Sharing Saturdays: Cheap pain relief

Hi friends!

Sorry I haven't posted in what seems like forever. I'm on a new medication (Lyrica) and the side effects - drowsiness and dizziness - are working well. The medication, at least for now, doesn't seem to be.

Here's a helpful hint about medication - if you choose to take it. First, talk to your doctor about how it works, then the pharmacist, and do your own research.

Treating Fibromyalgia pain is difficult. Because there's no cure, we're likely to get a variety of responses about how effective a medicine will be. For instance, when I went to my doctor for help with pain relief, he was reluctant to prescribe a controlled substance. He wanted me to try Lyrica. I agreed and he warned me to be patient because it takes at least two-weeks before I'd feel any results.

Next, I spoke to my pharmacist. She told me it was a great drug and she took it too. She told me to be patient because it would take four-weeks before I'd know if it was working. After that, I did my own research and read through some of the clinical trials. The researchers used six-weeks as a baseline for positive results.

Sigh.

     What's a girl in pain to do?

Anything and everything!

One of my tried and true helps is the old-fashioned Epsom salt soak. For centuries, mineral springs around the world were thought to have healing power. Epsom salts are named after Epsom, a town in England.

A seventeenth-century farmer found a spring for his cows but they wouldn't drink from it because the water was bitter. However, he discovered that the water healed scratches and rashes. Soon, word was out and people came from all over to seek relief from various ailments. They also discovered its laxative effects and would drink the water by the pint ... and then run to the bushes.

                                         I'm so happy that's not what we do at the spa nowadays!

Epsom salts can be found for a few dollars at almost any grocery or drug store. You simply add two cups of the salt to a warm bath and soak for at least 15 minutes and no longer than 25. The salt is magnesium sulfate and since most of our bodies are magnesium deficient anyway, it's healthy for our bodies and wallets.