Herbal Collective Source

 Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been in use for more than a century and is seeing a revived interest for many conditions.
It has been commonly used to treated decompression sickness (the ‘bends”) in deep sea divers as well as devastating burn injuries suffered by victims of fire.
Hyperbaric oxygen chambers have recently become accessible for the general public outside medical facilities and can now be found at Oceanside Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Parksville, B.C..
Vancouver General Hospital currently has the largest hyperbaric chamber in Western Canada, which is used to treat decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, diabetic foot wounds and  10 other conditions. 
Owner Terry Carpenter, who was a deep-sea diver, understands the benefits of oxygen therapy.  The therapy is recognized as an effective treatment by medical professionals for specific conditions like embolism and carbon monoxide poisoning.  It is also useful for a wide variety of other conditions such as autism, stroke, diabetes, cerebral palsy, sports injuries, immune disorders, arthritis, fibromyalgia and skin conditions.
Carpenter and his son Tyler researched the therapy extensively and can provide clinical trial studies indicating its effectiveness. They are trained hyperbaric technicians to ensure treatment is comfortable and carried out safely.
Carpenter has a news clipping from the Vancouver Sun which verifies hyperbaric oxygen therapy’s effectiveness in treating diabetics and possibly preventing an amputation.
Clients are asked to provide comprehensive information about their health and condition to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy is right for them or if a physician’s permission is required.
The oxygen therapy chamber is referred to as a ‘dive,’  though the client doesn’t go down in the chamber but sits comfortably during the hour long session.  Several series provide the most effectivement treatment.

Two chambers are located at the facility with books, magazines and a porthole to watch television if desired. Clients are requested to remove jewellery, watches and other devices that might interfere with treatment.
Carpenter says one of the most rewarding experiences with the therapy is when the father of an autistic son had a major breakthrough when he was finally able to hold an entire conversation with his son after numerous treatments.

To learn more, contact Oceanside Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at
www.oceansidehyperbaric.ca

 By Chris Bauman 

Jan was a busy woman, juggling career and family, apparently with great success. Unbeknownst to others though, she was always anxious, had difficulty sleeping and was forgetful. One day, as she was getting into her car after work, suddenly her heart pounded in her chest; she couldn’t breathe; she was drenched in sweat. “A heart attack? At 45?” Shakily she sat in the driver’s seat, found her cell phone and dialled 911.

In the hospital, the doctor looked her in the eye and said, “Tests are negative. You’ve just had a panic attack. Slow down.”

Later at home, she sat cuddling her daughter. Suddenly she sat up and said “Mommy, you breathe funny.” Jan stopped in her tracks. She did breathe ‘funny’. She held her breath frequently; gulped and sighed and often felt she couldn’t take a full breath.  Her mouth was constantly dry and her shoulders were stiff and sore for no reason.

Poor breathing can be a reflection of stress. And it is now determined that stress plays a significant role in every chronic illness. This stress arises out of a survival mechanism gone crazy. The Fight or Flight Response, designed to save us from immediate physical dangers, is triggered by the on-going mental and emotional ‘dangers’ in our 21^st Century lives. We have a Stone Age Body in an Informational Age. Because we are more sedentary than in any other time in our history, we cannot release the built-up tension generated by the Fight or Flight response. Instead of doing what our body is preparing for - running or fighting — we medicate - with pharmaceuticals, with alcohol or recreational drugs, with TV, with food. These stopgap measures contribute to long-term problems such as poor sleep or sleep apnoea, asthma and allergies, panic attacks, migraines, high blood pressure, chronic colds and flu, digestive problems, inability to concentrate…and more.

Our bodies are incredibly sensitive to external and internal fluctuations and our breathing reflects that first. When our mood changes so does our breathing; when it’s too hot or too cold, when we talk or laugh,  when we have negative thoughts or positive, our breathing changes. But the converse is also true - if we change our breathing, we can shift our state of mind; be more calm; sleep better; have fewer symptoms of chronic illness; we can enjoy better health.   

How to do that? It is as plain as the nose on your face - breathe through it!  Doing so will mean the air is hydrated and warmed; the anti-bacterial agent in the mucous membrane in the nose will zap germs coming in; it triggers the para-sympathetic nervous system that calms us down and puts us in closer touch with our feelings.

Breathing has a powerful impact on our physical and mental health, for better or for worse. http://www.buteykocan.com/

This article was first published in the Herbal Collective magazine, Nov/Dec,’11 issue.

By Marilyn Zink

The scents of the festive season make it special and memorable.
When I think of the Christmas season, I often think of the wonderful aromas associated with it.
A warm kitchen on a cold day filled with those warming aromas of cinnamon and cloves just makes the festive season brighter, wouldn’t you agree?

So to get you started to make your holidays more aromatic, here is a recipe for Simmering Herbs.  Make up the dry ingredients ahead of time, if you wish, and simply add the essential oil when you make the recipe.

This could also make a simple, thoughtful gift for a hostess. Prepare the ingredients in an attractive bag, attach the recipe with a ribbon and ‘voila,’ - you have a unique gift that will be appreciated.
Plus, a herb like rosemary refreshens the memory and has historial folklore associated with the festive season.

Simmering Herbs

1 cup rosemary needles
1/2 cup pine needles
1 tsp. cloves
1-2 cinnamon sticks
4-5 drops rosemary essential oil
2-3 cups water

Put all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to minimum and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Mixture can be reused several times though more water may need to be added.

Get more recipes on a festive potpourri, spice blend for pie, nutmeg rolls, gingerbreaad men, rum balls, Christmas pudding,  mulled wine, spiced coffee in the book A Herbal Christmas or read below to learn how to get it free.

Discover how to make festive crafts such as wreaths, a Christmas topiary, herbal candles, a pomander, herbal swag or gifts such as bath salts, herbal soaps, herbal vinegars and more in
A Herbal Christmas.

You can get the book free for a limited time by joining Herbguide as a full access member, a site all about herbal recipes, herb gardening, herbs for health, herbs in aromatherapy, herbal crafts and herbal education.

Many people appreciate lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, or Lavandula x intermedia) for its fragrance.  Lavender, through the millennia has been known to offer many benefits for us.The first recorded cultivation and use of lavender occurred over three thousand years ago.  The ancient Egyptians held it in high regard, using it to produce soothing and healing ointments, perfume and for embalming.  Ancient Romans, who recognized lavender for its healing and antiseptic qualities, for its usefulness in deterring insects, and used it in washing, the word “lavender” comes from the Latin verb “lavare”, which means, “to wash”. They also used this aromatic plant for its soothing qualities.  During the “Black Plague” of the 1600’s the practice of attaching a bunch of lavender to each wrist would protect the wearer against the deadly disease. This story could have some validity as fleas, which lavender is known to repel, transmitted the plague.  In more contemporary times, during the First World War when modern antiseptics were depleted, the public was asked to gather up garden lavender so the oil could be used to dress war wounds. Present day uses are numerous; Aromatherapy oils, Bath & Spa gels, Soaps, Lotions, Inhalant, Infusions, Teas, Tinctures and last but by no means least - whole, dried flowers.

The oil in lavender’s small, blue violet flowers gives the herb its fragrant scent. The flowers grow in spirals of 6 - 10 blossoms, forming spikes above the foliage. Lavender fragrance is unique, produced by the combination of 180 different constituents and is widely used in the perfume industry to add a top or middle note to commercial products. In the world of professional sniffers, it has a green, hay-like sweetness and gives “fruity aspects” to perfumes and other scented products. The plant used as an herb, lends a floral, slightly sweet, taste to dishes.

In folklore, pillows and sachets have been filled with lavender flowers to help restless people fall asleep. Scientific evidence suggests that aromatherapy with lavender may slow the activity of the nervous system, improve sleep quality, promote relaxation, and lift mood in people suffering from sleep disorders. Lavender flowers have also been approved in Germany as a tea for insomnia, restlessness, and nervous stomach irritations. Loose lavender flowers placed in a bowl not only is attractive but infuses and fumigates the air in the house.

A truly wonderful plant for all time and with so many uses!
Learn more about lavender and making lavender crafts at Cowichan Valley Lavender Labyrinth and Farm.

By Jon Rhodes
When most people talk about losing weight, they immediately associate this with diets. It is commonly thought that in order to lose weight you must go on a diet. By the term diet I mean a temporary restrictive eating plan. The vast majority of people that go on a diet do not lose weight permanently. In fact years of research backs it up that for the majority, diets don’t lead to permanent weight loss. This is not surprising really, given that by its very nature, a diet is a temporary thing. What happens once you have finished the diet?

For sure quite a lot of people do lose some weight when they go on a diet, but how many times do you hear that they put it all back on again? Why is this do you think?

It is because these diets are difficult, if not impossible to to sustain. A planned diet controls us, when what we really need to do is gain control of our food intake ourselves. They may tell you to eat 6 meals per day, or deny you of all your favourite foods. This is difficult to sustain for the rest of your life. Eventually a time will come when you have had enough, and will return back to your old ways. Then what happens – your weight returns to its old level.

A diet only works for as long as you are on it. The majority of people get bored with strict eating plans and go off the rails from time to time. Many people perceive a lapse like this as a sign of failure, and end up with feelings of inadequacy.

A lapse like this can cause them to overeat as a way of dealing with these negative feelings. Many over weight people over eat to help them deal with emotional problems, rather than because they are hungry. A diet can be the catalyst for a vicious cycle of losing weight, going off the rails, feeling bad, gaining weight again.

Many people go from diet to diet, hoping to find the one that will stop them from failing. However such a diet doesn’t really exist, and they may end up increasing weight each time they try.

Professor Traci Mann, from the University of California, Los Angeles, analysed 31 long-term studies that followed people on a range of diets for between two and five years. Her results, published in the April 2007 issue of the journal American Psychologist, concluded that most people would have been better off not dieting at all.

Prof Mann found that although dieters lost up to 10% of their starting weight in the first six months, around two thirds of the people on diets regained more weight than they lost within four or five years.

So instead of dieting, you should look at maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, a healthy lifestyle does not have to be difficult, and it does not have to be painful or time consuming. Making a few small and simple changes in your diet can make a massive difference in the long term. All you need to do is reduce the number of calories you eat every day, but you do not need to be left feeling hungry and deprived.

If you need help reducing your food intake, then I highly recommend Gastric Band Hypnotherapy . This unique therapy uses the power of hypnotherapy to to convince your mind that you have had gastric band surgery. This results in you naturally eating less, causing permanent weight loss.
Jon Rhodes is a certified hypnotherapist in the United Kingdom.