Pet Therapy – Animals Can Heal You

March 8, 2010 By marie Leave a Comment

Are you an animal lover? Then you will be glad to know that having pets can actually make you live longer and contribute well to your health. Pets are able to provide us constant comfort as we focus our attention to them when they ask for it. They make us want to take care of them which is why pets are the best way to bring out our nurturing instinct.

It has been found that pets if used in therapy can help lower the blood pressure. It helps the patient feel better and more at ease. This is probably because of the fact that pets accept us no matter who we are. The stroking and the cuddling can make any pet owner feel relaxed. The speechless communication that is shared with our pets can also be one way of getting some warmth and relaxation.

This is why pet therapy is very effective. Therapy pets make their owners feel as if they are needed and responsible for their well being. This stimulates the survival incentive, nurturing spirit and the healing process of the human brain. A lot of cancer patients and patients with heart ailments were able to live longer than expected due to pet therapy.

Dogs and cats are a favorite for pet therapy as they are animals that can give unconditional love and affection. These pets do not have to be trained. It is better that the patient trains the pet personally in order to develop some bonding. However trained animals are more preferred for people who have physical disabilities.

There are a lot of advantages and benefits coming from the use of pet therapy. One is the development of empathy which lets the patients tell what their needs are. Another is the development of outward focus which greatly helps patients forget their feelings of depression and low self esteem or other problems. Third is by establishing rapport which helps the patient open up.

It does not matter what kind of pet you own in order to enjoy this therapy and its benefits. As long as the animal is of interest to you then pet therapy can help you and your pet happy by caring for each other.

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Herbal Treatments for Sore Throat

November 2, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

Sore throat, also known as pharyngitis is one of the most common reasons why people go to check ups in the United States. It may seem to be a small illness but it can cause a lot of discomfort and that can be very unbearable especially during work. And what’s even worse? Most medicines take too long for them to take effect.

Here are some herbal remedies that you can use in order to heal sore throat:

An old home remedy for sore throats that have been passed from generation to generation is by drinking tea made with apple cider vinegar, cayenne, lemon and honey. The tea is made by adding one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a tiny pinch of cayenne paper, juice of 1/4 lemon and a teaspoon of honey to a cup of hot water then stir. Drinking four cups a day of this tea can easily relieve the pain and discomfort.

A popular herb used in healing sore throats is the Honeysuckle flower. This sweet tasting herb is commonly used specifically in traditional Chinese medicine. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine would often recommend making honeysuckle tea by boiling one quart of water to a boil. Add one cup of honeysuckle flowers – make sure that there are no leaves, steep for at least 10 minutes, cover and then strain. Like the first kind of tea, four cups per day is the recommended dosage.

Another herb that can aid you in curing sore throats is marshmallow. Marshmallow is an herb that grows in Europe and America. It contains mucilage which can coat and soothe sore throat. Marshmallow root tree is made by adding one tablespoon of the dried root to a cup of boiling water and letting it steeped covered for at least ten minutes before straining. Herbalists would recommend a dosage of three cups per day. Take note that for those who have diabetes, you should consult a doctor

But take note that most sore throats are just a symptom to a more serious condition. Therefore visits to the doctor are still necessary. You should see the doctor if your sore throat lasts for about a week, if it causes you difficulty in swallowing or breathing, if you find that there is blood in your saliva or phlegm, and if you have sore throat but no fever.

Following some of these remedies can help you save money and avoid paying doctor fees. Let nature take its course and contribute to your natural healing.

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Smiling back again through emotional healing

September 29, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

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When people meet accidents, it is mostly the restoration of physical damage that is on top priority. We all want to get fully recovered from the physical injuries and the scars that we have incurred from the accident. What is often neglected is the fact that after an accident or a terrible experience, we need to get fully recovered from the trauma and other negative psychological and emotional effects of an event.

The trauma will cause emotional imbalance which may affect the way we live our lives. People who are not able to get over with their traumas can do less with their lives making them unhappy and unfulfilled. Emotional recovery or healing is quite easy. There are no required medicines to be taken in. The first step to emotional healing is to accept and acknowledge the fact that you are in trouble and you need help. We must not say “I’m OK” when in truth we are still hurting from the emotional wound caused by our horrible experiences.

The next step is to identify the cause of the emotional pain. For example, when a mother sees her son being disciplined by her husband, she may feel emotional pain and pity for the child. She may feel sorry for herself why she is letting the incident happen. The pain is not about her feelings towards the child but it originates from her past experiences as child as well. It is important to know the cause of the pain so that you will know where to begin the healing.

The third step would be cleansing. Just like the physical wound, emotional wound should be cleansed so that infections such as anger, hatred, depression, anxiety and bitterness will occur. To heal your emotional wounds, you must learn how to forgive those who have wronged you. Emotional healing can also be reinforced through spiritual assistance by asking God to help you forgive people who have hurt you and ask for forgiveness for you inability to forgive.

Having been a terrible experience that caused you trauma and emotional pain can make your life very gloomy. It will lead to become cynical and unable to appreciate the beauty of life. To avoid this, we must undergo emotional healing and restore our positive outlook in life so that we may continue to life our lives in the best way that we know of.

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Holistic Living through Breathing

August 9, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

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Alternative healing is a well known method of therapeutic techniques nowadays. One of which is the economical yet effective method of healing – Breathing and Holistic Living. You do not need to be familiar with the medical world to practice and experience living a holistic life.

Another practice is giving attention to your breathing. There are so many ways how to improve and develop healing in terms of your breathing. One of this is tatwa breathing which is also known as “Elemental Breathing”. One can start four short breaths and ends with a long breath. This composes five breaths. To complete the practice, repeat the procedure for five times. All breaths must be done without stopping in between the breathing procedure. Our bodies is composed of five tatwas namely – Earth, water, fire, air, and space. These elements must be balanced in order for you to achieve wellness in your body. This procedure is so practical because you do not need expensive gadgets or apparatus to experience inner healing.

This is one of the simplest ways to have a positive response and outlook in life. It does not cost a thing - all you need is a good attitude and outlook in life. This is more effective for people who do not have enough time to go the gym or have a regular check-up by a doctor because of their hectic schedules. Holistic is the best and safest way to stay healthy even without exercise.

Holistic living simply means having harmony and positive response in the creation and everything that surrounds you. In practicing this method, you will have a sharper mental state that produces wellness inside your body.

Smiling is one practice of Holistic Living. It’s the simplest way to be healed and it does not cost you a single cent. It is clinically tested and proven that smiling can cause someone to have a positive outlook in life and therefore aides in the healing process of our body. A smile a day can keep the doctor away so better smile.

Five to ten minutes of holistic therapies would be enough to relieve your stress for the day. You can do this before you go to your workplace or school. This will help you to be more productive and be able to be at ease in whatever you are doing.

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Anxiety-Free Life with Herbs and Oils

August 9, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

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Most people these days are victims of stress and this can lead to anxiety and other illnesses. The pressure and issues around you involving your work, school, the people you love and other things might be one of the reasons for your anxiety. With the last-minute reports, the eye-dropping projects, and muscle-tearing activities, it’s so easy for you to be stressed out. Anxiety is defined as the mental state where one is experiencing panic, fear, and depression. If not treated immediately, this can lead to serious mental problems that can greatly affect one’s life.

The scenario is magnified by taking anti-stress medicines for people to feel at ease and be relieved from the burden they carry. Although there are a lot of drugs out there that claim to be antidepressants and stress relievers, they can be very addicting too and some may have very harmful side effects. And once you get addicted, these drugs can cause more damage to your body.

A much better way to heal anxiety is to do your healing and maintain your health the natural way through herbs and oils. With these alternatives, the dilemma of stress and anxiety will be cured without the possibility of addiction taking place. You do not have to worry about any serious side effects or complications too when it comes to these alternative medications.

There are a lot of herbs and oils that can replace these expensive medicines for anxiety Some of these herbs are Ginseng, Bugleweed, Chamomile, Valerian, Catnip, St. John’s Wort, Kava kava, Valerian, Ashwagandha, and Lemon Balm. Oils that can cure anxiety are Bergamot, Cedarwood, Lavender. Most of these oils and herbs have a sedative and relaxing effect as well as maintaining the emotional balance of our body.

So why choose expensive over the counter medications when you can get the same and more likely better benefits from natural products? These days it is important to be practical. By going natural, you do not just strengthen your body but you get to save money as well.

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Dancing towards good health

July 28, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

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If you are not fond of exercising to get a toned body then you should try taking Dance Movement Therapy. Dancing is now being used as a means of restoring and improving mental health. Aside from giving you a toned body, it also restores balance between the body, spirit and mind.

It has been proven scientifically that dance therapy has a beneficial effect when it comes to the treatment of psychological and mental health problems. That way, there is minimal need to use drugs which can have some serious side effects.

Dancing can lift the mood of the patient and can reduce anxiety. In dancing, the movement greatly appeals to one’s emotions which greatly affect the patient’s mood.

Dance Movement Therapy is different from ordinary dancing classes since a dance teacher is more concerned on technique and the appearance of the dance. Aside from that most teachers teach a specific form of dance only. A dance therapist on the other hand does not really care about dance technicalities because he or she usually employs free dance in order for the patient to create their own personal expression. Aside from that, there are no criticisms in dance movement therapy – there is no right or wrong way to dance.

The therapy can help you find within yourselves solutions to your problems while you dance. There is this feeling that the dancers are able to find an answer without putting it into words. Dancing is a right brain activity which allows subconscious and intuitive levels to function more.

This type of therapy encourages you to take a holistic view of yourself and your surroundings. Music does not only heal the soul. Dancing does too!

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Yoga for Beginners

July 19, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

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Yoga is becoming a popular exercise regardless of sex and age. This practice does not only promote mental awareness and relieve you of stress but it helps increase flexibility, improve circulation and can help build muscle. Such benefits can help you treat and prevent arthritis and heart ailments. Aside from that, you also get to lose weight.

People from different walks of life can practice yoga and you are not an exception. Here are some tips and pointers that you can use to help you create your Yoga routine:

  • When practicing yoga, you need to have your own comfortable space. A padded space is preferred because it lessens the chances of you slipping while you are doing the exercise. You can buy a yoga mat for this purpose.

  • The next thing you should consider is your attire. You should be wearing loose clothing but not to the extent that it drapes so that your actions will not be limited by your clothes. Plus you have to practice yoga with bare feet – there are a lot of positions that will be uncomfortable when it comes to shoes. Pull back your hair in a ponytail so you do not have to constantly brush it off your face. Lastly, make sure you take off your metal jewelry. Yoga is all about the movement of energy throughout the body and metal can disrupt this flow.

  • Your schedule is the next step. It does not matter how often you do them whether it should be weekly or daily – what’s important is that you do it regularly. But do not put a gap longer than a week between practices because this will definitely limit your progress. If you want the best results, then practicing yoga daily is the best way to do it.

  • Do not forget to think of appropriate warm up exercises. You can do stretches or go for a short work before starting yoga. That way your body is prepared for the practice that you are about to do.

Yoga can be practiced by anyone – all you need is the willpower to commit to doing the practice regularly.

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Heal Your Mind with Bath Salts

July 19, 2009 By marie Leave a Comment

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A leisurely soak in the tub can help reduce your stress levels in so many ways.

Using bath salts in the tub are usually viewed as a luxurious addition but bath salts can actually do more than relieve you from stress. By simply tossing them in the tub, you can reduce pain, repair damaged skin and benefit from its healing properties as well.

Bath salts that are mixed with essential oils can promote greater relaxation which in turn, reduces your level of stress. This makes you feel rejuvenated and be capable to cope up with your work’s demands. This helps you think more clearly and gives you better concentration. Relaxing or unwinding from time to time will also make you be no longer overwhelmed by anxiety and pressure.

When you wash all the tension away, another benefit you can get is that you are able to get a good night’s sleep easily. For those who are experiencing insomnia, you should try taking a bath with bath salts an hour before your bedtime. You will surely be amazed at how fresh you’d feel once you are able to slip in this routine in your lifestyle.

Other benefits you can get from using bath salts is that they help stimulate circulation, helps your minor scars and bruises to fade, lowers the pain of inflammation and arthritis, relieves you from back and leg pain and helps relax muscle spasms.

Bath salts can also help remove excess oil as well as toxins from your skin. If you have dry skin or cracked skin and suffer from skin irritations, bath salts can also help heal these problems.

All you have to do is draw a hot bath, pour the bath salts in and take a nice long soak in the tub.

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