Growing up, I used to get chronic migraines, the kind of blinding headaches that would force me out of school, and into bed for the rest of the day. After the first five, the pain was so excruciating that it became something I tried actively to preempt. Some of my strategies included frequent doctor visits, hydration techniques, and mandated sleep regiments. And while Advil helped once I got a migraine, nothing really did the trick as well as this strange homeopathic salve that was recommended by a friend. And all of a sudden, my headaches, along with the stress surrounding them, were gone.
At first, I was skeptical of a salve that claims it can relieve aches, pains, and remedy cold symptoms, but honestly, I had gotten to a point where I was willing to try anything. I wish I didn’t wait as long as I did. Tiger Balm works all the wonders advertised, and more. It comes in a little lip balm container, but despite the size, it packs a punch. What hits your nose is menthol (think: Vicks VapoRub), which produces a peppermint-eucalyptus aroma that can’t help but flood the nostrils and tickle your other senses, too. The menthol, in tandem with the camphor, cools the skin and distracts the brain from the pain you’re experiencing, and relaxes the muscles as a result.
But look, I’m not a doctor and I’m not 100% sure how Tiger Balm works or why it works. I can just anecdotally tell you that it does, in fact, work for me, and plenty of people I know. It has worked, so they say, in the courts of Chinese emperors, and it works today for my chronic migraines. It works for runners who experience joint pain, and people who have arthritis say it helps, too. As confusing as it might be to say, in a day-and-age where science wins the day, perhaps there is something about the mystery, the not-knowing, that is just, well, relieving. And besides, once you start using it, it’ll become a smell you won’t be able to live without.
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