Since I’ve been diagnosed with liver disease, I have to be very careful about the medications I take.  Illness doesn’t care about liver disease, though, and there are times when medicine seems to be the only thing to help me.  Using natural products is my best alternative.  While my doctor said I could take pain relievers to ease pain if I’m completely miserable, I really try to avoid taking it when possible.  I’ve done a bit of research on natural pain relievers, including those that reduce inflammation.  There are lots of herbs that can be incorporated into the diet that help with inflammation (which is what’s wrong with my liver.)   I’m not really a fan of ginger but it’s supposed to be quite effective for pain, so I might have to learn to like it.  Garlic and rosemary are on the anti-inflammatory list, too. I’m planning to grow some in my herb garden this summer and try to use them in more of my recipes.  I’m also eating salmon on a weekly basis and have found lots of great recipes on Pinterest.    I also avoid fried foods which are supposed to make inflammation worse.  I’m thinking about trying an elimination diet to see if I might have a sensitivity to some food that’s making the inflammation worse.

For bodily pain and aches, I received a tube of Ateevia all natural topical treatment.  It is purported to be an effective relief against things like carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, two problems I have.  At the time of the review, I didn’t have any pain, so I asked my husband to try Ateevia on his knee.  He has residual pain on a daily basis from old sports injuries and it’s really catching up with him.  We rubbed the cream all over his knee, massaging it until absorbed.  He was miserable the whole time we rubbed it in.  In the morning, he reported that he didn’t really notice any difference in his knee pain.  I wonder if we waited until the pain got too bad for the cream to work.  It might be better for us to try it when the pain starts rather than trying to reduce it once it’s raging.  The cream is a brownish color, kind of like a clay mask.  It’s very lightweight, though, and rubs in easily.  I was glad that there wasn’t a strong scent.  I really dislike that camphor smell of some pain creams, and Ateevia is almost odorless.  It’s also safe to use with children, which is always a plus in my opinion.  I plan to keep it in the cabinet and try it again if any of us have trouble with aches and pain.   If you’d like to learn more about Ateevia, check out their website.

With the flu season in full swing and spreading around the country, we’ve also armed ourselves with natural products to keep us healthy. At the very first sign of flu symptoms, we take Oscillococcinum
capsules, made by Boiron. They taste like sugar crystals, just not as sweet. My kids don’t mind eating them, either. I really feel like they work to boost my immune system; at least, I haven’t had the flu! A few days before Christmas, I went out to eat with a friend. We had our drinks very close to each other and I actually drank from hers before realizing I picked up the wrong drink. We had a good laugh about it….until she called me the next morning to tell me that she had been diagnosed with the flu. After a moment of freak out, I popped an Oscillococcinum capsule and hoped for the best. Guess what? No flu! I’ll always keep this on hand, that’s for sure. I’m also stocked up on their Cold Calm tablets.  Naturallysavvy has a plethora of resources about natural health.

Would you like to try one of these products?  If you have any tips on natural pain relief, I’d love to hear about them!