Home Help for Hayfever

                                 Home Help for Hay fever

I am not a trained practitioner of any kind, but I am a fed up Hay Fever sufferer sharing some tips on taking a natural approach to dealing with it.

If you suffer from Hay Fever then you probably feel as miserable as I do at the moment. All this beautiful weather and we can't enjoy it! I have suffered from hay fever for a number of years and I always thought it was pretty bad, as bad as it could possibly get. Boy was I wrong. I recently moved house and I now I have it worse than ever.

Let me know it these ring a bell. Inside of mouth itching like crazy. Nose trying to compete with Niagara Falls and again itching like crazy. Sneezing fits that make the skin on your back prickle and feels like it is exploding little bits of your lungs each bout. Vision constantly blurred because of watering eyes, and if you wipe too much they start itching, puff up and go a lovely shade of red all over. Very attractive. Is this you? If it is join the club, and can I just borrow your hanky for a sec' – vigorous blowing which only results in sore nose and start of headache – thanks for that. It's not only the symptoms that are bad, it's how they effect your every day life. You feel dreadful and hideous, everything you eat tastes of mucous, you can't sleep, you get lots of headaches, a fever, cold shivers and you can't even think clearly.

In spite of all this we often feel we have to keep on going, but pamper yourself a bit, it is OK to admit that you feel poorly. I always feel pathetic when people say what's wrong and I tell them I have hay fever. It seems really feeble, but it isn't. About 12 Million people suffer from it in the UK, that's around 1 in 5. So take it easy and remember to have a loo roll or plenty of tissue on hand.

In previous years I have gone the route of conventional medicine, eye drops, nasal spray, and antihistamine tablets. This year I decided to try a more gentle approach and try a few complimentary remedies. I thought my body probably needed a rest from prescription drugs.

I am trying a number of approaches which really do bring relief.

Dry Inhalation
I always carry a hanky round with me to which I have applied 5 or 6 drops of lavender oil. This is for what is called dry inhalation. It does clear the nasal passages somewhat and lavender, as you probably already know, has a wonderfully calming effect. Whatever you do, don't blow your nose on that hanky! I have also bought an Olbas inhaler stick, that gives temporary relief and it smells nice. A good alternative to Lavender is Eucalyptus oil.

Massage
I have been massaging the sides of my nose, my forehead and the nape of my neck (back of the neck, where the hair starts) with lavender oil in a carrier oil. This is very relaxing especially if you can encourage or bribe a family member to do it for you. The massaging of the side of the nose helps to clear the sinuses a bit.

Aromatherapy Oil Burner
It also helps to have an oil burner going with a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus oil. Both are very good but I find lavender oil better at bedtime because it's calming effect also helps me go to sleep. Do take the usual precautions and don't go to sleep with it still alight.

Ginger Beer
Another good nostril clearer is ginger beer. It tastes good and it clears the sinuses. You just drink it and the strength of the ginger works its magic. This is only a temporary measure (as are all these remedies) but even temporary relief is better than none. I go for full sugar ginger beer as artificial sweeteners are worse for you than sugar. And try to avoid those with sulphur preservative in it because that can upset your stomach.

Hot Ginger Tea
If you don't like ginger beer you can make your own hot ginger tea. You will need one dessert spoon of honey, the juice of one lemon and a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger root. Mix the honey and lemon juice in hot water then place the grated ginger into an infuser ball and leave in the hot mixture for at least five minutes, stir frequently. Allow to cool a little then drink. This is also a good one when you have a cold or the flu as ginger warms you up from the inside.

Eye Ice Packs
If your eyes are being particularly troublesome, a home made eye ice pack is really soothing. Place a couple of ice cubes in opposite corners of a small plastic bag (sandwich bag or small freezer bag size), cover that in a hanky and apply a cube to each eye socket through the hanky. Apply the pack to various parts of the eye socket and lower forehead and it calms the eyes down brilliantly. I keep a couple of plastic bags in my handbag now so that when my eyes start playing up I nip into the nearest restaurant (anywhere with ice), beg a couple of bits of ice and assemble my makeshift ice pack.

Fresh Barley Water
I heard somewhere that if you soak whole wheat and barley for 24 hours, then drink the water it has been soaked in, this can help your body become immune to colds and flu. I am doing this in the hope that it also helps with hay fever. It tastes fine with some honey mixed in.

Homeopathic Remedies
I have just started taking a homeopathic hay fever remedy as well, it is made by New Era and it is for hay fever and chronic rhinitis. They are pleasant to the taste, dissolve instantly on the tongue and get to work straight away. I am also taking echinacia tablets because I read somewhere that boosting the immune system could help with hay fever and at this stage I am willing to try just about anything.

ReflexologyAs a qualified reflexologist I have found that massaging the fingers (palm side) can help clear the mucus from the sinuses. In fact why not go the whole hog and have a full foot or hand reflexology session, it will make you feel a lot better.

Drink Water
One major thing to remember is drink plenty of water. At least two litres a day normally but if you are oozing mucus you will need more in order to replace the lost liquid.

So that's about it so far, as and when I hear about or try any other self help remedies I will let you all know. In the meantime lets all just pray for rain

                                                      

                                 Helping Your Child Sleep

We can't get a good sleep until we are relaxed. A few things must happen before we get there. We need to feel secure and safe. Any kind of tension, such as abuse, parents arguing, financial problems, trouble with the neighbors, or problems with school or friends, will make it harder for any child to go to sleep.

We also need to feel secure and safe in the bed. Some children with sensory integration difficulties, such as problems with touch sensitivity, body position sense (proprioception), or gravitational insecurity may find lying down on a high bed difficult. Such children may be helped by having heavy blankets that help them to feel more grounded.

When we get into bed it's time to forget about the day's business, shut out environmental distractions, and slow our heart rate and metabolism. As our bodies start to drift, so do our brains. During the day, brain waves might run at 14 Hertz (cycles per second) or more. When they start to slow down, they first go into an "alpha" rhythm (about 10 Hz), and then gradually go into the deep sleep rhythm, called "delta", about 4-7 Hz.

Setting up the environment in the right way can go a long way toward helping us relax. So will keeping to a regular routine. The body gets used to it and knows when it's time to slow down and get ready to sleep. Here are a few ideas:

Soak in a warm tub and drink some warm milk. The bath relaxes our bodies, allowing the metabolism to slow down. It doesn't have to stay active and generate heat. Muscles relax when they are warm. The warm milk contains Tryptophan. This is an amino acid which acts as a natural sedative. Stay away from caffeinated drinks like Coke, tea or coffee. Don't engage in activities which will wind you up or frustrate you. Keep the kids away from the frustrations of homework or the activity of the Gameboy.

A nice bedtime story is very calming. It focuses away from daily anxieties and provides special child-parent time. Feeling loved and valued lets the child feel more safe and secure. If you wish, you might play a taped story after you read to him. Pick a soothing story and turn out the lights so he can listen with his eyes closed.

Soft, relaxing music is good. We can't close our ears against the noises from our environment. These can easily wake us up and heighten our stress. Especially disturbing are barking dogs, howling foxes or heavy lorries driving by. At least we can modify the sounds. Make the room as quiet as you can by using heavy curtains, double glazed windows, and close all the doors.

Secondly, we can introduce sounds that help to shut out the wrong noises, and that also help us to relax. White noise, such as that produced by a fan or a humidifier does help to drown out the lorries and the barking dogs. So does a radio playing quietly in the background. Unfortunately, these sounds in themselves tend to be arousing and stressful rather than relaxing. This is to do with two factors: pitch and beat. High frequencies sounds are energising, whilst low frequencies are relaxing. White noise is fairly high frequency, as is most music played on the radio - especially if played through a cheaper system with a poor bass response. Also, most popular music has a fast beat. Disco music is the most obvious example of this. No doubt at times you have found yourself tapping or nodding in time with the beat of some catchy music. This is called "entrainment", and describe the fact that our bodies like to align themselves with the rhythms around us. Our heart rates do the same - in general, as you listen to fast music or a fast beat (such as with rap music), your heart rate will speed up; when you listen to slow music, it slows down.

For sleep, we need to listen to low pitched sounds with a slow rhythm. We should try for a beat of 50 to 60 Hz, the rate or our resting hearts. Where do we find these sounds? Some classical music and some nature sounds qualify. I recommend recordings made specially for relaxation. Some of the best are made by Steven Halpern. The Sound Health Series CDs, called "Relax" and "De-Stress" are great. Play them quietly as background noise to drown out the dogs and to create a peaceful environment in the child's bedroom. If he wakes often during the night, consider playing continuous-play CD.

Our bodies are also greatly affected by light and colour. Supermarkets and football teams are well aware of this. The stores use blue/green tinted bulbs in their produce sections to make the vegetables appear greener and fresher. They use red tinged lights at the meat counters. They use these techniques subtly but effectively. They also are particular when designing product packaging, so that you will be stimulated to buy. They keep the lights bright and the "muzak" playing. They do this so you will feel happy and right at home, causing you to stay longer and spend more. Think about this in relation to some of the dingier shops, and you will understand their strategy. Sometimes football clubs will paint the home team changing rooms in red, to spur the players to action; and the visiting team's room blue, which is calming.

We've learned how sensitive we are to frequencies, rhythms and sounds. Our bodies also react to colour and light. Supermarkets use this to their advantage by lighting the vegetable sections with blue/ green tinged bulbs. The vegetables appear greener and fresher. Note the use of red tinted lights at the meat counter. It's a subtle but effective technique. Packaging is also carefully planned as to colour and design, with the motive of making it appealing enough to buy. The rest of the store is brightly lit and has music playing. Do you feel comfortable and happy? This is the goal, so if you feel these things they have been successful. The more time you spend in this environment, the more money you will spend. Think about some dark and dreary shops that you've seen. You didn't feel so enthusiastic did you? Using the same principles, football clubs paint the changing rooms in psychologically chosen colours. The home team changes in a red room to arouse them into action, while the away team has a blue room to relax and quiet them into lethargy.

Think about the colour spectrum. Blue is meant for us to feel serene, green harmonious and peaceful, while pink signals warmth and feeling cozy. These quiet colours are perfect for bedrooms. Be careful with the blues and greens however, as they can also feel cold. Using yellows, reds and other lively colours in a bedroom, isn't a good idea. Even though the effects are subtle, they may get our blood flowing and keep us from sleep. These effects are usually subconscious but that doesn't make them any less real.

Be sure to consider lighting when you design a bedroom. Bright, blue or cold lights tend to wake us up. An example of these are the fluorescents. That's because they imitate the early morning sun. At twilight the sky has the warm colours of orange and red. The most relaxing lights for nighttime come from low wattage bulbs, candles, oil lamps or a nice fire. If you add these lights to pink furniture, soft and slow music, the waves on the beach you get the picture.

How do we get around not putting a candle, oil light or open fire in a child's bedroom? One way is to use electric bulbs that flicker. There are also fiber optic lamps available that create a low level light, changing from one colour to another. The slow, gentle changes are relaxing, assuming that they aren't too bright. Some children like to sleep in a completely dark room. This is when the thick curtains will come in handy to screen out late night and early morning summer sun.

Since it's pretty unlikely that a parent would wish to put candles or oil lamps in a child's room, there are other options to consider. You can find fiber optic lamps that are very relaxing, even if they don't flicker as low as 7 Hz. They do, however, change colour slowly and the level of light is very low. The changing colours and soft light are so calming that they should be very helpful in getting your child off to sleep. Also available are lights that flicker so as to resemble a small flame. There are some children who prefer to sleep in a totally darkened room. If this is the case in your family, consider the heavy curtains that block twilight and early morning sun.

We often close our windows in winter and leave the heat on. This cuts down on outside noises, but also keeps out fresh air. The heat dries out the air as well, in turn drying out our nasal passages. When we have stuffy noses and air, we will usually sleep poorly. Even opening the window a crack will help.

Not having some fresh air to breathe at night can be interrupting to sleep. Think about opening a window, even if it's just a tiny bit. Too many people close all the windows and leave the heat running at night. Not only does it get close and too warm, lack of humidity dries out nasal passages. When we are uncomfortable, especially when it comes to breathing, we tend to sleep poorly and awaken often.

Waking during the night. It is normal to wake or almost wake several times during the night. The trick is to get back to sleep again. All of the above will increase the chances of this. Along with this it is important not to reinforce a behaviour pattern of waking up during the night by giving it a lot of attention. Infants and young children especially will often cry or make other noises when they wake. Do not immediately rush in to comfort them - this will only wake them up more, and reinforce the pattern of waking in the night. If you leave them alone, most will gradually settle and go back to sleep by themselves. Initially this may take some time, as they are used to getting your attention, but gradually, if you stay firm, this period of time will get shorter.

Of course these are a million other ways to help your child to sleep. Feel free to experiment to find what works for you.

But what about yourself? As a parent, how ofter to you wish you could just catch up on some sleep? How often do you feel worn out, tired and exhausted? Or wish you could just catch a few zzz's before the kids get home? Most likely, you are still believing in some 19th Century myths about sleep. Take a look at this website to discover some amazing facts about sleep that could seriously transform your life. May you have peaceful nights and pleasant dreams.

Over Coming Anxiety Naturally In Time for Valentine's Day

Over Coming Anxiety Naturally In Time for Valentine's Day



It is Valentine's Day and you feel relaxed and loving. As you move closer to your partner and touch her with love and desire, she stiffens up and moves away from you.

Quickly she gets involved in some activity. It could be attending to the new baby or cleaning up the dishes or looking out the window. Or  perhaps he starts talking about something else, anything to distract. You say to yourself,  "OK, it's not a good time" and accept it like a mature adult.

What if he or she continues to move away from you over and over again? Time to face the truth, your partner is rarely loving and relaxed.  A new father, recently wrote me about his wife's lack of interest in intimacy.  Unfortunately he is not alone. Many women and men suffer in silence with a partner who avoids time together.

So what is going on ?  The reason there is such a scarcity of good lovers in this world is due to a real problem, with a real solution. If your partner avoids loving, physical encounters, I would bet my 30 years of clinical experience, he is  too anxious to slow down and be with you. Anxiety is the major, bottom line, real problem.

There are 9.1 million Americans, 18 to 54, who suffer from anxiety disorders. This makes anxiety the most common mental health problem in the USA.  These numbers do not include the millions who have not been labeled with an official diagnosis. The millions who  have trouble sitting down and relaxing under a cherry tree all afternoon long in the sun.  The millions who cannot rest their body and mind so they can enjoy the moment, the day, the light, the energy of love.

Here are 8 Signs Which Indicate You have Anxiety
1--Breathing stops up high in your chest
2-Thoughts are obsessive, racing or telling you all the things you should do
3 -Physical body is too tight and tense or too fat and loose
4-Unable to sit still and be in the moment without activities such as reading, watching TV, talking
5-Not aware of your physical body
6- Not aware of the area around your body
7- Hyperventilating - gasping for air though your mouth
8- Startle response to any situation in your environment

When you let your anxiety take over and ruin your day, you are feeding fuel to all your other problems.  Your anxiety is sure to get worse with each passing day, resulting in serious mental health, emotional health and physical health problems. Nervous energy not only diminishes the quality of your life, but it causes many major physical diseases which cannot be easily corrected.

Legal or illegal  anti- anxiety drugs are dangerous and psychotherapy is extremely limited in its ability to relax the body and nervous system. You need effective, safe anxiety treatments which help you relax, love and get turned on.  There are real solutions available for overcoming anxiety naturally.

8 Ways to Overcome Your Anxiety Naturally
You can Learn to:

1-Consciously breathe fully into the bottom of your lungs
2-Calm your mind by taming your out of control thoughts
3-Pay attention to your emotional needs and meet them
4-Practice sitting still in silence without any activity such as reading, talking
5-Get and give physical touch to self and others
6-Look around you and pay attention to what is outside of you
7-Breathe through your nose and shut your mouth to stop hyperventilating
8-Reduce chronic anxiety with daily relaxation practices

Couples need to share time together relaxed, hanging out by the lake, doing nothing. Then loving touches, without expectations, can spontaneously manifest and bloom, making your Valentine Day a memory of Love instead of anxiety and avoidance.

Exercise therapy for depression

                             Exercise therapy for depression

Exercise therapy for depression
Exercise can improve your health. This is a well known fact. While enhancing physical health, it has become widely accepted exercise can improve mental health too. This article will help you understand why health professionals are increasingly including exercise in depression interventions. You will discover exercise improves symptoms and can help to prevent relapse, as effectively as traditional treatments for depression.

What is depression?
Sadness is one of our most commonly experienced emotions. It is only natural to feel sad in response to feeling alone, losing a friend or partner, or going through a difficult time. We can also feel sad without knowing why. While sadness is an emotion commonly experienced at times in our lives, depression involves more than feeling sad. Depression makes life harder.

Symptoms of depression1a, 1b include feeling ‘down’ (e.g., depressed mood), loss of appetite/weight, and changes to sleeping patterns (e.g., insomnia). There can be fatigue, lack of motivation, agitation, and it can be harder to concentrate. Pleasure is experienced less (e.g., anhedonia) and libido is reduced. Other symptoms include feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness, and thoughts of self-harm / suicide. When depressed, we may experience some or many of these debilitating symptoms.

Exercise can help reduce depression
A growing body of research shows exercise is effective in treating depression. Exercise has been shown to improve overall mood as well as reduce symptoms and this is supported by research2, 3, 4, 5. Interestingly, research reviews6, 7, 8, 9 as well as meta-analyses10, 11 have also demonstrated this positive impact of exercise. It can reduce depression in different groups of people, such as women with post-partum12 depression (e.g., following pregnancy) and post-menopausal13, 14 depression. Symptoms can be reduced in people with obesity15, 16 issues. Exercise also reduces depression in the elderly17, 18, 19 as well as children and adolescents20, 21, 22.

Exercise is also known to improve symptoms associated with depression. For example, exercise can alleviate insomnia23, 24 (see also meta-anlyses25, 26) and improve appetite27, 28. Regular exercise has been associated with pleasure29, 30, 31, 32 and improving symptoms such as energy levels33, 34 and self-esteem35, 36, 37, 38. Exercise can also ease anxiety39, 40, 41, which often occur during depression. A sense of achievement can also be gained.

Exercise can help prevent relapse
Relapse is when depression re-occurs. Relapse prevention simply refers to preventing more episodes. It is essential to include relapse prevention when treating depression. Several studies have shown that exercise helps to reduce relapse19, 42, 43, 44. This means after overcoming depression, exercise can decrease the chances of becoming depressed again.

Exercise may also have a positive longer term impact on mental health. Longitudinal studies conclude there are reduced depression rates years after participating in exercise programs. Several studies found a positive long term impact on depressive symptoms22, 45. One research study even found that exercise reduces relapse more than an antidepressant medication18.

Exercise, medication and counselling
Blumenthal,Babyak and colleagues compared exercise with medication in their research18, 43, 46 into depression therapy. They found that exercise was as effective as antidepressant medication in treating symptoms43, 46, also found by other researchers47. Interestingly, exercise may be better than some antidepressants for reducing relapse18.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is considered the gold standard when it comes to depression interventions. Should you combine it with exercise? In an interesting study, researchers compared two groups being treated for depression. One group was only given CBT while a second group received both exercise and CBT. Combining CBT with exercise was found to reduce symptoms more than using CBT by itself48. Some studies have found exercise to be as good as counselling49, 50 and one research study even concluded exercise comparable to CBT51 in when treating depression.

Such research suggests exercise is as good as, if not better than some medications when treating depression, and that exercise can be as useful as some counselling therapies. On a deeper level; however, the recommendation is simply to include exercise in depression treatments. Exercise helps on a physiological as well as a psychological level, and without the costs of a therapist or the side-effects of a medication. And exercise can be fun.

Conclusion
This article has given you insight into how beneficial exercise is in alleviating symptoms of depression and reducing relapse. You learnt how exercise can be as effective as some psychiatric medications as well as some psychological interventions. All of this means exercise can help you whether you are depressed or not. The recommendation here is for you to start exercising right away because it is fun and may help keep the blues away.