Joy of the Mountains Oil of Oregano for the West Coast Trail

image courtesy of Lyn Belisle

Okay, so I am prepping to head out on the West Coast Trail in June.  I will give more details later.  This week I am in Edmonton with our delightful granddaughters (7 & 9) and am trying to overcome a wicked, flu-y cold-- chesty cough, sore, pluggy ears, sore muscles, fatigue.  I've been taking a couple of drops of Oregano Oil CERTIFIED ORGANIC- Joy of the Mountain - 75% Carvacrol (30mL) Brand: Joy of the Mountain sublingually at  intervals throughout the day.

It burns and it stings and tastes wretched, for a few seconds, and then I feel enlivened. Already I feel less exhausted, my muscles no longer ache, my sinuses are clear, my one ear is totally unblocked, and I am coughing a lot less.

Yes, I have been googling and reading all about it.

This particular Joy of the Mountain brand of Oregano Oil is wildcrafted (read: organic)from 5,000 foot heights in the Mediterranean, and then tested and distributed from a company in British Columbia.  It won an award as the top immune product given by the ALIVE company in 2014.  There are a lot of good reasons to take organic oregano oil of any brand, but this particular Joy of the Mountain brand is the tops, so it's what I'm opting for.  It is also GMO-Free, Gluten-free as well as wild-crafted in a low-trafficked area on the hillsides with no (or at least little-- who can claim that wind doesn't blow it around) pesticide residues.

OREGANO OIL is A NATURAL, SAFE, EFFECTIVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANALGESIC (Pain reliever)

Last year when I hiked the North Coast Trail I had throwback pain to an old knee injury as well as the expected usual general muscle and foot aches and pains.  I'm in pretty good shape, but I am a year older and I want to have something that will help me uncreak in the morning and get going with a good positive attitude (read: little to no debilitating pain).  From what I'm hearing and reading, if I rub this on in the a.m. I can expect to bring speedy relief of pain, and kick in healing, for any of an assortment of muscle-affected pain and injuries, bug bites, snake bite (yikes), infections, sore throats, etc.  It is apparently also effective for relief of the pain of arthritis, which I don't think I have... yet.

The primary components in Oil of Oregano that exhibit positive pharmacological effects (such as anti-inflammatory and pain relief) are carvacrol, thymol and rosmarinic acid.  Other components work synergistically as a whole to bring about the analgesic effect that I am looking for, minus the toxins found in most popular linamint lotions.  Apart from the significant number of studies that show that Oil of Oregano is a great analgesic is the ALL CLEAR around any worrying aspects of harm from using Oil of Oregano-- if you find that you feel less well, just cut back a dose or see your doctor if you develop a rash or other suspicious reaction.  Read more about the studies here at the LiveStrong site.

I would much rather use oil of oregano for pain relief than any of the usual 'culprits' that contain toxic Methyl salicylate often sourced from fermented Oil of Wintergreen (but more likely to be artificially compounded now).  Methyl salicylate is found as an ingredient in various liniments such as Ben Gay, Icy Hot, Bayer Muscle-Joint Cream, and even the popular supposedly "natural" Tiger Balm.  Methyl salicylate is also in aspirin products.  At best, methyl salicylate is a temporary pain reliever.  It is not an anti-inflammatory (so doesn't get to the base of the problem to heal it).

HOW TOXIC IS METHYL SALICYLATE?

If a  child accidentally ingested a teaspoonful of Oil of Wintergreen, that would be equivalent to an adult taking 22 aspirins-- a lethal dose for a child.  Granted, it is unlikely that a child would get that much methyl salicylate from a jar of Tiger Balm, for instance, but some of you athletes will remember that Arielle Newman, a prominent young track star, died from an overdose of methyl salicylate, the result of over-use of Ben Gay for muscle pain during training.  Other analgesics, such as acetaminophen (in Tylenol) can cause acute liver failure over time.  Nope, don't need that.   If you want more dope on the nasty 'side effects' of over-use of methyl salicylate, please go HERE.  Oil of Wintergreen is considered a toxic essential oil by many credible massage therapist professional standard associations.

I'M HIKING WITH THE OIL OF OREGANO>>>
This stuff is the bomb for what I'm anticipating might come up on that hike-- muscle pain, maybe an injury, maybe an infection of some kind, maybe a cold or sore throat, the odd bug bite...  the bottle I'll pack weighs 10 ml+ (a big consideration, yeah?)  I may be the last person in the world to know about Oil of Oregano... if you have some good stories, please comment below! 

Here is an article by my wife: 7 Natural Ways To Make A Sore Knee Feel Better
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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.

The Royston Seaside Trail: My Fave Daily Hike/Walking Trail

Zoe and I on the Royston Seaside Trail

The Trail on January 1, 2015

My wife, Cynthia, Zoe (our schnauzer-toy poodle cross) and I moved to Royston on BC's Vancouver Island about 9 years ago.  Back then I discovered an oceanside hiking trail in our neighbourhood that was created over top of a 45-year abandoned railway line but when I came across it, parts of it were deteriorating and becoming unsafe for most users-- but not for me and my dog!

The current Royston Seaside Trail, as it is now called, follows some of the old trail and parts run parallel to the old railway.   It officially opened in May2014. Construction began on the ‘new trail’ during the Fall of 2013.  From our house to the northend of the trail and back home is about 6 km which results in an easy daily workout.

The old trail included a small bridge and crossing on planks over a few small streams.  The new trail is longer, and with a gravel top that is wheel-chair accessible and is an enjoyable and scenic walk or run regardless of the time of year (except when it is rainy or stormy) and the adventuresome type can dress accordingly.

The Trail has not become too busy and the other people who traverse it with their dogs are friendly.  Occasionally I come across walking groups, sometimes from a series of walks offered through the Comox Elder College.

The north half of the Trail is a portion of the old ‘Comox Logging Railway Grade' known as ‘The
Breakwater Esplanade'.  In the south is a chunk of the Marine Drive road right-of-way.

Between Chinook and Lince Roads, the Trail follows the former Comox Logging railway right-of-way.

On the "old Trail" that runs parallel to the new

From 1911 to the early 1950’s steam locomotives hauled logs from logging camps throughout the Comox Valley to the Royston log dump. A mile long wharf extended from the end of Hilton Road. Logs were tipped off the wharf and sorted into booms and towed to more protected waters on the inside of Goose Spit.  From there, steam tugs towed the log booms to Fraser Mills in New Westminster.

Starting in 1937, large sailing ships and tugs were sunk off Hilton Road to protect the exposed log booming grounds. The wharf was taken down and replaced by a breakwater in the 1950’s, now known as "The Royston Wrecks."

Logs were stored north of the breakwater until 2005. The rocks that can be seen within the intertidal area during low tides most likely originate from the fill material placed to construct the railway grade.

The railway grade eroded with time. Erosion accelerated in particular after the log storage in front of the breakwater was taken out in 2005.

The Trail was re-constructed in fall and winter 2013/2014 and was moved inland, off the original
grade, behind the Hilton slough and at Thomson Road.  Between the slough and Thomson Road right-
of-way, the Comox Valley Regional District installed shoreline protection with logs anchored with steel cable between large boulders.
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Anything mentioned in this blog that is of a "health or medical nature" is the opinion and/or experience of the blogger and not an endorsement or a cure. Please see your trusted health professional.