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Newsletter Archive - Early Spring 2001

  
 
  Newsletter Index Your Articles Feel-Good Factors Hot News  

 
 

Feel-Good Factors

Ideas to Nurture and Inspire You

  

 

Take Five

To Cheer Yourself up:

  1. When talking to someone, meet their eyes and smile more often.
  2. Compliment others, and you'll feel good too.
  3. Ring or write to the friend you keep meaning to get in touch with.
  4. Be truly awake to small pleasures during your day - a flower, an apple, your cat purring, a smile.
  5. Think only about what you CAN do, not what you can't do.


Burning Issues

Try vaporising a relaxing aromatic blend of essential oils to promote a sense of peace and wellbeing:

Try blends of three of the following: cedarwood, sandalwood, frankincense, rose, lavender, mandarin, clary sage, Roman chamomile and ylang ylang.

This blend smells wonderful:

2 drops frankincense, 2 drops lavender and 3 drops of mandarin.


Being Rash with Nettles?

painSupporter Vicky sent me this interesting item:

Research at Plymouth Postgraduate Medical School showed that a quick daily rub with nettles over painful joints can bring pain relief to some osteoarthritis sufferers.  The treatment apparently reduced joint pain in nearly everyone.  They reported they preferred using the nettles to their normal pain relief and 63% planned to carry on using them.  If you try this expect to feel a prickling pain for about 30 minutes followed by a warm tingling sensation for up to 24 hours.

Many thanks, Vicky, for sending in this tip.

If anyone tries it, please let us know how you get on.


Hot Herbs

During a bath, some of the healing properties of herbs are absorbed through the skin.  Try some of the following:

For Stress:  Make tea with two teaspoons of loose, dried Chamomile or two Chamomile tea bags, leave for 10 minutes. Strain into your bath and relax.  Chamomile helps to ease stress.

For Aches:  For stiffness and rheumatics brew 8 dessertspoonfuls of dried rosemary in hot water, leave for 10 minutes then strain into a warm bath.

To Energise:  Place a few handfuls of fresh pine needles in a muslin bag or old pair of tights, hold or tie under the running hot tap, then swirl around in the bath.  This bath will help to eliminate toxins, improve circulation and give a kick-start to your day.

For Aching Feet:  Enjoy the soothing properties of a foot bath of warm water with a Tea bag of peppermint or thyme in it.


Ease from the East

To eliminate stress and balance your emotions, try this technique from the ancient Japanese therapy of Jin shin Jyutsu.  It can be done anywhere without anyone noticing what you are doing - great for moments of stress if in the company of others. Hold the fourth and fifth fingers of your left hand between the thumb and fingers of your right hand.  Your thumb should be on the palm side of your left hand.  Gently squeeze for about a minute.  Then reverse for the other hand.

Fighting 'Flu

Try the following for the first signs of 'flu or to reduce the length of suffering.
  1. Sugar can affect the immune system, so limit its intake to ensure your immune system is in fighting fit condition.
  2. Avoid orange juice, unless freshly pressed as it contains high quantities of sugar.
  3. Take 1.5g of vitamin C in divided doses throughout the day at the first sign of a cold.
  4. Try zinc lozenges.  Research has found that sucking a zinc lozenge every two waking hours reduces a cold by seven days.  It must be zinc gluconate and not contain citric acid, tartaric acid, mannitol or sorbitol as these will make the zinc inactive.
  5. Another study found Sambucol contains herbs including elderberries and raspberries which can inhibit the 'flu virus - from health food stores.
  6. Take Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea.  Try the blend of both types in Echinaid tablets or tincture, from health food stores.


Crystal Therapy

painSupporter Daisy emailed me with her tip:

"I have received a gift of a Hematite bracelet and a Hematite pendant, and I can honestly say that they have helped my arthritis, pain-wise.  This only works with the joint pain though as I still suffer from the muscle pain.  May be I will come to know of another crystal which will work on the muscle. I can but keep hoping.  Hope this will help someone else."

Very many thanks for this tip, Daisy.  I hope you find another crystal that helps you - let us know if you do. Jan

If you want to find out more about crystals, log on to:

www.healing.about.com/health/healing/cs/crystaltherapy
www.crystaltherapy.co.uk


Therapy in the Spotlight - Reflexology

painSupporter Linda recently had some reflexology.  She says,

"It didn't hurt as not too much pressure was used, there was the occasional 'hot spot' which was a bit tender on points which correspond to parts of my body where I have pain.  However, afterwards, I felt wonderful - it was like walking on air, and the relaxation lasted for days.  It was well worthwhile and although didn't get rid of all my pain I'm certainly going to go for more treatment."

Thank you, Linda, for sharing your experience with us.

Reflexology is based on the idea that nerve-endings in the feet and hands relate directly to different organs in the body.  Finger and thumb pressures are applied to the relevant pressure-points to stimulate your own healing processes.  The principle is similar to that of acupuncture in that all the organs and systems of the body have their corresponding points on the hands and feet.  Practitioners from the following societies have a least one year's experience.

Find a reflexologist practitioner near you from:

The Association of Reflexologists on 0870 567 3320 or log on to www.aor.org.uk

OR

The British Reflexology Association on 01886 821 207 or dial up www.reflexology.org


A Real Hot Tip

painSupporter Debbie sent me this hot tip.

I have a great idea for quick relief from pain.  Actually it does not relieve it but it feels nice till the painkillers kick in.  It is a snuggle bag, a fleece bag (like a sausage) filled with natural ingredients like wheat.  You put a few drops of lavender oil on it, put it in the microwave for 3 mins to heat up then put it on the pain.  It feels lovely.  I use it on my back.  I bought my snuggle bag at a craft fair in York, UK, but I think you can buy them in most health shops.

I have also just invested in an orthopaedic pillow.  It does seem to be helping me.  I do not feel as stiff when I get up in the morning.

Thanks you Debbie for both of these tips.

Many people have commented on how comforting this type of hot pack is.


SMILE - IT'S CATCHING!

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the 'flu.
When someone smiled at me to-day, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected
Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!

Thank you, Brian, for passing on this poem.


  
  If you've got any Feel-Good Factors of your own that you'd like to share, feel free to Contact Us.   We welcome all contributions for future issues.


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