Natual Vision Improvement

So, I actually never wanted LASIK until just last year, when I got the strong urge to get it. BUt...I wasn't able to at that time because I was nursing. So I made a commitment to look into it as soon as my baby was weened. So I did.

After getting through the process, the day before the exam was my second appointment and they led me through the two waiting rooms and visits with three different people. I got checked by one of the eye Doctors who would perform the surgery...and he had glasses! I was a little baffled, so I asked. He said he had LASIK done twice and loves it! But that once you pass the age of 40 farsightedness catches up to EVERYONE, and you need to get surgery done again most likely. What?!?!

I was confused. I'd never heard of that--the general assumption that everyone's eye sight goes bad after 40. Well, I wasn't buying it. Strike one! Then I got to the end of the appointment 2 1/2 hours later (and after waiting two different times) and was told to pay for everything. The lady ran me through the papers, which mentioned having see the video explaining the process. What?!?! No one had shown me any video! I told her I hasdn't been shown a video, and she told me to finish the paperwork and then we could watch it. So I told her "no thank you," and that I'd like to see the video BEFORE I signed my life (and wallet) away. Strike two!

Then I watched the video and it was mostly what I was aware of, but there were other things in it that felt a little like when I met with the Doctor. And I just didn't feel settled about things. So...I cancelled my surgery (which was actually PRK, not LASIK. PRK is similar, but they don't cut a flap). And that night I went home and did lots of research. And now...strike three! I have a very different view about eyesight and eye doctors.

First, let me say that eye surgery may be very helpful for those who need it! Some people have had life-changing experiences because they can now focus on the people and things they need to without the hassle of glasses and contacts. That's a miracle and super helpful for many!

And I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but where eyesight is about -3 diopters or better, I think a natural eye improvement course is definitely worth consindering--if you are patient and disciplined in doing the exercises and things required to improve. (As with any exercise routine to strengthen muscles and get "fit.")

So what is this eye improvement mumbo-jumbo? 
Well, it started with an Eye Doctor Names Mr. William Bates, from the early 19th century. He believed that vision can improve by strengthening your eye muscles. He wrote a book called "Perfect Eyesight Without Glasses (free online version).

Basically each eye has two muscles  opposite each other on the sides, two opposite each other on the top and bottom, and two oblique muscles that wrap around the eye. So as you do exercises to strengthen those muscles you can naturally improve your eye sight. (think about it...our eye sight changes as our eye shape changes.)

A good way to check your eye muscles and see which are your weakest is to hold your thumb just away from your face and move it in a large circle, following it with your eye, without moving your head, so see/feel when your eyes feel sore. Mine were most sore as I looked up/up-diagonally. Mine were not too sore looking down or sideways. So I knew that my upper muscles and obliques needed the most help.


EYE EXERCISES
So to strengthen all your eye muscles, do a little eye yoga: stare at your thumb held out in front of you and breath in and out slowly as you go up and down, three times. Then do it sideways three times. Then do it on the diagonals each three times. (don't do it so long your eyes strain too much)
You could also do some eye tracing: use your eyes to trace sideways figure 8's (infinity sign). (You can pretend your nose is a paint brush.) This will use all those eye muscles.


EYE RELAXATION
Once you are done exercising you should do some eye relaxation. Your muscles need to rest. Like any good workout, have a cool down. Just rub hand together to get warm and then place your hands over your eyes so it's pitch black. Total darkness, plus warmth, allow your eyes a comfortable setting in which to fully relax. You could also do sunning, which allows the warmth of the dawn or dusk sunlight to warm your eyes in a gentle and safe way.

There's also the Long-Swing, which you basically stare at a wall to your left, while body faces forward, and then turn your head and stare at the wall on your right, still standing forward. You go back and forth, like you head is a swings from right to left, left to right. You do this for a minute or two, then you put your thumb up and and keep doing it for another minute or two. Then you close your eyes and do it a third time. (followed by palming) This allows your eyes to relax and not try to stare and focus at one static thing for so long.

In fact, another helpful activity similar in effects is "Magic Eye" pictures. Although it may take time to get it down, if you don't know how to do it. (My husband is awesome at it, but I had to work at it. But I can tell it's helped me by practicing a little everyon few nights---I keep a book by my bed, which my kids come and enjoy with me too.)

Massage is also excellent! Just take your thumb and pointer finger and put it under your eyebrow and push along the bone above and below the eye. you can also do some tapping along the that bone in a sideways figure-8 pattern while taking deep breaths (and I like to says some affirmations about seeing clearly and loving my eyes--which is funny because I normally don't love saying affirmations because it feel silly to me. But I do love my eyes...so why not?) :)

I knew this basic stuff three years ago and had a really great experience with it when I tried it for a week. But then life happened and I forgot all about this stuff. So after this near-LASIK experience I did lots of YouTube "natural eye improvement" video searches and read some articles and websites and books.I also joined some facebook groups for natural vision. This guy has a lot of helpful tutorial videos on some of the exercises I shared. So if you are confused about any, look them up.


VISION SELF-CHECK
It was interesting to me to learn that our vision fluctuates. It is actually not as static as we think; and that is why at the beginning of the day we usually see better than after a long day staring at screens. You can test this by taping up an eye chart in your bathroom, and every morning, afternoon, and evening staring at it from the same distance. You will see different lines differently. This is a great way to check your eyesight daily, but also with improvement over time. (My eye chart is about 10 ft away...because that's at what distance I could read the top letter. So do what works for you.)

Since starting my eye exercises two months ago, I've noticed my eyesight fluctuate a lot during the day, and I'm aware of my eye muscles better. I notice eye strain better than before, or atleast understand better what it is and how to counteract it. And as with any pain-awareness...now I can use that signal as a chance to change some behaviors.


BUILDING GOOD VISION HABITS
There's a few helpful habits that will reduce eye strain.
1. 20-20-20 Rule: If staring at a screen for 20 minutes, stop and take a short break (twith your eyes trace something atleast 20 feet away). Then you can return to your screen staring, should you choose. But also, try to make sure computer screens are atleast 20 inches away from your face if you can.
2. Active Vision: Always hold your books or hand-held devices far enough away that you can read the words, but they just start to get a little blurry. This is helpful because it allows your eye muscles to keep to actively working, instead of getting lazy. (sidenote/plea: please don't let your children sit with their nose practically touching the media screen! This litterally is ruining their eyes!
3. Media Light: Short wavelength blue light produced by low intensity displays such as smartphones and televisions has been identified as being damaging to human eye cells (rods and cones which receive light). The light is more damaging in low-light scenarios, so smart phones are starting to have better night-setting features to make up for this. But it may be a good idea to not read or watch things on your phone at night time...bad for the eyes (quite literally).
4. Reduce your dependence on Glasses: You should literally get reduced-perscription glasses. Zenni.com is the only place I know that you can enter your perscription. Both my eyes were -3 diopters, so I just go -2 for both. And my eyes are so much happier. I knew the -3 diopters were too strong for my eyes--which is why I would frequently pull them off. I always hated how eye doctors give you super strong perscriptions and now you have to test them every year. Hated it! And now I'm loving my reduced glasses. I can still see so much, but I don't need to see fine details far away the whole day. So not wearing them allows my eye muscles to actively be engaged all day (instead feeling like they are getting weaker--like being in cast). So try limiting how much you wear your glasses. (there are other alternative methods that allow you to wear glasses or contacts, if you'd rather take a different approach; but I'm not doing that method so I can't tell you details about that). 



And lastly...

Mental Vision
It's easy to do physical exercise and think that's it. Life is phycial and that's where we focus a lot of time and energy. But, great athletes know that envisioning the win, the victory, the goal is as important to success as if the physcial daily exercise. It's said that 80% of our vision we can control, but 20% is subconcious...so why not work on visualizing. Do some meditation/thinking in your mind. Mental creation is work. Just because it isn't physical, doesn't mean it isn't hard. IT takes practice, but the more you can work on your imagination and actually visualizing things in your mind, the more that works on the subconcious 20%! Cool huh? It's not all in your head...but some of it is. (Like that author who wrote the books...Change your brain, change your life. He's got a point!)


And a Side note:
Flashes of clarity
As you work on improving your vision you may get flashes of clarity. This is where you may look at a word and see it super clearly for a second or even a half-second, and then it gets blurry again. I've experienced this recently, at the end of my second month doing all these things regularly. Basically when I started I could only read the top letter of the chart from 10 ft away. But now I'm reading the seoncd or third row. But, with a flash of clarity I read some of row 5! It was awesome! I was so excited I had to share with my husband. (I don't think this means my eyesight is improved right this instant, but its a step along the long path and gives me hope that my eyes are getting stronger--even if it takes a few years. (Just like taking time to do a 60-second wall handstand each day will slowly over time help your arms be stronger and give hope that you may do/hold a real handstand for longer than one second.)  :)

Iridology 201

Ok, now that you've looked at the fun little "reflexology" of the eye chart (if not, click here for my previous post).

Here is a little more depth to what I've learned and it is fascinating. 

So the preface: I went to a healing conference and this iridologist looked at my eye for 1 minute and told me that I had major digestive issues that needed to be addressed to help my system be happy. He also mentioned that I had a very strong willed constitution (which could be good or bad, and is another story).

So he told me that I needed to heal my stomach lining and mentioned some herbs I could buy and make infusions with. 

What I loved about this experience:

1. He wasn't trying to make money

2. He identified my biggest health issue right now, and I had only said "hi. can you check my eyes" to him--never seen or met him before that. 

3. He prioritized for me what I needed to do in a simple 1,2,3 format.

4. He mentioned an herb I could get anywhere. It wasn't something he was selling and it wasnt some random supplement someone else fabricated far away. 

5. And he said it was totally doable.

6. We then had a short, but nice discussion about the power of people's eyes as really being windows to our souls. And how awesome God is in nature's details. 

Needless to say... I attended his class and learned a lot. Here are my notes that I tried to organize into a somewhat comprehensible outline--starting with a quote appropriate to why I'm interested in iridology.

A Chinese proverb says:
‘A poor doctor cures; a good doctor prevents’. 

So, let's look at the eye.

Did you know that the eye literally reflects the health of your body? Why?

There are more than 28,000 nerve fibers in the human eye and each one is directly connected to the brain. The brain is in direct contact with all the nerves and cells of the body and as such any defect within the body will show up in the iris.

Did you know there are only two eye colors: 

• brown
• blue

You may not agree (esp. if you have green eyes, but iridologists explain why), but you are not the iridologist. So accept that "theory" for now and continue reading. :)  The green is caused by generational mixing of the brown and blue, or by yellow discolorations in a blue parts.

 

This is a graphic i found online that summarizes part of what he said...

There are concentric circles away from the pupil which stand for the following areas:

• digestion (stomach), 
• assimilation (intestines), 
• utilization (inner organs) and 
• elimination (lymph system and skin--read my post on the lymph system if you aren't sure what it is).

There are 4 Stages

If you have discoloration or bumps, etc. they can be one of the following four stages: (some are because of genetic predispositions--inherited--but others may be problems you've had that have digressed. Either way, looking at your eye and observing what areas are affected can be empowering.)

1. Acute (these are slightly raised off your eye--typically not inherited)
2. Semi-acute
3. Chronic
4. Degenerative (these are slight divots into your eyes--maybe you've had these problems a long time in your life, or they are inherited from 3+ generations ago)

What Constitution are you?

These are the lines perpendicular to the pupil and concentric rings (like wagon wheel spokes). I don't know the exact definitions, just generalizations, so google it if you're super curious.

• Strong (tight together: doesn't easily let things in or out. Typically strong-willed and more natural leaders. Slower healing time.)
• Medium 
• Weak (very loose: typically not very strong-willed. Pretty easy-going and lacking structure.)

Other random tidbits:

• The left eye (as in many other healing modalities and Eastern Medicine) represents the female side, while the right represents the male
• the more intense the color in the inner circles means more of an introvert, while the color more towards the outer rings is more extroverted
• tree rings around your pupil (like concentric circles) deals with perfectionism
• If you have wagon wheel spokes that aren't lines, but rather are circles (connected spokes), that shows a closed lesion--which is a generational weakness passed down to you. Notice the area on the eye and see what anatomy part is affected on the iridology chart from my first post.
• Whitish lines and spots are lymph system related problems
• If your pupil dilates in and out (bouncy): adrenal fatigue symptom (also have a hard time keeping tongue out without shaking)
• If there is a dark circle around your pupil, then your stomach is under-acidic and needs the gut lining healed.(use Slippery elm herb)
• Law of Cure says: "The Body heals from the inside, out; from the top, down."
• For more cool info on iridology read Bernard Jensen's books: Iridology Simplified, etc.

And His Last Advice:

1. Be responsible for your health
2. Identify toxins/problems in/around you and stop/replace them
3. It takes 5-7 times nutrition levels to heal than to maintain
4. You body needs 3 months to heal, plus 1 month for every year your body was weak

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My personal advice is Ether 12:27

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

**Prayer and wisdom is what will guide us through our healing journey. Alma 32 talks about being humble and seeking change, before being brought to crisis in which we then are forced to change or suffer. Though this may seem doomsday-ish, I don't mean it to. By taking full charge of our health and selves, we can more fully live and enjoy what God has given us. 

All these tools I'm learning about are in nature and are beautiful and awe-inspiring. I can't help but feel greater love and acknowledgement of the Lord and his tender mercies in showing us truth in all things around us. If our eyes are open.

Greenreads: Guide to Healthy Bowel

I just read Bernard jensens guide to bowel care (or something like that title). 

He is the famous iridology author. And the book totally spoke to me about why we should be in a natural position while passing stool. 

He mentioned research about how sitting on a pot never fully allows the colon to eliminate because it's not the natural position to support your colon and effectively use gravity's help. 

I've wondered about that ever since I decided I didn't like the typical birthing position with my first and did homebirth with my second. Same thing with toilets. And since potty training my boy, he always stands on the toilet to squat...which at first I thought was weird, but now I get it. It's natural for kids to squat. Was it once for us too? Could it be so again? hmmm...

here's a graphic for ya

So, theoretically, what if society would be ok without toilets?  Or had a stool to help, so we can still sit. There are things called squatty Pottys made in St. George, actually.

I'd probably think it weird if I hadn't tried it in Asia and Europe. But there are some pretty fancy holes/bidets. They do it all over the world, except here. And I'll bet we are the most constipated country.... :)

Also, he mentioned all the research he has done with embryos in tracing the development of their colon cells. It was fascinating to read that certain parts of the colon sent cells to certains organs. He found that the colons health was reflected in the organs that shared those sames cells from development. So it makes sense that there is a "reflexology" of the colon, much like reflexology of the feet, back, eye, etc. 

Stay tuned for my Iridology 201 post to further explore the eye and how we can better understand our health through that "window." (And I'll explain it from a logical, scientific view...a best an amateur researcher can) :)

Notes: Great Lymphatic System

Notes from Dr. Morse's  "The Great Lymphatic System," plus some of my thoughts. (found on YouTube)
This was so eye-opening to a simple view of of body being acid vs. alkaline and what that means to our cells. It reduced all the various diseases and problems with the body to a basic, understandable idea.

A great pattern I'm seeing in everything related to nature, our bodies, learning, etc. is the following process:

• Consumption (nutrition)
• Elimination (waste)

* The process between the input and output involves the following steps: 

• Digestive (liver, galbladder, pancreas, stomach, etc.)
• Absorption (lymph system)
• Utilization (endocrine glands)

Body is mostly made of cells and two fluids:
Cells: need carbon (carbs) and oxygen to run (ATP for energy)
2 Fluids: interstitial fluid to keep health of cells
A) blood is 1/4--delivers nutrition (kitchen): through arteries (bring in) and capillaries (send out)
B) lymph is 3/4--sewer/immune system (bathroom): through lymph vessels (lipid-based)
 - lymph nodes hold bacteria to break down waste (septic tank--don't remove if backed up....fix it)
 - kidneys and skin are main eliminators (filter cellular waste)- if adrenals are weak, kidneys too (fix adrenals)
 - urine should be dense and have chemistry to it since there is "sewage" in it (shouldn't be clear per say)
 - back problems/shoulders/neck may be backed up lymph system
Other than that there will be bacteria and viruses, but they can generally get detoxed (unless they is overburdening)


Simplistic Chemistry: chemistry & physics (with cause and effect; strong survive/weak consumed)
- the body seeks homeostatis through balance (chemistry, physics, magnetics, etc.)
Acids (male/destruction/inflammatory): phosporus, nitrogen (less than 7pH)
Bases/Akaline (female/creation/anti-inflammatoty: (more than 7 pH)
Neutral (is 7 pH)
 - Earth use to be 20% acid to Akaline 80%
 - blood should be alkaline (not acidic)
 - body steals from your current body systems/organs to counteract an overly acidic body
 - pollution is acidic and follow same pattern (acid rain)
 - body can't use protein, only the amino acids within the protein, so we need HCL (stomach acid) to break protein down. Fruits and Veggies have amino acids more readily accessible.
 - muscles create lactic acid as they work. (Skin problems = when acid backs up in skin)
 - Cancer = a damaged cell (overburden by acid at 3pH that the lymph cant get rid of--ideally lymph nodes help filter acids up to 6pH and help eliminate them from cells)
 - you can't heal trauma or injury in an acidic environment
 - lymph gets thickened or hardened and causes swelling (that's what you find in cysts and tumors)
 - if lymph system is down it causes stagnation (no movement!! can you think stagnant water and disease?)
 - rehydration happens in base medium (not acid--Gatorade and sodas are acidic about 3 pH)

**see my post with the acidity level for foods 

"If you fear anything, fear acid."

Body has two main antacids: 
 - cholesterol (LDL: adrenal steroids made from, HDL: phospholipids in cell wall)
 - Stomach acid problems = bi-carbonate problems in pancreas

Where to Go from Here:
1. Need herbs to boost adrenals
2. Fruits and Veggies to clean blood.
3. Then lymph nodes need to be cleaned to filter
4. Kidneys also need to be strengthened

Blood Pressure
Top (systolic): should be 120 - otherwise weak adrenals
Bottom (diastolic): should be 60  - otherwise weak kidneys
Swinging Pressure (high and low variations depending on day): caused by stress

Energy Work: Meridians 101

Ever heard of these words? Chakras. Meridians. Reiki. Mudras. Muscle testing.

Well, I was interested in figuring out more, so I have been all sorts of energy type books that deal with eastern medicine and theory. I would like to share some thoughts on them so you have a basic understanding of it all so you have a foundation wherewithal to place other such knowledge you might come across that is related to this stuff.

First we need to understand "chi," which in Chinese means "life force." It is the energy in our bodies that regulates our bodies and gives us life.

There have been studies done to document energy in the body and this energy follows a pattern or cycle through what eastern medicine calls the 12 meridians or channels. Each meridian has both a positive and negative (yin and yang) energy or flow. And each meridian is associated with a specific bodily organ or function as well as specific muscles. There are ten organ meridians and two central/governing organs--these two are like the control center. But basically, if you have a symptom showing up in an organ or muscle, there is generally a blockage of energy in the associated meridian. Logical, right?

So what do we do?

Well, do we trust our bodies? There is a way to muscle test our bodies for each organ to see which meridian had energy blockage and to identify which muscles are weak. We then can rebalance the muscles, or meridians so energy isn't blocked. I'm not saying this will ultimately heal everything every time, but its a start.

These are the points you can muscle test.

This is what some holistic chiropractors do, in addition to just structural alignment. Yes, some people think they are hoakie, but I think that's because they don't take time to understand. Afterall, this energy is researched and documented in three different methods and all get the same results. So, after reading a chiropractors book and having regular firsthand experience with one for this last year, I know that this makes perfect sense both logically and intuitively.

If you want to learn more specifics, try out a holistic chiropractor, or check out this book, where I got this information, which correlates to other info I've read online from other sources too.

The book is called Touch for Health and its more like a reference book for people learning the art of chiropractic--not a light read or those without experience going to a holistic chiropractor.

OVERVIEW OF THE SEVEN CHAKRAS

I've been learning a lot about Eastern Medicine which much is based on sensitivity to energy. A large part of energy work deals with chakras, or 'wheels of light." They are real vortex-like energy centers along our body that have been documented in studies. They are there with varying energy frequencies, hence each is represented with various colors (colors are at varying frequencies, much like music notes are too--it's not rocket science though so many seem baffled by this). 

Here's a cool self-test and explanation for each chakra, so you can understand yourself better.

I copied and pasted this lady's website post about chakras because she's LDS, I've heard her speak a few times and she has been doing chakra energy work for 20+ years. She has developed a sensitivity to energy frequencies (as various areas of eastern medicine have). She can actually feel the energy from each area when she helps others with healing. (think of a food connoisseur developing their sense of taste...but hers is sense of frequency/vibration) This is her chart...

Father Thomas Keating says, “We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas. As we begin to clear away this clutter, the energy of Divine Light and love begin to flow through our beings. ”  

SO in working with chakras, she helps people deal with past issues to clear up the negative energy that affects the chakras (and associated areas with each) and gets them working fully so they are at full energy. She says that not showing forgiveness is the biggest blocker of our chakras and that through the atonement Christ's light can deeply penetrate all chakras and bring full energy restoration. And she said that being hard on ourselves and trying to be perfect, without getting out our emotions, is a huge problem in this process because we have to allow ourselves to feel the emotion and then deal with it in a good way. (prayer helps us release and then get grace to work through it--He makes up the difference. Otherwise we just bury our feelings and they reap problems in our body)

So let's look at Spiritual Armor:  Ephesians 6

found on google search

• Helmet of Salvation
• Breastplate of Righteousness
• Loins girt with truth
• feet shod with Gospel of Peace
• Shield of faith
• Sword of Spirit/Word of God

Food for thought: 

• How do you release your emotions: prayer, journal, close friend, etc?
• What issues are you holding on to that can be cleared to help your chakras be balances and be most effective in bringing greater life to your whole body? 
• If you don't know...ask Heavenly Father to help you see what you can work on to best have His light within you. :)
• Do we allow our children time to release and vent in good and appropriate ways or do we cut them off and stifle their emotional outlets?
• there are also chakra points that aren't energy centers in and of themselves--but are amplifiers of sorts--located in the palms of the hands and the feet! Interesting, huh?
• Idea for next topic study...spiritual armor
• Beam or mote in your eye? (maybe your "third eye" chakra?)
• LOVE and GRATITUDE are the two most essential qualities to develop

Home Pharmacy 101

Hippocrates said "Let food be your medicine." And that's how I feel we should approach healing our bodies. Start with a good diet and supplement your diet with plants/herbs in other ways. After reading this great little book, (My Home Pharmacy, Tracy Gibbs) I've outlined some essentials for our own home pharmacies.

Here is a list of the 5 main, simple ways to use herbs:

1. Teas
Liquid solutions of plants (we only use herbal infusions instead of actual tea leaves)

• Infusion: pour boiling water over herb and let steep about 10 minutes (leaves and flowers)
• Dedoction: boil for 20-30 minutes and simmer for 10 minutes (hard woody plants)

2. Tinctures
Concentrated extracts of plants (like "pickling" them)

• alcoholic: generally vodka or something similar
• non-alcoholic: glycerin or vinegar (we use these, instead of alcoholic versions)

3. Oils

• essential oils: distilled, volatile plant oils (concentrated; extracted with specialized equipment)
• carrier oils: solvents used to draw out active chemicals in plants. Herb or essential oils are typically combined in these to dilute potency and for applying on body via massage oil, balm or salve, soap, etc. (ex: extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil, grapeseed oil, etc.--the least processed is the best.)
• herbal oils: like herbal infusions, but put fresh leaves in carrier oil in glass jar completely covered and closed tightly so no air gets in. Let sit somewhere sunny for at least 2 weeks, then strain and keep indefinitely. (If the fresh herbs inside are exposed to any air then they get moldy, so be careful.)

4. Salves and Lip Balms
For rubbing easily onto skin/lips/etc. In order to make your own, melt on low in a double boiler. Check consistency by dipping wooden spoon in--add more oil to make it softer or beeswax for harder. Add essential oils at the end. Place in dark glass jars away from light.

• Salve: 1/4 cup beeswax to 1 cup oil (herbal oil or carrier oil). 
• Lip Balm: 3:2:1 is a rough ratio (carrier oil, cocoa/shea butter, beeswax)

5. Poultices
Warm, moist mass of powdered or cut herbs applied directly to external wounds (burns, cuts, inflammation, rashes, bites, infections, etc.).

• Decoction: dip cotton into luke warm decoction and place on wound
• Paste: crush or grind fresh herbs and add water/olive oil/alcohol to form paste; apply on wound and cover with warm cloth or gauze and tie/tape in place

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List of most common fresh Herbs to treat most common ailments:
* antibiotic
** antifungal
***antiviral
**** dieuretics
***** relaxants

garlic*/**/***
oregano*
ginger root**/****/*****
cayenne pepper (stops bleeding)
dandelion roots****
lemongrass*/***/****
echinacea*
sage**/***
peppermint*****
aloe vera****
rose hips (high in vitamin C)
cinnamon
raw honey
lemons or limes
rosemary**
chamomile*****

Improve Eye sight?

The Eye Care Revolution, by Robert Abel

So I came across this book in the library because I wanted to find out how I can help my eyes from progressively getting worse. I believe that glasses are a crutch and don't help correct my eyes (I know Chantel agrees with this too; hence she was always stubborn with contacts--correct me if I'm wrong).

The book was interesting in understanding this theory, but rather boring for all the other details. I skimmed it fast enough to catch his view of things, which I will explain in a bit....

Anyway, so a few months ago I started wearing my glasses/contacts less often (say if I knew I was staying home most of the day). And I'd try some few eye exercises, like staring at an object 10 feet away for 10 seconds every 10 minutes or so after being on the computer (since I'm normally on for an hour or so when I'm on during baby nap time...and I'm sure that's why my eye sight went bad in the first place, since I did that and was in bad lighting all the time in high school when it worsened).

Another exercise it to cover your eyes with your hand every once in awhile and just close your eyes an let them adjust. Basically these give your eyes a chance to come back to "home base" or how they typically should focus. It's a reminder. So just remember to do it frequently during the day, esp when you're staring at the same thing for long periods (like books or computer screens).

I'm not sure if it's helping tremendously or not, but I enjoy understanding that my eyes need breaks, and I like being aware of how to do that, regardless of an immediate outcome or not.


Anyway, the author of this book tells us how he uses iridology in his eye practice to cure people and has had great success. His approach is to find out what health problems the people have (by looking at the map of the eye, whih is a representation of the body). Then he knows which vitamins and minerals can help those affected bodily areas to supplement their eye health with nutritional improvements.  I find it a fascinating and balanced life approach, rather than just fixing the eye alone.

see the iridology chart in my other post

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Since reading this book, I have met another man who claims to have helped 200 people improve their eye sight by doing exercises and eating lots of carrots. His name is Don Tolman and he has a website if you are interested. But here are some types of exercises I've found online in case anyone wants to try. It takes dedication though. I rarely get farther than four days doing some--so hard to be consistent. But I do believe if my eyes are just weak a little, that I can strengthen the muscles a bit by understanding the eye and by "weight lifting" those muscles (which isn't real weight lifting...just the following exercises). 

This is a great way to relax the eyes and muscles around them.

1. Sit comfortable on a chair. Rub your hands together until they feel warm.
2. Close the eyes and cover them lightly with your cupped palms. Avoid applying pressure on your eye balls. Place the palm so that the nose remains uncovered, and the eyes remain behind the slight hollow of the palms.
3. Make sure that no light rays enter the eyes, and leave no gaps between fingers or between the edge of the palms and the nose.
4. You may still see other lingering traces of colors. Imagine deep blackness and focus on the blackness.
5. Take deep breaths slowly and evenly, think of some happy incident; or visualize a distant scene.
6. Do the exercise for at least three minutes.

The following eye patterns are designed to strengthen the muscles of the eyes in a mobilizing way. As you do each one, remember to keep breathing. Also, relax the face—no need for extra tension. Do each one 8 – 10 times.

1. Side to Side: Move the eyes right and left so that you are seeing as far to one side as possible without tension. Really see the horizon as you pass from one side to the other.
2. Up and Down: Similar to the side to side motion—remember to keep the face relaxed and allow the environment to come to your eyes rather than reaching your eyes out to the environment.
3. Diagonals: Work the eyes from right/high to left/low and then left/high to right/low.
4. Circles: Working the eyes in circular pathways helps integrate all the muscles together so they function synergistically. Don’t rush, and notice any places in the circle where you tend to “skip.”
5. Figure 8’s: Similar to the circular action—try to make the pathways as smooth and relaxed as possible.
6. Near and Far:  I enjoy doing this one by a window or outside. Play back and forth…focusing on objects near and then seeing how far out in the distance you can see.  This is especially useful for people who are in front of a computer all day long.  If you don’t have a window near your computer, make sure you take breaks every now and then so your eyes can focus on more distant scenes—which allows your eyes to relax.

**exercises from http://thankyourbody.com/improve-your-eyesight-naturally/

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This video helps explain much more in detail: (be prepared...it's long, but even if you just watch the first half, that is all you need. The second half may seem a little too far-out)

Tibetan Eye Circle: exercise he mentions for helping eye muscles exercise to correct astigmatism

Essential Oils 201: Medical and Skin Care Properties

Here are some helpful charts I've taken from various aromatherapy books that I thought the most helpful by category: Medical, Skin Care, Hair Care, Emotions. They are taken from three sources:
1. DoTerra Book
2. Advanced Aromatherapy, Kurt Schnaubelt
3. The complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, Valerie Worwood
sorry they're not the best quality, but I'll try to fix them and update them).


MEDICAL PROPERTIES



The more marks per book, the better the essential oil is for that category.

SKIN CARE PROPERTIES



HAIR CARE PROPERTIES

EMOTION PROPERTIES

If you have one of the charted emotional concerns, this chart is supposed to reflect whih oils may help counteract those negative emotions. The keyword to the right explains the word that describes the resulting positive emotion connected with each oil.

Aches 101 (head, tummy, knees)

http://healthfitnessnme.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-cure-headaches.html

Here are some tension points you can press on. The basic one I hear about most often is the point on the thumb above the webbed part (see #6 below). These are great to use with peppermint essential oil.

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And the cool graphic to understand what is troubling your tummy according to region.

Here's one for knees

Holistic Approach for Fibromyalgia

Article from http://www.wholesomeone.com/condition/fibromyalgia

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that overall is characterized by diffuse pain and overwhelming fatigue that can be debilitating. There are several characteristics of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). They can include:

• Significant joint and muscle pain. Health professionals have identified “trigger points” that are present throughout the body that can elicit pain in particular areas when mild pressure is applied. The affected person with FMS can complain of pain all over the body.
• Significant fatigue, especially with moderate physical exertion. Some people report requiring days to recover from what some may consider to be only mild physical exertion.
• The person can complain of being unable to get a good night’s sleep.
• The person may complain of frequent headaches and may also suffer from depression
• Recurrent abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation which may be due to associated Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

 

What causes Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)?

The specific cause of fibromyalgia is not known; however, the development of FMS has been typically thought to occur after a significant “stressor.” The stressor may involve a recent illness, including any recent physical or psychological trauma. For some people, the stressor can be as simple as taking an antibiotic that can alter the bowel flora and precipitate a flare of FMS. The role of Candida overgrowth needs to be considered as a significant contributor to the development of FMS.

There has been a lot of research done on the pain receptors in the body. These receptors may do more than just modulate pain; they may also have a role in the development of FMS but also autoimmune diseases/rheumatologic syndromes. 

 

Is Fibromyalgia Syndrome an autoimmune condition?

No, Fibromyalgia Syndrome is NOT an autoimmune condition. Note, however, that FMS may occur on its own but can also occur in the presence of other autoimmune diseases. 

 

What other medical conditions are associated with FMS?

Fibromyalgia can be strongly associated with many other conditions. They can include:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Adrenal Fatigue (There is a very close relationship with this condition)
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease  (GERD)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Interstitial cystitis (IC)

 

What are the conventional treatments for FMS?

The conventional treatments for FMS involve trying to lessen the pain and disability associated with this condition. Commonly prescribed medications include:

Pregabalin (Lyrica): This medication works by treating nerve and/or muscle pain and is indicated by the FDA for the treatment of FMS. This medication is usually dosed 75 mg twice a day with dose adjustments needing to be made if kidney disease is present. 

• Side effects can include lethargy, weakness, swelling and allergic reactions.

Duloxetine (Cymbalta): This is a medication also used for the treatment of pain, including nerve pain. It has been used in the treatment of depression as well. 

• Potential side effects can include drowsiness, easy bruising, decreased appetite and/or constipation.

Tricyclic antidepressants have also been used in the treatment of not only pain but also of depression.  Other antidepressants, including Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Sertraline (Zoloft), have also been studied not only for the treatment of depression but also for pain with fibromyalgia. 

• The medications can have what is called “anticholinergic” side effects which can include dry mouth, constipation, and urinary retention.

 

Developing a Holistic Treatment Plan for Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)

The treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) involves an integrative treatment plan that involves treating mind, body, and spirit. Only using  prescription medications is simply not enough for the treatment of this condition. The treatment plan includes correcting nutrient deficiencies, treating pain and inflammation, searching for underlying causes of FMS, evaluating for hormonal imbalance, as well as treating the person so she can get a good night’s rest.

 

Getting a Holistic Based Evaluation

If you have fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), you need a detailed and personalized evaluation. This means looking for and identifying any causes of inflammation and potential infections, including Lyme disease. In addition, you should ask your healthcare provider about the following:

• Hormonal Analysis: Fibromyalgia can be associated with many hormonal imbalances, including decreased levels of the hormones by the adrenal gland (adrenal fatigue). These can include sex hormones. Low hormone levels can also contribute to fatigue and insomnia among others. 
• The testing mentioned above is a combination of blood, urine, and saliva testing.
• Testing for nutrient deficiencies and toxicities: There are some personalized profiles, including hair analysis that should be considered.

 

Nutritional Recommendations

Forming a solid nutritional plan is vital as those with FMS may be nutrient-depleted. The pain can be so debilitating that one may not feel like eating. It can be very difficult to eat three meals a day. If the food that one is eating is low in nutritional value and is high in Omega 6 content, this can promote further inflammation and pain. Without proper nutrition, your body will not be able to heal. Modifying your diet and supplementation of the correct nutrient deficiencies are key in the treatment of FMS. Your diet should have high antioxidant and high nutritional value. 

 

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

A diet that is plant-based in nature and emphasizes fruits and vegetables and whole grains is necessary in the treatment of fibromyalgia. You want to as much as possible eliminate refined foods from your diet. Be aware of any food sensitivities that you may have that can exacerbate underlying inflammation and pain. Any food has the ability to stimulate an inflammatory response. One of the most common examples of this is gluten in celiac disease. On an anti-inflammatory diet, all possible sources of food sensitivities are eliminated and then reintroduced one at a time.

• Another way is to have your blood tested for food sensitivities.
• Be aware that different foods, even among fruits and vegetables, can have different degrees of inflammation. There is a great site at www.nutritiondata.comthat has an  inflammatory index that can tell you the inflammatory power of the foods that you are eating. You want to focus on foods that have a high anti-inflammatory index.

Other Nutritional Recommendations:

• Stay away from sugar: Sugar can be a potent source of inflammation. Eliminate this from your diet, and you can see a change in how you feel as well.  Sugar can also promote Candida overgrowth in the intestine which stimulates an inflammatory response via mycotoxins.
• Juicing in the morning is a great way to start the morning and get a great anti-oxidant kick to start your day.

Promoting Intestinal Health:

You read about the connection between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). Maintaining a healthy intestinal tract reduces total body inflammation and is very important in the treatment of FMS. This aspect in the treatment of FMS is not emphasized enough. The microflora of the intestinal tract plays such an important role in the modulation of the immune system. Altered gut flora can play a major role in your ability to absorb nutrients, and it can contribute to fungal overgrowth. 

 

Probiotics: These should be a mainstay in any inflammatory condition. They can normalize the bowel flora and replace the bad bacteria with the good intestinal microflora. Studies specific to their benefits in FMS have been mixed, but they do have an effect on immune system modulation and are often included in any anti-inflammatory regimen. In one review article from the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, the use of probiotics provided adequate relief in the treatment of diarrhea-predominant IBS.

 

Digestive enzymes: Consider the use digestive enzymes to help digest food completely which helps in absorption. The ability to maximally absorb nutrients can be affected in those with chronic inflammation. 

 

Fiber: Don’t forget the importance of including fiber in your nutrition program. Not only is it  vital for overall bowel health but it can also “bind up” toxins in the intestine and help eliminate them from the body.

 

Supplementing Naturally

There are different supplements that have a role in the treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Supplements can help increase energy to the cell and the body, reduce pain and inflammation, help you get a good night’s sleep, and provide nutritional value. 

 

Supplements that Boost Energy to the Cell

D-ribose: There are studies concerning fibromyalgia that tout the energy boost of D-ribose. D-ribose increases the energy to all of the cells of the body, especially the muscle cells. Supplementing with D-ribose can provide your heart with the energy boost that it needs.  

• D-ribose commonly comes in capsule or powdered form. The powdered form is preferred as you can add it to your morning drink.
• The recommended starting dose is 2500 mg. Increase by 2500 mg every few weeks to reach a maximum dose of 10,000 mg. 
• Even though ribose is a “sugar” it will not raise blood glucose levels. Higher doses than 10,000 mg can cause diarrheal symptoms in some people. 

 

Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone): Replacement of this antioxidant can help improve fibromyalgia symptoms. It has been reported that those with fibromyalgia as well as other chronic illnesses can have lower than normal levels of ubiquinone in the body. 

• Begin with low doses at 50-100 mg daily and increase to twice a day after several weeks. Smaller doses taken during the day maximizes its absorption. 
• As ubiquinone can lower blood pressure, you need to closely monitor your blood pressure. If you have diabetes, monitor your blood glucose levels as ubiquinone can lower blood glucose levels as well.  

Supplements that Help Boost Nutrition:

Magnesium: The role of low magnesium levels in the body and its importance in inflammation, pain, and fatigue is being researched. In one review article, the authors noted lower levels of zinc and magnesium than in the control groups. Magnesium supplementation is necessary to help counteract the fatigue and pain associated with fibromyalgia. Certain medications, such as diuretics, can lower your magnesium levels. There are several ways to increase your magnesium intake:

• Increase the amount of leafy green vegetables, seeds (sunflower and sesame for example) and nuts (almonds and Brazil nuts for example) which contain a lot of magnesium. You should strive to at least consume 600-800 mg a day. 
• If needed, magnesium can also be supplemented either orally or in a gel or oil formulation applied directly to the skin. Chelated magnesium is a form of magnesium taken orally without the heavy metals. This can be started once a day and increased to twice a day for a total dose of 400-600 mg. Note that very high doses of magnesium can cause diarrhea. Magnesium Malate is a form of magnesium that is very well absorbed.
• An alternative is to apply Magnesium gel or oil to your skin once or twice daily. If you have been told that you have kidney problems, you may need to have blood levels of your magnesium level followed and limit your magnesium intake.

Vitamin D: The role of Vitamin D deficiency in the development of fibromyalgia is being evaluated; however, in one research article it was noted that in evaluating over seventy-five patients who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, over two-thirds had low or low-normal Vitamin D levels. The authors of this study also noted that occurred very frequently in those patients with depression and anxiety. Don’t forget that Vitamin D supplementation is vital for your overall bone and muscle health. 

• Ask your healthcare provider to measure a Vitamin D level, which is a simple blood test.
• Begin Vitamin D3 at 1000 Units daily with food. Because it is a fat soluble vitamin, it is better absorbed with food. 

Vitamin C: Remember that Vitamin C is an antioxidant; in terms of cellular health, because it is an electron donor, it helps to reduce oxidative stress and keep the cells in a reduced or natural state. We think that supplementation with Vitamin C may be beneficial. In one small study, 12 individuals with fibromyalgia were given a combination of 100 mg of Vitamin C and broccoli powder. They were closely followed over a period of one month. By the end of the month the participants in the trial reported an improved quality of life and reduced sensitivity to pain. Deficiency of this vitamin can directly impact adrenal health, and FMS can cause a lot of stress on the adrenal glands and is strongly associated with the development of adrenal fatigue, which is strongly associated with Fibromyalgia Syndrome. 

• The ester form of Vitamin C is better absorbed than other formulations.
• Vitamin C at a dose of 2000 mg a day is a good starting dose.

Supplements that Relieve Pain and Inflammation:

Bioflavonoids: Good antioxidant support is vital in the treatment of Fibromyalgia. Bioflavonoids are excellent antioxidants that can relieve pain and inflammation. Bioflavonoids that have been studied in the treatment of fibromyalgia include turmeric and quercetin. Quercetin may be especially effective as it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties.

• Turmeric can be taken as a 400 mg capsule daily or as a powder that can be sprinkled on each meal.
• Quercetin can be taken as a capsule. Usual starting dose is 500 mg a day.

Wobenzym N: This is an enzyme supplement that is used in the treatment of inflammation and pain. Enzymes in this supplement include bromelain (from pineapple) and papain (from papaya). 

• If you have allergies to pineapples or papaya, do not take this supplement.
• It is best taken on an empty stomach; be aware that you may need to take 6-12 tablets a day for an inflammatory response.

Morinda citrifolia (Noni): This is a tropical plant from East Asia that has been used for many years. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can help in the treatment of pain. 

• Noni can come in capsule or juice form. If you take the juice form, begin at 1 ounce twice a day and increase slowly to 4-6 oz a day.
• Some forms of Noni can have a high potassium content so if you have kidney disease you need to be mindful of this.
• Extremely high doses of this may have an adverse effect on the liver, although this is controversial. The several ounces a day that we mention here is very low dosage of this supplement. 

Supplements That Can Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep:

Melatonin: Melatonin is a natural hormone that is helpful in helping you achieve a good night’s sleep. In those with FMS, one research article points out that melatonin levels are lower at night when sleeping compared to someone who does not have fibromyalgia. Supplementation with melatonin may also help pain in addition to improving the quality of sleep. 

• Start at low doses of 1-2 mg each night before going to sleep each night and increase slowly. 

Valerian root: This is an herb that can help you get a good night’s rest. There have been several studies examining the efficacy of valerian root in the treatment of insomnia. In one review, the authors concluded that while further study was needed, valerian root seemed to able to improve the quality of sleep without experiencing any significant side effects. 

 

Carefully Developing an Exercise Program

You need to be very careful when designing an exercise program. Strenuous activity and/or high intensity exercise can actually be counterproductive in someone with fibromyalgia. This does not mean that you will not be able to tolerate any and all exercise regimens. It means that you need to be careful, start slowly, and find out what your own limits are and increase very slowly and carefully. Meditative-based exercises can be very beneficial for someone with fibromyalgia.

• Yoga: Yoga is a great way to increase muscle endurance and flexibility. It is important to start slowly and work with a certified instructor to learn the right way to do each exercise. Yoga is especially effective if started in the early stages of this condition.
• Tai chi is another great meditative-based exercise that should be incorporated into your regimen.
• Muscle Resistance Training: Whether you are using free weights or machines, you need to start with very low weight and lower repetitions. You need to know your limits. A good rule of thumb is to exercise until you begin to experience mild fatigue, but don’t push beyond that point. If you do, again, it can be counterproductive and you can feel worse the next day.
• In addition to the exercise regimen mentioned above, you should also consider seeing someone who is holistically trained in helping you regain more function and flexibility. This can include seeing a structural integration specialist, chiropractor, and/or specialist in osteopathic manipulation. In general, gentle myofasical/massage techniques are preferred as again you may not be able to tolerate a deep massage.

 

Being Mindful and Spiritual

An important aspect of healing with fibromyalgia is recognizing the connection between mind, body and spirit. The mental and emotional aspects of treatment cannot be ignored. 

• Daily meditation is vital to calm the mind and body.
• Daily prayer can help relax the mind and body.
• FMS is often associated with trauma, especially emotional trauma. Helping one to recover from emotional trauma is essential to recovery. Talking with a counselor or advisor can be very helpful.
• The role of family and friend support cannot be emphasized enough.

 

References 

• Armstrong DJ, Meenagh GK et al. “Vitamin D deficiency is associated with anxiety and depression in fibromyalgia.” Clinical Rheumatology. 2007 Apr;26(4):551-4.