Medical Possibilities

  What are Alkaloids? It's something that occurs naturally. Something that interacts with the mind and body. Examples include nicotine, adrenaline, ephedrine etc.  
Kratom has time and time again shown its effectiveness. The reason lies in science. Kratom contains two alkaloids that actually have serious medical relevance. The two are also the most abundant alkaloids within kratom. What's an

Naloxone: Used to counteract the dangerous effects of opiates. Often used to reverse overdoses of prescription and illegal drugs. The abundance of kratom available makes it seem a very cost effective option to extract and use its life-saving potential.

7-Hydroxymitragynine: This difficult to pronounce, wonderful, organic alkaloid. Where kratom gets its euphoric and pain-relieving potential from. The strength of this alkaloid has been tested at 7 times the potency of morphine. All effects are relatively similar, with incredibly low reports of adverse effects. The possibilities are endless. 

Interview #1 Kira Torres

    Hello again everyone! I've been spending time trying to get a foothold on the local kratom scene. Join my Facebook page and participate in the discussion!

   Kratom conversation inevitably makes its way towards vendors. I discourage outright promoting, but I implore everyone to share their favorites. On that note, I contacted a young lady who agreed to share some of her story. You can reach her with any questions on your own on her Facebook page, Chicago Botanicals.

        

Clay: How long have you used kratom? What are some of the benefits you've discovered? 

Kira: Been a year and a half now. Benefits are, I'm a better mother because I have energy to get up and clean and play with kids. I have serious fatigue issues without it. My anxiety has reduced and I don't need xanax everyday now. My depression is getting better too, being off Zoloft. I was able to go back to school and get a degree in psych to be a drug counselor also because (kratom) helped me focus.


C: Have you had any negative effects? 

K: Only minor headaches the first month I started. That went away and its been nothing but good effects sense. 


C: What's your favorite strain? 

K: Red and white.


C: So the red to relax and white vein for energy?

K: No, they both give me energy.


C: Well, what are your favorites on your page, Chicago Botanicals?

K: Chocolate, Cleaning Blend and King Red Maeng Da. 

You can find the strains above at https://m.facebook.com/KDKBotanicals/

    Thanks to my followers and Kira for spreading the good word. I'm working towards a review section. Please comment with your own favorites!

Update!

 Wow! The amount of traffic I'm seeing has been quite a surprise. I received a few requests for an update. I'm pleased to say I feel progress almost daily. Between this outlet and kratoms aid, I feel better than I have in years. I hope I've been able to help some of you learn about this incredible plant. I'll be posting three times a week for anyone interested!

   I'd like to reiterate that I'm more than open to any questions or additions. No matter the experience you've had with kratom. I would be thrilled to have any input, reviews or personal testimony on kratom. Click the contact link up top and comment or e-mail me personally.

Clayton.westhoff@gmail.com

Thank you for your support!

History of Kratom Use

   "Everything has a story,

here is Kratoms"

Kratom has documented medicinal use dating before the twentieth century. Used as a natural remedy for anxiety, insomnia, pain, diarrhea, many others, and eventually, opiate withdrawal. Additionally used to reenergize labors to great effect. Tea was brewed using the leaves or the raw leaf chewed directly. Usually after removing the less potent stem and vein. 

    "In the 19th-century opium abuse in Indonesia was rampant".


Consumption as a substitute was widely used. Having personally seen the effectiveness against withdrawal. I can speak for its effectiveness. As prescription of powerful opiates became common, interest in kratom rekindled. Now often used in addition and more often a replacement. Kratoms medicinal use has been largely untapped. 

   I found it surprising to find Kratom banned in its native Thailand. A small amount of research quickly found nefarious reasons. As kratom's popularity rose, Thailand opium tax revenue took a hit. The parallels to hemp's witch hunt legislation are eye opening. But that's a story for another post. 

    A quick internet search finds a number of news articles pertaining to kratom use in the States. With kratom made illegal in Australia and Malaysia, some States have followed suit. Most negative articles are laughable in quality and lacking even basic sources. In spite of a handful of legislators pushing for kratom's ban, it continues to make headlines. Currently unattainable in Vermont,Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Indiana. Interest in Kratom continues to grow as an opiate substitute. 

Check Out my Kratom Dosage Guide:

Check Out my Kratom Strands Guide:

Personal Testimony

  There was a time in my life where my main priority was MORE NORCO! I took hydrocodone daily for over two years. The only time I refrained was when I had no alternative. Anyone who has struggled with addiction knows the perpetual fear of withdrawal. Then I met a girl. She had children, and me head over heels. I decided that I had to make a change.

    I would be lying if I said once I made that decision I never took opiates again. I took the two simultaneously. It clearly compounded the effects. After a few weeks of that, I started cutting out the norcos. Within a few days, I was exclusively taking kratom. I was absolutely blown away. I still craved the high, but I had ZERO withdrawals. I was saving hundreds of dollars a month. And I wasn't breaking any laws.

    After a few months, I started experimenting making tea and extracts. Blew my tolerance away quickly. Regular kratom consumed with my normal "toss and wash" method had little to zero effect. I relapsed and was back to square one. I felt like I was stuck in an addiction cycle for good. So I deleted every number I had to acquire my drugs of choice. Within two weeks I had things under control again. But had I truly beaten addiction?

    I decided there was only one way to find out. I stashed the rest of my Kratom and said, "no more". I suffered through a single sleepless night and miserable day. I resigned myself to daily use. After approximately six months of daily use, I noticed a significant change. I had basically zero desire to have sex. Being a 20-something with no libido made me feel like less of a man. My pride interfered with my health and I relapsed again.

    I found something new, suboxone. For ten bucks a pop I was high as I could want to be for up to four days. However, it made it impossible to take any other opiate for days afterwards. I had a habit of running low and running out. I thought I knew how bad withdrawal was. Suboxone withdrawal made anything I ever felt seem like a hangnail. I was once again a slave to addiction.

    I wasn't ready to quit, no matter how badly I needed to. I made excuses. I was only self-medicating I had things under control. But any day I didn't have my subs was met by apathy and angst. So I locked myself away and drank myself stupid for a week. I quit answering the phone and shut down entirely. The withdrawals faded but my substance abuse was simply converted to another drug, alcohol. I knew I had to make a change.

    I went with what I knew, kratom. Knowing my addictive personality, I disregarded extracts and stuck to regular plain leaf. Having suffered through the withdrawals from suboxone, the kratom worked like a charm. No more apathy. No more depression, No more anxiety. I was myself again. Concerned with decreased sex drive, I moderated my dosage much more carefully. Two months later I can happily say I have had no negative effects, and I have my life back. Yes, I dose nearly every day. I could easily see a doctor and be prescribed anti-anxiety and depression medication. Having tried both, I can say confidently kratom is a safer, cheaper alternative.

    There are a lot of people who can take kratom recreationally, I am not one of them. However, removing kratom from life results in a far more destructive alternative. I know some people may think I haven't gotten "better" at all. But I wake up every day feeling my own self-worth. That's worth more to me than anything.

The Benefits of Kratom

Back pain, arthritis, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, restless legs syndrome. Do you suffer from any of these things? Do you want to get off toxic prescription drugs? Are you looking for some help kicking an opiate problem? Perhaps you are looking for something better than a cup of coffee to get you going in the morning? Kratom can be your answer for all of this and more. I intend to create a resource you can use to find the right vendor, strain, dosage, and method of consumption for you.

So what is kratom? To put it simply, it's a leaf from an evergreen tree in the coffee family. It is dehydrated, milled and typically consumed directly or made into a tea. 

What does it do? Therein lies the beauty of Kratom. With dozens of different strains and alkaloid compounds, it can be a very personal experience. People have reported different combinations of the following effects starting with the more common ones I've heard/felt; pain relief, euphoria, anxiety relief (particularly for social anxiety), energy, appetite suppression and more.

Are there negative effects? Yes, of course. Everyone will want to try your kratom once you tell them about it! Joking aside, kratom works on the same receptors as an opiate. Constipation, dependence, respiratory depression and nausea at high doses have been reported. Albeit, at a significant decrease to the amount and extent reported by traditional painkiller studies. The only drawback I've personally experienced is a much more rare one, decreased libido. 

Is it legal? Kratom is legal everywhere with a few exceptions. Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), and ironically enough, its native country Thailand. Currently three states, Indiana, Tennessee and Vermont, have banned the alkaloids present in kratom.