Product review and giveaway: Pain Relief Cream "Topricin"

Welcome to the first-ever product review/ giveaway on this blog!
The product we're reviewing and giving away (one gift basket only) is Topricin, a homeopathic pain relief cream.

I've been using it myself for the last few days. Conveniently (or not, depending on how you look at it), I've had significant discomfort this week after driving 800 miles in one day (by myself). So I had some legitimate pain to try out this cream on. And I gotta say, it really helped.

One the pain scale of 0-10 (zero being "no pain at all" and 10 being "i'm going to jump off a roof if this pain doesn't stop!"), I'd say for me this cream is completely effective all the way up to an 8-level pain. If something is 9 or 10, I'll try the cream first, then if it doesn't work, resort to taking advil or some other pill out of my cabinet.

Because no pharmaceutical or over-the-counter drugs are without risk (or side effects), I am always in favor of finding a more natural solution to life's little problems (and the big ones, too).

Topricin is all natural. Being homeopathic, it works with your body to heal the source of the pain, rather than only suppressing symptoms. Although it does also relieve symptoms.

The website suggests using it for some very painful conditions, including fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel and neuropathy.

Topricin, from what I can tell, comes in 3 formulas:
1) general pain relief cream
2) "junior" pain relief (for kids)
3) foot pain relief

They are available in tubes, tubs, or "single serving" packets (great for travel/ in your purse or backpack). It's non-greasy and has no smell. I give it 2 thumbs up!

So, I have this big beautiful basket of topricin to give away!

How to enter:

1. Mandatory:  In order to enter to win, just leave a comment on this post. Don't forget to include your email address (ex: SpiffyStuffBlog at gmail dot com --like this to avoid spamming from bots).  You can't win if I can't contact you.  ;)  This counts as one entry.
2. Optional:  
1. visit me on youtube (www.youtube.com ), find a song of mine that made you laugh, and come back here to tell us all about it in a comment. Again, don't forget to include your email address
2.  Instead of limiting this contest to those who follow my blog, I'm going to make following this blog a separate entry.  Make a separate post saying that you follow this blog.  Again, don't forget to include your email address.  This counts as one entry.
3. "Like" (hit the "like" button) Carla's music page on facbeook (http://www.facebook.com/ ) Please post your Facebook username (probably just your full name) so we can verify this entry.  Again, please include your email address.  This counts as one entry.
4. Advertise this contest: A Tweet, a Facebook mention, a blog post about this contest on your own blog, anything like this would count as an additional, separate entry.  Be sure to post links or usernames so that your shout-out can be verified.  And finally--don't forget to include your email address.

This contest will close promptly at 10:00 p.m. EDST on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

Shortly thereafter I will pick a winner based on their post number which will be picked by the free number generator at Random.org.  I will post the winner here for all the world to see, and notify the winner to see where/how to ship your fabulous gift basket of Topricin.  Once the winner has been confirmed, we'll send the prize your way.   

Meanwhile, you can visit the website of this giveaway's sponsor right here:
http://www.topricin.com/


Carla Ulbrich, The Singing Patient,
is the author of "How Can You *Not* Laugh at a Time Like This?"
Get Carla's Book at Amazon.com
www.thesingingpatient.com

graduated from PT to... PT?

Today, after almost 6 months of regular visits 2-3 times a week, every week, I graduated from PT! PT being physical therapy. It's one of the few things my health insurance pays for that actual seems to make me healthier. Usually things that help me long term, I have to pay for out of pocket. Drugs that eat your bones and cause fatal brain infections? sure, we'll pay for that. Radioactive dye injected into your veins? Let me get my wallet. Suck the marrow out of your bones? Who do a make out the check to? Massage, acupuncture, vitamins, herbs- are you kidding? You're on your own.

PT somehow made its way into the hearts of the "unsurance" companies, and for that I am grateful. I had tendinitis in my right arm that would flare up and cause other muscles to compensate, creating a chain reaction of misuse of posture, muscles, etc. I just chalked the whole thing up to fibromyalgia or lupus. But when it was just one shoulder over and over I started to think something weird was up, so I got an Xray, then an MRI, adn they found- wait a tumor?! So I was getting that tumor dealt with and the doctor off-handedly mentioned the tendinitis in my arm and I said HOLD THE PHONE! Now I know why my arm and shoulder hurt all the time.

Funny how when something like a tumor or kidney failure are in the picture, stuff like tendinitis gets pushed aside when it otherwise would have been treated immediately.

I actually asked my rheumatologist for a prescription for PT after talking to a neighbor who is a physical therapist. She recommended a really high caliber facility that also is only 10 minutes away by car.

so, here I am today, having "graduated," being completely out of pain and fully functional, no longer need to crawl up the stairs due to weak legs, no longer taking all kinds of pain pills and anti-inflammatories, no longer too uncomfortable to sleep. After cleaning up my diet, getting off all but one drug (the BP med, which has now been cut in half) and getting some regular acupuncture for a while, becoming pain-free was the last piece of the puzzle in getting back to feeling good.

I'm so inspired that I'm going to go back once a month- for personal training! to get in shape! Yes, I'm going from PT to... PT.

I even got a couple parting gifts from the facility. Though I'm tempted to say, "I did 6 months of PT, paid $1000 out of pocket, and all I got was this lousy tote bag and a t-shirt," well frankly being pain-free is such a huge gift I just can't make such a joke. And anyway, I like the tote bag.