Ginger Juice

As most of you know, my daughter was diagnosed with CRMO last fall.  (Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis)  Simply put, it's an inflammatory disease of the bone for which she now takes prescription anti-inflammatories.  Since her diagnosis last fall she's had three recurrences, the most recent of which began in early September.  She'd been experiencing pain in her left forearm for about two weeks before she started complaining of at least four other sites.  She missed a few days of school but was trying to hang in there.  Then, during a trip to my parent's house, she had her worst days since the onset last fall.  For three nights she was up sobbing in pain.  We tried heating pads, ice, pressure, deep rubs, etc. but no relief.  

Meanwhile, my dad has suffered from arthritis for decades but years of anti-inflammatory meds had taken their toll on his kidneys.  He was forced to give them up and was even more miserable than ever.  Several months ago one of his golfing buddies shared a tip about ginger, a natural anti-inflammatory.  Dad tried it and the change in him is undeniable.  He now swears by it and both he and my mother have been trying to get Meg to drink "ginger juice" for months. Of course this was not at all appealing to a 10 year old....that was until our recent visit to their home.  On Meg's second night there, writhing in pain, she started begging for some of Grandpa's ginger juice. She drank her first remedy on Saturday morning and another glass that evening.  Saturday night was by far her worst night in a year.  We were up most of the night with her and I swore she'd be out of school for weeks.  She finally dozed off, sitting up in bed with the lights on, at about 4 AM.  When she got up later that morning she was smiling and moving like nothing happened.  She asked for more ginger (mixed with whatever soda we have on hand) and we drove home that afternoon without incident.  Unbelievably, she had her first great night of sleep in weeks that very night.  During the first week she did complain of some moderate aches (but not pain) and by week two she was pain free.  It's now week three of her daily ginger remedies and she's still symptom free.

I have been on anti-inflammatories for a year now myself, prescribed for the shoulder pain I now suffer due to my clavicle break.  I also have tendonitis in both thumbs (with my left thumb being the worst) and a nagging left groin pain that I've had for at least 20 years.  It's never been officially diagnosed and is hard to describe.  It's not a muscle pull nor is it isolated...it starts in my groin and aches down to the inner mid thigh.  It has come and gone over the years...sometimes lasting a few weeks, other times lasting months.  It had been bothering me a bit for about 8 weeks but the visit to my parent's (and their two story house) has made it much, much worse.  I started on the ginger juice with Meg that weekend and was feeling much better but being the scientist that I am, I decided to perform my own study.  As of today I have been off both my Meloxicam and the ginger for 10 days.  While my pain is not like my daughter's or my father's, it is pain nonetheless. My thumbs are sore to the touch and I hobble around like an old lady.  I haven't run in a week.  Surprisingly, my shoulder hasn't bothered me much at all.

So today starts my own "official" science experiment.  I will be starting two to three daily doses of Grandpa's Ginger Juice to hopefully testify firsthand to it's natural healing powers.  If the results of my father and daughter hold true, I should be feeling much better soon. :)

Grandpa's Ginger Juice
Slice washed raw ginger root (skin and all) into about 1" chunks.  Add 3-5 chunks to a blender with 2 cups of water and blend on high.  Transfer to another container, if desired, and refrigerate overnight.  The next day, strain a portion of the "juice" into a glass.  (Dad and I drink ours straight.  My daughter requires a mixer such as Sprite, Fresca, Coke, etc.  Tonight she wants to try pineapple juice.)  Drink 2-3 times a day.

Not to bias my study *wink* but I'm predicting some good news in my next blog entry.

On another note, I'd like to wish my hubby a "Happy Birthday!"  Meggie and I will be baking a chocolate cake this afternoon, no doubt with tons of sprinkles.  As usual, I was at a loss for gifts but Meg had some really great ideas so he's going to have some fun things to open this evening.