It has been quite a while since we updated about Mack. He had adjusted well to the new farm. We bought a remote training collar which has been effective at teaching him to stay with us outside. He no longer chases the chickens. And Alex has become quite fond of him. In fact, Alex wants to join the 4H group for dog training.
As I have been dealing with my concussion, it has made me understand more about why I need to understand my own health issues and not rely on the doctors and medical establishment to teach me. Doctors are certainly important, in particular for dealing with emergency and trauma situations, but doctors are fallible (like the rest of us). Since I have at least 2 hours a day commuting, I listen to podcasts some of the time. I have long been a fan of the Horse Radio Network and listen to some of their shows. Today, I listened to a Stable Scoop episode about Lyme in People.
I would encourage everyone to take an hour and listen to the episode. You can play it directly from the website or download and play it later. While it is specifically about Lyme, it is also about taking control of your situation. As I listened to the episode, I realized that it is very possible some of the things I have been battling from my concussion may actually be related to Lyme. This is definitely possible since we already know Anna and Amanda have Lyme. It might even be possible that Amanda was born with it. I didn’t realize that only a small percentage of people with Lyme actually get the traditional bulls-eye.
My plan is to research some of the homeopathic/holistic/alternative treatment options for Lyme. In doing so, I am sure I will continue to learn about managing our health better.
If you have been following along, you know I have been experimenting with Aromatherapy to control and hopefully prevent, my migraines. You can review my “Concussion Blend #1” which has been updated with a minor change I made doubled the Frankincense oil content.
My time at work was slightly irregular, so I waited a while to validate the results. I am completely convinced that the blend is working to help with the healing. By using some of the oil in the morning and again after lunch, I have been avoiding the migraines completely. I have also been experiencing much less in the way of dull headaches towards the end of the work day. I am still feeling more fatigued, but I am pleased with the results so far.
I want to also give credit to the cranial sacral massage that I had. While I never had any “Ah-ha” moments, I do feel like it helped restore some balance. I have another massage tomorrow, so we will see how it continues.
Now if only aromatherapy could make it cooler outside…
Anna and the kids are working on training agility rabbits. At the 4H fair there is a hopping contest and a jumping contest. The kids want to try and win.
We have 1 room in the house that has an AC unit. The kids discovered Anna had been sleeping in the guest bed in there and last night they took it over. This morning, we found them all hanging out in the AC roomc reading.
Alex and Vicki had found my Natural Horse magazine and were reading the articles to analyze issues they have with their ponies.
Vicki quote from the fair horse show “Dad, that horse had really bad hooves. Maybe you could help them. ”
Alec quote after reading this morning, “Mom, Precious has never went some info a natural relaxed position. Maybe she needs a massage to help her. “
This weekend was the North Stonington fair. We had rabbits that spent Thursday-Sunday at the fair. Vicki showed Devil and WON the walk trot division on Saturday. I showed King; we had fun and won a class, but didn’t do great overall. Unfortunately, King was lame after the show from a coronary band injury, likely sustained while evading Huey in the pasture.
Sunday was the goat show. This was only the second time the kids showed goats; the first was the same faerie last year. After a difficult showmanship class for each of them, things improved. They both had fun and resolved to learn more to be better prepared for showmanship at the 4H fair in 2 weeks.
Here are some pictures from the weekend. 
Rob and Amanda on Devil for lead line
Rob and King 
Vicki and Devil 
Vicki getting awards 
Vicki and Amanda 
Rob and King
Vicki and Amanda with Devil
Alex and Onyx
Vicki and Pocohontas
Alex and Diamond
Alex and Vicki with Poco and Ruby in the Daughter and Dam class
Alex and Diamond
Nights in the barn, cleaning tack and loading the horse trailer.
Amanda refused to go to bed and insisted on helping clean tack
Tomorrow is the North Stonington fair horse show. Vicki and I will be riding Devil and King. Amanda will ride lead line.
A few weeks back, Huey joined the farm. After an adjustment period with Devil and Precious, we turned him out with King and Calli too. The result was surprising. Huey, the 11 hand Dartmoor, drove King away from the other ponies. Calli was allowed to stay with King initially, but once she came into heat, Huey claimed her too.
Now Huey keeps his band at close hold while King grazes alone. Huey was gelded late (around 5 or 6) and clearly knows how to be a stud. While King spent many years in charge, life in nature, sometimes a younger stud takes over.
As I previously discussed, the aromatherapy has been having a definite positive impact on my migraines. Initially, I started with pure Frankincense oil to conduct a causal determination that the Frankincense oil was the specific ingredient resulting in the improvement. I didn’t take any meds at all during the week of testing. I was so pleased with the result, I decided to start testing various blends of essential oils to create my own aromatherapy solution for healing my concussion as a whole and not just blocking the migraine symptoms. Note, my concussion was sustained 5.5 months ago, so this isn’t just going away on it’s own.
The major symptoms I have been having were migraines (when reading computer screens at work all day under florescent lighting), low grade headaches (in particular when using Frankincense to block the migraines), and excessive fatigue (again more noticeable following extended computer use/florescent lighting at work).
I have not yet found any aromatherapy blends specifically targeting concussions, which is surprising. Therefore, I researched oils used for combating migraines, headaches, and fatigue and chose my ingredients. Frankincense is rarely used for any of these purposes based on my research so far. I discovered the link to healing concussions and migraines through other blogs like mine.
Rob’s Concussion Blend #1
15ml almond oil (carrier oil)
20 drops Frankincense oil (NOTE – I initially started with 10 drops but after a few days, I could tell there was not enough Frankincense having been using it pure previously)
8 drops Eucalyptus oil
8 drops Lemongrass oil
4 drops Peppermint oil
If anyone else local is also combating a concussion or just migraines and wants to join in the aromatherapy testing, you are welcome to email me. Some of the oils are quite expensive and it doesn’t take much to test or create blends like this.
I will post next week after I have given this blend a chance to work. My initial thought is I may have to add more Frankincense based on the fact that I was using it pure previously.
In case you missed it, read my first post about trying aromatherapy for my migraines here. I have been trying out the Frankincense oil for about a week. My general routine has been to go to work and within the first 30 minutes of using my computer, put a drop or two of oil on my finger and rub it on the top of my chest, temples, across forehead, and base of neck. I reapply after lunch and maybe one more time per day as needed. I have a small bottle of the oil in my desk drawer and another at home, so there is no issue with not having it when needed.
The result is I end up with more of a low-grade headache, but not a full-blown migraine. On the few occasions when I haven’t used the oil and a migraine starts to set in, the aromatherapy has been very effective at creating immediate pain relief. I still feel more fatigued that normal after spending a day at the computer screen, however, I would rather be tired instead of tired and incapacitated.
Here is where it gets interesting. Since sharing this, I know of 2 other cases where people suffering from migraines went and bought frankincense oil to try this for themselves. Both reported results very similar to mine, including immediate relief from the migraine!
I am going to do some more research to build a small blend of essential oils to see if there is something I can add that will relieve the dull headache as well and possible aid with the fatigue. So far, I haven’t found a pre-made blend that has want I want. I love that there is really no risk in trying this on my own.