Ten years ago, I was so sick I could hardly walk. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t cook. I couldn’t do housework. I could barely take care of my children. My family suffered. My husband learned the true meaning of “in sickness and in health.”

I was so sick that some people even thought I was terminally ill. One year, my husband took me to his office Christmas party. It was obvious I wasn’t doing well. For months afterward, people cautiously asked my husband about my health. Maybe some of them were afraid he wasn’t going to have a wife much longer.

As sick as I was, I threw myself into natural healing. I knew there had to be a solution. Somehow, I had to find a way to recover from my overwhelming fatigue, aching back and chronically inflamed nerves. Plus, on top of all of these problems, I had trouble sleeping. Needless to say, I was a wreck.

Why Natural Remedies Don’t Work

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Now, a decade later, I’m healthy again. I work full time. (At home, on my computer.) I can clean my house. (This is something I need to get better at.) I can cook and I can go for long walks.

I give all the credit to God. He’s the one who heals. I’ve taken advantage of the many medicinal plants He’s given us to support our bodies. I’ve responded really well to these natural medicines. However, each and every one of them eventually stops working for me. (I’ll tell you why in a minute.)

I’m not a doctor, and I can’t give medical advice. But I hope to inspire you to take control of your health. I need to stress that I can’t promise that any natural remedy or approach will work for anyone else.

All I can do is talk about my own experience, without making any claims. I encourage you to work with a skilled holistic healer.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils or herbal or homeopathic remedies unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.

Why My Natural Remedies Stop Working

Once a week, I drove my children to the health food store. I’d give them a few dollars. They’d run inside and find what they wanted.

Almost always, I stayed in the car. That’s because I could barely walk. What started as a nagging backache soon became widespread body pain. My lower back was extremely painful. My nerves were on fire. I had excruciating muscle spasms if I walked too far. (Like more than a few steps.)

But I had one big advantage. At the time, even before my illness, I’d studied homeopathy, working with an incredible professional homeopath. I learned a lot about homeopathy. This gave me hope. I believed that, eventually, with the right remedies, I could get better. That’s why I didn’t panic. I didn’t get depressed. I forged ahead, determined not to live the rest of my life as an invalid. Homeopathy played a big role in my recovery. But other healing methods helped too.

I brought my children to this same health food store weekly. These trips followed dragging them to one of my church commitments. Afterward, I repaid them for their good behavior with organic candy.

Do Herbal Remedies Actually Work?

Occasionally, I did pull myself into the health food store. But, otherwise, I gave my children money to buy a treat. I waited in the car. Getting in and out of the car was extremely painful. So I didn’t do it if wasn’t absolutely necessary.

On one of the rare times I accompanied my children into the health food store, I met one of the owners. I hadn’t seen her in a long time. She was very surprised to see me. “Oh, I wasn’t sure you were still with us,” she blurted out, admitting that she assumed I had died. I guess I looked even worse than I realized.

By that time, I still had trouble walking. But my pain was more manageable. I’d just started taking a natural herbal supplement. It seemed to be helping. I told the health food store owner about this drink. “Don’t take anything for too long,” she warned me.

Herbal Remedies – Why They Stop Working

Prophetically, this liquid supplement stopped working its magic. After a few months, it didn’t taste as good as it once did. I also noticed it burned my throat a little. A lot of days, I “forgot” to take my four daily doses.

Soon I stopped ordering it. But this supplement left me better off than I was before. I now believe that’s the nature of natural medicine. It delivers what your body needs at the time. It brings you as far as it can, until it’s time to switch to something else.

Rotating remedies is something I’ve gotten used to. I’ve used herbs, essential oils and homeopathy to treat my chronic nerve pain for more than a decade. Everything works great initially. Then, after a few weeks, or even less, it stops working.

Update: I’ve since learned a better way to take herbal remedies. Three days of a remedy, followed by one day off. Then I start the cycle again. After taking an herb for three weeks I need to take a week off.

So far this seems to be working for me. But I can’t promise it will work for anyone else.

Why I Rotate My Remedies

I’ve also learned that it’s not a huge problem if a remedy stops working. It just means that it’s done its job, at least for the moment. If it resulted in any degree of healing, I’m better off than I was before. So, I consider it a success.

Oftentimes, I’m really enthusiastic about a particular remedy. But only in the beginning. I look forward to taking the next dose, sometimes to the point of craving it. Then I start to “forget” doses. Or, a particular herb may start to taste bad. Sometimes, an essential oil that appealed to me just a few days before no longer does.

I’ve had the good fortune of working with a wonderful natural healer. She explained it like this, when a remedy suddenly stops working. “It’s done its job. You don’t need it right now.”

When Natural Remedies Stop Working

So I no longer lament that a remedy I just bought, and may have used for only a week, no longer works. Instead, I think it’s a normal part of the healing process. I put it aside and move on. Maybe in a few months I might need it again. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other things to try.

I hope this explanation of how I rotate my remedies is useful. For some reason, I can’t take the same remedy too many days in a row. Otherwise, the benefits disappear. If I ignore the early warning signs that I’m taking anything for too long, I may even end up with symptoms I didn’t have before.

For me, this is true regardless of whether I use herbs, homeopathy or essential oils. In my experience, essential oils are the least likely to cause additional symptoms. But I still use them very judiciously, since they’re so strong. (This means not taking them internally, or putting them directly on my skin.)

Natural Remedies That Don’t Work

Here’s a good example of what happened with lavender essential oil. This aromatic is considered a good sleep aid. For a long time, I’d use it at night and enjoy its soothing aroma. Then it stopped working. Since it was the only essential oil I owned, I started using more and more of it.

Lavender oil no longer made me drowsy. Instead, it had the opposite effect. But it took a long time to figure out I was using it wrong. Now, I use it for only two or three nights in a row before switching to something else.

Although I can’t give you medical advice, I can tell you how various natural remedies work for me. I have a very well stocked natural medicine cabinet. If something stops working, there’s always something else to try instead.

Connect With Me on Facebook

You can also visit my Facebook page. It’s filled with healthy living ideas. This is also a good way to connect with me if you have additional questions.

I’ve also started a private Facebook Group for people with fibromyalgia who want to learn more about healthy lifestyle tips. It’s a great place to get support if you suffer from chronic pain or insomnia.

*Eating right has been one of the most important things I’ve done for my health. I’m convinced that all the natural remedies in the world can’t compensate for a poor diet. Right now, I make organic meals. These are made from real food. It’s made a huge difference. I realize learning to cook from scratch isn’t easy. But help is available. For my readers who need assistance, I highly recommend Real Plans. This is a healthy meal planning service, designed to help you learn how to cook delicious meals made from real food. If you’d like more information, click on the image below.