Dear Bob Liebert,

I have chronic pain in my lower back (left side) left hip that follows my sciatic nerve all the way down my leg and under my foot. I have a lump the size of a quarter in the arch of my left foot on the inside. I have seen an orthopedic, a neuro surgeon and a neurologist. I had an xray of my lower back, hips, MRI, and a full body bone scan. I had a bone density test 2.5 years ago that indicated I was pre-osteoporosis. The neurologist did a nerve test looking for a neuropathy and found none. My MRI indicates I have one slightly buldging disk, but none of the doctors believe that's my problem due to the fact I have a larger than normal opening in my spine. All of the doctors say I show degenerative wear in my back and the neurologist concludes I have osteoarthritis. I have also had 3 epidurals of steroid cortizone which gave me pain relieve for 2 months and the lump on the bottom of my foot disappeared two days after the first injection. I'm not overweight, I don't eat red meat, I eat fish, poultry and lots of fruit and vegetables. I exercise 6 days a week. One hour on an eliptical machine and 45 minutes of weightlifting using low weight and high repetition and ending with 15 minutes of abs and stretching.

I'm in excellent health, 48 years of age, 5ft 3in and 125 lbs. I had a complete hysterectomy Oct 31, 2001.

My back and hip has bothered me off and on for 10 plus years but, this past February I have been in pain non-stop and at times I would cry if I thought it would help. Chiropractic helps when I'm having a bad bout which means I can't sit or lie down for very long and my skin hurts.

This condition is hurting my sex life tremendously. My husband is wonderful and understanding, but I'm tired of hurting and not having the quality of life I would like to have.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for listening!

Miserable

Dear Friend,

I would suggest beginning with herbs that are both anti-inflammatory and nerve restorative. Our Inflammaid Formula contains Black Cohosh, which I have seen work very well as an aid in sciatic pain, along with Wild Yam (anti-inflammatory), Meadowsweet (anti-inflam., restore connective tissue) and Prickly Ash (anti-inflam., circulation, nerve pain). The addition of Skullcap extract (nerve restorative, spinal nerve pain) would be valuable.

St. John's Wort Oil can be used for pain on what I assume may be a neuroma on your foot, can also be rubbed on other areas of nerve pain. These would be the prime herbs for trying to get pain and inflammation under control, and attempting to restore nerves that have been under the stress of chronic pain. Other valuable herbs to add (now or later) would be our Mineral Formula (highly assimilable minerals as a n aid in osteo-arthritis prevention), and Maca extract (boosts libido and sexual energy, also low thyroid, often implicated in all of these symptoms).

You can buy these herbs and many more in the Formula and Single Herb sections of the Teeter Creek Herb website. Herbs that don't appear in the Formula or Single Herb lists can usually be requested in the "Message" section at the bottom of the order page.

The information expressed is the personal observations of Herbalist Bob Liebert based on his personal experience and his studies of folk and traditional herbalism. These observations are not meant to be a substitute for qualified medical diagnosis and treatment. Uses of many of the herbs have not been scientifically verified.