OUCH! Do you suffer from the agony of Sciatic Nerve Pain?

I’m going to go off topic today and talk about something I’ve been suffering with for almost a year.  Last spring, after planting all my flower boxes for my deck and tables, I had some lower back pain.  I didn’t think much of it.  Whenever I’ve overused my back, it would hurt, but then go away.  And so it did. 

Than in September, I went camping with my family.  The first camping trip I’ve been on for many years.  The first one after Bob died.  I bought a tent and a cot, as I’m not a young chicken anymore.  Been there, done that.  Several weeks later, my back started hurting again, like really bad.  I kept wondering, what did I do?  Could it be from the several times I tripped coming out of tent?  Pitching horseshoes, which I hadn’t done in years?  Maybe it was climbing in and out of my sister’s monster truck, and sitting scrunched up in the back for the long drive back and forth?  Who knows?  But whatever did it, my back surely didn’t like it.

At the beginning, the pain would come and go, but eventually, it came to stay.  This PAIN that felt like a Charlie Horse in my lower right back, sent shooting waves of torture down my right leg.  What made the problem worse, I had to walk two miles a day, to and from my bus stop.  By the time I got to my bus stop, I’d be in so much pain, I’d be biting my lip, trying not to scream.  Even the ride on the bus, as it jostled around, would cause me to tear up.  Anything that shifted my spinal cord, a cough, a laugh, a sneeze, just taking a shower, HURT like hell.  This Monster that had taken over my back, was ruining my life.  I got to the point I started taking a taxi, which still hurt to climb in and out of.  My boss, who’s 10 years younger than me, told it was sciatica, and she suffered with it as well.

Well, now I had a name for it, what to do about it?  In case you don’t know, sciatica is an inflammation of the sciatic nerves caused by injury or a slipped or deteriorating disc.  Most people are given addictive pain meds and they’re told it will go away, or it won’t.  I didn’t want that.  I abhor modern medicine.  Since there were a very few days when the Monster never made an appearance, I ruled out a disc problem.  I was dealing with inflammation, of the worst kind.

I’ve been an herbalist most of my life.  I don’t like doctors, and will not see one unless absolutely necessary.   Which means I’m dying.  Before Bob died, I used to make all of our own herbal caps.  I have a lot of cut & sifted herbs, some of which would have helped with my problem, but I was in too much pain to drag all my bins out and sit for hours filling capsules.  I even consulted my Little Herb Encyclopedia.  This book IS my bible.  I recommend every household should have one for a solid reference on natural healing.

Then I remembered I had a few bottles of Boswella left, which is used for inflammation of the joints.  Boswella is Indian Frankincense.  Yes, the same Frankincense the three wise men took to Bethlehem.  The one bottle I had left was outdated, so I went to Puritan’s Pride to find some more. I will tell  you right now, I am not affiliated with Puritan’s Pride and make no money from their website.

Anyway, while I was looking for my Boswella, I found a Bromelain Boswella Complex.  A complex is always better than a straight herb, and I was intrigued as the combination also included Turmeric (another awesome anti-inflammatory,) and White Willow Extract.  White Willow is where aspirin originated.  So, not only did these pills have several powerful anti-inflammatory herbs, it had a pain reliever.  By now, I was taking 6 to 8 aspirins a day to cut down on some of the pain, which I hated.  I placed my order for several bottles and waited.

That has been almost two months ago.  And you know what, my back is 90% better.  Before where my pain level was at 20, it’s now down to 4 or a 5.  That’s only when I get a flare up.  I can go several days without hardly any pain, and I’ve been aspirin free for almost a week.  I’m walking again, which feels great.  I still get some muscles cramps in my lower back, but they aren’t nearly as severe, and I’ve learned to stretch my back muscles around to alleviate  them.  

I also gave a bottle to my boss, and she was amazed at how fast they worked for her.  Even her husband is taking them for his knee pain.  And no, our nerve pain did not go away from some placebo effect. 

The FDC will not allow reviews to be posted that state an herb has cured you of an ailment, so I’m posting it here.  If you suffer from any kind of joint pain, or other inflammatory problems, you need to at least give Bromelain Boswella Complex a try.  What could it hurt?  It might even give you back your life. 

Let me know what you think. and if you have questions, just leave them in the comments.