Punch Gunk: The anti-inflammatory product revolutionizing pain-management

Me after running a half-marathon in a snow storm! I definitely needed some Punch Gunk that day.

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Dealing with aches & pains is something everyone is familiar with, but if you are an athlete, or someone dealing with a chronic or acute pain disorder or injury, you know that dealing with regular or severe pain or soreness can greatly detract from performance & quality of life.

One common solution to deal with pain is to take an over-the-counter or prescription pain medication, but in my experience as an athlete with a chronic pain disorder, these pills often don’t work. Not only am I discouraged by the long list of side effects that come with taking an over-the-counter pain reliever regularly, but so often the medications don’t provide any relief, or they focus on relieving some inflammation from all over my body rather than targeting the actual point of pain that is bothering me. 

But now, I have Punch Gunk, & I can honestly say it has changed the game in pain management. 

Punch Gunk was started by husband & wife team Cameron & Nadene McIntyre, who wanted to create a natural remedy for pain relief for athletes. Their displeasure with current products on the market was that most of them had an unpleasant odor, were greasy, & did not penetrate far enough to get the needed work done. After conducting extensive research with multiple athletes, & through collaboration with chemist Fred Khoury at Above Rinaldi Labs, they created Punch Gunk. It’s an FDA-compliant topical pain reliever made with nine natural extracts, including aloe, witch hazel, licorice root, & tea tree heart. It is anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, & full of antioxidants; it’s designed to help relax sore muscles, reduce inflammation, fight free radicals, detoxify your body’s cells, & moisturize your skin. Their product has been endorsed by a number of high-profile athletes, including Pedro Minc, Kevin Holland, & Jessica “Evil” Eye

Full disclaimer: This company contacted me on Twitter & sent me a box of their products to try for free. However, everything I am writing here are my own, honest thoughts about this product.

The cream is like nothing I have ever used before. In the past, I have used two creams to help with pain: Icy Hot for athletic soreness, & magnesium lotion for chronic pain. Icy Hot is nice, but it’s a tad intense, & the medicinal smell isn’t always my favorite. Magnesium lotion has by far been my favorite pain relief cream because it does provide relief for chronic pain & it’s made with essential oils & other natural ingredients, so it’s gentle on my skin. However, the pain relief doesn’t last for long – it just doesn’t penetrate deep enough.

Punch Gunk is like a combination of the two, but so much more effective. It had a gentle cooling & heating quality to it, much like Icy Hot but a lot less intense. It smells wonderful, & it’s made with all-natural ingredients. Most importantly, it takes my pain away completely, & the pain stays away for much longer than it does with the magnesium lotion.

What I was most impressed by was the pain it removed in my rib cage. In my junior year of high school, I dislocated three of my ribs, & one of them still pops out of place pretty frequently. The only way I can get it back into place is to see my chiropractor, & when those visits are far apart, it means I have to deal with the pain of a dislocated rib & the associated muscular inflammation for sometimes months at a time. Nothing has ever taken away the pain of my dislocated rib except for a chiropractic adjustment. At least, nothing had taken away the pain until I tried Punch Gunk. By no means did it put my rib back into place, but it provided such exceptional pain relief that I forgot about the injury for hours. That is a huge win for me. 

Punch Gunk doesn’t just make pain relief cream. I was also sent a couple bath bombs to try, & I had the same pleasant experience. The bath bomb doesn’t have a strong, perfumed scent; it was much like slipping into a bath filled with epsom salts, but the relaxed sensation I felt in my muscles after my soak was much more enhanced. I felt relaxed all evening, & I slept through the night after my soak, which is another rare feat for me.

I strongly recommend Punch Gunk’s products for anyone. Whether you are dealing with minor aches & pains from sitting at the office all day, or you’re someone who struggles with chronic pain; if you’re an athlete dealing with soreness from an intense workout, or if you are nursing an injury back to health, this product will provide the pain relief you are looking for without any nasty side effects or toxic chemicals. And the pleasant aroma will help you feel relaxed & rejuvenated to tackle whatever you have left in your day. 

Punch Gunk’s slogan is “Tough Stuff for the Rough Stuff.” Life can get pretty rough sometimes, but with Punch Gunk, you can tackle all your goals without anything, even pain, holding you back. 

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Traveling with chronic illness: What’s in my carry-on bag

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One of the most important things to have on a long flight is a smartly packed carry-on bag.

While doing some online searching, I was surprised to see that there was very little information about things to pack in a carry-on bag for people with different needs. As someone who has dealt with chronic illness for over the last decade, I know that symptoms can, and often do, flare up during travel. Luckily, as an experienced traveler, I have some insight on what someone with chronic illness may need on a long flight.

To be clear, most of the specialty items that I packed were for fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but anyone who suffers from any type of gastrointestinal upset or chronic pain could find benefit from these products.

So, here is what I have in my carry-on bag for my upcoming trip to Arizona (a six hour flight with a four hour layover in Denver), including the usual, mundane items everyone has, and a couple of extra special items that I think you may find helpful for your next trip.

1. Book

For a long flight, it’s important to have something to pass the time. I personally enjoy catching up on my reading while flying. Currently, I am reading Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness by Susannah Cahalan. I haven’t finished it yet, so I can’t give you a formal review, but thus far, it has been truly captivating and difficult to put down. I am very much looking forward to finishing this book during my trip.

2. Magnesium Plus Stick

This balm is a lifesaver. The Magnesium Plus Stick from Jordan Essentials is a lotion bar enhanced with magnesium, peppermint, basil, lavender, and frankincense. It provides fantastic relief for headaches, muscle aches, and other inflammation associated with chronic pain. After rubbing it on, the effects are almost instantaneous. I never go on a trip without it. 

3. Extra supplements/medications

Most of my supplements/medications are packed away in my luggage, but there are a few I like to have on-hand just in case of some pain or stomach upset, or on the off-chance that the airline loses my luggage. I have extra doses of all of my essential pills in my carry-on, as well as a few extras, just in case. 

For general health and wellness, I use an adult multivitamin from Equate. As a nutrition coach, I recommend everyone take a multivitamin daily to make sure they are getting in an adequate micronutrient intake. 

I manage my IBS with the supplement form of Magnesium Citrate from NOW supplements, which helps regulate the typical wave pattern of constipation and diarrhea for this disease. 

Insomnia is a very common side-effect of fibromyalgia. When your body is tense, it’s difficult to relax enough to fall asleep. To help with this, instead of taking prescription sleeping pills, I use a Melatonin supplement from Nature Made, the only supplement company regulated in the United States (for all other supplements, I make sure they are from reputable companies approved by foreign governments, like Canada, that regulate supplements; except for Nature Made, the FDA does not regulate any supplement companies in the U.S.). 

When traveling, it can be difficult to get in enough vegetables, which are incredibly important for general health, gastrointestinal function, and inflammatory balance in the body. Just in case I am not able to eat my veggies, I packed my Amazing Grass Green Superfood Capsules, which offer a full serving of vegetables along with probiotics, digestive enzymes, and spirulina. 

I never know when IBS symptoms are going to flare up, especially when traveling, so I always pack some Gas X Extra-Strength Soft Gels in case I need to calm my finicky intestines. On this note, I also packed TUMS, just in case my stomach has any trouble.

The last “just-in-case” medication I packed is Aleve. I always try to relieve my pain symptoms as naturally as possible, but sometimes, when the body aches won’t go away, an anti-inflammatory pill is a good solution. Aleve is my favorite because it won’t irritate my stomach the way ibuprofen will, and it provides pain relief for 12 hours.

4. Electrolyte powder and an empty, reusable water bottle

When you’re traveling, it can be difficult to drink enough water. No one wants to be constantly running to (or trying to find) a bathroom. To get the most out of the water I am drinking, I bring Propel electrolyte powders. They help give my body the hydration it needs, and they are low-FODMAP, so they aren’t going to upset my IBS. 

You can’t get through TSA with a bottle of water. However, once you are through, you can fill up an environmentally-friendly, reusable water bottle. I like the Contigo brand of water bottles – the tops lock to reduce spills, they hold a lot of water, and they aren’t too expensive.

5. Protein bars

Everyone gets hungry when they are flying high in the sky. I personally like to pack protein bars to help me feel satiated for a long period of time. Simply Protein peanut butter cookies are not only delicious, but they are made with all-natural ingredients (unlike most protein bars, which are packed full of chemicals and/or sugar). 

6. Neck pillow and eye mask

To rest my aching neck, or to catch a couple minutes of sleep, I like the ZOYLEE twist memory foam travel pillow. It can be formed to different shapes, so no matter how you are sitting, you can find a comfortable place to rest your head.

To block out the light, I use the Alaska Bear natural silk sleep mask. It’s comfortable, stays pretty cool, and protects my eyes from any light trying to break through.

7. Laptop

As a blogger, this is an essential on my trip. I absolutely love my MacBook Air. It has lasted longer than any other laptop I have ever owned, and it still works just as good as the day I bought it. It’s also sleek and lightweight, which makes it perfect for traveling.

To keep my laptop safe, I use the Lalumix plastic hard shell with keyboard cover and screen protector. Sunflowers are my favorite flower, so my choice in decoration was obvious. However, Lalumix has plenty of designs to make anyone happy. 

8. Essential oil roller bottle

High stress situations mean flare ups, both for fibromyalgia and IBS. To help curb this problem, and to keep my cool in general, I use the Jordan Essentials “peace” herbal blend roll-on. It’s a blend of grape seed, orange, ylang ylang, patchouli, clary, and frankincense oils. It is quite simply tranquility packaged in a bottle. 

9. Headphones

Music and podcasts are a necessity on a long trip. I also use these in place of earplugs when I am trying to sleep. I love my JLab Audio JBuds Air Sport True wireless bluetooth earbuds. They have the longest battery life of any bluetooth headphones I have ever owned, and they are sweat resistant, which makes them perfect for running once I get to my destination.

10. Hand sanitizer

We are in the middle of a pandemic – enough said.

11. Peppermint tea

Ordering a cup of hot water, either on the plane or at a coffee shop, is a simple way to bring instant bliss when you have tea on hand. STASH peppermint tea is calming and soothing, not just for the mind, but also for the gastrointestinal tract. 

12. Journal

I am a writer. I never go anywhere without my journal. I personally love this Busy Bee design from Lady Jayne Ltd. because I feel like it captures my personality perfectly. It makes me smile every time I look at it. 

That’s it! I hope you have found this list helpful, whether you struggle with chronic illness or not, to help you create a carry-on bag that provides entertainment, peace of mind, and preparedness for any trip. 

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