils worked so well for my allergies, I was ready to attack the issue of pain. 

Now, before we get to the recipe for my go to pain salve, I want to be honest and say that I am convinced my diet and lifestyle changes added to my daily success in the battle against pain. Not just using my pain salve. Honestly, my goal is to use the pain salve as needed until I find all the root causes of pain and fix them. For example, over Christmas I cheated a little, ok fine!,  a lot on my no wheat rule. My body kept score, no doubt about it. Everything was sore when I woke in the mornings. Thankfully I'm back on the wagon - Christmas cookies are just my nemesis. I am very careful and aware of what chemicals go in and on my body. No more fake sugars. No more preservatives. I'm working hard to make many of my own beauty and cleaning supplies.

Now on to what you've been waiting for

I started by purchasing the ingredients for this salve from Camp Wander and making it. While it helped the pain in my hands, it hardly touched my hip pain. Now, in all fairness, my hip pain was pretty severe. I had a frayed (not just torn, lots of tears) labrum in each hip along with arthritis and I had bones that weren't formed quite right aggravating the issues. The pain was enduring and DEEP in the hip. I started to research which essential oils were commonly used for pain. In other words, they have analgesic properties themselves, or they fight pain with other properties they have ~ such as fighting pain by reducing inflammation.  Come to find out there are quite a few, this isn't even a complete list, just the oils I had considered in making my salve.

Birch

Clove

Peppermint

White Fir

Wintergreen

Eucalyptus

Lemongrass

Rosemary

Myrrh

Thyme

Black Pepper

Frankincense

Using the Naked Salve recipe from Camp Wander, I began to experiment. I was going for an extra strength salve that would hopefully penetrate deep into the hip joint. After quite a few trials this is the recipe I came up with.

Mom's EOs Pain Salve

1/4 C Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (I love this one ~ the quality is worth it)

1/4 C Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1 Tablespoon Organic Beeswax Pearls

Melt these ingredients slowly in a double boiler ( I use a Pyrex measuring cup in a small pot. Easier to pour into salve jar at the end)

In a 4 oz glass jar put 

1/2 teaspoon vitamin e oil

30 drops Birch

30 drops Clove

30 drops Eucalyptus

15 drops Frankincense

10 drops White Fir

Pour melted salve base over EOs in jar and let cool. 

That's a lot of oils, I know. I get it. But if you are in a battle with regular, deep pain it may be worth it to you. Keep in mind ~ this is what it took for me to get the deep pain relief I needed for my hips. It may be overkill for you. You may need to play with the recipe to suit your own pain needs. However, I have found a lot of relief from this salve on my hands, knee, hips, post-surgery pain and back pain. I have given samples to many people and each time they come back with "that stuff is amazing". My friend Laura recently had carpel tunnel surgery and wanted natural pain relief for her hand. I gave her a sample. Here is what she had to say...

" I love it!!! It truly takes away the pan... Can i just buy some from you??? Please reply to this and tell me what you put in it so i can share to my facebook family and let them know about you and your blog!!! I have used it twice already today and plan to use it again tonight for comfort! Thank you Wendy bear!!! Mom's EOs rocks!!"

If you just can't bring yourself to make the salve but want to try it, email or message me. I do not have the ability to be in full scale production of EO products, but I have a few jars I can sell and I will figure out how to get some into your hands. 

There are some other options that Spark Naturals sells for pain that you can always try as well. I love the Relief  blend for headaches and have been known to use it in a pinch for my knee and hands when I am out and that is all I have. They also sell Amend and Amend +. Any of these blends can be used with some basic salve or coconut oil for rubbing in and they will help with pain also. Camp Wander did this great post for Amend + pain salve that is easy and powerful.

Things I've learned in the year long process of creating this recipe...

• *****Birch is really powerful, should be avoided if you are on blood thinners, pregnant, or have epilepsy. There is a high concentration of methyl salicylate
• We are very blessed that high quality, pure Birch is readily available through Spark Naturals - not all companies offer it
• A little salve goes a long way on my hands
• Taking the time to really rub it in makes it work better (and keeps you from leaving oil on things like your phone screen)
• If you make it and need to tweak the recipe, add more of an oil, add another oil etc. you can warm the glass jar slowly in a low heat oven and then just add the adjustment to the re-melted salve.
• Sometimes a second application 20 min. later is enough to get me through several hours

I hope you are able to find natural relief from pain. Have you found another recipe or oils that help? Please share with us in the comments!

~Wendy

This blog post contains affiliate links

Headaches!

Let's talk headaches - 

I hate them! I've been getting headaches as early as I can remember. 

Now, I'm not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. There are times when a headache is the symptom of some pretty serious problems. With that in mind, you always need to be checked out by your doctor if headaches are a problem for you. Please know that this post is not about a cure and isn't a replacement for medical care. It is just my personal experiences with headaches. Phew - now that's out of the way...

In my very unofficial observations and surveys, it seems people are either prone to them or aren't. I am, for several reasons. Allergies is a biggie. I'm also prone to stress causing them. Diet plays a part.  But the brain surgery I had in 1987 is a fair contender for the top reason. 

There are so many different types of headaches I couldn't go into all of them here. Plus that is the stuff for neurologists to discuss. I get migraines and numerous other types too. The biggest point I want to make in this post is that different issues take different methods. Just because they all fall under the label of headache, doesn't mean there is one single fix. 

One of the most successful things I have learned over the years in treating (and heading off, and even preventing) my headaches is learning my body. No one, no doctor, can know YOU like you can. About 7 years ago I was seeing a naturopathic doctor on a regular basis. I think the most important thing she did for me was to teach me to pay attention to what my body was saying. To be a student of me. Take notes, keep a calendar, write lists, don't dismiss a symptom as not related, it might be. If I feel uncomfortable with what a doctor is suggesting or it "doesn't fit", question it. Get a second opinion. 

The second most important thing I learned in my headache care

a moment of silence please...

was from a neurologist. He told me a headache is a sign something is out of balance, not right, or outright wrong. It doesn't necessarily even have to be something in your head! Light bulb moment. I can eat a food (diet soda, or anything with fake sugar) and get a migraine - e v e r y t i m e! Something in my digestive track was crying foul in my head. Go figure. Or I could be getting unexplainable chronic migraines for months - like 5+ a week, and then have them disappear as soon as my previously undiagnosed, infected, full of stones, gallbladder was removed in emergency surgery on a Sunday morning. True story. 

original post

As I began my essential oil journey one of the main issues I wanted to address were my headaches. I didn't want to be on a maintenance medication (horrible side effects for me. If there is a 2% who gets the side effect, I'll be it), I didn't want to take the prescription migraine medication either, and it often didn't work! The first thing I tried was peppermint topically. It worked sometimes. Then I tried lavender. It worked sometimes. Then I tried this headache buster blend from Dori at www.richestoragsbydori.blogspot.com. It worked more often. 

Then I remembered the 2 previous things I had learned and started to apply them to using essential oils with my headaches.  Ding! Ding! Ding! "We have a winner"! That was it! I haven't taken a prescription or OTC medication for headaches since. It takes a mindset change from "my head hurts, take a pill", to "my head hurts, what have I eaten recently, what's the weather, am I stressed, etc., then treat". 

Here is the process I go through and what I use. 

• I first determine if it is a "headache", or impending "migraine" (I've had to learn to go further back in my search for migraine symptoms. Sometimes the nausea begins 12 hours prior). This determines how aggressively I attack it. 
• I decide if my seasonal allergies are bothering me. If yes - I apply LLP to my face and head where it hurts and some in my belly button. This can often eliminate the headache for me with no further treatment needed. 
• I try to recall if I have exposed myself to any of my food sensitivities. If yes - I take a capsule of digest and apply LLP to my belly button. Amazed me the first time this worked. I had done it on a hunch.
• I assess if I am stressed, anxious or tense. If yes - I apply LXR to my brain stem and temples and a little to my wrist (so I can smell it at will). This will relieve a tension headache for me often. If I am extra tense/stressed/anxious or the first application doesn't work, I layer Jeddy's blend on top.
• I check the weather. These are my toughest headaches and the most frequent cause of any migraines I still get. Any low, or quick change in pressure will cause a severe headache for me due to my prior brain surgery. For this I will apply LXR, then layer the Headache blend (SN Relief) on top. Often it is wise for me to apply these again in a 1/2 hour to kick it from the start. I will also re-apply in a few hours if I even have an inkling that it is coming back. I also make sure that the weather change didn't trigger seasonal allergies as well and cause a double whammy. If it has, I use LLP too. 
• If I am thinking I have a hormonally induced headache - Zen and Clary Sage over my heart and on my brain stem, then lavender on a warm rice bag on my head works wonders. (this requires me laying down for 10 min. hard to make myself do sometimes, but so worth it)
• Think about the cause you are treating. What is causing the head pain?

If it is a migraine (any of the previous headache causes can trigger one for me)- I hit it heavier from the get go. I wait less time between the first try of an oil and the second try or repeat layer.

I would love to say I don't get headaches anymore. Unfortunately, I do. Not quite as often now that I studied my body and its reactions. I have eliminated the diet Coke headaches for sure. Like I said, a headache is a symptom, the above list merely treats that symptom with a natural, pure product that has no side effects for me. 

The process, or the oils may be different for you. Remember YOU are the expert on your body. If one doesn't work, keep trying until you find what does. I had read several other's posts on how they treat a headache naturally, and used that as a starting point. I experimented from there. 

I can't tell you enough, trust your instincts when it comes to your health! Our body is very intuitive. Now and then I will just stand at my oils and try a single oil that "just seems right". Remember to check how it is used - the side of the Spark Natural's bottles state "for aromatic and topical use only", or "for aromatic, topical, or dietary use". You will get to know your oils and their properties by using them. 

If you decide to try any of these oils for your headaches - each are linked (affiliate link) to the Spark Natural's website. If you put in coupon code BENDERBOYMOM at checkout you will get 10% off your order.

If you have found an oil helpful to your headaches, please share in the comments!

Wendy