STRESS IS AS DAMAGING TO YOUR HEART AS SMOKING FIVE CIGARETTES A DAY

Stress and how it affects us 

We need stress for without it we'd have no motivation to do anything. Imagine this scenario: you've suddenly acquired a vast amount of money on the lottery, riches beyond your wildest dreams. So what's the first thing you do? likelihood you give up your job, people often find their jobs as stressful. You've got enough money so you don't need to work. That makes you feel less stressed, or so you think. Of course you buy the big house, the cars, the boat, designer wardrobe and you party. You really think you have it made. There comes a point though when you can have anything you want, you don't have to work for it, there's no sense of achievement, no goal in sight. You don't have to cook or clean what do you do all day? eventually you will run out of ideas and you will become bored, you will have no motivation to do or achieve anything. Stress is a catch 22 situation if you have no motivation, you become depressed and bored, the days are long that equals stress. So a certain amount of stress is necessary to motivate us and stimulate us and give us a reason to be here and a sense of accomplishment this can be seen simply as this:

Stress = Motivation > Stimulation > Accomplishment = Satisfaction

Stress The dictionary definition of stress is: a constraining or impelling force, effort or demand upon physical or mental energy. A stressor is a person or situation that makes you become stressed. We are more likely to suffer stress in society today than that of our ancestors. 70% of all illness to day is now directly attributed to stress. Modern society with all its pressures traffic congestion, over-crowding, noise, fears and general uncertainties about work, mortgages and family life present situation after situation where the state of stress is ever present. Stress is an everyday part of modern life, everyone experiences at sometime or another and everyday stresses are not necessarily harmful. A certain about of stress keeps us motivated and stimulated to make life more enjoyable and interesting. It is the effect of long-term stress that can be positively harmful to our bodies.

When do stress levels become harmful? 

The factors that seem to make any situation dangerously stressful are:

• Lack of predictability

• Lack of control

• Lack of outlets for frustration

For when these elements are present even simple situations can become stressful and produce a reaction that is completely out of proportion to the cause. It is not the situation but our reaction to it that creates the stress in our lives. The problem with us humans we have this tendency to dwell on the past and worry about the future and this takes our attention away from the present. Yet it is in the present moment that we have the greatest clarity to deal with any situation. We should enjoy our life in the present for in holding on to the past and holding back the future we create fear and ultimately stress. Growth in our lives is usually preceded by change the problem is handling change can be difficult in the short term and life-changing events such as:

• Bereavement

• Moving House

• Debt

• Ill Health

• Difficult Relationships

• Stressful Work

• Family Problems Have been identified as the most likely to cause negative or harmful stress.

Even positive events such as:

• Marriage

• Pregnancy

• A child starting school or University May cause you stress and can ultimately lead to illness.

Your personality and coping mechanisms will largely determine how you deal with these daily stresses and strains.

WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE ARE STRESSED?

Well this goes way back to the times when we were developing as humans and in early periods in history. The body's chemistry was designed to protect us with "The fight or flight response". For example man sees a big bear approach what does he do? he either tackles it or he runs off. Nature is very clever and gives us the capacity to do this. However in 2011 we no longer have the bears, wolves, etc. (ok some of you may) like of yesteryear we have different stresses. Your work colleagues or your neighbours may annoy you but you can't fight them, nor can you run away, but you can learn to deal and dissipate your stress levels so that it doesn't impinge on your health.

But firstly we need to deal with the science bit for if we understand the physiology of stress we're half way there to solving the impact stress has on our lives.

THE SCIENCE BIT

Deep within the brain we have an area known as the Hypothalamus (1), its the home of our moods and emotions and a very primitive part of the brain. The Hypothalamus is also the area that maintains equilibrium in our bodies and it maintains and regulates every bit of our body's chemistry. It is the area that controls the Endocrine system, it forms part of the Autonomic Nervous System and part of the Limbic System. It is Hypothalmus  that is the key to managing stress and all its detrimental effects on our mind and body. It is directly through this area that the holistic therapy Aromatherapy works and is managed by other holistic therapies.

 Since the Hypothalamus is the home of moods and emotions anything that affects these will influence the Hypothalamus, thus will have an effect on the body's equilibrium.

Now if we are stressed and modern stressors are not the same as those stressors we had as we were evolving as humans, they still have the same effect resulting in "the fight or flight response"

(1)The Role of the Hypothalamus

The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls the endocrine system.

The Pituitary gland lies beneath the Hypothalamus  and it is this that controls the other endocrine glands.

The Hypothalamus receives information about the Homeostasis (balance) of the body, this is achieved by two means:

• The blood circulation i.e. temperature, blood glucose levels and hormone levels
• The nervous system i.e. The Autonomic Nervous system i.e. the part of the nervous system that regulates automatic functions e.g. breathing, heart rate etc. and mental and emotional states, our feelings: these influence ‘automatic responses’ e.g. ‘The fear, flight response’

The Hypothalamus responds to these changes by:

• Secreting Hormones (chemical messengers) that regulate hormones to be released by the anterior lobe of the pituitary
• The hypothalamus also directly releases hormones via the Posterior Lobe of the Pituitary , Vasopressin (ADH) and Oxytocin
• And by stimulating a nerve response to the ‘Central Nervous System’ (Brain & spinal Cord)

SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE?

Moods/emotions affect the hypothalamus, the hypothalamus evokes a reaction on the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland produces Adrenocorticotropic hormone this in turn targets the adrenal glands causing them to secrete Cortisone, Cortisone in turn effects the kidneys causing a rise in blood pressure by causing changes in the amount of salt secreted, this hormone causes the body to retain salt. Now remember the Hypothalamus one of its jobs is to maintain the body's equilibrium, it detects a rise in salt levels in the blood so to keep balance it causes the body to retain fluid, it is this retained fluid that increases blood pressure. At the same time, the Hypothalamus being part of the Central Nervous System evokes what is known as the Sympathetic Nervous System this diverts blood away from the digestive system and to lesser important body structures such as the skin and concentrates the blood to the heart, lungs and muscles. Simultaneously this nervous response influences the adrenal glands to produce Adrenalin and Noradrenalin, it is these hormones that induces vasoconstriction (reduces the blood supply) to the skin and peripheral tissues, thus also raising blood pressure.

Now this is putting it simply there are a few other processes also going on to increase blood sugar to give the body fuel to either run off or fight, Corticotrophic hormones influence the pancreas to secrete glucagon this has the opposite effect as insulin.

When the stress is over the Parasympathetic Nervous reverses the process again it is the Hyptholamus that instigates this.

Obviously its much more complex than this and I have focused on a few key hormones as it the action of these hormones that affects our well-being, the ageing process and blood pressure.

The fight or flight response was not designed to last forever it was meant ti instigate an action to deal with an aggressor, be it a wild animal or in a fight with an attacker therein lies the problem modern stressors tends to be work, work colleagues etc. the stress becomes long acting, this kind of reaction is fine in the short term but very detrimental to the body in the long term.

Take Cortisone, it has a damaging effect on specialised cells within the dermis (the skin), fibroblasts, these cells produce collagen and elastin, it is collagen and elastin that gives our skin elasticity and support. Adrenalin reduces blood supply to the peripheral tissues, such as the skin and hair, therefore, these structures do not receive adequate nourishment from the blood. So the effect of long term stress affects the skin resulting in ageing of the skin

A SOLUTION FOR STRESS, YOU WILL FIND THIS IN THIS SECTION

All Holistic therapies are excellent at dealing with stress and since the choice is vast you can be sure to find one that will suit you

ARTICLE FROM THE DAILY MAIL BELOW

Being stressed is as damaging for your heart as smoking five cigarettes a day 

• People who reported feeling stressed were 27 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack 
• Stress raises blood pressure and levels of 'bad' cholesterol
• Researchers liken the effect to smoking five cigarettes a day - and the effect gets worse as we age

Are you stressed? If so, your chances of heading to an early grave are significantly higher.
New research has found that people who reported feeling anxious and overwhelmed were 27 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack.
The study, led by Columbia University Medical Centre researchers, was published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

American researchers found people who reported feeling stressed were 27 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack

The researchers looked at six previous studies where people had been asked about their perceived stress with questions such as ‘how stressed do you feel?’ and ‘how often are you stressed?’.
The groups were separated into high and low stress scores and then followed for 14 years to track the number of heart attacks .

Those who were the most stressed were 27 per cent more likely to have a heart attack.
The effect of stress was so profound that the researchers compared it to smoking more five cigarettes a day.
It was also likened to a 2.8mmol/l increase in LDL cholesterol and a 2.7/1.4 mmHg increase in blood pressure.
The British Heart Foundation says that people who are at high risk of, or already have, heart disease should aim for an LDL cholesterol level under 2 mmol/l.

Stress has also been found to increase levels of 'bad' cholesterol and blood pressure, which are risk factors for heart disease

Therefore, it says the figures suggest a 2.8mmol/l rise is more than double the recommended cholesterol levels for heart and stroke patients.
A healthy blood pressure reading should be below 140/90mmHg.
LDL cholesterol is considered a risk for heart disease that can lead to heart attack because it contributes for narrowing of the arteries that supply blood flow to the heart from plaque buildup, or atherosclerosis.
Higher blood pressure puts stress on the heart and contributes to stiffening of the arteries, making them more susceptible to blockage. It is  thought to be responsible for 50 per cent of all heart attacks and strokes.
The researchers did further analysis to try to learn what might unpin the link between stress and heart disease. They found that while gender was not a significant factor, age was.
Among older people, the relationship between stress and CHD was stronger, suggesting the effects of stress compound over time.
They also noted that older people tend to have worse risk factors such as high blood pressure and raised cholesterol to begin with, and that stress may interact with those risk factors to trigger a heart attack.
‘These findings are significant because they are applicable to nearly everyone,’ said study author Safiya Richardson.
‘The key takeaway (message) is that how people feel is important for their heart health, so anything they can do to reduce stress may improve their heart health in the future.’
Her co-author, Donald Edmondson, assistant professor of behavioural medicine at CUMC added:  ‘This is the most precise estimate of that relationship, and it gives credence to the widely held belief that general stress is related to heart health.’
Heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer. Around 270,000 people in the UK suffer a heart attack every year and and nearly one in three die before they reach hospital.
www.bhf.org.uk

Maggie Brown (Author)

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STRESS CAN AND WILL AGE YOU

Now I came across this article from the Daily Mail and it does not surprise me in the slightest. I have been explaining for years (see my articles on stress on this site) how anxiety damages our health, our skin, our immune system and makes us therefore less resilient to cancers for years and it's pretty common knowledge. personally in my opinion I feel (reading the article below) "However, this type of study design cannot prove cause-and-effect or which problem came first - the anxiety or shorter telomeres.'

The findings pave the way for further prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change." From my experience of clients if you can establish a regular course of therapy, whether it's Reiki, Reflexology or Aromatherapy you will see a transformation, in that client's health, it is possible through Holistic Therapies to reverse the detrimental effects of stress and case studies prove this so I have no doubt it is stress and anxiety that comes first and NOT the shorter telomeres. There's no need to do further research all they need do is ask to see the case studies of Holistic Therapists

Story from the Daily Mail

Why it pays to stay calm: Anxiety may age you by SIX YEARS

• Women with phobias were found to have more cellular damage associated with ageing

It will do nothing to calm a fearful person, but a new study has found that anxiety could make you grow old more quickly.

Researchers found that a common form of the condition, known as phobic anxiety, could trigger cellular damage leading to premature ageing.

Older women with an unreasonable fear of situations such as crowds or heights had shorter telomeres than their calmer peers. Telomeres are the caps on the ends of chromosomes that protect our genetic material from damage.

Women with a phobia such as a fear of crowds, were found to be ageing more quickly

They are considered markers of biological or cellular ageing. Shortened telomeres have been linked to increased risk of cancers, heart disease, dementia and mortality.

A team from Brigham and Women's Hospital from Boston took blood samples from more than 5,000 women aged 42 to 69 years old. They also asked them to fill out a questionnaire about any phobic symptoms that they sufferers. 

The team found having a high phobic anxiety level was associated with significantly shorter telomere lengths. 

The difference in telomere lengths for women who were highly phobic vs. not was similar to what was seen for an additional six years of age.

Study author Dr Olivia Okereke: 'Many people wonder about whether - and how - stress can make us age faster.'

'So, this study is notable for showing a connection between a common form of psychological stress - phobic anxiety - and a plausible mechanism for premature aging. 

'However, this type of study design cannot prove cause-and-effect or which problem came first - the anxiety or shorter telomeres.'

The findings pave the way for further prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change.

The study was published online in PLoS ONE.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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STRESS SOLUTIONS PART 4

Now if you have read the previous articles on here about stress, you will now know what effects it can have on the body and ultimately health (*****links at the foot of this article if you haven't read them). I also mentioned meditation, massage and aromatherapy as solutions to stress so I now will cover Reiki,  Reflexology Bach Flower Remedies and Homeopathy.

REIKI

The word 'Reiki' is a Japanese word meaning Universal Life Energy and it is the name given to a natural healing system developed by Dr. Mikao Usui. It took Dr. Usui many years of study of ancient teachings to develop this system of healing and he dedicated his life to practising and teaching Reiki. Dr Usui rediscovered and developed this system of healing on a trip to Mt. Kurama, At some point in his life he became a Tendai Buddhist Monk/Priest (what we in the west call a lay priest). On several occasions he took a form of meditation lasting 21 days.He took it into hospitals in Japan. Dr. Usui died in 1926 but before he died he passed on Reiki to Dr. Chujiro Hayashi. Dr. Hayashi was a naval doctor. It has been said he is probably the originator of the hand position system used here in the west. He started his Reiki training with Usui Sensei in 1925, 47 years of age. It is believed he was one of the last Reiki Masters trained by Usui.

Following his first training he left the Usui school and started a small clinic in Tokyo named "Hayashi Reiki Kenkyu-kai", which had 8 beds and 16 healers. Practitioners worked in pairs of two to a bed giving treatments to patients. Dr Hayashi compiled his own 40 page manual on how to use the hand positions for certain ailments. This manual may have been give to his students. During his work with Reiki he initiated about 17 Reiki Masters including Mrs Takata. Mrs Hawayo Takata is responsible for bringing Reiki to the west.


Chujiro Hayashi ritually ended his life by committing Seppuku' on May 10th 1940.


Hawayo Takata was born at dawn on December 24th 1900, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Her parents were Japanese immigrants and her father worked in the sugar cane fields. She eventually married the bookkeeper of the plantation where she was employed. In October of 1930, Saichi Takata died at the age of thirty-four leaving Mrs. Takata to raise their two daughters. In order to provide for her family, she had to work very hard with little rest. After five years she developed severe abdominal pain, a lung condition and had a nervous breakdown.

Soon after this, one of her sisters died and she traveled to Japan where her parents had moved to deliver the news. She also felt she could find help for her poor health in Japan. Here she came in contact with Dr Hayashi's clinic and she began receiving Reiki treatment. Mrs. Takata received daily treatments twice a day and got progressively better. In four months, she was completely healed. Impressed by the results, she wanted to learn Reiki. In the Spring of 1936, Mrs. Takata received First Degree Reiki (Shoden). She worked with Dr. Hayashi for one year and then received Second Degree Reiki (Okuden).


Mrs. Takata returned to Hawaii in 1937. She was soon followed by Dr. Hayashi who came to help Mrs Takata establish Reiki in Hawaii. In the Winter of 1938, Dr. Hayashi initiated Hawayo Takata as a Reiki Master. She was the thirteenth and last Reiki Master Dr. Hayashi initiated. Between 1970 and her transition on December 11th 1980, Mrs. Takata initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters. These twenty two teachers went on to teach others and Reiki spread world wide.


Being a Reiki Master teacher myself I can name the lineage from Dr Usui. My Reiki master's Reiki master was taught by one of the twenty two initiated by Mrs Takata, this makes me seventh in line from Dr. Usui.


Reiki is a form of spiritual healing using "universal life energy" channelled through the practitioner to the recipient. 
Reiki helps to harmonize body, mind and spirit for yourself or anyone you want to help.


Reiki treatment
You relax, fully clothed, on a couch or seated while the healer holds his hands on or above you. A treatment can last an hour or longer depending on the treatment required. In the western world many practitioners use the standard hand positions and commonly a full treatment is given covering all the important organs of the body.
There is no pressure on the body making it ideal for treating all ages and conditions, sometimes hands are even held away from the body. The energy flows wherever it is required (spiritually guided) and can normally be felt as a warm sensation or tingling in the body. Receiving Reiki is a very relaxing and soothing experience!


The ability to use Reiki is normally given via an attunement or initiation. There are 3 levels of Reiki: Reiki 1 and 2 and the Master level.


During the attunement/initiation process the Reiki master acts as a mirror to help the student adjust to the Reiki energy. This energy creates an open "channel" for the cosmic or universal life energy. From the top of the persons head and through this "channel" the energy flows down through the body and back out through the hands when Reiki is "given". The Reiki attunement is almost always a very special spiritual experience for the receiver and sometimes also for the Master. It is one you will never forget and is a very important milestone in your life.


The Reiki Principals taught by Dr Usui


• For today only: Value today! The present is now, life is not in the future or in the past, there is only now!


• Do not anger Realize that anger and other selfish emotions like resentment, hatred, envy are harmful, avoid such emotions.


• Do not worry Do your best, believe and trust in the universe.


• Express your thanks In this world it is easy to lose ourselves when we forget gratitude for being alive.


• Be diligent in your work, and be kind to others It is not important what we do, it is important what we learn from what we do. "Be kind to others" also means take good care of yourself, there is no difference between self and others in a universal dimension.


REFLEXOLOGY

REFLEXOLOGY dates back to ancient civilisations such as Egypt, India and China, but this therapy was only introduced to the West in the early 20th Century. The oldest documentation of Reflexology comes from a pictograph in the tomb of an Egyptian Physician Ankhmahor (2500-2330 B.C.) at Saqquara near Cairo.

It shows two men working on the feet and hands of two other men. The hieroglyphics above the scene read‘ Do not let it be painful’ says one of the patients.‘ I do as you please’ the practitioner says

In China there is evidence of some form of foot and hand therapy being practiced as long ago as 4,000 B.C., and the North American Indians have practised a form of foot therapy for hundreds of years. It was not until Dr William Fitzgerald USA 1872-1942 who was an Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon. He practiced in the USA, briefly in London and Vienna for 2 years. He was the founder of “Zone Therapy”, an early form of reflexology. But it was medical journalist Dr. Edwin Bowers who suggested his method be known as 'Zone Therapy'. Through research Dr. Fitzgerald discovered that if he exerted pressure on the tips of the toes or fingers, a corresponding part of the body would be anaesthetised. From this theory he divided the body into 10 equal zones running from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. He found that by applying pressure using tight bands of elastic on the middle section of each finger, or by using small clamps that were placed on the tips, he could carry out minor surgery using this technique only. These were very controversial ideas at the time.

However it was Eunice Ingham (1889 -1974) USA “The Mother of Modern Reflexology” who finally developed it to the form we now know and recognise. She was a Physiotherapist who worked in a Doctors practice and she used Dr Fitzgerald’s Zone Therapy method. However, she felt that the therapy could be more effective on the feet than the hands. After extensive research she evolved a map of the entire body on the feet. Hence the saying ‘The feet are a mirror of the body’. Eunice Ingham travelled around America for 30 years teaching Reflexology first to Doctors and Nurses and then to non-medical practitioners. It was in 1966 Doreen Bailey who was a former student of Eunice Ingham, returned to England and became the pioneer of reflexology as we know today in the UK

THE CONSULTATION AND TREATMENT

After a detailed consultation, asking about medical history and making sure there are no contra-indications to treatment, the therapist will make the client comfortable, this may be on a couch or a chair and foot stool and indeed, reflexology is extremely soothing and relaxing, many clients do fall asleep during treatment. There are different methods, some reflexologists like to work on both beet simultaneously others do not and if one or both of the feet are injured for example the reflexologist can work on the corresponding hand instead. The treatment generally lasts approximately an hour and generally begins with a soothing massage to relax and open the feet prior to the more detailed work on the specific reflexes. Each area of the feet when placed together mirror the body and reflexes is the term given to each area of the body mapped on the feet. e.g. the head reflex are the big toes. The type of pressure point massage we use is like finger walking using the thumb though we may use all our fingertips at certain points during the treatment. We can often tell where in the clients body there is an imbalance, this is where we might pick up a 'Reflex' and to describe what we find, its often a grainy area that dissipates when we work that area or the client may say there is a specific tender area, which may correspond to an area in the body where the client has an imbalance.

On completion the reflexologist will make a note of her findings and will often suggest a follow up treatment, the client will find that the treatment is very relaxing and its quite common for the client to state they feel as if they are walking on air.

Often many reflexologists work with doctors these days and doctors have now begun to see how reflexology is a valuable complementary therapy.

HOMEOPATHY
Origins of Homeopathy, the word “Homeopathy” is derived from two Greek words meaning“similar suffering”. History tells us that it was the Greek physician Hippocrates, who, in the fifth century, first wrote of the medical practice of treating like with like. So far as is known he was the first doctor to treat an illness with a substance that produces, in a healthy person, similar symptoms to those displayed by the person who is ill. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the principle “similia similibus curentur”, (let likes be cured by likes), was quoted by many physicians, including Paracelsus, often regarded as the ‘father’ of holistic medicine. Homeopathy is therefore not new but the form we know today is attributed to Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (1755 - 1843), a German Physician who in 1796 prove his "Law of similars". The basic principal of homeopathy is "Let like be cured by like". There is no scientific proof as to how Homeopathy works and although individual trials have positive results, some researchers have suggested this is down to a placebo effect. However that argument falls down when it comes to work on animals and many vets use homeopathy on animals.


Homeopathic remedies are prepared by serial dilution, the term used for this is calledsuccession, (succession means shaken) this is known as potentisation. For example the original solution, known as a mother tincture and one example is a plant or herb, though homeopathic remedies are made from a variety of substances, and the herb is placed in a solution of alcohol. This is left to potenize and the liquor strained off and this is known as 'Mother Tincture'. In the "C" system of potency or '100', one drop of this mother tincture is placed with 99 drops of alcohol and succussed and this makes '1C'. To make 2C, one drop of 1C is added to 99 drops of alcohol, succussed and this makes 2C and so on some remedies go on being diluted well into the millions e.g. 2M. The medicines are often given in tablet form, though they can be powders or even applied topically as in a cream. To make the tablets/powders a few drops of the appropriate remedy tincture is added to a bottled or phial of lactose tablets/powder and these pills are to be allowed to dissolve in a clean mouth, that is a mouth not tainted with strong flavours such as mint or coffee as they would neutralise the effect of the remedy as homeopathic medicines are very gentle and delicate. Generally 30 mins should have elapsed since eating etc.


Homeopathy works on an energy/vibrational level and treats the whole person i.e.holistically and not just a specific disease or symptom but takes into account of how the patient is feeling mentally, emotionally as well as physically. The homeopath taking the case will want to know, if the weather affects the condition in anyway, does food for example does eating cold food make the patient feel worse or better and taking a case history a patient can expect an hour long consultation as the homeopath is looking for the correct remedy to match the homeopathic drug picture. The homoeopath, views the symptoms as a direct manifestation of the body’s attempt to heal itself therefore a substance is given capable of producing similar symptoms if given to a well person. Homeopathy does not treat diseases but, rather, individuals with specific symptom pictures.


Homeopathy do not have side effects as they work in a totally different way from orthodox medicine however if a remedy is not quite right the patient could end up proving a remedy, where symptoms may show up but no harm will come to the patient. Occasionally, on first taking a Homeopathic medicine, the symptoms become worse. This is one of the "Laws of Cure" and called an ‘aggravation’, and should be regarded as a good sign as it shows that the remedy is working you should stop taking the remedy until the aggravation has passed and only resume if necessary. Aggravations are most common with skin disorders, as the body “throws out” the disease. Higher potencies work at a much deeper level. Occasionally patients may exhibit symptoms of conditions suffered prior to condition under treatment, or their symptoms may manifest in other parts of the body. For this reason only trained homoeopaths should prescribe high potencies because only they can properly monitor such situations. Other users should limit themselves to the 6th and 30th potencies. When you think about how homeopathic medicines are made in effect it can be quite difficult to ascertain how they do work for when the remedies are succussed theres no actually remedy in the solution especially when it comes down to the very high potencies. There are different theories to how this may be one is that the liquor used in making the remedies retains a memory or the original substances and this is transmuted in an energy.


The "Laws of Cure" from a more important organ to a lesser one i.e. an internal organ to external like the skin, from above down i.e. from pains in the abdomen the pain travels down the legs to the feet then out of the body. And ailments in reverse order, symptoms from old ailments may manifest themselves before leaving the body. You will feel better in yourself, even though you are still suffering from the ailment and the aggravation, where the ailment worsens before getting better.


Homeopathic remedies are made from a large variety of substances minerals, plants and animal substances and the first stage in making a homeopathic remedy is to 'prove' it. The original homeopathic remedy was 'proved' by Hahnemann. Homeopathic medicine, as we know it today, was produced by Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (1755 - 1843). He was a doctor who, after qualifying in 1779, soon became disenchanted with medicine as it was practised at that time. Hahnemann advocated much that is far from revolutionary nowadays: proper diet, regular exercise and improved social conditions. He was also very concerned about large doses of noxious substances that were prescribed as medicines.


In 1790 Hahnemann became interested in an eminent Scottish doctor’s explanation as to how a Cinchona Bark extract worked to cure ague, or malaria as we know it today. Cinchona Bark, having been used for centuries in South America for the treatment of malaria, was introduced into Europe by missionaries and was proving successful. The Edinburgh doctor, William Cullen, accredited this success to its toning action on the stomach. Hahnemann did not agree, and was prompted to undertake an experiment on himself. As a healthy person he took a substantial dose of Cinchona Bark extract and found that he developed symptoms similar to malaria, the very disease the drug was used to treat. Hahnemann then went onto test many other substances in this same way; administering doses to healthy people, noting the symptoms that developed - and then using the substance to treat a disease when the substance picture matched that of the “poison” picture.


Many of the substances Hahnemann used were indeed highly poisonous, and this prompted him to spend many years experimenting in order to find the smallest possible effective dose. He eventually developed the method of “potentising” the starting substance, and, by administering infinitesimally small doses, he found that he not only cured without undesirable side effects but also that the curative properties were enhanced. Such was Hahnemann’s success, particularly with endemic diseases, that Homeopathy quickly spread throughout Europe and across to America. Dr. Frederick Harvey Foster Quin introduced Homeopathy into Great Britain in the late 1820’s and 1849 founded the London Homeopathic Hospital. Homeopathy is recognised by Act of Parliament and widely accepted as a safe alternative form of medical treatment. It is practised by fully qualified doctors who are recognised by the General Medical Council and homeopathic medicines are available within the National Health Service.

BACH FLOWER REMEDIES









What are Bach Flower Remedies? Well they are a very gentle and natural remedy for dealing with stress. They were devised by Dr. Edward Bach he studied medicine first in Birmingham and later at the University College Hospital, London, where he was House Surgeon. He also worked in private practice, having a set of consulting rooms in Harley Street. As a bacteriologist and pathologist he undertook original research into vaccines in his own research laboratory.


In 1917 Dr Bach was working on the wards tending to soldiers returned injured from France. One day he collapsed and was rushed into an operating theatre suffering from a severe haemmorhage. His colleagues operated to remove a tumour, but the prognosis was poor. When he came round they told Bach that he had only three months left to live.


As soon as he could get out of bed, Bach returned to his laboratory. He intended to advance his work as far as he could in the short time that remained. But as the weeks went by he began to get stronger. The three months came and went and found him in better health than ever. He was convinced that his sense of purpose was what saved him: he still had work to do.

Homoeopathic research

His research into vaccines was going well, but despite this Dr Bach felt dissatisfied with the way doctors were expected to concentrate on diseases and ignore the whole person. He aspired to a more holistic approach to medicine. Perhaps this explains why, not being a homoeopath, he took the offer of a post at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital.


Once there he soon noticed the parallels between his work on vaccines and the principles of homoeopathy. He adapted his vaccines to produce a series of seven homoeopathic nosodes. This work and its subsequent publication brought him some fame in homoeopathic circles. People began to refer to him as 'the second Hahnemann'.


The flower remedies

Up to now Bach had been working with bacteria, but he wanted to find remedies that would be purer and less reliant on the products of disease. He began collecting plants and in particular flowers - the most highly-developed part of a plant - in the hope of replacing the nosodes with a series of gentler remedies.


By 1930 he was so enthused by the direction his work was taking that he gave up his lucrative Harley Street practice and left London, determined to devote the rest of his life to the new system of medicine that he was sure could be found in nature. He took with him as his assistant a radiographer called Nora Weeks.


Just as he had abandoned his home, office and work, Dr Bach began to abandon the scientific method and its reliance on laboratories and reductionism. He fell back instead on his natural gifts as a healer, and more and more allowed his intuition to guide him to the right plants.


Over years of trial and error, which involved preparing and testing thousands of plants, he found one by one the remedies he wanted. Each was aimed at a particular mental state or emotion. He found that when he treated the personalities and feelings of his patients their unhappiness and physical distress would be alleviated naturally as the healing potential in their bodies was unblocked and allowed to work once more.


His life followed a seasonal pattern from 1930 to 1934: the spring and summer spent looking for and preparing the remedies; the winter giving help and advice to all who came looking for them. Most winters were spent in the coastal town of Cromer. Here he met and became friends with a local builder and healer, Victor Bullen.


The Bach Centre

In 1934 Dr Bach and Nora Weeks moved to a house called Mount Vernon in the Oxfordshire village of Brighwell-cum-Sotwell. In the lanes and fields he found the remaining remedies that he needed to complete the series. By now his body and mind were so in tune with his work that he would suffer the emotional state that he needed to cure and try plants and flowers until he found the one that would help him. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work.


A year after announcing that his search for remedies was complete, Dr Bach passed away peacefully on the evening of November 27th, 1936. He was only 50 years old, but he had outlived his doctors' prognosis by nearly 20 years. He left behind him several lifetime's experience and effort, and a system of medicine that is used all over the world.


He left his work in the hands of his friends and colleagues Nora Weeks and Victor Bullen, with instructions that they should carry on his work and stay true to the essential simplicity of what he had done. In a letter to Victor dated 26th October 1936, a month before his death, he wrote:


"People like ourselves who have tasted the glory of self-sacrifice, the glory of helping our brothers, once we have been given a jewel of such magnitude, nothing can deviate us from our path of love and duty to displaying its lustre, pure and unadorned to the people of the world."


Nora and Victor stayed true to those ideals of simplicity and sharing, as does the Bach Centre today.


"Healing with the clean, pure, beautiful agents of nature is surely the one method of all which appeals to most of us"
- Dr Edward Bach, 1936


INFORMATION SUPPLIED © copyright 2009 The Bach Centre

THE REMEDIES

The 38 remedies are divided into seven emotional states and are prescribed for each individual:

Fear (Rock Rose, Mimulus, Cherry Plum, Aspen, Red Chestnut)

Uncertainty (Cerato, Scleranthus, Gentian, Gorse, Hornbeam, Wild Oat)

Insufficient interest in present circumstances (Clematis, Honeysuckle, Wild Rose, Olive, White Chestnut, Mustard, Chestnut Bud)

Loneliness (Water Violet, Impatiens, Heather)

Those over-sensitive to influence and ideas (Agrimony, Centaury, Walnut, Holly)

Despondancy and despair (Larch, Pine, Elm, Sweet Chestnut, Star of Bethlehem, Willow, Oak, Crab Apple)

Over-care for welfare of others (Chicory, Vervain, Vine,Beech, Rock Water)

There is one composite remedy which is often used: and one that I highly recommend and as a good introduction to the Bach System

Rescue Remedy

This contains five of the 38 remedies and as the name would suggest, it is the remedy for emergencies and calming in traumatic situatuions such as visiting the dentist, before an exam, after a shock

*****

http://www.astridestella.info/2012/06/stress-and-effect-it-has-on-our-health.html

http://www.astridestella.info/2012/06/stress-solutions-stress-part-two.html

http://www.astridestella.info/2012/06/instigating-parasympathetic-nervous.html

Maggie Brown (Author)

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DEALING WITH WORRY

Do you ever ask yourself what does worry achieve? Lets be honest does it achieve anything? Does it make you feel better? Does it stop the worst happening? The answer to all those questions is no and in fact it will make you feel worse. All it will do is raise your stress hormones which have a detrimental effect on your body and your health. From a holistic point of view it will serve only to depress the functioning of your chakras and untimely your health and well being making you immune system less efficient.

This does not mean you should be blasé about life and be over confident and act like you don't care. You should always endeavour to go about your daily life and work to your best ability, and treat others as you, yourself would wish to be treated.

My philosophy is this: If i have a worry first of all I change the word 'worry' to 'challenge' just doing that in itself lessens its power over you. When you view worry as a challenge, then you think, "How can I over come this?" Well if you have the resources to deal with it then use them, if you do not seek help to overcome the challenge. Even just sharing the challenge can disable its power over you not only that but someone else's ears and eyes can see a different point of view and a solution you overlooked, because you were too close to the challenge. Sometimes you need to step back and see challenges from a bit further away, even by  seeing the challenge as someone else's challenge can help, "What if this was a friend or colleague what would you suggest?"

Lastly if no one can help you, remember this you are never alone, our guides and mentors and loved ones in spirit cannot take these challenges away from us for we chose those challenges ourselves before we incarnated as a learnIng experience and its not in their jurisdiction to interfere what plans we created. However this does not mean they cannot help or support us, for this they can do. They cannot take the challenge away, but they can lighten it and support us through it, for no matter what you will get through it and we will get through it faster and a whole lot easier by trusting Spirit and knowing we are all loved.

Now of course I appreciate this is hard for some of you to think this way, but do give it a try in the meantime if you feel that you want to worry and think about your challenge try this technique

You can think about your "worry" with one proviso that you lock it in a box and put that box into another locked box until you have locked it over and over again inside another locked box several times and every time you want to dwell on your worry you have to go through the visualisation of unlocking and locking the boxes every time you want to dwell on it.  In time you will find you cannot be bothered to go and unlock your boxes so technically you won't dwell on your worry quite as much and you will be the happier and the healthier for it.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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