by Catherine Carter

In America heart disease remains the leading cause of death. There are many reasons for this such as too many years of eating foods that don’t promote health, the mismanagement of emotions and too little love, nurturing and being nurtured can also harm the heart. Read over these 11 tips practicing them is a life’s work. Our hearts tell no lies.

11 Power Tips to Heal Your Heart

1. First and foremost of course is to avoid the problem if at all possible. One of the ways to do that is when relating to others, listen to them, strive to listen deeply. If too much force is used in a relationship it leads to discord which can lead to other problems.
2. Cultivate a loving heart. How? Practice caring for others, include people in your list. While loving animals and plants are great, they aren’t near as challenging as we folks are. Practice on people!
3. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Trust that they mean you no harm. Forgive, forgive, forgive.
4. Pull out a mirror and tell yourself you are lovable, yes you. Your worth doesn’t depend on what someone else thinks. I love what Dr. Dyer says about this, “what you think of me is none of my business.”
5. Listen to your dreams. Is there something that you are refusing to see or acknowledge in your daily life? Dreams can help you to identify those areas you may be afraid to face in the light of day.
6. Cultivate your intuition. Intuition is your “inner teacher.” Connect with your heart. This will help you to heal it.
7. If you are having a problem, ask for a sign. The universe is a loving place. Ask and you will receive. Living a more heart centered life means following your true inner truth.
8. Develop courage. Are you afraid? That weakens the heart, if you have money fears, career fears, love fears, fears of the dark get going to heal them!
9. Become a warrior. A true warrior knows that the real battle of life is within ones own spirit.
10. Be a peaceful warrior. This ties in with number 9. Peace is the greatest balm that will strengthen the heart and allow you to live with more joy and wholeness.
11. Smile. This doesn’t mean that every time people see you, you are grinning. It means that in your heart there is joy and you are always willing to share that joy and peace that is within you.

Peace, love and light.

I found a wonderful blog that I really just had to share with my readers. Whenever I see people who drop trash on the ground it just does something to me, kind of like makes me g-r-r-r. While I know that it is not good for inner peace (OM), in my heart I just know it is wrong, the trash dropping. The blog’s description is The Earth is Not A Trash Can. I have seen folks roll down their car windows to toss their waste into the streets, come on people. I mean. Anyway I digress, so when I saw the topic of this blog, for me, I knew I had to pass it on.

And then there are the school children who eat their snacks and mindlessly toss the wrappings on the ground. The earth is our mother. Everything comes from the earth and without respecting and honoring the earth we cannot truly respect ourselves.

If you have items that need to be disposed of while in your car, keep a small plastic bag in your car, place your trash in it and empty it out with your weekly trash collection at home. Avoid eating while out walking around. This helps you to avoid empty calories and not have trash to drop off. Or eat and simply hold onto the packaging until you get to the next trash can.
Here’s to finding ways to walk more gently on our earth mother.

by Catherine Carter
photo credit: Joyce Berbig

Walnuts belong to the plant family Juglandaceae. Native Americans used an infusion of the bark to prevent diarrhea. The chewed bark or an infusion was applied to wounds to prevent bleeding. Homeopaths used, Walnut (Juglans regia), the tincture and low potencies for skin eruptions such as blackheads, acne and crusta lactea which is another term for ‘cradle cap’.

Healing Powers of Walnuts:

• can reduce inflammation
• may alleviate pain
• nourish the kidneys-adrenals, nourish the brain and enrich the sperm
• helpful for painful knees and coldness in the back
• have warming properties
• avoid walnuts if you have signs of internal heat, such as anger, red face, tendency to canker sores, loose stools.
• help to remove arterial residues of fat and cholesterol
• helps to reduce serum lipid levels and high blood pressure in normal men (abstract)
• may improve prostate and vascular health of older men (abstract)

An easy way to increase your walnut intake is to sprinkle chopped walnuts over cooked steel cut oats. Or simply add a tablespoon onto your plate to enhance one of your daily meals.

References:

New England Journal of Medicine 1993; 329:358-360, Jul 29, 1993
Nutrition Journal 2008, 7:13 (2 May 2008)
Boericke Homeopathic Materia Medica

It is the patient upbuilding of character, the intense struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in the future of humanity.
-Vivekananda

This information is much more helpful to younger women just starting out with having children. It shows an additional long term benefit to the mom from breastfeeding her children. It seems that long term breastfeeding offers more benefits. This bit of research shows that women who breastfed their children had a much lower incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Breast feeding and not the use of oral contraceptives showed this protective benefit.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether breast-feeding or the use of oral contraceptives (OC) could affect the future risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a community-based prospective cohort.
Methods: A community based health survey (18 326 women) was linked to regional and national registers, and incident cases of RA were identified. All females with RA diagnosis after inclusion in the health survey (n = 136) and four female controls for every case, who were alive and free from RA when the index person was diagnosed with RA, were included in a case-control study. Data on life style factors at baseline were derived from a self-administered questionnaire. Potential predictors were examined in logistic regression models.

Results: One hundred and thirty-six women with incident RA were compared to 544 age matched controls. Longer history of breast-feeding was associated with a reduced risk of RA (OR: 0.46; 95% CI 0.24-0.91 for women with 13 months of breast-feeding, and OR 0.74; 95 % CI 0.45-1.20 for those with 1-12 months, compared to those who never breast-fed). The protective effect of longer breast-feeding remained significant when adjusting for smoking and level of education in multivariate models, and point estimates were protective also when restricting the analyses to parous women.
Parity or OC use did not have any significant effect on the risk of RA.

Conclusion: In this study, long-term breast-feeding, but not the use of OC, was associated with a significant reduction of the risk of RA.

Copyright © 2008 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism

by Catherine Carter


How to use castor oil packs as part of your detox and health maintenance plan

The use of castor oil in healing has been around for a long time. Its use can be traced in the ancient world. I first heard of castor oil used for healing purposes through the work of Edgar Cayce. For those interested here is a link for anecdotal stories of the oils use. Castor oil has been used medicinally since before the time of the pioneers heading west. Castor oil continues to be highly regarded as part of a detox regimen.

What is Castor Oil?
Castor oil comes from the plant Ricinus communis (palma christi). Palma christi means “Palm of Christ.” It is a cathartic stimulant. The oil is extracted from the seeds.
Benefits
Cleansing the colon is the first organ to target in your detox regimen, next is the liver, and then the bloodstream. Castor oil packs can relieve difficult menstruation, breast pain and reduce growths.

Instructions for a Castor Oil Pack
Plastic sheeting
Cotton or wool flannel
Castor oil
Hot water bottle or electric heating pad

Suggested use for the castor oil pack is 5 days at a time. It can be repeated weekly. It is helpful to use the regimen along with a liver cleansing program. Place the pack over the liver for at least an hour or overnight. The liver is located on the right side of the body underneath the rib cage. They can also be used on other parts of the body.

Keep the pack warm with a hot water bottle or a heating pad.
• Soak a minimum one-foot square piece of flannel with the castor oil.
• Use enough cloth to cover the area generously.
• Cover the pack with the plastic and place the heating pad on top. Do not have the heat so high as to cause injury.
• Place plastic over the bed or area where you sit or lay. You can also use it to cover the pack while on.
• Leave on for 45 - 90 minutes. An hour is good.
• Store the pack in plastic. It can be re-used until it is stained.
• Store your pack in a cool, dry, dark location.
• Re-add oil when reusing your pack.
• Do not use while pregnant.
• Do not use while menstruating.
• Discontinue use should any skin irritation develop.
This can also be done 3 days a week, once a month.

Be Well,
Catherine

Picture Credit: Cambridge 2000 Gallery

There really is more than one way to look at something. In the process of learning some prefer the tactile touch of books, some like the ease of an audio tape or CD, someone else may want a one on one with a tutor but the point is learning took place. Perhaps it is not the best example but I hope you see the conclusion that I am reaching. Herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Homeopathic medicine, Flower essences, body work, massage, sweats, fasting, even leeching is staging a come back. There are many ways to tap into healing. Remember that laughter cured Norman Cousins when the doctors told him that he was incurable. Why are some so close-minded?

The article below is from the BBC. Click on the link to read the article.

Complementary therapies should be given a greater role in the NHS, a report commissioned by the Prince of Wales has said.

The report, by economist Christopher Smallwood, said patients with conditions such as back pain and stress can benefit from some of the therapies.

However, there is a shortage of treatments such as acupuncture and osteopathy in poorer areas.

The report does not say wider use would bring huge NHS savings.

The report covers the ‘Big Five’ complementary and alternative therapies - osteopathy and chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal medicine.

Millions of people use complementary therapies in the UK, and demand is growing. About half of GPs now provide some kind of access to such treatments.
(more)

Be Well

According to a recent study more than half of insured Americans regularly take prescription drugs for chronic health problems. In some cases an individual may take 18 or more drugs daily (here) Yes, some would call this progress. If people are not being healed, which means to make whole, what is happening here. Until the public demands the choice of qualified health practitioners this is not going to get better. Are you aware that all of these drugs are seeping into the drinking water? Every living creature needs clean water. How will this cycle back onto the public. Our food supply also comes from this tainted water.

The first step to improving your health is to know that it can happen. No one is meant to live captive of pill after pill. Why is it important to know you can improve your health? You must have the awareness that it is a choice. The actions you take lead to a result. It takes motivation and daily choices that lead to the goal. All of the information that is available will not help unless you begin to use the information.

Second, stop looking for a quick fix. Seek to heal the cause of the problem. If you are stressed out, learn how to relax and practice. If you are addicted to salt, learn how to season your food. If you are angry, bitter or sad learn how to find joy and peace.

Explore. Seek out sound information. Is it easy? You decide. If it is worth it to you start now. Find a buddy. Pray. Work with a qualified practitioner. And know that it is possible. Start now, begin the process of healing your life.

May 02, 2008 – An international market research company, Global TGI, has found surprisingly large numbers of people throughout the world who “trust in homeopathy.” Trust in this system of natural medicine was found in 64% of people in India, 58% Brazil, 53% Chile, 49% Saudi Arabia, 49% United Arab Emirates, 40% France, 35% South Africa, 28% Russia, 27% Germany, 25% Argentina, 18% of America, and 15% Great Britain.

Dana Ullman, MPH, America’s leading advocate for homeopathy (according to Time magazine and 20/20), notes, “More significant than the large numbers of people internationally who trust homeopathy is that the people who use or advocate for it tend to be more educated, more financially successful, and include many of the most respected cultural heroes of the past 200 years.”

Ullman’s newest book, The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy, provides details about the use or advocacy of homeopathy by 11 U.S. Presidents as well as heads of state from England, Germany, Norway, India, and Mexico, seven popes and dozens of spiritual leaders, and hundreds of literary greats, sports superstars, world-class musicians, corporate CEOs, and celebrities.

Ullman’s book includes a foreword by Dr. Peter Fisher, the Physician to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He asserts, “Homeopathy has always attracted people who could choose any type of health care. In addition to the British royal family and many other monarchs, my new book shows that the cultural icons of the past who have used or advocated for homeopathy include J.D. Rockefeller, Charles Darwin, Beethoven, Chopin, Emily Dickinson, and virtually all of the American transcendentalists, while modern-day users include David Beckham, Tina Turner, Cher, Tony Blair, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (“Love in a Time of Cholera”), Brian Josephson, PhD (Nobel Prize-winning physicist), Coretta Scott King, and Cindy Crawford.”

The history of homeopathic medicine in America is also notable, says Ullman, who asserts, “In early 1900s America was the worldwide leader in homeopathic medicine, when approximately 20% of physicians were homeopaths, and there were over 20 homeopathic medical schools, including Boston University, Ohio State University, University of Michigan, Hahnemann Medical College, and University of Iowa.”

Virtually all of the leading American medical schools have courses in “integrative medicine,” the new word that describes the integration of various alternative and conventional medical treatments, of which homeopathy is a part.

LINKS:

Dana Ullman, MPH: http://www.homeopathic.com/hes/bio_dana.php
The Homeopathic Revolution: http://homeopathicrevolution.com/
Source of additional information on homeopathic medicine: http://www.homeopathic.com
Global TGI: http://www.tgisurveys.com/

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Homeopathic Educational Services is America’s leading source for homeopathic books, medicines, audiotapes/CDs, software, and distance learning courses. We help people access research and teach people how to apply homeopathic medicines in self-care and in professional applications.

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by Catherine Carter

How high do you pile, that is, put food on your plate? It’s rather easy to eat more than you should. What I mean is that many of us continue to eat after hunger has been satisfied.

Do you find yourself saying, “I know I shouldn’t, but I’ll have just a little more”? Many Americans eat for any number of reasons, hunger may not be high on the list. Television doesn’t help, neither does radio, well ok, just about any media may could throw a wrench into your healthy eating plans. Many ads are as senseless as they are endless. Chocolate bars and candy are promoted as the equivalent of heaven on earth. Eating a pizza will bring the family together. Eat that prepared frozen meal and all of your sister/girlfriends will envy you!!

There are also a fair number of adults who feel as if they are immune to the subtleties of advertisement. And while there are instances where you may do fairly well, you may still find yourself undermined by pesky elements, such as low lighting, the color of the walls in a restaurant, or the size of the plate. What can you do? Educate yourself. I recently read a well written book by the Cornell University researcher, Brian Wansink Ph.D., the book “Mindless Eating” is compelling. The research is insightful. Another benefit is that the book is full of strategies and tips that will help you to eat with increased awareness. Your body will thank you.