Hello Sky spirit
I want to response to your questions about taking herbs. Along with an anti-depressant taken at low dosages to take care of neuropathic pain, I also take omega 3, vitamine C's, for summer time. In winter I add salmon oil. The natural elements of my daily intake targets the pain in my joints specifically.
Last year I was taking vitamine C's at the dosage of 3-4,000mgs daily. It helped me tremendously. I now lowered the vit C's because my body tells me that I don't need as much.
Personally I believe that conventional medicine and allopathic medicine can be friends and complement each other as long as one has studied the interaction between the two. My pain level can become quite intolerant to say the least, I refused to be in pain constantly and become inactive as a result of it. So I take both. My neurologist is aware of it as well and has approved.
It is thought that herbal preparations are not as potent or damaging as chemically prepared meds. I have a different outlook about that. I feel the herbal preparations can be as damaging as the chemical meds if not taken properly. One has to be careful not to damage the liver which is the Great Filter of all.

louise
arachnoiditiscanada.com