Health

• Homeopathic Medicine
• Bach Flower Essences
   

There is an old saying, something to the effect that the person who is his own doctor has a fool for a patient. I think a lot of us today would not agree with that. We have found that the medical scene in the US is very complex and expensive and often not that helpful. It takes a kind of personal observation, connection and wisdom to get in touch with the way that we are not experiencing the level of health we want and to understand who to see (if anyone) with the problem. We all know someone (or have been there ourselves) who has taken a pain or illness to a doctor and been told to live with it because the medical community has no answer.

What we would like to suggest is that human beings have innate wisdom about the state of health they are in as well as great internal forces that wish to help them get well and that these aspects should be accessed in determining what to do about a particular health problem. Naturally, if youíve fallen and suspect a broken bone, get yourself to the doctor. There are other situations that may not be quite as obvious but we know that something serious is afoot: high temperatures, troubling symptoms that worsen, etc. This is the point that we are driving at: If you are having a problem, take the time and make the effort to assess within what to do.

We feel that behind all healing is the body-mind connection whether we know it and utilize it or not. Our beliefs about our health, symptoms, health care providers, medicines, herbs, et al make a huge difference in our overall health and our recovery from a problem. Let us all know that and incorporate that belief into our personal health program.

There are some areas of health care represented by products at Mirador that will allow some self-exploration, especially if some self-education is done first.  The following is a brief explanation of each area.
 

Homeopathy was developed 200 years ago by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann  based on the fact that humans possess the ability to heal themselves. There are two main principals involved: The Law of Similars or ìlike cures likeî,  and the Law of Infinitesimals -- ìvery dilute substances can have very strong effectsî.  In Homeopathic medicine, minute amounts of a substance that would produce an illness in large amounts are administered with the idea that a healing response will be stimulated. A third principal involved is that the patient and not the illness is the focal point -- meaning that the whole person is taken into account when assessing a health problem.

Homeopathy became popular in Europe and the United States but was basically brought asunder by the mainstream medical community. One hundred years ago there were 22 Homeopathic colleges in the US but 50 years later there were very few. It is now experiencing a resurgence which seems very well deserved.

One of the conundrums of Homeopathic medicine is that scientists donít really understand how it works. It is basically the principal behind a vaccination but in the case of Homeopathy, really only the vibration of the original substance is left when the medicine is taken. This fact, though, is reassuring when we strive to work with therapies that are safe. Homeopathic medicines are among the safest medicines available. There is one Homeopathic medicine in particular that has been widely used and found to be very effective. It is Arnica Montana and can be used for the following: sprains, strains, falls, blows, bruises, sports injuries, black and blue marks, insomnia, overexertion, exhaustion, rheumatism backache, lumbago, headache, pain and inflammation, post surgery. It would seem that every home should have some Arnica as these are very common complaints, ones that we donít necessarily go to the doctor for but that can impact how we feel and function. It has been very helpful in our experience. See the article in our Fall 2000 newsletter for more information.

There are Homeopathic remedies available over the counter with lower potencies and then there are Homeopathic practitioners that are able to dispense stronger remedies. This is where the wisdom of the individual comes into play. If you overdo it in the garden one day and decide to take Arnica to address the muscle strain and feel a lot better that day, then you have successfully used a Homeopathic medicine. If you wish to address more chronic, serious issues it is wisest to consult a trained practitioner or perhaps a naturopath who can take into account many aspects of  who you are as a person and prescribe a more constitutional remedy.

You will find over the counter remedies in potencies of 6X, 12X, 6C, 12C, 30X and 30C. These numbers refer to the number of dilutions. Practitioners work with 200 to 1000 dilutions which means they are more dilute and stronger! It is just the opposite of the way we so often think: If a little is good, more is better. In Homeopathic medicine, more dilute is stronger. C is more dilute than X and the higher the number, the more dilutions.

At Mirador, we have 20 remedies at 30C as well as a few combinations. Because Homeopathic medicine is so tied into the particular person and their particular symptoms (my cold is different than your cold because we are different people) the idea with the combos is for instance to put several cold remedies together in the theory that one of the several will work. That is really the downside of homeopathy, if there is one. When it works, it is beautiful, no side effects, just there it is. But this doesnít always happen and people get discouraged with the system and it seems the combos raise our level of that frustration. As with everything else, it is always helpful to do some self-educating on the subject;  we have several books that will go into depth on the theory of Homeopathy as well as describing remedies and suggesting which ones to use for common ailments.  Homeopathy can also be used safely for pets and children.
 

"Health depends on being in harmony with our souls." Dr. Edward Bach

Dr. Bach was a Physician and Homeopath who spent his life searching for the purest methods of healing. As a physician Dr. Bach took an interest in the emotional life of his patients, feeling that this needed to be taken into account as well as the symptoms of any problem. He came to realize that there were definite personality types and and each would react to an illness differently. He first formulated some homeopathic vaccines based on bacterias and had success with his patients using them, especially in terms of intestinal tract purification . He wanted something gentler, though, and looking to nature, first tried two plants, the Mimulus and the Impatiens. He made homeopathic vaccines with the plants and used them with patients based on personality types. They were very successful and he went on to formulate a total of 38 flower essences and a whole new system of healing that works specifically on the emotional condition of the person.

The 38 flower essences are divided into seven ìconflictî groups which keep us from being our true selves:

Besides the 38 flower essences, there is a combination of 5 separate essences called Rescue Remedy. It is the essence to be used in emergencies and is widely used in and of itself. If a person has any doubts about flower essences, this is a great place to start. We all have situations that periodically upset us, we get overly stressed at times, have a hard time sleeping because our minds are in over-drive etc. Try Rescue Remedy before going to the hospital or the dentist, in other words a situation that you know will be stressful These are the occasions for Rescue Remedy and a chance to try flower essences.  We dose our cats with Rescue Remedy before a trip to the vet with very good results -- it calms them before our very eyes. Rescue Remedy can be used for repotting your plants to good effect. See the article on Rescue Remedy in our Summer 2000 newsletter.

Wherever Bach Flower Essences are sold there is also a questionnaire & guide provided that will help an individual decide which Flower Essences to use for a personal formula.  On the questionnaire there are three questions listed for each of the 38 essences. If you answer yes to all three then that essence should be one of your choices. You might choose a few up to 6 or 7. These essences will last you a very long time.

The essences can be prepared two ways. Add 2 drops of the chosen essences to a glass of water or juice and sip throughout the day. You can also place 2 drops of each essence into a one ounce amber glass dropper bottle filled 3/4 with spring water. You can combine 6-7 essences in your dosage bottle. (If you choose Rescue Remedy as part of your formula, it would be considered one essence and you would use 4 drops.)
You may want to add a teaspoon of brandy, apple cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin as a preservative. This is your treatment bottle. This should be taken by mouth a minimum of 4 times per day, 4 drops each time, particularly upon rising in the morning and before bedtime. For those unable to swallow or who are alcohol sensitive, the essences can be applied externally, by moistening the lips, wrists and temples.

Bach Flower Essences cannot be harmful, offer no side effects and will simply have no effect if you have chosen an incorrect one. When a person starts to experience physical and emotional relief, it may be time to stop taking the essences.