Responsible Health Care

I was listening to On Point with Tom Ashbrook and today's episode titled "Growing Pains for Obamacare" and feel compelled to comment.

I'm the first to say that our nation ought to be providing health care for children at little to no cost. And, no, I don't even have children of my own, but I also feel that way about providing children with education and enough to eat; they shouldn't suffer for the errors of adults, parents or not.

However, I do not agree with forcing people to buy insurance or to tax them if they don't. It's great to make it available to those who want it, but, except for *emergency care insurance,* I personally have no interest in obtaining health insurance that only covers the conventional medical system.

I fully support everyone following their own conscience of what is right for them, what they feel safe doing, and what they feel is proper for health care.

That said, except for emergencies (like surgery, which is the only area in which I believe conventional medicine excels), I encourage people to do everything in their power to eat healthy and choose a natural health care approach first. I have no doubt that conventional medicine will remain an option as a last resort.

From eating primarily a plant-based diet -- see Forks Over Knives for resources -- to supporting oneself with Herbs, Flower Essences, Homeopathy, and Ayurveda, people might be surprised at how good they feel. And there are a lot more CAM therapies available in addition to those listed that are my favorites!

Allergy Season and Neti Pot

I admit that when I was first attending classes in the fundamentals of Ayurveda (the ancient medical system of India), I resisted using a neti pot for cleaning my nasal passages. Every morning, the community bathroom was filled with students cleaning their sinuses with a neti pot. I thought, "no way, not me." It looked weird, for one thing, and my nose rarely felt stuffy so I figured, "why bother?"

Time passed and the year after I graduated from the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, my husband and I moved to Tucson, Arizona. The air there is dry and dusty, and in a very short time, my nasal passages were a mess. Okay, I decided, I would try using the neti pot. Guess what? I loved it! I could breathe easily again and felt more alert in the mornings (this was a bonus for me since I'm not much of a "morning person").

I still use a neti pot most mornings, even after moving to humid southern Missouri, because of the alertness factor it seems to impart. In addition, however, with all the pollen this spring (we live in the woods), I found that if I didn't clean my nasal passages, I would find myself sneezing or getting stuffy feeling. It seems like every other person I meet has "allergy problems" that could be palliated by using a nasal rinse cup. If you're one of those people, give it a try! Once you buy the pot, the rinse is a simple, inexpensive saline solution (don't use regular table salt or sea salt; best is the pink Himalayan rock salt).

Here's a link to an explanatory video: Banyan Botanicals "How to Use a Neti Pot." I found that after the first couple times, finding the right tilt for my head was a breeze. I'm sure you will, too!

P.S. Different teachers seem to have a variety of thoughts on this, but I was taught to put a few drops of oil in my nostrils shortly after cleaning with a neti pot; the saline can potentially dry your nasal passages out too much, depending upon one's constitution, and the oil provides a short-term lubricant to avoid dryness (which can over-activate one's mucus, again, depending upon individual constitution, the season, the current weather, etc). You can evaluate this yourself and decide whether using oil helps. I nearly always use an oil after my neti pot cleanse; here's the one I buy NASYA OIL.

Sustainability and Flower Essences

I adore flower essences. In fact, I am head-over-heels in love with flower essences!

Of all the modalities I use for healing, flower essences are far and away my favorite. Even talking about them to someone feels like a pathway into healing for me as well as the other person. They are a truly exquisite link between the subtle natural world and our own essential nature.

Although I have explored quite a wide variety of flower essence lines over the past seventeen years, there are two that I turn to more often than any of the others: the Australian Bush Flower Essences (ABFE) and the Green Hope Farm Essences (GHFE). They never let me down and powerfully resonate with my system, my pets and family members, and with clients.

I'm forever grateful to Ian (founder of ABFE) and Molly (founder of GHFE) for their dedication and spiritual alignment with the flowers and ethereal beings who all come together to co-create the essences that we benefit from immensely. I was blessed to attend courses with Ian during one of his visits to America; this temporary group communion led me to feel a deeper attunement to the ABFE. While I've never met Molly, she and I have corresponded numerous times and the purity of her soul's devotion to the co-creation of flower essences is readily, clearly apparent. Each of these people approaches co-creation of their essences in uniquely original ways. You might feel yourself called to a different range of essences, and that's beautiful, too, but if you are starting out and unsure, I highly recommend these two lines.

Molly of GHFE recently wrote a blog post about the differences between flower essences and essential oils (or hydrosols); her presentation on this topic is lovely so, rather than write my own description, I decided to share hers HERE. She also points out the beauty of the sustainability of flower essences (when compared to other natural remedies), something many people overlook.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. Also, if you would like to try a flower essence blend created specifically for your needs, I can help you with that as well.

Blessings!

P.S. You can purchase the Green Hope Farm flower essences directly through their web site; the farm is in New Hampshire. If you want to purchase the Australian Bush Flower Essences, I order them through a North American supplier Southern Herb.

Tall Mulla Mulla in Australia (copyright unknown)

Harmonizing and Untangling

Need a little assist in harmonizing, either within yourself or in relationship to your surroundings?
Consider Honeybees in the White Hawthorn, a fantastic harmonizing flower essence by Green Hope Farm Essences.

Or, are you feeling all tangled up in life? Try the exquisite Coralita flower essence!

I've used both of these and can attest to their power of healing!