Does anyone use complimentary herbal remedies?

[pottydog]

I'm have booked an appointment to see a lovely herbalist on Friday morning and am pretty excited about it, it's been a long time in the planning.

Does anyone here use any herbal remedies along with their prescription drugs?

I have always loved herbs but know I need the advice of a trained herbal practitioner as I could all too easily mix the wrong herbs with my prescription meds.

I often feel a bit of a fraud here as my symptoms seem to be very light compaired to everyone else, have only ever seen my gp re the fibro, and only use co-codamol 30/500 for pain, sometimes naproxym if it gets a bit too much, ciralopram for 'the twitches and glitches', and amitriptylene to sleep.

[azhelen]

I have started Yoga and Ti Chi , only into it one week so we'll see

[Sassi]

Hi pottydog,

I am 'into' complementary therapies in a big way. I meditate for pain - all the time - and only take co-codamol 30/500. I do not like tablets and will not take them. But I have been at the complementary lark for many, many years and have had these views for many years before fibro. Anyway anything I have tried seems to react very badly with me. This could also be due to me having chronic kidney disease.

Just like with conventional medicine not everything works for everyone. Also I have found that some things work for a while and then don't. For instance Acupuncture worked once with me, but after the first course it did not work. It could be that the practitioner was different, so it could be have been down to the person doing the acupuncture.

I try everything I can that is non-invasive. Some things work and some have no effect. I have a mixture of things I use. For me the best has been Bowen Therapy. A few years ago I was virtually immobile and it was Bowen that allowed me out of that deep hole. I do what I can for myself and when money allows I have treatments.

I go along to the Mind, Body & Soul shows as they have cheaper taster sessions. Someone I know of in London, used to negotiate with her local therapists for 'concessionary' treatments once a month. She found reflexology worked very well for her.

I use essential oils, homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies (via my Herbalist friend), I make up my own vegetable and fruit juices, this helps with digestion problems ironing out constipation/diahorrea swings and roundabouts. It saves me time whilst easily getting my 15 a day, at least :))

I use press-ups (against a wall !) for shoulder, neck and arm pain - found this out by accident when one night in screaming agony, I just put my hands on my bedroom wall and rocked away from the wall and back again in desperation.

I am also trying out magnetic therapy, magnetic soles, magnetic bracelet and a magnetic 'coil' ring for my arthritic middle finger, right hand. I was lent some Nikken products and although they made me woozy, I could feel them working. They were very expensive so I found a company in Linlithgow - as local as I could find in Scotland - who have been very helpful and their products are much less expensive. Apparently their Premier bracelet series can help the whole body. So far the ring has helped with the rashes and although I have only just got a bracelet, it appears to help with fibro fog in my case.

I also use Jin Shin Gytsu (pronounced Gin Shin Jitsoo). It is a gentle 'holding' therapy that is easy to do for yourself and can calm you down enough to get to sleep - for a short time at least. You can find info on the net, but even just wrapping all the fingers of one hand around one finger or thumb of the other hand for about two minutes each finger, helps. You do both hands. You can sit and do it while watching tv. The thumb and fingers represent certain emotions. You remember it by the saying 'Get rid of, Worry, F A S T' Your thumb is Worry, your index (first finger) is Fear, your middle finger is Anger, ring finger is Sadness (Grief) and your little finger is To Do's (Pretense).

Every thing I do is non-invasive. Use common sense with essential oils and herbs. I trained as an Aromatherapist and Reflexologist so I am happy with oils. But I am still very careful with herbal remedies and get help all the time from my friend. When I have pain I meditate on the area of the pain, even if I am out walking. If you don't know how to meditate, just think of the area of pain and imagine you are breathing into that area as deeply as you can.

All of these things help - only. They do not take anything completely away. But as I said I am managing to use only co-codamol at present.

Hope all of this helps, and good luck

[Sassi]

Hi pottydog,

I forgot these Tai Chi, Qui Gong - Swimming Dragon. I also have lots of subliminal audios. Sometimes I take my MP3 player with me to bed and listen to them to help me enough to fall asleep. As I said earlier not everything works all the time. But I have a selection of the audios on my lap top and turn them down really low and just keep playing them all the time, even when I am not on the internet I just keep them playing.

[Hidden]

hi i dont do it but i know a lady who does not wan to take any meds she sys she goes to her bedroom every day for at least half hour and gets it all dark and totally relaxes and goes into a trance like state and she feels it helps so if it helps you do it no one can say anything to anyone it is their choice i am all for whatever works for each person go fo it as long as GP says it is ok and it is not messing with medication love to you diddle x

[siver52]

I was manager of a Holland & Barret store for 13 yrs. Although they are no longer my favorite people coz they forced me into resigning. I have used a lot of various things over the yrs and am a believer. x

[quine]

i use oils for massaging into muscles spasms but i haven't had a lot of success with other remedies let us know how you get on. i am interested in Jin Shin Gytsu sassi sounds like my level of workout hugs xx

[carella]

I have been taking colloidal silver for about four weeks now and am amazed at the level of well being i have achieved! not for the faint hearted however as the first week is agonising (depending on how ill you are - friends of mine have reported feeling a bit rough, as though they are coming down with a cold, as for myself, I was in terrible pain) however once the initial pain had gone i felt wonderful! I went for a long walk along the coast with a friend, even went on a date! not worked for three years now and most of my time is spent indoors or in the garden. please look on youtube for bob becks videos on the subject. i ordered my silver off ebay/sweetwatercolloidal for £10.50 which isn't too dear and hooked it up to a nine volt battery. i cannot recommend this enough, it's given me a new lease of life! and feeling positive is a necessary health requirement in my opinion!

good luck to all of us in our continuing search for health and well being xx

[doris9713]

hi, i'm new to this but i was reading your post and was impressed at you using colloidal silver. my husband makes this for his own use, and although i have tried it, i dont like the metallic taste. can you tell me how much you take please. if its only a small does once a day then maybe i could manage that. anything to relieve the pain. up till now the only thing i find beneficial is a daily swim. i keep clear of pain killers when i can.xx

[keno25]

I take 1000mg of Lysine daily to fight fatigue & it really works for me, i refuse to take any pharma meds myself.