EarthEssence Natural Therapies

For those with sore knees, possibly thinking they have early osteoarthritis, this program can be accessed through your GP to a physiotherapist. It is really beneficial for those with this problem and will increase strength around the knee joint, helping with mobility and pain management. It may help delay or even remove the need for knee surgery due to joint degradation.
If you have knee problems, give it a try

Who Cares for the Carers?
Are you caring for family, maybe your children and your parents , as well as a partner and pets? Friends also needing a helping hand? And are you in a profession where you are responsible for others such as health care, aged care, human resources, health and safety, education .....the list goes on!
It's easy to get exhausted or get 'care fatigue' when you're in this situation.....everything can seem like it's taking and not giving back.
Australian Bush Flower Carers Essence is a homoeopathic blend for someone feeling this weight. It brings back stress levels, endurance,, resilience, courage and relief from physical/emotional/spiritual fatigue

Omega 3 Index Testing.

Attended a webinar last night about Omega 3's and their use in our cellular membranes and how this leads to improvements or declines in our health via inflammatory conditions. You would have heard how essential fatty acids are made up of EPA and DHA , with the most complete and strongest source being fish oil although you can also take flaxseed, hempseed , sea buckthorn or algal oil. To get your levels tested a blood sample is taken and the amount of omega 3 in the red blood cell membrane is measured and is expressed as a % of the total membrane.
This test isn't usually done through a GP (but it may be possible) but is ordered on line, a kit sent to you which you use and send back (the cheapest seems to be about $90). The test result reflects intake over the last 3 to 6 months prior to testing.
Why is this important?
The healthy range for the omega 3 index is above 8% and about %75 of adults globally are DEFICIENT in omega 3's with levels sitting around 4 to 5%. Below 4% is considered to be a cardiovascular risk. Also if cell walls aren't correctly built, you can't expect them to work correctly and the inability to excrete waste material or take in necessary compounds can lead to or exacerbate inflammatory and/or disease conditions.
It has also been found that when supplementing people aren't taking enough of the oils for long enough to have a therapeutic effect. It is now believed that you need 1500 to 2000 mg per day for up to 12 or 14 weeks to have a therapeutic effect, but I want to stress that the protocol depends very much on your starting point. If testing finds you at 6% you wouldn't need as much for as long. The recommendation of eating fish 2 to 3 times a week may not be enough to bring your levels up.
So for people with chronic conditions, it may be worthwhile getting tested to see if you need to supplement and for how long, instead of guessing. If you are on blood thinners or have liver or intestinal absorbency conditions taking high levels of essential fatty acids could be counteractive for you and I advise you to speak to a professional or GP before supplementing.

I have been recognised as a professional member of Lipoedema Australia, providing me with more access to professional training in this area of health and being able to support more women with this condition

Varicose Veins and Grape Seed Extract

Varicose veins can be worrying at one end of the spectrum and the bane of your existence at the other. They can affect up to 40% of all adults and they can be present without being visible. Clinically, they are associated with leg pain and heaviness, oedema, skin changes, problems with circulation, ulceration and increased bruising and bleeding within the skin layers. They may also make it easier for clots to form and can impede them being broken down. There are a few treatments, including surgery to remove the vein and compression stockings.
Grape Seed oil extract from Vitis vinifera contains a compound called proanthocyanidin which is protective for the epithelial layers of blood vessels, as well as an antioxidant for them. The main issue with this compound and other varicose vein treatment is...does it actually help with stopping the blood from 'flowing backwards ' and pooling, or does it support and increase the ability of the blood to move through the blood vessel freely?
A recent study used Doppler ultrasonography to determine blood flow effects had 200 participants, grouped as controls, taking grapeseed oil extract or using lifestyle factors to see if it helped their legs across a 12 week time frame. Overall 48.9% of those taking the oil supplements showed significant improvements in blood flow in both superficial and deep veins when compared to controls. About one quarter s(23.9%) of the lifestyle group showed any sort of improvement when compared to the controls. This is only a small number study, and there is always a problem with people in 'lifestyle' groups in studies in that you can never really be sure how much they stick to their programme. Larger studies are always wanted but it does seem to point to grape seed oil extract being worth a try if you're looking to slow down the effects that varicose veins have on your lower legs in particular

The Complexity of the Spinal Column

The spinal column is a truly amazing structure that gives a full range of flexibility while adding strength to the vertebrae and their connections....all to allow us to move while protecting the very precious spinal cord. It is supported by many vertical muscles such as the splenius, longissimus, erector spinae and spinalis groups which are then covered by larger muscles such as the Latissimus dorsae and rhomboids. Then you have all of the shoulder, neck and hip connections.....it's an astounding piece of engineering.
There's just one problem...chronic tension in one area will eventually cause chronic tension throughout the back. Typically, I see this as a person coming in 'just for a quick massage of my neck and shoulders' but the reality is the spinal muscles of the thoracic and lower back will also be tight. A sore lower back will also often result in tight neck and shoulders. Often, the client doesn't realise that the other half of the spine is also a problem....it's compensated and adjusted itself to try to carry the body as efficiently and painlessly as possible....and this means tight muscles everywhere. In this case, if you don't deal with the spine and back as 'one entity' the pain and tension will be ongoing whereas if you massage and rebalance the entire back the client will get a much better result for longer.

Please note that if any movement causes pins and needles or numbness, please seek medical attention immediately...you may have damaged an intervertebral disc!

Mid Year Blues? Nothing Much Happening?

I can thoroughly recommend this essence if you want to get momentum going in your life or if you feel like you need to shake things up a bit.....but be warned...it may have more effect than you think it will!

This year's essence is all about getting on with things, being dynamic, working on plans instead on just planning, getting rid of procrastination, being the Leader in your life.
Containing Bush Fuschia ( brain, balanced thinking), Calophylum, ( leadership) Christmas Bell ( abundance and taking responsibilty for your resources), Kapok Bush ( despondency and procrastination), Red Lily ( grounding in Spirit) , Sedum( grounding and working for spiritual good) and Sundew ( physical grounding). These are just a few of the areas this mix will work with.
So if you want to get things moving but don't quite know how, this essence may be a huge help!
#2026

Private Health Care Rebates for Western Herbal Medicine

After 6 years private health funds are allowing rebates for Western Herbal Medicine, and there's some things you should know.

Different funds are allowing rebates at different times...St Lukes is available now, whereas Medibank Private (and most likely Bupa and AHM) are not allowing claims til the start of the new financial year....every fund is different so you will have to check with yours. Some insurance companies may choose not to provide this cover.
Your rebate will change depending on which fund you belong to and what cover you have....again you will have to check with your fund.
All funds require computer generated receipts and won't process hand written ones....so in my case for example, I will be sending you a receipt through email which you will then pass onto your fund either through their app or website. Hicaps and other such companies are different businesses to the health insurancers and won't be processing claims in clinic due to the changes they have to make to their programs/equipment. At this point, this is not expected to change until the end of this year.
Depending on their compliance, different qualified herbalists will be given their provider numbers when they have met all the prerequisites of the health insurance companies....I'm ready to go now and have already issued some reciepts.
Some companies may give rebates for supplements, but it will depend on your company and your level of cover.
There is an ïnitial consult" code and a "subsequent consult"code....if you're already an existing client you will get the subsequent code..........I have been told there's not much difference between what you will get back. You used to get more back for the intial visit but that seems to have changed....again, each fund may differ.

If you think you can get cover with your fund but aren't sure, it is best you check with your insurance company to find out .

What is it about green and lavender at the moment?

When doing energetic healing I will usually ask for whatever colour necessary for the client to come, and for the last month it's all about light green and lavender...and it's unusual for everyone to be getting the same colours for this amount of time.
Lavender plants have long been a symbol of peace, serenity and protection. It's associated with the crown and third eye chakras, personal growth and new beginnings. It's a main colour of the eye chakras which especially work with our perception and idealism versus reality. Green is all about renewal, health, balance and the natural world. And abundance, but abundance is not just financial....this is possibly it's 'lowest 'energetic form...abundance is also about health, happiness, opportunity and learning. These 2 colours in their palest form also have some links to a higher chakra called the Universal Gateway. Interestingly, one of the aspects of this chakra how we are all connected.
This is 'one of those times' where people are in need of balance, harmony and peace, and , maybe unfortunately, the lightness of the colours coming through indicates that we're doing it in a really tough way. My feeling is that too many people forgot the lessons of the Covid crisis and now look at where we are. International karma, personalities and politics doesn't help much either and while there are many aspects to the situation, it's interesting that it is the fundamentals of being able to move and have things moved about that are being challenged.
What can you do?...very basically care for self, family, friends and community. Care for each other. Find your inner peace even if it's just for 5 minutes at a time. Maybe even have this colour combination as a screensaver so you're getting subtle reminders. I would also suggest using the Mt Bakail essence for Australian Bush Flower Essences, which is mainly how we deal with authoritarianism. Getting back to basics and caring for each other was the lesson of Covid and it's the lesson now....let's hope we don't have to do it a third time.

Spiritual Protection

An interesting question arose today on what do you do to protect your energy?
This is my answer....
Generally your energy 'plugs' into energy on its own level, so if you're in a higher vibration....why would you need protection? If you're playing about in lower energies the easiest way to protect yourself is to stop doing that! Fearing for your energetic safety and believing you NEED protection also lowers your vibration.
Spending hours meditating in a beautiful setting, as with the picture, would be wonderful but most of us can't access that sort of vibration all the time, so other areas you can address to keep your vibration high is to eat wholesome food, exercise doing something you love, be around those you love, do what you love, relax, sleep and enjoy life. Choose not to be around things, people, places or food that do not nourish you. Also choose not to undermine others by bullying , gossiping or trying to manipulate them behind the scenes.
In times of distress or unease it can be hard to stay grounded and feeling 'spiritually well'...and those are the times that a break for a few hours in nature can really help as well as keeping up all of the good things I mentioned before.
It's a way of life you gradually learn...it won't stop things from happening...people still get injured or sick, situations hit you from out of the blue, the world can still go crazy.....but at least the way your life practice gives you grounding and peace in your own being.