How to Live with Asthma Successfully

With the advent of rain finally in our area; I know some here will have some breathing issues. Humidity and more pollinating things will definitely take their toll.

But breathing issues are not as difficult to master as one might imagine. I have a house full of people diagnosed with asthma with my husbands at age 2, my daughter at 4 and my son at 3. I wasn’t given this label until 26 but carried the stigma of this breathing disorder from childhood on in symptoms.

So you ask; what is asthma? It’s a very commonly diagnosed term in the medical world with something like ten percent of the population having been given this name. But is information correct? Is the world getting more sick from environment and chemicals? Are we passing down more and more of our children this potentially deadly disease?

I tend to believe that although this is a much dirtier world with the spraying of fields, the chemically laden food and all the pollutants; that asthma is not on the rise. I DO believe that many have what is called Reactive Airway Disease. This is basically a vague term where the airways of a person are reacting to some issue. Asthma is a chronic, lifelong disease of the narrowing of the passage way to the lungs through the tube called the trachea, excess mucus and eventually scarring and some tissue death if left untreated. People with asthma in decades past could end up being barrel chested as they could sometimes get air in but not expel it fully; thus causing the lungs to become abnormally large. Many asthmatics died from complications of lack of air in the form of cardiac arrest.

As an alternative health person, I believe this is one of the most misdiagnosed diseases with a plethora of lung issues put into the “asthma basket”. 

The thing that I like people to know is this. It does not matter whether you have asthma or not! Being able to breathe only requires that you clean your system. And by cleaning I mean the colon and most especially the small intestine. In the alternative world we believe that asthma begins in those areas. A dirty intestinal system causes an overload of breathing issues.

Now as farfetched as that may sound; I have managed to keep my whole family off steroids, and have brought down inhaler use ( the only one using them) in my daughter to almost nil. She has had the worst time of it and several years ago went through a crisis of epic proportions in her health with this disease. After four episodes of flight for life, two of which were me saving her life by doing respirations, and two intubations; I knew we needed to change what was happening to her. The doctors didn’t have answers and in fact told me that my beautiful oldest child would not make it to become an elderly person;  that she would most likely die in five years. Well it’s been 6 and she is doing great!

So how did I get her and my other family members to health? I changed how we dealt with this problem. Our lungs, and in fact all lungs don’t like pollutants. People with a sensitive trachea will react to certain manmade chemicals and pollutants in our environment. But they react most when the elimination process is bogged down. Think of the colon as a garbage disposal. If it’s plugged up, if it’s not chewing up the garbage, it stops. Then the smell and the horrid mass inside of it start to make a terrible smell.

Well when we don’t digest, eliminate and remove waste and toxins from the body we will have a backup of dangerous waste. This basically causes the body to start having health issues. The most obvious ones are gas and bloating, feeling too full; lack of appetite and eventually breathing issues can arise.

I always reach for colon cleansing herbs when I cannot breathe. It works better than any inhaler I’ve ever used and I’ve found that after getting off steroids, that my lungs work better than they have in many years past!

My daughter is living in a dryer climate and has finally learned that she cannot wait to treat her issues. She cannot just hope it goes away as she has done in younger years but reaches for the supplements that I’ve provided. Most notably is Breathe Activator which is a Chinese remedy from Nature’s Sunshine. This works similar to an inhaler with help in small situations of inflammation of the trachea. Then I have her use Lung Support which is most like a steroid in the fact that it helps the lungs long term to be stronger and healthier with less inflammation. If it’s a crisis situation we like to use Lobelia which is an ancient Native American remedy for many lung issues. It is sometimes been called Puke Weed for its properties of making an unclean colon react to toxins by making the recipient of it throw up; thus removing the offending toxins and allowing the person to breathe better.

I realize that to ask a person to not use their inhaler or steroid is asking a great deal and I would NEVER tell a person to get off of their prescribed medicine. But if someone is not happy with the asthma treatment ( in my line of work see this frequently) I tell them our story.

I will say a few things about this process for us. The first thing I dropped was the steroid. Steroids are not a great medicine for long term health and although they do stop inflammation can cause serious damage to the immune system. This is a dangerous thing to do to an asthmatic! It’s much better to treat inflammation with herbs and diet and learning what to be around and what to avoid.

I NEVER use Lobelia or suggest this if you are on a steroid as it can cause blood pressure problems and life threatening issues. If you do use Lobelia please talk to your physician first and always keep at least two hours separate from any herbal supplements and prescription or over the counter medications.

Asthma and Reactive Airway Disease can be helped with common sense treatments and if you listen to your body and not the status quo in treatments you may find that you will be a healthier and much happier person!

http://www.mynsp.com/esuite/homeedit

Muscle Testing 101

In my line of work I come across disbelievers almost every week. From Facebook to the local grocery store   I see people's eyes glaze over when I mention I'm an herbalist. Or sometimes they just smile and shake their head as if to say "Man, she's out there!".

But when I finally get a chance to sit with them and do a session I apply muscle testing to the line-up of things  I do in my hour session. This study is the practice of "asking" the body questions via the energy field of their body. The practice of muscle testing; or as some call it; Kinesiology has been around for a long time. This is a tool we use to help us "ask"  a person's body questions without getting our belief, our bias or our emotions involved. It is a simple, non invasive test of the energy the comes up from the left foot from earth to the top of our head and down again to earth through the right side of the body out the right foot.

To muscle test someone I basically explain what I'm going to do and how it works and then sit in front of the person. To test someone's energy through me I basically "complete the circuit" if you will by touching my left foot to their right foot; thus allowing me to ask their body; and not themselves what may be going on.

I ask them if they have back problems, have they had water today, which are two things that may cause issues. A dehydrated person has a harder time testing as well as someone with serious back issues; a thing that also "breaks the circuit" so to speak. If they are dehydrated I have them either drink some water, use an organic lotion or wash their hands with water before proceeding.

When I do a session I center myself with calm; a meditative state of allowing God to help me get correct answers to the questions I will ask.This is very important for me. I don't believe this energy is pulled out of the air; I believe that God provides the answer; thus giving me the correct information each time. That's why I don't worry about having them take metal or watches off when testing as I don't believe this will change the outcome. I also don't test for polarity issues as Kinesiology experts do for the same reason. The answer is there for me; all I have to do is ask.

Here is an example of what I will do during the session; using Jane as a subject. Before I start a session I ask her if I can muscle test her for possible causes to her health issues. If she says yes I can proceed. I will NEVER do muscle testing on someone that says they feel uncomfortable with this procedure. So after Jane says yes then I proceed.

I have Jane sit in front of me; and I gently will place my foot touching or on top of her foot. I put my hands together ( as shown in the video provided) and begin by asking her body questions.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuy59ORygN4&feature=share

I do this to myself; not mentioning what I asked while in session. I start with things she has been telling me; such as "Does Jane have blood sugar issues?" A yes answer. Does Jane have Diabetes? A no answer. At this point I ask what herbs or supplements I think may be helpful for her. I have a list of supplements that I like to use for particular issues but find that intuition plays a big part of what my client needs. After going through the different issues and asking what other herbs might be helpful from a list I keep and  using my intuitive sense to guide me; I then end the session and write down all information gathered.

Sometimes during a session I can find things out that are beyond my herbal range such as chiropractic or Flower Essences. These are wonderful helps for back or structural problems or emotional issues. I will suggest any particular thing the body needs to get this person to homeostasis.

I then end the session with a list of suggestions that may help this person and tell them that they should come back in a month to re-test as needed and to consult their doctor before starting any supplements; particularly if I know they are already on medications from the doctor.

I know that this idea of muscle testing can cause anxiety in someone not accustomed to looking outside the box but can be a very useful tool in getting to the root cause of health.

So when you want to test this theory, try this. With another person helping you; put your arm straight out; shoulder level. Have the person helping try to push your arm down while you try to hold it steady. This is the control test for strength.Then take a packet of plain white sugar and place it with your other hand on your sternum. Have them ask out loud if you need this sugar. Then re-test again by pushing down and you resisting. The weaker state you will have is a no answer! This is the body's way of telling you that you do NOT need sugar for health! No one needs white sugar and is a very effective way to showcase the muscle testing theory. Enjoy testing things like "Is your name Jane?" followed by a yes answer and so forth till you feel you are getting the hang of it. You'll find that an intuition is very helpful and more accurate than the actual muscle testing session after you've done it for some time.  I actually have gotten "answers" to people's problems in the middle of the night in a dream! Then when I do actually muscle test find that my dream state was completely correct. I believe this is my mind being in a complete state of meditation and clear of outside influences such as my belief of the problem and other "noises" getting in the way. So my mind waits till I am clear of distractions to help me with the answer during that quiet time.           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRRDh1CS-4o

So go out and find what your body needs and help not only yourself but others with this amazing new tool and remember. The answer is there; all you have to do is ask!

The Window to the Soul and to Health

This coming week will be busy with two clients at the new store and seeing others in their home. I love the chance to work one on one with people to help them get to a better place in their life! One of the best tools I have to work with is a study called Iridology. This is a study of the iris or colored part of the eye. I also do a little bit of work with the study of of the whites of the eye called Sclerology.

This fascinating work is over a hundred years old from a Hungarian physician named Ignatz Peczely. As a child he  noticed an owl with a broken leg and decided to try to help it heal. While working with this bird he saw that it had an unusual line in the iris of one eye. As he watched the bird heal, the line in the iris colored white; as if to show that the bone was also healed. Peczely realized as Iridologists everywhere now know, that the eye is not only the window to the soul but a window to health of the body.

Many people are skeptics to this study but I find that it dovetails nicely with my belief system of understanding how God shows us about the world around us. That may sound strange but if you were God and wanted to show the person that they had a health issue what better place to put it than the eye. After all who doesn't look into their own eyes each day as they put makeup on or shave? I believe God has a plan with this and it's up to us to interpret this vision of health.

I use two things along with my paperwork when I check the eye; a physicians light and a jewelers glass. I have the client sit normally and look at my nose directly while I shine the light in from the side toward the center of their face. I then put the magnifying tool up as close as necessary to see the iris clearly. 

 I take the time to write down what I see on an eye chart that has Iridology information. I have done this enough times to know most of it but this chart will help me to remember what may have changed after the initial visit. After looking at both eyes I make a recommendation of what might be going on.

It's important to note that although I may see an "eye sign" on the iris; the person may not have symptoms or there may only be a faint idea of something going on. I assure them that the eye is another place to look at to help with health and that diet and other factors will play a big part in feeling better. It's also important to note that as an Herbalist/Iridologist I only make suggestions of possible health issues and cannot and will not diagnose, treat or cure anyone. This is a study to show possible health issues; not a diagnostic tool of medicinal use.

So when I look at the eye what am I looking for? Here are a couple of examples of what I'm looking at and what to do about these conditions.

First is an eye of a person with a dark or brownish orange center of the iris. This condition is one with the colon and possibly the liver. A cleanse would work wonders and help the body to heal much faster. 
You will also notice in the eye picture above;  the pupil is not round but has some irregularities. This is most probably caused by a back that's out. A visit to the chiropractor is in order as well as a massage.

The next is a brown eye with lines that are going from the pupil outward. This is a condition of parasites. Parasites can be found in many people that work with animals or in poor conditions but is most probably a case of eating pork and shellfish. There is NO cooking method to rid these proteins of  parasites.This is contrary to the FDA and USDA recommendations!

You will also note that there are white lines going around the iris that look like cracks. These are stress rings and from the looks of all of them; long term stress as well. This can be physical as in the case of the body fighting parasites or outside influences of life.

Another thing I look for is an eye sign called a Psori. This dramatic eye sign can be from either emotional OR physical issues. I had one client that had an eye sign on his eye in the bladder area. This made no sense to me as he was a young man; in his early 20's. But after talking to him found out that he had bladder surgery as a baby. This would be both physical AND emotional as the trauma of being torn from his mothers arms for surgery left it's mark on the eye. An herbal and flower essence combination is in order.

So the next time you look at your eyes or look deeply into another's eyes; see if you can't see some of the things I gave examples of and if you're interested can give you some thoughts on how I may be able to help!



http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/iridology/

A Less Stressful Life

As I sit by my window, listening to the sounds of summer….the wind sighing through the evergreens, the robins playing in the sprinkler; I find myself unwinding and slowly relaxing. It was an almost sleepless night, a very busy morning of running to town to bank and shop, and then coming home to put groceries away and the like.  Sitting and taking a deep breath is a nice break.

We often feel we shouldn’t slow up in the day; that our every minute must be crammed with “to do” lists of work and play. We feel guilty when we just want to hang out in our yard or home with a good book or just close our eyes and soak up a couple of minutes peace.  But why? After all, we are the captain of our life; for the most part we can choose certain things each day to make them smoother; to make them a little brighter. So what is it in us that makes us feel that we are wasting our time when we just do nothing?

The answer is what I believe to be the danger of our society; the cancerous idea that erodes our every being. This is the belief that we must act like squirrels scurrying through the fall afternoon; hoarding up winter’s food….frantically running from one place to another. We keep trying to fill our lives with things; with achievements that will mean so very little later on.

So to test my theory, try this:

Think what you did exactly one month ago on this day. Think what you did that was so important; so demanding that it positively HAD to be done; right now! Can’t remember? Neither can I. That’s the point I’m trying to make. We don’t need to be half as busy or stressed as we are; we don’t HAVE to do half of the things we do in our day but still we keep racing through our life as if our hair was on fire.

So today as you go out into the world; as you look at your “honey do” list remember this. If you were to die today would you rather of spent it taking the kids to baseball practice and mowing the lawn or would you of rather spent it doing something lovely and fun with your family? It’s your choice…..and only you can decide what is important. So try to do just that….make it memorable and you’ll be a much happier, much less stressed person!

Is a Tan Really Healthy?

With today’s busy schedules and outdoorsy life; we are exposed to sun in many parts of our day. And while I too am a fan of sunshine and fair weather; I must admit that I’m really not a fan of skin damage. This is an all too common problem in our society. We want the tan but we don’t want the damage. We want to look like bronze replicas of humans with baked skin and dark complexion.

I’m not really sure where this phenomenon came about. In the earlier parts of the generations past; women and men both were considered more beautiful if they had NO tan at all. I think it may have been because only gentlemen and women were exempt from being out in the sun each day. The average laborer or field worker was exposed to the damaging rays as they worked while nobility and the upper echelons of society were more leisurely in their lifestyle; allowing others to toil out of doors. This respect and even worship of the upper class was most probably the reason for lower class wanting to emulate them with lack of skin pigmentation.

But today we have many people tanning; using tanning creams and basically “baking” the skin to a dark leathery texture with the end result being that there are more cases of skin damage and cancer in our society than ever before. Even though many experts in the field have warned against tanning booths and not protecting our skin; people are still flocking to the beeches to lay out in the sun; hoping for the perfect tan line.

The studies of tanning booths are damning in their ability to wreak havoc on the body’s most important organ; the skin. We in the herbal world believe that the skin is considered to be the “third” kidney….meaning that it is responsible in part to helping the body to rid itself of toxins. But people do not respect this and are in fact; slathering on creams and lotions; potions of all kinds to try to get the perfect shade of dark. And then when the damage is eminent; slathering on creams of all sorts to try to stave off the inevitable damage brought on by said sun exposure. Even sunscreens are suspect with many herbalists believing that they are as much a part of the damage as the sun itself.

So what to do with this problem? First of all it’s important to rethink beauty.  If you think a tan is beautiful then go to a nursing home and look at sun damage on the face of someone born to work out of doors their whole life. Then see the woman or man that was fortunate enough to be able to be indoors and see the real difference in their skin; and most probably their health. Many of the older generation; in fact; many of my generation are now starting to have to have spots removed due to their ability to turn into cancerous growths. This is inevitable if we continue to worship the sun!

So when you go into the sun today think about how to best protect yourself. First and foremost; dress the part. A wide brimmed hat; a long sleeved shirt and pants rather than shorts will go a long way toward helping to protect the skin. If possible; staying in the house until after 4 o’clock to do outdoor work is a great idea or going out very early in the morning.  TEACH your children that skin will protect them if they protect their skin! We can stop the madness if we start teaching our kids at an early age!

And remember….God made us in His image; so if he wanted us to be baked like clay He would have made us that way.