When our radiators are full and need to be “bled”, we simply unscrew a cap and voila. When our bodies are swollen with inflammation, where’s that damn cap I say?!#$! Well, the human way of bleeding inflammation can be as simple as using castor oil packs.
When I first stumbled upon the fear that I may be off my feet for more than three months, according to some forums and other folks via word of mouth, when was learning about my hip bursitis – I panicked! No way! I will find a way to be back on my feet in under three weeks! I have a rather big event coming up soon – Mt Tremblant Ironman 70.3 – June 22, 2014. This early Half Ironman event is a training race warm-up for the World Championships that I’ll be doing at the same location come September. I need not be in chronic pain all summer! My racing season would be ruined 😦
So I began lathering myself with Traumeel – a homeopathic remedy and Weleda Arnica Oil – a natural remedy. I also took a reduced dose of Genuine Health’s Fast Back Care+ (White Willow Bark, Natural Eggshell Membrane and Devil’s Claw) along with making small changes in my diet to support getting rid of the inflammation. I foam rolled, mobilized, stretched and strengthened my weak areas daily. Then I stumbled across an interesting website talking about castor oil packs. This site claimed that in fact, one could improve the inflammation from bursitis (and arthritis, among many other ailments) using castor oil packs. I had known about the use of castor oil packs for sometime now, and had recommended them to several folks for relief from scar tissue discomfort and scarring – but, I had never used the packs myself. Off to the store I went for my castor oil.
I found the oil at the local Shoppers Drug Mart for a very affordable $3.99. This is a great price, not to mention you can use the pack over and over again for up to 28 days or so! I used the pack for three days on and then took a day off. My hip greatly improved. Now, I have to mention that I did have one osteopathy treatment, several physiotherapy treatments, along with a handful of chiropractic treatments. Additionally, I completed two very select home yoga practice sessions that probably helped me along. Although, I did read that many people out there with bursitis have had it for a long time and have tried “everything” and nothing seemed to work – finally resorting to a shot of cortisone.
Well, world – changing my diet to more of a strict anti-inflammatory based diet (more on this later), using homeopathic and naturopathic remedies, getting regular therapy, rest, taping to facilitate muscles that weren’t able to fire properly, and lastly, my castor oil packs all helped me to heal in just under 3 weeks. I ran 14.5k yesterday with no pain at all!
I have now been continuing on with the packs and will do so for another two weeks along with my yoga students in our Naturopathic Yoga Detox at Totum Life Science. Funny enough, like I mentioned in my last post peculiar things have been popping into my life lately at precisely the times I need them the most. Dr. Aisling Lanigan, who runs the Naturopathic Detox Yoga program at Totum, recommends Castor Oil Packs for the duration of the Detox Program to help purge toxins from the visceral region, in particular the liver. I have to mention it is very nourishing to lay back with a moist heating pad on your belly after a day of hard training (or any kind of stress for that matter – physical, or otherwise). Of course, I continue to dedicate 15 mins of the pack to my left hip area just to make sure all of the inflammation is clearly gone and won’t be returning any time soon 🙂
To find out more about the Naturopathic Detox Program at Totum Life Science: http://www.totum.ca/detoxification-do-i-need-that-2/
To find out more about castor oil packs for inflammation: https://www.sites.google.com/site/younglivingeu/home/castor-oil-compress-for-inflammation-pain-relief
Disclaimer:
All material on this website are provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
The information and opinions expressed here are believed to be accurate, based on the best judgement available to the author, and readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries.
Kinesiology & Health Navigation 