neomagnets - new age? Label it if you want but speaking from other peoples' experiences, they work if you get the right ones. Something to do with the more magnets the better the result. Some with chronic pain they have had for years swear the pain has gone. A few have said that when they forgot to wear the bracelet the pain would return, then they put the bracelet back on and in a few days the pain is gone. Hookie? You decide but these people I have spoken to do not normally "hug trees"

As for painkillers - my late wife is the only true example I can give you all feedback from. It would appear that it is very different and specific to each individual. It may work for one but not for another, attitude on life plays a role as well, and severity of the pain. If you have a tooth ache the natural product may work fine, but if you have a tumour in the brain pushing on your skull it may very well not.

I am not one to condone the pharmecutical companies but they do spend tons of money targeting specific nerves, brain stimulises and so on which is why their product would appear to work better then natural remedies but we should never give up accepting and opening your mind to a natural path for the right remedy. Best of all, look at what you put in your bodies first as nurishment then ask yourself why you are sick in the first place. We eat foods that are lab created and then we run to the doctor when we are sick what's wrong with that picture?

I highly recommend the book Sugar, Salt Fat and the Documentary "Hungry for Change" (Netflix has it) and the the audio blog http://doublejoyfarm.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-decline-and-fall-of-food-audio.html

I am not one to condone the pharmecutical companies but they do spend tons of money targeting specific nerves, brain stimulises and so on which is why their product would appear to work better then natural remedies but we should never give up accepting and opening your mind to a natural path for the right remedy. Best of all, look at what you put in your bodies first as nurishment then ask yourself why you are sick in the first place. We eat foods that are lab created and then we run to the doctor when we are sick what's wrong with that picture?

Thank you OurPlaceBFN - you have made a very wise statement. We should all look at what we are shoving into our faces!!

I am not one to condone the pharmecutical companies but they do spend tons of money targeting specific nerves, brain stimulises and so on which is why their product would appear to work better then natural remedies but we should never give up accepting and opening your mind to a natural path for the right remedy. Best of all, look at what you put in your bodies first as nurishment then ask yourself why you are sick in the first place. We eat foods that are lab created and then we run to the doctor when we are sick what's wrong with that picture?

Thank you OurPlaceBFN - you have made a very wise statement. We should all look at what we are shoving into our faces!!

The most beautiful foccaccia bread, made from scratch, topped with herbs and Grand Padano cheese is what I'm shoving in my face right now! Yum!

As for the pharmaceutical companies, has anyone OTHER than me actually worked at one? I've worked at 2 of the major pharmaceutical companies and trust me when I say that once you've seen the other side of the fence, anyone who complains about the big bad pharmaceutical companies obviously does not have all the facts. Does that mean I don't think there's a place for holistic therapies? - OF COURSE NOT. In my humble opinion, I think a combined approach between modern and alternative therapies, where there is awareness of both and the two are working in harmony with each other, is actually the most effective. I guess I'm just asking that unless you've worked in the pharmaceutical industries, please don't spout a hate for them. If you do, I'll be the first one asking you where's your rant for the car companies? After all, car companies make bigger profits than pharmaceuticals, help fewer people improve their quality of life, and kill more than any pharmaceutical company ever did. And yes, I've worked for the car companies too.

By all means let's discuss natural alternatives, what we choose to put into our bodies in the first place, and what pharmaceutical or surgical processes we use to make the most of ourselves, but please approach anything like this with the words "balance and respect" in mind. Our bodies are unique complex mechanisms, with no two exactly alike, and we need to respect the incredible machines they are if we want to keep them in balance and make the most of them. Same goes for our opinions too (just saying!)

In regards to tooth health, I have to admit that I use both natural and medical help on this, now I don't typically have teeth issues , they might not be very pretty but they do their job very, very well with little issues, when we moved north for years, there was limited dental and we to be honest got out of the habit, I cracked a tooth and it was treated naturally for a good while (as in years, but it didn't bother me) but then I got that very bad flu that was going around a number of fall's ago ( wow was I ever sick, I was in daily contact with telinurses, as they were following me closely while I did a sick room etc), afterwards the tooth got infected (drop in immune I assume?) and I could not get it back under control and I am the first one to say.. Thank goodness for the denist, and antibodics..

Having said that, the denist was truly worried about what had happened in all those years between being seen and he was shocked that the answer was nothing else had happened, I had tried to explain that if I had felt they were in pain or bleeding or xx that I would have gotten treatment, needless to say, I do head in faithfully for my checkups and each time I hear the same thing, you must brush and floss lots and I shake my head and go no, I use a homemade tooth paste, only brush every so often and do regular oil pulling..

Regardless, I am right in the middle, do I think having access to a good tooth doctor is wondeful, you bet I do, will I use anitibodics if needed, of course I will but do I lean towards more natural home care when I can, yes I do..

Tooth pain in my mind is right up there as one of the worst kinds, and I consider keeping up on all your health needs part of prepping personally..

Hey farmgal right there with ya, that is what I was trying to say. Also not sure if one dentist had it right for me but he said that my suliva excretes (insert memory here) something extra then most and therefore I am not prone to cavities or tooth aches broken crown here as well which never hurt.

Can we please just stay on topic of NATURAL PAINKILLERS rather than incite another riot between natural and pharma??

Can we please just stay on topic of NATURAL PAINKILLERS rather than incite another riot between natural and pharma??

That was certainly not my intention in my post and I apologize if anyone took it that way.

neomagnets - new age? Label it if you want but speaking from other peoples' experiences, they work if you get the right ones. Something to do with the more magnets the better the result. Some with chronic pain they have had for years swear the pain has gone. A few have said that when they forgot to wear the bracelet the pain would return, then they put the bracelet back on and in a few days the pain is gone. Hookie? You decide but these people I have spoken to do not normally "hug trees"

They most certainly work for me AND my animals, and I would not be without them for pain relief and increased mobility 🙂 The placement and strength of the magnets are important things to consider, as well as ensuring a good level of water intake daily.

It is often very difficult to tell if any particular pain killer is working for any animals because they cannot tell you if they are working or not.

It is often very difficult to tell if any particular pain killer is working for any animals because they cannot tell you if they are working or not.

I agree that they of course cannot tell you verbally, but any obvious relief and a reduction of their pain symptoms is usually a fairly clear indicator if a particular treatment is working for them or not. Combined with thorough examination, and for example, various methods of physical manipulation to detect pain, discomfort, or a higher or lower tolerance, is usually a veterinarians' (holistic or conventional) first approach to diagnose symptoms and the degree of pain or discomfort.

I am very fortunate to have spent much of my life working with many animals in breeding, rescue and rehabilitation, and other specialist areas that have also given me the ability and knowledge to "read" when there is something amiss which may not always be be obvious, and monitor changes within their general wellbeing and health day to day. You come to know your own animals intimately when you spend alot of time with them and they have ways of showing us what troubles them if you listen 😉

I am quoting my vet (well my dogs vet 🙂 ) from last week. I have to say that I will respect his expert opinion as I believe he has much knowledge in this area.

Yes, of course ICRCC 😉 I respect my animals' vets' (they have more than one) opinions and vast knowledge also, but we don't always agree, and the vet's don't always agree with each other. I think the most important thing is to have a professional and very experienced veterinarian/s that you have great trust and faith in and that you make the best and most informed decisions for and on on behalf of your animals.

Lets see..smoked opium paste from poppy bulbs some one planted helter skelter along a secndary highway..was sort of mellow. put a nice glow on the effects of another well known natural sedative used by many people regularly, but not me, I didn't inhale..ahah..:) lies..:)
Poplar buds in spring, leaves in summer, natural aspirin effect, yes the willow, also energizes while easing the joint pains of hiking and packing. I mix up blue berry root or leaf, or berries, rose hips, the willow, for tea, some times birch buds, or inner bark, what ever is handy..I use. Add spruce needles. Any berries.
Here's a good one for ya. In coastal areas where the purple sea urchins dwell, I harvest about 10 urchins, split the horizontal then scoop out the gonads. Spore gonads 🙂 they are really really high nutrient and taste like salted walnuts if dipped in sea and eaten right now..yummy.
The interesting aspect to is first they react with canabinol..canabinoid receptors in humans, accentuate the effects of that other natural sedative many people use 🙂 while having it's own opiate mimicing properties due to the high nutrient levels, not actual opiates..:) yes..ok..also, used by some native elders as an aphrodesiac, liver cancer cure, hang over cure, ( eat 20 gonads and sleep for 2 days while enjoying the most fantasmagorical dreams, some erotics. )
Relieved my mild arthritic pains, haven't had any for 3 decades though..now being so close to the sea again I fully plan on taking a trip to the shore and going with a native buddy to harvest some again.
I sent the info to a couple pharma outfits to see if they were interested in developing medicines from them, since native medicines can't be copy righted they never replied so I have no idea whether they actually did any research on them, how ever Bamfield marine center biologists have and can be searched under the name. I found there were a slight irritability the next morning after usage, but not much to bother about. I use about 6 for sleep aid and 12 for a buzz 🙂 I had hep b years ago and seems to have helped heal my loss of stamina from that, not pains in the liver area.
The gonads resemble finger sized, shaped, light to darker brown/tannish in color in a row closest to and encircling the exoskeleton. A pink urchin is young and elders are deep purple to black looking. and bigger more potent.
This given to me by a tribal brother from west coast..said share it if I want to.:) SO i have many times.
There's a mixture of devil's club root decocted with water, or boiled into a tea used chilled. Helps with nicotene withdrawal and other substance withdrawal. The soft fresh bark of the roots is tripped off and boiled. Is quite tart, and has pain relief uses for sore throat, cough. Devils club has huge leaves like a maple, and lil spines up the length of stalks..ugly results if the stalks are grabbed accidentally.. oh ya..ugly..:).in spirituality the spiny stalks drive away evil spirits..or I guess that is spiritualism ??
Coastal areas again.
Oh,mm..red sumac, tea, flowers or berries boiled, nice red tea., relieves chest infections. Also, oh duh..mountain ash ? Has clusters of orange berries ?Spearate leaves. Strip the bark from boughs and boil the branches not the bark..mix with hemp oil when viscousy like a salve on arthritic joints, sprains, carpel tunnel, for pain relief. Not to be ingested orally.
Got real loaded in the bush in yukon eating kinikinik berries and smoking the dried leaf, ran out of cigs..nice discovery..:0)
Like a good home grown weed. Bear berries too, some say they are poison, but I just got wiped out 🙂
Oregon grape wine is good medicine too against free radicals like me , no ..teasing, cancer medicine.
Well that is my quick list, have more but filed under 30 years of other files.:) Comes back when I see them though.
There's the red and white mushrooms, and the lil now forgotten name for them, lil brown shroomes grow in Burnaby bc, on lawns, in pastures.. wow..:) Must be good for something beside getting buzzzed..ah ya, spiritual awakenings..:) Part of our spiritual journeys since Caesar was a geezer:)
Don't go licking any frogs now people.:)

Thanks Rustic(anti-frog man) lots of great info. Sometimes wish I lived near the sea!
For all living near the woods....

A lot of the tree's all around you have wonderful uses for aches and pains.
Rustics dead on with Poplars(the aspirin tree) They offer pain killing, blood thinning, anti gout, anti- rheumatism, anti-inflammation qualities.

NOTE: bark collect during autumn and dry in the sun. The buds in early spring and dried in the shade outdoors. Both should be kept in the shade/dark in an airtight container.
IMPORTANT: if pregnant or nursing do NOT recommend-please guys, do some research...after all, every medicine on the shelf came from Mother Nature at some point, and she can be a killer!!!

White poplar, black poplar, quaking aspen, American poplar, American aspen)
The bark:Rheumatism,colds,diarrhea,cystitis.
The buds:Anti-septic, anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti inflammatory(reduces fever and aids with wounds, leaf juice relieves ear aches as well).

The poplar buds are great for
:Bronchitis(tea or tincture)
:Hemorrhoids (sitz bath)
:Wounds/burns (washing wounds with mixture of boiled water and buds-usually soak for 10-15 minutes)

Pine
Acts as a diuretic and expectorant
Increases blood flow as well, great antiseptic.
Used topically on area to improve blood flow.
Pine needles(love these): great for decongestant.
The pine tree offers 5 x's more vitamin C than a lemon.

Spruce
The main use of these are the young sprouts and resin for respiratory system ailments normally caused by bacteria.

The list goes on and on, you would by happily impressed with how full the natural medicine cabinet really is. It's up to you to look up what you can. Or better yet, ask anyone on this awesome site for some info related to your area. I learned some very impressive stuff from a medicine man in Costa Rica, but does it relate to me while in Alberta??? No, not really.

Trees, plants, animals(more than food) get to know what's around you and what their used for. Don't forget the all important...how do I prepare that? Some parts of the plant are poisonous. This type of knowledge is paramount and never ending(I never stop learning).
Sorry to ramble on and on.

I prep and collect!

Dakota-you said poplar is the aspirin tree.White willow bark is where the salacin is collected is it not? Salacilic acid= aspirin.I'm confused.I'll have to do some research.