Hayfever - is there genuine relief in sight?

As we head towards summer, the hope of warmer weather with sunny days is a welcome prospect for many of us. For others it's the start of itchy noses, streaming eyes and continuous sneezing.

Some sufferers will buy over the counter products to ease their suffering, whilst others will see their general practitioners. However these substances can be very powerful and whilst sometimes effective at suppressing the symptoms, have undesirable side effects and do nothing to cure the problem. Consequently many sufferers are now turning to homeopathy for help.

What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a gentle, holistic system of healing which is suitable for everyone and treats you as an individual.

What is hay-fever?
Hay-fever is caused by a reaction of the immune system to an environmental trigger. The body over-reacts to external substances leading to irritation and inflammation.
Hay-fever is a deep-seated condition which requires constitutional treatment from a qualified homeopath. Orthodox medical treatment can manage the condition with powerful drugs that have a number of side effects but constitutional homeopathic treatment over two or three seasons may cure the condition completely and, without any side effects.

A case study
I first met Alex when he was 12. He had been suffering from hay-fever for several years. His mother had tried everything else and homeopathy was the last resort. His school work was suffering and he stayed indoors as much as he could through the summer, being too congested and uncomfortable to join in sports or other activities.

His hay-fever began in early May and would continue through to the end of August. He presented with an itchy palate, irritable throat and, even though his nose could be extremely runny, it felt obstructed causing him to breathe through his mouth. He suffered from regular headaches and at times his face could become very "puffy". Alex also suffered from mild eczema, particularly during the winter months.

I saw Alex several times during the summer. The prescribed remedies helped him tremendously. Alex confirmed he felt "much better than before, it helped me much more than the antihistamines I took last year - and I wasn't drowsy!"

I prescribed for Alex during the following winter months to prepare him for the spring. His hay-fever started in June. The symptoms were not as bad as the previous year and he even helped his dad cut the grass! His eczema completed disappeared.

Over the next couple of winters, I prepared Alex for the following spring. His hay-fever season increasingly became shorter and much reduced in severity. By the time Alex was 15 his hay-fever symptoms had completed disappeared.

The ultimate test came when Alex was old enough to apply to the Royal Air Force and had to undergo a medical. This medical involved having pollen of every description blown into his face to test him for allergies. The test was completely clear. The official conclusion is that Alex does not suffer from hay-fever any more.

If you are suffering from hay-fever or other allergies or other health concerns, a qualified homeopath may be able to help you with completely safe and effective treatment.

Ginny Day at the Atman Clinic, Tunbridge Wells 01892 544783




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The Active Reiki Revolution Comes to Brighton

Press Release: 20 May 2008

The UK’s top teachers of Active Reiki, a holistic energy healing therapy originating in Japan, are now bringing their popular London courses to a Brighton audience. Andy Chrysostomou and Dawn Mellowship, authors of several books (including the recently published, The Essence of Reiki), writers for holistic magazine High Spirit and renowned Reiki teachers are running Reiki 1 and 2 courses at myhotel Brighton (opened in March 2008), where serene spirituality is complemented by cutting edge design.

Myhotel Brighton is the shared vision of CEO & founder of myhotels Andy Thrasyvoulou in conjunction with Karim Rashid. Described by Andy Thrasyvoulou as a place where “Freddie Mercury might have met the Maharishi,” myhotel Brighton is situated in the cultural quarter of the North Laines.

The philosophies behind myhotel Brighton are positive energy and heightened spirituality, making it the perfect venue for Andy Chrysostomou and Dawn Mellowship’s Reiki courses, where participants can learn to use Reiki actively to direct work on physical and emotional
conditions, as well as gaining focus, clarity and increased spiritual awareness.

The courses will be held in the beautiful Rishi Room, an informal and inspiring environment and students can dine in myhotel’s Zilli Café, which has the feel of a bustling Italian deli and serves plenty of healthy meals made from fresh ingredients.

Why Brighton? Andy Chrysostomou says, “There is a real spiritual buzz about Brighton that makes it the ideal location to teach our Reiki courses, which are focused as much on spiritual growth as they are on physical and emotional healing.” Dawn Mellowship is equally infused about bringing Active Reiki to Brighton. “There are many Reiki courses available in Brighton but we are the first teachers to offer Active Reiki, in the traditional style allowing students to work directly on physical illnesses and emotional problems. I can’t wait to teach a whole new audience.”

For further information, images or interviews contact
Andy or Dawn at by telephone: +44 (0) 208 367 9158.
Their Reiki websites can be found at www.thehealingco.com and www.activ-energy.com

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Java Adventure

Where is Java? In Indonesia, of course – indeed, Jakarta, its principal city, is the capital of Indonesia. But you are unlikely to find Java mentioned in the glossy brochures supplied by your travel agent. Nevertheless, April 2008 found us flying to Java for the wedding of our son in Mojokerto, a small town near Surabaya on the north coast of East Java. In order to make the most of the two weeks either side of the wedding, we engaged the services of a professional guide and his driver.

Our guide, Adi, was a graduate in Dutch Law and a member of the Indonesian Tour Guide Association, who spoke English well. He planned our initial itinerary around the wedding, and then modified it continually so as to tailor it to our preferences and maximise the events that could be included. As we toured from one end of the island to the other, he tutored us on the geography and geology, the history and the politics, the culture and the language. He took us to see the making of leather, silver ware, batik, wood carving and pottery.

In the countryside we saw rice being planted and harvested, brick-making in the sun and tobacco drying houses. We were introduced to local cuisine and shown the trees that produced coffee, cocoa, cloves, bananas, pineapples, coconuts, tamarind and the dreaded “durian fruit”. We saw beautiful mosques and magnificent temples, including the mighty Borobudur (Buddhist) and Prambanan (Hindu). We watched displays of Kecak traditional dance. We saw children playing Gamelan music on bamboo instruments and watched as they were taught Javanese traditional dance with its complex language of hand and foot movement.

We went up several volcanoes, by car and jeep, on horseback and on foot. We rode motorbikes around the rim of a crater formed by a “mud eruption” where a volcanic disturbance some 5 years earlier had buried 41 villages so that only the top turret of a rural mosque still showed as evidence of the houses buried beneath. We bathed in a hot spring and stood inches away from a bubbling cauldron of murderous sulphuric lava. We climbed the mountain trail used by sulphur miners and stood aside in sympathy as they ran past carrying pannier loads of sulphur blocks weighing between 60 and 120kg

We stayed in mountain huts and luxuriated in 4-star hotels. We crossed to Bali and were surprised to find a branch of M&S in the grand main street of Kuta, a busy tourist resort. It was the trip of a lifetime and an amazing experience.

Does this whet your appetite enough to try this adventure? If your tastes veer more towards white water rafting and exploration of tropical jungle and mangrove swamps, then this can be provided too. Further information from: Siamet Supriyadi, SH (call name, Adi. S),
Address Jl. Rokan No. 10, Cideng Jakarta Pusat, 10150 INDONESIA
Mobile: (+62) 0815 10093620

Jennifer Branson

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Your health; whose responsibility?

Your health; whose responsibility?
‘I have “Crohn’s” disease’ said a friend of mine.
(For those of you who don’t know what Crohn’s disease is here is a definition; a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease named after an American gastroenterologist specialist called ‘Burrell Crohn’ whose symptoms is severe irritation in the gastrointestinal tract. It usually affects just the lower small intestine (called the ileum) or the colon, but it can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract.)

Now according to many so called specialists there is no known cause of this disease; so of course we are all at the mercy of the pharmaceutical companies as to which miracle medicine can cure us.

Now I am no medical specialist but I do have an interest in common sense. In my view if there is something wrong with the digestion tract, it is usual one of two causes; physical stress, due to a poor diet or nervous stress due to mental worry, or more usually, a combination of both.
Now I knew my friend had a very stressful job and so I asked him about his diet starting with what he usually had for breakfast. “Oh I don’t bother with breakfast I usually have 5- 6 cups of coffee instead”. I asked him if he thought this might be contributing toward his condition, “Oh I have never thought of that let me see what the specialist says”.
Apparently the specialist said ‘Crohn’s’ has nothing to do with diet.

Another very close relative of mine was rushed into hospital a couple of years ago with agonizing stomach cramps; he had something called ‘Dirvitculitis’ which is inflammation of the wall of the colon. If this goes untreated this can be very dangerous as the colon can actually split and case blood poisoning.

The relative was quickly operated on and had a colostomy bag fitted. Now I know this person had a very poor diet and at the time ate hardly any vegetables. Now we might hope the hospital would speak to him about his diet possibly as prevention to it happening again. In fact less than 24 hours after the operation he was given his first meal chicken curry from the hospital itself. In my view although I am not a dietary ‘specialist’ common sense should tell you this is not right.

I have used these two examples to hopefully show that we cannot leave our health to so called professionals. Whilst the operation to deal with the Dirvitculitis was probably life saving, if you keep riding a bike over glass you will eventually get punctures.

What interests me is that neither of these individuals is devoid of intelligence; yet both seem content to let someone else take responsibility of their health. I have many more examples of how for some reason we feel it is correct to leave the responsibility of our health to so called specialists, who due to there very nature of their work will usually be more interested in ‘complications’ and be suspicious of simple solutions.

Over the last eight years I have developed a treatment which I believe can benefit almost all conditions from asthma to weight loss to stress management; with main emphasis being prevention. It is based heavily upon the ‘Buteyko Method’ named after the late Professor Buteyko. I call it ‘Holistic Buteyko’ and my aim is to put illness to BED with the emphasis on special BREATHING techniques, controlled cardiovascular EXERCISE and a majority alkaline DIET.
The breathing techniques help stabilise both physical and mental health. By learning to breathe calmly, levels of cortisol are lowered; this has both significant short and long term benefits due to a reduction in perceived stress.

Exercising in a controlled manner is essential to good health. For example if someone who is obese suddenly starts to just exercise with no regard to his own heart or breathing rate he could actually be doing more harm than good.

The advice on diet is mainly lots of green vegetables cooked lightly so as to retain the enzymes, essential in the digestion process. Indeed the main aim of the diet is to take as much strain off the digestive system as possible.

In the opinion of this writer it is our responsibility is to take care of our own health first; this comes through self education and self responsibility.

Michael Clark NMQAA
Holistic Buteyko Trainer
www.holsiticbuteykotraining.com

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The Global Medicine Hunter, Dr Meg Jordan

The Global Medicine Hunter
Dr Meg Jordan

The real life medicine man turns out to be a woman and whilst her quest for new cures might not quite be as glamorous as that portrayed by Sean Connery in the film Medicine Man, it certainly has its perks.

Dr Meg Jordan is a medical anthropologist, which means she searches for effective medicinal remedies from healing traditions around the Globe. When she discovers something she believes of value, she negotiates with the natives to bring it back, arranges a fair trade, tests it for scientific validity, and, if all that works out positively, tries to convince labs, clinics, universities and hospitals to integrate the remedy into medical practice.

Meg’s search for new medicines has taken her everywhere from the Caribbean to the Amazon, Southern India to the rain forests British Columbia. But the jet-set lifestyle isn’t all glamour and excitement, and whilst Meg loves meeting people from different cultures and learning about their way of life there’s a lot of hard work to do as she wades through mud, clambers up mountains and scrounges through snake-infested jungles in her quest to find natural medicine that really works.

The real satisfaction lies in finding something that really does work and helping the locals benefit from its export. A recent trip to St Vincent led to Meg meeting a local who was an enthusiastic spokesman for the healing therapies of his elders, the Caribs, the earliest known native residents of the Caribbean chain of islands.

Meg was particularly interested in the trumpet leaf, a local broad leafed plant that is used for coughs, colds, flu, nasal blockages, head congestion, asthmatic conditions and more.

A tea is made with the dried, ground up leaf, brewed to a certain strength for at least 20 minutes, then sipped all day long. The steam from the tea is most beneficial. Wrapping a towel around one’s head and inhaling the aroma is a sure fix for clearing up clogged nasal passages.

Meg is now trying to convince companies to strike a fair trade deal with the Caribs, in order to cultivate, harvest, and market their local cold and cough remedy and hopes to have some good news soon. St Vincent was hard hit in recent hurricanes and Meg feels is seems only right that the society should benefit from conscious global trade, now that they are swept up in the dire consequences of more frequent and harsher storms, more than likely due to climate change.

Meg’s real passion though, and at the center of her quest, is a desire to find the richest, and most potent ‘adaptogen’. An adaptogen is a herb or botanical compound that helps to normalise the body and aid its natural processes. Those adaptogens that have been found appear to have an uncanny ability to help the body with a large range of problems. For example, if you have low blood pressure, adaptogens help to raise it slightly. If you have high cholesterol, adaptogens help reduce it. Scientists have never been able to manufacture in a laboratory what natural adaptogens are able to achieve within human physiology.

Out of thousands of botanical remedies, only a few qualify as adaptogens. In Russia, Meg came across rhodiola; in India, ashwaghanda. Both have been used by native healers and are now integrated into modern medical practice. Meg is most excited however by an adaptogen she found in the East - the Red Reishi mushroom. This rare, woody mushroom from the remote Asian highlands is considered the most superior energy adaptogen on the planet. Used for over 2,000 years by traditional Chinese and Japanese healers reishi’s rarity meant it was once reserved solely for use by Emperors.

Thanks to the likes of Meg though reishi has now become more readily available and various scientific studies have helped show that, as with many of Meg’s finds, its claimed benefits appear to be real. Various therapeutic compounds, such as polysaccharides, beta-glucans, and ganoderic acid, have been identified in reishi and are seen to help strengthen the body’s response to disease-causing processes, rebuilding and restoring immune system function, and improve the body’s overall ability to cope with life’s stresses mental, physical and environmental. Red Reishi is also thought to help enhance energy levels if you’re feeling run down and stagnant, or help calm you if you’re irritable and stressed.

Despite Meg’s passion she is aware that not every cure is going to be found deep in the jungle, a fact brought home to her by the native healer who gave her the name “Global Medicine Hunter”. They asked Meg what she was doing so far from home -
“Don’t you know your medicine is in your own backyard?”
She had a point and Meg realizes that good medicine is the one that works for you, no matter if it’s alternative, complementary or conventional, but seeks to discover why the Eastern approach to cultivating and sustaining energy is so vastly different from the West’s material, structured approach.

Perhaps the most important lesson Meg has learnt from her travels is that its not always about the actual remedies themselves…

“More than anything, what medical anthropology has taught me is to honor wholeness and interconnectedness, and understand how every intervention is holistic in its impact, affecting person, place and planet.”


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Tui Na Chinese Massage

It is strange that not many of us in the West have heard of Tui Na, as it is one of the main branches of Chinese medicine, alongside Acupuncture and Herbalism. It is some 3000 years old, and many modern massage styles such as Swedish massage and Shiatsu are derived from it.

Tui Na is a versatile form of massage, containing techniques that range from Yang (strong, vigorous and penetrating) to Yin (gentle and relaxing). It works with the physical body and the Qi, and makes great use of acupressure – this makes it suitable for a wide range of complaints.

The theory of Tui Na is the same as that of Acupuncture, so it has the same detailed diagnostic methods and complex understanding of the body and mind. This is what marks it as separate from most other massage. In Tui Na, the therapy is inseparable from the theory.

This makes Tui Na suitable for far more than just muscular problems, in fact it can be successfully used for a wide range of internal conditions, including respiratory, circulatory, digestive, mental-emotional and hormonal problems to name a few. It is also of great benefit in maintaining health and dealing with stress.

The Author, Neil Kingham, practices in South Wales, and be contacted via his website at www.qi-therapies.com

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Arthritis Does Not Need To Be A Life Sentence

The Saddest Thing I Hear (And I Hear It So Often) From Arthritis Sufferers
“Arthritis Does Not Need To Be A Life Sentence.” So Says Dr Tony Parker, a chiropractor in practice since 1989.
Imagine you have an onset of back pain (or neck, shoulder, arm or leg pain for that matter). You seek a consultation with your preferred health care provider. Being very careful to ensure you receive the correct diagnosis your provider sends you to a specialist who considers the best course of action is to conduct some investigations and tests and order some x-rays.

A few days later you get a call from the secretary to the specialist who suggests you re-visit to discuss the findings.

The tests come back negative for any conditions other than mechanical or movement related and the x-rays show some deterioration of the spine. You are uncomfortable about these changes but the specialist is reassuring in saying that being aged over 25 years there is a good likelihood of finding some arthritic deterioration on x-ray, however very little can be done about it.

This is the scenario we have encountered so many times whereby the patient has been told about their arthritic condition, that nothing can be done about it and they will have to learn to live with it, hope it will go away, or consider using medication for the remainder of their lives.

In so many cases the statement about having arthritis is true, but it is not the cause of the pain and the person should certainly not have to learn to live with it or consider long term medication. Correction of spinal incorrect movement is very often the best and most natural source of pain relief (the pain is so often due to nerve interference). This is the speciality of the chiropractor –although they do help with many other conditions.

Not all specialists fail to understand the importance of correct spinal movement, and many GPs and specialists are under the care of chiropractors (often saying they could not perform their vital roles in society without visits to their chiropractor for spinal correction).

Do you have a pain that keeps coming and going? Do you have a suspicion that it might be associated with other health or fitness problems? Are you sometimes clumsy or have difficulty with your balance? Has there ever been any trauma in your life:- a fall down stairs, fall from a horse, car accident, a sudden slip with a twist. An impact as low as 3 miles per hour can have an effect on your spinal movement and can lie undetected for years before giving you any symptoms. (For many people the problem is getting worse, with no pain to tell them so. This can be compared with other health conditions e.g. for some heart attack victims the first sign of a problem is death, tooth decay can be over 40 % before any pain, tumours can often be late stage before any symptoms are noticed.)

If you have obvious or hidden spinal malfunction or decay you could do yourself an enormous favour by seeking a consultation with a chiropractor. He or she will properly investigate your condition and tell you the options for restoration or improvement.

Chiropractors can only use the title chiropractor by conforming to a strict set of guidelines, are fully trained to internationally accepted standards (usually a five year full time degree course) and adhere to a code of practice. Look in your local telephone directory, where the qualifications will be available to view.

If you would like further information www.drparkerchiropractor.co.uk


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