I found the recipe a while back on the WHO website & have recently run across it in my files. The recipe is for an electrolyte replacement beverage that could be used instead of Gatorade. This one is not neon & thus is safer. Electrolyte replacement is necessary after extreme fluid loss, such as after a bout of diarrhea or vomiting. Athletes drink Gatorade due to the electrolyte loss through perspiration. 3/4 t sea salt 1/2 t backing soda 4 t cream of tarter (or eat 2 bananas for potassium) 1T sugar 1 liter of water optional: 1T orange juice or 2t lemon juice

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Natural Gatorade (Electrolyte Replacement Drink)

I’ve recently been researching Castor oil packs. Many holistic practitioners recommend them, and they have some intriguing uses. Castor oil comes from the Castor bean. It’s use was popularized by early new-ager, psychic and medical intuitive, Edgar Cayce. You might find wikipedia’s entry on him of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce . From the point of view of Chinese Medicine, Castor oil seems to have the ability to move Qi, Blood and Phelgm (congealed fluids). This is seen by the claims to dissolve tumors and nodules and to improve Liver function, including treating cirrhosis. Uses include bursitis/arthritis/joint pain, improving digestion/constipation, treating the liver/gallbladder, including cirrhosis and hepatitis, reducing menstrual cramping and dissolving tumours and nodules. I’ve seen claims of improving sleep/insomnia and relaxing facial wrinkles. You can find Castor oil in the health and body section of a natural food store. You might try a drug store, some may carry it. Do not ingest Castor oil as it is toxic. Do not use over open sores/wounds. Do not use with heavy bleeding (including menstrual). For insomnia, put a drop on each eyelid before retiring, and then do my insomnia meditation described in an earlier post, 4/09. For the face, put a few drops of Castor oil on the face at night to soften skin, relax wrinkles and reduce swelling and blemishes. Pay particular attention to problematic areas. The following link gives a long list of personal testimonials of people’s experiences with using Castor oil packs. There’s a wide variety of intriguing uses presented here: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/castor_oil.html Usually Castor oil is administered as a Castor oil pack. I’ve include the instructions for making a Castor oil pack below (taken from earthclinic.com). For most conditions, do Castor oil packs 4x/week for one hour duration. Materials * Three layers of undyed wool or cotton flannel large enough to cover the affected area * Castor oil * Plastic wrap cut 1-2″ larger than the flannel (can be cut from a plastic bag) * Hot water bottle * Container with lid * Old clothes and sheets. Castor oil will stain clothing and bedding. Place the flannel in the container. Soak it in Castor oil so that it is saturated, but not dripping. Place the pack over the affected body part. Cover with plastic. Place the hot water bottle over the pack. Leave it on for 45-60 minutes. Rest while the pack is in place. After removing the pack, cleanse the area with a dilute solution of water and baking soda. Store the pack in the covered container in the refrigerator. Each pack may be reused up to 25-30 times. I am interested in learning about your experience with Castor oil, positive or negative. Please send me your feedback about this. KB

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Castor Oil Packs

Apples have been on sale recently at Earthfare and Greenlife, so I bought a few pounds and made a easy applesauce, mmm, mmm. My grandmother used to make this and I still remember how much I loved eating it. We used to eat it with cinnamon graham crackers. It’s also tasty over ice cream. Though, as an acupuncturist, I avoid frozen, sugary concoctions, such as ice cream. I’ve been enjoying the applesauce over millet and walnuts in the morning for breakfast, or as an apres-dining snack. I used my version of my grandmother’s recipe. She used to can it in jars. I haven’t yet learned canning. 7lbs apples - I used a blend of macs and granny smith: they were both on sale. The granny smith added a tang, so I would continue with 50% green apples. Whole spices: cinnamon [1 stick], anise [maybe 1t], nutmeg [1/2 nut], cloves [maybe 7 or so] filtered water Core the apples and cut into 3″ chunks. (Quarter, then halve the quarters). I pressure cooked them on low pressure for about 5min with 1/4 pot of water and the spices [put these in a cloth teabag or a tea ball]. Alternatively, you could simmer them until they get soft. Then I pulled out the spices and pureed the apples with an immersion blender. You could use a food processor. My grandmother pushed them through a pureor with a wooden mallet. Using the modern appliances you get to use the skins, which have beneficial nutrients. If the sauce is too wet, simmer it down a little longer. No sugar necessary, and boy is it tasty. The cinnamon levels out the sugar spike, providing a slow release which is easier for the body to utilize. KB

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Homemade Applesauce: Healthy and Guilt-free Dessert

Pentagon researches alternative treatments By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY Posted 10/7/2008 11:45 PM WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is seeking new ways to treat troops suffering from combat stress or brain damage by researching such alternative methods as acupuncture, meditation, yoga and the use of animals as therapy, military officials said. “This new theme is a big departure for our cautious culture,” Dr. S. Ward Casscells, the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for health affairs, told USA TODAY. Casscells said he pushed hard for the new research, because “we are struggling with” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “as we are with suicide and we are increasingly willing to take a hard look at even soft therapies.” So far this year, the Pentagon is spending $5 million to study the therapies. In the previous two years, the Pentagon had not spent any money on similar research, records show. About 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression, and about 320,000 may have experienced at least a mild concussion or brain injury in combat, according to a RAND Corp. study released this year. The Army reported a record 115 suicides last year, and suicides this year are at a rate that may exceed that, said Col. Eddie Stephens, the Army’s deputy director for human resources policy. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported last month that suicides among Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans from all services reached a record high of 113 in 2006, the latest year for which there were figures. Some military hospitals and installations already use alternative therapies, such as acupuncture as stress relievers for patients. The research will see whether the alternatives work so the Pentagon can use them more, said Army Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, head of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Many of the treatments have been used for centuries, Sutton said, “so it just makes sense to bring all potential therapies to bear.” Her office issued a request for research proposals this year on therapies ranging from art and dance, to the ancient Chinese healing art of qigong or a therapy of hands-on touching known as Reiki. Sutton’s office narrowed a list of 82 proposals to about 10 projects this year, and research should begin, with servicemembers as subjects in some cases, in the next few months, said Col. Karl Friedl, head of the Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, which oversees the work. Friedl said research will include how meditation can improve emotional resilience; how holding and petting an animal can treat PTSD and how acupuncture pain relief can relieve headaches created by mild brain damage from blasts. “We want to add everything we can to our tool kit” for these injuries, said Col. Elspeth Ritchie, an Army psychiatrist. Some soldiers who suffer from PTSD are reluctant to share their experiences in traditional psychiatric therapy, said Col. Charles Engel, an Army psychiatric epidemiologist. He said those soldiers may be more willing to use acupuncture and other alternatives if they are effective. Initial research this summer with combat veterans showed that acupuncture relieved PTSD symptoms and eased pain and depression, Engel said. “Improvements were relatively rapid and clinically significant,” he said. About one third of sailors and Marines use some types of alternative therapies, mostly herbal remedies, according to a survey conducted last year. A recent Army study shows that one in four soldiers with combat-caused PTSD turned to herbs, chiropractors, acupuncture or megavitamins for relief. Although the Pentagon’s study of alternative medicine for combat diseases is unique, research into such therapies for broad public use is not new, said Richard Nahin, a senior adviser for the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The NIH spends about $300 million a year on similar research. Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-10-07-holistic_N.htm?POE=click-refer

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Pentagon researches alternative treatments

I was just wat ching Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Power of Intention on PBS this afternoon. He highlighted some interesting medical research on the health benefits of preforming acts of kindness. Apparently researchers have studied the effects of acts of kindness on both the giver, receiver and the witnesses and have concluded that preforming acts of kindness increases serotonin levels and strengthens immune function in both the giver, receiver and witnesses of acts of kindness. Serotonin’s are brain neurotransmitters, a type of endorphin. Increased levels in serotonin’s are seen in happy people: increased endorphin levels are the brain chemicals responsible for the ‘runners high’. Many of the anti-depressant drugs function to increase brain serotonin levels. Researchers have found that witnessing, giving or receiving acts of kindness will increase these brain chemicals, in addition to strengthing immune function. It doesn’t get more empowering than that! KB

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Randon Acts of Kindness Improve Health

Here’s an amazing video from a Qi Gong master, John Cheng of Java demonstrating his incredible abilities with qi , you can hardly believe your eyes. He lights a piece of paper on fire, turns on an LED light bulb, and sends a chopstick through a 1” thick wood table with a Formica top using qi emanating from his hands. A patient of mine went to Java to get treated by John and attests that this is legit. KB http://www.youtube.com/watch? v= RAAB 0 dbc 3Es&feature=related

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Amazing YouTube Video: Qi demonstration

Here’s an amazing video from a Qi Gong master, John Cheng of Java demonstrating his incredible abilities with qi , you can hardly believe your eyes. He lights a piece of paper on fire, turns on an LED light bulb, and sends a chopstick through a 1” thick wood table with a Formica top using qi emanating from his hands. A patient of mine went to Java to get treated by John and attests that this is legit. KB http://www.youtube.com/watch? v= RAAB 0 dbc 3Es&feature=related

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Amazing YouTube Video: Qi demonstration

I was reviewing some notes this evening about the treatment of pain in Chinese medicine from a seminar taught by Jeffery Yuen . Jeffrey Yuen comes from two Daoist lineages – 88 th generation of the Yu Qing Huang Lao Pai (Jade Purity School, Yellow Emperor/Lao Tzu Sect) and 26 th generation of the Quan Zhen Long Men Pai (Complete Reality School, Dragon Gate Sect). As a Taoist priest, he has some interesting perspectives on healing and Chinese medicine. With regards to treating pain, Jeffery discusses the spiritual implications of pain. In Chinese medicine there is an oft repeated adage: tong zi bu tong, zi tong, bu tong. Tong means pain, and the adage translates thus: where there is pain there is stagnation [or lack of free flow - of qi and blood] where there is stagnation there is pain. In other words, when qi and blood do not move freely, pain results. ( Qi broadly refers to life energy.) In Chinese medicine, the practitioner then must determine where the stagnation is located in the body (this would usually refer to the site of pain: one must determine which acupuncture meridians or channels are involved) and what has caused the qi and blood to stagnate. Generally we are looking for a physical cause of the stagnation, although emotions can also cause stagnation. As a Daoist priest, Jeffery interprets pain as indicating that a person is emotionally, mentally or spiritually stuck. This mental/emotional/spiritual stoppage causes a physical stagnation in the body, manifesting as somatic pain. Here we are referring more to a long-term or chronic pain, rather than an acute injury. So those suffering from chronic pain might want to look at their inner life and well being to find blockages. This could be marital strife, job dissatisfaction, inability to reach one’s life goals: any number of life issues where one is not moving forward in the desired direction. Jeffery notes that the more one focuses on the pain, the more one enhances the illness: one focused on the terrible receives the terrible. This is the law of attraction: like attracts like. He further observes that it is painful to change our lives, and that it is painful to surrender. He says pain likes to spread. Pain likes misery. Pain likes to refer (to other areas, such as sciatic pain that shoots down the leg or pain from a heart attack that presents as an achy sensation in the left arm). He says that pain does not like to be alone: it wants family to resolve the problem for you. He asks, ” Can one resolve the pain [or the emotional/spiritual source of the pain] themselves?” He discusses the significance of different qualities of pain: Rigidity: Indicates withdrawal from life, moving away from life or the enthusiasm. Cold (pain that is worse in cold weather, feels better with a hot pad, shower or bath): indicates retreat, apathy. He goes on to say that healing requires hope and perseverance to bring meaning into one’s life. He says that it is not up to the practitioner to command change, but rather to be a catalyst to help the patient change. You may have noticed the red Chinese character by my blog title: “Kath’s Musings on Health, Chinese Medicine & Spirituality”. This character is ying , which means guide. I chose it as a symbol of a couple of ideas that are relevant here: In Chinese medicine we use the term guide, as in guide out stagnation, or guide out phlegm fluids. By this we mean that we are helping the stagnation or phlegm to move out, showing the way, in a physical sense. In a more spiritual sense, the practitioner is guiding the patient on a course of healing, lighting the path out of the darkness. These two ideas express how I see my role as a practitioner; both in treating the physical body and as an agent for emotional/spiritual growth, where ultimately all healing takes place. But it is not up to me to force it, my role is to point the way so that the body, mind and spirit can find it’s course. KB

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The Spiritual Aspects of Pain