2008 August | Naturallythere4you

Monthly Archive for August, 2008

Introduction To Reiki Symbols

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on August 31, 2008

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“Instead of seeking many other medicines to cure their illness, I wish people would always honor their own body’s healing ability and take good care of themselves.”
Meiji Emperor

A symbol is a communication element intended to simply represent or stand for a complex of person, object, group, or idea. It often are graphics or little drawings, which are in fact a comprimed or simplified reproduction of an idea, meant to trigger your consciousness or unconsciousness towards that special meaning. So symbols help us focus and help calling forth a special type of energy.

Do symbols have power? Yes and no.

When symbols are often seen by many people, all these persons at a conscious or subconscious level put their energy in it, connect with it’s meaning, and the more often this happens the more powerful a symbol becomes. Thus symbols like the pentagram and the Aum symbol have become really powerful; they have become charged.

On the other hand symbols are just that: a symbolic representation of something. They represent a certain energy, but are not that energy in itself. Reiki symbols are not the Reiki itself, but they help us address a certain aspect of the Reiki energy. Therewith they greatly help us consciously connect to the energy, which highly promotes single mindedness and intent. And if your intent is very clear it gives the universe a clear message of what you want to do or help coming about.

The Reiki energy and the Reiki symbols nurture each other: During an attunement they are given to you, what means placed in your energetic bodies, as a divine sign which says: “you are now empowered by your Inner Flame, to tap into this energy and use it.” They are the words of divinity which accompany the divine gift: Reiki. Thus the symbols help one to open up for the gift of Reiki. (So here the symbols ’support’ the Reiki.) At the same time the master first opens up to channel the energy through his/her own body and next places the symbols in the aura and chakras of the student. This means that before receiving any symbol by the student it is first charged with the full Reiki stream channeled by the master. (So here the Reiki ’supports’ the symbols.) This process explains why a symbol works better/stronger when you are first attuned to it, be it one of the original Usui symbols or any other ‘new’ Reiki symbol. This explains also why it is very hard to claim that a newly found or channeled Reiki symbol should be ‘higher vibrational’ than the original ones; they are still charged by that same energy: Reiki, life-force, Source.

Usui gave four symbols for his Reiki Ryoho: one for the physical level, the emotional level, the mental and the spiritual level. Herewith this simple system is complete. With the growing interest in metaphysics, occult knowledge and the channeling of other realms during the last decades, a number of symbols (and additional practices) has been added by Reiki masters. Many of these new symbols are well worth working with, representing a positive energy which can be very subtle. Therefore some of the new symbols are believed to be higher vibrational than the good old Usui symbols, but what you really do is focusing your attention to a very subtle part of the energy spectrum. Still what you channel with these symbols is Reiki, and the base for every new Reiki branch is still Usui Reiki Ryoho. If Reiki speaks to you as a simple, yet powerful and effective system you don’t need much to learn for, I would advise you Usui’s Reiki. If you enjoy consciously working with various energies, wish to experiment with subtle energies and connect Reiki with other modalities (crystals, chakras, etc.), I advise you to take courses in one of the newer Reiki branches. But you may need to check, because for several new Reiki systems Usui Reiki is a pre-requisite.

Authors Details: Anja Heij - Anja Heij is a graduated classical homoeopath, naturopath, reiki master and spiritual writer. Her Website is called www. aeonglobe.com.

Studies Show that Honey Promotes Healing

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on August 29, 2008

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Bacteria protect themselves from antibiotics by forming slimy clumps as a protective layer. However, scientists have now discovered that honey is effective in breaking down this protective barrier. Bacteria is the main cause for wounds not healing fast enough and with the recent outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, this is becoming more of a problem.
If bacteria multiply enough to form a slimy mass or bio-film, they are much less sensitive to antibiotics and antiseptics. Doctors treating infected wounds need to remove this bio-film so that they can prevent the spread of bacteria. Bio-films prevent healing in wounds and may lead to chronic ulcers.

Laboratory studies indicate that wounds treated with a special type of honey known as “Manuka Honey” are able to heal more rapidly and the bio-film is disrupted. This suggests that Manuka Honey could be a viable solution to treating infected wounds, more so than antibiotics. With the increase in MRSA cases and other hospital infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, doctors need more effective treatments.

A company called Honeymark International has developed an over-the-counter wound dressing containing Manuka Honey that is effective against tough bio-films and bacteria. This First Aid Antiseptic Lotion with Manuka Honey is effective in treating staph infections and other hard to heal wounds. It’s also effective in treating burns and skin ulcers. “The reason why Manuka Honey is more effective in destroying bacteria is because Manuka Honey has the ability to draw water out of the bacteria, making it impossible for the bacteria to survive,” says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. “As a result Manuka Honey is the most important ingredient to consider for wound care products as nothing else has proven to be as effective.”

Article Source: http://www.articleassets.com

Honey, the New Antibiotic

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on August 29, 2008

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An old household remedy is finding its way back into modern medicine. Scientists are now discovering that a particular type of honey is more effective in treating wounds than most antibiotics. Even chronic wounds infected with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria can be healed quickly with this honey. It’s called ‘Manuka Honey’ and it comes from beehives located in New Zealand.

The use of honey for medical purposes was known to the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago. Even in the last two world wars, bandages with honey were used to treat wounded soldiers. However, the advent of antibiotics replaced this household remedy with the misconception that medicine was more effective than honey. The problem is that today we are faced with germs that are resistant to almost all types of antibiotics. As a result, the medical use of honey is becoming attractive again for the treatment of wounds. The reason being is that recent studies show that honey is actually more effective, despite what doctors once thought.
When using dressings containing Manuka Honey, dead tissue is rejected faster and wounds heals more rapidly. In addition, changing bandages is less painful, because with honey they are easier to remove without damaging the newly formed layers of skin. Some wounds often smell unpleasant which can be an enormous strain on the patient. Honey also helps in this instance by reducing malodor. Even wounds that don’t heal for years can be brought under control with the use of Manuka Honey within a few weeks. Less serious wounds can be healed with Manuka Honey in a few days or even within a few hours.
“It has already been proved that Manuka Honey can destroy antibiotic-resident bacteria such as MRSA, says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International, manufacturer of Manuka Honey products. “Additionally, Manuka Honey is also known to have an antiseptic effect.” When producing honey, bees add an enzyme called glucose-oxidase. This enzyme produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide which is an effective antiseptic. The advantage of the hydrogen peroxide found in honey is that small concentrations are able to kill the bacteria because it is constantly being produced in a slow-release manner. Normally, much larger quantities of hydrogen peroxide are required because hydrogen peroxide loses its potency over time. However, in large concentrations it damages skin cells. This is a side effect that does not occur with honey.
Manuka Honey, also known as Leptospermum Honey, comes from a tree species that grows in New Zealand and Australia. Honey from these trees has a particularly strong anti-bacterial effect, even when diluted. Honeybees gather nectar from the flowers that grow on this tree and take it back to their hives where they produce this unique type of honey. “What makes Manuka Honey more potent in treating wounds and other health conditions is the present of an additional antibacterial compound other than hydrogen peroxide,” says Buonanotte. “This other antibacterial component has become known as the unique Manuka factor, also known as UMF.”
Honeymark’s wound care product containing Active UMF Manuka Honey is called “First Aid Antiseptic Lotion” and it is available on their website. Honeymark expects to have their products on the shelves of major retailers later this year. In addition to their wound dressing, Honeymark also makes Manuka Honey products that are effective in treating eczema, arthritis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, psoriasis, etc. Honeymark also plans to introduce a cosmetic line containing Manuka Honey by mid 2008.
Article Source: http://www.articleassets.com

Record Numbers Dying From MRSA Hospital Superbug

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on August 29, 2008

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Whenever the debate over NHS funding and efficiency is raised the controversy surrounding hospital cleanliness and the reported explosion in bugs and hospital contracted infections is rarely far behind.
It’s hardly surprising as more than 100,000 patients are reported to contract superbug infections every year - costing the NHS an estimated £1 billion plus. Figures show that record numbers of people are dying from either MRSA, the drug-resistant bug that infects surgical wounds, or from Clostridium Difficile (C Diff), a virulent form of diarrhea. In fact death certificates for 2006 showed that more than 8,000 patients died from superbug infections in England and Wales alone.

More than 55,000 cases (that’s more than 1,000 new cases every seven days) of C Diff occur each year and the number is rising. More people die from C.diff than die on our roads, with one in 250 death certificates citing C. difficile as a contributory or main factor.

National statistics reveal a dramatic increase in deaths from MRSA with MRSA mentioned on one in every 500 death certificates. Most of the deaths involving MRSA were in the older age groups with deaths involving MRSA in the 85 and over age group 916 and 417 deaths per million population for males and females respectively. In the under 45 age group male and female deaths were 3 and 2 per million respectively.

Patients Association chairman Michael Summers expressed concern with the trend commenting to the BBC: “We are disappointed by these new figures. It is clear that MRSA and hospital infections are winning the war in many of our wards.”

Both infections are preventable and treatable if identified and dealt with soon enough. The Government’s target, set in March 2004, is to halve the number of MRSA cases. As part of their offensive on the scourge of super bugs the government has overseen over the last 5 years the appointment of infection control managers responsible for hospital cleanliness. Improvements to date are reported to have been modest.

Amongst various measures put in place hospitals recently benefited from £40 million ‘deep clean’ however subsequent analysis revealed that since the campaign nearly a quarter of health trusts have still failed to meet basic hygiene standards. According to the annual ‘health check’ of English NHS trusts by the Healthcare Commission, 103 NHS trusts out of 391 are breaching guidelines brought in to tackle these hospital-acquired infections. In reality the figure might be even higher. Of the 103 trusts that now admit falling short on at least, 63 had been non-compliant the previous year. The commission has warned trusts they have 10 months to improve before a new regulator comes into force.

Yet when hospital managers take control of the situation, outcomes can improve. Speaking in the Daily Mail recently Edwina Currie cited her experience of The Royal Worcester Hospital where all its old commodes and every mattress had been replaced. Infection rates dramatically fell. She also recommended the thorough sterilization of equipment, clean uniforms and in particular staff washing their hands before they touch a patient as essential preventative measures.

Article Source: http://www.articleassets.com

So Why Am I Always Tired?

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on August 25, 2008

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Do you find yourself struggling to stay awake and constantly wondering why you’re always tired? The answer might be simple. There are several sleep disorders that could be responsible for your tiredness.

Now, the good news is that once the sleep disorder is diagnosed, it is usually easy enough to correct and, this way, eliminate that always tired feeling. There are a few things you can do at home if you want to determine if you have a simple sleep problem or a serious one - one that might require medical attention.

Keeping a sleep journal is the first thing you should do. This may shine some light on why you are always tired and help you to establish a good understanding of your sleep schedule as well as how many times a night you wake up. Simply write down the exact time at which you went to bed and when you awoke during the night. This alone can provide you with an answer to your question why am I always tired!

If it takes you a long time (usually longer than 15 minutes) to fall asleep, or if you wake up during the night, your body might not be getting an adequate amount of rest. This could result in you feeling always tired.

Another thing that most doctors suggest to people who are always tired, is to take a closer look at their caffeine intake during the day and, especially, at night. If you are consuming an excessive amount of caffeine, it will certainly hinder your ability to sleep.

If, after trying the above suggested examples, you are still unable to answer the question why am I always tired then you should seek medical advice from your physician. There are several possible reasons why a person is always tired and those reasons can range from something as simple as trying to sleep when the room temperature is too high or too low, to more serious sleep conditions, such as sleep apnea.

Sleep studies can usually determine why a person is always tired. The testing for sleep apnea and other sleep disorders requires a patient to spend the night in a sleep lab for monitoring. During the night a test called a polysomnogram study or (PSG) is performed. To complete this test, the doctors have to attach electrodes (sticky little pads that have wires attached to them) to the person’s head and body (don’t worry, it’s not painful at all and the glue washes off with soapy warm water).

The machine will then monitor your sleep and record several different parameters. One of them is your breathing (to determine if sleep apnea is the problem). It will also look at how you go through different stages of sleep, to determine if you are able to reach all of them or not. The muscle movements of your body will also be examined, to see if jerking muscles are disrupting your sleep. Some people with this problem describe it as running a marathon in their sleep. And if that’s what you’re doing, believe me, you will always be tired.

Putting yourself through this test may not be the most pleasurable thing, but it will give you a good chance of answering the question why am I always tired.

Alex Adair writes on various subjects related to health and fitness.

By Alex Adair

Always Feel Tired And Don’t Know Why?

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on August 25, 2008

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If you always feel tired despite sleeping well at night, you may be making simple lifestyle mistakes which are what really is causing your tiredness. Of course, if you sleep too little, you need to look no further in order to find what’s making you feel tired, but if you do sleep at night, here are some possible explanations:

1. You don’t sleep the correct number of hours — I’m not talking about sleeping more, but sleeping the right number of hours. It is possible to sleep more and wake up feeling more tired. The secret is to sleep in 90 minutes increments. This is because our body completes a full sleeping cycle in that time frame. Waking up in the middle of a cycle leaves the body feeling incomplete. Therefore, it’s better to sleep 7.5 hours than 8.

2. You’re dehydrated — If you’re not drinking enough water you may be dehydrated without even knowing it and making yourself tired in the process. Drink 8-12 glasses of water each day. I know it may seem hard to drink that much, but think about it: it’s less than a glass an hour. That isn’t so difficult to manage.

3. Your diet isn’t good for you — If you’re eating the wrong things, your body may lack a supply of easy to burn energy. Try to reduce the amount of fat that you consume (especially fat that comes from fried and fast food) and increase the amount of complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, cereals, and whole flour pasta.

Simple things can make you feel a lot more energetic and help you to stop being tired. If you always feel tired, use the 3 tips I’ve written above. They can help you a lot.

Click here to read more tips on how to feel less tired

To improve the way you feel and sleep less hours each night, click here:
How To Sleep Less And Still Feel Great.

John Davenport writes about tiredness on this webpage: How To Never Feel Tired

By, John Davenport

Always Tired? Try Tai Chi For Better Sleep

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on August 24, 2008

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If you seem to never be able to get a good night’s rest and you are always tired, you may need to just add a little exercise to your routine. Recent studies have shown that practicing the ancient Chinese marital art of Tai Chi can actually improve your quality of sleep.

In a recent study performed by UCLA researchers looked at a group of 112 older adults who were all in good health but had trouble sleeping and were always tired. The participants were divides into two different groups, half were taught 20 moves in that ancient art of Tai Chi while the other half took classes about sleep habits, diet, and stress management.

The study revealed that the group of participants who were performing the very simple moves of Tai Chi no longer complained that they were always tired and showed marked improvement in the quality and frequency of their sleep. Not only were they not always tired, but the regular day time problems such as the drowsiness and fogginess you get with always being tired improved as well.

The great benefits of using Tai Chi to help you get the rest that your body needs is a safe and natural method that does not have any of the harsh side effects or complications with health problems and worries about possible drug interactions that you would have to deal with when taking sedatives or other drugs for aiding sleep. Also, with Tai Chi you do not have to worry about always being tired even after you sleep which can often happen with some sedatives that leave you drowsy and feeling wiped out the next day even though you are getting to sleep at night.

Additionally, you get the added benefits of Tai Chi itself which can help you improve both your physical and mental well being. The soft, fluid movements of Tai Chi are non-stressful on your body and is something that can be practiced by nearly anyone. So if you are always tired, maybe the ancient art of Tai Chi can help you find a more peaceful night.

Sherry Harris is the author of the successful e-book “101 Amazingly Simple Ways to Beat Insomnia”. Get the FREE e-book at http://www.ScentToSleep.com Hope you enjoyed the article topic Always Tired. Knock-out insomnia with aromatherapy sleep mist, so you can wake up refreshed and energized visit us now.

What is Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

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on August 24, 2008

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Fibromyalgia Syndrome is a condition that strikes millions of men and women. Although not a disease process, Fibromyalgia is an often-times debilitating condition with symptoms such as wide-spread pain, and non-restorative sleep, A diagnosis of Fibromyalgia may well accompany a diagnosis of another condition, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or auto-immune disorders.

Fibromyalgia is usually diagnosed by Rheumatologists, although any MD can perform the tender-point test used to diagnose it. The tender-point test is often wrongly referred to as a trigger-point test for Fibromyalgia. Trigger points refer to the pain associated with myofascial pain syndrome, not Fibromyalgia.

Physicians are often quick to misdiagnose Fibromyalgia as depression or hypochondria; it is not either condition. People with Fibromyalgia have more Substance P, the neurotransmitter for pain. This causes a decreased pain threshold, which is often disconcerting for the patient, as they have no idea why a small injury, for instance, may produce severe pain.

Proper sleep is imperative for Fibromyalgia treatment, as people with Fibromyalgia syndrome often do not reach stage four sleep. Healing from things like normal small muscle tears, takes place during stage four sleep.

Another common complaint of people with Fibromyalgia is fibrofog, otherwise known as brainfog. Studies suggest that this is caused due to the over-burden on the brain dealing with the constant pain a victim of Fibromyalgia suffers.

Although the Fibromyalgia prognosis isn’t terminal, many people that suffer from it do seem to report that Fibromyalgia progression is common; progressive in terms of people feeling worse. This is an issue of much debate in the Fibromyalgia community.

Many with Fibromyalgia find Fibromyalgia support groups either on the internet or through their Fibromyalgia physician. One such support organization is at http://www.fibrofoglights.org

At this time, there is no Fibromyalgia cure. Yet many are learning to control the associated pain and sleep problems with proper medications and other treatments. You are not alone, and it’s not all in your head.Patricia Fuller is a freelance writer.

Can Yeast Infection be Caused by Antibiotics?

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on August 24, 2008

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Yeast infection is one of the most common health problems. It can happen to all range of population including men, women, children or even babies. Yeast Infection, however, is found to be more annoying in women, since it causes rash and itch in the vaginal area. Many people may have interest to know if there is an involvement in using antibiotics and the occurrence of yeast infection. This article will talk about the relationship between antibiotics and yeast infection.

When you take antibiotics for example to treat the sore throat or sinus infection, the antibiotics you take can disturb your body system. Do you notice that when you have that, you get the softer stools when you go to the bathroom? Some even got the mild diarrhea due to the taking of antibiotics. This is because the antibiotics disturb the condition in your bowel. They kill some of the germs, which is called “normal flora” when the body is normal, in the bowel. And that makes some of the germs grow faster and cause you the diarrhea. In medical study, this is the mild site effect that you could have when taking antibiotics. It is acceptable if the symptom do not go beyond what the patient can bear.

Yeast infection can be caused by the same scenario. When you take antibiotic to cure your sinusitis, sinus infection, it kills unwanted bacteria in your sinus. However, it also kills the good bacteria in your vagina. This upsets the balance of vaginal ecological system. The condition allows yeast to take over the area. This causes the yeast infection in the vagina. Therefore, antibiotics can cause yeast infection to a certain person. But not every person will have the condition. Some people are more tolerant than the others. And not every type of antibiotics can cause yeast infection problem. This again depends on the person. Some get it every time they take antibiotics and others don’t. Some people get it by just using antibacterial deodorant soap. This applies to the same principle.

Antibiotics and yeast infection are related. This article reveals what are the relation and how you can use this knowledge to apply to your life.
By Jim Somchai