Since I was a young child, I have always played contact sports and have been very active. This led to a series of injuries early on in life that required me to be on anti-inflammatory medications for many years, continuing into my early 20s. Because of all the meds I was given, I developed ulcers and a hiatal hernia.

Then in 2008, at 25 years old, I had an injury at work that nearly broke my back. I went to the hospital for an assessment with imaging and was told that I was very lucky to be in good physical shape because it saved me from breaking my back. They gave me a script and sent me on my way.

Two years later, in 2010, I experienced my first herniated disk and learned that I had scar tissue in the area of my back where the injury occurred. This was a very painful experience and it was the first time in my life that I felt vulnerable and not invincible. I couldn’t walk or use the restroom without pain and I didn’t want to take any more pills because I was already vomiting bile on a daily basis, so I looked for an alternative.

That was the same year that Arizona passed Prop. 203, which allowed qualified patients in Arizona to receive their medical marijuana card. Having smoked cannabis for a long time, I knew that there were some medicinal benefits, but I didn’t know it would take me down this journey of healing. I gathered my records and sought out a doctor to get my card.

After receiving my AZMMJ card, I was given some cannabis tincture to try. Within minutes, my nausea went away and I stopped throwing up bile. Cannabis was able to treat the pain and nausea, but I felt that it was still masking the symptoms. When I started working with a Naturopathic Doctor and massage therapist, I began to truly get relief and start to treat the root cause of the conditions.

After some years of lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, massage and acupuncture, I was able to start noticing lasting results that have allowed me to start working out again and be active with things I couldn’t do a few years ago. Now, 8 years after my back injury and 7 years from my introduction to Dr. May and natural medicine, I have been able to fully treat my pain naturally and remove some of the scar tissue from my back with alternative medicine and body therapies. 

My ulcers have gone away, my hiatal hernia symptoms have subsided and I stopped getting migraines (which I had for many years from my concussions in football), and I know that these results are achievable by anyone. The body has an amazing ability to heal itself—it just needs the proper tools. Luckily, nature provides a lot of those tools.

Connect with David Yrigoyen at Natural Healing Care Center, 520-323-0069. See ad, page 19.