Holy Basil

(Tulsi) Extract

 Depending on what site you read, or news source you listen to, you will hear that anxiety is the number one medical condition in our society.  Given the stress of life, I believe it. 

Anxiety knows no boundaries.  It affects both sexes, all ethnicities, ages, educational backgrounds, etc...it can be a debilitating condition in and of itself for millions who suffer from just anxiety issues alone.  For those of us who got it as a byproduct of chronic pain, it's just one more battle to handle because all of that tension that it causes, can flare up our pain issues.

When you have anxiety that disrupts your quality of life, it is common to receive an anti-anxiety medication.  I'll speculate that the most recognizable Rx, is likely Xanax. 

(Generic name: Alprazolam) 

It works, and it works very well.  Unfortunately it works so well that many people become addicted to it.  Having kicked cigarettes cold turkey and vowing no substance would ever control me again, I'm pleased to say, that addiction, nor any, have ever been an issue for me; but I'll tell you what is. 

What I call "rebound anxiety".  Meaning that if I stop taking it, I believe that I get worse anxiety when not on it.  This clearly, is a very bad thing.  Thus, I am immeasurably grateful to have discovered "Holy Basil".

Holy Basil is an all natural herbal remedy that not only controls my anxiety really well but also manages my depression enough that I successfully discontinued my Cymbalta over 2.5 years ago and haven't looked back since! 

 Not to say that I don't still have it, but the worst thing that happens to me now that I treat it naturally, is I have a predisposition to choke up at times that I didn't when on Cymbalta. 

Does that annoy me?  Immensely.  I can't stand choking up because I don't want to be that weak.  But, the trade off of taking a prescription drug whose long term harmful side effects are far worse than choking up, means, I suck it up and just deal with it by focusing on my gratitude that I have been able to eliminate one Rx entirely and greatly reduce usage of another. 

I met a woman last year who suffers chronic pain from Fibromyalgia.  She too fought being depressed and told me that her dr. had just called in her first anti-depressant but she hadn't picked it up yet.  I told her of  my success with Holy Basil and that if she researched it and it was safe for her, I would give her some to try.

I did and like me, she noticed a huge improvement in her mood ON DAY ONE!!!  She let me know that she didn't bother to start on the anti-depressant her dr. had ordered because the Holy Basil had done so well by her! 

I have a friend back home who is anxiety prone and during winter, found himself battling depression.  I sent him Holy Basil.  He emailed me that he could swear he felt better the first day and I said, YES, you did! That's how amazing it is!

 Turmeric & Bromelain

January 2012, I fell and broke my foot in two places and was laid up for three weeks; I'd had it with pain and wanted my life back.  

I realized that the only way I could get it, was to better manage my pain.  Thus, for the first time, I truly stepped back to think about pain objectively. It quickly hit me that regardless of the cause of pain, at the root of all pain, is, inflammation.

Thus, control the inflammation and you control the pain! It seems so simple I can't believe it took me years to realize; but better late than never!

I immediately began online research for natural remedies and that led me to Turmeric. I also read that Bromelain is an all natural digestive enzyme found in fresh pineapple and potentiates (increases the power) of other supplements.

Thus, I began taking 300mg of Turmeric and 150mg of Bromelain in a combination supplement by "NOW" brand. It is more expensive than other brands but it is available in many grocers so if you want to get on these two natural remedies ASAP, spend the extra money on it just to get it going in your body and once you determine its efficacy (desire result) for you, you can order it or other brands, cheaper, online.

When I fell and broke my foot, I threw my hands out to catch myself which means that the impact of that action jolted my neck and shoulder pain into action so I wasn't just dealing with the broken foot bones pain but my chronic pain issues too.

Thus, I started taking the Turmeric/Bromelain while on all of my pain pills and related Rx's.

I did not check with my dr. or pharmacist first because I found no contraindications (a warning to not use due to possible harmful conflict with my Rx's) online for them. Also, Turmeric is a spice commonly used in Asian cooking which I love and I regularly eat fresh pineapple and never had any reactions when eating either while on my Rx's so I just had faith that I'd be fine and I was.

Since they are both all natural, I would take one every morning upon waking, on an empty stomach. Unlike my prescription anti-inflammatories that must be taken with food and still made my stomach feel like someone took a cheese grater to it, I could take Turmeric/Bromelain without food and without any ill side effects! Another huge victory in my pain campaign!

I also took one again, 12 hours later. After two full weeks, I realized that I could go longer without my pain pills and that's when I realized that I'd hit pay dirt with my research! What a blessing!

This next paragraph is an email that I received from the woman who has Fibromyalgia that I referenced in the Holy Basil column.  When she says [Now that my chronic, chronic pain is gone...] she is referring to the relief that the Turmeric & Bromelain I gave her to try, yielded her.

[Thanks for this advice. I used to be so lethargic and energy depleted. Now that my chronic, chronic pain is gone, I will buy these vitamins. My doctor would die if she saw me go from crying in screeching pain to supple muscles and very low pain all due to treating it holistically.]

I got another email from her a week or two later:

[I communicated with my sister in San Antonio about the Turmeric. She has gained relief also.]

 Garlic

Garlic is an anti-bacterial, an anti-viral and has many, many, MANY other wonderful preventive properties to help the human body.  Fresh garlic is best but if you are adverse to eating it fresh, Nature Made brand is the only supplement I've tried out of all of the ones that I've tried, that I can say works fantastically well. 

Now, if you're not worried about having enough garlic breath to kill vampires, then buy the fresh stuff, a loaf of fresh homemade French or Italian bread and make sure that you have good butter at home.  (REAL butter, no substitute crap that's worse than the real stuff!)

Throw a couple of tablespoons of butter in a frying pan and put on medium heat.  Peel and slice 4 cloves of garlic and slice into thick slices and toss in butter. 

Stir constantly for NO MORE than 2 minutes so you don't kill the healing properties.  Pour butter and garlic on a chunk of bread and eat. 

The garlic will burn the heck out of your mouth but the bread will coat your stomach so it doesn't get upset. 

Prior to discovering its immense value, I used to get strep, the flu, upper respiratory infections, etc...every year, and often, twice a year. Spring of 2001 I got an upper respiratory infection; after which I was told to take garlic and I'd just not get sick. Et voila, it was true! I could be around anyone hacking, coughing, spitting, sneezing and I'd pile up on garlic and at most, get mild symptoms for 24 hours, if even. Stupidly, I let myself run out of garlic and ended up with my first flu in almost 12 years, in 2013.

I hadn't missed that misery. I also discovered that despite not being on Rx's as the rule anymore, I had been for so long that OTC night time cough syrup, no longer actually made me sleep.

I appreciate and respect the advances that modern medicine have made on many fronts; but thanks to my numerous failed pain control procedures and my numerous successful self-help and alternative medicine successes, I no longer run to the doctors for every ailment.

Though I have bought Nature Made Garlic at Walgreen's, CVS and Sam's Club a lot, here is a great online price from Pure Formulas.  They deliver free, fast and if you click my referral link you will enjoy extra savings! 

http://www.pureformulas.com/rewards-intro?refCode=ZJNYZXS