March is the calendar month for the arrival of spring. March 20th, 12:14 am CDT, is the Vernal Equinox. The Equinox is early this year, mainly because it is leap year. Speaking of early, as I write this in early March, I feel summer has arrived!

In nature, the spring Equinox is the time of new beginnings. It can be a time of new beginnings in the health of our minds, bodies and spirits, too. This is the best time in a natural cycle to start a new approach to your health and nutrition. This could mean a new exercise program or food / nutritional changes you have intended to make since the New Year!

Now is also an opportune time to discover new ways of healing, curing, and believing all things are possible. Many old approaches to healing are not working, and sources of new methods are emerging forth from places other than medical research. We now know that healing is more linked to what is in our hearts and what we believe than what medical research tells us is broken. This applies to everything from weight gain to depression to cancer.

Gregg Braden is a New York Times Best-Selling author and is internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science and spirituality. Following a successful career as a computer geologist for Phillips Petroleum during the 1970s energy crisis, he worked as a senior computer systems designer with Martin Marietta Defense Systems during the final years of the Cold War. In 1991 he became the first technical operations manager for Cisco Systems, where he led the development and global support team that ensures the reliability of today’s Internet.

For over 25 years, Gregg has searched high mountain villages, remote monasteries, and forgotten texts worldwide to uncover their timeless secrets. Today Gregg’s work is published in 17 languages and 33 countries. His work shows us beyond any reasonable doubt that the key to our future lies in the wisdom of our past.

Please watch this video presented by Gregg Braden. He presented this as part of a seminar in Italy in 2007 called “The Language of the Divine Matrix.” Gregg’s book, “The Divine Matrix,” is also listed on my resource page.

The video is titled, “Gregg Braden on Curing Cancer Using Our Own Technology and Emotion.” Gregg Braden presents a video showing cancer being cured in less than 3 minutes using the language of emotion. Using the technology of emotion that’s inside all of us, we mirror that expectation to the field that’s all around us. You must feel the feeling as if it has already happened. During the video you will see the screen hidden at times, but you are not missing anything since the entire section is shown right before, as you will see for yourselves!

Use the renewal of the earth with the beginning of spring as a time to renew yourself. Open your heart to all the opportunities around you for new ways to better your mind, body, and spirit. Contact me for help in guiding you on your new journey to a better life!

To practice self-induced healing is only possible when we listen to the messages our bodies give us. Once we hear our bodies, we must also imagine the desired outcome.

Our bodies communicate with us to let us know when we are out of balance. This is your body’s way of trying to restore your internal balance. If your body responds in situations because of past mistakes, you need to 1) acknowledge the message your body is sending; 2) accept your emotions; 3) forgive yourself and others of past mistakes; 4) be aware of the choices you are making.

We can use the GIFT method to help let go of past experiences and mistakes:
G – gratitude: this teaches us to change our perception of present events
I – imagination & intention: shows we are ready to change and allows us to create a different desired outcome in our present situation
F – forgive: we must forgive and accept ourselves and others in order to move forward
T – trust: we must trust and believe that what we want to happen will happen, which trains our bodies to respond in a new way.

By imagining a world of positive possibilities, we will perceive that world to be true.

Our minds are powerful things. You have the ability to heal yourself on many levels because your body believes what your mind tells it. Understanding this gives us a lot of possibility – and responsibility – in changing our lives for the better.

Children play to learn and grow. They are experts in having fun because they believe anything is possible through using their imaginations. We all have the ability to play, but we often don’t exercise our imaginations in our daily adult lives.

Think about a book you’ve read or a movie you’ve seen. We can get drawn into the stories, and our bodies respond to the scenes as if we were really there. This is an example of our imagination changing our body chemistry in response to imaginary situations. We can elicit this same reaction in our bodies when we change our mindset or perception of a negative event in our lives.

We tend to let past experiences affect our present and future choices and responses. Many times we have trained ourselves to repeat past mistakes because our perception of reality is actually a misperception. Once we are able to view our past mistakes as misperceptions, we are able to learn from them and forgive ourselves (and others) of blame. This allows us to experience new things with an open and positive mindset. By changing how we think, we are able to induce healing for ourselves.

Next week: how to put self-induced healing into practice

Hay fever is an allergic reaction. It is the response of your immune system to foreign material in the air you breathe. Hay fever generally refers to allergies from outdoor, airborne materials such as pollens and molds. Approximately 15-20% of the population of the United States has some degree of hay fever. It is found equally in men and women.

In research that correlates with projections by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, plant and allergy experts found that ragweed pollen season lasted as much as 27 days longer in 2009 than in 1995. The further north you are in the Western Hemisphere, the more dramatic the change in the length of pollen season.

Ragweed was used in the research because its season is naturally easy to track, although the studies probably hold true for other pollens, too. Ragweed begins blooming when the days get shorter, meaning after the summer solstice on June 21st. Ragweed stops flowering with the first frost. This means that the later the frost, the more pollen we will have.

Treat hay fever before it treats you! Here are some tips for treating hay fever:

• Avoid known or suspected allergies if you can.
• Reduce dairy, wheat, and sugar in your diet.
• Increase servings of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Boost your immune system.
• Use a Netti Pot. (Ask me for some recipes for nasal rinse solutions to find which is best for you)
• Thin the nasal mucus to avoid sinus congestion and future infections.
• Natural antihistamines are available (These are invaluable for people who can’t take over the counter antihistimines.)

Call for an appointment today for more help in treating hay fever.
 

With nutritional deficiencies, we can experience mood changes and depression. Don’t be treated for depression without having your nutritional status evaluated!

Certain essential vitamins are not stored for future use in our bodies, particularly when we are under stress. Also, depending upon how we eat, our food sources of these vitamins may not be in the proper forms to prevent deficiencies.

Research has shown that nutrition plays a large role in how our bodies maintain balanced biochemicals, which control brain hormones and neurotransmitters. In other words, our neurotransmitters need proper nutrients to function at an optimal level to prevent mood changes under stress.

Certain vitamins are destroyed by alcohol, refined sugars, and caffeine. Unfortunately, these foods are often the first we eat when we are under stress. More coffee for energy, drinks to relax, and sugar to boost our mood. These are all temporary effects, and these foods ultimately have detrimental effects on our energy level, relaxation, and mood.

It is also important to note that many drugs can contribute to nutritional deficiencies, especially when taken over a long period of time.

Depression is a complex illness with many possible causes and treatments. Call for an appointment to evaluate your entire self in order to heal your entire self.

Depression is a common complaint among many of my patients. Depression has many forms and many symptoms, and it is often difficult to recognize in oneself.

The most common treatment for depression is medication. While medication does have value for many people, it is too often the only treatment pursued. Medication can be supportive during a traumatic time, but it can also turn into a lifetime crutch.

A holistic approach to conquering depression goes far beyond medication. In order to experience healing from depression, the whole person must be treated.

We might consider these questions when exploring your depression:

• What triggered the depression?
• Was it a gradual or sudden onset?
• Has the trigger been resolved?
• If not, how can the trigger be resolved?

It is also important to consider spiritual elements of healing that can create a more balanced life. You must be willing to do self-reflection to promote spiritual growth to create a change in your life. An individual’s person growth evolves when there is a change in thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors. Great healing can occur by looking at the world with new glasses. This can be accomplished through meditation, journaling, spiritual counseling, and reading specific books. Most people need support through this process, and I am there to provide it.

Remember that in order to heal your entire self, we must consider your entire self.

Next week: Nutrition & Depression

We have long known that consuming a variety of foods rich in antioxidants, such as lycopene found in tomatoes, lowers the risk of certain cancers. Recently, a study at St. Michael’s Hospital in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism found more benefits of lycopene in post-menopausal women.

In a randomized, controlled study involving 60 post-menopausal women (between 50 and 60 years of age), supplementation with lycopene-rich tomato juice (70 mg/day) or tomato capsules (30 mg/day) for a period of 4 months was found to significantly increase the serum lycopene content and the bone resorption marker, N-telopeptide (Ntx).

These results suggest that in postmenopausal women, supplementation with lycopene through juice or capsules may not only reduce oxidative stress (the accumulation of free radicals), but may improve bone health, too.

Lycopene is found in tomatoes, watermelon, paprika, and pink grapefruit. One cup of tomato juice has 20 mg’s of lycopene!

Maintaining and improving your bone health should involve participating in weight bearing exercise, eating foods high in calcium, and eating foods that help calcium be stored and used in our bodies, such as lycopene. Many women with a medical diagnosis of Osteopenia or Osteoporosis also need proper calcium supplementation to prevent further degeneration of bones.

Contact me to help design a regiment for you to keep your bones strong.

We are all greater than the sum of our parts. We are individuals with minds, bodies, emotions, and spirits. Contrary to what we might have been taught, we are more than our parents’ biology! A maximum of 10% of all diseases are caused by genetics. Science has proven repeatedly that our environments cause 90% of all diseases. In other words, what we eat, how we manage and interpret our stress, how we exercise, and, of course, how we think and view the world greatly affects our health.

We can be in charge of our own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing. Some days our environmental stress can feel overwhelming, and it can be difficult to maintain a sense of control. Our bodies are our individual doors to healing because they experience everything we see, hear and do. Unfortunately, our bodies hold beliefs and myths we have been told. These beliefs and myths often limit opportunities to change and let go of the past, which would allow us to heal.

I recommend the book Healing Myths, Healing Magic: Breaking the Spell of Old Illusions, Reclaiming Our Power to Heal by Donald Epstein. This book examines the deeply ingrained stories or myths that we commonly hold about how our bodies heal. These myths actually inhibit healing, and we all have them. Healing can be possible after we look at social, biomedical, religious, and new age beliefs that we hold in our thought patterns, which contribute to illness and disease.

Not sure how to tackle all of this? Come in for an office visit to discuss your beliefs that may be holding you back from getting well, feeling well, and living a happy, full life!

Check out Donald Epstein’s book on my Resource Links page.

Forgiveness requires individual changes at many levels. Research in the Harvard Health Publication indicates that forgiveness is powerful. The publication reports that forgiving others and oneself can bring about 5 changes for a healthier and happier life.
(source:  http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/power_of_forgiveness)

Forgiveness brings:

• Reduction of stress
• More positive attitude
• Stronger relationships
• Ease of pain & chronic illness
• Greater happiness

These are significant changes you can make to your life! While you may not be able to imagine discussing forgiveness as a method of healing with your traditional medicine provider, forgiveness is a method of healing that I foster in my practice. Forgiveness is a means of resolution that can create a very positive outcome in your life!

Healing occurs when we are in the correct relationship with ourselves. In other words, we are able to heal when all levels of our human system - our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves - are all in balance.

Imbalance within ourselves comes from many sources. Most commonly, the stress of relationships, family, work, and expectations we have of ourselves can cause imbalances in our relationship with ourselves. It is easy to become entangled in negative thought patterns - we may replay situations over and over again in our minds in attempt to imagine different outcomes, or we may perpetuate the victimization we feel in various circumstances.

Carrying strong negative feelings, such as anger and resentment, causes physical symptoms and diseases. Harboring negative thoughts benefits no one! In order to move from imbalance to balance within ourselves, we must let go of old grudges, anger, frustrations, and hurtful incidents. Letting go means forgiving.

Forgiveness is not:

• Pretending everything is fine
• Repressing anger or hurt feelings
• Necessarily reconciling or having contact with the offender
• Something you can be pressured to do
• Forgetting. You can learn to remember the past without dwelling on the emotions!

There is evidence that forgiveness can lead to a healthier and happier life. Dr. P. Pietrini, MD, PhD. is chair of biochemistry at the University of Pisa, Italy. He used an MRI to observe different parts of the brain. Parts of the brain were activated when subjects contemplated forgiveness that were not activated with thoughts of revenge and retaliation. This is physical evidence that our thoughts cause physical changes in the body.

Traditional medicine may help you cope with the physical symptoms of imbalance within yourself. As a Holistic Nurse, I will work with the whole person - your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms - in order to help you make positive changes, take control of your life, and find balance within yourself.

Whether you are seeing the forest or the trees, there is a realization that everything is connected.  This is a holistic principle that I emphasize in my life and in my private practice as a Holistic Nurse.  The integration of the mind, body, and spirit is key to caring for – and healing – the whole person.  It is important to recognize that healing is very different from curing.  

Curing is the elimination of the signs and symptoms of disease, which may or may not correspond to the actual end of the disease or distress.  Curing follows a predictable path, and it is the prominent approach in our current sick care system.  Curing focuses on the physical body.  We can become so focused on the reduction or removal of physical symptoms that we ignore or forget about our mental, emotional and spiritual health necessary to complete the process.

Healing is multidimensional, and includes the mental, emotional, and spiritual components of the human system.  Curing may not always be possible, but healing is always possible!  Healing occurs when all levels of the human system are in the correct relationship.  The healing process emerges over time.

Consider this example: A person can take a pill for a severe headache, and the headache will go away.  This is curing.  The same person knows that the headache is caused by work stress.  As the work stress continues, the headaches will also continue – and possibly even worsen.  Until the person can create the proper relationship with their mental and physical health in the stressful work environment, the physical symptoms will reoccur.  This person may be able to experience healing through changes in attitude and the removal of negative thought patterns.

Here are two examples of healing: A person dying of AIDS is able to reconcile with their parents after a long separation.  And, a recent quadriplegic is able to refocus his life in a way to recommit himself to a life of service and meaning.  In these cases, the physical symptoms will most likely never change, but the healing does occur.

You will find that care in my practice is not about a quick fix of symptoms.  If I were to only recommend a supplement to eliminate symptoms, the lack of breadth of the treatment would be no better than the sick care system.  In my practice, holistic health is integrated into all aspects of my patients’ lives.  Healing patients is the goal of my practice.

(“Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice,” Dossey, Keegan, Guzzetta, 2005)