Hi!

I thought it would be good to copy and paste some of what we've talked about in the adrenal fatigue thread into a new thread, then I can start picking y'all's brains!!!!!

he he he...


I think I got all of it. If I missed some of the technical stuff, please feel free to copy it over!

I suppose theoretically the diverticulitis could be related to my history with candida, however, I believe this particular problem is directly related to my previous surgeries, and my ND agrees. I had a C-section, then 2 subsequent hernia repairs. The diverticulitis showed up in the exact same place as the hernias! She thinks the intestines healed up against the mesh and then got pulled loose, forming the pockets. Does that make sense??

I'd never really thought much about the properties of peppermint. The herb books I studied years ago just talked about its promoting digestive health. I actually made myself a little card file of all the different herbs I had access to and all the conditions they would treat! I even cross referenced it all. Guess that was my first real hand at indexing

Anyway, oreganus vulgaris (I think that is the correct name), the stuff oil of oregano is made from, is from the same family as peppermint, so it would stand to reason that peppermint would have many of the same properties.

I need to go make myself another cupful -- anything to help with these tight muscles and headache!

Got any other suggestions for my muscles, oh herb women???

COOL an herb thread!!!!!!

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Sooooooooooooo

what about my questions, oh barbara??? :cool:

Oh sorry, I skipped right over that. I will go back an read it............so sorry!!!!

That is probably right about the hernias and where you get the infected diverticuli. I suppose during the surgery there might have been some trauma to the mesentery (not sure of the spelling), the webbed membrane that supplies blood to and from the intestines. I theorize that some of the support was lost during the surgery. But I'm not a doctor, so what do I know.

As for your sore muscles, are you talking about fibromyalgia aches? If so, the almighty Encycolpedia doesn't have anything in it about it. I will consult the other good book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing.

OH MY, there's 4 pages about it, so I can't post everything they say, I'd be here all night. BUT, they recommend ASTRAGALUS and echinacea to enhance the immune system, black walnut and garlic for eliminating parasites (caprylic acid is good for that too.), Burdock root, dandelion (That was the name of my herb shop, The Dandelion Herb Shoppe ) and red clover for blood cleansing and immune enhancement, 4-6 cups of tea/day, topical applictions of cayenne pepper and wintergreen (icy/hot) on sore areas, (to make your own use 1 pt cayenne to 3 pts wintergreen oil), ginkgo for brain function, licorice to support the glandular system, but only for 7 days at a time and not if you have high blood pressure, milk thistle, a WONDERFUL liver cleanser, pau d'arco tea (aka Taheebo) for candida, skullcap, valerian, kava kava, and chamomile for sleep problems.

I think they described you to a TEE!!!! They also have food recommendations and suggest that people with fibromyalgia have allergies, duh!!!! They list a ton of vitamin sups and say that one with fibro. has difficulties with absorption of nutrients. Magnesium was high on the list as were the ACES and B-complex. Colon cleansing is recommended in order to cleanse the intestines so the body will absorb better. They say to eat well balanced of course, avoid sugar and processed carbs (no brainer) and to avoid all nightshade veggies...........eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, (well, all peppers). They interfere with enzymes in the muscles and may cause pain and discomfort.

That's the most important stuff I think, in a nutshell. You should REALLY see if you can get this book from the library. I think they have come out with a more updated version since I got my book and I think they have another companion book. IF I remember, I'll make copies and mail them to you. I think I still have your address. (maybe in my archived e-mails, I'll look and let you know if I need it again.)

HTH!!!!!

OH YEAH and CoQ10, which you are already taking, if I remember correctly.
The reason they recommend the immune enhancers is because they believe that fibro. is an auto-mmune disorder. You might want to print this out and take it with you to your ND and have him/her check this stuff out for you.

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Welp, I can't find your addy, so if you want me to send you copies of the pages, e-mail it to me. I'll gladly mail them to you.

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Humphf! I was going to request the PNH from my library, but then discovered dh still has my library card :o

Oh, well, I can get it, just not this minute! I'd really like to see those pages

Interesting, I took astragalus for a while and felt really good while taking it. I thought it wasn't one to take long term, though...

Magnesium has helped tremendously as has the co-q-10, though I don't know if my "base" problem is FM. I'm hoping the D.O. will provide me some insight today.

Do you know anything about l-lysine? I take it occasionaly for sleep, but am afraid to take it too often. Do you know if there is a limit on it?

Really, all I was wondering about was generalized pain and inflammation like the peppermint addresses for while I'm struggling though this neck/back episode. I can't take allopathic pain medicines for any duration.

Thanks

Barb - thanks for sharing that info. I have a friend out here with fibro and I will share it with her as well. She is a Susun Weed devotee like moi and will enjoy learning what other herbalist say about fribro.

Weed has a fairly large section on fibromyalgia as well. Before trying to summarize that, I will describe her "six stages of healing."

Step 0 is to do nothing. Take a nap. Wait and see. Let the body heal itself.

Step 1 is to collect information. Sharron, I can honestly say you are one of the best information collectors I have ever met.

Step 2 is "engage the energy." She has a variety of spiritual/emotional/active type things in this category. She also puts homeopathy in Step 2.

Step 3 is "nourish and tonify" Nourishing and tonifying herbs and other nourishing ideas are in here.

Step 4 is "stimulate/sedate" Stimulating and sedating herbs and non-herbal ways to stimulate or sedate

Step 5a is to take supplements

Step 5b is to use drugs

Step 6 she calls "break and enter" She puts surgery and invasive medical techniques in here.

She recommends that people work their way up the ladder of the steps of healing as many rungs as they need, then come back down. Some problems need to go up to step 6 to be healed, others go as far as they need to.

In the fibro section under "nourish and tonify" she has many things you're already doing, Sharron. Magnesium, gentle exercise (walks or yoga), down with omega 6's, up with omega 3's, yogurt (or kefir), nourishing infusions of comfrey, nettle, oatstraw (I know you can't do oats). Also, something called "moxibustion" that I never heard of before. Quote: "Buy a moxa "cigar" at a hfs or Chinese pharmacy. Bring the glowing end (after lighting it) near the painful area and move it around in small slow spirals until the heat becomes too intense. (This may take a few minutes of many.) Pain relief often lasts for twelve or more hours." (I will ask my friend if she has tried this. I'll also be doing a web search to find out what that moxa thing is made of!)

Under stimulate/sedate she recommends: tincture of willow bark or spirea (same active ingredient as aspirin) for anti-spasmodic, anti-pain effect, St. John's wort tincture as a muscle relaxer and to stop and even prevent muscle aches, regular massage (though not deep muscle massage which increases pain), heat and cold treatments work for some.

A personal note here. I have soreness in my shoulders/upper arms and I have started taking the St. John's wort tincture before bed and upon arising. I seem to be sleeping much better since I started that.

She also suggests ginger compresses and acupuncture. She thinks chiropractic is less effective for fibro.

Under 5a she doesn't think SAM-e or 5-HTP are of much help and neither should be used with St. John's wort (Hypericum).

5b - use essential oil of lavender diluted with jojoba or olive oil as a rub on sore places.


Those were the high points, as I see it.

Thanks for starting the herb thread It helps to know where to find things! Off to search for "moxibustion."

Alice

Here's a link for moxibustion: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/moxibustion.html

OH, man, that moxibustion sounds weird, doesn't it?

Good luck with the doctor today, Sharron!

Yowsa, that acupunture/moxibustion looks painful!!!!

Atremesia is also used to expel parasites.

White willow contains salysilic (sp?) acid (salicin) I think, which is the same stuff in aspirin. In it's natural form, the liver knows how to process it much easier.

Not sure what "allopathic" means but I'm thinking you mean you can't take mainstream over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen?

Sharron, you should look for Susan Weeds books while your at it. That darn DH keeping your library card!!!!

Didn't you say you suffered from migraines too? I'll look that up in my books too. The same priciples might apply for regular headaches and migraines.
Gotta go make dinner..............................more later.

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The report is in from the D.O...... severe arthritis in my neck :(

I need to go get those books. I wonder if there is any herbal remedy for arthritis

I'll try doing some searches and see if I can find anything.

****of course everyone knows that we are not prescribing any medication and all medical conditions should be discussed with your medical provider****

we're just a few down-to-earth gals, talking about plants and stuff

Wise Woman Herbal for Childbearing Years was the only book by Susan Weed that my library has. I'm sure it will have some helpful info. I also requested the PNH book -- 2000 edition, since the newer one had a hold on it already.

I haven't found much in my searching yet, though I ran across this quote, "A Positive Attitude --
Your mind plays a very important role in how you feel. If you tell yourself that you don?t feel good, then you won?t. You have to keep a positive attitude. Don?t let your pain take control of your life. If you try to build your life around your wellness instead of the pain, you will be a lot better off. Have a sense of humor, and don?t forget to smile. " source

Oh soooooooooooo true. I think part of what keeps me NOT feeling like I'm 50 is my PMA. I try to look on the bright side of everything. I do get down at times, but I WON'T let it last long. I refuse to let it. I try to see the positive in others too. I had a crabby day at work today, the weirdos were out in force. But I got over it quickly and back to my normal self. I just can't live in a negative, bad, vibe environment.

As for the arthritis, I took glucosamine/chondroitin (could have a sugar connection tho) back when I had the shop. My knees were acting up. They DID get better and after about 6 months of taking it, I didn't need it anymore and quit taking it. (Are we talking about Osteo-arthritis?) This would be something to talk to your ND about. How it works is it helps rebuild the collegen matrix in cartilage. It also turns off the enzymes that are destroying your cartilage. The body normally has an enzyme (can't remember the name at the moment) that carries used cartilage molecules away as waste. But in some people this enzyme doesn't turn off, thus becoming an autoimmune response, and the cartilage wears away. The stuff really worked for me. Although, some people get intestinal distress from it..................so tread carefully. If your headaches are being caused by arthritis, I'm not sure what can be done about it without addressing the cartilage. BTW, I had read an article about how analgesics particularly acetominaphine and ibuprofen do long term damage to arthritis patients and actually exacerbates the arthritis. (Fine howdy-do, eh?) But you will for sure want to avoid ALL nightshade veggies. The active compound in them aggravates arthritis. (solanum, I think, or something like that.)

You might want to give white willow a try, but it's very gentle, so I don't know if you would get any effect from it. I didn't see any indication in the encyclopedia that it has any blood thinning properties like man-made aspirin does. It helps reduce inflammation, so that would be good for anything related to arthritis.

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G'morning, herb women!

Re allopathic: MD's are allopaths, just as DO's are osteopaths. DO's use and prescribe allopathic medicine, though.

Here's Susun Weed on aching joints:

Step 3, nourish and tonify: white birch, tincture or tea; black currant bud macerate; swimming in warm water - exercise important with diagnosis of arthritis; moxibustion near sore joints; massage with arnica or St. John's wort infused oil; fresh chickweed poultice; avoid those bad omega-6 oils.

Step 4, stimulate/sedate: She has lots of interesting ideas here - getting stung by nettles at the sore joing ("terrible as it may sound"); "cold vegetables on hot joints are a great blessing. Try a poultice of tofu, grated raw potato, or raw squash."; acupuncture; Ginger baths, soaks, and compresses; sweat lodges, saunas, steam baths and the like; try eliminating one or all of the following foods: sugar, nightshades, citrus, processed meats, vegetable oils other than olive, MSG, alcohol. (what a familiar list!); potentially poisonous herbs - poke, devil's club, cayenne.

Step 5a, use supplements: glucosamine sulfate, alone or with chondroitin; MSM (methylsulfonylmethane); fish oil supplements

Step 5b, use drugs: allopathic remedies for arthritis are anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. Here are herbal alternatives for anti-inflammatories: willows, birches, black haw, poplars, true wintergreen(Gaultheria procumbens). And for steroids: wild yam, sarsaparilla, ginseng, black cohosh, poke, devil's club.

Step 6, break and enter: cortisone and gold injections. She's not in favor of these.

I've been summarizing and quoting small sections from "Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, alternative approaches for women 30-90" by Susun S. Weed, Ash Tree Publishing, Woodstock, New York, copyright 2002 by Susun S. Weed. This is a fabulously informative book and every woman should seriously consider buying this for her own library.

I'm not a doctor, I am sharing information I have learned from books. Of course, everyone should see a doctor when they have any medical problems.

I believe her website is www.susunweed.com.

All for now,

Alice

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/...cfm?id=1049006

That article confirms what you said, Barb.

I am not sure of the source, because I'm not exactly sure what my search terms were last night, but I read where OA and other auto-immune conditions can often be traced back to a significant bacterial infection that was not properly dealt with. Then some sort of small "invaders" (sorry, I wish I remembered the term :o ) are left and they form the attack force for the AI disease. They have found small, long-term doses of ABX to be helpful, and one person cited oil of oregano (OO) as what they were doing.

After reading that, I realized that I felt better when I was taking OO. Even recently (within the last year or so) when I took a short course of OO, I had increased stamina and my pain level was lower (FM.) With that in mind I started a low dose (4 drops) of OO this morning. I can report that my neck felt better within 45 minutes of taking it. I don't know how much or how long I'll do it, but until I can get to the ND, I'm going to give this a whirl.

Do you know of any simple herbal remedies -- you know, like tea-type, that are beneficial for OA? (I believe it is OA since it is in my neck where I've had several back injuries.) I'm going to try to go to the hfs and pick up a few things this afternoon, and they have herbs in bulk.

I wonder if getting my pain level down (I've been running around with a headache literally for months -- years? -- without being terribly aware of it unless someone point blanks me and asks me if I have a headache. Then the answer is always "yes.") would help my adrenal function? I wonder if I should still do the nettle (nettle, right???) infusion?? I am doing my peppermint tea before bed and it does seem to be helping with my pain level and sleep quality.

Thanks for being a sounding board for me on this