Inflammation damage and a prescription

[cubby2112]

I have had some trouble with my glut area for some time now. Over a year ago I tore my left hamstring while doing a kick. After that healed, I started having trouble with pain in my glut area that sometimes make it excruciating to get out of bed or walk. I finally went to a doctor about it and he believes it is due to a lot of inflammation I caused and resulting damage. He prescribed me a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory. Soma and Mobic. I don't really want to take them because of moral issues, but I don't know if the pain will ever go away if I don't do something about it. I know ginger can fight inflammation well, but what should I do to relax the muscles? Lots of massage? I have an appointment with him in two weeks where I am supposed to tell him how these medications are helping me and possibly get an MRI or something if they aren't helping. I also forgot to ask him if stretching it is a good idea. What should I do? DV?

[Lean and Green]

That sounds bad. I always feared having to take muscle relaxants b/c you can't really work out on them as the relax the contractions.

 

As far as natural remedies, I know that fresh Burdock Root is touted as a great anti-inflammatory. I will look through a book I have in a little bit and get back to you with some more answers.

 

Hope you feel better and if you wind up taking the pills, don't beat yourself up over it. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, I tried to do it with barely any novicaine and I suffered and was crying on the chair and the doctor forced me to get another shot. Also, I refused to take percocet for the pain relief after I went home and I was in excruciating, stuck on the couch with my eyes shut and in tears for several hours. That i'd do again but the novicaine was stupid. Sometimes it's necessary.

[cubby2112]

That sounds bad. I always feared having to take muscle relaxants b/c you can't really work out on them as the relax the contractions.

 

As far as natural remedies, I know that fresh Burdock Root is touted as a great anti-inflammatory. I will look through a book I have in a little bit and get back to you with some more answers.

 

Hope you feel better and if you wind up taking the pills, don't beat yourself up over it. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, I tried to do it with barely any novicaine and I suffered and was crying on the chair and the doctor forced me to get another shot. Also, I refused to take percocet for the pain relief after I went home and I was in excruciating, stuck on the couch with my eyes shut and in tears for several hours. That i'd do again but the novicaine was stupid. Sometimes it's necessary.

 

Thanks for looking into it for me. That was pretty brave to go with so little novicaine, I was knocked out for my wisdom teeth. If I have to take the pills I guess I have to. I don't have anything against people using prescription meds if they have no other choice. I just want to look for any not even necessarily natural, but at least vegans means of helping it. Also, I don't know if my doctor has any means of finding out whether or not I picked the prescription up, so if I don't get it and go to him in two weeks, telling him the meds didn't do it so I can get an MRI or whatever it is, I am afraid he may be able to call my bluff.

[beforewisdom]

Ginger is a strong anti-inflammatory, but it can't compete with prescribed drugs. Inflammation isn't about pain only, sometimes you need to get rid of inflammation for healing to take place.

 

If the drugs aren't animal based ( I'm assuming that is the ethical issue ) take them for the limited amount of time the doctor prescribed and get the MRI.

 

You can't fix a problem until you know what it is.

[cubby2112]

Ginger is a strong anti-inflammatory, but it can't compete with prescribed drugs. Inflammation isn't about pain only, sometimes you need to get rid of inflammation for healing to take place.

 

If the drugs aren't animal based ( I'm assuming that is the ethical issue ) take them for the limited amount of time the doctor prescribed and get the MRI.

 

You can't fix a problem until you know what it is.

 

I know the stuff will have been tested on animals since all drugs have to be and most likely they will contain gelatin, that is the ethical dilemma I am having. Yeah, I was figuring the anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant were prescribed to see if they can promote healing. One thing is, when I first injured myself, I took a break from leg exercises for a little while. I am starting to think that it might be a good idea to take another break so I have a chance to heal. Right now I am considering doing legs only every other week to give the area somewhat of a break, but not enough of one to let my legs an such atrophy. I am not sure if working out every other week will pretty much negate the healing I may receive from rest.

[cubby2112]

Okay, I just looked up Soma and Mobic. If you get the ones by those names, which are the brand names, there are no animal products in them. Now there is just the animal testing.

[beforewisdom]

One thing is, when I first injured myself, I took a break from leg exercises for a little while. I am starting to think that it might be a good idea to take another break so I have a chance to heal.

 

Intuition about medical issues isn't always right. In my 20s I had chronic debilitating back pain and took it easy on myself thinking that was the best thing. It wasn't. Pysical therapists told me that the modern belief with orthopedic issues is to keep using the effected area as much as tolerable. Otherwise some muscles get weaker stressing the area, making some problems worse.

 

Get the MRI, find out what the problem is, pick the appropriate professional and she what s/he has to say about your training.

 

Your problem may be best served by surgery, a rest, or simply different exercises.

 

You don't know until you get the facts.

[cubby2112]

One thing is, when I first injured myself, I took a break from leg exercises for a little while. I am starting to think that it might be a good idea to take another break so I have a chance to heal.

 

Intuition about medical issues isn't always right. In my 20s I had chronic debilitating back pain and took it easy on myself thinking that was the best thing. It wasn't. Pysical therapists told me that the modern belief with orthopedic issues is to keep using the effected area as much as tolerable. Otherwise some muscles get weaker stressing the area, making some problems worse.

 

Get the MRI, find out what the problem is, pick the appropriate professional and she what s/he has to say about your training.

 

Your problem may be best served by surgery, a rest, or simply different exercises.

 

You don't know until you get the facts.

 

Awesome, I may not have to rest. You're right, this is pretty much resting on the MRI. I think I may just tell the doctor that I took the meds and it helped with the pain a little, but didn't eliminate it. I doubt he will do some kind of check to see if I bought them. Thanks.

[cubby2112]

I am changing my mind on this so much. I need to do my paper and other homework due tomorrow and worry about this then. I am thinking of taking the drugs now. I have been going through a bunch of forums and articles on this topic trying to get different viewpoints. After going through them, it doesn't make much sense to me not to take a drug that may cure me of this constant pain I have had for over a year because a company was forced to test the drug on animals by the government. Most people seem to agree that it is best to take them if needed and just encourage the stop of vivisection. Hell, I even came across something from PETA that says to go ahead and use them. Not that I think much of their opinion. Well, I still have a couple days to think it over.

[DV]

Cubby2112,

 

It sounds like you've made your decision. Trying an anti-inflammatory is generally the first line of treatment with many injuries. I assume the muscle relaxant is for possible spasm. An MRI is the only way to "see" what's happening, so it will hopefully point your doctor in the right direction. Perhaps physical therapy is all you'll need. Hopefully.

 

There are a number of different NSAIDS (like Mobic) and muscle relaxants on the market. Sometimes you need to try different ones before you find one that works best for you.

 

Good luck!

[Lean and Green]

Cubby2112, I have not forgotten about you. I looked through a book I thought would give you some answers but alas it did not provide me with any info I could send you way on this matter.

 

As far as burdock root goes, I looked up why it's supposed to be a good anti-inflammatory and it seems that it's because of it's high content of polyphenols, vitamin A and a number of unknown compounds. Not sure how much this can help you.

 

Another option I thought of was White Willow Bark. As you may already know, aspirin was synthesized from white willow bark. It is fairly easy to obtain in whole form, crushed or even in pills and is pretty cheap.

 

Concerning the NSAIDS, even when uninformed about health, I always heard that it's best not to take them over the long run and that they are good for temporary relief only. Prolonged use can eventually worsen a condition. If you need to take them for a short while, I hope you're ok with having to do what you and your doctor feels you need to get well but there needs to be a long term solution to the problem. Hopefully an MRI or something can figure out the issue so that you may know how to address it properly.

 

With the animal testing stuff, yeh it totally sucks. There was a law passed several decades ago that prohibited any funding in regard to clinical testing as well as a refusal to accept any whole food/herbal remedy as a classified approved drug ever. What's worse is any natural/herbal remedy cannot be fda approved and so many people will not look at something if it isn't gov't approved, my parents being one of them. Anything I tried to bring to their plate as a potential remedy or to assist my dad with his healing process, they were like well it isn't fda approved and the doctors won't sponsor this so I don't want to take it. It became extremely frustrating. The system really sucks.

 

sorry I couldn't be of much further assistance.

[cubby2112]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I am just about to go get the prescription filled. I hope it actually does help the healing process and I don't take it pointlessly. Hopefully a combination of it and physical therapy, once the doctor finds out what is wrong, will finally heal me. I haven't been able to jog or run since I did it because the pain is so intense I almost collapse. It will be nice to have all my body's functionality back.

[VeganEssentials]

I know people struggle with the ethical dilemma of animal testing on some pharmaceuticals, but honestly, there may come a time when you really do need something that you KNOW has been tested and there's not much you can do about it if you want your quality of life to be better. I know all the lazer treatments and injectible drugs I need for my eye condition were tested on animals years ago, but if I refuse them, I may go 80% blind in a year or two instead of a decade or two later. Do I feel bad for the fact that these things were animal tested? Yes. Will I suffer and martyr myself because of it? No. I've never, ever understood why anyone would turn down something that could make a bad situation better and force themselves to suffer - the damage to the animals has been done in the testing, and while it is terrible, forcing yourself to suffer as well doesn't bring them back or make anything better.

 

Everyone has to weigh the issues for their medications to find out how much good they'll do for making bad things more bearable. If they're going to do a minimal amount of good and the toll on your conscience will weigh heavy, then avoid these things and look into other alternatives. When there's a natural animal-free alternative available that will possible do well, go for it, because it's always the better bet. Though, sometimes there's no other choice, as in what I have to deal with. If you know that your pain will be greatly alleviated or your quality of life will greatly go up, why suffer needlessly if there is an option that you can have to relieve the problem?

 

Though, I would recommend more than anything that you should find a qualified sports injury therapist and work with them. Unfortunately, all too often you'll get some half-assed advice from standard physicians who simply encourage you to quit training and pack it in for wanting to do anything athletic, but there are a LOT of people who have overcome seemingly debilitating injuries and are stronger/faster/fitter than ever due to intelligent rehabilitation. After I screwed up my lower back I thought I'd never be able to lift heavy again, and it was only a year before I was stronger than I was in the first place.

 

Take some time off if necessary, find someone qualified in helping your type of injury, and they may even have a whole medication-free approach that can get you back to being better than before!

[beforewisdom]

One of the big arguments for ethical veganism is that "we" do not need to hurt animals to survive or be healthy. Well, in cubby's and VE's they do. The point is to do what you reasonably can do. If everybody ate a vegan diet, wore vegan clothes, and asked for vegan products where there are none while continuing to take animal tested medicine while there are no substitutes the world would be a MUCH more beautiful place.

[VeganEssentials]

One of the big arguments for ethical veganism is that "we" do not need to hurt animals to survive or be healthy. Well, in cubby's and VE's they do. The point is to do what you reasonably can do. If everybody ate a vegan diet, wore vegan clothes, and asked for vegan products where there are none while continuing to take animal tested medicine while there are no substitutes the world would be a MUCH more beautiful place.

 

Well said.

 

It's about reducing suffering to the best degree possible, and while perfection would be nice, there will always come a time and place where it just isn't possible. I wish for everything that I didn't have to take this crap that I do, but my options are either do it, or start adapting to life as a blind man in my 30s, and that's just not going to fly.

 

That said, I'm actually going to be shelling out a good chunk of money to visit the USA's only naturopath ophthalmologist this summer to see if I can have other cruelty-free treatments that will reduce my need for the ones that are less than desirable. If I can get fewer injections directly into the eye every year, sign me up I hate pharmaceutical drugs, I can't stand pharma corporations (or, their wingmen, the insurance business), and the less I have to do with them the better. Sometimes it's just a necessary evil, at least for a while, and hopefully for those of us who need something of that sort there will one day be a better way to do it and maintain our ideals as best as possible.

[Couture547]

I wish i knew of a good naturopath in my region because i've looked into alot of different alternative types and havn't been impressed. Seems as though if you want good health you kinda have to figure it out by your self becasue doctors and tradition medicine isn't going to do it and alot of the alternative people are scam artists.

[VeganEssentials]

I wish i knew of a good naturopath in my region because i've looked into alot of different alternative types and havn't been impressed. Seems as though if you want good health you kinda have to figure it out by your self becasue doctors and tradition medicine isn't going to do it and alot of the alternative people are scam artists.

 

Which is why I have to fly to Arizona to meet with him - he's one-of-a-kind in his field. He practiced traditional ophthalmologic treatments and surgeries for 20 years, but realized that he was only treating the symptoms and not the root cause, so he became a naturopath and combines what he learned from traditional medicine along with natural treatments. I don't know if it will work, but at this point I know that traditional medicine won't "save" me from the disease (though, stem cell therapy has a lot of promise for me in around 10 years), and for now, it's my only other shot.

 

I'm sure that people here will be pleased to know that the doc I'm going to see also advocates a diet that's 75% or more raw foods .

[Couture547]

I wish i knew of a good naturopath in my region because i've looked into alot of different alternative types and havn't been impressed. Seems as though if you want good health you kinda have to figure it out by your self becasue doctors and tradition medicine isn't going to do it and alot of the alternative people are scam artists.

 

Which is why I have to fly to Arizona to meet with him - he's one-of-a-kind in his field. He practiced traditional ophthalmologic treatments and surgeries for 20 years, but realized that he was only treating the symptoms and not the root cause, so he became a naturopath and combines what he learned from traditional medicine along with natural treatments. I don't know if it will work, but at this point I know that traditional medicine won't "save" me from the disease (though, stem cell therapy has a lot of promise for me in around 10 years), and for now, it's my only other shot.

 

I'm sure that people here will be pleased to know that the doc I'm going to see also advocates a diet that's 75% or more raw foods .

 

That's great! Good luck with that. I need to find someone like that for me. Not for eyes, but just overal health

[cubby2112]

These are all good points. I have always said that if someone needs the help of traditional treatment, there should be few moral qualms in seeking it. It is just now that I was forced with the decision, I had to think twice about it. The anti-inflammatory alone, without the aid of the muscle relaxant I was given, has alleviated most of the pain, so hopefully that means inflammation was the problem. We will see once I get the MRI and am directed towards a specialist. I will ask about going to one of the specialists you mentioned, VE. Good luck with the naturopath.

[beforewisdom]

You made the right decision.

 

I read on Vegan Outreach once that some municipal water treatment facilites you crushed bird bone extracts in water filters, that car tires, and even roads contain bits of animal residue.

 

You can't be pure.

 

The best you can do is to avoid exploiting animals.....when you can.

 

Even if the way we produce what we need never changes if everyone stopped using animal products were practical the planet would not be recognizable, in a good way.

[cubby2112]

You made the right decision.

 

I read on Vegan Outreach once that some municipal water treatment facilites you crushed bird bone extracts in water filters, that car tires, and even roads contain bits of animal residue.

 

You can't be pure.

 

The best you can do is to avoid exploiting animals.....when you can.

 

Even if the way we produce what we need never changes if everyone stopped using animal products were practical the planet would not be recognizable, in a good way.

 

Yeah, there is certainly no way to be entirely pure. It is best to just try to be as pure as you can. I would also like to add that I had the best night of sleep I have had probably since I injured myself. I slept straight through the night, deeply, without waking up hurting. I felt so refreshed this morning. This should in turn help my recovery time with workouts and increase my homework productivity.

[DV]

That's great to hear you got some relief!