Healing Process

This is an overview of a healing process that you might consider or at least ponder:

These are remedies you can use for your problem in order from safest to most dangerous: Step 0 is the safest; Step 6 the most dangerous. Use Steps 0, 1, 2 and 3 as preventive medicine. Prevention is an important, though often invisible, way of healing. Deep relaxation, information exchange, energetic engagement, optimum nourishment (including touch) and exercise promote health with little or no side effects.

Examples are in parenthesis: (with a few of the modalities available at each step)

Step 0: Do Nothing 
A vital, invisible step.

• sleep
• meditate
• unplug the clock or the telephone

Step 1: Collect Information 

• low-tech diagnosis
• books
• support groups
• research

Step 2: Engage the Energy 

• prayer
• homeopathy
• ceremony
• affirmations
• color
• laughter

Step 3: Nourish and Tonify 

• herbal infusions and vinegars
• hugs
• exercise
• food choices
• gentle massage
• yoga stretches

     Note: Healing with Steps 4, 5, and 6 always causes some harm.

Step 4: Stimulate/Sedate 

For every stimulation/sedation, there is an opposite sedation/stimulation. Sooner or later addiction is possible if this step is overused

• hot or cold water
• many herbal tinctures
• acupuncture

Step 5a: Use Supplements

• synthesized or concentrated vitamins
• fresh juices
• minerals
• food substances such as nutritional yeast, blue-green algae, bran, royal jelly or spirulina

Supplements are not Step 3. There’s always a risk with synthesized concentrated substances that they’ll do more harm than good.

Step 5b: Use Drugs 

Overdose may cause grave injury or death.

• chemotherapy
• tamoxifen
• hormone
• high dilution homeopathics
• potentially toxic herbs

Step 6: Break and Enter 

Side effects are inevitable and may include permanent injury or death.

• threatening language
• surgery
• colonics
• radiation therapies
• psychoactive drugs
• invasive diagnostic tests such as mammograms and C-T scans

HOW TO USE THE SIX STEPS OF HEALING

If you want to remedy your problem with the least possible side effects and danger,

• start at Step 1.
• After reading Step 1, pick one remedy from Step 2 and set a time limit for working with it. If your problem is unresolved within that time, decide if the time limit needs expanding or if you are ready to go to Step 3.
• Continue in this manner, moving to Steps 4, 5 or 6 as needed, until your problem is solved.

Each step up increases the possibility of side effects and their severity so try at least one of the Step 2 techniques, even if they seem strange to you, before going onto the remedies of Step 3 and beyond (note also that time spent at Step 2 will help you choose appropriate remedies at Step 3 and so on). When your problem is resolved don’t stop. Go back through the steps, in reverse, before resting at Step 0.

You can continue to take remedies from a previous Step after moving on, but be cautious about the use of Step 4 remedies in combination with Step 5 remedies.

If you deem it necessary to heal through Step 5 and/or 6 (and real healing can and does take place with the aid of drugs and surgery) and have not yet tried any techniques from Steps 2 and 3, do so immediately. Engaging the energy, nourishing and tonifying will aid and abet the healing powers of the more dangerous healing ways and help prevent or moderate their side effects.

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• Cayenne Pepper the Healing Catalyst (drdebbys.wordpress.com)
• Survive and Thrive: Healing Crisis (theanjananetwork.net)
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Green Tea - A Treat (ment)

Did you know that tea is one of the top selling consumable drinks, only topped by water?  Drinking green tea provides all kinds of health benefits.

Green Tea has long been valued in China for its contribution to good health. Popularity of Green tea in the United States continues to grow, showing that green tea is a natural source of antioxidants. These antioxidants help protect the body from accelerated aging and increased risk of diseases. Decades of research show that green tea inhibits the development of undesirable cell colonies, thus making it the healthiest tea available.

Green tea has higher contribution to health than other teas, because of the way it is dried. Green Tea is organically grown and the traditional drying technique used with Green Tea prevents the tea from the negative effects of fermentation. Green tea products come in potency levels. Some supplements contain low potencies of the active polyphenols, while others go as far as using un-standardized green tea leaf powder.

It has been proven that green tea is bursting with health benefits. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which has been known to help prevent cancer, recover from the harmful cholesterol, and protect against damage caused by free radicals.

Medical Benefits: 

Green tea has many medical benefits, and is known for prevention of the following diseases:

• Cancer,
• Rheumatoid Arthritis,
• High Cholesterol,
• Cardiovascular Disease,
• Infection, and
• Impaired Immune Function.

Other Benefits:

• Promotes weight loss- the leaves of green tea plants help raise metabolism in the body. By increasing the amount of calories burned in a 24-hour period, green tea promotes weight loss. 
• Prevent bad breath- an element found in green tea decreases the growth of odor-causing bacteria. It is said that drinking a cup or two of green tea may help maintain fresh breath.
• Reduce smoking risks- cigarette smokers who drink up to six cups of green tea daily reduces their susceptibility to risks caused by the toxins emitted in cigarette smoke. 
• Beauty remedy- green tea may be used to freshen up the face and sooth tired or strained eyes. It can be applied to spots and blemishes to lessen their visibility. 
• Antiseptic properties- Green tea is also known to treat minor cuts and rashes, and is an effective treatment for sunburn.
• Green teas inhibit the expression of antigens made by the body, substances that can trigger an immune response.
• National Cancer Institute reports that Green Tea has Cancer preventing abilities and Cancer fighting components add new life to the market.

People who have relied on expensive anti-oxidant products are finding that Green Tea is very economical and all natural. Tea is one of the top selling consumable drinks, only topped by water.

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Ginseng Tea - Cheers!

Ginseng tea is great for short periods; this tea can alleviate many symptoms of common aliments and lessen fatigue.  Ginseng is the main ingredient to many of the medicinal teas.  However, prolonged use can lead to insomnia and heart trouble, so be sure to consult your physician before drinking ginseng tea regularly as an alternative to coffee for that afternoon pick me up.

In China, ginseng is held in high regard.  It is believed that ginseng has rejuvenating powers and provides stimulation to the whole body.  Ginseng also offers protection against fatigue.  Ginseng is known to be a stimulant for the central nervous system.  This root can also help with inflammation, fever, and hormonal imbalances to name a few.

The tea is usually made from the Wisconsin ginseng root.  Slices can be steeped to create a tea that is a strong as the consumer would like, or purchased as a powder and brewed using tea balls.  Both of these methods let the drinker control the amount of tea used.  There are ginseng tea bags available from specialty stores, but it is not recommended to buy the tea without reading all the ingredients as some packaged teas are sold as ginseng but in fact have very little of this herb in them, instead using mostly fillers

Consult an herbal practitioner or naturopath as to the right type of ginseng and how to brew your tea.  The tea can be sweetened with a little honey or stored cold in the refrigerator, as this tea is quite good served iced.

Take note, if you are pregnant use ginseng sparingly or not at all.

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Raising Healthy Families

Raising healthy families today can be hard. Food and activities are very expensive. Considering it can take two parents to make ends meet, it can be hard to afford extra when daycare is astronomical. There are many ways that even the most conservative family can eat and live healthier. Raising the healthy family today includes both physical and emotional teaching. Children must learn what is good to eat, personal hygiene, and about exercise. They also should be taught about the importance of feelings and respecting others and themselves. To be healthy over all, one must be conscientious about both the physical and emotional needs of themselves and others. Being a healthy family starts at home with all members and then spreads into daily life in other areas.

Getting Children To Help

Children love to help by nature. If you get them involved with living healthy, you will find they will flourish. Healthy families start with getting the entire family unit to work together to improve diet, exercise, and emotional support. Gentle ways to get children to accomplish this is to take their feelings and suggestions seriously. A way to get more vegetables into the diet is to plant a garden. This can be a great family project that will not only save your grocery bill, it also adds quality family time, learning to problem solve, and activity. Children are full of energy and life. They work well to inspire tired adults who are burdened with too many responsibilities. Children can be exactly what a parent needs to motivate a better lifestyle. They are usually willing to try anything once if you make it sound fun.

Respecting Each Other

While most people think healthy families are all about proper diets and exercise, they could not be further from the truth. Living right is also emotional. We have to not only learn how to treat others, but how to respect our own selves too. When the emotional aspect of life gets over looked it can greatly affect the physical aspect. Respecting each member of the family is vital in teaching children that all people matter. All opinions should be heard and considered. Feeling should always be validated and respected, even if nothing can be done to remedy the issue. When all family members feel respected and validated, they tend to be able to portray and extend this into other areas of life, such as work and school.

Lessons On Love And Communication

Healthy families revolve around love and communication. These are the keys to long-term happiness and efficient functioning. When you have the ability to communicate well with others, you can problem solve well and portray your feelings effectively. Teaching our children these skills enables them to go into the world productively. More so, when we feel we have effetely communicated out needs to others and are heard, we feel able to open up and feel loved. Love and communication allow for trust, which is vital for healthy living all through out life.

About the Author
Marie Watson writes weight loss, diet plan, health, beauty and general well-being articles for the Slim Eazy website at www.slimeazy.com

Air Purifiers, Do We Need Them?

Definitely yes would be the answer. There are a lot of reasons and they all have to do with the fact that the problem of people who suffer from asthma, allergies and other respiratory conditions. These people may be discomforted by the particles of dust or pollen. For them air purifiers are necessary, as a main form of protection of indoor air pollution. Air purifiers are great useful tools in your fight with direct irritant sources or materials in your own home environment.

One should not ignore the air purifiers when one designs modern indoor ventilation or filtration systems. They offer a very good environmental control and reduce exposure dust, dander, smoke, pollen particles and many others particles that may be found indoors or outside your home. Air purifiers have different shapes and various designs. They can be: air cleaners, air filters and hepa filters, and they play an important part in the reduction and elimination of the danger of exposure to indoor and outdoor allergens. Usually, the air purifiers are chosen in accordance with the pollution sources and the quality filtration you want to get. Before going and buying such a device, you should think about what exactly you want for your home. You should not forget that choosing the wrong type of filtration system can lead to an exacerbation of the problem by agitating and circulating the particulate matter in your house throughout the place.

You should not consider the air purifiers systems a complete solution for any respiratory condition you may have. Using an air purifier should not make you ignore medical advice and guidance that can lead to the removal of the irritant sources and allergen habitats in your house. At the same time, they are not a substitute for thorough and regular cleaning of the air. However, they can help you to diminish the number of air particles and to maintain a healthier environment inside your house.

Homeopathic Home Remedies

With kids growing up it seems that Dr Mom is always needed to treat some physical or mental "owie". Dr Mom should always have something that can heal cuts and scrapes and even if the kids came home with plague she might have made some kind of bubbling potion that could cure it. Here are some remedies to tuck away in your first aid kit.

Tea with Lemon:
The first thing they will tell you to do when you get a cold is to drink tea with lemon. This will usually relieve some of the symptoms and give you temporary relief. The reason this works is simple. The hot water from the tea helps open up your respiratory system, and the lemon is full of vitamin C which is good for your immune system. Taking vitamin C everyday can help you avoid catching a cold before it even starts.

Antiseptic Soup:
The name Antiseptic soup does not sound appealing, but the soup is made from garlic. The soup helps open the respiratory system. The soup also helps kill the germs already in the body causing the cold, and by adding a tablespoon of onion juice you can help remove toxins from your body to help speed the body's recovery time.

Ginger:
Ginger is a wonderful remedy to lower a fever. It is prepared by cutting up about ¼ of an ounce of ginger and then boiling it in water. Then strain the brew into a glass and add some sugar. A tastier but less effective way is to just cut up or mince a few small pieces of ginger and putting them in a glass. You then pour boiling water into the glass and then put a tea bag into the water. Ginger should be used twice a day to lower the fever, then once a day till the cold is gone.

Okra:
Okra is a green vegetable, that kind of looks like a cross of a pepper and zucchini. The vegetable is filled with mucilage, which is a sort of gel and is great for soothing sore throats. Cut about 10 grams of Okra and boil them in about 1 liter of water. After the water boils you can inhale the steam and drink the water. The water will look oily. This oil sooths your sore throat.

Seeds and Nuts:
After the fever goes down it is permissible for the patient to resume eating solid foods, but it is best to stick with fruits, vegetables seeds and nuts, and avoid things like dairy and meats for the first day or two.

Go for the Source:
All of the remedies so far have been ways to relieve the effects of the cold, but this remedy is aimed at treating the entire cold. The Bitter Gourd Root is made into a paste and mixed with homey. For every 1 teaspoon of Bitter Gourd Root add 1 teaspoon of honey. Take a tablespoon of the mixture every night for 30 days to rid yourself of the cold germs and to help rebuild your immune system.

Turmeric Root:
This remedy will treat everything that ails you. (And it improves mental acuity and brain function - makes you smarter and less forgetful) It will rid you of all the suffering from sore throats congestion and runny nose. For this remedy you want to buy the turmeric root in a powder form. Pour half a teaspoon of the turmeric root powder into a pot with 1 cup of milk and bring to a boil. When the mixture begins to boil, deeply inhale the steam. Then allow the milk to cool slightly and drink this twice a day. In just a few days you will feel better.

These are just a small example of all the home remedies that are out there. Try several of these methods, and see how effective they can be.

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7 Reasons to grow your own organic vegetable garden

 

During the last decades there has been a change towards mechanization and homogenization of farming, which uses pesticides, additives, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and mass-production techniques. All this is clearly affecting mankind's health, and new diseases are spreading rapidly amongst humans and animals.

The World Health Organization produces reports to show how the use of chemicals and other products on food, coupled with the manufacturing processes involved, are actually a threat for our health.

If you have space for a few pots or even a small piece of land, it is a wise decision to grow your own organic vegetable garden. Today I'm presenting you with seven reasons for doing this:

1. You will have no additives in your vegetables. Research by organic food associations has shown that additives in our food can cause heart diseases, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity.

2. There will be no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers used. These chemical products are applied to obtain crops all the time regardless plagues or weather conditions, and affect the quality of the vegetables. Besides, pesticides are usually poisonous to humans.

3. Your vegetables will not be genetically modified (GM). Antibiotics, drugs and hormones are used on vegetables to grow more and larger ones. One of the consequences of this practice are vegetables which look all the same and are usually tasteless. Besides, we end up consuming the hormones that have been used on the vegetables, with the potential risks for our health.

4. Eating your own organic vegetables will be much more healthy for you. They will not contain any of the products or chemicals named above, and they will be much more natural than any ones you would find at the supermarket. Your health will not be at risk because you will then know that nothing has been added to your vegetables.

5. Your own organic vegetables will be much more tasty. The use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics make vegetables grow unnaturally and take the taste away from them. With organic vegetables, your cooking will be enhanced as their flavour will show fully.

6. Organic farming is friendly to the environment. Because you won't use pesticides or other equally harming products on your vegetables, you will not damage the soil or the air with the chemical components.

7. When you grow your own organic vegetables you are contributing to your own self-sustainability and the sustainability of the planet. Small communities have been founded where members exchange products that they grow naturally, thus contributing to create a friendly and better place for us all.

In the end, eating organic products only means that we do not add anything else to them than they would naturally have. As you can guess, additives, fertilizers, pesticides or hormones are not components of naturally grown food. To better care for your health, grown your own organic vegetables -and a few pots is all you need.

7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Coconut Oil

Summary:

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

1. Coconut oil doesn't turn to fat in your body.

Unlike many other common oils, like soy (vegetable) and corn, coconut oil won't make you fat. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are an easy fuel for the body to burn, without turning to fat. Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). LCT's are usually stored as fat. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.

People in the tropics have relied on coconuts as a traditional staple in their diet for centuries. They consume large amounts of coconut oil every day. Instead of getting fatter, it helps them stay healthy, lean and trim. When they switch from coconut oil to our modern oils, they develop obesity and the health problems that our modern society faces.

Some other people who have known this truth for a long time are people who are in the animal feed business. When livestock are fed vegetable oils, they put on weight and produce more fatty meat. When they are fed coconut oil, they become very lean.

2. Coconut oil increases your metabolism.

Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body, it increases your metabolism, which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism, it helps your body burn fat more effectively.

Coconut oil may triple your calorie burn. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is converted to energy so quickly that it creates a lot of heat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, MCT's burn three times more calories for six hours after a meal than LCT's.

The February 15, 2005 issue of Woman's World magazine stated that coconut oil is the "underground high-metabolism secret."

This is great news for people who have thyroid problems, since coconut oil improves sluggish thyroids by stimulating the production of extra thyroid hormones. Most other common oils, like vegetable (soy) and corn have been shown to inhibit thyroid function.

3. Coconut oil has omega 3 fatty acids.

Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1 but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

4. Coconut oil gives you energy.

Because of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases the metabolism, most people that switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily life.

This is because coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy.

This is because coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT's promote thermogenesis, which increases the body's metabolism, producing energy. Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have found that adding coconut and coconut oil to their diet was helpful to them.

5. One of the best things you can use on your skin and hair is coconut oil.

Coconut oil one of the best things you can apply directly on your skin and hair. It gives temporary relief to skin problems like rashes. It aids in healing and restoring skin to a younger appearance. It has also been known to help with people who suffer from yeast infections in the skin, as well as many other skin problems.

Not only does is soften and smooth your skin, coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Coconut oil makes excellent massage oil too.

6. Coconut oil has healthy benefits that most other oils do not.

Evidence is mounting that coconut oil has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects when both consumed and used topically on the skin.

Most oils oxidize and turn rancid very quickly causing free radical damage in our bodies. Coconut oil is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Free radical damage is thought to be responsible for many ailments in our body from arthritis to increased susceptibility to cancers.

Coconut oil also helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively, such as Vitamin E.

7. Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can use for cooking.

It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which means it can take higher temperatures better. There are several healthy omega 3 oils we can choose to consume, such as flax and olive oil, but they don't do well under the high heat we use for cooking. Coconut oil can be used in higher cooking temperatures.

It is harder for coconut oil to go rancid, unlike other cooking oils, which are usually rancid long before you even bring them home. Rancid oils cause free radical damage in the body, which is a leading cause of cancer. Coconut oil is stable for over a year at room temperature.

Because of the misinformation we have been given for years, we have lost out on the healthy benefits that coconut oil has given the people of the tropics for centuries. But now it has been rediscovered! Coconut oil is so effective, it won't be long before we see coconut oil supplements promoted, but you can get the jump on the popular crowd and start consuming and cooking with coconut oil today!