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There have always been witches out there…. In the middle ages you'd find them living away from the crowds in a hut in the woods (could deforestation be the reason for finding them in your back yard today?). Seriously, these women knew more about nature (be it mineral, vegetable, animal or human) than a lot of our modern specialists.I grew up near the dunes and the woods and spent hours searching for herbs, plants or mushrooms. A chemistry set, complete with microscope was the perfect birthday gift to start me off on mixing and concocting. I still love the smell of herbs brewing in the pot and love to make my own recipes.
Coincidences - are meant to be! So, years later, when I was feeling like I'd lost track of life, I didn't hesitate but signed up for a class in herbalism. That was how I started out at the European Academy for Complementary Health care. After four years of a good classic base in health care, complemented with a broad variety of traditional natural therapies, I graduated as naturopath.
My career in education provided the perfect subject for my thesis: "Stress at Work". And today that is still my main area of interest!
Most of our modern day ailments stem from persistent over-stressing of the left brain hemisphere. Sometimes a right sided work out is all you need to find your balance again.
I hope you liked the A to Z approach, 'cause here we go again!
A
Alfa training could be just what you're looking for if you would like to reap the benefits of a healthy, well balanced mind. Try the free on line course from Silva UltraMind System and surprise yourself !Got an allergy? Why not try tea? When one of my patients mentioned calcium deficiency and allergies in one breath, I immediately thought of Rooibos tea
and while searching for more information on the subject, I came across a very interesting site: the Cat-Tea corner for tea and vegetarian recipes - which manages to combine a few of my favorite topics...
B
Bach flower remedies when you start learning about them, you think you've hit on the easiest system for curing all mental anguish. The more you learn, the more you realise just how intricate this tool really is. Personally, I seldom use them to start with. But for finishing off a healing process, they're just what nature ordered!Want to find out if your mood is due to the weather or if you're just temporarily out of sync? Test your biorythms! (and find out if you're in shape to study, work or love ;-)
C
In search of a good cleanse? Why not try 3 weeks of green clay? Perfect after a visit to exotic countries!
Cat's claw is just one of many rain forest herbs that seem to do the trick when no local plant can. It's mainly used for boosting the immune system. Perhaps the discovery of a cure all in darkest Peru will be the salvation of what remains of these last treasure halls of nature.
D
A good naturopath treats the patient, not the disease. So even though some of the remedies below seem useful on their own, they should not be used for symptomatic relief alone. It always pays to search for the root of the problem. And you'd be surprised how many times shallow breathing is part of the problem. I usually teach all my patients and students to deepen their breathing, and on this site you can get some pointers for deep diaphragmatic breathing
E
Ear candles have been used since time immemorial by different cultures. Although they were mainly used for ceremonial purposes, the fact that they 'cleared the head' brought them to the attention of modern day researchers. Together with a professional ear massage and lymphatic drainage they can indeed clear out cobwebs!
F
Feet, those poor neglected feet! You rely on them to carry you through thick and thin, but most people never give them a thought. Think again! you don't know what good they can do you if massaged good and proper! They are like barometers: telling you (often painfully) which systems are in danger of overload and providing you with a tangible (auch!) way of checking your progress.Very often it pays to look at a person's constant surroundings to get clues as to what's going on.
So lately, I've become very interested in Feng Shui
G
Garlic ? surprised? How else can you combine my love for bats, vampires and food?
This is a gold mine for garlic goodies
H
Hippocrates ? the father of medicine! Just one of the illustrious characters in Antiqua Medicina And if asked for an equally formidable female counterpart, I'd vote for Hildegard von BingenDo try her Intelligence Cookies
'Want a folk remedy that tastes good and sticks with you? Try honey... It's a great healer. Be prepared, though: at first some troubles will seem to get worse, because of its ability to draw out water and toxins from the surrounding tissue. Different types of honey can be applied according to the problem. A sweet solution!
I
Iridology. You'll never get a better excuse to look someone deep in the eyes! It's a fascinating world of wonder that often gives clues to the origin of an ailment, or confirms a patient's tale.
K
Kefir - but not the yogurt variety... Waterkefir
Find out what it can do for your health! Cheers!
L
Leeches, - medicinal ones - are again being used in clinics, because of their strange abilities. Imagine you just cut off your finger - wouldn't you like to know that there is a substance that can both keep the blood from clotting, provide a mild anaesthetic, prevent infection and lessen scar tissue? No wonder somebody fished around for this!
In a hurry?
Go to A
Go to Z
M
Massage To my mind - and your body ;-) - one of the most powerful tools! Nature provides us with the perfect means to sooth and heal. What do you do when you bump into the furniture? You hasten yourself to give the painful spot a good rub! And if you're sore from carrying a heavy load, there's nothing that kneads all the stress out of you quite like a complete back job does!Mandalas. Beautiful geometric patterns, traditionally drawn by Buddhist monks in multicolored sands - and erased in an instant, to remind us of the briefness of our stay on earth. Some examples
It's great to keep your mind from constantly fretting over trivia!
Or find out what Jung had to say about them...If I had to limit my advice to just one thing? I'd say: "Go meditate!" Finding that eye in the storm can be all you really need!
N
Nutrition = Food x Digestion!
Most people I meet are concerned with what they eat. But it isn't so much what you eat that matters - it's the way it's assimilated on the way down!
Keep things simple and take time to enjoy your meal, that way it's prepared to do its job! So next meal why not put on some soft music, light a couple of candles, and just slowly savour every mouthful!Nature philosophy is a subject I love to teach. There's a basic rhythm to this whole universe and once you get in tune with it, awesome things can happen! A prominent figure in this course is Chief Seattle, who serves as a good model of how a Nature philosopher should think about the Universe.
There is some controversy about his famous speech, in that the original probably differed greatly from the popular, romanticized version - get the full picture!
O
Did you know you're probably dehydrated? You should drink more! Water or water kefir are good bets, but an occasional glass of wine or beer (in moderation) shouldn't be a problem. In fact, beer can be good for your health! I'd prefer Orval to a sleeping pill, anytime! But recently I had the opportunity to sample (!) the more local varieties - accompanied by a very interesting lecture on the Van Steenberge brewery from Ertvelde. I must say I slept like a log after that one ;) (from the beer, not the lecture)
P
If you take care of yourself, you're taking care of a good friend. So, why not get to know your best pal, with these Personality tests
Q
Quotes can often make you take time out of the rat race!
R
Yes, I know - if I keep spending much more time on my PC, frequently making the same movements, I'll run the risk of developing Repetitive Strain Injury or RSI for short... The sooner you spot the problem, the better!
S
Solinti is a neo-Spanish word for 'the sun in yourself', that I invented as a sort of battle cry. I have this theory that if people could only find contentment in their inner core, the world would be a far more harmonious place to live in. So instead of looking far and wide for things our mind tells us we need, we'd be better off looking inside for things our feelings can benefit from."That's all very well" - I hear you say - "but I haven't slept in two nights!"
Perfectly true: you have to have some energy left in you to be able to help yourself, and the best way to do that is get a good night's sleep!So get yourself a couple of buckets and try this one out tonight: fill one with comfortably hot water, the other with (icy) cold.
Relax, sit back and allow your poor feet to soak in the hot tub until the're warmed through. Then, just for a moment, dip them in the second tub. Repeat a couple of times.
This gets your blood flowing and causes your feet to warm up, from the inside.
Now, don't dry them off - but put on a couple of linen socks, and on top of those a pair of good old woollen ones.
Now straight off to bed! You'll find you'll sleep a whole lot better!
T
Another hidden source of trouble: teeth! If you've got a lot of fillings, you could be suffering from mercury poisoning
U
Did you know you are constantly producing your own medicine? It's a fontain of gold!
V
Vegetarian? No, not really - but I try to keep my diet as varied and healthy as possible. I think you should respect your body enough to respect what you put into it (and how!). And plants might have consciousness, too.. They even register on a polygraph!
W
"Work your way around Workstress" was the title of the thesis I graduated on. And I've found just the article to put up on the office notice board!
X
Xfacts gives you an inkling of the wonderful universe we are so much a part of.
Y
For all of you who can't do without a keyboard, here's a great way to relax with yoga at work - you'll be amazed how quickly this helps!
Z
Zingiber officinalis (Ginger, Gember) is just what you need if you plan a holiday on Corsica. Those little mountain roads are perfect for testing ginger as a means of preventing car sickness. You just let a small piece of candied ginger slowly dissolve in your mouth. For autumnal chills: sip ginger tea - it'll warm you up!
Disclaimer: you know I can't claim anything, so use your common sense in treating yourself ;)
