I have worked with my partner, Andrea Butje, for more than decade in our company, Aromatics International. This is a company devoted to providing essential oils for Aromatherapy. After pouring many gallons of essential oils, you’d think I know how to make a therapeutic blend- think again!
I love the essential oils, which is a good thing since I routinely pour, label and ship them. I love plants, I even make it a point to plant as many aromatic plants as possible in our garden. So, when an acupuncture client complained of digestion difficulties, I thought immediately that an essential oil blend would be a great thing to add to her massage oil. Usually I go find Andrea the Aromatherapy Expert, and ask her to make me a blend. But she was no where to be found-confusion rolled through me. And then I remembered that the Andrea has been putting her recipes on the Aromatics International website.
It was one of those moments when I woke up to the resources that are already present to support my life and work. I laughed to myself as I went to the recipes section, looked up “digestive support”, and made a great blend for my client.
So, just a friendly reminder that whether you need an idea for yourself or a client, you can find help at the recipe section of Aromatics International.
Looking for information about the drugs you are taking? Drugs.com is a comprehensive website for looking up almost any drug on the market- over the counter or prescribed. I use this site to check on side effects and/or adverse effects of medications that my patients are taking. You can also use this site to research interactions between medications you are taking- just click on the “Interactions Checker” link at the top of the home page.
Tags: drugs, side effects
A simple warm foot bath feels especially luxurious these cold winter days! Recently, I treated myself to a fabulous hot foot soak. Some simple things are just too good be true, this is one of them!
I used a regular dish pan, filled it with hot water (you know, not so hot that it burned but plenty warm), added half a cup of epsom salt and a 2 drops of juniper berry essential oil. I sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and relaxed as my warm and happy feet celebrated. I slept peacefully that night, and awoke with joyous feet.
Epsom salt is available at drug stores- either in the first aid section or the laxative section. Table salt is sodium chloride, epsom salt is magnesium sulphate. There is just something about epsom salt that seems especially soothing and healing. An epsom salt foot bath is an old-time remedy for tired, sore feet- and it still works today.
I added the juniper berry essential oil to help ease a little pain I was feeling from tight Achilles’s tendons. The combination worked. The next morning, my feet, ankles and Achilles’s tendons were pain free.
I know, Florida is not the coldest place these days, but it has been extra chilly down here, and my feet have had many cold days in a row.. Since this hot foot soak felt so good down here, I imagine it will feel extra fine to those of you dealing with “real” winter feet.
Tags: epsom salt, feet, juniper berry
Wondering what acupuncture can treat? The World Health Organization has wondered too. Over the years, the WHO has met to review the validity of acupuncture. Meeting in 1998 to review controlled clinical trials of acupuncture performed around the world, the WHO created the following list of diseases that have been clinically proven to respond to acupuncture treatment:
Diseases and disorder that can be treated with acupuncture:*
Disease, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved- through controlled clinical trials-to be an effective treatment:
- Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/chemotherapy
- Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
- Biliary colic
- Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke
- Dysentery, acute bacillary
- Dysmenorrhea, primary
- Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastro-spasm)
- Facial pain (including cranio-mandibular disorders)
- Headache
- Hypertension, essential
- Hypotension, primary
- Induction of labor
- Knee pain
- Leukopenia
- Low back pain
- Malposition of fetus, correction of
- Morning sickness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Neck pain
- Pain dentistry (including dental pain and temporo-mandibular dysfunction
- Peri-arthritis of shoulder
- Postoperative pain
- Renal colic
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sciatica
- Sprain
- Stroke
- Tennis Elbow
*Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials
Tags: acupuncture
February 14, 2010 marks both the Chinese and Tibetan New Year: The Year of the Iron Tiger. Wondering it means?
Me too. So I searched around and found the most complete assessment and explanation at the Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar.
I hope you enjoy the post as much as I did. Seems like this is going to be a very interesting year!
Tags: Astrology
Eight
The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so it is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In daily life, be competent.
In action, be aware of the time and the season.
No fight: No blame.
From the Tao Te Ching, by LaoTsu, translated by Gia-FuFeng and Jane English
The book, Tao Te Ching, is made up of 88 verses. It is an ancient book, written in China at least 2, 500 years ago. Although there is still speculation about the exact author, credit is given to the sage Lao Tsu. Besides the Bible, the Tao Te Ching, has been translated more often than any other book in the world.
This beautiful book has brought me comfort through the years. What is the book about? Here is a little bit from the introduction of one of my copies of the Tao Te Ching:
“The Tao Te Ching deals with what is permanent in us. It speaks of a possible inner greatness and an equally possible inner failure, which are both indelibly written into our very structure as a human beings. Under its gaze, we are not “American”, or “Chinese”, or “European.” We are that being, Man, uniquely called to occupy a precise place in the cosmic order, no matter where or in what era we live.”
“What lies behind the ‘ten thousand things’-or to use Western language, behind the appearances in ourselves and in the universe-is not another world, another thing or collection of ‘things.’” …What lies behind the ten thousand things is the awareness of the ten thousand things…. But this awareness-what is it? We cannot say. Call it Tao.”
-Jacob Needleman’s Introduction in the Tao Te Ching, by LaoTsu, translated by Gia-FuFeng and Jane English. Vintage Books, 1989.
That is my thought today as I reflect on how long it’s been since my last post. I have been imagining myself at confession, “Forgive me, it has been 16 days since my last post…”
Sometimes it seems all I can do is inhale. After 16 days of inhaling, you’d think it would be time to exhale a decent post onto my blog! Since crafting a grammatically correct post eludes me, I’ll offer a list of things I’ve been thinking about:
- How can the sun shine so brightly and the day be so cold?
- Why is it that big dramatic events, occurring just once or twice in a lifetime can inspire great personal growth, yet the daily nagging things rarely inspire change?
- Really, how do seeds “know” when to sprout in the Spring and to go dormant in the Winter?
- It is so obvious that something, or really someone is missing from a corpse, why is that “thing” or “personality, soul, energy” completely left out of western medicine?
- Do birds wish they could walk like humans?
- On what basis do my cats decide to sleep in the closet, on the couch, in a cardboard box, a pillow or in the recycling bin?
- When will I get my next blog post written?
Cell Salt Tablets
What are cell salts?
Cell salts are also called biochemic tissue salts, or mineral salts. Cell salts were discovered and named as the science of biochemistry was sprouting in the early 1800’s- primarily in Europe. A German medical doctor, Dr. W. H. Schuessler (1821-1898) is considered the originator of cell salt theory and practice. He coined the term “Biochemic tissue salts.”
Our understanding of the cellular nature of our bodies, and how these cells functioned was being revealed via the use of more modern laboratory equipment in the early 1800’s. One human body is actually made up of trillions of microscopic cells. From the Biochemic perspective, the visible health of that one big body is the result of the health and vitality of the unseen trillions of cells that make up that body. Cells rely heavily on minerals- like calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium in order to function. One way that a cell can have reduced function is to have a lack of important minerals.
We naturally ingest these minerals in our food and water. When we are healthy, we can assume that our cells are getting all the minerals they need. If we have symptoms such as dry skin, acne, poor digestion, muscle pain, nerve pain, sinus congestion, anxiety, and many other common ailments, we can assume that part of the “problem” is that our cells are not functioning optimally. This reduced function may be due to a mineral deficiency.
Cell salts are a combination of minerals that the body is able to absorb and use. The theory behind cell salts is that in order for the cells to be able to benefit from supplemental minerals, they must be in a form that is both small enough (remember, we are talking about tiny cells that utilize minute amounts of a substance) and in the correct combination. Dr. Schussler combined all of these requirements into tablets now referred to as “cell salts” or “mineral salts.”
There are 12 cell main salts:
Calcium Fluoride
Calcium Phosphate
Calcium Sulphate
Ferrum Phosphate
Potassium Chloride
Potassium Phosphate
Potassium Sulphate
Magnesium Phosphate
Sodium Chloride
Sodium Phosphate
Sodium Sulphate
Silica
The amount of actual material in each tablet is very small and dilute. The dilution allows for easy absorption into the blood and easy utilization by the cells.
A bottle of Kali Mur 6X
Trituration: The Dilution Process
Cells are tiny- we can’t even see them- imagine how small a nutrient must be in order for a cell to “ingest” it! In order to make the mineral “bite size” for a cell, it is first ground down. Then one tiny part of the ground up mineral salt is added to 9 parts of lactose (milk sugar). This combination is ground up for at least 2 hours. Then, 1 part of this mixture is combined again with 9 more parts of lactose-to be ground again for at least 2 hours.
This process, called trituration, is repeated and repeated until the correct dilution for a given cell salt is achieved. Usually, this is indicated by a “6X”- which represents the process of adding 1 part mineral salt to 9 parts lactose (equaling 10 parts “X” is the Roman numeral for 10) and then diluting it again and again 6 times.
Why Use Cell Salts?
They are very gentle, easy to take (they melt under your tongue), affordable ($15 for 1000 tablets), and very effective for many common ailments. Like any healing method, they work great for some people and not so great for others. The good news is that trying cell salts is a pretty safe experiment as they are so dilute and gentle that side effects are not an issue.
I have yet to find one method of healing that works all the time for every situation and for every person- that’s why I keep learning about different forms of healing.
Here are a few ways that I use cell salts for my own health:
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Mix 1 tablet of Calcium Phosphate (6X) and 1 tablet of Calcium Fluoride (12X) into the water reservoir of my dental irrigator “WaterPik” to support the health of my teeth and gums.
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Take 3 tablets of Ferrum Phosphate (12X) 3 times a day during menstruation
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Take 2 tablets of Potassium Chloride(6X) and 2 tablets of Ferrum Phosphate (12X) once a day to prevent colds and flu’s during the fall and winter
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Take 5 tablets of Magnesium Phosphate(6X) 4 times a day when flying to prevent jet lag.
There are many other ways to use cell salts. Below are some resources for learning more.
Books:
The Chemistry of Life, by George W. Carey
Dr.. Schuessler’s Biochemistry, by J. B. Chapman and J. W. Cogswell
Websites:
Institute of Biochemic Medicine
Classes:
I included a whole section on cell salts in my online Introduction to Alternative Medicine Class.
Tablets can be purchased in a variety of sizes:
Tablets can be purchased in sizes from 250 per bottle to 4000
Tags: Cell Salts, common ailments
