Arnica - thoughts and review

I battle a myriad of side effects and difficulties associated with my FMS. One of the worst is bruising, the other is  allodynia (severe skin sensitivity). Due to the lovely daily occurrence of both of these issues, along with never ending pain and soreness,  i am constantly looking for ways to help sooth and heal not only my pain but also my skin and broken blood vessels. 

I have tried so many topical creams, supplements and types of clothing. I will be writing my thoughts and opinions on most of them, but i figured i would start with one of my favorites: Arnica 

Arnica is a herbal that is part of the sunflower family. Arnica is commonly eaten by the larvae of some butterflies and moths. Several of the species of arnica, such as Arnica montana and Arnica chamissonis, contain a compound called helenalin, a sesquiterpene lactone that is a major ingredient in anti-inflammatory preparations (used mostly for bruises). For more details about the plant itseld you can check out this post on wikipedia

My first experience with Arnica, was a product recommended to me by my pharmacist when I asked about products to help with bruising. She directed me towards the ethnic product isle, where i found this product: De la Cruz Pomada De Arnica. This product does not contain any preservatives, artficial fragrances or dyes which i liked for my senstive skin. But it does contain white petrolatum, mineral oil and parafin wax. So i would avoid it if you are sensitive to these.  I bought mine at Rite Aid but it is available from most drug stores and widely available online. The Companies website directs you ti Walgreens where it  it is $3.99.

This product is great for healing all kinds of bruises, at different stages of healing pretty much anywhere on the body. This product also contains another herbal called Balsam Peru which i have used regularly to soothe my rosacia. This is a thick salve that stays where you put it. it doesn't really absorb quickly so i wouldn't put it on if you are wearing delicate fabric clothes soon. I have used this salve to help heal bruises on my lower back and glutes from deep tissue massage, as well as the never ending bruises on my thighs, knees, shins and elbows for constantly running into to furniture and doorways.

 Yes I know the furniture doesn't move. FMS has caused me to have a bad sense of spacial awareness as well as poor balance. It is also great for chapped lips, dry elbows knees and heels. I have even used it on my chihuahuas dry skin and irritations. I have not found it to have any significant pain relieving properties. I have been through several jars of this product since it was recommended to me. I more than get my money's worth out of this product. 

The other Arnica product I just recently started using is called Arnicare by Boiron. Boiron produces over 800 homeopathic products and remedies According to their website :

"Homeopathic medicines are therapeutically active micro-doses of mineral, botanical and biological substances.They are reliable and safe drugs, therefore considered by many as an excellent first choice when self-medicating. Homeopathy has been used for more than 200 years, building a remarkable safety record and generating a great body of knowledge.

Today, homeopathy is used by millions of patients in more than 65 countries and recommended by more than 400,000 healthcare providers.". 

There are several different topicals and oral homeopathic remedies available under the Arnicare line. I have currently only tried the Arnicare Gel - part of the topicals line.  There are also a cream and an ointment available. All three products have only one active ingredient Arnica Montana. These products are parabin free and contain no artificial fragrances or dyes.  i am currently trying to locate some of their other offerings in the line. I am curious how the oral arnica treatments work

I found this Arnicare Gel at Walmart, it is part of their widening offering of natural and homeopathic products. I was a little hesitant to buy it at first as it was almost $8 for a single tube. At the time I was in pretty incredible pain (from my aggravated leg injury ranted about in the last post) so the pain won over thankfully and I bought the tube, along with some Alive vitamins (which i also really like). The reason this tube was so interesting to me is that it claimed to ease not only bruising and swelling but also pain with out the use of mentholated products which can sometimes over sensitize irritate my very sensitive skin  and allodynia issues.

I have tried several other non menthol pain creams and this one beats them all out. This gel does in fact help give relief to my pain without the menthol tingle and significantly helps reduce the appearance of bruises in a very short period of time.   Someone should really market it to teenagers to treat hickies. You could make a killing!

There are a few significant differences I have found between these two products. The salve comes in a great tub/jar but it can be hard in cold weather and you have to kind of work to smear it around. The Arnicare comes in a metal tube with a plastic cap. It comes out quickly and easily so be careful not to squeeze out too much. The metal tube with prevent you from being able to put it back and a little goes a long way. Also be careful with how you carry or store your tube. I just tossed mine in my bottomless pit purse and im already beginning to see edge areas of the metal tube that might spring a leak at any second.

I am sure there are lots of other arnica products out there for me to try so i will keep posting updates and giving my feed back as I put them through their passes. If you have suggestions for other products please share in the comments. I'm always looking for relief. Also remember, FMS effects everyone differently so my experience may be totally different than yours. Don't be discouraged and keep trying until you find things that bring you comfort.