Hello! I've recently purchased a couple of your books "Healing Wise, Childbearing year." and am so excited to start my journey and exploration of herbs and the ancient ways. But, I do have a somewhat serious question/s to ask...
My boyfriend of two years is addicted to opiates. He buys painkillers all the time and takes them everyday. He bought some kratom and was taking that every other day, hoping to find an 'natural alternative'. But even that isn't good for you after a period time, and he still took pain pills. Now he hardly takes the kratom. His excuses are that he has (and he was diagnosed) chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. So it's hard for me to deny him a pain free day when his body always aches.
I just want to know what I can do for him internally, to nourish his body so he can let go of the pills. He knows he has a problem and doesn't like it. So I'm hoping if I have some details on herbs or infusions or whatever it takes to heal his pain, energize himself, and get through the day without taking something terrible, that would be such a blessing. He also drinks energy drinks daily...Can you help? Thanks so much for everything!
Hello,
So very sorry to hear about your boyfriend. Serious chronic pain really wears one down and it is easy to understand how he wants to reach for the pain medication.
With everything that he has going on, you certainly need to start looking at the very basics. How is his diet? You mention energy drinks so we know that part is not so good. Is he drinking any infusions at all? If not, your first step is to get him to start. They can help to build up his energy naturally and gently, while also supplying much needed vitamins and minerals. Nettles provides lots of calcium which can help if he can't sleep at night; oatstraw soothes nerves, eases anxiety and rebuilds Like women, men benefit from all the herbs that we use for our daily infusions. You (and your boyfriend) can read up on them here: http://nourishingherbalinfusions.com/
A couple of articles that deal with fatigue in general and fibromyalgia:
I would also make sure to include linden blossom infusion along with the others. It is calming and highly anti-inflammatory. Linden is made a bit differently than the other infusions: Instead of one ounce of herb, you use 1/2 oz of dried linden to a quart of water - infuse for 4 hours or overnite; strain, take left over plant material and put into a pot, cover with 2 cups of cold water, bring to boil and turn off. You will now let this infuse with lid on for 4 hours or overnite. You can then mix the two infusions together. Boiling helps in bringing out the mucilage which is so anti-inflammatory...
He may find using homeopathic remedies such as Rhus toxicodendron or arnica helpful with pain - also motherwort tincture. From Susun: "Whatever your pain--lower back pain, gas pain, tooth pain, almost any pain--motherwort can relieve it. I start with 10-20 drops, and repeat it every 15 minutes until I get relief. Women with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia respond strongly to motherwort, with pain relief evident in a few hours to a few days"
I know it says women, but motherwort works for men as well. Certainly eat nourishing foods, as little processed foods as possible, whole grains, plenty of greens, including dandelion greens, organic yogurt, fatty fish such as salmon and sardines ... make sure he sleeps in a completely darkened room. If possible, look into reiki or massage, maybe someone can be willing to trade or if you have a school nearby lots of times they have students do sessions at greatly reduced rates. If it were me, I would also look into St. Joan's (St. John's) tincture. This can help with the emotional toll all of this is taking on him.
Susuns hotline on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions 1-646-929-2463. Visit the link for more info: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed
We also have an active forum here: www.healingwiseforum.com where you can ask others for their suggestions.
These are a few places to start at least. Certainly it is a complex condition and can seem overwhelming. Perhaps trying to focus on one situation at a time, the thing that causes the most problems and then work from there, making sure to get a strong foundation built with daily herbal infusions and a good diet.
blessings,
Kim
Wise Woman Team
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