Guest guest Posted July 10, 2005 Report Share Posted July 10, 2005 Hello Everyone, I have a friend who is an older gentleman and his is in constant pain but even moreso lately. He has been told by the doctors that he has both rheumatoid and osteo arthritis. Thus his joints are larger than normal and have the nodules on them. He continues to push himself through the day despite the pain. Lately, however, the ankle of his left foot has started clunking when he walks. The doctors have said that they think that means there is no cartilage left and the sound is basically bone impacting bone. This ankle is usually a bit larger than the other one but now it has gotten even bigger. The swelling seems to be moving up his leg. There are supposedly some sort of injections that have been applied for through the benefits carrier (don't know for sure whether they are cortisone, gold or something else) but they have already taken 2 months and it doesn't seem like the decision will be made by them soon as to whether to cover these injections. Meanwhile, the poor man is in excrutuiating pain and the ankle seems to continue to deteriorate. If anyone has dealt with this type of situation before, I'd appreciate some advice as to how to help reduce the swelling and alleviate the pain. I have a fair selection of oils and would take any advice with respect to blends or I would be willing to investigate any other type of alternative treatment suggestions that anyone can give. I forgot to say that he soaks his feet every night and tries to keep them elevated when possible but for him to sit still for long periods he would pretty well need to be tied down. I am not sure if his wife would be willing to do that though LOL Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. Dorothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Hi Dorothy, Best of luck to your friend. That sounds incredibly painful. If he wants those injections, he might want to start calling and nagging his insurance provider to cover the cost of those injections. I have noticed with insurance, they are much more responsive when they have to deal with you calling them every day (been there, done that!). The steroids have their own nasty effects, but if he can't hardly walk without excruciating pain the trade off might be worth it until a more permanent alternative can be found. Now as far as EO's go .. maybe rosemary used in a foot soak and lotion rub would help? I know it helped my swollen ankles and legs when I was pg. Even make a liniment blend with it - some folks here have expressed using black pepper oil with rosemary and .. I think Kathleen said she uses grapefruit in her blend too??? Can't recall off hand ... Kathleen, you got your ears on today??? Also, he might want to look into some herbs. " Devil's Claw " (Harpogophytum procumbens) is one. My herbology teacher swore by a combination of that and " Bone Flesh and Cartilage " Herbal Supplement Formula (I believe Nature's Way makes it). She said it takes about a week to 3 weeks to really build up in the system and work, but she couldn't rave about it enough and how it helped her. She also was fond of a blend called " Alfalfa/Celery Seed " - Formula #2 from Proven Herbal Blends by Mowrey. It contains: Alfalfa Seed & Leaf (Medicago sativa) , Celery Seed Apium graveolens), Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), Chaparral (Larrea divarcata), Sarsparilla Root (Smilax officinalis), Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Kelp (Laminara macrocystis, Asocphyllum), Cayenne (Capsicum annum) & Queen Of The Meadow Root (Eupatorium purpureum). *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com On Behalf Of Dorothy Murphy Hello Everyone, I have a friend who is an older gentleman and his is in constant pain but even moreso lately. He has been told by the doctors that he has both rheumatoid and osteo arthritis. Thus his joints are larger than normal and have the nodules on them. He continues to push himself through the day despite the pain. Lately, however, the ankle of his left foot has started clunking when he walks. The doctors have said that they think that means there is no cartilage left and the sound is basically bone impacting bone. This ankle is usually a bit larger than the other one but now it has gotten even bigger. The swelling seems to be moving up his leg. There are supposedly some sort of injections that have been applied for through the benefits carrier (don't know for sure whether they are cortisone, gold or something else) but they have already taken 2 months and it doesn't seem like the decision will be made by them soon as to whether to cover these injections. Meanwhile, the poor man is in excrutuiating pain and the ankle seems to continue to deteriorate. If anyone has dealt with this type of situation before, I'd appreciate some advice as to how to help reduce the swelling and alleviate the pain. I have a fair selection of oils and would take any advice with respect to blends or I would be willing to investigate any other type of alternative treatment suggestions that anyone can give. I forgot to say that he soaks his feet every night and tries to keep them elevated when possible but for him to sit still for long periods he would pretty well need to be tied down. I am not sure if his wife would be willing to do that though LOL Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. Dorothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Hey Dorothy, I just found this ... The Proven Herbal Blends book I mention below is a condensed book from " The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine " . The Arthritis Blend I listed below (Alfalfa Celery Seed) is shown here: http://tinyurl.com/77k55 Just click 3 pages into the book ... *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com On Behalf Of Christine Ziegler <snipped> My herbology teacher swore by a combination of that (Devil's Claw) and " Bone Flesh and Cartilage " Herbal Supplement Formula (I believe Nature's Way makes it). She said it takes about a week to 3 weeks to really build up in the system and work, but she couldn't rave about it enough and how it helped her. She also was fond of a blend called " Alfalfa/Celery Seed " - Formula #2 from Proven Herbal Blends by Mowrey. It contains: Alfalfa Seed & Leaf (Medicago sativa) , Celery Seed Apium graveolens), Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), Chaparral (Larrea divarcata), Sarsparilla Root (Smilax officinalis), Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Kelp (Laminara macrocystis, Asocphyllum), Cayenne (Capsicum annum) & Queen Of The Meadow Root (Eupatorium purpureum). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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