turmeric

My hands had been very hot for a few days and if I put them under my head in bed, they would throb. Not completely wonderful. I've spent many intense hours researching rheumatoid arthritis since I first succumbed most dramatically to its crippling claws when my daughter was just three weeks old. It took a long time to make the connection to the auto immune family of diseases but when I did, a whole lot of things made sense.

This morning I tried something Laksme had suggested a long time ago. I mixed up some turmeric and epsom salts, added a tiny bit of water and the massaged the mixture onto my limbs and into my joints.

This is a messy exercise. Turmeric is vibrant, and stains. Even after my shower after the turmeric massage, I still had yellow skin around my joints, though I can't see it now (12 hours later). I guess that means it has soaked in which is good.

Although I could still feel the arthritis in my hands afterwards, the heat had gone, so a worthwhile exercise. I still have yet to try doing my own lymphatic drainage.

This afternoon Fionn had kapa haka practise for an intense three hour session in preparation for the kapa haka festival this Thursday. At 5pm all the kapa haka families turned up at the primary school library with pots of food. We watched the children perform and then shared kai. The kids were great and I'm still hopeful that I will finish work in time to watch them perform on Thursday. Like all food which I don't cook or do dishes for, it tasted fabulous. I really appreciate the effort of the school with our children and with the Sunday performance and shared meal. Many many many parents who will not be able to watch the performance on Thursday got to see their children perform this afternoon.

It seems that my new obsession when I cannot control the rest of my life (which is actually fine, just too busy) is to clean. Not ordinary sweeping or toilet cleaning but large projects for which results can be seen for more than five minutes. This time it was the fridge. No ordinary wiping of the shelves. I hauled every single item, tray and shelf out of the fridge and cleaned all the crevices as well as every other surface on the inside and outside. I pulled the fridge entirely out from the wall for the first time since we moved here in 2006 and swept and dusted behind it. I think the fridge absorbed some of my grumpiness and it certainly is a sparkly work of art now.

This morning, being Fathers Day, was not a usual eggs for breakfast weekend morning. I made buckwheat pancakes which went down well. Fionn made a card and Brighid brought her father about six books for him to read to her. The pancakes were half buckwheat and half wheat flour as I'd heard a mixture made the best pancakes. I think I would make them again. Now I see that buckwheat contains lots of nutritional goodies (according to Sally Fallon - I must compare with Paul Pitchford to see if it is one of those super-foods which they both recommend) so I might play around with some more buckwheat recipes.

I think my cross, inflamed body is from iatrogenic causes. The amount of antibiotics I have ingested over the last 38 years is ridiculous. I have my suspicions about the roaccutane I took for acne when I was 21. Given that it is more dangerously teratogenic than thalidomide, I would be surprised if it was without consequence in adult bodies. Although I didn't see any consequences in the short term (though I now read that possible side effects include depression and suicide!) Consequence, despite what pharmaceutical companies prefer to insist, is neither merely nor only short term.

Unsurprisingly then, I am not willing to see the GP and get medicines to suppress the inflammation.

Comments

Marty said…
You have inspired me to clean my own fridge. It is very satisfying isn't it? Also (I find) it's the kind of cleaning my DH notices and comments on, which adds to the satisfaction.

The throbbing hands sound painful. Great to hear that you found some relief with a natural remedy. I don't know if this would help, but our local herbalist recommends washing soda for pain and inflammation. Apparently you crush washing soda in butter muslin, then tie the whole thing around the joint with a towel over the top. I haven't had the opportunity to try it as yet, so can't say from personal experience whether it works or not, but it sounds interesting.
Sandra said…
Hi Marty. I've inspired someone to clean - wow. I imagine that is a first.

My husband didn't get time to notice - I took him to the fridge and made him admire the job, comment on the sparkle, listen to the story of the effect of Brighid spilling liquid chlorophyll backwards into the fridge...

That is interesting about the washing soda. Washing soda is alkaline like epsom salts (only more so from memory). I'll post here if/when I try it.

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