This funny pain relief patch story starts a few years ago in the middle of a freezing winter. I was a student living in a residential building, and on my way to school one morning after a particularly icy storm, I fell down the outside stairs of the building.

Not graceful, holding onto the railing, type of falling. But the kind you see in movies where the person’s swept off their feet as soon as they hit the ice, and lands swiftly on their behind.

Except I didn’t land on my behind because I was walking down a set of stairs, so I got solid contact with the stair on my lower back. Ouch.

I thought I had broken something because it was so painful, but when I limped my way over to the health services they told me that I wouldn’t have been able to walk if I had broken something. I thanked them profusely for the good news, and the lack of helpful advice and was on my way.

That night my boyfriend recommended I apply a Chinese pain relief patch, that his parents had given him.

I had seen commercials for pain relieving creams and similar things, and I had used Arnica gel for bruises from my martial arts days… but this pain relief patch concept was new to me.

Enter The Pain Relief Patch

So we peeled off the sticky part of the patch, and applied it to the deep purple bruise on my lower back. I immediately felt a sense of relief. The smell of the pain relief patch was pretty strong, it had a minty feel to it, and it immediately relieved the pain.

I took it slow for the next couple of days, and kept the pain relief patch on. A few days later I removed the pain relief patch (which was a bit of a painful process because it was so thoroughly “glued on”) and the bruise had subsided.

I praised Chinese medicine, and went back to my usual life. I didn’t know where my boyfriend’s parents had bought this pain relief patch, or what was in it… but I was happy I had it in my time of bruising need.

Fast Forward To This Year

Earlier this year I met a wonderful woman named Briana Borten, who co-created an all-natural pain relief batch called Imbue.

Now I haven’t had the extreme circumstances that warranted the use of a pain relief patch since that stormy winter day, but after listening to Briana talk about the other ways a pain relief patch can be used for therapeutic purposes really got my mind going.

I did a little bit of research about pain relief patches in general, and now that I’m looking back I can see how most pain relief patches are full of unwelcome ingredients. This is especially important since you’re putting this pain relief patch against your skin, for all of the ingredients to seep into your skin. Eeks.

I’m all about holistic healing, and that’s exactly what the Imbue pain relief patch is based on.

That’s where Imbue is different. Because the Imbue pain relief patch was designed with Chinese medicine principles in mind, and has gone through in-depth research and testing to use only the safest and highest quality ingredients for your body to absorb. Now, that’s my kind of alternative medicine!

So… does this all-natural pain relief patch really work?

Okay, so I love all things natural and healthy, but sometimes there’s the doubt that this won’t work as well as a super commercialized big name brand.

So I sent an Imbue pain relief patch to my dad, who often has pain on his foot from an old injury that gets triggered when he walks a lot. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, since my experience with pain relief patches was limited to that one big bruise incident, so I didn’t know if it would work for an older inflammation type of pain.

Soon after sending him the Imbue pain patch, my dad called to let me know it worked like a champ! He put it on his foot, and in his words – it took all the pain away. He was able to sleep well after having walked a lot, and he was just so happy to have a pain relief solution that was so easy and also safe and effective.

When You Hurt, And You Need Pain Relief Fast

So all of that to say, I’m a huge fan of Briana’s Imbue pain relief patches, and if you like to be prepared for unexpected situations (even if you don’t live in a snowy-icy land like me!) then grab some of these for yourself.

I hope you got something out of this pain relief patch review, even if it’s just entertainment and maybe a glimpse into the world of Chinese medicine and natural pain relief.

This is a guest post by Lisa Consiglio Ryan who provides ways to detox and embrace clean living.

Hello. Oh, hello in there! Wake up! Spring is here.  It’s time to come out and play; dance your dance.

Spring is nature’s birthing season.  A time for creation and development. So this is a good time to take a look at your life and make a new plan.  What do you want to clear out as the past in your environment, within yourself?  What do you wish to see happen this year?  This can be a new start.

Speaking of new starts and new beginnings, this time of year reminds me of cleansing. AND a great way to supercharge the season is to detox.

Spring is the perfect time to do a detox because you can take a good look at habits and set health goals. During springtime, you are filled with inspiration and have more energy to achieve these goals. You’re more active, creative, and more apt to stick to your routines.

Once you experience a detox that incorporates whole foods and daily activities that support your body, there isn’t anything in the world that can compare to the feeling you get after a detox.  You may feel increased bouts of energy, eliminate your cravings, lose weight, reduce bloating and get rid of belly fat. Your mind is clear and focused, and even your mood can improve. You might even glow!

Now doesn’t that sound lovely?

Here are my top 3 ways to detox during the spring:

1. Eat whole, real foods:  Try a gentle, clean food-based detox.  The first step is to eliminate foods that have barcodes. This means avoid foods that come in a can or box; processed foods.  I usually remind myself of this rule when I shop.    Eliminate foods with added sugar, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, soy, and animal protein. Stick to organic fruits and veggies for your cleanse. Lots of vegetables, fruits, greens, grains, legumes, beans…
2. Pump the green goodness:  Spring time foods consist of dandelion greens, spinach, parsley, watercress, asparagus, peas, fennel, and mustard greens.  You can also add in additional dark leafy greens such as kale, Swiss Chard, and collards.  The chlorophyll from the leaves feed the blood, and help your body achieve balance.  Therefore, ridding your body of toxins becomes easier. You feel cleaner.
3. Determine the length of your detox: 10 days is a perfect time period to feel and see changes in your body.  It’s just enough time to really get the full effects of a detox.  It takes time to make changes, and your body needs time to adjust to eating differently, getting rid of toxins, and establishing habits. So a cleanse less than 10 days might not give you the full effects.   If you are new to detoxing or want a power-boost to jump start healthy living, then 10 days is a good start.

Beauty Remedy Juice Recipe

(my signature juice perfect for spring plus gives a glow inside and out)

Ingredients to juice:

1 bunch of spinach leaves (or kale, just remove stems; approximately 6 leaves)
½ lime
1 apple
1 cucumber
½ inch fresh ginger root

Makes one 12 oz. glass of green goodness.

Are you ready to get your detox on this spring?

Lisa Consiglio Ryan is the founder of Whole Health Designs.  She provides detox programs for women who desire to embrace clean living.   Lisa is also developing her own line of raw juices.

Join Lisa for her popular Spring Renewal 10 Day Detox.

Connect with Lisa on Facebook and Twitter.

If you feel like you’re doing everything right: you’re eating raw, you exercise, you detox, you sleep enough, you take vitamins… but you’re just not feeling better? Maybe you still experience symptoms or have health issues. Then this video is for you.

Doing everything right but not getting better?

Click play to watch.

This is an amazing TEDx talk by Lissa Rankin and it’s worth the 18 minutes it will take you to watch, because it will change your outlook on health.

To your health,
Nathalie

Photo by Gordana A. M.

One of the reasons people turn to raw food is because they are looking to eat more healthy food. That’s definitely one of my main reasons for giving raw food a try. (Remember that when I say raw food, I don’t necessarily mean 100% raw.)

Lately, I found myself giving out this little piece of advice: eating raw food doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthier than other ways of eating.

Hear me out…

There are a lot of other things that go into your health, other than just the “label” you apply to your food. Maintaining healthy diets, for most of us can be tricky. So for instance, you might be eating raw food, but eating too much of it. Or you might be eating raw food, but eating too much of one category and not enough of another.

Neither of these scenarios is very healthy.

Or, you might be eating raw food but not drinking enough water, sleeping enough, or exercising enough. And then there’s your emotional and mental well being, all of which play into your overall health.

Now, let’s take a closer look at what healthy foods are.

The Healthy Foods List

Here is a basic list of healthy foods that most people can agree on:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Fresh leafy greens
• Cold pressed extra virgin oils
• Raw nuts and seeds
• Sprouts
• Seaweeds and sea vegetables

Now we can split hairs and argue that we should include other foods, depending on what lifestyle you follow. For instance some may want to add superfoods, others may want to add in raw dairy or meat, you get the idea.

But I think we can all agree that these are basically healthy foods. Especially fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Unhealthy Foods List

• Processed “white” foods like white breads, white pastas, etc.
• Refined white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame
• Addictive substances like MSG, and other “taste enhancing” chemicals
• Processed, denatured fats and oils that the body cannot deal with

Alright, so the unhealthy foods list is incomplete. That’s partly because it would take too long to include everything that might potentially be unhealthy. But it’s also because we don’t all agree on what’s unhealthy.

Some people go around telling themselves that they’ll be healthy if they eat “Everything in Moderation“. And while the adage that eating everything in moderation probably held true 100 years ago, it certainly doesn’t hold today.

There are more chemicals and ingredients that I can’t pronounce on a label for dried raisins than ever before. Dried raisins!

Imagine what’s in super processed junk foods for a minute. It’s not pretty.

How to Include More Healthy Foods and Less Unhealthy Foods

I honestly believe that in order to eat more healthy foods we need to leave some of the unhealthy foods behind. If you’re too full from eating an entire bag of chips and a 1L bottle of Coke, then you’re not going to be inspired to eat an apple. Let alone a salad.

Letting go of foods that aren’t good for you is a lot more complex than it might seem at first. Why? Cravings. That’s why.

I’ve been eating healthy foods for over 3 years now, and I’ve learned a thing or two about cravings. Get on The Cue list, and you’ll be the first know about my cravings busting techniques.

As aspiring raw foodies and health revolutionaries, I think it’s important to surround yourself with like-minded individuals. You’re here already, so you’ve already taken the first step. Woohoo!

I’ve also noticed that once you start making changes to the way you eat, a lot of other little things start to fall into place. Or out of place. You notice certain things that used to be normal, but that now seem odd or out of place. Maybe it was normal to watch TV for hours while chowing down on a whole bag of chips. But suddenly you realize there’s more to life than that.

That’s one step toward changing the world.

Two people who know a lot about changing the world are my good friends Pace and Kyeli – cofounders of the Freak Revolution.

I had the pleasure of talking to both Kyeli and Pace about the work they’re doing to change the status quo. We had such an awesome conversation that I know will inspire you and give you insights into your own life.

Click here to listen to the recording now.

Since learning about the Freak Revolution, I’ve really been able to return to my true roots. (It even gave me space to make this the Raw Foods Witch, and not just the Raw Food Switch.)

If the idea of changing the world really calls to you, then you will LOVE the Freak Revolution Manifesto. You can download the Freak Revolution Manifesto for free now.

I encourage anyone who is interested in real change for our planet to grab a copy of the Freak Revolution Manifesto and share it with as many people as possible.

It’s a call to arms hearts, and we can do it together.

I don’t write a lot of political posts here, but this speech made by President Obama to the American Medical Association was just too good to pass up.

President Obama is calling for a health care reform, but it goes much deeper than that. This quote really brings home a crucial aspect of a healthy nation, and a healthy people.

“It also means cutting down on all the junk food that is fueling an epidemic of obesity, putting far too many Americans, young and old, at greater risk of costly, chronic conditions.

That’s a lesson Michelle and I have tried to instill in our daughters with the White House vegetable garden that Michelle planted.

And that’s a lesson that we should work with local school districts to incorporate into their school lunch programs.”

I think we should definitely work with local school districts to incorporate healthy diet changes, but also look to office cafeterias, hospitals, prisons, and other semi-public places.

This is a time for change, and we’re in this together. Let’s brainstorm some ways that we can implement these changes into our own homes and neighborhoods.