Health Benefits of Cranberries, Black Walnuts, and Buttermilk

I should call this article the health benefits of scones. There are many ways to strengthen the immune system. The best ways are to spend time with those you care for, being kind to yourself, and good food never hurts---make a date for Teatime.

During the holidays I try do something special, something iconic and Christmas-y. To many of us in the USA, that means doing something reminiscent of a “Victorian, English Christmas.” This year I invited a group of friends to Christmas Tea at the Fleur De Lys Mansion B&B.

Tea refers to several different meals in countries, which were formerly part of the British Empire. Teatime is the time at which the tea meal is usually eaten, which is typically in the late afternoon, or early evening when tea is traditionally served.

The Fleur De Lys Mansion B&B is a gorgeous, luxury inn set in the grandeur of a 19th century mansion and features dark woods, leaded glass windows, fire places, granite tile, and deep, soft brocade couches. Fleur De Lys is located in St. Louis, Missouri’s grand, historic district of Compton Heights.

Our wonderful tea was prepared Jane Muscroft of Queen’s Cuisine LLC. Jane was born and bred in Melton, Leicester, England. She arrived in America in 2000 and moved to St. Louis in 2007. She gives cookery classes at a local supermarket chain, has a catering business, and sells pastries online and at local farmer’s markets.

According to Jane’s website, English afternoon tea dates back to 1840 and the home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, Belvoir Castle, which is just 12 miles from Jane's home town of Melton. Anna Maria Stanhope, the 7th Duchess of Bedford was visiting and asked for tea and bread to be served in her quarters as it was mid-afternoon and she needed a little something to stave off the 'sinking feeling' she was having. Typically a Victorian dinner was not to be served until 8 pm in the evening.

Over time the original bread and butter became sandwiches, scones and clotted cream were added as well as delicate little pastries and desserts.  Afternoon tea was born and became a social affair of Victorian Britain for the ladies of the upper classes. Afternoon tea was initially served in private residences. Then in the finest hotels of London began providing afternoon tea. Today afternoon tea is a tradition at the Ritz and Harrods in London as well many other tearooms, department stores and hotels around the world.

Jane tells us “Somewhere along the line, Americans got the idea that "high tea" meant "fancy," as in "high class." In fact, a high tea is simply a light meal with a meat dish or two, often eaten by laborers. The stereotypical tea with scones, clotted cream and jam is properly known as "cream tea." Add some dainty sandwiches and other pastries and it's called "afternoon tea."

Jane’s scones inspired me and as a Christmas present for my sister-in-law I made scones for the first time. I choose to make Cranberry-Black Walnut Scones, which are made with buttermilk. I made this recipe because of the inherent healthiness of cranberries, black walnuts, and buttermilk!--- The wonderful flavor, and the way scones make breakfast, or tea, a transcendent experience was an afterthought, right? (Also, amazingly easy to make)

Cranberry & Walnut Scones

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Serves: 12, Yield: 12 Scones

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour-all I had-worked out great)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup sugar (I used turbinado sugar—much healthier than refined white)

2 tablespoons margarine (I used butter)

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, nonfat

Cooking spray (I used parchment paper-no yucky sprays for me)

3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (I put 1/3 cup right in the dough to take advantage of health benefits)

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Directions 

Pre-heat oven to 400°F

Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, or use parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cranberries.

Add buttermilk and vanilla, stirring with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with walnuts and 1 ½ teaspoons sugar.

Bake at 400F for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Makes 12 (13) scones.

Health Benefits

Cranberries

The website teachervision.com tells us Native Americans made pemmican, deer meat and mashed cranberries mixed together as a survival cake that kept for long periods of time, long before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. They used cranberries for their medicinal value in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. Cranberry juice was a natural dye for rugs, blankets and clothing. To the Delaware Indians in New Jersey cranberry was used as a symbol of peace. The German and Dutch settlers came up with "crane berry," because the vine blossoms resembled the neck, head and bill of a crane, which became the word cranberry we use today. The cranberry is one of only a handful of fruits native to the USA.

The health benefits of cranberry juice include relief from urinary tract infection, respiratory disorders, kidney stones, cancer, and heart disease. It is also beneficial in preventing stomach disorders and diabetes, as well as gum diseases caused by dental plaque. Phytonutrients, which are naturally derived plant compounds, are present in cranberries and have been found to prevent a wide range of health problems.

Buttermilk

L.V. Anderson, on slate.com, tells us that the confusion surrounding this drink dates back to the 18th century or before. While some historical sources use the word buttermilk to describe the byproduct of butter making, others use it to describe milk that had gone sour from sitting around too long before being used to make butter. The butter by-product, buttermilk, could be either “sour,” if you started out with the off milk, or “sweet,” if you started out with fresh cream.

Before the 20th century, buttermilk could refer to at least three different categories of beverage regular old milk that had gone sour, the sour by-product of churning sour milk or cream into butter, and the “sweet” by-product of churning fresh milk or cream into butter. “By the late 1800s, buttermilk had taken on a more specific meaning and usage in the kitchen. Cookbooks started calling for the sour version of buttermilk in recipes for bread made with baking soda.”

Buttermilk helps improve the body’s immune system as it prepares to fight diseases. Buttermilk contains all essential nutrients required by our body, but contains few fats and calories. It is often included in weight loss diets. The vitamin B12 helps synthesize the fatty and amino acids, in addition to fighting anemia and stress, while promoting nerve cell growth. B12 is also aids in converting glucose into energy. The potassium and riboflavin in the buttermilk helps lower blood pressure, and the calcium improves bone health.

The cosmetic industry has made extensive use of it in beauty products. Buttermilk is good facial mask that softens, and the lactic acid brightens and exfoliates the skin to create a youthful look, while its astringent nature removes blemishes, freckles and tightens sagging skin.

Black walnut 

Walnuts were found in prehistoric deposits dating from the Iron Age in Europe. They are mentioned in the Bible; King Solomon's nut garden dates back to 940 BC. The Black Walnut ( Juglans nigra L.) is a native of eastern North America. They grow mostly alongside rivers from southern Ontario, Canada west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia and southwest to central Texas. Black walnuts were an important food for American Indians and early settlers.

The website grandmasherbs.com tells us black walnut is known as a vermifuge—worm and parasite remover. Worms and parasites are a problem even in the United States. It is thought that even with our standards of sanitation nearly a third of the population is infected with parasites. Parasites like ringworm, pinworm and tapeworm have been a problem with humanity for thousands of years.

Black walnut is an antiseptic, a germicide, a parasitic, and a laxative and can ridding the body of intestinal parasites and tapeworms, heals skin conditions, fungal infections, and balances sugar levels. The nut is thought to oxygenate the blood, provides a source of iodine and omega 3 fatty acids. It also is able to burn up excessive toxins and fatty materials.

http://www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-walnut-scones-440914

http://natural-medicinal-herbs.com/herbs/black-walnut.htm

http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=440914http://www.altmedicine101.com/buttermilk

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-cranberry-juice.html

http://qconline.us/About_Us.html

http://www.thefleurdelys.com/

A Book Review: Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice

The gift of knowledge--a really great story, a history, or the biography of an amazing person--a book is the best present ever! For a graduation, birthday, Chanukah, Christmas, or your special holiday, you can’t go wrong with a book.

When it comes to gift giving, I do believe it is the thought behind the gift that counts. I want to give gifts that are memorable, but finding a memorable gift can be a challenge. Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice, by Bill Browder, is a memorable book. 

Bill Browder was the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005. Red Notice is autobiographical. Bowder was born and raised in the US. In rebellion to his family’s communist and socialist ideals, as a student he sets his sights on becoming a great capitalist.

The book starts with Browder, the founder of Hermitage Capital Management and investment adviser to the largest foreign investment fund in Russia, sitting in a Russian airport waiting to be passed through passport security. In 2005 he was denied entry to the country and declared a “threat to national security” as a result of his battle against corporate corruption.

He holds a BA in economics from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Stanford Business School. Before founding Hermitage, Browder was vice president at Salomon Brothers. As the founder of The Hermitage Fund, he made, then lost, and made a second fortune investing in Russia. Red Notice is the shocking truth of what it is like to do business in Moscow.

According to Browder’s website: Browder was once the largest foreign investor in Russia, making his investors piles of money, but if he had to do it all over again, he never would have entered the country in the first place. "I now understand how completely naive I was to think that as a foreigner I was somehow immune to the barbarity of the Russian system," says Browder.

Browder tells the story of his friend, Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was murdered in prison in 2009. Magnitsky uncovered a $230 million fraud committed by Russian government officials. Russian authorities raided and seized Hermitage Fund’s investment companies and used the Fund to steal $230 million of taxes.

Following Browder’s expulsion, the Fund’s lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky choose to investigate the tax fraud and the officials who perpetrated it. Magnitsky was arrested by the same officials who he implicated in the fraud. In prison he was tortured for 358 days and ultimately killed in custody at the age of 37. Browder began a campaign to expose Russia’s endemic corruption and human rights abuses and to exact justice for Magnitsky.

Browder began a fight for justice in the Magnitsky case. However, in Russia the government officials responsible for the lawyer’s death had been exonerated and some even promoted. Browder took his campaign to America where the US Congress adopted the ‘Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act’ in 2012. This act imposed visa sanctions and asset freezes on the corrupt official’s responsible for the detention, ill treatment and death of Sergei Magnitsky.

This law was the first time the US sanctioned Russia in 35 years. It has become the model for all subsequent US sanctions against Russia. This act has become a model, worldwide, for dealing with oligarchs and those who abuse “human rights.” This has angered Russia’s President Putin.

Luke Harding, The Guardian online news UK, 2015, interviewed Browder in London. Browder said,  “Unlike in communist times, ….the west isn’t dealing with a hostile ideology. [Browder’s] thesis – which I share – is that Putin and his law enforcement and spy agencies are in effect running Russia as a “criminal enterprise” for their own financial gain. Anyone who stands up to them – such as Magnitsky – faces being shot, arrested or penalized.”

Harding tells us, “Browder says his problem isn’t with Russia as such but with the powerful clique of ex-KGB spies who have grabbed the state.”

Russian readers may download a free copy of the Russian edition of Red Notice off the Internet at Bill Browder’s website.

http://www.billbrowder.com

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/25/-sp-bill-browder-kremlin-threatened-to-kill-me-vladimir-putin

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Notice-Finance-Murder-Justice/

Grief, Loss and Coping Skills

To the people of France, I say You Are Not Alone. This is a trial of the Spirit. You are in my prayers and I send you blessings of hope and courage. We in the USA are your younger siblings in liberty and as family in times of stress and threat, we pull together. May hope motivate your actions, thoughts, and healing in evil times.

Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., in her article On Grief, Loss and Coping quotes Rob Zucker, grief counselor, “We don’t come into our grief as a blank slate. What you bring to the table will impact how you process your loss.” Journalist Ruth Davis Konigsberg in her book, The Truth About Grief: The Myth of its Five Stages and the New Science of Loss, tells us  “…probably the most accurate predictors of how someone will grieve are their personality and temperament before the loss.”

Zucker, author of The Journey Through Grief and Loss: Helping Yourself and Your Child When Grief Is Shared, describes several patterns or themes that individuals may experience. Following the loss, some individuals experience a deep sense of disbelief, which might serve as a buffer in processing the harshness of reality. Zucker states high levels of anxiety also are common while some individuals experience “an absence of emotions,” they question “What’s wrong with me?”

Research has shown we tend to accommodate and recover after loss more quickly than previously thought. For most people the intense grief with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, shock and intrusive thoughts tends to subside within six months. However, other studies show that although these symptoms dissipate we “still continue to think about and miss [our] loved ones for decades. Loss is forever, but acute grief is not…”

Resilience is the individual’s ability to adapt or rebound quickly from change, illness, or bad fortune. In the past resilience was considered rare and reserved for particularly healthy people. However, Bonanno writes in a 2004 American Psychologist “Resilience to the unsettling effects of interpersonal loss is not rare but relatively common…and does not lead to delayed grief reactions.” Zucker tells us there is “no prescription or rulebook” for coping. There are lots of different ways to cope with grief, Bonanno said. Often coping with grief is about just getting it done, putting one foot in front of the other, or doing what feels right to you.

Research shows that “only people who are doing poorly [with grief] should get treatment.

Only about 15 percent of people experience complicated grief. Zucker reports effective treatments focus on getting people back into their life and moving forward.

Research, by Crescence Allen, psychologist, shows that coping activities need to be consistent with your personality traits. Internal locus of control individual’s benefit by activities such as journaling, listening to music or reading self-help books. External locus of control individuals will gravitate to self-help groups, confiding in friends and group projects. Both personality types respond to and benefit by spiritual activities.

J. William Worden, professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, tells us grief is work. The tasks are to accept the reality of the loss; work through to the pain of grief; adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing; and emotionally let go and move on with life.

Worden reports there is no magic in the one- or two-year healing date following a loss. His model acknowledges that death does not end a relationship; moving forward is a dynamic process that may continue through the life cycle. He believes personalized, meaningful commemoration, and rituals may facilitate this [healing] process.

Love endures death. Worden tells us the loss of a significant loved one is not something just to be "gotten over.” The work of grief involves learning to live with and adjust to the loss, according to Worden. The goals of grief work include regaining an interest in life, feeling hopeful again, redefining and recreating a purpose.

Grief is of the spirit, mind, and emotions while stress is the body's response. When the self feels in peril of physical death, the body reacts with fight, flight, or freeze behavior. This fear sets off a biochemical chain reaction leading to feelings of panic, such as dizziness, rapid breathing, or a racing heartbeat.

We often are more compassionate to other’s emotional and physical needs but turn a blind eye to our own needs. It is essential to watch for and keep aware of the body’s post-traumatic stress reactions an inability to work or function, fears that you cannot control, or recurring traumatic memories.

The brain is hard-wired with a protection protocol. During threat, the brain signals the body to release a burst of hormones that fuel the capacity for a response. Once the acute threat is gone, the body is meant to return to a normal relaxed state. However when feelings of threat are chronic, it is essential to develop strategies for dealing with the biochemical stress, hyper-vigilance and anxiety.

Symptoms Stress

Headache

Muscle tension or pain

Chest pain

Fatigue

Change in sex drive

Stomach upset

Sleep problems

Anxiety

Restlessness

Lack of motivation or focus

Irritability or anger

Sadness or depression

Overeating or under eating

Angry outbursts

Drug or alcohol abuse

New or increased tobacco use

Social withdrawal

When the body is always on high alert, over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems. Develop and practice a range of stress management techniques before stress adversely impacts your health, relationships, and quality of life.

Coping Skills for Grief and Stress

Identify your thoughts and feelings and express them in some way

Share your process with someone you trust 

Journal your process what you’re feeling, thinking and doing

Reach out and talk to loved ones

Express your grief through physical activity or art

Consider how you’ve managed and handled tough times in the past

Develop new tools, such as meditation, physical activity or deep breathing

Research shows positive emotions and laughter are tremendously helpful

Meditation and prayer

Participate in rituals that honor your loss and help in the search for meaning

As we are anchored in our spiritual beliefs, we know we will see our loved ones again. We know also that no matter how much we miss them, they would not choose for us to live in sorrow, or guilt.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/on-grief-loss-and-coping/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/basics/stress-basics/hlv-20049495

Maslow, A. (1998). Toward a psychology of being, 3rd edition. New York: Wiley.

Worden, J.W. (1991). Grief counseling and grief therapy: A handbook for the mental health practitioner, 2nd edition. New York: Springer.

http://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-stress

Saunas Flush Out Toxins and Disease

Human beings have used sweat baths for hygienic and health purposes since the Stone Age. Our ancestors saw the value of sweating and flushing out toxins and disease as a way to maintain optimal physical and mental health.

Cultures around the world have versions of the sweat bath: The ancient Roman Thermae, the Japanese Onsen, the Russians Banya, and Native North American’s Inipi (sweat lodge), and the Turkish bath or Hamam. However, in the U. S. the Finnish Sauna seems most popular.

The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines sauna as: 1. A special heated room in which people sit or lie down in order to get hot and sweat, 2. A Finnish steam bath in which the steam is provided by water thrown on hot stones, and 3. A dry heat bath; also: a room or cabinet used for such a bath.

The skin, largest organ in the body plays a major role in the detoxifying toxins through the pores. To regulate the body's elevated temperature, the skin produces sweat. The skin transforms toxins from lipid-soluble, fat or oil-based, into easier to eliminate water-soluble forms and flushes them out through the pores.

Our modern lifestyles can lead to inactive skin. Many of us don't sweat, especially during the winter months. Modern synthetic fibers, tight clothing that doesn't allow the skin to breathe, excessive prolonged sun exposure, and a sedentary lifestyle can damage our skin and inactivate the natural ability to eliminate toxins.

We are exposed to hundreds of chemicals during the course of our lives and our health is negatively impacted. Physicians and scientists are now acknowledging that regular sweating is a safe and natural way to heal. Sweating can detox toxic chemicals and metals from the body faster than any other method.

Physicians and scientists are now acknowledging that regular sweating is a safe and natural way to heal. From innocent bath products such as shampoos, shower gels, lotions and soaps to deodorants. Household cleaning solvents, detergent residues on clothes and chemicals from the bath or shower water also affect the skin. 

Benefits of regular sauna use include: healthy sweating; toxin elimination; releases built up body tensions, aches and pains; peace of mind; and may stimulate the skin to produce white blood cells and strengthen the immune system. Sauna use increases and improves the rate of blood circulation and breathing creating an effect similar to mild exercise. It burns about 300 calories per average session and combined with a healthy diet and moderate exercise helps you lose weight, stay fit, and be healthy.

By enhancing circulation cells, tissues and organs receive greater oxygenation. Oxygen increases the body's energy and promotes healing. Heating the body’s tissues and speeds up the metabolism, as a result the cells are gradually capable of eliminating toxins much more effectively.

Dr. Whitaker, on his website, tells us there are tens of thousands of man-made chemicals in our environment, food, water and air. “No matter how pure your diet or lifestyle, I guarantee that your body contains traces of hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals such as pesticides, drugs, solvents and dioxins.” Sweating is an effective way to get rid of them. According to Whitaker, your eccrine glands put out about a quart of sweat a day but in a sauna, they pump out a quart of sweat in 15 minutes.

A recent research study, the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project looked at the health of the firemen, policemen, and other rescue and cleanup workers bore the brunt of this environmental disaster when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed on September 11, 2001. As a result of the massive amounts of toxins that were released, they experienced acute respiratory distress and a wide range of health issues including gastrointestinal complaints, worsening pulmonary problems, depression, irritability and cognitive disorders.

The 500 rescue workers, mostly firefighters between the ages of 35 and 45, completed a sauna detox program with excellent results. After treatment the number missed work days per month dramatically decreased, symptom scores dropped dramatically, 84 percent of participants discontinued all their drugs because their symptoms had cleared up, and there was significant improvements in thyroid function, balance, reaction time and even IQ!

According to Whitaker, in article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reports a study in which endothelial cells lining the arteries improved functioning by 40 percent when participants spent15 minutes a day in a sauna a day for 14 days. Researchers in Japan found that sitting in a sauna is very beneficial for congestive heart failure. The Japanese subjects, with serious heart failure, took daily saunas for four weeks and 13 of 15 patients had significant decreases in blood pressure. The Japanese subjects also demonstrated improvements in the heart’s pumping ability, exercise tolerance, and oxygen uptake.

Sauna use is considered helpful for:

                        Chronic fatigue

                        Mild depression

                        Rheumatoid arthritis

                        Musculoskeletal pain

                        Skin conditions

Some individuals prefer a far infrared sauna because it is part of the natural light spectrum.  Many consider it to be more comfortable. Typical saunas heat the air when the hot air contact the skin the body heats up. Far infrared light heats up the core body temperature by penetrating tissues directly and deeply. Because the air in the far infrared sauna is much cooler it easier to breathe and this allows you to stay in longer and work up a better sweat.

David Ewing Duncan published an article titled "The Pollution Within", in the 2006 October issue of National Geographic Magazine. His goal was to investigate what chemicals were hiding in his body. He found high levels of flame-retardants, pesticides, and dioxins that must have been acquired more recently. He also found high levels of DDE and PCBs that he had most likely absorbed as a child, which had never been processed out of his body.

A sauna assists the liver and kidneys with the process of body detoxification and is the only way to detoxify fat stored poisons. The heat loosens stored toxins, which are temporarily deposited into the bloodstream causing some first time sauna to experience a really bad headache when toxins enter the bloodstream.

The blood is pumped out to the surface of the skin to be cooled. The cooling process causes toxins to be expelled through the skin’s pores in the sweat solution. In other words the sauna facilitates the body’s natural working process of detoxification and powerful healing abilities.

If you find yourself trapped in a sedentary lifestyle because of work and family commitments or physical limitations, consider getting a home sauna and developing the sauna habit. I have recently started using a traditional sauna, hot air only, after my swimming session---three times a week for three weeks. I am thrilled by the results: decreased allergies, lungs feel stronger, skin looks livelier, muscle tension/cramping decreased, and I feel energized.

http://www.drwhitaker.com/health-benefits-of-a-sauna/

http://saunabenefits.com

http://www.pureinsideout.com/articles.html

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/sauna_health_benefits

Defeat Sinus Infections

Sinus infections are extremely difficult to overcome. Because of my many allergies, I used to suffer from serious, lingering sinus infections. It often seemed allopathic medication only created new issues like yeast infections, constipation, or diarrhea. My herbal studies course introduced me to an herbal combination that brought me relief and healing---Goldenseal and Eyebright.

Allopathic drugs, antibiotics, never really healed my sinus infections. I would take course after course of antibiotics and still have lingering problems after months of drugs.  The most obvious problem with antibiotics is that they destroy the healthy gut bacteria.

When taking a course of antibiotics many allopathic physicians now recommend that you take a probiotic or eat yogurt. Taking a probiotic or yogurt to replenish healthy gut bacteria is important. But remember some probiotics do not make it past the stomach, I know this from personal experience. If you have continuing intestinal issues, (gas, bloating, pain, mucus), consider getting an enteric-coated probiotic. The enteric-coated probiotic releases into the intestines and replenishes healthy bacteria.

Frustration and desperation with standardized drugs led me to the study of medicinal herbs. For everyday concerns herbs are much more effective with fewer side effects. Goldenseal is a powerful destroyer of infection, and Eyebright also has anti-bacterial properties while balancing the moisture  level the sinus membranes.

Because infection initiates the immune/inflammatory response, one should cut back on inflammation inducing foods when ill, such as: sugar, white processed flour, grape seed, cottonseed, safflower, corn and sunflower oils, Deep fried foods, fast foods, commercially baked goods, dairy products, feedlot-raised meats, alcohol, and artificial food additives. In other words when your sick keep it simple choose fresh organic fruits (especially pineapple) and vegetables, organic eggs, and organic chicken or turkey.

Goldenseal: Hydrastis Canadensis, Ranunculaceae (buttercup genus)

Goldenseal usually has a tall, fork-like stalk with multiple leaves at its tip. Two leaves are generally located near the ground. During blooming season, greenish or white flowers are at the stalk tip

Goldenseal is found in the eastern region of North America, southeast Canada and parts of Europe. It can be wild-crafted in areas from Ontario, Canada to Arkansas, USA and is cultivated in Washington and Oregon.

The Cherokee, Native Americans, used goldenseal for respiratory inflammation, digestive and genito-urinary tract problems, infection, general debility, dyspepsia, and to improve appetite. The Iroquois used a golden seal root decoction for earache, sore eyes, whooping cough, diarrhea, liver disease, fever, sour stomach, flatulence, pneumonia, and heart trouble.

European immigrants who landed on America learned the benefits of Goldenseal from the native tribes and it became a part of colonial medicinal care. Prof. Benjamin Smith Barton described the herb as an Iroquoian cure for cancer in the 1798 essay “Collections for an Essay Toward a Materia Medica of the United States.” The herb became popular in the early 19th century when renowned herbalist Samuel Thompson who promoted its medicinal benefits.

Modern uses of Goldenseal include used liver disease, duodenal ulcers, loss of eating sensation, swellings, cancer, and as an anti-inflammatory ointment for painful or painless swollen bumps. Goldenseal has been used for: Abscesses, digestion, allergic rhinitis, bladder and intestine infections, boils, candida albicans, glandular cleansing, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, earache, eczema, excessive menstruation, flatulence, gum infections, hemorrhoids, hay fever, laryngitis, liver disease, pneumonia, preventing cold and flu, reducing fevers, liver and spleen functions, constipation, relive congestion and excess mucous, ringworm, soothing irritated mucus membranes (eyes, ears, nose and throat), sores, sour stomach, thrush, ulcers, whooping cough, and wounds.

Drugs. Com tells us “few well-controlled clinical trials are available to guide dosage. Recommended dosages vary considerably: 250 mg to 1 g 3 times daily; some product labeling suggests dosages as high as 3,420 mg/day. Ten to 30 drops of the extract 2 to 4 times a day has been recommended for influenza.”

Goldenseal should be avoided during pregnancy as it stimulates contractions. Consult a physician if you have heart disease, diabetes, glaucoma, a stroke, or high blood pressure.

Eyebright: Euphrasia officinalis

Eyebright is a hardy, small annual plant native to Europe and is characterized by deeply cut leaves. Common to the heaths and the pastures of Britain, it is also found throughout much of the European continent. Eyebright is also found in the sub-arctic regions of the North America.

Eyebright tends to be sourced wild because it is hemi-parasitic and cultivation is very hard to accomplish. These wild plant populations are the source for most of the eyebright used in herbal remedies. The plant bears many small flowers and are gathered July to August.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, the herb was used to treatment eye afflictions such as conjunctivitis. Eastern European folk medicine often uses eyebright topically, as well as the internally, for the treatment of inflammations, stinging and weeping eyes, over-sensitivity to light, blepharitis, conjunctivitis, styes, hay fever, chronic sneezing and eye fatigue.

Eyebright reduces inflammation in the eyes and counters mucus accumulations by tightening the mucous membranes around the eyes. As a result eyebright is often used in the treatment of infection and allergic reactions. Eyebright is also excellent middle ear problems, sinus disorders, and mucous in the nasal passages. Eyebright is an astringent herb if dryness or stuffiness increases discontinue use.

Eyebright tea can be taken at a dose of two to three cups every day during the treatment period. The dried herb dosage of 2-4 grams can be taken three times a day, during the treatment period. Eyebright tincture is taken as a single dose of 2-6 ml three time every day of the treatment period.

Safety of internal consumption is not a big concern as Eyebright is an herbal remedy with few or limited side effects. However, women who are lactating or pregnant should avoid use since long-term use with pregnant patients has not been researched.

For those of us with allergic rhinitis, who also worry about the over use of antibiotics, Goldenseal and Eyebright offer real relief with no side effects. These herbs are anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and break down mucus. These amazing plants, with the glorious synergy of perfect nature, can do the work of three different drugs. I call this cost effective!

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-goldenseal.html

http://www.onlyfoods.net/goldenseal-herb-root-benefits-usage-and-side-effects.html

https://herbalmateriamedica.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/euphrasia-officinalis/

http://www.herbaltransitions.com/materiamedica/Euphrasia.htm

http://www.drugs.com/npp/goldenseal.html

Chronic Muscle Pain

Have you ever heard a physician say to you, “I’m looking at the x-rays and the MRI. I don’t see any thing wrong. There is nothing we can do for you except send you to a pain management clinic?” You go to pain management and their solutions are drugs that cloud you mind, destroy your bones and ruin your liver. Or worse yet, they recommend destroying some of your nerves. It is time to become knowledgeable and proactive.

When you experience a deep, aching muscle pain, a tender knotted muscle, a sensation of muscle weakness, tingling, and stiffness, or difficulty sleeping due to muscle pain that persists or worsens over time this is myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Tight muscle fibers may form in the muscles after injuries or overuse creating sensitive areas called trigger points. The trigger point causes strain and pain throughout the muscle causing other muscles to try to compensate. Over time this pattern of compensation creates further muscle strain creating a cascading chronic pain.

Fascia is a soft connective tissue located just below the skin, which wraps and connects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. Myofascial release is a massage therapy typically done by sports and rehabilitative massage therapists. MPS most often occurs in people between the ages of 30 and 60 years and affects men and women equally.

Tight muscle fibers occur for various reasons including disuse, not enough stretching, or injuries. The fascia and the underlying muscle tissue can become stuck together creating an adhesion. Adhesions restrict muscle movement, create pain and soreness, reduce flexibility, and may limit range of motion.

Myofascial release is also affective in treating patients with sloppy posture, chronic fatigue, severe tension and anxiety, and repetitive stress injuries. Other factors that increase your risk of muscle trigger points are stress and anxiety. The theory is that these individuals, when stressed, are more likely to clench their muscles, which is a form of repeated strain leaving muscles susceptible to trigger points.

Research suggests that myofascial pain syndrome may develop into fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia, a chronic condition, features widespread pain and is believed to occur when the brain has become more sensitive and reactive to pain signals over time.

Trigger points are highly sensitive areas within the muscle, which are painful to touch and may cause pain that is often felt in another area of the body; this is called referred pain. Active trigger points are always sore and may prevent the full use of the muscle leading to weakness and decreased range of motion. A latent trigger point does not cause pain during normal activities, however, it is tender when touched and may be activated by muscle strain, overwork, fatigue, injury or cold.

Often physical therapy is recommended for MPS, which includes stretching, postural and strengthening exercises. Therapeutic massage therapy can loosen tight muscles and relieve cramping or spasms. It is important to address lifestyle factors, such as poor posture, workplace ergonomics, or mechanical problems, hypothyroidism, vitamin D and magnesium levels, as well as stress that contribute to pain.

Lifestyle factors:

•                Improve your posture

•                Reduce your body weight

•                Exercise regularly

•                Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet

•                Learn stress-management techniques

•                Use proper techniques at work, and during exercise and sports

The normal, healthy state of fascia is a relaxed, supple web, like the weave in a loose-knit sweater. Restricted fascia looses pliability and may create pulls, tensions, and pressure as great as 2,000 pounds per square inch. The fascia system is a continuous running from the bottom of the feet through the top of the head and has three layers. Superficial fascia lies directly below the skin and stores fat and water. Nerves to run through it, and allows muscle to move the skin. Deep fascia surrounds and infuses with muscle, bone, nerves, and blood vessels. The deepest fascia interfaces within the durra of cranial sacral [spinal] system.

Fascia restrictions do not show up on MRI scans or X-rays making diagnosis more difficult. Pain caused by myofascial tightness is due to restrictions within the fascial system, which is the web of connective tissue that spreads throughout the body and surrounds every muscle, bone, nerve blood vessel, and organ to the cellular level. These restrictions can play a significant role in the malfunction of the spinal structure; lymph and blood flow in the extremities and proper organ function.

Self care aims to control pain and keep muscles and joints warm and loose and includes:

• Anti-inflammatory pain relievers (herbs such as white willow bark and boswellia)
• Applying heat to soothe constricted muscles or using ice to calm swollen areas
• Performing self-stretching exercises to maintain flexibility and increase range of motion 
• Aerobic exercise to increase blood flow to the affected areas 

Other treatments include: 

• Chiropractic manipulation,
• Physical therapy, or occupational therapy
• Acupuncture

The rehabilitative massage therapist may use light to moderate traction and twisting strokes to apply the appropriate tension on the soft tissue to achieve a full reflex range of the muscle and to unblock fascia and muscle. The therapist may also use a hands-on, kneading-style strokes that are meant to stretch, loosen, soften and lengthen muscle tissues. The stretch is performed until the muscle is totally relaxed and a release is felt.

Myofascial Release is considered a neuromuscular therapy massage. Because painful muscle spasms occur when our muscles lack adequate blood flow. The lack of blood flow allows lactic acid to accumulates in the muscle. Neuromuscular massage disperses the lactic acid so the deficient muscle can accept a clean supply of oxygen and blood flow. 

Does our height need to shrink as we age? Do we need to have age related scoliosis, curvature of the spine? Many body workers, massage therapists say no. They know from the daily practice of their profession that through massage and myofascial stretching people can regain height. There is a theory that some of the shrinking in spinal discs results from the contraction of the fascia---pressing on the discs not allowing proper hydration.

Massage is absolutely essential to healthy aging. And myofascial massage is essential to anyone with chronic muscle pain.

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/physical-therapy/myofascial-release-therapy

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myofascial-pain

Borg-Stein J. Treatment of fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and related disorders. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2006 May;17(2):491-510, viii.

Past Lives and Regression Therapy

Have you ever watched a movie of a historical event and been overcome with sadness and grief? Have you ever walked into a historical site and experienced extreme anxiety, for no reason?  Have you ever met a stranger and felt déjà vu---we’ve met before? These emotions are not random.

Human beings do not have random emotions. These emotions are attached to unconscious memories. The most effective way to deal with unconscious emotions resulting from traumatic events in this current life, or that are attached to past life events is Past Life Therapy (PLT), which is often called often called Regression Therapy.

To my thinking, Past Life Therapy (PLT) should be called life therapy. As a “life therapy” the goal is to free the individual in all aspects of life---to be the person you want to be mind, body and spirit.

Mind, body, and spirit living is a holistic way of living. In the U. S. we are having a renaissance in our approach to spiritual living. People are recognizing that the enlivening, immortal spirit continues always and is a resource today. We are recognizing that the mind is a nearly unlimited storehouse of data. The beliefs and value judgments we attach to this data create our quality of life mind/emotions, body and spirit.

What is Past Life Regression? It is branch of hypnotherapy, which has grown over the last 50 years to be an important addition to the healing arts. It is a therapeutic technique for accessing and re-experiencing your past lives directly. 

What does the average person have to gain from past life therapy? The most essential answer is to say less stress. Do not underestimate the power of this statement—less stress. Stress leads to inflammation (heart disease, cancer, obesity, high blood pressure diabetes, etc.), emotional issues (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, obsession, addiction), relationship problems, work problems, negative self-judgment, and more.

The historical or religious connotations of the words “past lives” are a huge topic requiring a knowledge base I do not have---there are many good books in the library. Hans TenDam, Dutch psychologist and internationally known PLT instructor, warns us---don’t get lost in “past life tourism.” In other words, the past life is only important in what it brings to the current life for good or ill.

It is thought that child prodigies who are piano virtuosos, speak languages they have never heard, solve intricate mathematical equations, and have specific knowledge of geography and historical events are really tapping in to past life memories.

According to Hans TenDam, PLT is regression therapy in which we accept that scenes from apparent past lives may emerge. Regression therapy derives its name from its method: recovering and reliving past experiences. The goal is the release of tension and anxiety that results from repressed feelings by bringing memories into consciousness.

Dr. Morris Netherton, my mentor, tells us it is not necessary for the client to believe in past lives for the process to work. Nor does the client need to have a specific religious, or spiritual outlook. What is needed is a willingness to accept that his/her own unconscious mind holds all the answers to current problems. Netherton focuses on the here and now life concerns.

British psychiatrist Denys Kelsey became well known in the 1950’s for his work in past life regression. He compared past-life therapy as a process with his work using traditional psychiatric techniques. Kelsey stated, “In a maximum of twelve hours of regression therapy, I can accomplish what will take a psychoanalyst three years.” (Source: Graham 1976) This speaks to the efficiency, effectiveness of the past-life therapy process.

Past-life therapy is generally short-term therapy, though the sessions are longer and tend to be more intensive than typical psychotherapy. Rabia Clark’s research (1995) shows that most therapists (74%) typically combine working in past lives with other therapeutic methods. Past-life therapy is a specialized form of regression therapy where you may regress to any point in life—adulthood, child hood, infancy, birth and the time in the womb, or previous to now.

Many therapists (26%) also do past-life therapy with children starting at about eight years of age. The main motives are childhood fears and phobias. Other motives are bed-wetting, dyslexia, depression, anger and hyperactivity.

Hans TenDam tells us about one third of clients will experience a past life while about one third remain in this life. About one third relive childhood events that appear to be older traumas that may be stimulated by past life memories. Brian Weiss, MD, psychiatrist in the U. S., (1993) found that about 40% of his patients had to go to past lives to solve their concerns.

Ten Dam tells us 40 percent of clients need regression to previous lifetimes as a key to emotional and physical healing. “When past life therapy is used to bring these long-repressed memories to awareness, improvement in the current symptoms is usually swift and dramatic.”

The clients’ primary motives for past-life therapy:

1.      Fears and phobias.

2.      Relationship problems and problems of connecting with people in general.

3.      Depressions.

4.      Physical complaints without medical explanation or not responding to medical care.

5.      Sexual problems.

6.      Addictions.

7.      Obesity and eating disorders.

Dr. Roger Woolger takes a spiritual approach. In an interview with Simon Martin (Here’s Health, December, 1991), Woolger tells us “past life memories are the autobiography of your eternal soul-—personal stories that explain who you are now and why you’re here on Earth.”

According to Woolger, “Fragments of past life memories often surface in dreams or at unexpected moments, perhaps as inexplicable abilities or as feelings of familiarity with places, historical periods and characters and the like.”

Woolger has a theory that false memories of abuse may be explained by past-life memories resurfacing during trauma. Woolger, states “Child abuse leads to shock, which can put children into an altered psychological state. And in that state they may well contact fragments of memories from past lives.”

Woolger asks, “How many of us through history have lost loved ones, seen our families wiped out by war and plague, and have not grieved? It takes a lot of energy to block feelings of pain, especially when we know we “should” be happy.” Past life/regression therapy gives allows us to put to rest patterns of sadness, sorrow and regret.

Dr. Woolger is a leading theorist and practitioner of past life therapy. His book Other Lives, Other Selves, is viewed to be one of the most comprehensive introductions to the psychological depths of past life regression.

Regression therapy is not to be confused with a past life reading, which is a passive process and has little therapeutic effect. Although some individuals try past life regression out of curiosity to see who they were in the past, for most it’s a path for personal growth and healing.

The benefits of Past Life Regression come with the help of a trained past life therapist, who can help you:

• Release fears and anxieties linked to past life traumas
• See personal relationships in a new light
• Release past life traumas at the root of physical problems
• Energize talents and abilities from the past
• Experience the transitional states of death and beyond
• Understand and align with life purpose 

Carol Bowman tells us we “were born not as a blank slate, but as a soul rich with both the wisdom and scars from many lifetimes.” Our unconscious memories create the patterns of choice and action that we weave into quality of life.

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, 


An everlasting vision of the ever-changing view


A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold

A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold

Read more: Carole King - Tapestry Lyrics | MetroLyrics

www.tasso.nl

http://www.earth-association.org/therapists-bios/hans-ten-dam-bio/

http://www.carolbowman.com/past-life-regression/

Understanding a Past Life Dream

Working through a past life dream is challenging and rewarding. There is no need to feel victimized by dreams and nightmares. Dreams are for healing, learning, and enlightenment (through a process of true acceptance and an action of forgiveness). Mastery of our dreams and past life memories can heal emotional and physical concerns and enhance mental, emotional and spiritual growth.

Past lives reveal the roots of our current patterns of life programming. You can identify: 1.Your coping skills, and hidden strengths and skills: 2. The root of maladaptive behaviors (alcoholism, eating disorders, feelings of financial insecurity); 3. The roots of emotional issues (anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress); and 4. The programming that leads to poor personal relationships at home and work.

How do you know you are working with a past life dream? The dream will feel historical and if you look for skin color, historical modes of dress (look at your feet), transportation, tools, etc.—you will see them. Sometimes a specific name or date sticks in your memory as you awaken. There will be a deep sense of “realness”---this was my life.

Be aware that we have all played many roles: males and females; heroes and villains; victims and victimizers; rich and poor, long lives and short lives; loved and despised; various races; various cultures; and various beliefs.

There are many books that give insights and techniques. For some people and dreams it is enough to recognize the dream as part of yourself, to accept and not judge (forgive). To understand a past life dream, you must look for patterns of cause and effect. (The idea of reward and punishment is too simplistic.) You could try this method:

• Write the dream down---write the dream in first person—“I am___, I did____”
• Tell yourself this is who I was in the past—I am not that person today, I do not have to be that person today
• If you saw something ugly and feel emotionally shocked pray for strength to help you heal---put the dream away until you are ready to work with it.
• Write down specific images that illicit strong emotions and make note of the emotion
• If every thing is hidden in blackness, ask yourself “Am I blind? Is something covering my eyes? Is this so horrible I refuse to see (accept) this event?”
• Go into a meditative state visualize strongly and re-experience the past life
• One of the most important things to do is heal your death---do not take negative thoughts into the next life. For example, say to yourself  “I leave behind fear of drowning—I take perfect beauty, health and self-respect into my next life.”

An actual past life memory, which emerged in a dream:

In the dream I am myself now, but I am looking back into the darkness following the chain links of lives and events. I see various people attached to the chain who are all me.

The blackness makes me feel as if I do not want to see what is happening. It reminds me of a previous dream that was all black, no visuals, just an intense feeling of regret, remorse and horror. (A dream I had close to 20 years ago) I did not want to see it and I did not want to talk about it, because it was so awful. When I awoke from that dream I was in shock. I could not think or focus my thoughts. I felt like I had done something so wrong my heart was a black empty hole.

I know now that I am looking at what I could not face in the previous dream. I am now ready to see the pattern of my past.

In this current dream I am looking back down the black iron chain to other past parts of myself. I am very aware of the links in the chain.

The self nearest me in time is unclear and basically unimportant at this time. He is a man who had died of syphilis. (His importance was made clear after I worked with the dream.)

The next person back in time was a Catholic nun.

The focus of my attention is on next person back in time. She is a richly dressed courtesan woman in a red dress a large veiled hat with a feather. This woman has leprosy. She seems to be the focus of the past life memory. She is deeply conflicted. (I can feel her inner conflict and shame.) She is trying to pretend she does not have leprosy. She does not want to be isolated and shunned. She is dependent on her beauty to survive and does not care if she puts others at risk. She cannot bear to give up her lifestyle---to be alone.

A nun confronts the woman about her self-absorption and tries to stop her evil and wickedness. The nun tells the leper courtesan to separate herself from the people of the community. The courtesan will not stop. The nun's beliefs and sense of duty drive her to kill the courtesan. She buries the leper women in unconsecrated ground.

As I am the leper woman in spirit, I watch as the nun buries my body by a tree. I can see into the graveyard to the place where the good people are buried. I feel isolated and alone. In the spirit I feel compassion for the nun who has killed me. I know she has damaged her soul to protect the people from leprosy. (In spirit I am standing behind the tree as the nun reverently buries my body.)

Again as I look back further down the chain of past lives I see another lifetime hiding in the blackness. When I allow myself to feel it I can see it.

I see the lifetime when we as people had been bioengineered. (Lemuria? Atlantis?) We have the ability to destroy our enemies by looking at them. This technology is supposed to protect us from what we fear so we always feel safe. But the technology has mutated. Anytime we look at anyone else, even in friendship, this self-defense lazar mechanism activates. Our fear has created our own prison. I see myself as burned and mutilated and lost in my isolation. 

As I awaken from the past life dream I feel confused, guilty and ashamed. What do I do with a dream like this? Are these people my past? First I must always face the emotions. The emotions verify the reality of the significant dream.  No life is perfect, but by accepting the truth we are set free.

First, I accept my emotions. I draw on my spirituality and accept what I have seen. God forgives the repentant person. The hard part is to forgive myself. Forgiveness is essential to be free of the past programming. Past lives' feelings and actions are not me now.

Negative self-judgment is not useful. When I allow the strength of the mental mind to take over, I can look at the dream with discernment.

The dream seems to lacks internal logic. How can I be the nun killing the leper woman and be the leper woman at the same time? Is this truly a chain of connected past lives? Answer: I am not the nun killing the leper woman. However, the words of encouragement and faith she said at my death scene set a desire in my soul (soul code) that leads to choosing my next life time as a nun.

The unconscious mind is like a blank slate, or computer waiting for code. The unconscious mind of every person is in contact with the unconscious mind of every other person. Because I am aware of the emotions and drives of the nun who killed the leper (me), my soul was emotionally coded by her conscious thought process. Her words became my thoughts at death.

The negative aspect of cause and effect:  The death scene codes future life programming on the soul, however it may not be evident for several lifetimes. I see the fear of isolation, and an overwhelming need for human contact and connection as initiating in the Atlantis lifetime. I see the coding of unresolved issues and needs: for a loving relationship, for physical connection, personal need fulfillment creating a diseased outcome (bioengineering=leprosy=syphilis).

The positive aspect of cause and effect:  Soul coding created a life-path where: to become a nun is to live in a community, personal need fulfillment focuses on knowledge of good health practices, loving relationships are characterized by acts of service (like the life of the nun), and physical connections are based on respect for the other balanced with personal need.

A horrible past life is not a justification for current bad behavior—it is an opportunity for healing. Typically we do not dream of joyful, enlightened lives because those lives do not need healing. If you dream of a past life that is joyful and enlightened, it is a reminder to live those gifts in the here and now.

George Santayana wrote (in The Life of Reason, 1905) “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

 https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/blog/churchill-quote-history/

Healing Past Life Dreams

The first past life memory I had came in a dream or you could call it a nightmare. I was trapped in a barn fire. I remember seeing beams falling down on me, and flaming hay streaming down from the loft. The next moment I knew myself as a blackened and charred body. I was screaming out in my mind, I’m still in here, I’m still alive.

I was saved from this shocking dream by a friend pounding on my door. I was a graduate student and my friend wanted to go partying—of course I went. To this day I can see the image of the burning barn and charred corpse. It is strange to contemplate but I was put in a state of shock by a past life memory.

Each of us should learn to use our dreams and past life memories for healing (emotional and physical) and for growth (mental, emotional and spiritual). It is possible to work with past life memories on your own—but it is a challenge. Currently, I am studying advanced training as a past life regression therapist. To be free of unconscious memories is liberating.

My mentor, Dr. Morris Netherton, teaches past life therapy is effective for healing present life issues. Past life therapy is very effective for certain cases of anxiety, obsessive/compulsive behavior, post-traumatic stress, fears, phobias, and health issues such as asthma and chronic pain. Netherton tells us past life is anything that is not this very moment. Any time you are unconscious, or fear that you are dying you become vulnerable to negative emotional programming.

The relationship between the physical brain frequency and the function of mind and emotion is central to understanding why past life therapy is so effective. Past life therapy occurs in the Alpha and Theta frequency range. The therapist’s function is as a facilitator as the client consciously tells his remembered story. The point is to be aware and heal the emotional programming of the story.

Charles Skillas (PhD, DD, BCH) tells us understanding brain wave activity (EEG) enhances our understanding of hypnosis and meditation.

• The Beta Range frequency, 14-28 cps, describes conscious functions like problem solving, worry, fear and processing visual information.
• The Alpha range, 7- 14 cps, correlates to prayer, reverie, relaxation, meditation and light hypnosis.
• The Theta frequencies, 4-7 cps, identify with visual reverie, deep hypnosis, anesthesia and perceptual changes.
• Delta frequencies, .5 to 4 cps, are associated with deep sleep and [danger] awareness (ex. alarm clock awakening, sounds outside the window.)

EEG studies demonstrate Alpha and Theta waves as the most powerful, with higher peaks of voltage and longer duration. Dr. Skillas speculates that the information that is being impressed on brain cells in a stronger, more effective manner during Alpha and Theta states. If this is true, it may explain the powerful changes that may be effective under deep hypnosis in a brief time, say Skillas.

Lisa Miller, AUG. 27, 2010, in an online article for the New York Times, tells us according to data by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a quarter of Americans believe in reincarnation. Women are more likely to believe than men. There are nearly a billion Hindus and a half-billion Buddhists who have for thousands of years believed in reincarnation. (Not to mention the ancient Greeks, certain Jews and some ancient Christians) They have a cyclical view--you are born, you live, you die, and because nobody is perfect your soul is born again — not in another location or sphere, not metaphorical but right here on earth.

Brian L. Weiss M.D. is Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami started his career as a traditional psychotherapist. He has become a foremost expert in the use of regression therapy for healing, mind, body and spirit. According to his website, Dr. Weiss was “astonished and skeptical when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks.

Dr. Weiss tells us:

• Not all problems have their source in the past.
• Often dreams contain fragments of past life memories. 
• Frequently the material elicited through past life regressions contains metaphors and symbols and can trigger dream experiences.
• Using free association or the active imagination helps free the mind from any negative connotations.
• One can replace the word reincarnation with the word imagine and the process still works.
• It is not always necessary to see a therapist in order to discover one’s past lives
• Meditation on your own can open the unconscious mind
• Or using audiotapes or CDs can help you to have your own experiences. 

There are people who feel victimized by their dreams and nightmares. The true purpose of our dreams is for healing, learning, and enlightenment (through a process of true acceptance and an action of forgiveness).  Each of us should be a master of our dreams and past life memories for healing (emotional and physical) and for growth (mental, emotional and spiritual).

How do you know you are working with a past life dream? The dream will feel historical and if you look for skin color, historical modes of dress (look at your feet), transportation, tools, etc.—you will see them. Sometimes a specific name or date sticks in your memory as you awake. Most important—there will be an intense inner knowing. A past life dream is only one type of dream.

Types of Dreams:

1. Psychological Healing

2. Belief Dreams

3. Problem-Solving Dreams

4. Physiological Dreams

5. Dreams of Daily Life

6. Compensatory Dreams

7. Recurring Dreams

8. Lucid Dreams

9. Psychic Dreams or Prophetic Dreams.

10. Nightmares

If you are drawn to work with the past life it will reveal to you: 1.Your coping skills, hidden strengths and skills; 2. The root of maladaptive behaviors (alcoholism, eating disorders, feelings of financial insecurity); 3. The roots emotional issues (anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress); 4. The programming that leads to poor relationships at home and work.

Over time I have developed techniques for healing past life dreams. There are many books that give insights and techniques. For some people and dreams it is enough to recognize the dream as part of yourself to accept and not judge (forgive). There is no one special strategy. You could try this method:

• Write the dream down---write the dream in first person—“I am___, I did____”
• Tell yourself this is who I was in the past—I am not that person today, I do not have to be that person today
• If you saw something ugly and feel emotionally shocked pray for strength to help you heal---put the dream away until you are ready to work with it.
• Go into a meditative state visualize strongly and re-experience the past life
• One of the most important things to do is heal your death---do not take negative thoughts into the next life. For example, say to yourself  “I leave behind fear of drowning—I take perfect beauty, health and self-respect into my next life.” 

A horrible past life is not a justification for current bad behavior—it is an opportunity for healing. Typically we do not dream of joyful, enlightened lives because those lives do not need healing. If you dream of a past life that is joyful and enlightened, it is a reminder to live those gifts in the here and now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/fashion/29PastLives.html?_r=0

http://www.drskillas.com/A-Hypnosis-and-Brain-Waves.htm

http://www.dreaminterpretation-dictionary.com/types-of-dreams.html

http://www.brianweiss.com