Here’s some great insights from Mike Biltonen (my darling husband), about his journey to healing and health.
Like most people, I’ve got skeletons in my closet. No, not the horrible Grateful Dead Greatest Hits Album (OK, I do actually own it), but things I’ve done that I don’t really talk about.
Way back in the day (the 80s) I used to lift weights with thoughts of becoming a bodybuilder or powerlifter. Not that I had the genetics to be truly great, but I was able to muster the enthusiasm to work out in the gym almost 7 days a week for four years. In those four years I built my strength to a point where I could benchpress 315 lbs, squat nearly 700, and deadlift a tad over 600. I even competed in a few meets.
1984
When I realized I didn’t have the genetics, I took shortcuts. One of which was to use anabolic steroids for a short period of time. The whys and wherefors of this period in my life is another story, let’s just say that “no pain, no gain” and “that which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” were the mottos of the day. The combination of my desire plus the “assistance” led to me getting bigger and stronger, but it also lead to an overworking of my muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints, which lead to some (thankfully) short-term injuries. When you’re that deeply invested you tend to overlook the downside of assistance and focus solely on the upside (to wit, the PED scandals of recent years in pro sports). Alas, injuries were just a part of the price you paid.
Well, I finally gave up on bodybuilding and my body settled back into something of a normal state, until…. in 2003, I ruptured a bicep tendon in my left arm. The damage was most likely created from repetitive stress from pruning apple trees, but it’s also likely that my weightlifting year contributed some as well. Prior to the rupture I knew I had severe tendonitis in biceps of both arms. My orthopedist gave me several shots of cortisone that worked wonders right up until the left one gave way. It was repaired beautifully and my recovery was flawless (at least looking back on it). This was also about the time that I started to learn about and use holistic medicines. My wife turned me onto arnica (Arnica montana) and drinking Birch bark decoction as a way to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and increase healing. They reduced the amount of time I was on “strong” painkillers and, in fact, created distaste by me for them during my recovery time.
Three years ago, I ruptured the bicep tendon of my right arm, almost the same exact injury as before (except the other side). This time I had it repaired (different orthopedist) and the recovery didn’t go so well. Oh, I healed up fine, used the arnica, and was back in the water in no time. But this time I suffered from what’s known as “frozen shoulder.” In short, if the humerus bone doesn’t rotate properly in the shoulder socket, the whole thing ends up getting “frozen” creating friction and inflammation when you move it. There are exercises and PT one can do, but the pain is still there. I never stopped using the arnica, but this time around I have gravitated more and more towards holistic anti-inflammatories such as arnica, Topricin, and my lovely wife’s Pain Begone! – a magical salve of love, goldenrod, st. john’s wort and arnica. They all work wonders in different ways, but what’s most intriguing is how the Pain Begone! quietly eliminates any pain in just a few minutes. Really!
About 5 weeks ago I fell hard on my right shoulder…yep, that one. Of course, once the shock wore off, the pain was excruciating at times. It wasn’t as if something was broken, but more due to the inflammation resulting from just the shock of the injury, bruises, and maybe some deep contusions. So, I laid off doing anything with it for a while, but it didn’t get much better until I decided to use it again. Ironically, the pain itself was more of an issue when I wasn’t using the arm or when I was laying down, than if I was using it.
For the past week, I’ve been swimming daily, pushing myself just a bit more each time to see how far I can go. Of course, the new motion/rotation for my arms, especially my right one, means that there is stress and stress means inflammation and maybe some pain . There’s no doubt the muscles atrophied while I was trying to let it repair, so this isn’t a surprise and there’s some rebuilding work that needs to be done. What is cool is that without fail, using a combination of natural medicines really help my recovery after a workout. To start, I’ll use a massive infusion of Topricin plus Tiger Balm on my arm and sit in the sauna for a bit to let it soak in. Then I’ll shower it off and finish the routine with some Pain Begone! The inflammation stays at bay for the rest of the day. Life’s so much nicer when you know that safe, reliable and natural help is just a few steps away, outside, at the edge of the lawn, or (in my case) in my gym bag, courtesy of my wife and Know Your Roots.
2013