My story of pain goes back at least 15 years.

Where after being in sports and running several miles daily took its toll on the body. The pain got so bad to where I was almost walking with a cane 7 years ago. I refused to take opiates after seeing the damaging effects it has with addiction. Although effective, the risks were not worth it to me. I toiled for several years just “sucking it up.” My Dr’s only could see that I had compressed my lower disks causing sciatica and thus back pain. They suggested exploratory surgery. I decided to try Chiropractic work. I was told that my body was so tight that it was difficult to adjust. So I signed up for Massages to loosen the muscles in hopes that I could be adjusted easier. This worked slightly but not enough because of the pain.

I went home to Utah to visit family during a Christmas break and I was complaining that I couldn’t sleep because of my pain. My friend told me that he just got back from a trip in Thailand on an elephant trek. He suffered severe pain as well. He told the trekking guide about not being able to sleep very well due to his aches. They recommended a leaf from a tree that the locals used called Ketum (AKA Kratom) . They made him tea from the leaves of a tree from a nearby village and it relieved his pain. He said that it was the best sleep he’s had in years. He offered me some that night and it worked. I slept like a baby. He was thinking of importing this plant to help others suffering as we were.

My friend tossed around the thought of bringing it to the USA. That night I told him that I would bring it back to Texas and get it into all the stores I could. He started a Kratom Company.

Soon my massages were less painful and my Chiropractor was able to adjust me properly. I was feeling better. But my pain kept coming back after a few months. Finally my Dr. decided to have me see an orthopedic specialist to see if there were any other underlying problems. I had an X-ray of my hips. I went in to my appointment expecting a Cortisone shot. After looking at my X-rays he asked me. “Do you want the Good news or bad news first?” I said. “Let’s start with the bad news.” Well, you have Osteoarthritis and need a hip replacement at 45 years old. The good news is, it is so bad, we need to do it immediately.” He told me that my hip was grinding bone on bone and causing me to adjust my posture to compensate, which caused my entire frame to shift. This compressed my disks in my lower back which caused more back pain and sciatica. 2-3 weeks later I had surgery and a quick recovery. Without Kratom I would have probably been bed ridden or risked falling into addiction to opiates. Kratom made my life manageable until my Dr’s were able to find the root cause of all my pain.

Come to find out, Kratom is new to the USA. But in SouthEast Asia it has been used for generations by local villagers. Most medicines are derived from natural plants. For example, White willow bark. Aspirin is derived from the bark of a tree. Who knew? Kratom was “discovered” by a Dutch botanist in the 1800’s…… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Willem_Korthals

Just like Opiates, Kratom didn’t cure my existing problems, but it made my days manageable and vastly reduced my suffering.

Until recently, I rarely needed Kratom. In the last few months I started suffering from more frequent migraines and lower back pain. My Chiropractor just told me that I have severe compressed disks now in my neck. Bone on Bone.

With the work of modern Dr’s and all natural medicine like Kratom, I have hope and a plan to become pain free again.