Journey to Herbalism
I began my herbal journey in 2004 after being treated with chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. I was just trying to feel better and to get some relief from the side effects of these treatments when I discovered the wonderful world of plants as medicine. I discovered that certain herbs can be used to help with nausea, radiation burns, and to calm my anxiety and have some feeling of peace.
Fast forward to 2018, and I now had more than just a few herbs in my herbal medicine chest. This is the year in which I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. What a complete and total shock that was! It started out as a pain in my inner hip joint. I thought it was just a strain from using a maxi-climber. Sorry maxi-climber. It wasn’t you. The pain started to migrate around my joints beginning in my hands and wrists, then it would move to my knees and feet. Next maybe a shoulder and then to a finger. My feet ended up taking the brunt of this disease, and I was to the point where I could barely walk because the pain was too intense.
Here is the lesson in seeking professional medical treatment when you feel something going wrong with your body. I tried initially to treat the symptoms with acupuncture and supplements that were supposed to help with the pain. During the first 9 months of the disease progression, I became weaker and less able to move. Not only because of the pain, but I was losing muscle mass at an alarming rate. Once upon a time, I had forearms that would do Popeye proud. (Not quite, but it’s fun to say.) The muscle loss was the most frightening thing I have ever experienced. There were days when I needed to use crutches to get from one room to the other, and I had a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning because of the loss of strength. Unbelievable. Never would I have thought I would be stricken with this debilitating disease.
My first appointment with a rheumatologist was in October of 2018. He prescribed prednisone and methotrexate and I started them right away. The prednisone worked almost immediately, but the methotrexate took a couple of months to start working in my body. I have been completely off of the prednisone since the beginning of June and my dosage of methotrexate is still only 0.8 ml. I started at 0.6 ml, so it hasn’t increased dramatically, as I have heard sometimes happens. The pain in my feet was still agonizing and I could not sleep because the bones literally felt like they were broken.
I have never given up on my herbs, and thanks to the people who produce and share natural medicine webinars and podcasts, I discovered the reishi mushroom for rheumatoid arthritis. There have been studies on the effectiveness of this mushroom used along side methotrexate. Briefly, I will say that reishi mushrooms have the ability to modulate the immune system. In rheumatoid arthritis the immune system is in total overdrive and reishi mushroom can bring that level down. If your immune system is not functioning well, it can bring that level up. Amazing, you say? I say yes! It’s totally amazing. I started taking the double extraction tincture that I made on August 2, 2019. Within 2 weeks I could walk without pain in my feet. I am no longer unable to sleep at night and I am eternally grateful to the producers of that webinar.
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