Power in Prayer

Power of Prayer

The power of prayer in healing is layered with much conflict, and possibly controversy. An article from Medicine Net explains that "If you're religious, this is God-given. If you're not religious, then it comes from the brain." It also states that religious people tend to live healthier lives.
News Max Health states: “An exhaustive analysis of more than 1,500 reputable medical studies “indicates people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health,” Koenig says. “And out of 125 studies that looked at the link between health and regular worship, 85 showed regular churchgoers live longer.
(From the Life of George Albert Smith*)- “When George Albert Smith was a child, he was afflicted with typhoid fever. The doctor who diagnosed him told his mother that he should stay in bed for three weeks, eat no solid food, and drink some coffee. President Smith later recalled:
“When he went away, I told mother that I didn’t want any coffee. I had been taught… not to use coffee.
Young George Albert Smith asked instead for a blessing, which he received from his home teacher.
“When the doctor came the next morning I was playing outside with the other children. He was surprised. He examined me and discovered that my fever was gone and that I seemed to be well.
“I was grateful to the Lord for my recovery. I was sure that he had healed me.”
Though there may be no concrete evidence to these allegations, there seems to be a pattern among these articles. However, looking to play Devil’s Advocate, there seems to be proof on the matter that suggests that prayer has not, and cannot help. “In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications.”¹
“Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found.”²
“Intercessory prayer has been the subject of scientific study since at least the nineteenth century, when an English scientist, assuming that kings were prayed for more often than others, sought to find out whether those prayers were answered. He concluded that they were not, but that prayer might be a comfort to the people praying anyway.”³
The articles summing up the negative powers of prayer happen to be mainstream news articles, which is purely coincidental. The evidence suggests both pros and cons on the subject. In educating ourselves, we need always remember to take stock of all the information, and rely on what we have experienced, keeping an open mind to all things. Some things do not have to be seen in order to exist, even science can agree with that argument.

1. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12082681/ns/health-heart_health/t/power-prayer-flunks-unusual-test/#.UHyCq67z2Fo
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.html?pagewanted=all
3. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617154401.htm

*Excerpt from: Teachings of Presidents of the (LDS) Church: George Albert Smith, 2010
How to Pray Effectively-Click Here!

An Informational Look at Foot Zone Therapy!

Your Entire Body is in Your Feet!

Foot Zone Therapy (FZT) is a method of treating the physical, mental, and emotional features of the body, using electromagnetic trigger points located in certain areas of the feet. Each trigger point creates an impulse that causes the brain to affect change at the corresponding area- treating each cell of the body in every session.
FZT is a natural way of bringing relief and healing to the body by utilizing the body’s own healing resources. It is  a method of rejuvenating the body by reinforcing the electrical connections and communications of the body.
The basis of FZT is the long established principle that there are energy zones (meridians) running throughout the body, beginning and ending in the hands and feet. It revitalizes the body so that the natural internal healing mechanisms can do their work. Each zone strengthens the body’s ability to heal, create balance, and increase vitality.
In the last 25 years, FZT has made a significant impact in the field of alternative medicine. It is growing in popularity because people are experiencing quick results and an overall sense of well being.
How FZT Works:
FZT is the simple and effective method utilizing the feet’s natural signal system to establish balance, raise life energy, and renew the cells of the body.
Each cell knows how to repair itself. The cell’s DNA in the physical body is connected to the etheric (spiritual or spirit) body, which holds the basis for all healing.
A complex signal (or, key pad, if you will) system located in the feet connects to every organ and cell in the body. This signal system is a connecting link between the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. The etheric body, AKA: the memory body, contains the body’s original blueprint and carries the memory of how to build a perfect cell. FZT uses the key pad system to reconnect with the etheric blueprint and correct, balance, and renew the body’s entire cellular structure.
In addition to renewing our cell systems, rejuvenating our life, and bringing the body into balance, Foot Zoning can be used to assess the body’s current state of health.
The relationship between the foot and body can be likened to the relationship between a computer keyboard, and the computer itself. Signals are sent from the keyboard to the computer. The signal system in the feet instantaneously registers and conveys all occurrences that have a negative effect on the body. The Foot Zone Practitioner observes the foot and interprets the “messages” it conveys through discoloration, spots, calluses, deposits, variance in texture, tenderness, and pain.
The Zone technique is not simply for those suffering from ailments or disorders, it is an excellent preventative health measure. There is a lot of misinformation about Zoning; it is not a massage, nor is it a medical treatment, and it is not a cure-all for all ills. Practitioners do not diagnose illness or practice medicine.
Zoning Practitioners enhance health and healing by encouraging the body’s electrical system to more effectively communicate, which heightens the body’s ability to heal itself and function with vitality.
Topics of Study To Support FZT

1. Aromatherapy
2. Environmental Issues
3. Herbal Medicine
4. Exercise Technique
5. Anatomy
6. Muscle Testing (kineseology)
7. Physiology
8. Iridology
9. Nutrition
10. Yoga
11. Biology
12. Energy Medicine

• Foot Zone Therapy: Total Body Balance; 2009;  K. Duvall and C. Christensen, pp. 14-17; 21, 31 Academy of Foot Zone Therapy©  (some re-wording at Admin’s discretion)

Natural Foot Care Products- Click Here!

Power of Positive Affirmations

Your Thoughts Become Your Reality

Finding an authoritative definition was difficult to procure, a fairly decent (if not good) description was found on a website that no longer exists. This is sad, but, there you have it. According to holistic life coaching, Positive Affirmation is: “a technique used to program the subconscious mind to effect change by repeating (or meditating on) a key phrase to bring about the desired outcome.”
There is a plethora of information available on positive affirmations, and the power of positive thinking in the world today, and while the holistic community praises positivity, there are always naysayers available to even the odds, as in every subject.
The question one may want to ask themselves, in light of the super-charged (if not verging on rude), destructive comments and write-ups on what one would hope to be an optimistic topic, is: “How do I want to view positive affirmations, and thought? Do I want to give them the benefit of the doubt to see if they could possibly work in my life, or do I just want to believe that it’s all a money making scam?”
While science may not be able to substantiate any concrete evidence on the subject, Dr. Isaac Eliaz, an Integrative physician, holistic healer and meditation practitioner, states that one reason positive affirmations may not work for most of us is because we basically give up before we’ve tapped into our full mental potential.
While mainstream news may try to debunk positive thinking as a crazy cash scam, The Mayo Clinic touts that people who think positively experience greater health benefits, but that it is unclear why.
You can see the effect of positive thinking and affirmations in your life if you are willing to test it out for one week. Every time you begin to think a negative thought, stop; not only stop the negativity, but reroute it by turning it into a positive reinforcement, switch your mindset. This must be carefully monitored; we think thousands of thoughts every minute, so it would stand to reason that monitoring thoughts would not be an easy task. Visualizing may help; In your mind's eye, see yourself gathering up the negativity into a ball, or balloon, and detaching that ball or balloon from you (maybe with some really big scissors), and watch that balloon float away, maybe even wave to it as it ascends. This will help you in your endeavor to begin monitoring your thoughts. This is not an easy task, and will probably need to be done several times throughout each day. At the end of the week, you may start to notice a subtle change in your life.  Maybe a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, maybe something different, everyone has their own experience; be sure to write it down to track your progress.
Carol Tuttle states that sometimes we get stuck in negative, destructive belief systems, and while positive affirmations may start to work, we fall into our old negative ways after a while, and need more than just the affirmations to clear those negative energies.
Whatever you choose to believe, remember, nobody else has to live your life. Take all of the information given to you, weigh it, keep an open mind, and by experimenting a little, you may find out if positive affirmations are right for you.
Some more links of interest:
http://www.stress-and-relaxation.com/power-of-positive-affirmations.html
http://www.effectivelearning.com/resource/the-power-of-positive-affirmations/
http://www.freeaffirmations.org/what-are-positive-affirmations

The Secret of Deliberate Creation and More- Click Here!

All You Ever Wanted To Know about Chakras, But Didn't Ask

Chakra System

Chakra- (ˈtʃækrə, not shăck-rə) “The word Chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk. It signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body which are the openings for life energy to flow into and out of our aura. Each of these centers correlates to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column.”
The human energy field and spine contain energy centers called chakras. These vibrate at different frequencies, each holding a power or gift which enhances the human experience. As we connect with the energy from each chakra, we are able to tap into its individual strength and gift to enhance our life experience.
Each chakra also represents strength and energy to specific organs in our body snd offer healing to the body in these areas. The main features of each chakra are listed below for you to use as a tool in healing emotionally, physically, mentally, and energetically.
“In the body there are many kinds of channels, which are very extensive. The sage must understand them in order to understand his own body… Running transversely, up and down, they exist in the body joined together like a wheel, dependent on the life-force and linked to the breath of the body.” –From the Shiva-Svarodaya Tantra, traditional Indian teaching on the subtle anatomy of the body.

1. Base Chakra, Foundation of Energy, Red, Earth, survival, power to achieve goals, vitality, grounding. Located at the base of the spine, this chakra creates the foundation for our chakra system. It is essential to our survival instincts, and to our sense of grounding, and connection to our bodies and the physical plane. When balanced and energized, this chakra brings us health, prosperity (which is more important in the heart chakra), security, and dynamic presence.
2. Sacral Chakra, Pleasure Center, Orange, Water, primal feelings, sexuality, desire, sensuality, procreation. Located in the abdomen/lower back, it is essential to emotions and sexuality. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement. When balanced and energized, this chakra brings us fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change.
3. Solar Plexus, Coordination and Organization, Yellow, Fire, personal power, social identity, influence, authority, self-control. Located between the naval and heart, at the pericardium, this chakra is known as the power chakra, and rules will-power, metabolism and autonomy. When balanced and energized this chakra enhances our proficiency, spontaneity, energy and grounded power.
4. Heart Chakra, Relationships, Green, Air, unconditional/divine love and harmony, forgiveness, healing, compassion, understanding. Located at the heart, it is the middle chakra, related to love and balancing opposites (male and female etc.). When balanced and energized, it allows us to love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and centeredness. It also helps us in gaining abundance (prosperity- shift from root to heart).
5. Throat Chakra, Communication, Blue, Ether, free/creative self expression, communication, inspiration, confidence. Located in the throat, and is associated with communication and creativity. When balanced and energized, it translates vibrations and sounds into language or communication and helps us to articulate out thoughts and emotions.
6. Third Eye, Spiritual Vision, Indigo, All Elements, inner vision, intuition, insight, clairvoyance, imagination. Also known as the Brow Chakra, it is located just above the brow line in the center of the forehead. It is related to the act of seeing, both physically and intuitively. When balanced and energized it allows us to see the big picture and see subtler, less obvious things.
7. Crown Chakra, Unity of Thought, Violet, All Elements, perfection, integration/unity with the Omnipresent Being, divine wisdom. Located at the top of the head, it relates to consciousness as pure awareness. It is our connection to the greater world beyond, and the divine. When balanced and energized this chakra brings us knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and spiritual connection, and bliss.

There are many ways to balance and energize the chakras, information can be found both in books, and on the internet. One helpful website is Carol Tuttle’s Healing Center. Knowing how to balance and energize chakras is also part of being a Foot Zone Practitioner. Upkeep is important, in order to achieve a more efficiently balanced, and healthy system.

• Foot Zone Therapy Advanced Training: The Endocrine and digestive Systems; 2009;  K. Duvall and C. Christensen, pp. 34-41, Academy of Foot Zone Therapy©  (some re-wording at Admin’s discretion)

The Chakra Healing System- Click Here!

Keep Calm and Pass It On!

There are many different ways of achieving a sense of calm, unfortunately- no one is likely to stay calm

Keep Calm and Pass It On!

100% of the time. We tend to allow events in life to get under our skin, or “piss us off.”  It happens, we’re human; and we tend to relate events to other circumstances in our lives. Everything is related to everything else in our minds.
But, what can we do when we lose our sense of calm? Here is a list of tips that just may make you feel better when the storm hits!
The first thing one needs to do when something happens that bends us out of shape is: Notice our reaction and Identify the trigger, basically stop what you’re doing and think, “Why am I getting mad, what just happened?” What were your body’s cues that signified that you were angry? Take note!
The second thing we can do is: Just Breathe. We often forget how important breathing is. Deep calming breaths always help diffuse the reaction to any awful situation, and prepare us for thinking, which leads into the next step…
Observation and Identification: What is it that our bodies are feeling? What are we thinking? Are we relating this incidence to something else in our lives; current or past? What’s really going on?
Fourth step: Adding some perspective to our situation helps. If we visualize our current predicament through someone else’s eyes, it can help us see other ways of finding the root to our angry outburst, “Why did I just freak out? Would so & so have done that?” Keep breathing!
Last step: Now that you’re brain is functioning, because you’ve allowed it enough oxygen, you can rationally explore useful ways to resolve the issue. What can you do in this situation that will be most helpful? Will whatever you choose to do be the best way to help all involved in the crisis? Knowing your principles and values will help you choose how to settle the dispute, make sure you stay in alignment with them.
These steps are for a situation where one flies off the handle and needs to realign quickly, but in order to help you stay more calm on a continuing basis: Never underestimate the power of meditation. When you meditate, you focus on your breathing, and everything else seems to fade away, it's a wonderful medium to try out. Try to remember to breathe deeply more often, move your body, and watch what you’re eating. It may sound corny, but eating healthy and exercising helps keep the anger at bay, and helps us to sort through our thoughts a lot easier.

• Adapted from STOPP© Carol Vivyan 2010
• http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Calm-in-a-Stressful-Situation

Deal With Anger Before It Deals With You- Click Here!

Ta-Da! Self-Confidence!

Self-Confidence Meter

A wonderful article was found on the web that sums up self-confidence quite well. While we would all love to think we had the confidence of a king, sometimes, this is not the truth of the matter. Case in point, myself- while writing this article for Expanded Well-being (and borrowing it for my blog!).
The proceeding article, after being written, helped immensely in terms of subject matter, and clarification for me. The hope is that it will lend the same support to my dear readers.
In order to gain self-confidence, one must understand it first.
Let us begin by defining what it is: Two main factors contribute to self-confidence; self-efficacy (A person’s belief about his or her ability and capacity to accomplish a task or to deal with the challenges of life.) and self-esteem (1. a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect. 2. an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself.).
We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we master skills and achieve goals that matter in those skill areas. We learn that when we work hard in a particular area and succeed, we gain confidence from that, the type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges, and endure in the face of setbacks. This overlaps with self-esteem because now we know we can cope with what goes on in our lives. We feel we have the right to be happy because we see, through our efforts; that the people around us approve of us and our competency.
We can gain self confidence through setting and achieving goals, and it is probably the best way, because we see the results in concrete form. You can also do daily affirmations to help you build self-confidence, and the two go hand-in-hand, but you may not be able to physically measure the level of success through reciting daily affirmations. If you are in tune with your body on a higher level, you might be able to.
In building self confidence (based on a solid appreciation of reality, with a firm foundation of competence from achieving goals), know that this will not happen overnight. There is no fast way to come into having self-confidence.
Proof will come, albeit slowly, and you will know when you have arrived when you are able to continually reach a balance between low self-confidence, and over-bearing confidence.

Other articles of interest for self-confidence:
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-ways-to-instantly-build-self-confidence/
http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=191

Confidence Beyond Belief! Click Here!

What is Spirituality?

To understand spirituality, we will first define it, then compare and contrast it with religion. However, there are so many definitions available for spirituality, most relating to religion, but, some feel spirituality has nothing to do with religion. One definition stood out, and for the purposes of this article, was the best one to work with.

“Spirituality (spir-i-choo-al-i-tee) is that which gives meaning to one's life and draws one to transcend oneself. Spirituality is a broader concept than religion, although that is one expression of spirituality. Other expressions include prayer, meditation, interactions with others or nature, and relationship with God or a higher power.” (Burkhardt, M. "Spirituality: An Analysis of The Concept," Holistic Nursing Practice, May 1989:60-77)

World Spirituality

re·li·gion (riˈlijən)- Noun: 1a : the state of a religious religion
>b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.
One brilliant article (according to the Admin, this one had the best definitions for spirituality) written on spirituality holds that, “much debate surrounds the definition of both terms.”  So it would seem, every dictionary looked at derived a different definition for both spirituality and religion.
It seemed very unsettling to find that spirituality and religion should be so far apart. They both seek a higher power, yet, there are no written rules in spirituality as there are in religion, and leaves the possibility of a more accessible means to finding that higher power.
In an article from Psychology Today, it states that spirituality means something different to everyone, and mentions that it may mean being a part of an organized religion to some. Ohio State University is adamant that spirituality has no affiliation with religion whatsoever. We can see the differing views relating to the topics in question, leading us to find out just what spirituality means to us on a personal level.
Finding your own way to spirituality is a journey, not a destination, and should be enjoyed every step of the way, and not seen as an arduous task.

What is Energy Healing?

If you’re reading this blog, chances are, you already know what energy healing is. For those of you looking for an explanation, this article will do its level best to inform you a) what energy healing is, and b) what the modalities of energy healing are.

Healing With Energy

In short, healing is bringing a body from a state of imbalance (dis-ease) into balance (health). However one chooses to approach a state of balance depends on each person and the specifics of the dis-ease. Energy Healing is using the practitioner and client’s Universal Energy forces to bring the body back into ease (health).
Many people are lead to energy healing to ease their imbalances because traditional mainstream medicine, for whatever reason, did not bring their body back into balance. Many do not like the side-effects of the chemicals pharmaceuticals have been known to produce. A few have been raised around alternative healing practices, and know no other way, or choose to opt out of the mainstream medicinal practices.
Energy healing has beginnings, or roots, in both spirituality and science. Most programs do have their basis in a “spiritual layer” of the energy field, whether based upon science or spirituality. There are quite a few different avenues energy healing can take, and since healing involves the energy field of the practitioner and client, use of hands may not be needed, as in distance healing.
Most modalities refer to different types of energy (universal life) forces spoken of throughout the ages such as, chi, or prana, in fact Reiki roughly translates into “Universal Life Energy.” Energy healing commonly involves increasing the flow and quantity of energy, but not only that it also involves balancing energies, and re-patterning the flow of energy.
There are many different modalities of Energy Healing in the world today. One website lists about 1199 different modalities (flavors, as they are called) of Reiki alone! Here is a short list of Energy Healing Modalities found on the web, with a couple more that weren’t listed that the Admin felt ought to be given merit:

• Cranio-sacral Therapy
• Polarity
• Quantum Touch
• Therapeutic Touch
• Tachyon Therapy
• Reiki
• Qigong
• Somatic Healing
• Chakra Healing*
• Kinesiology (Muscle Testing)*
• Foot Zone Therapy*
• Jin Shin Jyutsu
• Shiatsu
• The WISE Method (Holistic Integrated Spiritual Energy)
• Eden Energy Medicine – approach developed by Donna Eden
• Wings*
• Body Talk
• Bio-Electric Synchronization Technique (BEST, or Brain Synch)*

*Not found in internet articles relating to topic.
Articles relating to this post:

1. http://curezone.org/forums/f.asp?f=601
2. http://heartofhealing.net/energy-healing/types-of-energy-healing/
3. http://www.sq-wellness.com/healing-modalities/what-is-healing/
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_alternative_medicine
5. http://www.thehealersway.com/energy-healing/power-of-energy-healing/

More information on Energy Healing- Click Here!

All About Bach Flower Remedies

"This work of healing has been done, and published and given freely so that people like yourselves can help yourselves"

- Dr Edward Bach, 1936

Bach Essences

Bach Flower Essences® (aka Remedies) are all natural, very dilute solutions made from spring water, an alcohol preservative, and the parts of specific flowers. They are used to help balance the emotions and bring about a state of equilibrium in living organisms, and have been successfully used with people, animals, and even plants. Bach Flower Essences® are listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS), have been issued with National Drug Code (NDC) numbers by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are sold as over-the-counter homeopathic products in the United States. Foot Zone Practitioners use them along with the zone therapy for clients with moderate to severe emotional issues.
A brief history of Bach Flower Remedies:
Dr. Edward Bach (September 24, 1886 - November 27, 1936) was born in a village called Moseley, near Birmingham, England.
Dr. Edward Bach was a British Physician, who began to see disease as an end product; a final stage; a physical manifestation of unhappiness, fear and worry. He therefore, began to look to nature to find healing flowers. Over a period of years Dr. Bach found 38 healing flowers and plants that with the right preparation became the 38 Bach Flower Remedies®. These Remedies are enough to remove all negative emotional problems.
By 1932 he had discovered the first of his 12 remedies. These he used on the many patients who came to him for treatment.
In 1933 he began making the second group of remedies, the “7 Helpers.”
In 1934 Dr. Bach moved to Mount Vernon in Oxfordshire. It was in the lanes and fields round  about that he found the remaining 19 remedies that he needed to complete the series. He would suffer the emotional state that he needed to cure and then try various plants and flowers until he found the one single plant that could help him. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work.
Dr. Bach separated the remedies into 7 different emotional groups:

• Fear
• Uncertainty
• Insufficient interest in present circumstances
• Loneliness
• Over-sensitivity to influences and ideas
• Despondency or despair
• Over-care for welfare of others

What are the difference between Essential Oil and The Bach Flower Remedies®?
Essential Oil: As the name says it is oils from different plants and flowers. The smell very strongly, some of them should be avoided for people with different illnesses, pregnancy, in the sun etc. The Essential Oils comes from the whole world, however, the quality can easily be very different because some farmers cheat and mix in cheap oils.
Bach Flower Remedies®: They do not smell, they can never do any harm to anyone at any time, they are made by infusion of wild plants & flowers from a certain area in England.
The Bach Flower Remedies® are considered homeopathic. The Bach Flower Remedies® are produced at one location after old directions from Dr. Edward Bach who died in 1936. Dr. Bach was VERY specific with the directions on how & when to make the Essences. He told just before he died that many people will try to imitate and copy the Remedies and his assistances had to promise NEVER to alter the 38 Remedies, because he knew that there would be no more need for more than the 38 and the directions that he had given were the best possible.
How do I take the Bach Flower Remedies®?
The Bach Flower Remedies® can be taken either in a 30ml/1once treatment bottle filled with spring water. From the treatment bottle take 4 drops 4 times a day until relief is obtained, or two drops in a glass of water and sip at intervals. If no water is available the Remedies can be taken undiluted either in the mouth, on the skin behind the ears or on the inside of the wrist.
To prepare a treatment bottle, fill the bottle with fresh spring water and add 2 drops of each Remedy. You can combine up to 6 or 7 Remedies in a treatment bottle. As preservative (optional) you can use brandy, apple cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin, 1 tsp. in the treatment bottle.
What happens if I take too much of the Remedies?
It is impossible to overdose with the Bach Flower Remedies®, they are 100% natural and safe. You can drink a whole bottle of Remedies and not "overdose.". However, if you think that "more is better" you are wrong. The Bach Flower Remedies® work best over a period of time, taken from the treatment or stock bottle at least 4 times a day.
What happens if I take the wrong Remedy?
Nothing is going to happen if you take the wrong Remedies, the Remedy only work on the energy level that we are having problems with. For example, if you have a "known fear" (MIMULUS) and take ASPEN "unknown fear", nothing is going to happen. Your "known fear" will stay and ASPEN wouldn't do anything to you. When you take the wrong Remedy nothing happens.*

Books, Writings & Lectures of Dr. Bach.
Heal Thyself
Free Thyself
The Twelve Healers
Ye Suffer

Consideration of Disease
Wallingford Lecture
Masonic Lecture
New Remedies New Uses
Patterns of Life
Sources:
*Kathy Burrow katsmountain.com- Copyright 2011
http://www.bachflower.com/index.html

All About Essential Oils

As a Foot Zone Therapist, I use essential oils when I give foot zones, if you’re wondering why, it will be explained in this article. The benefits of essential oils in everyday life go further than just aromatherapy, you’ll discover why essential oils ought to be a part of your everyday life, and a part (if not all) of your medicine chest.

Different Essential Oils that are Available

What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are the volatile liquids that are distilled from plants (including their respective parts such as seeds, barks, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruit, etc.).  They are natural and aromatic compounds found in these parts of plants. Essential oils can lift the mood, calm the senses, and elicit powerful emotional responses. Egyptian hieroglyphics and Chinese manuscripts prove that priests and physicians have been using essential oils for thousands of years. In Egypt, the oils were used in the embalming process, and well preserved oils were found in alabaster jars in King Tut’s tomb. Recipes for the production and blending of the oils were recorded on the walls of Egyptian temples in hieroglyphs. Aditionally, there are 188 references to essential oils (frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, etc.) in the Bible.
Aromatherapy
Just one small part of the importance of essential oils:  Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from plants to enhance psychological and physical well-being. Aromatherapy helps the emotional, physical, and spiritual areas of our being. They help to soothe, stimulate, focus concentration, and can help relieve pain. When inhaled, essential oils go to the brain. The sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly linked to the limbic lobe of the brain. The limbic is the emotional control center. All other senses are routed through the thalamus and then to other parts of the brain. The inhalation of the essential oil stimulates brain function; think about jasmine or roses vs. a dirty toilet, or a sewage treatment plant. Emotions and memories are evoked first - then thoughts follow.
Why are Essential Oils so Important?
Essential oils of every species are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier (interstitial tissues of the brain that serve as a barrier to protect neurons and cerebrospinal fluid from many damaging substances) easily because they are both small (less than 500 atomic mass units, or AMU) and lipid soluble. The aromatic qualities of essential oils account for the small size of the AMU. A drop of essential oil can be detected across the room almost immediately upon opening a bottle. It is this size that allows the essence of the essential oil to cross the blood-brain barrier and enable the properties to address the fundamental root of illness- a person’s attitudes, belief structures, and emotions.
Essential oils can be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream and can promote whole-body healing. They are used for a variety of applications, including pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive function.  In 1989, it was discovered that the amygdala plays a major role in the storing and releasing of emotional trauma. The only way to stimulate this gland is with fragrance, or the sense of smell. Therefore, essential oils can be a powerful key to help unlock and release emotional trauma.
There are many different healing properties within Essential Oils, each oil has one or more of these properties, and this is the reason I suggested using essential oils as part of, or in place of items in your medicine cabinet.

Extraction of Essential Oils

Properties of Essential Oils

• Antibacterial
• Anticatarrhal
• Antidepressant
• Antifungal
• Anti-infectious
• Anti-inflammitory
• Antimicrobal
• Antiparasitic
• Antirheumatic
• Antiseptic
• Antispasmodic
• Antiviral
• Analgesic
• Immune-stimulant

Ways to use Essential Oils

1. Aromatically- Nose and olfactory system.
2. Topically- Rubbed onto the skin, massage or foot zone, blended with lotion, or carrier oil.
3. Internally- Ingested, with water, or other liquids, on the tongue, or in a capsule.

• Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils,Third Edition; 2011; Abundant Health, LLC©,  pp. 6-7, 236-237 (some re-wording at Admin’s discretion)
• http://www.examiner.com/article/summer-health-aromatherapy-essential-oils-5-proven-benefits
• Foot Zone Therapy: Advanced Training- The Nervous and Structural Systems; 2009;  K. Duvall and C. Christensen, p. 40 Academy of Foot Zone Therapy©  (some re-wording at Admin’s discretion)
• http://www.aromatherapy.com/