|
| |
|
| |
7 Tools for Health and Happiness
|
|
*****************************************
- The way I think influences who and what I am. Some thought patterns can emerge as forces
for health and others will take me down the path
of suffering.
- Positive thought
- I have a choice. I can transform my
emotional nature so that I am also seeing
the positive side along with the negative.
- Seeing the difference between what I can
change and what I can't allows me to move
past otherwise insurmountable obstacles.
- Desire is the driving force of all my actions.
When I am in control of this powerful
energy I am no longer moving at the
whim of external forces. Frustration can
now be curtailed.
- Thought as a physical force
- Thought can do damage to others just as
damage can be done using physical objects.
Be careful of thoughts of violence as these
thoughts can turn around and bite me.
- Constructive thought emanates from me and
heals all that it touches. This in turn heals my
pain and suffering.
- Here and Now
- The conscious mind is always looking to the
next moment in anticipation of the future.
It is always imagining other places. But
I am neither in these other moments
nor in these other places. I sit in the
eternal Now and cannot escape the Here.
Looking elsewhere will only add confusion
and keep me from seeing the world as it is.
I am the Great Healer!
|
|
********************************************
- There are many diets and fads which claim to be
the right way to eat. The truth is that it is as easy
as apple pie, and my body is the expert that I
should listen to.
- Natural Foods
-
In this modern world, I find that most foods
that are available, are processed and made by
corporations that have no interest in my health.
They add ingredients to prolong shelf life or fool
my taste buds. Many of these chemicals will do
damage to my system when taken throughout
my life. Read the ingredients of foods before
I buy them. It's best to find foods that contain
basic foods and no chemicals. Whole grains,
vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts can fulfill my
nutritional needs.
The food industry has tended towards larger
farms as the small farmer has gone bankrupt
and forced to sell. These mega-agri-business
operations use chemical fertilizers, chemical
insecticides and chemical herbicides to increase
the bottom line. Grow as much of my own
food as I can. What I can't grow, buy
from local organic farms. Start a co-op so that
I can buy in quantity and save money.
- Masticate
-
Chewing my food allows all of the energy of
the food to be used by my body. Also my body
doesn't have to work as hard to process and
eliminate the food when it is well pulverized.
- Thankful eating
-
The aborigines of all continents gave prayer when
they hunted their food, when they burned the jungle
for growing food, when they planted seed and when
they ate their food. This was not because they were
superstitious, but because they had an understanding
of the interconnectedness between the world and
themselves.
|
|
*************************************************
- Clean Air
-
The importance of clean air to one's health is so
critical that if I live where the air is not clean
I should consider moving.
- Deep Breathing
-
I need to breathe deeply once in a while so that
all of the sacs in my lungs are filled with clean air.
Open my arms when I inhale and bring them back
when I exhale. This expands and contracts my
ribcage to make it easier to fill and exhale my lungs.
- Shallow Breathing
-
When the breath is allowed to calm, I can see more
because I am no longer muddying the water. This is
not the same as forcing myself not to breathe but rather
a natural process that occurs when I send a message
of calmness to my body.
|
|
*************************************************
- Stretching
-
My muscles must be stretched daily so that they can
be in the best shape to serve me.
- Love making
-
Done properly and lasting over a long period of time
one uses most of the muscles of the body and it can even
become aerobic.
- Fun
-
Exercise needs to be fun so that I will continue to do
it. Some fun exercises are hiking, swimming Tai Chi,
hacky sack, running, frisbee and making love. All these
activities will increase my heart rate and induce deep
breathing. Tai Chi has the added benefit of increasing my
balance, control and centering. All exercises must be begun
slowly at first. Listen to my body so that I do not overdo it.
|
|
*************************************************
- Disclaimer:
I make no claim as to the efficacy of any use of the
plants in this database. The medicinal uses presented
are for investigative purposes only.
- Native Plants
-
Native plants are the oldest and safest tools for treating
illness. Most of today's medicines are derived or based on
the action of medicinal plants.
- Plantain - Plantago major
-
Plantain is a wonderful wound medicine. It is good for
bee stings and open wounds. It is also a great tool to
fight Staphylococcus infection. I dry the plant and keep
it in a dry air tight container for use when it is out-of
season. To use: reconstitute with water and put on
wound as a poultice. Wrap with gauze to keep it in place.
In the Summer when stung by a bee or wasp, chew leaf
and apply to the sting area.
- Peppermint - Mentha piperita
-
Peppermint is a good stomachic, which is good to use for
upset stomach. It is contra-indicated for pregnant women.
- Aloe - Aloe vera
-
Aloe is a must as a house plant. There are few remedies
better than this for burns. Just break off a leaf and spread
the juice on the wound.
- Onion - Allium spp.
-
Onion is used as an expectorant for colds and coughs.
Cook the onion and mix with honey. It is also a good
poultice for burns and stings.
- Chickory - Cichorium intybus
-
Dry the root, then roast and grind it. It is good as a
hepatic, diuretic, stomachic, tonic and laxative.
- Strawberry - Fragaria spp.
-
A tea from the leaf and flower can be used as a
laxative, diuretic and astringent. The fruit can be used
as a dentifrice, a cosmetic and for sunburn.
- Gumweed - Grindelia integrifolia
-
This is the best poultice for poison ivy blisters.
- Sunflower - Helianthus annus
-
The crushed root is good for bruises, coughs and colds
- Catnip - Nepeta cataria
-
Catnip can be use to decrease the temperature of a fever.
- Rose - Rosa spp.
-
A tea from the hips is used as a refrigerant, astringent
and stomachic. Mixed with honey, it is used for coughs.
- Figwort - Scrophularia californica
-
This plant can be used to break fevers.
- Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
-
Dry, roast and grind the roots. It is good for the liver
and is a detoxifier.
- Clover - Trifolium spp.
-
For coughs, liver, sedative, carminative and digestive distress.
|
|
*************************************************
- Human touch is the most healing gift that I can share
with others.
- Deep tissue massage
-
This is good for sore ligaments and calcium deposits.
- Aural massage
-
These types of techniques affect the more subtle parts of
my nature.
- Acupuncture
-
An ancient medicine that heals by balancing unseen forces
that flow through the body. This is accomplished by
inserting needles or by finger pressure on selected points.
- Invasion of Space
-
Don't instigate a massage without first asking.
|
|
*************************************************
- Music can heal
-
Minstrels of centuries past would be hired to play songs
that would get people dancing so as to ward off melancholy.
- Art can make me happy
-
Art helps release my inner visions so that I can achieve
clarity of purpose. As I understand myself better, I am better prepared to make the choices that are necessary
for a fuller and happier life.
|
|
