Is pain inevitable? I have found I can avoid it, and you know I am no Superwoman. So I decided if a simple gal like me can avoid pain, why not share what worked for me, in case anything I do might work for you. As I say in all my health posts, I am not a doctor, so I cannot give you medical advice. I can only tell you what works for me. You must see your own doctor for medical advice, and then decide if what I do is Ok for you.
I will also share affiliate links to the products, in case you see anything I use that you can too. You won’t pay more to buy anything from the links. They just take you right to the seller of the products. In exchange for me sharing the product, the seller will give me a small commission if you buy anything (usually about a penny for every dollar). This is a no stress post, so please NEVER feel you need to buy anything from us. We share what works for us, and if you are interested, please feel free to try it too.
In the last two decades, I have only need to take oral pain medication 3 times, and each of those for only three or four days. The first was after the C-Section to birth my twins. The second was after major abdominal surgery. The third was after a failed appendectomy (I ended up on IV antibiotics for 2 weeks). Otherwise I have only used two kinds of mineral rubs for pain. I think the mineral lotions are the main reason I stay relatively pain free.
Since other factors may be involved in the lack of lasting pain in my body, I’ll share the other things I do that might help. I stay well hydrated (especially with filtered water). I am not as strict as Tom Brady (who wins Super Bowls in his 40’s), but I eat a relatively healthy diet and am at a decent weight. One way I am strict is that I consume zero refined sugar (no white or brown sugar, no honey, no fruit juice), due to some blood sugar issues. I have heard that refined sugar can aggravate inflammation (which causes some pain). I have heard that certain foods can trigger inflammation and pain. Some foods (even healthy ones) can trigger migraines too. These foods are listed on the internet, so I won’t bore you with a list here. A person might look at her diet to see if any food is causing her pain.
I only do low impact exercises (due to my unwholesomely loose connective tissue). I briefly mentioned my exercises (but not in detail) in my post “Identifying Patterns in Injuries.” I am working on a post with details about my work outs, but that must wait for the future, so please forgive my delay in sharing that. I also do gentle stretching and watch my posture. If I slouch, I do not feel as good. I wear a posture brace a few hours each day.
Here is a Walmart link to the brace: https://goto.walmart.com/c/3255743/565706/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dposture%2Bbrace
If you prefer Ebay, here is a link to the brace there:
I also take supplements that might help (for example omega-3, and of course minerals like calcium with vitamin K and D, and magnesium). I will include a link to Herbspro. They have a great selection of supplements, and they are a safe, reliable company.
Here is a link to their Vitamin D. From there you can also peruse their online store.
Vitamin D3 120 Sgels by Futurebiotics
I nourish the outside of my body with two mineral lotions (sulfur and magnesium). The first is DMSO which is rich in sulfur.
You can find it at Entirely Pets! Surprise, they have the lowest price for the pure DMSO, and here is a link:
If you are allergic to sulfur, be cautious! What I do may not work for you. I also make the second mineral lotion, “magnesium oil” which has magnesium salts dissolved in water. Fill an 8-ounce cup with the magnesium flakes right up to the top of the cup. Next add water (which will go around the flakes, but obviously not over the top of the cup). The solution gets thick, and it feels like oil. I rub these two mineral lotions on my joints when I have over done it. I usually feel better by the next day.
Here is one link to the magnesium flakes:
Pure Magnesium Flakes 1.65 lb by Life-Flo
Some people are afraid of DMSO, because it got a bad rap when the pharmaceutical companies began to make anti-inflammatory meds (think of the aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen). DMSO works well at lowering inflammation and relieving pain. It works so well veterinarians still use it on live stock, especially the very valuable race horses, because the vets do not want to harm the horses with the anti-inflammatory meds. Because DMSO works so well the pharmaceutical companies told stories about it being ineffective and a waste of money, even though it is much cheaper to use DMSO for muscle aches than to take the oral anti-inflammatory meds.
Another reason DMSO got a bad name is due to a story of a woman who had kidney cancer. She used several OUNCES of DMSO daily. Because she had kidney disease, her body could not metabolize and clear the DMSO from her body, and she became poisoned. I was so concerned about her story, I looked up clinical studies on DMSO to see if it was safe. I found a well documented study at this link:
https://dmso.org/articles/information/brobyn.html
In the study, they used 2.2 OUNCES of DMSO on the bodies of the participants, daily! I only use several drops, and my 8 ounce bottle of DMSO can last for months. It is also helpful to know DMSO simply means (CH3)2SO and is called di-methyl sulfoxide—which means it has 2 methyl groups and it has sulfur and oxygen in it. Sulfur is an essential mineral our bodies need. If you are allergic to any sulfur compounds you might want to avoid this ingredient. Some people find the DMSO goes into their blood stream so fast, they can taste it, and being sulfur, some people find that nauseating. I have used DMSO for many years now with no adverse reaction (and I have had my kidney and liver levels tested, not because I use this, but because I have had appendicitis, due to a dirty colon scope that was used in my colonoscopy—I will warn you of that danger in a future post). My kidneys and liver and working fine.
Often, after I rub in these 2 mineral solutions, I do my work out, and while I might favor a joint that is a bit achy, I still do the work-out and usually the pain goes away completely. If a joint or muscle still aches, I consider my work out. Perhaps I was using that side too much. This happened with my left elbow. So I made changes in how I pulled up some weights, so my right arm shared more of the work, and after a few days my elbow stopped aching. So I just analyze my body and my work outs to make sure I am not over doing it.
Posture is essential. I mentioned that I put a book under my lower back when I do my modified “leg lifts” (with bent knees). Otherwise that kind of work out can hurt the lower back. I even saw a physical therapist when I developed some back pain. I was incorrectly doing the dead lift, plus I was doing the same abdominal exercises too many days in a row. So I make sure I vary the work outs I get (again, I mentioned more about this in my post “Identifying Injury Patterns”).
Believe it or not, that is my (mostly) pain free story. This is what works for me. I hope this is not too simple for you. I don’t have any miraculous methods. I guess the old fashioned stuff works for me. You may have serious injuries, fibromyalgia or other serious causes of pain, so never feel guilty if you need to take oral meds or even prescription meds for pain. Work with your doctor. I just wanted to share what I do, and I also want to let you know that as I post this story, I will be praying for God to guide you, my readers to find your own ways to relieve pain. You are precious, and God has a good plan for your life. I am praying for him to guide you, as he personally guided me to what I can do.