Michael’s Top 17 Foods, Ointments, Salves & Supplements for a Quicker Recovery!

Two months ago I was involved in a pretty substantial training accident on my bike. I broke my collarbone, ribs (both front and back,) my shoulder-blade in three places, plus knocked lose the pre-existing pins in both my left femur and hip. Talk about OUCH!

At the time doctors worried I needed substantial surgery on my clavicle and shoulder, and I couldn’t even walk, but just weeks later I shocked them with how much I’d already healed!

I attribute a lot of that to what I’ve been eating, and supplementing during this time. Now I’m not a big vitamin/supplement kind-of guy (old pills just waste-away in my pantry), but I believe nutrition is thy medicine. So here’s a glimpse into what I’ve been taking (drum-roll please):

1. Turmeric, Turmeric, and Turmeric
   Perhaps nature’s greatest anti-inflammatory and healing root!
2. Ginger
   Also great for its anti-inflammatory properties, plus helping to re-energize my body and raise my body temperature.
3. Cucumber
   Another amazing veggie for reducing inflammation (note: after I got out of the hospital I stopped all pain-meds, of which I was using quite sparingly. Things like aspirin and ibuprofen have been shown to slow down the healing process, and tax other parts of the body, such as your kidneys and liver).
4. Kale, Kale, and more Kale.
   Daily green smoothies and loads of kale have been super-helpful in giving me balanced vitamins and minerals, plus is a great anti-inflammatory and boosts my alkalinity. (Alkaline environments promote the greatest healing and help ward off infections).
5. Beets
   Not shown here, but help boost my blood levels and get more O2 to the cells (in future posts I’ll be talking about how I used various breathing techniques to calm the body and the nervous system, and help it to heal).
6. Comfrey
   This plant saved me from going under the knife. An ancient native remedy, applying a comfrey poultice directly to my collarbone, helped knit it together in a fraction of the time. (Note, stains clothing…use under several layers of waterproof gauze!)
7. Noni leaf
   Not shown here, also applied directly to my fractures…particularly my ribs, helped cool them and reduce inflammation, promoting faster healing.
8. “Deep Blue” by Doterra
   This costly but helpful mixture of essential oils (wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, German chamomile, helichrysum, osmanthus) is also a great pain reliever, stimulates bloodflow and makes me smell minty-fresh.
9. Topricin
   Take all of your favorite homeopathic (small doses of natural, non-pharmaceutical products), put them together into one ointment, and here’s what you have. I’ve been applying liberally :o).
10. Symphytum Officinale
    A perennial flowering plant that comes as a homeopathic product you put under your tongue to help bones heal faster.
11. Vitamin D
    Unless you’re out in the sun 24/7, I believe in large quantities of Vitamin D for bone-building, IF you’re getting LOTS of Vitamin K…which I’m getting in abundance in raw kale and cilantro. I use the “Pure” brand, not because they sponsor us (which they don’t) but because there are no added ingredients…nothing.
12. MSM – or methylsulfonylmethane, an “organosulfor compound” 
    I also love the Pure brand, or brands WITHOUT any additives or added ANYTHING, but either way, it’s an awesome product to help regenerate and strengthen soft-tissue.
13. Nuts (just a handful)
    In this case Macadamia nuts, made into “B Energy Balls” which have B-pollen for healing and healthy coconut oil in them as well. A handful of nuts a day gives you great protein and building blocks to make the body happy. Just don’t go overkill on the nuts, or you’ll feel sluggish and lethargic while creating an acidic, inflammatory body.
14. Olive oil
    Not shown, but does the body good. It helps the heart, helps bones, decreases inflammation, boosts immunity, and so much more.
15. Cilantro
    Helps detox and remove metals from the body, making it easier for the body to attend to the healing task at hand (there are metals in virtually everything these days) and boosts the immune system. (I get lots of cilantro too in a raw, mac-nut, olive-oil pesto…yum!)
16. Garlic
    Sorry Mom. Garlic is one of nature’s greatest anti-biotics, and the sulfur like in MSM, helps rebuild cartilage and soft-tissue, improves iron uptake, and of course, is also a great anti-inflammatory.
17. Last, but not least, hot peppers. You probably didn’t know it, but hot-peppers are a pain reliever. My favorites…local Hawaiian peppers and Habanero. Now hot peppers, even cayenne peppers, are not for everyone, and you need to build into hot foods slowly. But they work for my body type, and I’m an addict. I needed almost three weeks off from them when I could barely get food down, but then I started upping the dosage. They help reduce pain, inflammation, boost the immune system, aid digestion, and so much more.

There’s so much more I can add to this list, but these are the basics. Remember, though you may not be coming back from catastrophic injuries like me, you can still use these healing items for minor aches, pains and soreness. And perhaps, by doing so, you may even prevent over-use injuries. My wife Jessica likes to say, “Self care is best begun when you’re feeling awesome.”

Last thoughts, I think “LIGHT AT NIGHT.” If it’s getting dark, the meals are getting sparse. Evening rest isn’t the time to digest a heavy meal, but to detox and rebuild for the new day ahead. So I don’t strain the system with munching or a big meal late in the day. To help keep the munchies away, I eat a high, healthy, veggie fat diet (beware of Omega 6’s such as Crisco, canola, or corn oil!) This satiates me, keeps the stomach moving well, and keeps the blood sugar levels nice and stable and the inflammatory processes low. (On that note, I keep away from sugar…one of the highest inflammatory foods on the planet…when you’re injured, the last thing you need is to promote inflammation!)

If you’re injured or in need of healing, reach for a few of the above, rather than that bottle of Aspirin. I’m sure they can help you too! I wish you well in the healing process, and hope you’re up, back on your feet, and running free in no time!

This is Michael Sandler saying Be Mindful, Have Fun, Let Food Be Thy Medicine, and Run Free!