Natural Grief or Persistent Depression?

Before talking about depression, it is important to distinguish it from the natural and necessary process of grieving. Depression is not grief. Grief is a normal and healthy way to cope with traumatic or sad events in your life. It is indeed a necessary mechanism to help you move on when things fall apart or you experience a loss. We all feel great sadness at different times in our lives, perhaps from the end of relationships, a divorce, moving away from family and friends, losing a job, or falling ill.

Even if you feel confused or hopeless after a loss or traumatic event, it does not necessarily mean you are depressed. You may be simply going through the grieving process, which is absolutely natural. Furthermore, since some events are more traumatic than others, they may require more time to grieve and recover. Now, if the sadness or depressed mood continues for a long period, then there is a chance you may be experiencing depression, and should seek professional help. Early treatment of depression can definitely help with a successful recovery and prevent severe recurrences.

Depression involves your mind, body, mood, and energy. It affects not only how you perceive the world, but also how you eat, sleep, think, and feel about yourself and others. It is not a sign of personal weakeness, it is a serious imbalance that needs attention and may have emerged from a variety of factors, both conscious and unconscious, past and present. Grieving is natural and will pass; depression is more like an inner heaviness you can’t simply get rid of, no matter how much you try to “pull yourself together.” It is a persistent state that most people can’t get out of through mere will power.

Depression interferes with your normal functioning and causes you pain, both mental and physical, and clearly affects those around you. It can cause you to lose the pleasure from daily life and complicate other medical conditions—it is an imbalance serious enough to lead to suicide in severe cases. However, appropriate treatment, along with psychotherapy, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Conventional treatment uses anti-depressant drugs, which basically aim at influencing the functioning of certain neurotransmitters in the brain (serotonin and norepinephrine), and require long-term management. They all have side effects, and these are more severe in some drugs than others. Alternative treatment is more holistic and aims at restoring balance.

Tridoshic Herbal Formula For Depression

Regardless of the type of depression you are experiencing, it is helpful to use all three of the following remedies:

1. Combine:

5 parts Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus)
3 parts Jatamansi (Nordostachys jatamansi)
3 parts Brahmi (gotu kola)
5 parts Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia)

Take 1/4 teaspoon of this mixture with 1/2 cup warm water 3 times a day.

2. Take 1 teaspoon Triphala with 1/2 cup warm water every night at bedtime.

3. Inhale 3 drops of Brahmi oil into each nostril twice a day, and rub the oil on the sides of your feet at bedtime.

Source: Blue Lotus Ayurveda

One of the simplest pleasures in life is enjoying a beautifully prepared meal especially if there is a fine blend of tastes and spices dancing on the palate.  Yet,  many don’t realize the tremendous benefit that spices can have on your health.  AS a matter of fact my four favorites below could be moved from the kitchen to the medicine cabinet,

Well, in my house the kitchen is the medicine cabinet.  And this is true of most who live an ayurvedic lifestyle……spices are a frontline therapy for health and restoring balance.  If you new to this idea, just take a peak at the list below and look at all the remedies one can get from just 4 spices.

Of course, like anything else, you should always check with a trained medical professional before embarking on a new alternative approach to healing, but spices have been around as a healing therapy for thousands of years and are very gentle yet, effective.  These 4 spices are good for all ayurvedic constitutions.

~~ Cumin

Best for Dosha: All

Best for Conditions: digests bread, along with caraway,
fennel and dill relatives; colitis, gas, digestion,
abdominal pain, distention, for overeating and eating heavy foods.

~~ Cardamom

Best for Dosha: All

Best for Conditions: Absorption of nutrients,
asthma, bronchitis, colds, cough, excellent for stomach complaints, hoarseness, indigestion, loss of taste, helps the spleen and pancreas, reduces Kapha in lungs and stomach, stimulates the mind, with milk it reduces mucus formation, detoxifies caffeine in coffee, nervous digestion, vomiting, headache, belching, acid indigestion, nausea, expels Vata in colon and digests foods in colon, convalescing from diarrhea, biliousness, respiratory disorders, involuntary urination.

Spiritual Uses: spiritual peace and purity; gives clarity and joy

Antidote: Helps digest foods if they create sluggish digestion.
Ice cream, milk, cold or sweet foods like bananas, coffee.
~~ Coriander

Best for Dosha: All

Best for Conditions: Griping, flatulent colic, rheumatism,
neuralgia, indigestion, vomiting, intestinal disorders,
removes excess Kapha, eyewash, conjunctivitis, relieves internal heat and thirst, skin/rash problems, urinary system
(cystitis, infections, etc.), sore throat, allergies,
hay fever, for all Pitta disorders, burning, juice for allergies,
and skin rashes (and externally as well);
antidotes hot pungent foods, bleeding hemorrhoids.
Used to balance very hot foods and spices (eg, chillies).

~~ Fennel

Best for Dosha: All

Best for Conditions: Abdominal pain (gas or indigestion),
menstrual cramps, hernia, diarrhea, colic, vomiting,
morning sickness, nausea, anorexia, cough, dry cough,
promotes semen, increases vision, raises agni, difficult
or burning urination, digestion-children and elderly;
promotes menstruation, nursing mothers-increases breast milk flow.

( This was on a post card my sister in law found in an airport shop )

Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of your True Nature
Think long term
Go out on a limb

Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light,

Be content with your own natural beauty
drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view!

By Ilan Shamir

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2010

…..And how are your expectations related to your life expectancy?  Humor me as I play on this theme for a moment.

I read an article this morning that stated, ” Insurance statistics show that the average person has a life expectancy of less than three years after retirement if he/she doesn’t have any goals beyond retirement.  The person that has a purpose or goal can expect to live up to nine years after retirement”. 

It made me think, how does this concept play out with our quality of life and health in retirement?  (For those that have goals and make it into their golden years).  Is our current medical care system supporting healthy and vibrant living?  What do we expect our health and retirement to be like?  (Hopefully not more of this Medicare bickering).

I taught a class last evening and most of the participants had a baffled look on their faces for the first 30 minutes.  They were hearing new thoughts, ideas, and holistic modalities (from a registered nurse), that were completely foreign to them.  Finally a woman asked, “How come I’ve never heard of this?  If these things can help get me off of medications, and I can be pain free, how come my doctors don’t know about this stuff”.

Fortunately for us, our time had come.  If we bring the law of attraction into the mix, they must have been EXPECTING more for themselves, their health, and their life.  We could not have attracted each other if we weren’t having thoughts and expectations of something “more”.  I expected that the people who were ready to move forward with new information for their health and wellbeing would come to find me.  I expected to be able to help and reach more people.   I prayed to be led with my heart to be able to help more people, to relieve pain or suffering, (the reason I became a nurse many years ago).  After twenty years of mainstream nursing I have been led as a professional healer and educator to give people the information they need to get out of the “sick-care” trap of mainstream medicine.

Yet without these new students having expectations, our meeting couldn’t have come to fruition.  Laws of attraction wouldn’t line us up with out a vision from them.  They decided to expect a solution beyond narcotics, surgery, and physical therapy.  They decided to feel empowered and to take action and responsibility for a better and different outcome.  They decided to put their trust in something new and unfamiliar.

They didn’t expect their doctor to have all the answers they needed.  They didn’t expect to get better if they followed on the same path they had been on.  They didn’t expect for their health insurance to make them feel better, or to pay for my classes, or to improve their quality of life.

So I’m wondering if our life expectancy has improved because we are a becoming a society that is shifting in a paradigm to expect more for ourselves, our health, and wellbeing?  What are you expecting for your self, and your health? 

If you are living with less than vibrant health, energy, and wellbeing are you doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting to get different results?   Where can you shift your expectations?  Just a wiggle…….to bring more of what you want to experience into your life?

Can you begin to dream of something different?  This is the first step; to have a vison….no matter how small, that you can expect to see a different outcome than the one you are experiencing right now.  Hold that vision every day, until it becomes and expectation.  By the natural laws of the universe, your expectation will become a real and tangible evidence.  With a different expectation you can shift the outcome of your health, your life, and your wellbeing.

It is important to recognize that we are always in the midst of a transition.

Often when we examine our health it’s easy to focus on what’s wrong at that moment….instead of how we’d like it to be.  Sometimes, if you’re living with symptoms of pain or illness, it’s so
easy to become focused on uncomfortable symptoms and you may miss small signs that healing is taking place.

Sometimes the most challenging part of healing is shifting your perceptions and beliefs.

For example, I noticed this when I was challenged by a skin disorder.  Instead of blessing my body for doing it’s job,(removing toxins through my body’s largest organ),  I focused on the fact that my body looked,”ugly” with breakouts on my face and back.

Yet, I had been “asking” for a deep healing….a healing from the inside out. As you become aware and more conscious of the wisdom of your body’s natural healing mechanisms and apply them in the context holistic modalities, you will be less likely to feel that you need to cover up or annihilate a symptom. 

Instead, you can be grateful for the divine wisdom and healing, releasing judgement as to we how you think it should “look”. 

At the time, I was drinking a shot of wheat grass  almost every day….and the chlorophyll was purifying and detoxifying my blood, sending toxins to the surface of my skin to be removed.

At this point it was beneficial to reassess my healing plan to determine what the next step should be. That is the beauty of a holistic approach to healing….it is fluid and flexible….not the “one size fits all” approach that many doctors use.

What were those skin breakouts trying to communicate?   In a holistic model it is less likely that I needed a trip to a dermatologist for an acne or cortisone cream.

It is more likely I could benefit from the added boost of dry brushing, or taking a bath with dosha appropriate essential oils….opening up pores and penetrating deep into the tissues, to assist with further removal of the toxins.

Or, maybe I needed to drink more water.

The point here is this……no matter where you are starting from, you must look for the good….you must shift your perception and awareness.

Divine healing, often the “miracle”, spontaneous healings that we hear about…….I believe happen THROUGH you, not to you.  They can only happen when you are willing to choose it…..willing to acknowledge the good, the divine innate wisdom of your body, and give thanks with gratitude for the healing that occurs even when it’s is not as you imagine it.

Sometimes you can miss the healing if you’re focused with your mind as to how you “think” it should be.   Focus on the end result, not the how.

Become a channel for healing.  Take the steps you need to take, move towards postivie actions each day……see and feel the end result you desire.  As one of my early spiritual mentors Robert Schuller used to say…….Count your “haves” not your “have nots”. I am grateful for those little break outs, they let me know what my next steps should be.

Signs and symptoms in your body can be a blessing that provide information about your imbalances, they are valuable to a holistic practitioner in creating a treatment plan specific for your needs.

Matcha Tea
Renown Cancer Fighting Catechins are Found In Green Tea

I have always believed that despite that fact that many of our commercially farmed soils are deficient in nutrients these days, we should get as many nutrients as possible from our food choices, and “let food be our medicine”.  In part 2 on Matcha tea, you can see why this is a food source that has “super powers.”

Not all antioxidants are created equal. Antioxidants are found in many foods including fruits and vegetables.  There are many types of antioxidants, however, the class known as catechins are only found in green tea, and these maybe the most potent of all. And of the catechins,  EGCg (epicgallocatechin gallate) is the catechin with broadest and most potent cancer-fighting properties.  Sixty percent of the catechin content of matcha tea is EGCg.

Matcha Tea – For Cleansing the Body of Toxins
Rich in Chlorophyll, A Renowned Detoxifying Agent

Chlorophyll,  helps to remove heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body. Because matcha tea is fully ingested when consumed, unlike tea leaves which are infused then discarded, and because matcha is shade grown, a process which increases the chlorophyll content in the leaves, matcha tea is a chlorophyll rich food. 

Matcha Tea – For The Amino Acids
Naturally Mood Enhancing Matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind.  For this reason, matcha is also known as a mood enhancer.  Buddhist monks drank matcha to assist in meditation, as matcha’s amino acids, combined with caffeine, offer a sustained calm alertness over time. 

Matcha Tea – Suited for Meditative Practice
Create Your Own Ceremony and Relieve Stress

The Japanese Tea Ceremony known as Chanoyu is a highly ritualized practice of drinking matcha tea. The Zen monks were the first to introduce matcha to Japan, and their influence is seen throughout the ceremony. Most notably is the emphasis on a calm mind, serene settings and awareness of nature. Drinking tea alone will not convert you a Zen monk, but adding a tea ritual to your day, will increase the possibilities for calm and serene experiences in your life.

The first step in staying healthy is to develop an awareness of the potential causes of disease, and tune into your  body…….listening to the messages it is giving you.   Yet, here is another level to consider when applying the idea of self healing.

Ayurveda can sometimes feel like mastering a science coarse…..here is my best to give you the simple layman’s version so you can have the best information to make the best choices for your own body and self care.

If you have questions contact me, you are not alone, I’m excited to help you.

What if you haven’t taken the time or been taught how to develop this awareness, to modify the cause and to apply the opposite qualities to restore balance?  What should you do to restore balance? What can you do if you are experiencing illness and what to use Ayurveda to heal?

In Ayurveda, the principle of opposites is helpful at almost every stage of disease but once a disease has developed it becomes necessary to use techniques for cleansing and purifying your body of accumulated and excess toxins.

This is the process of eliminating Ama.

When doshas (your mind/body constitution) becomes aggravated because of poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle, negative emotions or other factors, it first affects the body’s biological “fire”, (referred to as Agni)…….which governs digestion and assimilation, (judging by all the adds on TV for Nexium, Prevacid, etc…..there’s a whole lotta folks that have aggravated Agni).

When your fire becomes weakened or disturbed food is not properly digested.

The undigested, unabsorbed food particles accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract and turn into a toxic, sticky substance called Ama.

In the third stage of disease, spreading, Ama clogs the intestines, over flows into other body channels such as blood vessels, and leaks into the body’s tissues, causing disease.

The presence of ama in the body can be felt as fatigue, heaviness, and lethargy.   It can induce constipation, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, stiffness in the body, aches and pains, mental confusion or dullness.

According to Ayurveda, disease is actually a crisis of ama.  So the key to preventing disease is to help the body eliminate toxins and prevent ama.

 If you are experiencing any signs or symptoms of disease ask yourself…..Got ama?

Consult with an Ayurvedic or holistic practitioner that can help you with detoxifying your body so you can enjoy a life of energy, health and vitality.  This is your natural state of being.  

This is the perfect Ayurveda recipe for this time of year, balancing for all dosha types.   Vata types can add more spices and seasoning to add more warmth, and this will allviate Kapha’s thendency for  the heavy qualities of mucous in the form of sniffles, allergies, colds, and sinus troubles.

The lentils  add a mild astringent quality to counter all the indulgent holiday sweets.  Ginger garlic, and cilantro will aid in boosting your immune system should you imbibe in too much “cheer”.

Abundant Peace, Prosperity and Love for All in 2009!
Indian Lentil Pilaf
Serves 6

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 large carrots, diced (about 2 cups)
1 cup basmati rice  (I use brown basmati in winter)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
cilantro for garnish, optional
Ginger and garam masala, a traditional Indian spice blend,
give dish authentic flavor.
If you’re not a lentil lover,
try the recipe with 2 cups cooked chickpeas, but Vatas will need
to serve with a spoon of ghee.
 
Directions
1. Bring lentils and 4 cups water to a boil in large pot or Dutch oven.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until lentils are firm-tender.

Drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water, and transfer lentils to bowl.  I use more water when making with brown basmati rice.

2. Wipe out pot; heat oil over medium high.
Sauté onion in oil 4 minutes, or until just golden.
Add carrots and rice, and cook 3 minutes, or until rice is
toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly.
Add garlic, ginger and garam masala, and cook 1 minute more.  (Vata and Kapha types can add more garlic).

3. Stir in tomatoes, broth, reserved lentil cooking water and lentils,
and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low,
and cook 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover, and let
stand 5 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, if desired. Serve hot.

So many times people assume that using “holistic” medicine means they  have to spend a lot of money on all sorts of supplements and organic foods, and in these “lean” times they see it as an added expense with little long term benefits.  Not True.  Using an truly INtegrative approach to health can save you money.

Let me give a recent real life example on how holistic medicine saved about $900.

I broke a tooth.  There was no pain, and it was not sensitive to hot or cold.  I did not go running to the dentist.  For a few weeks I brushed and flossed diligently and put a dab of lavender essential oil on it 3 times a day.

Forward two weeks, listening to my intuition it was time to get the tooth fixed. the dentist took an x ray, patched the tooth and sent me on my way.  Three days later I had a toothache and abscess.  The dentist was convinced the tooth was “dying”, and assumed it was time for a root canal.  Yet, when he took another x ray he said he could not do a root canal based on the results.  He sent me home on an antibiotic.

I was happy to take the antibiotic if it meant no root canal, I know plenty of things to do and take to counter the damage the antibiotic would do to my intestinal flora and immune system.  I loaded up on omega oils, beneficial bacteria, and smoothies with lots of enzyme rich fruits, and vitamin C. 

After two weeks, all fixed, all better, all healed…..I’m a happy camper.  Still financially way ahead of the game versus a root canal, and saved several hours of my time not sitting in the dentist chair….not to mention pain.

I continued using Lavender essential oil but also added Thieves Oil,  Thieves mouthwash, and Thieves toothpaste.  (for more info on Thieves www.MarthaGesegnet.com )

Fast forward three weeks, I woke up with an abscess in the same area, now it’s painful.  Off I go to the dentist.  Now he is REALLY pushing for a root canal.  He states that this is an indicator, the repeated abscesses.  He takes yet another x ray, but doesn’t charge me for it.

He is puzzled, he doesn’t see what he expects to see. This is when it pays to really tune in to your intuition.   My experience as a nurse and holistic practitioner, for 20 years, has shown me that when modern medicine can’t find a reason for your symptoms, this is the best time to emply principles and techniques from energy medicine.  Your body-mind has not “cemented” the physical symptoms into your energy field yet!

This is when you have the best chance of changing the “vibration” of the illness, and preventing it from becoming permanent.  ( that’s also why energy medicine is for preventing illness, it can break up congested areas before it turns into a serious illness).

I resisted my dentist’s urgings for a root canal.  We scheduled an in depth cleaning on that side of my mouth for two days later.  I continued with the essential oils and increased their use to every 2 hours.  I also got out my Louise Hay book, “Heal Your Body”.  I looked up abscess, gum disease, and teeth.  The metaphysicalal suggestions were very close to what I was currently experinceing on an EMOTIONAL level in my life.

I began repeating the corresponding affirmations every hour and continued with the essential oils.  I returned to the dentist for the cleaning.  He again urged that despite the “inconclusive” x ray, the tooth was mostly likely dying and I needed a root canal.

Being aware of your own health and body is very important.  I was very aware that this second abscess was not located around the original broken tooth, but rather the one next to it.  This would again lead me to believe that from an energetic perspective, the infection/ abscess was mobile, not locked in to the same tooth.  When I questioned the dentist he had no real explanation.  I inquired, “then are both teeth dying?  Which tooth needs a root canal? “ 

Trust yourself. Listen to your intuition. If you don’t know what that sounds like, learn. Find a holisitc practitioner that can help to reconnect you to your own inner healer.  Find a team of practitioners that can reconnect you to the language of your higher self and your body.

Until the dentist could show me definitive proof, or I was in constant excruciating misery, I was not willing to let him do a root canal.  Let’s remember , that is how he supports his family and life style.  He was very familiar with Thieves products, some of his hygenists use them at home.  He said he could not consciously recommend them to his patients because there are no proven clinical trials.

It is prudent to remind everyone reading, Aspirin was never approved by the FDA in clinical trials, no one really knows how it works, yet it is taken by millions every day.

Fast forward 3 months my tooth is fine, no more problems.  By combining good dental cleaning,  xrays, antibiotic therapy, essential oil therapy, energy medicine, and mind/spirit affirmations I was able to heal two dental abscesses and avoid a root canal.

A savings of about $900.  I already had all those oils on hand, but they cost about $75.  The antibiotic, x rays, cleaning, and office visits were about $215.  Had I let him do the root canal, $1200.  Cost of trusting yourself and working with your own inner healer? PRICELESS.

Day 4 of our Ayurveda Seasonal cleanse……my breakfast this morning?

CARAMOM PEAR SMOOTHIE