The First Primrose of Spring

Saturday is housework day in the Gardner household, and last Saturday was no exception.  With four kids, weekends are always a busy time, and as usual we had a tight schedule to get all the chores done before Mum and Dad’s taxi service started work!  My husband and I usually walk our two dogs together at the weekend, but as there were so many chores to do and so little time, I told him to walk the dogs on his own.  We are extremely lucky where we live: right behind us are wonderful open fields and streams where the local farmer lets us walk our dogs.

A couple of minutes after he left, my husband called me on my mobile.  “It’s far too beautiful a day to stay at home.  Just drop everything and come for a walk.  We can do the housework tomorrow!”  And although I felt a bit guilty about leaving the house untidy, I dropped everything and joined him and our two dogs.  And boy! – was I glad I did.  Last Saturday was simply a gorgeous day, the first real taste of spring we have had so far this year.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, not a cloud in sight, and it was so warm it could have been a summer’s day.  Bliss!  And as we walked through the fields, in a sheltered, sunny spot we found some primroses – the first of the year.  Despite all the gloom, recession, bail-outs and household charges, those simple primroses lifted my heart and made me feel good about the arrival of spring and the end of winter.

As we walked back to the (untidy!) house, I thought to myself how glad I was that my husband had called.  Had I stayed at home, we might have had a tidy house, but I would have missed out on the delight of that lovely walk with my husband and dogs, and the uplifting joy of seeing those primroses.  It’s so true that the simple pleasures are often the best ones!

So take a step back and ask yourself “Have I got my priorities right?”  Sometimes we get caught up in the merry-go-round of life, rushing from task to task, always striving and never arriving.  Or if we do give ourselves a break, we feel guilty about all the other things we ought to be doing.  Of course, by Sunday evening the house was tidy, and the world hadn’t stopped turning!  And I know where I’ll be next Saturday if we are lucky enough to have another beautiful spring day.  Remember: nobody ever said on their deathbed “I wish I’d done more housework!”    

Healing Hurts

Why do we hurt so easily?  Why can’t we just let go of our disappointments, our anger, the put-downs against us and the bad way we feel when someone says something that upsets us?  In some instances, we do let things go, but in other cases we can hang on to the hurt for months, years or even a lifetime.

We’ve all been hurt at some stage in our lives.  We think: How could they say that?  How could they be so unkind?  How dare they put me down!  Who do they think they are?  Every time we think of the person, the situation and the pain, it brings with it an emotion.  That emotion, if unpleasant, will make us feel sad, angry, bitter, jealous and so on.  The hurt, and the person who caused it, still have power over us.  Worse still, if we are hurting, we may also be our own worst enemy.  When we are feeling our own hurts inside us – often unconsciously, in other words unaware to ourselves – then we are in a prime position to attract more of the same into our lives! 

So how can we stop the hurt?  The first step is forgiveness, but not to the perpetrator of the hurt.  No, first we have to forgive ourselves, and stop being so hard on ourselves.  Then recognise that we all have the power within us to change the hurtful thought when it comes up.  When you think of the hurt, just say “STOP!  DELETE!” and begin to shake it out of your whole mind and body experience.  If you don’t let go, you might get a headache, a sore throat, high blood pressure, bad skin or worse: holding on to hurt can and does affect the body over time! 

Think to yourself: do you want the hurt to carry on and have a negative influence on you for the rest of your life?  Or would you prefer to break its power over you and look forward to a brighter, more positive future?  When you put it in these terms, it’s not a difficult choice!  I know from personal experience that letting go of hurt is more easily said than done … but I also know the benefits you will enjoy if you do so, and the damage you will do to yourself if you don’t!  You don’t necessarily have to forgive the other person (although it’s better if you can), but you do have to forgive yourself to break the vicious circle of hurt simply causing more hurt.

So next time you feel a hurtful thought coming up, make a conscious decision to change it to something positive.  Say to yourself: 

• I now choose to be kind to myself in my thoughts.
• I choose to accept myself.
• I choose to enjoy my day.
• I choose to dissolve all pain and anger attached to this situation, and in doing so I am acknowledging the love I have inside me!

Remember that love and hurt are lying side by side.  Look to your left and there is pain and anger.  But look right and there is inner peace, contentment and love.  All it takes is a 51% pull in the right direction to get there!  Choose the way that allows you to dismiss other people’s issues and not let them get inside you.  You cannot change other people, but you can change yourself! 

HOMEOPATHY FOR COUGHS & COLDS

Dear Breda, My three year old daughter keeps getting repeated coughs and colds with sore throats and ear infections.  She has had numerous antibiotics and yet she still gets ill again!  She has fatigue, wakes up coughing at night and won’t settle.  I’m now exhausted too!  Homeopathic remedies have helped my best friend’s kids, and she swears by it.  So can you recommend anything to help my daughter?  I am concerned for her, and worry that if she doesn’t get better, the next stage of her treatment will be inhalers and steroids, and I don’t want to go down that road.  Regards.  Pam.   

Dear Pam, Of course you are exhausted and anxious, like any concerned parent would be!  Antibiotics will work when there is a bacterial infection, but if she is suffering from a virus, they will have no effect at all on your daughter, and her symptoms may be further pushed into the body, suppressing her vital force / energy and creating fatigue.  When a cough lingers on for months, it may then be diagnosed as bronchitis, pneumonia or asthma, but there may be a simpler explanation, and there are alternatives to inhalers and steroids. As ever, if you have any concerns, consult with a registered health professional. 

I would start by looking at your daughter’s diet.  First, try removing the most common allergens – cow’s milk and wheat – and see if that improves her condition.  Cow’s milk is acidic and can create excess mucous and catarrh which may result in a cough or ear infections as the body tries to discharge the overload.  Replace the wheat with rye, oat, rice, spelt or gluten-free bread.  Encourage your daughter to drink plenty of water to help dilute the acid build up in the body and to help eliminate the toxins.

Homeopathy could also help.  The beauty of homeopathic medicine is that it is gentle and non-toxic for the body.  It works by stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms, thus helping the person to heal themselves.  There are six potential remedies that I would recommend for your daughter: match her symptoms to the remedy.  If you are unsure, you can give remedies of the same potency together.  You can buy the remedies at health shops or pharmacies.  Give a 30 potency 4 hourly on the first day and 8 hourly for one to two weeks until your daughter is better for at least 2 days. 

Aconite: this remedy should be in everyone’s first aid kit at home!  Use Aconite at the first sign of any cough, cold or inflammation (within 12 – 24 hours of signs / symptoms appearing).  Aconite helps you to breathe more easily by opening the airways: it also helps to release fears and shocks, thus making the patient more relaxed.  Use when symptoms of cough / cold / temperature come on suddenly, and are worse after exposure to cold, dry wind.  The associated cough is usually hoarse, dry and painful.  

Belladonna: this remedy is sometimes described as a natural Paracetamol, and it helps to bring down a high temperature.  Use when the following symptoms are present: both cheeks blazing red, possibly accompanied by a headache.  Patient feels extremely hot.  Barking cough with sore throat.  Right-sided earache.

Hepar Sulph: this remedy is like a natural antibiotic for ear, nose and throat infections.  Use if the cough is painful and barking, phlegm is thick and yellowish green, and chest is rattley.  The patient may feel bad-tempered, irritable and weak.  They may also feel the cold easily, and like to have their head covered, even when indoors!  They may also be better for warm drinks.        

Arsenicum: good for colds that start in the nose.  Typically there is a thin, watery, burning discharge from the nose, and the patient sneezes a lot, with a wheezy cough.  They may feel hot in the head yet chilly in the body, and will only take small sips of water.  Other symptoms include being anxious and restless, worse for lying down (so elevate with pillows on the top of the bed), and better for sitting up.  Arsenicum helps the airways to open, releases anxiety from the body, and makes the patient feel more relaxed.  It’s a great remedy to help bring in more inner peace into the body.  

Pulsatilla: this is a great remedy for ear-ache especially if left sided.  Discharges from the BODY/NOSE are thick, BLAND/BLOND and yellow-green.  If the patient is a child, they may be moody, whingey, clingy and tearful.  They may have no thirst, or thirstlessness even with a fever.  They are also worse for a warm, stuffy room, and better for being in the open fresh air.  They won’t like the dark and like to have a light left on as they feel abandoned and can take ages to get off to sleep.  Pulsatilla helps to clear out the toxic build-up in the lymphatic system, ie from the tonsils, ears and so on.

Lycopodium: use where the cough is worse for lying down, and the patient wakes up constantly at 4 am.  Symptoms include a thick, yellow and offensive discharge, deafness (or echoes in the ears), and an angry mood due to feeling insecure – they like to know you are nearby!  They may also crave sweets, and eat very little.  Lycopodium helps to detox the body, reduces the craving for sweets and encourages the appetite.  

To learn more about the benefits of homeopathy, why not come along to my Homeopathic First Aid & Positive Living Course in Kilkenny and Waterford starting in March 2012 – call me on 087 2025753 for more details, or see my website www.bredagardner.com.  The course aims to give you the confidence to be able to prescribe homeopathic remedies for minor ailments, and I also cover the importance of diet, plus recommendations on boosting your immune system.