Why Herbal Medicine

Herbal Medicine - The Future of Health

In a world dominated by pharmaceutical medication, it is easy to forget that herbal remedies have been used successfully by many cultures for over 5,000 years.  The Sumerians, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, Indigenous Tribes and Europeans have all left documentation of their widespread use of herbal medicine.

Modern European medicine was greatly influenced by Native Americans who shared their knowledge with the early settlers and Traditional Chinese Medicine is still practiced alongside modern medicine in most hospitals in China.   

Herbs and their uses were a central part of Western and Eastern medical scholarship until the mid 19^th century when chemists started synthesising what we know as modern day drugs.

You may not know that many of the drugs you buy over the counter or are prescribed by a doctor are actually derived from plants. We are now buying and being prescribed drugs derived from the same plants that a herbal doctor would have used in the past to treat identical ailments.  Aspirin is one of them.

Willow Bark – Nature’s Aspirin

Aspirin’s active ingredient is acetylsalicylic acid Medicines made from willow bark and other salicylate plants were widely used by herbalists to treat fevers, pain and inflammation long before aspirin was created.

Plants are powerful medicine. There are hundreds of plants that have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-biotic properties.

Nature has the cure

Modern medicine is married to pharmaceuticals so most regular doctors won’t tell you that ailments such as Arthritis, Rheumatism, Flu, Colds, Coughs, Immune system disorders, digestive issues, PMT, ME/Fatigue, Fibroids, Headaches, Emphysema and even Dental Infection can all be treated successfully with herbal medicine. 

Herbs such as Myrrh, Chamomile, Ginger, Meadow-sweet, Echinachea, Wormwood, Agnus Castus, Cramp-bark, Peppermint, Chickweed, Lavender and Fennel are all potent ingredients in the herbalists cupboard and they don’t have three A4 pages of negative side-effects either.

A good herbal practitioner will tell you that robust health begins with what you eat. If you want to adopt a healthier diet, you might start by looking at this website http://www.westonaprice.org/

Healthy food will also incorporate nutritional herbs such as Rosemary, Thyme, Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic, Nutmeg, Coriander and many others.

As Hippocrates said ‘Let Food be your Medicine and Medicine be your Food.’

Herbal Medicine – the ecological, natural choice

As more and more concerns arise over the side-effects of pharmaceutical drugs we are also in the midst of an increasing desire to find more natural and ecologically friendly solutions to what ails us. Herbal medicine is one of those solutions

The Eastbourne Clinic of Natural Medicine has two herbal practitioners: Harry Boys. MNIMH and Paul Chedgey. DipPhyt. MNIMH.   

Circle of the Mystic Heart

The next Circle of the Mystic Heart gathering to be announced. For all enquries about the Circle and Energy Work and Soul Centred Conselling please contact Shianna Ravenlaw -shianna.ravenlaw@btinternet.com or call (01323) 460628

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy treatment is a hands-on therapy which assists the body's natural capacity for self-repair. It is a client-led therapy which directly influences subtle rhythms in the body related to movement of cerebrospinal fluid in the spinal cord. 

These rhythms are a fundamental expression of our state of health, and resonate throughout the body. A Craniosacral therapist is trained to feel the subtle waves of this delicate system, to detect its resonance.

How does Craniosacral Therapy work?

After physical knocks or emotional stress the body's tissues contract. Sometimes when the shock is severe or accompanied by strong emotions the tissues remain in a contracted state and can seriously disrupt the smooth flow of the Craniosacral rhythm. 

Any trauma, stress or tensions which remain in the body's tissues restrict normal functioning and may give rise to years of emotional stress and pain.

The effects of this kind of trauma can manifest physically [back pain, migraine, digestive disorders] and/or emotionally [anxiety or depression]

Rather than trying to resolve a symptom directly, the Craniosacral therapist seeks to increase the level of health in the affected area, as well as in the body as a whole. Working this way, Craniosacral Therapy will restore the individual to optimum well-being.

The therapist uses their hands to feel the patterns the body is holding and helps it let go of the restriction, freeing the energy resulting in greater ease of movement and often a sense of emotional upliftment and well being.

Who can benefit from Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral Therapy is an ideal treatment for anyone experiencing trauma related pain or emotional stress.  As the therapy is very gentle but extremely effective, it is particularly suitable for fragile or acutely painful conditions. Babies and children respond well to it. It is an ideal therapy for babies who have experienced complicated births or are suffering from colic. 

Craniosacral Therapy has a special role to play in resolving low self-esteem and can be helpful in cases of hyper-activity in children.

How to know when Acupuncture is working

By Sara Calabro

Acupuncture works cumulatively, meaning one treatment builds on the next.

Although, there are certainly instances of acupuncture producing immediate results, this is more an exception than the rule—and when it happens, the results tend to be short lived. If you want lasting results from acupuncture, especially for a chronic condition, you must commit to the process.

This approach to healing is unfamiliar for Westerners, who are accustomed to instant gratification in most aspects of life, including healthcare. Being asked to adopt a long-term, cumulative perspective can sometimes be confusing and frustrating.

To keep us on board with a longer term treatment like Acupuncture, we instant-gratification junkies need to be thrown a bone! Fortunately, if you are a little patient, there are several indications that acupuncture is taking effect—even if your primary symptoms have not yet resolved. When these signs appear, symptom relief typically is not far behind.

Here are six signs that your acupuncture treatments are working.

You’re sleeping better

This is one of the most common signs that acupuncture is doing its thing. Many insomniacs who seek acupuncture for other reasons are surprised when their sleep problems resolve—often without ever having mentioned the issue to their acupuncturist. Even if you’re not someone who struggles with sleep, you still may notice yourself sleeping more deeply, waking less during the night, or feeling more rested upon waking.

You’re more aware

When acupuncture starts working, it can feel as if all of your senses just got a tune up. You hear birds chirping a little louder. The sky looks bluer. You notice the texture of your shirt against your skin. You literally smell roses. Food tastes better.

You’re also more in touch with sensations throughout your body. Maybe you notice the way you tense your shoulders when you sit at the computer. Or, you discover that as soon as something stressful happens, your stomach tightens and your breath becomes shallow.

If it feels like your world has gone from normal viewing to a vivid HD experience, acupuncture is working for you.

You’re more emotional

Many of us are amazingly skilled at funneling emotions into our bodies. It’s a defense mechanism that allows us to avoid dealing with these things—until, of course, our bodies start paying the price for it. Most people who seek acupuncture are dealing, at least on some level, with emotional stress as a contributor to their physical symptoms.

Acupuncture is like peeling an onion. Layer by layer, it exposes us until it gets to the core. Since acupuncture works by addressing the root cause of a condition, the process can cause repressed emotions to surface.

You may be quicker to cry or notice yourself feeling more sentimental than usual. In general, emotions—good or bad—are felt more intensely.

This is a good thing. It’s a sign that layers are being peeled back, which means you’re getting closer to reaching the core issue. Acupuncture is working.

You have more energy

Although receiving acupuncture is a relaxing, energy-grounding experience, your energy level may rise in the hours and days following a treatment. This means acupuncture has stirred the pot and stimulated movement throughout the meridians—and regular, steady movement throughout the meridians is ultimately what will resolve your chief complaint.

The surge in energy that acupuncture produces is different from the somewhat frenetic energy that surrounds daily life. It’s a kind of energy that makes you feel more awake and alive. You may notice that you’re less tired during the day, feeling more motivated to go out for a walk, or just sensing a little extra spring in your step.

You’re less stressed out

Contrary to the acupuncture-as-hippy-medicine stereotype, acupuncture does not send you into la-la land. It does not put you in a daze that makes you numb. It does, however, take the edge off.

Acupuncture evens out our moods so that we are less affected by and better equipped to manage the stressful aspects of our lives. The stress won’t disappear, but if you find yourself feeling less bogged down by it, acupuncture is working for you.

You’re more regular

Remember what I said earlier about regular, steady movement throughout the meridians being the thing that will ultimately resolve your chief complaint? Well, one of the clearest indicators of movement throughout the meridians is digestive health.

The organ systems and meridians that regulate digestion are intimately connected to all other structures and functions throughout the body, so your digestive health says a lot about your overall state of health.

If your digestion is too slow, too fast, or just generally erratic, it’s a red flag. On the other hand, if your bowels start to move more regularly, it means things are moving in the right direction.

If you experience any of these indicators, you can be pretty certain that your Acupuncture treatment is succeeding.

Acupuncture Provides True Pain Relief in Study

From the New York Times 

Acupuncture Provides True Pain Relief in Study
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

A new study of acupuncture — the most rigorous and detailed analysis of the treatment to date — found that it can ease migraines and arthritis and other forms of chronic pain.

The findings provide strong scientific support for an age-old therapy used by an estimated three million Americans each year. Though acupuncture has been studied for decades, the body of medical research on it has been mixed and mired to some extent by small and poor-quality studies. Financed by the National Institutes of Health and carried out over about half a decade, the new research was a detailed analysis of earlier research that involved data on nearly 18,000 patients.

The researchers, who published their results in Archives of Internal Medicine, found that acupuncture outperformed sham treatments and standard care when used by people suffering from osteoarthritis, migraines and chronic back, neck and shoulder pain.

“This has been a controversial subject for a long time,” said Dr. Andrew J. Vickers, attending research methodologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the lead author of the study. “But when you try to answer the question the right way, as we did, you get very clear answers.

“We think there’s firm evidence supporting acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain.”

The Healing Crisis

Treatment with herbs or other natural medicines is sometimes accompanied by a deterioration in the condition before improvement takes place. Usually known as a healing crisis, this can happen also as a result of taking nutritional supplements or undergoing therapeutic programmes such as are involved in nature cure, massage and magnetic therapy.

Often these reactions represent a resurgence of old symptoms, anything form headache and nausea to skin eruptions, chest colds or unusual fatigue, which were experienced during the disease process. They recur as the body’s elimination of unwanted materials accelerates, making the system temporarily more toxic: no longer stuck in the tissues, these substances can circulate freely, e.g. in the blood and lymph, and become much more disruptive. Until they are fully excreted, physiological imbalances remain and the body cannot establish harmony.

It is important, therefore, to support this cleansing with healthy lifestyle – diet, rest and exercise and clean water to flush out completely.

Your practioner will offer therapeutic support if neccesary, when the effects of toxics are on their way out of the system until health and well being are restored.

Fats and Health

It is a myth that eating fats causes weight gain, unless we consume trans fats hydrogenated into unnatural fats solid at room temperature.

The processing of unsaturated vegetable seed oils into hydrogenated margarine etc. creates toxicity – they cannot be properly metabolised and lead to disease.  However, saturated fats, e.g.: from butter and other animal foods, lower Lp(a) associated with heart disease, enhance immune function and contain many essential nutrients to combat cancer and promote fertility. Some types boost metabolism and reduce weight, whereas trans fats raise it.

So let’s avoid processed vegetable oils and rely more on healthy fats from coconuts, olives, fish and land animals not tortured by industrial farming, e.g.: pastured, grass fed cattle. Good seed oils such as flax and hemp are best kept refrigerated (easily go rancid), available from Sunny Foods and the Eastbourne Clinic of Natural Medicine: raw milk and butter delivered by Hook & Son near Hailsham, also organic yoghurt from Court Lodge Farm in Wartling.