Gentle Reminder: This Wednesday, September 11th, is the free Influenza teleseminar call, which will include a handout and an MP3 recording of the hour-long session. The media blitz to vaccinate will soon be in full force. The more you know, the less stressful it will be for you to be prepared for flu season—and you can be confident in your choice to say ‘no’ to flu vaccines for your family. Join us! Plus this will give you a ‘sneak peek’ into what the Vaccine Free: Now What? 12-week teleseminar course is all about.
THE GARDEN OF EATIN’ AND SMELLIN’
Heading out to the little urban garden today, the scent of Chamomilla filled the air, which was a subtle reminder to add a few scenes of the Chamomilla plant to the short movie on The Secrets of Homeopathic Pharmacy. This is the same Chamomilla that is a remedy in the homeopathic teething formulae for babies…just for all you DIY mommas and grandmas! For those who sign up for the Vaccine Free: Now What? teleseminar, you will discover the Making Calendula Cream movie—and the pharmacy secrets are part of the registration bonuses.
You can find all the information here.
BASIL AND TOMATOES
This week’s crop of back-alley tomatoes and basil has been picked (enough for a raw pizza sauce…yum) while the petunias, violas, and Calibrachoa were trimmed back in the hopes of coaxing a few blossoms to show their heads before the Thanksgiving weekend in October. The rain has been a refreshing welcome to the unusual late-summer temperatures in the 30’s (Celsius…high 80’s for our American friends). No complaint about the warm weather, but the rain was a gentle one and the ground needed a deep drink.
SWEET PEAS
The house is now filled with the fragrance of sweet peas. They were a little soggy but in need of cutting if there are to be more blooms. Eager to finish the job of creating seeds, the vines are loaded with flowers. Abundance everywhere! And I am grateful for the expansiveness of time to harvest, trim, cut, prune, and fuss for what might be one of the last times in this growing season…they are so short here in the foothills of the Rockies!
A few aphids on the petunias and on my arms were a reminder that the changes in weather and the shorter days can be stressful on plants, making them vulnerable to bugs. September seems to be stressful for many!
The first weekend for the next graduating class of the Western College of Homeopathic Medicine included strong advice for self-care in the coming months. Another gentle nudge and note-to-self…that means self-care for me too!
Being in the garden today was part of the self-care before sitting down to write…almost meditative, and darn if I don’t feel a little ‘greener’ for having spent some time with the dirt, flowers, and weeds!
SHINGLES
As part of the once-a-month blog themes, today is about ‘infectious illnesses.’ Although shingles itself is not infectious, it is related to the chicken pox virus, which is a fairly benign infectious childhood illness in healthy children. With many children being vaccinated now for chicken pox, the incidence of shingles is increasing…and in younger populations.
Why? Vaccines do not confer lifelong immunity, so there is a whole population of young adults who received the chicken pox vaccine as children and who are now at risk for the chicken pox disease. Because chicken pox and shingles are so closely related, though, one affects the other…with the disease and with the vaccine. Find out what is happening now because of the introduction of the chicken pox vaccine and the related illness of shingles. Here’s today’s handout. You might also be interested in reading about a real-life homeopathic cure of shingles from one of my students:
“A friend was told that she had shingles and was prescribed an antiviral. I asked her if she was interested in trying to problem solve this first with homeopathics before she took the antiviral. I Googled “Shingles, Homeopathic remedies” and several options came up. Arsenicum, Rhus Tox, and Ran B looked like the good options as she was describing an excruciating rash that was burning, angry, and sore, difficulty getting comfortable, a decreased appetite and restless. When she told me about a disagreement with her employer that left her feeling angry just prior to getting Shingles, as well as the rash feeling worse with any touch, Ran b stuck out. Ran b had in the material medica that is worse for vexation and anger and touch. This remedy also had a lot to do with breathing – worse for breathing and the desire to draw a deep breath. I checked with my friend on the breathing aspects and she texted me a big YES.
After the first few hours of taking the Ran b, she had an overall decrease of pain, was breathing easier, sleeping more comfortably and she described it as manageable. The rash continued to spread, however became less and less tender and then faded over the following 3-4 days. Yahoo no antivirals and another person in the world to feel the healing effects of homeopathy!” ~ Lindsey Pascoe, Calgary
Once again, homeopathy can be extremely effective in either preventing or helping the body heal from both chicken pox and shingles.
