Thursday, December 29, 2022

Nutritional Genomics or How What You Eat Affects Your Genes

 

 


When I'm working as a Clairvoyant Healer, I've often wondered why I can look at one person and see that their main underlying problem is coffee and yet when I look at someone else, who is drinking coffee all day long, it is not a problem at all.  It turns out that there is a gene CYP1A2, that does not express itself well for some people who have that gene and drink coffee.

Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief, uses a good analogy to describe this phenomenon.   He says that how our genes are expressed is like someone wearing a long sleeve shirt.  When the shirt sleeve is long, we are expressing those genes in the normal way.  But in the presence of certain conditions like stress, or negative self talk, or a particular pharmaceutical medication, or various foods, then it is like rolling up the shirt sleeve of that genetic code and a whole different expression of those same genes are revealed.  In people who have the CYP1A2 gene, it is the coffee that rolls up the sleeve.

When it comes to nutrition, the field of genomic research is still relatively in its infancy, but it certainly holds vast promise for helping us to understand why some of us react one way to a certain food while others react another way.  Donna Gates, who wrote the book The Body Ecology Diet, now in its eleventh year of publication with Hay House, is passionate about the study of nutrition and how the foods we consume relate to our individual genes.  She is the one who coined the term "inner ecosystem" to describe the vast array of non-human organisms that preside over digestion in our gut tracts.  We need this network of microbes, now called "the microbiome," in order to digest our food.  And the foods we eat feed not only us, but also these organisms, which are comprised of a variety of bacteria, viruses, funguses, yeasts and more.

If we eat a diet of primarily white flour, coffee, alcohol, meats and lots of sugar, we promote populations of little critters in our gut tract that thrive on those foods.  If we eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, we promote the growth of a very different microbiome.  

Many of us now realize that one of the biggest problems associated with poor digestion in our culture stems from the overuse of antibiotics, especially in childhood.  The current medical trend for occasional or rare use of antibiotics is helping to correct this, and fortunately does not cause the same devastation to our microbiome and the "good bacteria," as the regular use of those drugs did in previous decades. 

However, after WWII, it was discovered that the use of antibiotics in animal feed either significantly increased weight gain and/or prevented disease in farm animals.  The practice of including antibiotics in animal feed in the animal husbandry industries, continues to this day and has had a very serious lasting effect on many a digestive tract in our American human population.  So, if you are eating non-organic animal products you are adversely affecting your microbiome with low level doses of antibiotics with quite probably every one of those meals.

Most of us have heard the term 'probiotics' by now.  These are the 'pro' meaning positive, and 'biotics' meaning relating to or resulting from living things, like gut flora.  But not that many people are familiar with the term 'prebiotics.'  'Pre,' meaning that which comes before or creates, and biotics, which is basically life.  Prebiotics are fiber rich foods, like fruits and vegetables, that create the conditions that are favorable to the intestinal flora or 'friendly bacteria.'  These foods are what we need for good digestion.  Prebiotics feed the microbes so that they can first break down our foods so that we can absorb the nutritional components.  Prebiotics in the form of raw fruits and vegetables are best for breaking down into materials that promote good probiotics in our gut tracts.

Fermented raw foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or live culture nut and other milk yogurts, (with an especially favorable nod to organic raw goat milk kefir,) are particularly good at feeding and rebalancing the microbiome.  These foods have been used for centuries among human populations to restore healthy gut flora or to assist digestion when it tends to decline in advanced age.  As my husband who makes a spectacular kimchi sometimes says,  "There is a reason for why people eat these things."

Meanwhile, pasteurized, cooked or canned sauerkrauts, kombuchas, yogurts, et all will have very little to no positive effect on repopulating a microbiome as their cultures have been killed primarily through heating, but also through other food processing methods.  So, "Rah, Rah, Raw!" for raw fermented foods.

Now, back to nutritional genomics.  Genes are in every cell of our bodies.  They are located in the mitochondria of the cell, which holds the DNA.  The DNA, as you probably recall from biology class in school, is a pair of twisted strands, looking something like a spiralized ladder.  Our genes are located on these two strands and they contain all of our genetic material.  Each and every cell in our body has genes and every cell needs food.  That food comes from our digestion.  The food is delivered to the cell by our blood.  The nutrition in the blood that feeds the cell also feeds our DNA.  If our DNA is fed bad food, we then get the bad expressions of the genes, also known as disease.  The shirt sleeve gets rolled up.  It's that simple.  That's why junk food is bad for you.  

Our individual genetic code explains why some foods are good for some people while those same foods may be bad for other people.  Knowing one's personal set of DNA answers the question of why some of us do poorly with too many carbohydrates while others do really well with non-refined carbohydrates and actually need them for good quality sleep, and good mental and physical health.  Our genes can explain why some foods serve us and some foods don't.

None of our genes, not a single one, is positively expressed in the presence of sugar.  I'm not talking about the sugar from fruit here, which is a natural and very healthful food, loaded with bioflavonoids or other wonderfully nutritive elements like enzymes, vitamins and minerals.  But the processed, stripped bare, plain old sugar that comes in a box or a bag, does not feed your good genetic expression.  It feeds the bad ones.

Genes are labeled using a series of numbers and letters.  The MTHR677 gene is very common in Italian and Hispanic populations.  When people with this gene eat the good 'Mediterranean Diet' with plenty of vegetables and fresh olive oil, they have good energy, less cardiovascular disease, increased fertility and lots of happy smiling faces.  People with the "slow" version of the CYP1A2 gene don't do well with caffeine and will feel jittery and nervous when they drink coffee or eat chocolate.  Children with autism will always have an MTHFR gene mutation and will be unable to methylate or detoxify their bodies adequately.  For individuals with this gene a clean healthy diet, free from junk foods, is especially important since it is harder for their livers to detoxify their bodies.

There are companies that can analyze your genetic code from saliva and many people are doing this now.  But there are only limited ways to figure out what all those letters and numbers mean.  I'm guessing that it is a bit like getting a printed off and analyzed astrology chart, somewhat helpful, but not terribly clear.  Hopefully more diet and nutrition majors in food science studies will enter this very promising field because coaches are not yet all that readily available.  

Also, it is worth mentioning that some of the bigger corporations have been found snatching up personal genetic information, presumably for advertising opportunities.  I understand that this was the case with a major online retailer.  They were purchasing personal data from the genetic code company called "23andMe," who was offering genetic testing comparatively inexpensively until the FDA issued them a warning, which shut down their marketing for a while, opening the door for dialogue on standards. 

If you do choose to get your genes analyzed, see if you can find a good nutritional gene coach.  They can help with bringing balance and suggest supplements to support various situations, but the main tool for creating balance and stability is always diet.  Donna Gate's book, which I mentioned earlier, The Body Ecology Diet, will get you there, pretty much no matter what your genetic code may be, because diet is always at the root of our good or bad health.  And her number one tool is first clearing the chalk board by cutting out the common offenders and stopping eating whatever is causing the trouble and then rebuilding the microbiome with raw fermented vegetables.  

So, check out my husband's wonderful kimchi video and start off your New Year with a fresh clean slate of healthy prebiotics and a great diet element for creating beautiful lasting health.

 

 As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

I'm So Grateful for Homeopathic Medicine

 


 

Decades ago one of my main mentors, Charles Otto, D.C., introduced me to homeopathic medicine.  And I'm so grateful.  This extremely effective and subtle healing therapy works in part on the principle of 'like treats like,' somewhat like vaccinations.  This is known as 'The Law of Similars,' where something that triggers a disease can also be used to treat that condition.  With homeopathy, the substance is used in minute concentrations, where it is almost a mere whisper of its former self, and the more dilute the preparation the stronger it is. 

Homeopathic medicine was first created by Samuel Hahnemann, a German Doctor in the late 18th century.  It found widespread use throughout Europe and North America.  Though still embraced in Europe, its use was diminished significantly in America, in the 1950's, when the pharmaceutical and related industries began stacking the Boards of Directors of all of our medical universities with men who would promote their approach to healing using drugs and surgery to the exclusion of all other types of healing modalities.  The end result of this planned monopoly was that hundreds of natural healing clinics fell out of popularity and closed their doors in the decades that followed.  

Fortunately, two natural healing colleges have remained, Bastyr University in Washington State and until very recently Florida College of Natural Health.  (Sadly, as of 2020, FCNH no longer exists.)  Students of natural healing, known as Naturopaths or Naturopathic Doctors, can practice in many states in America, though a number of states require additional licensing or certification.  Similar to how a plant that has been sprayed with poison may die in one area, blessedly what works well for nature will continue to survive and pop up in another area.  So, we do still have access to Naturopaths, which include herbal doctors and homeopaths, who can help us with our healing journeys using tools other than the too often dreaded standard western medical approach of drugs and surgery, sometimes referred to as allopathic medicine.  Naturopaths are often preferred as they can offer more gentle, less invasive options which are still very effective.

Most healthy food stores across the western world do offer herbs and supplements along with homeopathic medicines.  These persist due to their efficacy even though they are not supported by our insurance industries and are paid for out-of-pocket.  Consumers spend billions of dollars annually on these products.  This alone stands as a testament to their usefulness.  My own personal apothecary is full of natural healing products.  I have supplements to address many vitamin and mineral needs.  I have herbs to provide broad spectrum healing, many of which I grow and harvest myself.  And I inherited a Standard Homeopathic kit from Dr Otto after he passed.  Many different homeopathic medicine kits are available for purchase like the HomeoFamily Kit by Boiron.  But I love my old one, with the good doctor's hand written notes alongside the map of remedies inside the top.  

Homeopathic medicines come in the form of tiny little tablets or balls that have been infused with the energy of the plants or other substances from which they were derived.  And as I mentioned, the more dilute they are, the more powerful they are.  So a homeopathic medicine that has been diluted two hundred times, 200x, is more potent than one that has only been diluted six times, 6x.  A 6x formulation can be used many times a day, for instance, one might prefer to take a 6x dose of Hypericum perforatum along with 6x Arnica montana every half hour, or as needed, to speed the healing and ease the pain of a burn.  Whereas, a 200x formulation of something like Ignatia amara might just do the trick, with a one time dose, for easing the sighing disappointments of a teenager.

 Some of my favorite remedies are as follows.  I frequently use Arnica montana for injuries like bruises and scrapes, Hypericum perforatum for nerve troubles like aches and pains, or Belladona, also for pain.  Whenever I get something in my eye or a little sliver or a splinter or have a run-in with some fiberglass, I turn to Silica, sometimes labeled Silicea, to help bring relief.  Apis mellifica eases the sting of insect bites or punctures, the ones that like cold compresses.  Ledum palustre also helps with puncture wounds, the type that likes hot compresses.  Ledum is good for dog bites, impalements and vaccinosis.  Symphytum (comfrey) helps with fractures and torn tissues.  I have used Ignatia amara for grief and the negative thoughts that can sometimes accompany that situation, along with Aconitum napellus for the shock of bad news.  

My basic homeopathic kit holds several dozen remedies along with descriptions of their common uses or indications, but there are hundreds of homeopathic medicines, all with wonderful uses and I only have a working knowledge of a very few.  Often homeopathic remedies can be quite specific, depending on the individual and how the symptoms are uniquely presenting themselves, so, it is, of course, best to consult with an experienced homeopath or naturopath to really dial in an appropriate cure.  However, if you need a little shortcut, the Boiron company has a homeopathic medicine finder on their website, https://www.boironusa.com/mf/.  They also have a hot-line that you can call at 1 (800) 264-7661 where their knowledgeable staff can help you to make a selection. 

Dr. Otto taught me, years ago, that homeopathic medicines should always be taken away from food, either a half an hour before eating or an hour afterward.  They do not like to be taken while someone is using essential oils, or drinking strong beverages, like coffee or black tea.  These are subtle medicines and they can be influenced by other materials, so they do not like to be stored near any electronic devices.  They prefer to be stored in a cool dark place, (as is also the case for most herbs and supplements.)  When taking homeopathic medicine, one should place a single little pellet under the tongue and let it dissolve there, taking care not to touch the fingers, lips or mouth to the inside of the container.  If they are handled carefully, none of these subtle medicines will ever expire.

Interestingly enough, prior to the 1950's and the subsequent takeover of our medical approach to healing by the pharmaceutical, surgical and related industries in this country, most medical doctors were quite proficient at prescribing appropriate homeopathic cures.  They used them to help with healing and as an adjunct to their procedures.  But, now that time has passed, and very, very few medical doctors in the U.S.A. have any knowledge of homeopathics, nor of most other natural therapies for healing, including the basics of diet and nutrition.  Hopefully this tide is turning with our new millennium.   

Please understand that I am not opposed to the standard western medical approach to healing.  Prescription medications and surgical remedies certainly do have their place and I will absolutely avail myself of their services, should I have need and gratefully too.  But, sometimes a more subtle, or more far reaching approach to healing is worthy of consideration.  So, for those among us who enjoy being self empowered and prefer to care for our own bodies for most of the ills that seem a part of life, I'm writing this blog to encourage you to check out homeopathic medicines if you have not yet been introduced.  You will find them right there, in your local neighborhood healthy food store.  So stop in, and say 'Hello,' because a good thing will always prevail.

 

 

 As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

   


 

 

 

 

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

The Secret of Life is Enjoying the Passage of Time

 

 

More than forty years ago, James Taylor recorded a song with this refrain: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."  This musical lyric has been playing in my head all month, and I believe it to be true.  As the words have been percolating deeply into my psyche, I find myself relaxing into greater and greater levels of contentment and an underlying sense of joy.  

Allow me to digress for a moment into the physiological anatomy behind all of this.  The autonomic nervous system of our bodies is comprised of two basic parts, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.  

The sympathetic nervous system is our 'fight or flight' mode and it is our common response to stress.  This is where we are all charged up, our heart rate increases and our kidneys release adrenaline.   When our sympathetic nervous system is engaged, we are on our guard and ready to go, full speed ahead.

The parasympathetic nervous system is our 'rest and digest' mode. Here our bodies can tend to housekeeping and maintenance.  We are relaxed, our heart rate slows and we are at ease and can undergo repair.  Too often in modern life, this aspect of our beingness is over-ridden by stress and the cares and concerns of the day, leaving us in an unbalanced state.

For a healthy nervous system it is best if we allow both these modes of being to occur, perhaps giving a little more time to our parasympathetic mode, in order to even out the balance.  When we take the time to pet the dog, cuddle the cat, smell the roses or gaze up into the blue sky, even if just for a few moments, we are tipping the scales more toward that balance. 

It is worth our while to note that our internal mental climate is so often controlled by habit.  We do have choices.  And sadly, we sometimes choose to develop habits of being self-critical, or routinely pessimistic, or even being easily offended.  These types of thought habits put us in that 'fight or flight' mode.  Should we choose instead, (using our will and consciously directing our attention,) to notice what is beautiful, right and good around us, we shift our energy into a calmer more relaxed way of being.  And this is not only a healthier way to be, but is also a much more enjoyable way to spend time.  All it takes is a little self-observation and a tiny bit of conscious effort.

Now, I'm not saying that we should ignore the world's suffering.  Our advocacy on behalf of what we believe is right and good in the world can be a passionate and very positive use of our sympathetic nervous system.  There is a time and a place to vehemently defend what we believe in.  But I feel that it is best if we don't allow it to habitually completely consume our light.  We can also have gratitude and give ourselves time to remember and enjoy the beauty that we may have been fighting for.

A great healer and a friend of mine recently told me some profound wisdom and I typed out on a piece of paper.  

He called it "The A,B,C's."  

"A" is for Awareness.  (Be) Aware that I have choices.  

"B" is for Breathe, Better.  When we Breathe Better, we pause, we take a moment that allows us to relax or rethink our stance just a little.  

"C" is for Choose, Better.  I can think about how to Choose Better.

My friend is a healer of the physical body, and this was intended as a first response for injury or trauma, but right away I noticed how in my life his same wisdom could also be used for my mental, emotional and spiritual health as well.  Why not find ease and grace in my mind as well as in my body?  So, I leave you with these beautiful A,B,C's of his and the secret of life, which is enjoying the passing of time.

 

P.S.  Vote.












Thursday, September 22, 2022

Your Most Elevated Thought of the Day




Lately, an elderly friend of mine has taken to asking me what was my most elevated thought of the day.  This has given me the opportunity to stop and notice from time to time where my head is at.  Just like any other part of our routines, our thoughts can become quite habitual and his question has been reminding me that it is good to remember to cultivate elevated ones.

I feel that we are more creative than we realize.  Our thoughts, and where we are focusing our minds, are the first step of that creative process.  

One of the things that my spiritual teacher, Jana Massey, used to advise, being as we live right next to a major earthquake fault line, was to take care not to envisage disaster in our area.  After the Santa Rosa fire, of 2017, here in California, and initially after the Y2K concerns at the beginning of the new millennia, my husband and I have taken the very practical steps advised regarding having an emergency evacuation kit ready-to-go.  So, we have copies of our important documents, pet carriers, change of clothing and other essentials packed and gathered should there be need.  And though thus prepared, I try not dwell on it.  As Jana suggested, I like to see my community as happy and whole and settled in my mind's eye.

Here, on the Central Coast, mere days after a severe heat wave, it is natural to be concerned about the very real results of climate change, and its varied and widespread impacts on human communities and wildlife world wide.  This is certainly something that we want to address and give pro-active efforts toward.  And though there is always room for improvement, I do much toward that end.  

Then, as well, similar to what Jana advised with envisaging peace and tranquility, I also like to make an effort with what might be called spiritual activism, thus I place some of my thoughts positively in the etheric realms as well.

Years ago, I saw a PBS documentary called 'Next Year Country.'  It was about the severe drought in Montana, in the early 2000s.  Several ranchers, fearing for their livelihoods, pooled their resources and hired a rainmaker.  He came from the Mount Shasta area and brought with him large long metal pipes and other equipment and camped out on the land for several weeks.  He aligned the pipes with underground water ways and ley lines.  Then he chanted and sang.  And he laughed and spoke with and got to know the people.  And he did indeed call the rain.  That year, that corner of the state was green and full of rain and grain.

I've been remembering what the rain-maker said.  He explained that clouds are alive and that they are like children or animals or anyone else, and we need to be delighted to see them if we want them to come around.  He said we need to let them know how we feel and engage with them, talk to them and smile and celebrate their presence.  

So, as one example of my most elevated thought of the day, lately I've been engaging in etheric, spiritual activism by practically jumping up and down with joy at the sight of these big cumulonimbus clouds that have been sailing around the edges of our sky since the two glorious days of gentle rain that fell on our dry ground right after the heat wave.  Those drops of rain swirled among the leaves of the oak trees, moistening their branches and the earth and the air.  I went out several times and danced in the rain, loving those cold drops on my skin and in my hair.  Glad of my happy warm home to come in to, and of the moisture that was soaking deep into the ground.

I remember once coming across a quote.  It might have been Ram Dass.  In any case, it spoke deeply to me and I'll leave you with this as a beautifully elevated thought for you, if you'd like, to hold for today.
"The foundation of our spirituality is to be appreciative of the gift of life, to have fun, to play, to laugh, to see our lives as a piece of God."







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thursday, August 18, 2022

Fleas!



We recently became overwhelmed with fleas.  So I called my retired naturopath friend and asked for assistance.  She said that Neem Oil works great and we found that it did.

For the past few years, when the summer-time flea bloom has occurred, we have resorted, as so many of us do, to using the veterinarian prescribed drops.  These are placed on the back of the animal's skull, near the base, where it meets the neck.  The solution gradually spreads over the animal's entire body and definitely kills the fleas.  But it is very toxic and can be transferred to our hands while petting our furry friends.  So, it is not what I consider safe.

Contrary to the label instructions, we have typically used a half dose of these flea treatments on each animal, to minimize the amount of poison that we use.  But even with that, our cats languished listlessly for a day or two, with very little energy or interest in food, and looked like they had really bad headaches.  

As well, for the previous two years, within a day or two after the application of the flea drops, our dog collapsed as if dead, after retrieving her ball at the park.  She lay limp and motionless at our feet, leaving us, fearing for her life, down on the ground with her, until she miraculously came back, half a minute later, a little confused at first, but then seemingly fine.  

This was very alarming, and the vet didn't know what might have caused this reaction in our dog nor what exactly it could be.  But the event was very concerning to us, and I had my suspicions that it could be related to the neurotoxin in the standard flea treatment.  So, this year, not wanting to take a chance on the possibility that it could be the drops, I decided to take a more aggressive natural flea care approach.

Of course flea combing is essential.  We use a nice fine tooth metal comb.  I find that the plastic combs don't really get them and the larger toothed metal combs can miss some too.  This required that we have our dog's hair cut quite short as the weather grew warm so that we could get the comb through her coat.  

The cats, with their finer hairs are considerably easier to comb, but they are not that fond of having their belly's combed, so a few get missed that way.  And, it seems that the combing really does have to become a part of the daily routine.

We use a container of water with a drop of dish soap stirred into it to assist with the flea combing process.  After a pass through the animals coat, combing as close to the skin as possible, I immediately dunk the comb into the water.  This confuses the flea and gives me a moment to remove it from the comb.  The soap breaks the surface tension of the water and prevents the flea from being able to jump out.  Instead it sinks to a watery demise.

Our dog's groomer says that the lawn at the park is a common source of fleas.  And that dogs often pick fleas up there.  Both our cats and the dog go in and out of the house at will, and we live on a creek, so they also get exposure to the fleas carried by the wildlife that share our home with us.  We have raccoons, possums, rats, squirrels and lots of birds that share our space with us. 

One trick that we are blessed to be able to avail ourselves of is letting our dog swim in the ocean.  Apparently the combination of salt water and then freshwater can kill fleas.  Fleas can endure submersion in either type of water for a time, but both types, one right after the other, really messes with their ability to survive.  So, we take our dog to the beach for a nice swim, retrieving her toys, and then rinse her off with the hose once we get back home.  

Vacuuming is another helpful approach.  We regularly drag out the vacuum and clean all the rugs and sweep the floors.  We also use diatomaceous earth.  This is made from the shells of tiny crustaceous creatures that has been ground into a very fine dust.  When insects come in contact with the dust, it scratches and damages their exoskeletons and causes them to die.  

Diatomaceous earth is very effective so long as it remains dry. But the powder can cause irritation to the skin and eyes along with respiratory troubles if used indiscriminately.  We handle it very carefully, so as to not raise any excess dust and carefully place it under and inside the covers of the sofa cushions, which we then additionally cover with a sheet or other piece of fabric.  We also put it deep in the dog's bedding under several layers of top fabric, so her skin or lungs will not become inflamed.  This approach helps to do away with the fleas and their eggs that are living deeper in the bedding.

In addition, we also change all of the bedding covers regularly to avoid having flea eggs and larvae, that are on the surface, hatch out in their beds.  We put these covers right into the washing machine and then the clothes dryer.  The water and the heat does the trick there.

But still, despite all of this, the fleas got ahead of us this year.  And I just didn't want to take a risk with our beautiful dog's life or cause the cats so much discomfort with the neurotoxins, which after all, are neuro, meaning nerve and toxins, meaning poisonous.

Thus the Neem oil, to the rescue.  It has been used, diluted as an insect repellent for hundreds of years on crops in agriculture.  It doesn't kill insects or the fleas, but they really don't like it, and stay away.

Neem oil is solid at room temperature, so if you use it in your pet shampoo, you need to warm it lightly first before adding it.  I just put a small amount, like a half teaspoon in perhaps two cups of warm water with about one tablespoon of shampoo.  Use it all up, as neem breaks down rapidly in soap.  It may leave a slight odor on your dog's coat, but that is what repels the fleas.  

Another way to apply neem oil is as a spray, diluted in alcohol.  Neem oil will stay in suspension in the alcohol.  I use four ounces of a good quality vodka, (I always like to support organic producers, even for a use such as this,) and add one dropperful, or fifteen drops, of neem oil into the alcohol, in a small spray bottle.  Shake first, before applying and lightly mist the dog's coat and then rub it in.  This is also a great thing to do before going for a hike in tick season, as it will prevent these insects from getting on your dog as well.  

Of course, whenever using any new product on your animal, it is good to observe how they react to it.  Cats do more grooming than dogs, thus they may consume more of the oil on their coats.  Most will do fine.  But we are all unique and anyone can be allergic to anything, so it is good to be attentive. 

Neem oil not only repels fleas, but it also helps to reduce itchiness and has been used for fungal infections and for treating ringworm and mange.  Perhaps you'd like to give it a try with your dog or cat.  It has worked great for us and it might just work well for you too.




As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Scratchy Throat? Here's What I Do

 

Sometimes I just do something super simple like gargling with salt water or diluted Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, (I like Braggs,) and that always helps to ease a tickle in a throat.  But, when I really want to stop something in it's tracks before it even gets started, I have a much more thorough approach.

And that is one of the main keys, 'before it even gets started.'  So often, we want to deny the subtle signs that anything is wrong because we really don't want it to be real.  Instead, I openly refer to this phase as 'a slight imbalance in my wellness.'  And I let people know that I'm going to be tending to this, because this is the most crucial time to tune in and take action, rather than hoping it will just go away.  

Our bodies are masters at sending us subtle cues well before bigger symptoms occur and it pays to pay attention to them.  Headaches, backaches, changes in the bowel habit, these are all ways our body talks to us to let us know that something is amiss.  And that little, tiny scratchy throat is no exception.  So, here is what I do.

First, I drop everything, clear my calendar, at least for the rest of the day, stop what I'm doing, go inside, get warm, stay warm and start heading in the direction of rest and wellness.  I don't eat junk food or sugar, but if I did, I'd stop that nonsense pronto as that sort of eating habit is sure to dip the immune system and kick a bad thing into high gear.  

Generally, I'll then reach for a salt water gargle, first, which is always right at hand with good quality Celtic Sea Salt or Real Salt being permanent residents in my kitchen.  I use one teaspoon of salt, dissolved in, first a half a cup of hot water, stirred, and then another half a cup of cold water added in order to dilute the solution to a comfortable temperature.  While standing at the sink, I pour some of the salt water into the palm of my hand and while closing one nostril with my fingers, I snort the puddle of salt water, from my hand, up my into my sinuses, with my other nostril.  Then, I trade hands and nostrils and pour and snort some more.  

After that, I take a nice big mouthful of the salt solution and gargle and spit.  I repeat this several times, hitting high notes and low notes, and all the notes in between, vocally, while gargling.   This exposes all of the many folds of my vocal chords to the salt solution.  These folds can be hiding places for invading microbes and it is best to let them know, with the salt, that they are not welcome.

Natural salt, from dehydrated ocean water is full of minerals and it is also a good bio-film disruptor, which means that it can break through the little crust that microbes, like bacteria form, as a protective layer, on top of their colonies. These colonies are where they can thrive and multiply.  

Xylitol is another great bio-film disruptor.  So, I also reach for my Xlear nasal spray, which has xylitol in it, and I shoot a couple of good squirts up into my sinuses after I've recovered a little from the salt water snorting.

I tend to have very clear sinuses, but when I inhale Xlear up my nose, I am always amazed at how much mucus is liberated.  I'll generally need to spit and blow for a good five minutes after a good application.  It is surprising how much material can be undetected and stored up in those sinuses.  And those hidden, mucus-rich areas can be fine homes for microbes and their bio-films.  

Xlear is also one of the tricks I use for staying healthy after having spent time out in public, where I may have been exposed to any number of infectious, air-borne microbes.  In the same regard, I may use my nebulizer to inhale a very dilute mist of .75% hydrogen peroxide.  I learned about this technique from a May 2020 article that a friend of mine shared from Dr. Mercola.  Just a couple of breaths using this mist can really knock back pathogens from the lungs.

 While the water is still hot in the tea kettle from making my salt water solution, I generally brew myself a couple of cups of Throat Coat Tea by Traditional Medicinals.  This is a very soothing combination of herbs to support the health of the throat, coating it with slippery elm bark and marshmallow root.  Wild cherry bark, fennel and cinnamon add their goodness, drying mucus, easing airways, reducing inflammation and acting as antioxidants.  The licorice root boosts the immune system and gives it all a lovely taste.  Sipping this nice warm tea all day also helps to rinse away any little microbes that may be trying to set up housekeeping in the mucus membranes of my throat.

At this point I might additionally reach for a throat spray, like 'Singer's Saving Grace' or HerbPharm's 'Soothng Throat Spray.'  A couple of squirts in the back of my mouth are very soothing and also help to discourage any invasion.

I'm a big fan of Dr. Richard Schulze and his American Botanical Pharmacy.  He is one of our great contemporary herbologists and his 'Oral Therapy' mouth wash is miraculous.  I'll also gargle with that, to really knock back any invaders and I follow it with his beautiful 100% food sourced Vitamin C tablets, 'Super-C Plus.'  I'll suck on one or two of those and they feel so good.  In fact, they could go in my top paragraph as the one or two things that can be done to start turning a situation around.  After having successfully managed to conquer the invasion with this protocol, I keep a few of these little C tablets in my pocket for a few days, so I can pull one out and suck on it from time to time, in order to keep the internal balance in my throat in good health. 

After all of this flushing and chasing away of bad microbes, I like to go to my refrigerator where I keep what I need to replenish my throat flora with healthy microbes.  For this I use a beautiful probiotic capsule that has been carefully preserved from an old world source.  It is called 'Healthy Trinity' by Natren.  I put two of these beautiful capsules in my mouth and let them slowly dissolve there.  I'll often do this just before I fall asleep, for good internal mouth flora and also, incidentally, for tooth support.  This is, as the French would say, the pièce de résistance, or the final important feature for regaining the balance of health in my throat.  

I keep all of these things on hand because having a fully equipped apothecary, or in-home store of herbs and remedies, is a big part of natural healing.  This is a good idea for anyone who is interested in a holistic approach to health.  My throat care prevention supplies are  just a small portion of my personal apothecary.  I also keep herbal stores for organ cleansing, injuries and first aid, brain health, heart health and a host of other simple mostly herbal remedies for maintaining and creating beautiful health, in the way that nature provided.

 A good cook knows the importance of having basic staples on hand: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, what have you.  The same holds true for natural healing techniques.  What I have given you here is one recipe from my cookbook.  There are hundreds more.  And like any recipe, it may shift and change as the years go by.  My storehouse of home remedies started decades ago, with one cupboard.  Now it is quite extensive, housed in several cabinets, a dresser or two and even a mini-fridge.  And if you haven't already, this is a perfect place to get started, a few powerful healing allies, to help stave off a sore throat, before it even gets started.  Enjoy.

 

 


As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.



Friday, June 10, 2022

One Can't Say Enough About Gratitude

 

 


 

Can there ever be enough said about Gratitude?  I don't think so.

And talk about a healing balm.  Picking up the reins of our mind and turning our thoughts toward thankfulness in any situation shifts the energy instantly and brings about positive change.  Not to mention, gratitude is one of the three main types of prayer, commonly known to all of humankind, next to, 'Help,' and 'Silent Union with the Divine.'

So, yes, Gratitude.  It is always worthy of mention.  And I could almost stop right there, with 'enough said.'  But, I'll elaborate just a little more.

Habitually switching our thoughts to gratefulness can take some practice, but it is one of the best ways I know of for coming up out of a funk.  One does need to first recognize and realize that a funk has descended.  Sometimes we can really get lost in a negative internal mind climate, festering and stewing like an infection.

This is where the idea of 'the witness,' (from Jnana Yoga, from Hinduism,) comes in.  Here, there are the two birds sitting in the tree of life.  One is busy doing and experiencing all of the activities of life, while the other is just watching.  This watching bird, within ourselves is 'the noticer.'  And the noticer gives us a little perspective.  It notices when we are happy.  It notices when we are sad.  And it can alert us, as the rider of our own horse of life, when it is time to turn a run-away situation around and head in a different direction, like toward Gratitude.

Listening to the news or just tending to the day-to-day chores or foibles of life can really get us all wound up.  But, there is always something to be grateful for, even in moments that can seem quite stinky.  If we look, we'll find it.  And that gives us our first step up out of that place in our heads.  "The sky is a beautiful blue."  "I can take a breath."  "I'm sitting next to you."  There is always something to be grateful for.  We can start there.

Huston Smith in his seminal book, The World's Religions, 1958, noted the three types of prayer that I was referring to earlier.  Universal to all religions, both oral and written, they are: 1.) The Asking Prayer,  "Please help me."  2.) The Prayer of Gratitude, "Thank you."  And 3.) The Prayer of Silent Union with The Divine, where we loose our sense of self and become one with everything.

From the asking prayer, I've heard that we can get three different answers: "Yes, of course."  "Yes, but later."  And, "No, I have something better for you."  All worthy of gratitude.  And when we loose ourselves in oneness, doing what we absolutely love, be it dancing in the waves or climbing a mountain peak, we have reached a state of bliss and what is not to be grateful for there.  So, yes, gratitude.  It is what keeps the world going round and helps us to attain humanity's greatest desire, Peace, both within and without.

So, let's pick up the reins, together and come round to a unity of being, reaching for and finding gratitude, as often as possible, in every moment of every day.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Focusing on Goodness and Beauty Through Challenging Times

 

 

There are so many scary things going on in the world right now.  Even our day to day experiences can be frightening and sometimes overwhelming.  However, in spite of all of that, I find that it is important to realize and remember that at our core, we are love, all is well, and there is nothing to be afraid of.

Holding to a deep and abiding belief in the beauty and goodness of all things isn't always easy for me either, but thanks to the help of some of my favorite authors, I've become so practiced at it that on the occasions when I slip into despair, I find that those moments have become fewer and farther between and that they last a lot less longer.  So, I'd like to share with you some thoughts that I've embraced in my life that help me to more swiftly make the transition back into trust and joy. 

1.  Remembering Miracles and Gratitude.  In his book, Pronoia, Bob Brezsny explains that we tend to have the habit of thinking that the whole day is going wrong if we do something like stub our toe on the way to the bathroom in the morning, instead of recognizing that we've already experienced twenty-five miracles in just waking up from sleep and moving our bodies, flicking on the light switch and taking a nice deep breath.  His point is well taken.  There is a stupendous amount of things to be grateful for in every moment of every day.

2.  Realizing Our Higher Self's Perspective.  One of my favorite mentors, Peace Pilgrim, has a chart of her spiritual growth that is shared in the book, Peace Pilgrim, Her Life and Work in Her Own Words.  It shows how we can vacillate between the emotional ups and downs of the low self and the high self.  As we progress on the journey of a life dedicated to spiritual development, our ability to move more swiftly through the challenges of a self-centered nature become easier and we engage more regularly with what she calls our God-centered nature. 

3.  We Alone Control the Direction of Our Thoughts.  Viktor Frankl, in his life changing work, Man's Search for Meaning, wrote of his experience in a concentration camp during WWII.  He said that they could take everything away from him except his own mind and that where he held his thoughts, or his attitude, was completely under his own control.  

4.  Healthy Clean Blood Makes for Healthy Clean Thoughts.  The teachings of the great contemporary nutritional, health and well-being herbologist, Dr. Richard Schulze, consolidates the knowledge that we have gained over the last few centuries in regards to the role that good nutrition, internal organ cleansing and self-care play in our lives.  He says to "Stop doing what is making you sick and Start doing what makes you feel well."  Our bad junk food habits and sedentary lifestyles do catch up with us.  Keeping our internal organs clean and functioning well, helps to keep the rest of us clean too.  This includes our blood and thus our brains.  When our brains are not so busy dealing with dirty blood, our thoughts can become cleaner, as well.

5.  Choosing Our Level of Engagement.  Jill Bolte Taylor, in her wonderful new book, Whole Brain Living, shows us how we can identify and begin to choose between the four main parts of our brains.  We can decide which part of our awareness we would most like to have holding the microphone of our lives.  It seems that too often, we tend to jump into our left emotional brain, which is all about, "Me, Me, Me," and about all of the things that are wrong in this moment.  Instead, we can learn how to engage the other parts of our brain to skillfully handle and move through difficult events.  We can consciously choose where we want to place our awareness like: in our ability to reason and figure out how to move forward, or in our playful side, or in our expanded sense of deep interconnectedness which holds everything with compassion and love.

6.  We Can Heal Our Lives.  Louise Hay, in her ground-breaking work, You Can Heal Your Life, shows us how creating the habits of positive thinking through self love and affirmations can move us into new dimensions of gratitude and joy in our lives.  Her 'go to' reminder of, "All is well.  Everything is working itself out for the highest good.  Out of this experience only good will come.  And, I am safe." has been life changing for me.  It has helped me to work through some of the scarier situations in my life, allowing me to shift my perspective into trust and love.

7.  When We Change Our Perspective Amazing Miracles Occur.  Near Death Experiences, like Anita Moorjani's Dying to Be Me or Eben Alexander's Proof of Heaven or Mellen-Thomas Benedict's Journey Through the Light and Back, demonstrate the miraculous effects that changing our perspective can hold.  A Course in Miracles teaches this too.  Our beliefs have the potential to help us let go of the most dire of circumstances and turn them into bliss.  

8.  Our Consciousness Lives On In Love.  Some very accurate and persuading examples of the ongoing presence of human consciousness have not only been shown in cases of Near Death Experiences but have also been shown through the work of talented mediums.  These professional psychics have been able to share intimate details from loved ones who have passed on and who have reached out to their living family members to help them move beyond grief.  This type of profoundly healing information allows those who remain alive to be assured that consciousness not only lives on but is whole and happy and well.  Some of the mediums who have inspired me are Tyler Henry with Here and Hereafter, and  Gordon Smith with The Unbelievable Truth.  Death is not the end.

9.  Good News is Great News.  Most of our journal and broadcast news focuses on what is alarming and seriously concerning.  But there is a lot of good going on in the world that we hardly ever hear about.  Brilliant people, young and old are coming up with new perspectives and innovative solutions all the time.  It serves us well to search some of these good news sources out and share them with others.  Many of my environmental journals like National Wildlife from the Nation Wildlife Federation or Nature Conservancy Magazine from The Nature Conservancy often have great reports on collaborations that are turning the tides toward a healthier world or things that we can each do like planting for wildlife in our gardens.  Also, the Good News Hub reports great good news stories online.  News like this always lifts my spirits.

10.  Singing and Dancing Our Way to Beauty and Goodness.  I sing everyday.  It makes me feel happy, even if I'm just humming.  And I dance whenever I can.  When we do these two, we lighten our hearts and leave our troubles behind.  Even if you have to 'Fake it until you make it,' it is time well spent.  You will feel lighter.  And it's fun.  Just allow your playfulness to come forward.  

I hope these ten tips help you to hold a more positive outlook as much for you as they have for me.  And finally, I'll leave you with this one last idea.  Stay in your joy, as much as you can.  Try to do something that you'd love to do every day.  Make it your top priority and it will make your day, every day.





Thursday, April 14, 2022

Gaining and Maintaining Beautiful Eye Health Along With Great Vision

 

 

Vision is our dominant perceptual sense.  Dogs smell.  Rabbits hear.  But we humans predominantly use our eyes to inform us about the world around us.  We see.

Just like any other muscle in the body, the muscles around our eyes can become weak or tight.  When they do, our eyeballs can loose their nice round shape, becoming more oblong or egg shaped, either too long or too wide.  If one or more of the six muscles that surround our eyes pulls habitually on that beautiful fluid filled ball of ours, then we can't see as well, becoming either nearsighted or farsighted.  When we correct this visual disturbance with eye glasses, the problem gradually gets worse as we lean progressively more heavily on that crutch.

Practicing regular eye exercises is one of the basics of maintaining or reclaiming great eye health.  Another basic is calming the optic nerve.

The optic nerve is a comparatively long and large structure that comes right from the eyeball itself, straight back into the brain.  (A portion of the nerve fibers coming from each eye, actually cross each other, but that's a detail we can save for another time.)  When the optic nerve gets highly stimulated from bright light or the tension of muscular strain, it becomes overburdened with chemical messages causing fatigue.  When this happens, it can take a little while to calm down.  This is where "palming" comes in.  I'll describe that a little later.

When I was a young girl, growing up, my mother and my grandmother were both writers.  They each spent many hours a day reading and writing.  Yet neither of them wore glasses.  Though sadly my mother passed quite young, my grandmother lived into her mid-nineties and lived her whole life long without getting any prescription glasses.  And she read almost all day, everyday.  This was because she had learned how to care for her vision from an eye health pioneer of her time, Dr. William Horatio Bates, M.D. (1860-1931.)  She read his books, did the exercises, and blessedly taught my mother, who taught me.  Many was the day when I would come across my mother or my grandmother palming or moving or resting their eyes. 

Back in the day, instead of celebrity rags at the checkout line in the grocery store, you could pick up little self care books on natural health techniques.  I still have a 35¢ hard cover copy on correcting vision problems naturally that I purchased in my early twenties.  It is titled Sight Without Glasses, by Dr. Harold M. Peppard.  The top of this little book's spine is ragged from the number of times I have pulled it out from my bookshelf.  Another small paperback, that I have from back in 1994, by Richard Leviton is called, Better Vision in 30 Days.  These little guides have kept me on track and I am so very pleased to say that they work!  And there are lots of more very detailed resources available, like Help Yourself to Better Sight, by Margaret O. Corbett or The Eye Care Revolution by Robert Abel, Jr., M.D..

The exercises, or 'movements,' as Dr. Bates used to call them, are remarkably simple.  

Palming.  Palming comes first and foremost, for calming the optic nerve.  This is done by placing the palms of your hands gently over your eyes to create a dark environment where your eyes can begin to drain off the remaining chemical residue caused by light from inside the optic nerve.  This is best done in a darkened room, with a straight spine and the elbows resting on a surface which is at about chest level.  Resting the elbows keeps them from fatiguing.  Care should be taken that the palms rest very lightly on the bony structures of the skull, around the eyes with no pressing.  

Bates felt that imagining movement, like a black boat, on a black sea, sailing in a figure eight was helpful while palming.  I like to imagine a herd of black horses running around on a black beach at night.  Doing visualizations, like these, while palming seems to help the optic nerve drain more quickly and completely.

When palming, it can take a little while for the eye to no longer see patches of lingering light and see only blackness.  I can see complete blackness typically in about five minutes.  But I have very good vision and well cared for eyes.  Bates liked for people to palm for twelve minutes, warming the hands first by rubbing them briskly together, (raising the chi,) before starting.  He also liked for people to palm before starting the other exercises or movements.  This relaxes the eyes before asking them to engage their muscles.  Then, just like gently stretching any muscle, you move first one way, and then the other.

Though there are a host of exercises allowing one to address any number of possible corrections such as double vision, wandering eyes or astigmatism, I have focused on just a scant handful of them to maintain my good vision.  Almost all eye exercises are best done outside and my favorites are these five:

Sunning.  This feels really great.  I step out into the morning air, while the sun is still low on the horizon.  I close my eyes and point my nose right at the sun.  Then I slowly move my head from left to right, allowing my shoulders and upper torso to move as well, so that my face is moving in an arc of 180 degrees.  I might do this for as long as four or five minutes.

Looking at a Distance.  The next thing I like to do is see if I can see some distant hikers on the trail going up the mountain near my home.  The trail is probably about a mile away from my front door.  It's fun.  We tend to have a lot of hikers here, and my husband and I often try to see who can see someone first.  

In our modern day and age, we rarely look at a distance, but if we were people in ancient times, it would be very helpful to see if that distant fruit tree was ripe or not, or to notice if anyone else was over there.  Spending just a little bit of time looking at a distance helps us to counter act all of the time that we spend reading or staring at close up screens while engaging with technology.  

Often while driving, on open roads, I'll rest my eyes by looking over the steering wheel at the far off landscapes ahead of me, allowing my peripheral vision to keep track of what is happening near by.  And while I'm at my computer, I frequently gaze out the window, behind my screen, at the large tree across the street, allowing my eyes to focus on its leaves and branches for just a moment or two.  These kinds of tiny habits give the close up muscles of my eyes a little chance to rest and relax and greatly reduce any symptoms of eye fatigue.  My grandmother used to say, "Look up."  She said that gazing into the sky or the trees overhead was very relaxing for the eyes and the mind. 

Looking Close and Looking Far.  This is one of my very favorites.  I enjoy seeing how quickly I can change my focusing ability.  After looking at the mountain in the morning, I'll take a few moments to briefly look at my thumbnail, held about eight inches from my face.  As soon as I can clearly see my cuticle and the details of the skin around my nail, I glance back at the mountain and see how long it takes for me to see details there.  Then I look back at my nail, and then back at the mountain.  I maybe do this half a dozen times, or more, depending on how acute my eyes are and how quickly my vision can adjust.

Swinging.  This one I do seated, with my eyes closed.  It is important not to move your eyes too quickly for this exercise.  Slow and steady is best.  Begin by holding your head in a comfortable position and looking straight ahead.  Then close your eyes, and start by moving just your eyes to the left, as if you were looking to the left.  Then to the right.  Back to the left again, and back to the right.  Go easy, especially when you are doing this for the first time.  Go nice and slow and not too far.  Repeat a comfortable and gentle number of times.  Pause for a moment or two after you've completed this, keeping your eyes closed.  'Rome wasn't conquered in a day.'  

After that, with eyes still closed, let your eyes swing up and down.  Then, after that, try moving on to the diagonals.  First up on the left and down on the right.  Then, up on the right and down on the left.  Try to make your movements nice and even, gradually moving your eyes without letting them jump along.  And always come to center, resting your eyes for just a moment or two before changing directions.  This really gives those six muscles a nice, deep, long stretch.

Watching My Dog Chase the Ball.  This one is really lovely and I do it every day.  We take our dog to the park and throw the ball for her.  I watch her very carefully, yet with soft and relaxed eyes, not straining, never straining.   As she quickly moves away and back toward me again, my focus naturally changes to follow her.  The muscles around my eyes actually change the shape of my eyeballs, in a steady fashion, slightly longer or wider to maintain the focus in a continual stream of gentle natural movement.

If you don't happen to have a dog, maybe you have a ball, a similar version of this exercise happens when you hit a ball against a wall and let it bounce back to you and hit it again.  Tennis, or pickle ball or ping pong accomplish a similar effect.  

My grandmother was a great ping pong player, well into her advanced age.  And she often rested her eyes, by sitting down and closing them briefly after a game.  She rested her eyes while reading too.  She'd hold her finger on the page, so her eyes would not have to strain and search for the next line.  She also blinked, a lot, not only at the end of every line while reading, but also while just looking around or speaking with someone.  She always read with good and even light and she never stared or let herself strain her eyes in other ways. 

Just like any exercise program, doing it once or twice won't get you there.  It takes a near daily commitment to see lasting results.

Meir Schneider, of the School of Natural Healing, based in Berkeley, California, has taken this type of work to a beautifully refined level.  He was born legally blind and can now drive on the freeway.  He teaches how to work with and improve or prevent a variety of eye health challenges including blind spots, glaucoma and macular degeneration.  There are more answers to eye health problems than just drugs or surgery.

I am currently working on not only maintaining my beautiful and blessedly perfect vision, but also on preventing cataracts.  I'm having success doing this by adding in a few new eye exercises, that I'm now learning, along with keeping my self fully hydrated and doing periodic water fasting, (please see one of my new favorite books on this method of natural healing by Kate McCarthy titled Water Fasting.)  I also use two or three drops of Dr. Schulze's Eyebright Formula in distilled water in an eye cup, every day.  This gives my eyes a nice bath in healing herbs that definitely help to increase the blood circulation to all of my eye structures, while keeping them nourished and healthy.  So far, it is all definitely working!

May you and your family and friends come to know the joy of maintaining and reclaiming beautiful eye health and vision with these simple habits of relaxation and gentle movements that you can easily incorporate into your lives.




As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.



















Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Step Into the Magic of Your Dreams






Hello everyone.  My friend Cyndi Silva asked me to do an interview exploring perspectives on Dreamwork.  Please enjoy this 50 minute zoom discussion on various types of dreams, helpful tips on how to remember your dreams and a few ideas on how to easily interpret them.  To learn more about Cyndi and her lovely work visit:  https://geneticalchemy.com  and  https://metaphysicalwisdom.com

Friday, February 18, 2022

A Few of My Tips on How to Have a Happy Marriage

 


Standing on the steady ground of four decades of a successful marriage, I realize that there are a few things I've learned about how to navigate the waters of close relationships.  I'd like to share some of them with you now.

Perhaps the first and most important is self love.  If we do not love and value our own self, we will not have the ability to stand up for ourselves and meet our most basic needs in life.  Self love gives us boundaries.  And good boundaries keep us safe and whole.  They protect us from what I call, "Deal Breakers."  

If I realize or discover that someone who I am becoming close to has unresolved issues that they need to work through such as: alcoholism, drug addiction, illegal activities or basic moral or ethical problems like lying, cheating or stealing, I can make a choice as to whether I feel called to help them with that soul growth or not.  For a potential life partner, either of these would most likely be a 'deal breaker' for me.  And for a friendship, depending on how much drama I might want to allow in my life, I might find myself distancing from that relationship.  

A couple of other examples of 'deal breakers' might be when one person is wishing to start a family, while the other does not feel called to that experience.  Or, if one person really wants to pursue higher education, or a higher station in life while the other finds that they are contented with how things already are.  These are perhaps less difficult for a couple to consider than say, addictions or what not, but they can none-the-less be good reasons for not being in a marriage together.

A second relationship dynamic that I've observed is that we often choose and are attracted to people who have mastered qualities that we ourselves have not yet fully cultivated and would love to be able to express.  When we find someone who has those qualities, it allows us to observe and hopefully develop some of those traits in ourselves so that we can become a more well-rounded individual.  Thus, the engineer is drawn to the artist.  The structured and orderly life craves some of the freedom and spontaneity of the creative life and visa versa.  

The trouble begins when we start to judge the other through the lens of our own perspective.  The artist can't understand why the engineer won't just take a day off to relax and have some fun for a change.  And the engineer gets to the point where they can no longer abide by the constant messy chaos of those art projects scattered all over the place.  Each tries to make the other be more like themselves.  What first attracted, can later become the thorn of contention.  

Herein lies a bit of surrender.  It just becomes so much easier when we let the people in our lives be who they are and do what they are capable of doing.  Yes, we all have chores and we absolutely do need to contribute, in the way that we each best can, to our shared lives together.  But, it is good to remember that the only person we can actually change is our self.  And the more we try to change someone else, the more frustrated or resentful we become.  If, instead, we change our tack and simply accept them, just as they are, the less burdened we become in our own minds.   

In addition, when we allow our own internal emotional climate to be determined by the actions of others, we potentially set ourselves up for a lifetime of misery.  We need to realize that we are all flawed individuals.  Who among us is perfect?  No one.  This is very true in a marriage too.  We are all here, to learn and grow.   

So, yes, we all have improvements to make.  But we need to grow at our own pace and in our own time.  We wouldn't force a six year old to do a twelve year old's algebra problems.  We would allow them to gradually develop into that capacity.  And in the meanwhile, rather than focusing on what's wrong with each other, we need to focus on what's right.  

This is my main point here.  Keep the grain and let the chaff blow away.  I like to ask, what makes me feel better?  Do I like being criticized for what I haven't done or did wrong, or do I like being complimented for what I did right and thanked for all that I do do in the marriage?  The answer is clear.  I appreciate being appreciated and thanked.  It is good to remember this.  I love that old saying, Gratitude Brings More Blessings.

Peace Pilgrim used to say, "If you smile at the world, it smiles back at you."  So, for homework here, and to start making changes in yourself, the next time you feel frustrated or angry with your significant other, stop yourself and think of 10 things that they've done right.  And warm your heart with those realizations.  Let them remind you of why you were attracted to this person in the first place.  And, then mention and focus on these things instead.

It is amazing how transformative this practice can be on a relationship.  When one person starts doing it, often the other responds in kind.  Soon, rather than complaining about your spouse to others, you are off to form a mutual admiration society and come to be, as Frank and I like to point out, "President of each other's fan club."

Another relationship pattern that I have noticed in myself is irregardless of whatever the fault or error or misdeed that I may see in the other, if I look closely enough.  I'll find that at one time I have committed some version of that same misdeed.  Introspection is good and it helps us to see the bigger picture.

This is not to say that I am always to blame for everything that goes wrong in a relationship, because some people, and it is especially common for women, can fall into this trap and feel that if they just work harder on themselves, or make changes in who and how they are, everything will right itself.  But a happy marriage takes mutual effort.  Gentleness, caring and loving respect, on the part of both parties, is essential.  This is a daily task.  Both have to pull their weight.  If one does all of the work, that is not going to yield any kind of lasting results.  

I remember one marriage where the woman was so in love with being in love that she did everything to hold onto the relationship.  And it is important to realize that we teach people how to treat us.  In this case, she taught him, right from the start, that she would do it all, diminishing her self and her own needs in the process, and he didn't have to do a thing.  Unfortunately that even included his not remembering to treat her with loving care or consideration.  Until too near the bitter end, she felt that being in relationship had greater worth than her own sense of self.  

When the love of oneself is strong, and our boundaries are good, we can remind our self, and the other, that this is a partnership.  We can ask how can we help each other to get each of our needs met.  

Sometimes the stressors in a marriage arise from outside of the relationship.  Jobs can be too demanding.  Grief or difficulties with aging parents or other problems can cause us to become overwhelmed.  When this occurs, we can say, "I see that you are not happy."  Or we can say, "I'm not happy."  And then, "What can we do, or what change can we make, together, so we can both be happy?"  

Oscar Wilde said that the core of any good relationship is conversation.  This is another key that I find to be extremely valuable.  Life is meant to be shared.  It helps us to stay connected when we talk.  And often it is the simple things, the little things that we remember and love. This is where the long burning embers of love lie.  And it is how we grow together and not apart.  

Everyone is different and some are not as free with words.  But even with quiet ones, we can create the time and space to talk.  Sometimes it is easiest to begin with the day to day events of our lives.  And opening the doors to communication can happen in any number of ways.  We can chat during meals, or go for drives together.  We can take a walk, or share a cup of tea after a movie.  Just asking each other about any little thing can get the words rolling.  

Cultivating the habit of conversation is good.  And it gives us the opportunity to share about the more challenging things in a relationship, when they arise, like miscommunications or finding and admitting to our own short comings, or very importantly, expressing our gratitude for what is right and good in our partnerships.  

Another valuable tip for cultivating healthy relationships is loving touch.  Our hands and arms make a circuit to our hearts.  Even our friendships need a gentle touch on the shoulder or a nice hug from time to time.  But, in our marriages or more significant relationships, it really helps to remember to express the love that is in our hearts through the gentle articulation of our hands.  We need to help each other up when we have fallen and let each other know that we care by patting a back or taking hold of a hand or softly caressing a cheek.

A fairly common relationship challenge can happen when a family is born.  When a new baby comes into a partnership, quite often the parents place nearly all of their attention on the child, as they should.  But, sometimes the connection between the mother and infant can allow the bond between the parents to lapse.  The husband may be able to understand this mentally, but emotionally he can feel left out.  As things settle down, it helps to remember to share the love, all the way around.  When raising a family, I feel that it is important to remember where the primary relationship lies and to keep that strong.  It takes a lot to navigate family life and the load is best shared.

This was one of the gifts that my parents gave to me in my childhood.  And I feel so blessed because of it.  They worked together as a team and they directed the lives of their children.  My brothers and I knew where we stood and neither of us kids stood at the helm.  Our parents worked together to raise us, each with their own specific roles.  There was a tremendous sense of comfort and confidence that that brought to us all.  

 In family dynamics, it is also good to remember that children's minds are not fully developed and their capacity for rational thought still lies ahead of them.  They are simply not capable of being a fully functioning life partner.  It just seems to work best when adults are holding the reins.  This lets the child feel the consistency, order and security of adult decisions being made.  And when there are two adults, they can each look to each other for guidance and decision making.  This, as well, models for the child what a successful working marriage looks like, one that they can then pattern their own life after.  

I'm not forgetting 'deal breakers' here.  Sometimes we have to let go of a relationship.  Our work together is done and we go our separate ways.  And if a marriage doesn't work, for whatever reason, being a single parent or sharing parenting in separate households is a much better option than having ill-will and contention rule the home.  But if we can work through our differences and keep a happy home, it does wonders for a child to be able to witness that.

One of the enduring markers to health, which includes the health of relationships, is to ask oneself, 'When did I stop singing?'  And, 'When did I stop dancing?'  If you have stopped, start the work there.  And then do it together.  We need to remember to have fun.  To sing and to dance and to be playful.  We need to laugh and crack jokes, and have a good time.  We need to touch and smile and chase each other mirthfully around the house every once in a while.  We need to sit together and watch the sunset and make and eat good food.

And last but certainly not least, we need to remember that the doors to love open from the inside.  It is not so much who someone else is, or how amazing they are.  We are all amazing sparks of Divine Love.  What matters is that we hold our focus on seeing that spark in the other.  They didn't cause us to fall in love with them so much as we came to the place in ourselves that was ready to open the doors of our hearts, to open ourselves to love.  And this is a choice that we can make everyday.  We can choose to love.