Nettled!

Yes, those are my pink gardening gloves.  Another great photo taken by the hubby.

I have a degenerative problem in my right ankle, basically part of the bone has died and, as you can imagine, causes pain and other problems.  I've had it since I was very young and when I was 18 I even had surgery on it.  While it did get better for some time, it has never been pain free.  In retrospect I wonder if the surgery helped or made the condition worse, cutting into the body can cause so much harm even if it's meant to do good.  

Unfortunately, in the last couple of years my ankle has started hurting more intensely again.  About 6 months ago I got an MRI to check things out, low and behold, the problem persists and the doctor says it will most likely only get worse as I get older.   While I believe them to a certain extent, I also believe that healing is possible.  A little TLC can go a very long way.  No more surgery for this gal.  Massage, salves, strength building exercise and bone building teas are my plan of action.   Nettles, plus a few others,  have been at the top of my list for this ailment.  

Recently, I can't remember where, I heard that stinging yourself with nettles helps with joint problems.  I love nettles and we have a lot of them around here.  If you don't already know, nettles have wonderful healing properties in them.  They are rich in iron and calcium.  They are a diuretic so if you drink nettle tea during your moon cycle or pregnancy, you can cut down on some of that water retention.  Ahh, nettles.  You can drink them or throw them in soups.   I've even seen people eat them raw (something I will probably never have the nerve to try), but I do love the way they taste after they have been cooked (and their stingers aren't stinging anymore!).  

One sunny morning, about a month ago, I hiked down to our nettle patch and picked me some stingers.  Pain was a great motivator for this experiment.  When things hurt, sometimes we'll try the most bizarre things to help ease suffering.  I stung myself in several places on my ankle, wherever it felt like it needed it.  I have a few spots in particular that ache and also get swollen.  I was surprised to notice that it really didn't hurt at all, in fact, when I applied it to certain spots it actually felt good!   I was pain free for a couple of weeks after that.  Did it really do anything or was it a coincidence?    Had I stung myself enough to actually have an affect?  I don't know, but the experience has raised my suspicions enough that I will try it again when my ankle starts aching.  Go on, . . . google it, "stinging yourself with nettles" and you'll see that I'm not the only nut out there.  Oh, and fyi, if you do go picking nettles, remember that the stingers are on the bottom side of the leaf.