This post was originally posted on Blogger July 12, 2024.
This post was originally posted on Blogger July 18, 2024.
*My Independent review of Kalaya cream for pain*
When I fell in 2008, without a second thought, my dad became my right hand and one of our family’s primary caregivers. As much as Paul wanted be there, he had to work. Someone needed to be working and I was no longer able to work. My dad was recently retired and stepped into that role without hesitation. Right away he began helping me with things I struggled with and couldn’t do anymore, and taking the kids when I had doctor's appointments. If the kids were in school, he would drive me to and from my doctors appointments. If the kids were not in school, my dad would either watch the kids at he and my mom’s house, or he would take me to my appointment and do something with the kids while I was there. Afterwards, we’d go out for lunch. He said we were his job now.
He went above and beyond for us, doing things like coming over every morning to help me get the kids ready for school. He’d then walk them to school, come back to our place, and check in. Some days he brought ham and cheese croissants from Cobbs, and he brought me a homemade coffee every morning.
Every couple of weeks, my dad would take me out to do something. We’d go to the Vancouver Compassion Club, then go for wood fired pizza at a place he and my mom would go to when they were dating. My dad would get an extra pizza for us to have for dinner that night. Sometimes he would take me to the casino with $20 for the penny slots and lunch in their restaurant while the kids were at school. Other times he’d take me and the kids out for brunch, always at De Dutch or The Tomahawk. We’d go shopping for shoes, clothes and outerwear that took my CRPS body sensitivities into account.
He took me and the kids to the Aquarium often, with my parents getting us a yearly family pass, or he would take the kids to the Aquarium while I had a doctor’s appointment. We also did Science World lots and at one point also had a yearly family pass. We had so much fun and made a lot of really good memories. And the kids always managed to suck my dad into getting them something from the gift shops at the Aquarium and Science World, usually a stuffed animal or book. These gift shop purchases are still treasured, and since my dad’s passing in 2020, make them all the more treasured.
My dad went above and beyond. He’d take the kids biking in Stanley Park where they’d stop for lunch at the water park. He took them for haircuts at the cute kids’ hair salon at the Lonsdale Quay, while I walked around shopping, and after the kid’s hair cuts, we’d meet at the ball pit. He spent real time engaging with the kids, and those memories are wonderful.
He loved having them over to my parent’s house and making them their favourite meals. He and my mom would take the kids to the movies, then have them for a sleepover. My dad always had fun projects and activities, with one time getting a science kit making green bug shaped candy gummies.
He volunteered as a driver at the kid’s elementary school so he could go on field trips with them, in place of me. He read to them, would make them lunch and then go to the park, and afterwards would bike to the Dairy Queen for blizzards. He’d take them for bike rides around the neighbourhood and over to the playground nearby, stopping at the corner store for an ice cream on the way home. My dad loved ice cream.
My dad didn’t stop at being there for the kids. He began researching my condition, and treatments for it, alternative health practitioners I could go to and he also began researching products that I could use to help me with the pain. He would drive all over the lower mainland to get them, and frequented Chinatown in Vancouver, Metrotown in Burnaby, and small, independent health and wellness shops and vitamin stores. If he were still alive, he’d still probably be doing all those things.
One of the first products he bought for me to try was Kalaya, a pain relief cream made from natural ingredients. Kalaya has 6 proven natural pain blocking and anti-inflammatory ingredients in its creams. Ingredients like Arnica, Eucalyptus, Menthol, MSM, Methyl Salicylate, and Camphor, Kalaya is effective as an anti-inflammatory which targets aches and pains of arthritic muscles and joints, as well as muscle, back and joint pain. It also has cold pressed seed oil packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients like Omega 3 fatty acids, which are known for their inflammatory reducing properties.
Link to Kalaya 6x Extra Strength: https://amzn.to/3ydXSPx
Link to Kalaya 6x Extra Strength with Cannabis Sativa: https://amzn.to/4fnj6Lv
In researching for this post, I learned a little about the science behind the ingredients. Menthol and methyl salicylate are counterirritants, which means they work by causing the skin to feel cool then warm. These feelings on the skin distract you from feeling the aches and pains deeper in your muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments. Arnica is used for bruises, muscle aches, sprains, wound healing, joint pain, and swelling. Eucalyptus is similar to Menthol and Camphor in that it goes from hot to cold, distracting your brain from the pain signals being sent to it.
I use it mostly on the ankle I broke, and my lower back. It starts working while applying it, and within 5-7 minutes the pain has reduced enough that I become aware that I’m not hurting as much. I find it gets pretty deep into the muscles and helps target my joint pain. I have mild arthritis in both of my hands, and when it gets bad I rub it into my hands. After about 15 minutes, the cream has absorbed into my skin, I wash whatever is left on my skin so that I can get back to my artwork. On my really bad days, I conjure up the courage to rub the cream on my legs by weighing the pain it will cause rubbing it on, with the pain relief from the cream. My legs have extreme sensitivities to things coming in contact with my legs, even my pants and the sheets on the bed brushing against my skin cause severe pain.
use for whiplash in neck, and to help headaches.
**Note: Wash your hands really well before you touch your eyes. It only took me not washing them well enough once, for me to remember never to do that again.
Link to Kalaya Neck and Back Spray: https://amzn.to/3yz1jAd
What I also like about Kalaya, is that it is a 100% Canadian brand. Its research, development and manufacturing is located in Cambridge, Ontario, and the founders are a Canadian physician and pharmacist and have developed this cream.
Back when I started using Kalaya, probably around 2012, there were only the original and extra strength creams available at the shops we went to. Now Kalaya comes in Extra Strength 6x cream and Extra Strength with Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil cream, and other pain relief products and supplements for good joint and muscle health and sleep.
A newer feature that I appreciate is that you can get a tube of their creams with a massager, which consists of 3 steel marbles that the cream comes out around. Those steel marbles roll on your skin when applying it, massaging it into your skin. I will say it makes rubbing it onto the area much nicer and is cleaner to apply. I’m an artist and any creams or oils that I get on my hand, even a tiny amount, could wreck the piece of artwork I’m working on. It’s virtually impossible to get a lotion or other cream oil off of paper, so I’m really fussy about things like that.
Link to Kalaya Cannabis Sativa Spray: https://amzn.to/3SxCtHZ
My father's unwavering love and support during a challenging time were instrumental in helping our family navigate a difficult period. His selfless dedication, combined with the discovery of helpful products like Kalaya, has made a profound impact on my life. I’ve suggested it to multiple people, and their feedback was always positive, in that it helped reduce their pain. I am eternally grateful for his care and the positive changes he brought to our family.