Three weeks ago, I exited the back door to a neighboring office a little too quickly. I remember opening the door and then suddenly I was sprawled out on the concrete sidewalk squawking with pain. I had injured my ankle, and I had a patient coming to my office 500 feet away in ten minutes.
I declined assistance. Slowly and VERY painfully I hobbled back over to my office. First thing I did was to break open my stock of Lifewave patches.
Normally, I wear an X-39 patch around C-7 to help me manage chronic neck pain. I was rear-ended a few times in early adulthood and I always have a low level of pain (except after attending a Korean Hand Therapy seminar, where the teacher instantly eliminated my pain and it lasted for three weeks until I stupidly picked up a case of bottled water, but that’s another blog for another day). Anyway, the X-39s have improved my range of motion and reduced my daily pain level from about a 3 to 9 out of 10 to a 2 out of 10. So I added a second X-39 to my ankle and a set of Ice Wave patches to my rapidly swelling ankle and changed shoes. I replaced them every 12 hours.
I still had a lot of difficulty walking the first few days, and my whole body felt sore and bruised. The first three days were brutal. But as I continued wearing the patches and replacing them every 12 hours, the swelling gradually diminished and my ability to walk around improved along with my pain level. In a couple of weeks, I was walking with a minimal amount of pain with just some occasional twinges and navigating stairs without issue. After 3 weeks, I reduced the Ice Wave patches to 12 hours a day during waking hours.
Compared with the time I sprained my left ankle, and treated it with just topicals and homeopathy, I am much further along in my recovery. My left ankle continued to hurt for weeks and months and felt weak.
The Lifewave patches are generally safe, although I instruct my patients to stay hydrated and refrain from fasting when they use them. If you are pregnant, or have an allergy to copper, then it’s not a good idea for you to use the patches, and you should always ask your health care team before trying anything new.
I have a new appreciation for the Lifewave patches based on how they have helped me recover from injury, and helped keep me working with a minimum of accomodations.
For more information about Lifewave patches, visit https://lifewave.com/vitalichi.
Disclosure: This is my personal lifewave website, and I do earn a commission from sales.
Nicole Noles Collins is a NCCAOM Board Certified Diplomate of Acupuncture and licensed to practice acupuncture in the state of Florida. She owns Vitalichi Acupuncture in Port Charlotte, Florida. Nicole has two bachelor of science degrees – Alternative Medicine (holistic) and Professional Health Sciences (western medicine concepts) – as well as a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has a passion for writing and natural health. Please visit her website at http://www.vitalichi.com and like her Facebook page at Vitalichi Acupuncture. For more information, call 941-979-9793.
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