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From Severe Pain To Near Death To Kratom & A New Life by Rick London
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From Severe Pain To Near Death To Kratom & A New Life |
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Health,Seniors,Online Shopping
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By age fifty, I’m not sure if it happens to everyone, but some people develop aches and pains that didn’t happen earlier in life. I saw it happening to my peers, many of whom had been long distance runners, martial arts fans, etc. at about that age, and I felt a bit blessed as it was not happening to me…yet. Then came age 54 and my jogging turned into walking or hiking and many less miles per trip. When I came home I no longer took showers. I took long Epson salt baths. By the time I’d reached 55 I’d had a few major heart attacks, a vagus nerve implant and several other invasive procedures. The joint and muscle injuries I’d developed over the years were finally coming back to haunt me with tendonitis, neuralgia (I suspect), and several other horrendous pains to bear. Suddenly this lifetime active person was falling apart and life was no longer fun, or sometimes even manageable. I went to my GP who referred me to several specialists. I also had some periodontal issues (gums) which the neuralgia had invaded. Our tiny town does not even have a periodontist. I felt defeated. Then I remembered herbs. I had had some success in rebuilding my immune system using a variety of herbs over the years and still take organic herbal tinctures 2-3 times a week. I imagine the herbs and my conversion to the vegan diet are two factors of why I am still alive. But they didn’t make the pain go away; even well-studied anti-inflammatory herbs like very high Scoville heat unit 200,000 H.U. Cayenne, ginger and several others (though they seem to work well for other issues). I continued to study and order other legal herbs like skullcap, etc. I live in Arkansas where marijuana is not legal and frankly, it wouldn’t really matter. Though pot is an excellent herbal medicine for a variety of ailments, it is only considered a mile analgesic for pain. It works much better for nausea from chemo, and a variety of discomforting ailments such as MS, fibro, etc. It took about three months to find, but I started reading about a S.E. Asian medicinal herb called kratom. As I continued my studies and learned about the various strains and what they do and don’t do, I also read “scare articles” that look suspiciously planted. I’d seen these type articles in the 1960s regarding marijuana. Of course we’ve all since learned that as far back as 1935 when “Reefer Madness” was first released, it was backed by Big Pharma with the help of the U.S. government, to give scientists time to isolate the active alkaloids and make medicine from it. So the film depicted pot-smokers as killers, rapists etc. The fact is, nobody has ever reportedly died from kratom. There’s never been an overdose, or overdose death, because if one takes too much, like it’s cousin coffee, one vomits. On the other hand countless die per year die due to Vicodin and its other pain relief cousins. It only took science another half century or so to create a dismal drug for nausea caused by chemo called Marinol, which, for about $350 a bottle has almost no effect on the suffering patient. More than once I had to go find real marijuana for my own mother who was suffering from the effects of chemo, who had been promised by her doctors that “Marinol is great and will do the job”. She tossed them down the toilet. Who could blame her? It breaks my heart when I think of all the people who suffered that half century who could at least gotten some relief…and continue to struggle in most states (not California, Washington state, Oregon or Colorado. I decided after all the pro and con articles regarding kratom (and scare articles), to find pages with scientific research regarding the herb. It turns out it is not dangerous, in fact is a health enhancing herb, that though does have some habit-forming properties, has about as much so as coffee (actually a bit less). I have since tested that theory and proven it true several times. And its true each time (a day or so feeling irritable and that’s really it. Pharma-backed writers are heralding it as an opiate as harmful as heroin and such. That will come back to bite them, just like the ones who were involved in the marijuana scares over the years. So why is it when nobody has perished or even overdosed on kratom that it so rapidly developed such a reputation in the West? Several reasons. Of course Big Pharma wants to isolate the alkaloids and create their own pain relievers for big money. We know who they are and what motivates them. And its not our health or comfort. It is, for the most part, their bank accounts. The popularity of kratom in the west hit right about when the spice and bath salts were getting attention for the damage they were and are doing. Kratom is an organic herb, not a bath salt or spice. But the articles and news reports kept saying they were. Then came a big study from Ole Miss which found it could be the answer to getting addicts off the hardest of drugs (including cocaine and opiates) and if the sufferer wanted, stop taking kratom as well. A lot don’t put much credence into the Mississippi school, but keep in mind, it was the first to find medicinal value in marijuana and has the only federally-sponsored marijuana farm in America. They continue to study it’s medicinal value and have found many more ailments it treats. Ole Miss also educated John Grisham and William Faulkner. There must be something positive there. Then came finding a legit dealer. I know they sell it in head shops, smoke shops etc locally, but I’m told not to buy there. They generally buy poor quality and/or it sits there forever and loses its potency. I followed that advice. But the first 6 or so vendors sold me “junk”. The pain relief was barely noticeable, more like aspirin. And we’re talking severe pain (especially with my gums and occasionally my left arm). Finally I found a dealer online named Tim whose company had all positive reviews on Internet forums. I found him by stumbling across a brand kratom distributor who owns Mayan Kratom. Wesley of Mayan Kratom took the time to educate me regarding kratom and I learned a lot. His brand is excellent also and can be bought via several vendors. He had suffered a terrible motorcycle accident and was hospitalized for 3 months and subsequently given strong pain meds and sent home to die. He took action instead. I ordered my first batch of kratom from Tim the last day of June, 2013. It was shipped 2 hours later and was at my door within 2 days. I did not expect anything dramatic. I was highly mistaken. His product was/is, indeed the real thing. Within 15 minutes the pain was not just relieved, but gone and it stayed at bay for 4-6 hours. And this is pure strain leaf. I do not use extracts because other (non-organic) products are used to change the molecular structure. Tim sells it but then all kratom dealers do too. My guess is that is the type that is used more for the recreational users as it is stronger and can mimic the feeling of “a high” but I have no use for it. I’m in this for the long run, and am very pleased with a weaker form, which works the same all the time (I don’t have to increase the dosage for it to work). After 4-6 hours, I simply take the same amount, and the pain is gone within 15 minutes. It was like manna from heaven. I talked to some friends who are in drug and/or alcohol recovery. I’m not really a drinker and I don’t care for drugs. AA has decided that kratom is within their jurisdiction (which is no surprise). AA is incorrect in that assumption. If they decided to research it, they might be correct for people who are hooked on kratom extract, as I imagine it has addictive properties beyond coffee (which is the best way to describe kratom…a strong good cup of Starbucks which lasts longer and makes one less jittery than coffee). But comparing kratom to kratom extract is (to me) analogous to comparing grapes to wine. One does not buy a bottle of wine, bring it home, and ask the kids, “Hey, care for some liquid grapes?” And there’s a good reason. Once the molecular structure of grapes have changed, which occurs during fermentation, they are no longer grapes. They are a whole new item that don’t really have the same molecular makeup as grapes. Same is true when kratom is turned into extract. That is why I take the organic leaf strain. There is no high, there is no jitters, there is no hangover, and there is, alas, the proper pain relief without the insanity of hydro or oxy drugs. I was glad to see several respected health magazines publish articles that reflect that essence of this one; that kratom is an extremely healthy immune-system boosting herb, which also helps with blood pressure and even prevents and can halt diabetes 2 in its tracks according to one medical study The most intense of the pain has occurred within the past four years. In fact at times it has been unbearable to the point where my wife had to take me to the ER room sometimes once a month. Since my discovery of kratom this has not been the case. And things that can easily cause me terrible pain in addition to the gum neuralgia (bad enough) did not send me to the doctor or ER room. So today, though a heart patient with several other health issues, I continuously hike in our beautiful Ouachita Mountains with my wife, nature/wildlife photographer Lee Hiller. I used to experience joint/muscle etc pain at the end of the hike. I’m 59 you know. Today I don’t do that. I go about the rest of my day in comfort. I do my work, if work needs to be done. I would not be able to do that on pharmaceutical pain drugs (even if they killed the pain); and we all know the tolerance threshold changes with such drugs. One must take more and more for them to work as time goes by. This is not the case with kratom. I feel very lucky and blessed to have found kratom and the people who removed my skepticism and fear about it, and encouraged me to continue research beyond the “scare articles”. There are various strains of kratom and the stems of the leaf tell the story. Red-stemmed kratom generally has a sedative effect and is known to be the most analgesic. Nevertheless, the white and green stemmed, with lesser analgesic (but more stimulating like coffee) works well enough for me to use during the day and I’m fine. Two of the most effective (for me) is White Sumatra and Maeng Da. I generally cannot tell the difference. If dealing with an honest vendor, I believe it will relieve even some of the most severe pains, without clouding the mind in the least. If hurting say after 6pm, I use a red stemmed strain such as Red Borneo or Indo Supreme, and the pain is gone, and I sleep through the night; something I’ve not done in years due to pain that awakened me and often forced me to sit up in a chair until it (sometimes subsided). I do not deal with that issue now, thanks to kratom. And no, I have no interest, stock or anything else to do with the herb. I only know it was/is important for me to write this article, because I know so many people in my age group (and even younger and older) who deal with chronic severe pain, who simply wish not to take chemical drugs (which in the U.S. is the only other alternative) and prefer to use an organic herb known for its health properties. The U.S. DEA has put kratom on its list of “drugs of concern” and that is not surprising in the least. First of all the fact that they call it “a drug” is dubious at best. They tried similar tactics with St. John’s Wort when users found it worked just as well if not better than Paxil, Prozac and the other usual suspects. The FDA finally limited the claims of St. John’s Wort giving the vendor the option of no claims, only that some people have taken St. John’s Wort because it may help with mild depression. Meantime Europe’s most respected doctors and hospitals use St. John’s Wort as its first option of treatment (over drugs) for major depressive disorders. In Germany, St. Johns Wort is one of the most prescribed “drugs”. And of course it is not a drug but an herb, same as kratom. Big Pharma USA will go to great lengths to demonize an herb, or make it illegal, that is if they see dollar signs in the alkaloids. I do expect to see them taking kratom on in the same manner since two of the medical alkaloids that work very well (in their organic natural state) have been identified, and like TCH in marijuana, they are willing to let everyone suffer for as long as it takes, to isolate and extract those alkaloids into a medicine….that will probably be about as effective as Marinol for chemo patients. I am not endorsing to take kratom to prevent pain. It doesn’t do that. I’m not endorsing trying it out of curiosity. But until there is any proof that this herb in it’s pure form, not mixed with other drugs or herbs, and not extracted, but pure kratom is dangerous, I highly encourage anyone suffering from moderate to severe pain to give it a try. The author is a designer, writer and cartoonist. He founded Londons Times Cartoons, Google's #1 ranked offbeat cartoons and gifts. He orders his kratom only from Kratom-K who he considers the best. 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