The Broken Woman: An Icy Winter’s Tale
- Krista J Essler LAc
- Apr 13
- 4 min read
I was cautiously walking to my car, through the ice field of my backyard, when all of a sudden, I was down with a pain in my elbow. Thus, proving that all the balance exercises in the world do not prepare you for an icy February in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Off to urgent care I went, followed by a fortunate same-day appointment with an orthopedist. Diagnosis: a fracture of the radial head. Apparently when I tried to break my fall, the impact pushed the radius (a bone in the forearm on the thumb side) into my elbow and it fractured from the pressure. OUCH! Luckily, it was not my dominant side.
I decided to use this opportunity to heal as quickly as possible so that I could then apply what I learned through this experience to help others.
My first concern was managing the pain. I wanted to avoid pain-masking medications, such as NSAIDs, because I wanted to be aware of my healthy limits of movement. This way, I could organically and therapeutically increase my range of motion without further damage.
Starting the same day, I gave myself a two-needle acupuncture treatment, inserting at the area of pain, subsidizing with a second set of two needles to address the instability at the ulnar-side (opposite of the radius) of my wrist. I did this twice daily for the first four weeks. At night, I used topical CBD cream and Arnica gel which, together, helped me get a pain-free rest.
The next day, I decided to see if I could find any documentation on the benefits of using phototherapy, or light therapy, for bone healing. I came across a published paper which stated that exposure to blue light could increase mineralization of bone.1 Since I have a multi-color light that I use during the Cosmetic Microneedling services which I offer, this therapy was then added three to four days per week, usually during needle retention.
Next, I looked to see if there was any research on PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic frequency) and osteogenesis (bone formation). I found two published papers that showed frequencies between 5 Hz and 75 Hz promote bone formation and mineralization by stimulating stem cells in the bone marrow.2,3 I typically use my PEMF mat daily but never at the lower settings near 5 Hz. When I laid my arm on it, within 5 minutes, I felt that stitching sensation one gets when they are healing. It was definitely an interesting experience. I added this to my protocol once or twice daily.
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) point-of-view, these actions were creating an energetic blueprint for which the nutritional support would then be the building blocks. So I went and created a proprietary formula from the following herbs in the TCM Materia Medica:
Hai Piao Xiao (cuttlefish bone) has been shown to decrease risk of fractures in a cohort study of a population over 50 years old.4 I used this to supply the base minerals for bone formation
Jin Ying Zi (Cherokee rosehip) and Gou Qi Zi (Lychee fruit) both provide flavonoids and essential vitamin and mineral complexes for bone health. Further, they have antiinflammatory properties.5, 6, 9
YinYang Huo (horny goat weed leaf) strengthens the bones and sinews as a stand alone herb. But when used in combination with Huang Bai (philodendron bark) and Xian Mao (golden eye grass root) works synergistically to significantly increase the bone mineral density and content while regulating blood markers at the cellular level to balance clean up of bone fragments and new tissue growth.7,8
By taking a holistic approach and combining all of these therapies, I reduced my healing time to five weeks from the standard six to twelve weeks. Further, I have regained full range of motion, something that the orthopedist said was unlikely to happen.
Be well!
Resources
1 Albaqami M, Aguida B, Pourmostafa A, Ahmad M, Kishore V. Photobiomodulation effects of blue light on osteogenesis are induced by reactive oxygen species. Lasers Med Sci. 2023 Dec 13;39(1):5. doi: 10.1007/s10103-023-03951-7. PMID: 38091111.
2 Varani K, Vincenzi F, Pasquini S, Blo I, Salati S, Cadossi M, De Mattei M. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Stimulation in Osteogenesis and Chondrogenesis: Signaling Pathways and Therapeutic Implications. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jan 15;22(2):809. doi: 10.3390/ijms22020809. PMID: 33467447; PMCID: PMC7830993.
4 Yu-Chi, W., Chiang, J., Hsin-Cheng, H., & Chun-Hao, T. (2019). Decreased fracture incidence with traditional chinese medicine therapy in patients with osteoporosis: A nationwide population-based cohort study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 19 doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2446-3
5 Rosehip extract-functionalized magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles and its effect on osteoblastic and osteoclastic cells. Materials, 14(15), 4172. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14154172
6 Mármol I, Sánchez-de-Diego C, Jiménez-Moreno N, Ancín-Azpilicueta C, Rodríguez-Yoldi MJ. Therapeutic Applications of Rose Hips from Different Rosa Species. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 25;18(6):1137. doi: 10.3390/ijms18061137. PMID: 28587101; PMCID: PMC5485961.
7 Liu, S., Huang, J., Wang, J., Zhao, Y., Lu, S., Wang, Y., & Bian, Q. (2016). Er-xian decoction stimulates osteoblastic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells in ovariectomized mice and its gene profile analysis. Stem Cells International, 2016 doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4079210
8 Xue, L., Jiao, L., Wang, Y., Nie, Y., Han, T., Jiang, Y., . . . Qin, L. (2012). Effects and interaction of icariin, curculigoside, and berberine in er-xian decoction, a traditional chinese medicinal formula, on osteoclastic bone resorption. Evidence - Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012 doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/490843
9 Bucheli P, Gao Q, Redgwell R, et al. Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects of Chinese Wolfberry. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 14. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92756/
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