Noxicare™ Natural Pain Relief Cream + Giveaway

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
I used to think that gardening was hard on my back. Turns out, nothing does a number on your body like growing, birthing and taking care of a baby. I went to chiropractor visits during my pregnancy, have back pain from the epidural spot and constant backaches from breastfeeding positions and carrying a now 16, almost 17 pound baby!

Now, typically, when having muscle and back pain, DH would just rub some tiger balm on the spot, the area would get warm and relaxed and I would spend the rest of the day smelling like ... tiger balm. When I was younger, it was all about eucalyptus oil in a green bottle that was my mother's cure all.  And then I'd go around smelling like koala bait.

Regardless, they were the solutions I would turn to over some of the more chemical based products like Bengay (the Methyl Salicylate is toxic in large quantities) which also smells terrible or even oral pain relievers.  I belief is that treating the site of the pain with increased blood flow to the area is the best way to quickly heal.  Oral pain relievers mask the symptom, topical creams help cure the problem.   

I was excited to try Noxicare when they sent me their product.  Unfortunately, I'm breastfeeding and Noxicare is not approved for use on pregnant or nursing women.  Luckily, DH is an avid cyclist and regularly has leg and knee pain so he tried this product out for me.

Now, Noxi is an unfortunate name choice in an all natural health related product.  It imparts the image of noxious smelly gases and other toxic things.  Turns out, however, that Noxicare is a natural product.

The active ingredients from as described on their website includes:

• Turmeric Extract: one of the powerful healers found in nature, recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties.
• Willow Bark Extract: has been used to treat pain and inflammation since the time of Ancient Egypt and Greece.
• Ginger Extract: helps alleviate muscle strains, arthritis and rheumatism, and is a catalyst for improving the effectiveness of other herbs.
• Holy Basil Extract: properties include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral.
• Rosemary Extract: has served a variety of purposes including topical use for joint or musculoskeletal pain.
• Alpha Lipoic Acids: antioxidants used to treating diabetic neuropathy and increasing blood flow to the nerves.
• Boswellia Extract: an anti-inflammatory used to treat arthritis and joint pain.

I've recently been very conscious about my smell because babies are very sensitive to smell.   I want BB to be able to comforted by my smell and was concerned that when DH put this product on and came to bed, the smell would be unpleasant like so many other natural products.  We were both pleasantly surprised that this cream smelled like nothing.

DH was particularly impressed because Noxicare created a warm sensation in the areas he applied it in, which to him felt like increased blood flow to the area, without the telltale menthol smell that tiger balm, green eucalyptus oil and Bengay reeks of when applied. He could actually use this at work and not offend his co-worker's noses.

Was it as heating as the aforementioned alternative options?  No.  Did it do a good job?  Yes. Would DH use this instead of Tiger Balm?  Yes, simply based on the effectiveness of the product partnered with the lack of detectable smell.

But you don't have to take my review for it.  Try it for yourself for free if you win the giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember, I have such a small but awesome group of readers that if you enter, you'll have a darn good chance of winning. Contest ends January 24, 2014.

Good luck! 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sciatic and Posterior Pelvis Pain

Pregnancy is a literal pain in the butt.

I've been having lower back pain intermittently throughout the entire pregnancy but last weekend, I overdid it at a Yard Sale and by the end of Sunday, I couldn't walk. (Bright side: We did sell a lot of stuff!)

It felt like a stabbing pain in my upper buttock and lower back.  Previously I had just assumed it was sciatic pain and when the back pain worsened on Sunday, I thought it was the same thing.

I got off my feet for most of the next day but the pain continued even when I would lay down and eventually, any movement in my leg would trigger the pain.  DH, who has had sciatic pain before, walked me through some sciatic nerve stretches to see if they would help and they most definitely made everything worse. 

After a bit more research, and a lot more pain, I found that my current ailment was probably  not Sciatica but more likely as Posterior Pelvis Pain.  As the Relaxin (the pregnancy hormone that causes joints to loosen) goes through the body, especially in the last trimester when the pelvis starts to open to make room for childbirth, the body can get misaligned and many pregnant women will experience Posterior Pelvis Pain.  Sciatic stretches will not help.


After calling Labor and Delivery (who told me Tylenol, a heat pack and staying off my feet should help) and contacting my OB (who offered to put me on bed rest so I could stay home from work), I realized they had no solutions.  I had to do something!

I made an appointment with a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy issues and a prenatal massage appointment with a therapist who specializes in third trimester prenatal massage.

Dr. Kam, of Kam Chiropractic, evaluated my pain, confirmed that it was pelvic related pain, did a couple of adjustments and recommended pelvic tilts to strengthen the muscles that would prevent further pain.  Within an hour, I was 80% recovered and able to walk with relatively little pain.

The next day, I had a pressure point prenatal massage that was supposed to release any residual stress on my joints.  I don't feel that was at all effective for pain management, though I did leave the massage relaxed. 

Many women swear by regular visits to the chiropractor during pregnancy to keep their sciatic and other back pain at bay.  Until this week, I was skeptical.  Now, I'm a believer!