Guest guest Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 Hi I have fibromyalgia and a lot of pain. I have Irritable bowel syndrome and can not take pain killing pills much so I need something topical. The main thing that helps me with the pain is a topical cream called " zostrix " whose active ingrediant is capsaicin from red peppers. The warming effect is fantastic for getting rid of the pain but it is not enough. It would also be nice to have something else. I don't like Eucalptus or peppermint type oils for pain. They cool too much. Does anyone know what combination of oils would have a similar warming pain killing effect to capsaicin? Thanks Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2008 Report Share Posted November 22, 2008 Hi Rachel. The things that spring to mind for heating are black pepper and cinnamon oils. Marjoram and rosemary are also warming but not as hot as black pepper or cinnamon. You can also make a cayenne pepper herbal oil by snipping up and placing the dried peppers in a bottle of olive or other base oil for a couple of weeks. I know I've seen cayenne EO somewhere but can't remember who sells it. Most of the hot oils need a little bit of care. They warm BECAUSE they're a skin irritant, thus bringing a little flush to the skin where they're applied. So it's best to combine with some more neutral pain- relieving oils like lavender, marjoram, rosemary, etc. I usually throw in a bit of birch or wintergreen when immediate pain relief is the goal. Yes, I know they're considered toxic but the main ingredient breaks down to be pretty much bioidentical to aspirin in your body. Aspirin will kill you if you take a whole bottle of it. You just don't want to overdose by bathing in iwintergreen (though it may be tempting if you have fibromyalgia). If you need more exact quantities, let me know and I'll think about it a little longer. Or you could just get a jar of Tiger Balm. Deborah. ATFE2 , " Rachel " <chaiya6 wrote: > > Hi > I have fibromyalgia and a lot of pain. I have Irritable bowel syndrome > and can not take pain killing pills much so I need something topical. > The main thing that helps me with the pain is a topical cream > called " zostrix " whose active ingrediant is capsaicin from red > peppers. The warming effect is fantastic for getting rid of the pain > but it is not enough. It would also be nice to have something else. > I don't like Eucalptus or peppermint type oils for pain. They cool too > much. > Does anyone know what combination of oils would have a similar warming > pain killing effect to capsaicin? > Thanks > Rachel > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2008 Report Share Posted November 22, 2008 Hi Rachel Even though it's an OTC product, you might give Capzasin a try. Like Zostrix the main ingredient is the essential oil capsasin but unlike Zostrix whose concentrations are 0.025% and 0.075%, you can get Capzasin in a little red squeeze bottle with an applicator on top and its liquid has the concentration of 0.15%, considerably higher. I know there are creams from the same brand but I don't believe the concentrations are as high. Plus the applicator has the added effect of not letting the capsasin get embedded in the skin of your fingers and finding its way to places it has no right being. *G* I have rheumatoid arthritis and at times it's been a real blessing. dawn ATFE2 , " Rachel " <chaiya6 wrote: > > Hi > I have fibromyalgia and a lot of pain. I have Irritable bowel syndrome > and can not take pain killing pills much so I need something topical. > The main thing that helps me with the pain is a topical cream > called " zostrix " whose active ingrediant is capsaicin from red > peppers. The warming effect is fantastic for getting rid of the pain > but it is not enough. It would also be nice to have something else. > I don't like Eucalptus or peppermint type oils for pain. They cool too > much. > Does anyone know what combination of oils would have a similar warming > pain killing effect to capsaicin? > Thanks > Rachel > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2008 Report Share Posted November 22, 2008 I wouldn't use cinnamon, birch OR wintergreen. I'd stay far away from those three... Howsome ever, the Black pepper was a good suggestion and thrown in some ginger oil for a little extra heat. To get the heat quicker to the source of the pain, Slap a Microwave Pillow on top of the skin where you have applied your oils. The heat from the pillow plus the oils should do the trick. I would get a Microwavable pillow any way, you can just heat it up at anytime and slap it on. Quicker pain relief that the oils lotions and balms. If heat is what you're looking for. ;-) K > > -- Kathleen Petrides Bead Hussy http://www.BeadHussy.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2008 Report Share Posted November 22, 2008 Okay, I guess some clarification and additional specifics are in order. And I hope I don't step on too many toes by disagreeing with you. I'm new to the list and don't want to get into a big argument right off the bat. First, I wasn't suggesting that you'd use any of the oils I listed without diluting them--a lot. Common over-the-counter pain relief balms, sticks and creams often contain cinnamon leaf oil, wintergreen oil (or methyl salicylate), and peppermint oil (or menthol) as well as others and the active ingredients can be up to 50% of the formula. Because they can cause skin irritation, things like clove and cinnamon can be used but shouldn't be more than a drop or two in a 50-drop blend of essential oils to be mixed with 2 oz. of base oil to be on the safe side. Red Tiger Balm is 5% cinnamon leaf oil and I suspect it's way too hot for a lot of fair-skinned people. Ben-Gay or similar methyl salicylate-based products often contain up to 25% of this wintergreen-like substance. But it's intended for localized use, not over large areas or the whole body. Peppermint, black pepper, marjoram, rosemary, and ginger are safer but still need to be used with care to avoid skin irritation. A safe but effective quantity would be about 15-25 drops in your 50-drop blend. Second, it's wise to include good doses of lavendar, helichrysum, rosewood, or other anti-inflammatories/pain relievers to " quench " the blend. This would be the other 25-35 drops. Hope that clears it up. Ginger is a great suggestion! ATFE2 , " Kathleen Petrides " <Beadhussy wrote: > > I wouldn't use cinnamon, birch OR wintergreen. I'd stay far away from those > three... Howsome ever, the Black pepper was a good suggestion and thrown in > some ginger oil for a little extra heat. To get the heat quicker to the > source of the pain, Slap a Microwave Pillow on top of the skin where you > have applied your oils. The heat from the pillow plus the oils should do the > trick. > > I would get a Microwavable pillow any way, you can just heat it up at > anytime and slap it on. Quicker pain relief that the oils lotions and balms. > If heat is what you're looking for. ;-) > > K > > > > > > > > > > -- > Kathleen Petrides > Bead Hussy > http://www.BeadHussy.com > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 My gram just called and the stuff she uses is called BioFreeze for knees and back pain...not sure what is in it but thought I would mention it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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