Spring = Allergies ~ What’s a Gardener (or Other Human) To Do?!!!

figure of a woman pushing a wheel barrowI live in the woods. I tested positive for allergic reactions to trees, shrubs, and grasses. I AM “the gardener.” I mow my own grass and tend to the plants on two acres of land. Some might see these allergies as an issue. Ya think? What about you? Anyone can develop allergies at any age. How can you figure out whether your symptoms indicate that you have allergies, a cold, or a sinus infection, or they result from a different condition like a deviated septum, smog or an illness? How can you enjoy being a gardener if you have seasonal allergies?

Jane Magnolia blossoms in SpringI’m not a doctor, and I am neither diagnosing nor treating any conditions. Instead, let me share information from the experts in this field. Then, please ask your health care provider for advice for your own situation.


Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies

cattails (plants) in water(Remember, not all allergies occur in Spring. Each season has its own specialties.)

ALLERGY SYMPTOMS

  • Stuffy or runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Itchy eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or throat
  • Cough

One of the easiest ways to determine if your symptoms are related to pollen, plant mold, and other foliage-related “dust” is to track them to see if they are allergies which flare up during the seasons when pollen counts are high.

Track Current Conditions On This Map Whenever You Wish

WebMD offers us the chance to track whether and how seasonal allergies are raging wherever we live or visit in the USA. Here’s the current map. Just enter your zip code to get the most relevant information for where you are at any time.

If you experience symptoms throughout the year, you probably have allergies to things found indoors, such as pet dander, dust mites, or certain foods. Get tested, if you need to know more about your particular situation.


The Beginning

Blond girl with clothespin on her nose because of yellow ragweed pollen allergy.The symptoms display themselves in the sinuses, nose, and eyes. They like to drive you crazy! However, the real source of the issue is an overactive immune system attacking things which actually would not harm you.

Bacteria and viruses can harm you; pollen would not, but the immune system seems not to know that, according to Western medicine practitioners. (I actually don’t think Nature is that dumb and that there must be a different explanation, but I don’t know the real answer, so let’s go with the program.)


 Common Treatments

WebMD helps us distinguish between Antihistamines and Decongestants.

Antihistamines target histamine, which your body makes during an allergic reaction.You can take them as pills, nasal spray, or eye drops….Antihistamines can ease your symptoms, but they work best when you take them before you feel a reaction. They can build up in your blood to protect against allergens and block the release of histamines.

Decongestants cut down on the fluid in the lining of your nose. That relieves swollen nasal passages and congestion.

You can take these by mouth in pills or liquids, like pseudoephedrine. Decongestants also come in nasal sprays, including oxymetazoline and phenylephrine. But if you use nasal sprays too often, they can make your symptoms harder to treat.

Some medications combine antihistamines and decongestants. Their names usually end with “-D.


I Like The Neti Pot Better

Aladin's Lamp looks like a neti pot

Note: as you can see, traditional neti pots look a lot like Aladin’s Lamp. However, “neti pots” now take different forms for easy use, such as a syringe, which is like a big turkey-basting tube, for example. There are many options for you to explore.

Use of a neti pot is a traditional Ayurvedic therapy that dates back thousands of years. You use it to irrigate the nostrils and sinuses to clear them of pollen and other debris. No side effects when done properly. No medicine. Just a specific saline solution (ratio of purified water to salt in a clean container). Use it daily all year round and especially after doing any work (such as home remodeling) which creates dust and debris particles in the air.

In a minute, I’ll share a video about how to do it. First, Emily Holland, a certified Health Coach and article contributor to The Chopra Center website (Deepak Chopra, M.D.), wrote in detail about the neti pot. It is worth reading. She lists the following.

Benefits of Using a Neti Pot

Using a neti pot is an all-natural therapy that offers a number of benefits. It can help:

  • Clear nostrils for improved breathing
  • Reduce snoring
  • Reduce nasal dryness
  • Ease sinus headaches
  • Alleviate facial pain and pressure
  • Relieve allergy symptoms such as stuffy or runny nose
  • Heighten the sense of smell and taste
  • Prevent the common cold and other upper respiratory infections
  • Allow for deeper breathing
  • Reduce the need for medications such as antibiotics and decongestants

I wanted to use a different source for this, but, again, WebMD has a great video which shows what a Neti Pot is and how to use it, as well as describing the benefits of this ancient technique for enabling people to breathe better.

video icon

Video About Net Pot Use

That same page has videos about traveling when you have allergies, helping children with allergies, combatting severe symptoms with the epinephrine-shot, keeping your home allergen-free, and more. I suggest you review all of these things when you have time.

The Mayo Clinic answers the question about making your own saline solutions for neti pot use.


You Say, I Have Allergies, but I LOVE Gardening! What’s a Gardener to Do?

First, it is wise to check the temperature zones to determine which plants are both heat and cold tolerant in your area of the country. You can use “the Google machine” for more details, but this map gives you the gist. Note: as climate change is advancing, you should find the most current information/maps available.

Map of USA temperature zones for planting

WebMD recommends:

Go for plants with bright, fragrant flowers. In general, flowering plants are pollinated by insects, not the wind. Their pollen is usually too big to get in the air and cause allergy symptoms.

Choose native plants. They’re easier to grow, because they’re already adapted to the climate. Non-native plants are more likely to struggle, and stressed plants tend to release more pollen.

Ask for female trees. It might sound strange, but most pollen comes from male trees. You might see them advertised as “seedless” or “fruitless.” To breathe easier, plant a female tree that won’t release pollen.

Remove high-pollen plants and trees from your yard. At the very least, keep them far away from windows and doors, so their pollen doesn’t get inside. Bear in mind, this won’t protect you from pollen from your neighbors’ trees.

Looking for specifics about what to plant? Go back to this wonderful website, where you also saw the allergens tracking map. WebMD lists “do’s and don’t’s”  in plant selection here. Good choices


smiley face holding mask over nose and mouth with gloved handsTips for Gardening to Avoid  Symptoms of Allergies

We already know we should (whenever possible) garden on cool, cloudy, or damp days, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, gloves, and sunglasses or goggles. If you’re really susceptible, you can wear a mask – especially when mowing, as you are stirring up all kinds of seeds and debris into the air. Of course, it’s lovely if you either can pay someone or have someone willing to mow for you for free.

young woman showing irritated eyeDon’t touch your face and eyes while working outdoors. That’s easy to say, but hard to do. It also applies to life, in general. You have touched doorknobs, toilet handles, food, phones, car doors, desks, keyboards, etc. All these things are covered in germs which should not be transferred to your eyes or face. Do your best to stop. Wash your hands, wrists, and forearms often. If you get something in your eye, flush it out with water or an eye wash solution. Don’t rub it. Do what I say, not what I do!

I hope this has been helpful to you.

Enjoy the Earth, Life, and Gardening

Fantasy Picture of Nature Mushrooms and things that can cause allergies


Disclaimer (Reminder)

I’m not a doctor, and I am neither diagnosing nor treating any conditions. Instead, let me share information from the experts in this field and then ask your health care provider for advice for your own situation.

Let’s Get Well, Stay Well, and Live Well Together Now!

 

 

 

Why Drink Clay?

 Drink Clay? Are you CRAZY?

yellow and blue parrots eating clay on a clay cliffWell, no. Neither are the birds, insects, animals, and people all over the world who use it to cleanse and detox. (There are some birds that eat only a poisonous berry as their whole diet. After they eat it, they go immediately to specific cliffs and eat the clay to detox!) I bet your great-grandparents also knew about it, but they probably did not know how to get the best kind for internal use: properly-mined calcium bentonite clay.

Why Do I Talk About Clay So Often?

Thumbs Up

Answer: because it has such GREAT healing properties. It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and can do so much for you. It takes toxins, bacteria, viruses, and metals out of the body. I’ll tell you how in a minute. My Get Well Guru page about this subject shows a chart of several symptoms that may be reversed or eliminated by using this wonderful, natural product. (I don’t sell it, so don’t think this is just a hype for my monetary gain.) Continue Reading →

The Chi Machine

Six Major Functions of the Original Sun Ancon Chi MachineThumbs Up

“The Chi Machine” was created by Dr. Shizuo Inoue, Director of Oxygen Association, in Japan, after 38 years of research to ensure effectiveness, safety, and beneficial effects on the body. There are cheap imitations, but the original is the safest and only true, properly calibrated, well-made Chi Machine, and it has 27 patents.

What follows is a rather technical description of how using the chi machine may contribute to improving your health. If you would rather read my ancient testimonial (I’ve been using this machine for YEARS), click on the link in this sentence. Otherwise, by all means, let’s see what it can do for you by reading on…..

What Are the Six Major Functions?

Sun Ancon Chi machine

  1. Cellular Activation
  2. Spinal Balancing
  3. Improving the Immune System
  4. Stimulating the Sympathetic Nervous System and Bone Marrow Blood Production
  5. Restoring Balance to the Autnomic Nervous System
  6. Exercising Intern Organs and Building “Chi”

Scroll to the bottom to see how to order.

Continue Reading →

FAQ’s Transpersonal Hypnotherapy and HypnoMeditation

Hello, People! Let’s talk about Transpersonal Hypnotherapy and HypnoMeditation!

hand in meditation pose with rainbow colored background as she works on allergies

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Bubble figure holding letters Q & A

What is the Difference Between Transpersonal

Hypnotherapy and HypnoMeditations?

Transpersonal Hypnotherapy

Transpersonal Hypnotherapy is a counseling or coaching technique which focuses on the spiritual components of an emotional, mental, or physical challenge, not just on the “daily life, daily maintenance” aspects.

A session provides an opportunity for us to meet to discuss something you want to explore or change in your life. Then, we’ll experience a relaxed, focused meditation that is customized to help you overcome a problem we identified or to expand into new ways of thinking and growing. People usually choose to schedule one or more follow-up appointments to reinforce what they’ve learned or to address additional areas of interest. The sessions might include age or “past life” regressions. Click Here for more details about how a session would proceed.

HypnoMeditation

A HypnoMeditation is a customized is a meditation video or PowerPoint download, using Transpersonal Hypnotherapy techniques for self-hypnosis and habit change. You can enhance the effectiveness by listening daily or right before sleeping for several days. They may be short or long, but they often run about twenty (20) minutes.

Bubble figure holding letters Q & ADid you know there are both similarities and differences among Affirmations, Creative Visualizations, Meditations, and HypnoMeditations?  Click Here to learn a little about the differences and about the class I teach which is an in-depth workshop on these concepts.

What Are The Benefits of Transpersonal Hypnotherapy?

Transpersonal Hypnotherapy and my HypnoMeditations are useful for people who actively want to overcome things, like:

  • Low self-esteem
  • Limiting beliefs
  • Fears and phobias (including PTSD)
  • Release of weight (or gaining weight)
  • Smoking or other addictive habits.

Continue Reading →

My Get Well Guru FB Page

My Get Well Guru FB Page

 Great Articles / Quick Tips / Reliable Sources

aromatherapy candle and bright orchid on zen stones

I’ve just created a new page where I can post all kinds of health, wellness, beauty, and meditation tips. Go to: My Get Well Guru FB Page.  Please go there and Like / Follow it, so that you can see all kinds of short suggestions, versus the long blogs I do here for My Get Well Guru.

I’ll be posting things like the wonderful research about health benefits of various herbs, foods, teas, etc., from the Medical Medium, who is a really amazing guy and provides invaluable information in easy-to-understand terms.  This is just one example of the kinds of resources to which I shall direct you.

All the sources are ones I trust or find worthy of further research; and I have used any of the products and services that I provide.

Let’s Get Well, Stay Well, and Live Well!

Classes – Wellness

 

Classes – Wellness – Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Holistic Healing / Natural Remedies

All You Need To Know … As An Introduction

As Above, So Below

As Above, So Below

As a certified practitioner of several Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and wellness  modalities, I teach Introductory classes, which explain the concepts involved.  So, if you have ever heard the term “holistic healing,”  “Complementary and Alternative Medicine,” or “CAM,” and you wondered what the heck that means, these wellness classes provide the answers for natural ways of healing yourself – meaning non-synthetic, non-pharmaceutical, and non-surgical ways of increasing your health. 

The critical thing is to penetrate the cause, not just the symptoms, of whatever the dis-ease expression is.  That involves the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person, as relates to his or her physical manifestations of balance and imbalance: thus, the expression, “As Above, So Below,” but without specific religious connotations.  I have worked successfully with people of many faiths and with some who had no religious philosophies.  I also have worked successfully with many animals, and it is pretty safe to say that they had no religious beliefs of any recognizable kind.  The treatments still worked.

Because there is a lot of experiential evidence (about the efficacy of things, like acupuncture) that was not obtained via traditional Western scientific study methods, I disagree with some of Wikipedia’s conclusions. Still, see what it offers for the (partial) definition of some of these terms, as follows:

Alternative medicine is any practice that is put forward as having the healing effects of medicine, but is not founded on evidence gathered using the scientific method.[1] It consists of a wide range of health care practices, products and therapies.[2] Examples include new and traditional medicine practices such as homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, energy medicine, various forms of acupuncture, Traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and Christian faith healing. The treatments are those that are not part of the conventional, science-based healthcare system,[3][4][5][6] and are not backed by scientific evidence. Complementary medicine is alternative medicine used together with conventional medical treatment in a belief, not proven by using scientific methods, that it “complements” the treatment.[n 1][1][8][9] CAM is the abbreviation for Complementary and alternative medicine.[10][11] Integrative medicine (or integrative health) is the combination of the practices and methods of alternative medicine with conventional medicine.[12]

Even the National Institutes   of Health recognizes some of the CAM modalities.  One source for learning more about Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine is the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a division of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health. Articles are available from PubMed and PubMed Central.[5]  Click here for more info.

Classes – Wellness

INTRODUCTION TO COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Red Rose

Did you know that ROSES have enormous healing powers?  Imagine what else you will learn!

This particular class is a four hour seminar (with breaks and snacks); but it can be an all-day seminar, too. See list of topics below. The cost is determined by number of participants, commute time and distance, etc.

In this class on wellness, we shall discuss topics, such as:

Why Anything Works = Energy!

Who and What Can Be Healed

Categories of Holistic Approaches – ingestants, physical manipulation, energy work

Some Principles, Ethics and Theory

Thoughts Are Things – how we create wellness and dis-ease through thought patterns

Sources of Messages – Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, etc.

Causes of Dis-Ease

Body as Messenger – where it hurts is a clue for healing

Correspondences – Chakras / Colors / Notes on Scale

Cleansing and Protection – cleansing not only the body, but the aura

What Happens During Healing sessions and afterward.

The only complaint I’ve ever gotten about this class (and about my other metaphysics and meditation classes) is that the students wanted the class to be longer! 

They even said this when the class was four hours long!  So, you can see we had fun and learned a lot.  The highest compliment I got recently was that not a single person even looked at his/her cell phone during the entire class!  YEA!  Contact me.  You’ll love it, too!

How To Book Me For Classes – Wellness

I do hope you and your friends will schedule a class with me.  Get in touch, using the contact form below, by email (getwellstaywelll at Outlook.com), or by leaving a voice mail message at (540) 636-4311 to arrange it.

Some classes can be customized to your needs. I plan to offer wellness classes as webinars + videos on CAM topics and more in the future.  Follow me to find out when and stay tuned!

Let’s Get Well, Stay Well and Live Well!

Continue Reading →

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Forms of Dementia

BrainNormal Brain     Is it really Alzheimer’s Disease or a different issue?

 What does your brain look like? 

What can  you do to maintain good brain health? 

The Alzheimer’s Association

There are many resources and options available now as our scientists learn more and more daily.  I believe in advocacy on a number of social issues, of which this is one.  I learn a lot from the Alzheimer’s Association and so can you at:   (http://www.alz.org/.

That is a link to their website where you can take a tour of the brain! 

You don’t have to have Alzheimer’s to find this fascinating as it shows you how the brain works in a way that you can see and understand it.  http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_4719.asp.  To learn more about the disease, itself, you can visit this part of their website:  http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp..

For Wikipedia’s definition of Alzheimer’s Disease, see this link:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease, is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death. It was first described by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906 and was named after him.[1] Most often, AD is diagnosed in people over 65 years of age,[2] although the less-prevalent early-onset Alzheimer’s can occur much earlier. In 2006, there were 26.6 million sufferers worldwide. Alzheimer’s is predicted to affect 1 in 85 people globally by 2050.[3]

Here is another link, from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Aging:  http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics.

What I hope to accomplish with blogs about Alzheimer’s Disease is to teach people about the disease, as well as how to cope with it or to provide care to others who experience it.

Let’s Get Well, Stay Well and Live Well!