Boel
Hi, As for natural remedies, this is my story: Hi , My name is Boel Stoddard, I am originally from Sweden, but now living in Oregon. I have finally found a therapy that has greatly improved my health. I have had Ankylosing Spondylitis since 1982, (I was 22), when my SI joints started hurting. (Actually it might have started when I was nine or ten, since I had a lot of severe pain in my feet back then.) I have tried many treatments over the years. I have had difficulties with most of the prescription drugs. I had allergic reactions, or my stomach couldn’t handle the medicines, or they didn’t work. I have been to Acupuncturists, some of them helped, some of them didn’t. I have been to Naturopaths, and one Naturopath helped greatly with some health concerns, but didn’t make a dent in the pain. I had Cranio-Sacral treatments for my chronic headaches, and that was helpful also. I also tried a good many alternative treatments that didn’t help at all, and I had gotten very skeptical, which is really not a bad thing in moderation, but I had reached a point where I did not want to try anything new any more. I had been approached with too many miracle cures and I had lost too much money trying them out without success. Over the past 5 years my health went into a steep decline, and this spring I was on the verge of starting on some new strong medications that my Rheumatologist had prescribed. I was not keen on going on them, as they would have required quarterly checkups of the kidney and liver function. I always have preferred not to be on strong medications on a long term basis, and I was wondering if the treatment would be worse than the disease in the long run. I was getting by using Oxycodone when the pain became too much. At about this time my neighbor started telling me about the essential oils she was using and distributing from a network marketing company. I enjoyed the fragrance of the oils, but I had no interest in trying them. Fortunately, one day I tripped and landed head first onto a parked car. My neighbor saw it happen, and she rushed out with an essential oil blend to treat the walnut-sized knot that formed instantly over my eye. I thought to myself: “I’m going to be so black and blue, nothing is going to prevent that”, but after treatment with the oil the knot went away very quickly, with almost no bruising and no pain. This really impressed me, so I looked more closely at the essential oil information my neighbor had given me. I placed my first order for the essential oils in early May ‘99. I felt better within 72 hours of applying the oils, and from then on, I’ve been feeling better and better. My symptoms are now greatly reduced. I am sleeping well, with very little pain, and there is an overall sense of well-being that I have not felt for years. I used to be curled up in a fetal ball after a few hours in bed, and I was always looking for a position that would alleviate the pain. I would wake up every morning feeling exhausted rather than well rested. Now I wake up in the morning, able to lay comfortably on my back with very little pain! I actually feel rested after a night’s sleep! I have seen great improvement in my digestion and my energy levels are up. Studies have shown that 20 minutes after a topical application with essential oils, the body has an increased oxygen availability of 21%. This is extremely important for good health. After a couple of days of using the oils my complexion went from pale and grayish to what my husband calls a rosy-peach. The oils also support the immune system without over-stimulating it. I have also found that I am more resistant to colds and infections after I have been using the oils on a daily basis. It is very important to know your source for essential oils. The quality of the oils is everything. They must be certified therapeutic grade essential oils. You need to be sure that the oils are organically grown (putting concentrated pesticides on your skin would do more harm than good). In order to preserve all of the delicate and valuable constituents of the oils, they should be distilled with low pressure, low heat and absolutely without any chemical additives at all. There are a lot of adulterated oils on the market. It is permissible for anyone to put as little as 5% of an organic essential oil in a bottle, then use fillers or fragrance oils for the rest and still claim on the label that it “contains 100% pure organic essential oils”. You need to find a company that adheres to the European Standards called AFNOR and ISO for therapeutic grade essential oils. The essential oils should be certified by independent analysis. The company you obtain your oils from should stand behind their product money back guarantee. If the oils don’t work for you, you shouldn’t have to pay for them! Boel