Castor Oil as a Cure for Thrombophlebitis

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I am beginning to think that Castor Oil is a cure all. It reminds me of a reference to Windex being a cure all in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Have you ever seen that movie? It is a sweet romantic comedy where the father in it is always recommending Windex to fix any issue....from pimples on the face to sunburns. The information I have been reading about Castor Oil made me think of the Windex reference in this movie. The difference is, Castor Oil has been around a long time and has a long following of those who have experienced its benefits.

A great, knowledgeable lady recently recommended I use a Castor Oil Pack for my long lingering thrombophlebitis. I have been following all the instructions and recommendations from my doctor as well as my rehab therapists and still have noticeable swelling and ongoing achy pulsing in my affected veins, so I thought it was worth a try. I went to Whole Foods where I found the Castor Oil and the Wool Flannel squares you need for the pack. It is extremely easy to do. You saturate the wool flannel square, which you can cut to fit the affected area, with the Castor Oil. Then you place that on the area you want to relieve. Wrap it in Saran Wrap, place a hot pad around or on it and then cover it all with an old towel. Let it "cook" for 30 to 90 minutes while reading a book or watching TV.  When the time is up you can remove everything and clean the castor oil off your skin. I took off the towel and heating pad but left the wrap on for another couple of hours (shows the level of my desperation!). I think it really helped.

I only put the wrap on my calf where the pain has been the greatest. But the clot is at my ankle and I still have significant swelling on and around my knee. So, I am going to continue to do the packs, cover more areas of my leg and apply it consistently for the next week to see how much more improvement I can achieve. I am excited bout the possibilities!

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