Mean What You Say

In all of my consultations as a Homoeopath, I listen carefully for the words a person chooses to use to express details of their physical complaint or emotional state. We all have certain phrases we use repeatedly sometimes unknowingly. For some, a ‘don’t know’ is their standard response to a probing question. This can be a defensive stance or be absolutely true. The client simply does not know how they feel. Through careful probing, much is then said and here begins the vocabulary pattern. The physical complaint may be described as ‘irritating’, they may then go on to describe the weather as ‘irritating’ or their mother or spouse etc. Questioning what is irritating is often met with ‘oh, I don’t know’ but going back to a more neutral question such as ‘what is irritating about the weather’? gives both client and myself an opening into their concept of irritation.

Words matter. They are our foremost mode of communication. To say, ‘I have been lucky’ is different in meaning to ‘I am fortunate’. Luck implies randomness, chance, lack of input to the outcome. Fortunate implies that the success is obtained by the operation of favorable circumstances more than by direct effort. Lucky, a more colloquial word, is applied to situations that turn out well by chance: lucky at cards; my lucky day. This may all sound pedantic and anyway, we all know what a person means. Or do we?  I would like to suggest that the words a person chooses to use, tell us more about each other and ourselves than we realise.  Was I fortunate to have been asked to speak at a seminar or lucky?  Well, I had worked at building up a reputation which equals some effort so I would use fortunate as it acknowledges the bit of effort whereas to say I was lucky implies that it was a lottery and me as a person had no influence.

We all know the gradations of sadness. We may say we’re ‘a bit down’, or ’so, so’.  Neither of which  provokes concern. However, a person reporting, ‘I feel sad’ or I feel depressed’ will evoke a different response. Being more conscious of the words we choose to use not only helps us in our daily life to be understood but it also helps to develop an emotional awareness.

Practicing this awareness will initially feel clumsy. But stick with it. Finding the right words to say what you mean creates a feeling of completeness. We have been clear, hopefully concise and spoken our truth. There is little doubt about the power words can exert and furthermore, how they can reinforce a collective belief which, at times can deny the right to express a personal belief. I’m not talking about big, important issues but the small personal day to day exchanges where we often give away our personal belief to fall in with the collective.

An example I had of this was when I visited my bank to lodge some money and at the same time pay some bills. I laughed as I said ‘In and out’ to the bank clerk . She responded, ‘Yea. its frightening isn’t it’? I was on the verge of agreeing as it seemed easier but I didn’t. I simply replied with my own personal belief ‘Ah no, its not frightening, its just great I can do it’.

I’m sure you are getting the idea. This was my moment to say how I felt without colluding with her fear and maybe many people’s fear about money. I truly believed what I said.

So become aware, stop before you answer and think about the words you want to use and whether you are in agreement or not. Say how you feel. The standard response everyone gives to ‘How are you’? is ‘Fine’. Maybe you are. Maybe you are more than fine. Maybe you feel brilliant or great or top form. Maybe you’re not fine and to say so is not congruent with how you actually feel. Maybe the response could be ‘Not brilliant, but I’ll be OK’  if that’s your true belief or ‘a bit below par’, ‘a bit down’ etc. You know the words you want to use. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go any further  in explaining yourself unless you want to.

Clients are often amazed when I ‘flag-up’ words or terms they have repeatedly used in the consultation. Most of the time we are not aware. That’s ok but its being a bit sleepy in our response to life. Watch your words, not obsessively or in a pedantic manner but observe the words you use to communicate. Its creative, expressive, true and quite liberating.

Simple Vaccination Information

Given the enormous amount of publicity concerning the Swine flu vaccination it seems a good time to bring to your attention some simple info about vaccination in general.

1. Nature never allows more than one disease e.g measles and muumps to co-exist in the human body. The body simply cannot do this. So why give these childhood diseases in compound shots and how does the body then cope with this onslaught?
2. The main reason for promoting and giving vaccines to young children are simple; one is fear by the parents and the other is straightforward marketing. Get parents to participate when they are still visiting baby clinics and they become  a captive audience.
3. Ask yourself, ‘what’s in it for the doctors and pharmaceutical industry’? The answer is money but I would also say, some doctors truly believe they are being altruistic and  that vaccines are good for humanity.
4. Ask yourself, ‘whats in it for the perople against vaccination?’ Nothing.
From this baseline start doing your research in order to make an informed decision. There are hundreds of websites for and against a vaccine or vaccination programme.
5. Vaccines bypass our natural defence mechanisim. I liken it to leaving the house door wide open at night only to be suddenly woken by burglars at the end of your bed. There has been no warning, no perceptible sense that something was ‘afoot’, no time for preparing a defence. This is what happens with a vaccination.
6. If having done your research you decide to go-ahead with vaccination/s then ensure you have the following information:
The manufacturer’s name
The Batch No
Date of vaccination
The type of vaccination
Where is was administered into the body.
Don’t be passive about asking for this information. If you or your child become ill after receiving a vaccine it is important you report all symptoms to the GP and insist on it being recorded on the Yellow Card system (UK procedure). This system collates all adverse affects of a drug or vaccine in order for the medical and pharmaceutical profession to gauge the efficacy or otherwsie of a drug or vaccine . Frequently this is not used and patients are often ‘fobbed-off’ with a response from the practice that the symptoms are normal. Yes they may be normal but its your child or your own body and if, further on in your life you get the strong impression that you have not been well since, then you have had it recorded at the time of early symptoms. I do not adhere or believe in scare-mongering but it seems almost irreponsible not to know exactly what is being put into your body. If in the future you feel strongly you have suffered adverse affects from the vaccination, you have recorded and had recorded your journey. This is vital if you ever have the misfortune of starting litigation.
Don’t be timid or cower to peer pressure. Make a well researched and informed decision. Many parents  verbally attack parents of non-vaccinated children wrongly stating they are the cause of allowing these childhood illnesses to proliferate. If vaccination works, why do vaccinated children still get the illness.

SIGNS OF GOOD HEALTH

Here’s a little yard-stick to help you decide if you’re in basic good health.

Everything in nature has a rhythm and when out of kilter, problems arise. So do you have rhythm in your daily life?

1. Do you wake up at the same time each morning without the aid of an alarm?
2. Do you defecate at the same time each day without a stimulus i.e coffee or a cigarette? Is it effortless?
3. Do you feel hungry mostly at the same time each day? (Amazingly, a large number of people find 11a.m just right for a big snack irrespective of whether its an official coffee break).
4. Do you have your meals at the same time each day?
5. Do you go to bed at roughly the same time each night, fall asleep within 20 mintues and stay asleep?

6. Menstruation should be fairly close to a 28 day cycle with little variation and the duration of menses should usually be the same length each month. Is this the way it is for you?

7. Is your body temperature even, neither constantly too hot or too cold?

If you answer yes to all of these then you are probably in fairly good shape. Doesn’t mean you won’t or don’t have problems but it indicates the foundations are reliable. A derangement in any of these areas is an early sign that something is wrong albeit in a minor way. Take notice of these signs and do something to rectify them whilst they are still  minor problems.  But don’t worry if you answered ‘no’  because you defecate every two days and always eat at 3pm or menstruate every 30 days.  As long as  you have regularity, then you’re reasonably ok.
Homoeopathy is all about balance. Use it to get your foundation strong and reliable.

Stay in rhythm. Its the way your life beats.

LONG TREKS FOR GAP YEAR STUDENTS

GAP YEARS IN FAR FLUNG PLACES

IF you are taking a Gap year it would be good to invest in a homoeopathic first aid kit. For GAP year students there is a Travellers Kit.  This is designed to cope with acute illnesses in more remote parts of the world.  It consists of 36 remedies in a sturdy and durable plastic box.  The size is small and it would fit into the front pocket of a rucksack.

Travel to these far away places often indicate that a vaccination programme is ‘recommended’.  Please be aware this is only a recommendation and not mandatory  In fact there are very few countries where vaccination is mandatory and in those few, it is usually only for Yellow Fever. Some cover may be conferred by taking a remedy made from the disease state of the proposed recommended vaccine.  This is popular.  I also have a homoeopathic regime for Malaria along with the usual precautions of sensible clothing, mosquito net and a good insect repellent such as ‘Fly Away’.  The latter smells fantastic and IT WORKS.

Remember, only drink bottled water which you have unsealed yourself.  Also use bottle water to brush your teeth.  Despite the heat, resist the temptation to have ice in your drinks.  Keep your diet very simple until you acclimatise and only eat thoroughly cooked foods for the first couple of weeks or for the duration of your trip.
If you wish to purchase a homeopathic First Aid Kit, please contact me through my website www.sheereenkhan.com

Thyroid Dysfunction

THYROID DYSFUNCTION

Do you suffer from ME, Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia?  If you have been given this diagnosis it may be that your thyroid is actually involved.  It is estimated that 1 in 3 women (more common in women than men) suffer from a thyroid problem.
From my work with a Doctor who has specialised in treating thyroid problems naturally, it has become clear to me that this is an area where homoeopathy can be extremely effective along with supplements and adrenal support.   Even if a routine blood test for thyroid function returns a normal reading but you still have excessive tiredness, weight gain, aching limbs, mental fuzziness and mild depression, it is certainly worth considering a problem with your thyroid.

 

A blood test only gives a snapshot of that moment in time.  A more reliable test is a 24 hour urine collection which is not available on the NHS.  However, there are other non-intrusive tests I use to determine the health of your thyroid some of which can be carried out by yourself.  Having established a problem or symptoms which may be precursors to a thyroid problem, we can together work with homoeopathy and other aids to help it stabilise.
If you have been diagnosed with a hyper or hypo thyroid problem and are on Thyroxine, this regime can still be effective.  Throxine can help many people but usually after an initial period of stabilisation, the symptoms return.  On reporting these symptoms again, a patient is often informed that nothing more can be done and, is either offered anti-depressants or more radical treatment which again does not solve the problem.
Possible causes of Thyroid Dysfunction
Hereditary
Childbirth
A history of Glandular Fever
Whiplash
Leading a hyperactive, stressful life
A major life trauma

ARE MOBILE PHONES, STAND ALONE PHONES & WI-FI CONNECTION DANGEROUS?

Daily Telegraph Satruday 24 2009

Long-term use of mobile phones ‘may be linked to cancer’

Long-term use of mobile phones may be linked to some cancers, a landmark international study will conclude later this year.

By Martin Beckford and Robert Winnett
Published: 8:00AM BST 24 Oct 2009

A £20million, decade-long investigation overseen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) will publish evidence that heavy users face a higher risk of developing brain tumours later in life, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

The conclusion, while not definitive, will undermine assurances from the government that the devices are safe and is expected to put ministers under pressure to issue stronger guidance.

A preliminary breakdown of the results found a “significantly increased risk” of some brain tumours “related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more” in some studies.

The head of the Interphone investigation said that the report would include a “public health message”.

Britain’s Department of Health has not updated its guidance for more than four years. It says that “the current balance of evidence does not show health problems caused by using mobile phones”, and suggests only that children be “discouraged” from making “non-essential” calls while adults should “keep calls short”.

In contrast, several other countries, notably France, have begun strengthening warnings and American politicians are urgently investigating the risks.

The Interphone inquiry has been investigating whether exposure to mobile phones is linked to three types of brain tumour and a tumour of the salivary gland.

Its head, Dr Elisabeth Cardis, backed new warnings.

“In the absence of definitive results and in the light of a number of studies which, though limited, suggest a possible effect of radiofrequency radiation, precautions are important,” she said.

“I am therefore globally in agreement with the idea of restricting the use by children, though I would not go as far as banning mobile phones as they can be a very important tool, not only in emergencies, but also maintaining contact between children and their parents and thus playing a reassurance role.

“Means to reduce our exposure (use of hands-free kits and moderating our use of phones) are also interesting.”

The project conducted studies in 13 countries, interviewing tumour sufferers and people in good health to see whether their mobile phone use differed. It questioned about 12,800 people between 2000 and 2004.

Previous research into the health effects of mobile phones, in the short time they have been in use, has proved inconclusive. However, a breakdown of the latest findings, seen by The Daily Telegraph, shows that six of eight Interphone studies found some rise in the risk of glioma (the most common brain tumour), with one finding a 39 per cent increase.

Two of seven studies into acoustic neurinoma (a benign tumour of a nerve between the ear and brain) reported a higher risk after using mobiles for 10 years. A Swedish report said it was 3.9 times higher.

A summary said a definitive link could not be proved because of difficulties with subjects’ memories.

An Israeli study found heavy users were about 50 per cent more likely to suffer tumours of the parotid salivary gland.

The Interphone inquiry has faced criticism for including people who made just one call a week, and leaving out children, which some experts said could underplay the risks. Some results for short-term use appeared to show protection against cancer, suggesting flaws in the study.

The final paper, funded partly by the industry, has been delayed as its authors argued over how to present the conclusions. But it has been sent to a scientific journal and will be published before the end of the year.

A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said there was “no hard evidence at present” of harm to health. Use by children for non-essential calls should be discouraged, he added.

A spokesman for the Mobile Operators Association said more than 30 scientific reviews had found no adverse health effects.

FURTHER SERIOUS READING

Generation X’d Out:

An end to the human race as we’ve known it?

Babies born to GENERATION X-RAY may be on the fast track to humanity’s genetic DEAD END.

The term “Generation X-ray” refers to youth addicted to communicating and recreating with wireless devices—cell phones, PDAs, WiFi computers and music/gaming equipment. These wireless devices emit high-frequency microwave radiation, recently demonstrated by European researchers to efficiently inflict the same horrific damage on human cells as X-radiation.
Surveys reveal that the average American child under 18 now spends several hours a day irradiating himself with his cell phone “toy.” Meantime, Swedish scientists report that children and teens who use cell phones are up to five times more likely than non-users to suffer glioma brain cancer. Gliomas are among the most difficult to treat and deadly of human cancers. Children who use cordless household phones have over four times the risk of developing brain tumors.
The far-reaching health hazards to children and teens from wireless technology are well-documented in part one of this Idaho Observer series:
Generation X-ray: Child Victims of Technological Abuse. While the European Parliament and governments around the world are calling for stricter limits on wireless exposure for kids, Gen X-ray continues to ride the down escalator towards disintegrating health and premature death.
Most tragically, because our young people have received no official warning from U.S health agencies, they unknowingly micro-cook their sperm, ova and fetuses with a radiation known to be just as mutagenic and teratogenic as gamma wave radiation from nuclear fallout. The science is clear. Babies born to the hard-core wireless generation will suffer a high probability of genetic corruption from their very seed.

More of this article on electromagnetic pollution plus information on the over use of scans of pregnant women, can be obtained on the following link: http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20081120.htm

If after reading this article you want to change the equipment you use, then check out Plusnet for Broadband connection and buy a regular plug in phone from Argos, cost approximately £3.00.

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Comment from Sheereen Khan
From a homeopathic point of view, I ask that all remedies be kept away from mobile phones, telephone base stations, microwaves, computers and TVs.

HOME NURSING

By Sheereen Khan

An extract from the book The Reader, now an award winning film:
When I started to feel feverish, I enjoyed it.  I felt weak and light-headed at the same time, and all my senses were pleasingly muffled, cottony, padded.  I floated.

He could have added feeling rotten but he didn’t.  He had started to withdraw from the world due to the illness.  This is exactly what the body wants to do.  Caring for a sick child or adult during an acute illness requires skill and sensitivity.  So often the word ‘nurse’ comes on the label of a bottle i.e Day Nurse and Night Nurse.  The advertising world know how to create the notion and desire for care and attention, you simply bottle it.  But real home nursing has far more benefit but requires effort and thoughtfulness.
When anyone in the family is sick with an acute illness there are simple and curative steps to aid recovery.

1. The person should go straight to bed.  No slumping in front of the TV or playing on a play-station.

2. If a fever is developing then ensure the patient is warm and monitored regularly.  Fevers have their purpose and suppressing the process makes recovery a protracted affair.

3. Ensure there is fresh water by the bed and a bowl of easy to manage fruit.  The gift of grapes brought to people in hospital is not due to lack of imagination.  This fruit along with others are easy to eat and digest and are refreshing.

4. Food should be simple.  Nothing heavy or greasy.  Chicken broth for meat eaters or a light vegetable soup are nutritious and also easy to digest. Adults often recall how a certain food was always given when they were ill as a child and continue to ask for this in adulthood when feeling unwell. Present the food on a decorative tray accompanied with a flower in a beautiful little vase.

5. Plumping up of pillows and straightening the bed clothes is a gesture of bringing freshness into the sickroom.

6. Keep your movements slow and quiet.  Less chatter and more gentle touch.

7. The worries of the world and household should be left at the bedroom door.  The patient is in another world so leave them there to find their way back.

8. A special box containing a handful of soft and simple toys can be brought out each time a child is ill. The same box each time.

9. Often the child or adult hasn’t got the strength to read but wants something to match their temporary residence in this other world.  Read to your child or adult. Not books of adventure or trouble but soothing, gentle, simple stories which require nothing of the patient but to simply listen.  Books along with TV or films can call forth forces within us which are not there when unwell.

10. If there are other children, ask them to write a little get-well note to either the adult or child and to slip them under the door. A get-well card or letter allows the person to read it when they want, look at it again and have it put by their bed as a reminder that they are being thought about.  Visitors should be told to wait until the person is feeling stronger.  So often the person simply hasn’t the energy to talk and it takes energy to be nice to someone.

11. Once the person is feeling stronger, there comes the recuperative process. Whilst they immerse themselves in a hot bath, change all the bedding, air the room and have warm towels and clean pyjamas at the ready.  Everyone feels the benefit of cleanliness and order and more so when recovering.  It signals a change on all levels.

12. The move back into the arena of everyday life can be facilitated by bringing the person down for a family meal or simply to sit for a short while with the family.

13. The signs of full recovery are easy to spot.  Boredom, chattiness, great hunger and a re-appearance of their old self.

14.  Back to their normal routine, the person should be watched for any signs of relapse.  So often in these times, quickness is the message which underlies all of life’s events.  A quick recovery is seen as strength and it is but the process to get there needs attention.

This is guidance for any acute illness with or without a fever.  For more serious acute illness you should contact your GP or homoeopath.  Most people first encounter homoeopathic remedies when administering them for acute illnesses.

Overall, allow the person to experience the illness as a special time.  A time when everything seems to change and almost stop.  We have all experienced the difference in the dynamic of the household when a person is ill in bed.  We too have to stop and change our routine a little.