Okay gosh, this was back in November of 2012! Although doTERRA was around back then, I wasn’t aware of them (yet). In case you’re wondering I didn’t get into to doTERRA until late summer of 2016. Anyway, let me set the scene. I’d always wanted to do a
mud run, so myself, my brother-in-law and a really good friend of ours decided to sign up for the
Warrior Dash. It’s a 5K obstacle course that concludes by jumping over fire at the end, and the one we were running in Colorado just happened to be on the side of a mountain. Because I needed to get into shape and because I was running this race with 2 men, I got serious and trained (in a gym with a personal trainer for part of it) for 10 months. I was ready! Because the race was up in the mountains, we decided to make it a fun, family event and we got a condo up in Vail so we could hang out and enjoy.
Race day! Due to sports injuries in my ankles growing up I had taped both up, knowing the rocky terrain wouldn’t be kind to my aging body. As our time-slot came, we herded into the staging area by the starting gate and anxiously awaited the horn to blow and the release of the crowd onto the course. Finally, all this time, energy and preparation had come. The gate flew open and the masses were off. The first quarter mile or so was just a side of the mountain run. Sadly, I feel back in the pack behind a lady with a cane and couldn’t get around her with all the people, so I’d lost the boys. Seriously, already!?! When we rounded a corner, I found my shot to dart out from behind the old lady with a cane and I tore off in a dead sprint to catch up. Crap, there went my ankle! I totally sprained it when my foot feel into a divot in the mountain terrain. Oh well, that’s why I taped them, so I kept up the pace and just caught up to the boys at the first obstacle.
The first obstacle was about a six 4-foot walls that you were supposed to jump/climb over. Over the first wall I went – I landed on my sprained ankle and it sent shockwaves up my leg, I feel flat on my face. Mind you there’s a crowd behind me all leaping over the wall too, so I crawled as fast as I could off to the side. I was shaking in anger but had zero pain. I wasn’t sure what in the world made me fall. So, I stood up, tried to take a step forward and…SPLAT! I feel forward straight to my face again. What in the world? Something wasn’t wrong with my ankle, it was my knee, but it still wasn’t hurting. By this point my brother-in-law and friend and turned around only to find me on the ground. They came walking back and I was so mad I pretty much just shooed them away.
Fast forward through a couple of months when my knee still hadn’t healed, so I finally got an MRI. Doc was convinced it was just my PCL and that all I needed was a little physical therapy to get it strengthened and feeling back to normal. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case. I torn my ACL completely. Surgery was the best option and I opted for using my own body to create the ACL. They take a piece of your hamstring to do it, pretty cool, but it also makes for a rough road of physical therapy because you’ve got the new ACL to train and you have to stretch your hamstring and strengthen it.
So, I wish I had oils when I had my ACL surgery!
I did pretty good considering, I’m not a fan of the hardcore drugs and to be honest Advil just didn’t do anything, so I basically just learned to cope with the pain and push through. That’s what I’m going to share with you – some pain killing tricks.
First and foremost, I’ll say that the protocol that you’d use is going to be dependent on the type of pain you have; muscle, joint, chronic, sharp, dull, you get the point. Below are a few oils you can try. Keep in mind these oils have a multitude of benefits, so I'm just highlighting their use specific use for pain management and support.
*Copaiba (oil & softgels) primary benefits: helps calm, soothe and support the nervous system, powerful antioxidant, supports the health of the cardiovascular, immune, digestive and respiratory function. Copaiba's main chemical component is beta-caryophyllene, a chemical similar to cannabinoids found in cannabis that may protect nerve cells.
*Frankincense (oil) primary benefits: healthy cellular function, natural anti-inflammatory, supports healthy immune system, nervous and digestive function (if taken internally).
*Turmeric (oil) primary benefits: antioxidant support, helps support healthy nervous and cellular function, increase curcumin potency and absorption (anti-inflammatory).
*Pink Pepper (oil) primary benefits: can help calm nervous system when taken internally, helps promote overall cellular health. High Limonene and a-Phellandrene (good for nerves).
*DDR Prime (oil & softgels) primary benefits: supports the health of the brain and nervous system, protects body and cells from oxidative stress (essentially an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants.
*Deep Blue (oil & rub) primary benefits: provides soothing and cooling sensation to targeted areas, containing Wintergreen (and several more) essential oils that aid in pain relief as well as relaxation of the muscles.
How would I use them exactly? I would have used my empty veggie caps to create myself a pain bomb: 2 drops each of Copaiba, Frankincense, Turmeric, Pink Pepper and 3 drops of DDR Prime. I would have taken this at least 2 to 3 times per day depending on my needs.
To soothe my aches I would have applied Deep Blue Rub topically to my knee and surrounding areas prior to strapping into the CPM machine (the lovely picture on the post).
Last, I would have diffused – more thank likely I would’ve diffused some citrus oils or one of my favorites, Peppermint (2 drops) and Wild Orange (4 drops). Yum!