Insight -

'Glad to hear you got some pain relief (I knew you would  ) - and that you still 'believe' in chiropractors - good news all around there.

Regarding the possible toxicity of Wintergreen oil, here's some information for consideration from Dr. Schulzes site about Wintergreen oil:

PURE WINTERGREEN ESSENTIAL OIL

Wintergreen Oil has been used in topical preparations for centuries for muscular, tendon, ligament and connective-tissue strains, sprains, tears, overexertion, hyperextension and injury. It quickly reduces pain, reduces inflammation, increases circulation and promotes quicker healing and recovery.

Unfortunately, today, true Wintergreen Essential Oil is not used commercially. What is used is Birch Oil, which is a waste or secondary byproduct to the timber industry. Worse, since true Wintergreen Oil is almost pure Salicylic Acid, now chemists say that you can just make salicylic acid in the laboratory and that this is identical to Pure Wintergreen Oil. Worse, it is chemically synthesized from Bituminous Coal Tar and Carbolic Acid, two highly poisonous and toxic substances. Consequently, the heating balms available in most drug stores are no longer botanical in nature, but highly toxic synthesized chemical garbage.

Dr. Schulze uses only Pure Green Wintergreen Oil which is distilled from the true wintergreen plant leaves. It contains over 95% naturally occurring pure botanical methyl salicylate, which possesses almost magical pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties and dramatically increases blood circulation.

It would seem to me (regarding  every 'natural' substance that the Powers That Be attack), they are NOT testing a truly natural substance, but rather one they've extracted from the plant, isolated and then injected/applied VERY large quanties of ....OR (as above) they're using a substance that is indeed, the same under a microscope or in a laboratory, but didn't even come from a natural plant to begin with.  (This is particularly true of synthetic B vitamins - those are typically made from sewage sludge and/or some version of petroleum...if I remember right.  It's SO overwhelming to keep up with the horrors in the 'alternative science' arena :::sigh:::)

And yes, it is very possible that because of you lower weight and arteries being so close to the surface, that you're absorbing a lot of it.  Thank heavens ALL the ingredients in it (including the wintergreen essential oil AND the menthol crystals) are very pure and natural.  (as well as all the other goodies, both the wintergreen & the menthol crystals ARE certified organic).

Please (always!) DO listen closely to your doctor within.  But also blend that listening with the truth of natural healing.  For example, when you said this:

Also, I used the deep tissue oil twice yesterday in the evening on my neck and it definitely relieved the pain, but several hours later I had some ringing in my ears and I felt a little "gaggy". I also had some weird heart rhythms/pains going on. Today it's not as bad so far. I don't know if it was caused by the formula, or if it was something else (like the fact that I am just getting over a mild flu/fever),

...my initial reaction was, "oh yeah, YAY, ringing in the ears is a great sign that all the muscles & ligaments in the neck are moving around".  I don't know about the 'gaggy' (although the natural vapours from that formula are very intense, and that could be the issue) ...and that coupled with just getting over the flue/fever could be what's happening there.  I can't think of correlation with the heart issues at all - but (as I'm sure you will), I'd definitely keep an eye on that. 

Case in point for consideration: I've been helping this very elderly lady (that a 25 year 'raw foods/organic' wonder), but over the past few years she's developed this bizarro "walking crooked" thing.  She can focus visually on where she wants to ambulate, but ends up going in some kind of 'diagonal line' and ends up short/long 'of the mark'. When it's dark, it's almost impossible for her to get from A--->B.  So I started her on the B&B tincture (in her ears) & orally (she's supposed to be making an oil to rub into the top of her spine at the neck, but I don't think she's done it).  With things like this (that one doesn't feel immediately, like cayenne) - we don't expect to see much of anything at all for two weeks (a moon cycle).  She called me on about the 12th day, and told me that her 'legs were straightening out' (huh?, your LEGS? the B&B is for all things 'neuro') and she's been walking straighter and straighter and straighter.  Then a couple days later she called (very excited) to tell me she'd been having wierd/stronger "pulling cramps" in her lower legs & feet, and she'd been able to walk directly to the mailbox (in the dark!) for the first time in years!

I'm reading a book now called 'The Oil That Heals' - which turns out to be FAR more about one MDs interpretation of hundreds of Cayce readings that about Castor Oil...but Cayce seemed to consistently 'read' that when the spinal cord/nerves are "congested", that this 'congested' or unbalanced flow of energy affects all the organs in the proximity. I know what I'm about to say is 'out there' - but perhaps as your muscles were loosening and getting more circulation than they've had in a long time, that somehow affected the 'nerve energy' throughout your spine, hence affecting your heart.  ???  Do I *know* that?  Heavens no.  Only you & your doctor within could ever know or ascertain something like that.  I just thought I'd throw it out there for consideration & food for thought.

You can get organic castor oil (and the wool flannel you'll likely want for the packs) here:

http://www.caycecures.com/catalog/organicco.html

You do not HAVE to have the 'organic', as their other offering is very pure and guaranteed to be 'hexane free'.  And you can use ANY type of natural fiber cloth (just has to be 100% natural - cotton, wool, or silk - and have no dyes).  You'll want the thickness to be 2-4 layers of cloth (I always use 3 layers.

Your'e doing GREAT healing work, Insight - good for you!

Unyquity