Melissa (Oak Harbor, Wa) on 10/28/2014

Eight weeks ago today I broke my upper humerus bone. I wish I could say I was doing some daredevil stunt but alas, I was doing simple walking for my health when I tripped on a wooden bridge and fell and that was that.

One thing no one mentioned yet and this is IMPORTANT: Get your Vitamin D levels checked. I live in WA and turns out I was deficient in Vitamin D DESPITE my summer tan LOL! Low levels of Vit D equals bones breaking easier. Not fun!

Now I am taking 5 gm of Vit D daily and am actually taking chewable Calcium citrate supplements (with D & magnesium to help with absorption.) At age 56 I should have been taking Calcium supplements but didn't. Now I have 'incentive! ' Women over about 55 need something like 1,110 mg of calcium daily. I drink milk and eat cheese and yogart as well as have leafy greens and tofu, which are all good food sources for calcium.

Also, I used a comfrey tincture for the first couple of weeks but displaced my bone during this time as I wasn't even wearing a sling after day 2 (My ortho doc said it was optional based on pain. Don't believe that I learned the hard way! )

I continued to walk in the woods etc and sort of stumbled a few times...both outdoors and in my messy home. You really DON'T want to stumble with a broken humerus head. You will reinjure your shoulder. It will HURT! NOT funny! LOL!

Lately I've been using a comfrey salve (Don't recommend taking comfrey internally because of the carcenogic aspects..along with a 'Trauma oil' that includes arnica, St. John's wort and calendula...and alternating this with BioDerm spray (menthol, MSM, Arnica etc)....

Also, I've researched herbs and horsetail is high in silicate which is helpful for new bone setting. I made a tea of horsetail, oatstraw (good for nervous system) and nettles (packed full of many great nutrients) Horsetail upset my tummy so I didn't continue this. Now I take BioSil which has silicon and Choline which promote healthy bones and joints as well as hair, nails and lessens wrinkles supposedly too!

Also I read an article then decided to stop all anti-inflammatory pills, creams or foods such as onions, garlic, garlic, tumeric, cumin etc. as I read anti-inflammatories negatively impact the growth of new bone. Inflammation is evidently part of nature's setting a new bone matrix & new growth process...That would mean avoiding aspirin, Ibuprofen, or the Voltaren gelthat helps with pain that I slathered all over the shoulder until I read this! T.

The best thing for healing broken bones that I am finding so far: SWIMMING! When I first broke my I arm...after about 4 days I swam in the lake then about three more times. The buoyancy of the water really allowed me to use my limb without an increase of pain (until I decided to swim to the other side of the lake and back when it was already freezing cold! ) LOL!

Also I do MICRO-MOVEMENTS from the first day of my break. TINY TINY movements to communicate to my broken arm that I are intending to still move regain FULL use and be fully ALIVE!

See Feldenkrais for more info about this method or see a practitioner if you live near one. (I used to be a massage & bodywork therapist and trained for a year in Feldenkrais and have done yoga so I know how to move my body to retain maximum flexibility and range of motion and ability)

And for sleeping at night, the first couple of weeks I did the 'Western pain meds' every 4 hours...(Pain delays healing)...As I am doing PT exercises I'm having more pain again so doc has prescribed 1 pill at bedtime.

Heating pad when laying down AFTER the first week works well. I moisten a towel and put the moist towel inside the heating pat, facing my shoulder. Then I rub comfrey salve, calendula, arnica and St. John's wort on my arm, put a thin shirt on and the heating pad on top of this. Feels GREAT!
Wishing everyone happy healing...AND by the way, guided imagry can also speed up healing process: Listen to Bellruth Naperstak "General Wellness" and Pain Relief CD (Got mine from Amazon) or you can type her name in and find a free guided imagry of hers on U-tube. Also check out John Kabat Zinn Body Scan which puts me to sleep! Finally I use Garden Meditation and Wellness meditation by Kelly Howell, although she is a bit dramatic and new age...

I'm not paid by anyone for any of these recommendations..Rather, I've paid for all of these products as part of my own 'wholistic healing' path!

Wellness to you all! Melissa