By Kerry Hallett
You know how it goes: one moment you’re having an ordinary— even mundane— day and the next, everything changes. That moment for me was at 8:42 a.m. on a Tuesday morning in June of 2019. My life changed forever on that day. A routine early morning trip to the vet with my senior dog, Indy, was cut short when I was suddenly cut off by an 18 wheeler, causing a collision. After blacking out, I awoke to glass everywhere, blood in my eyes from a head injury, and excruciating pain in my back. At the emergency room I found out I had a burst fracture in my L1 vertebra requiring immediate spinal fusion surgery, and a mild traumatic brain injury. After surgery and recovery, things with my back slowly progressed, but my MTBI caused lingering problems. My short term memory was nearly nonexistent, I couldn't follow simple instructions or learn new tasks, I suffered from a perpetual gnawing headache, and despite being exhausted I was unable to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. My brain would jolt awake, like it had suddenly started to sprint in the middle of the night, ignoring the fact that it needed rest to heal from the physical and mental trauma. I was diagnosed with both PTSD and Post Concussion Syndrome. My inability to sleep of course exacerbated all of my symptoms. After an MRI and visits to a regular doctor and neurologist, everyone kept trying to treat simply my headaches with medication— focusing on a symptom and ignoring the root of the cause. Not being a big fan of pharmaceuticals, I kept asking everyone for more natural remedies. Finally, a nurse practitioner suggested I try ashwagandha. After some research and reading online reviews, I quickly found Portland Ashwagandha Farms. (I'm really big into Ayurveda and natural medicine and have spent time in India, so the review that sold me was someone's Indian grandmother giving the product her seal of approval!) I immediately ordered a bottle, and began with double the suggested dose in the evening as I was so exhausted and desperate to sleep. I instantly began to stay asleep longer and longer as the nights went by, until I was sleeping a full 8 hours again, and waking up feeling refreshed. I began taking a small dose during the day as well, and noticed a marked difference in my ability to focus, concentrate, and learn. Because I was sleeping regularly, my brain finally had the rest it needed to begin to heal from my MTBI. To this day I suffer symptoms if I'm overly tired, or sometimes if it's overcast. I still turn to Portland Ashwagandha Farm's tincture when my symptoms flare up or when I need help getting a good night's sleep. If it weren't for their tincture I don't know how I would have gotten the necessary rest for my Mild Traumatic Brain Injury to heal. I will be forever grateful; and I recommend their tincture to anyone who's having trouble getting restful sleep, or who may need a boost in their daily focus. And for those of you wondering, yes— Indy made it, too! We took care of each other during the whole ordeal. I am so grateful for this pure and effective tincture— it really helped me get my life (and my brain) back!
We would love to hear your story! If you would like to share your experience using our products with us, please email us at info@portlandashwagandhafarm.com.