Mary (Denver, Colorado) on 01/22/2013:

09/26/2008: Angela from Broomfield, CO: "A couple times a year I have a painful swelling of one of the parotid glands (main salivary gland) on either side of my face due to Sjogren`s syndrome. I have had this many times before and have never been able to stop the pain and swelling which usually lasts for 2 weeks...until now. I tried the castor oil heat pack the first night, leaving it on over night and woke up with no pain! The gland is still sore to the touch, but I have never experience such relief without the use of corticosteroids. I will continue to use this method from now on. I am a believer!"

Warm pack of castor oil for relief is good to know. I also suffered from inflamation of the salvary and parrotid glands. These glands become sore and enlarged because they do not have the right nutrients to manufacture saliva. Because they are depleted and still trying to work they become larger and painful. It is important to relieve these glands.

In 1985 when I first had the symptoms of Sjogrens with a vengence and found only topical drops for tears, saliva etc, it was apparent to me I needed to find out what was causing this in my body (female, 43 yrs). By luck I found a report serendititously offered at a symposeum by a doctor who reported that while he was not looking for relief for dry eyes among the fishing population which were his test subjects, that was their unamous report to him. He had been giving them an oil extracted from borage. I found borage oil at a small speciality store for vitamins and supplements. Within a few weeks of taking the oil pretty liberally my painfully eyes were relieved and the glands in my face became soft and pain free.

If is the gamma linoleic acid in the tasteless oil which my body needed. Its clear that while the precursors may be in my body, I did not have the ability to convert them into gamma linoleic acid. Once this was supplied the endocrine glands which secrete saliva and tears as well as many other glands such as the liver and pancreas, sweat and mucus in the lining of the reproductive tract, as well as the mamary glands functioned well. One terrific happy result was that the painful fibrous tissue in the breast became soft and pain free.

That been my experience and if it can help someone else be pain free that would give me great pleasure.

Mary