16Aug

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The crown chakra

We have covered most of the major energy centers considered by many ancient healing systems to be the “backbone” of the energetic body. It is only fitting that we now talk about Sahasrara

The crown chakra
The seventh chakra is at the crown

The crown Chakra, or energy center is thought to be located directly at the top of the head. Some texts place it in the air slightly above the top of the head. The symbol is the “Om” which is extremely familiar to those who have studied yoga or have delved into any philosophical studies from the east.

This energy center is the one associated with uniting us with the universe, more or less being the bridge between the physical world and the greater spiritual realm. The color associated with this energy center is violet. It is said those who are able to access this energy center are able to transcend his/her ego to tap into the greater consciousness. This is no easy task.

I hesitated for some time to compose this installment on the chakras. Those of you who are regular readers may have noticed. I felt I was not qualified to discuss an idea of such a high order.

However, I have been “working on it” as of late. I have been working on my 200 hour yoga teacher training. Through this endeavor, I have been paying more attention to meditation. I have been paying more attention to quieting my outward focus and bringing it a bit more inward. It has been through this effort, that I have felt more secure in writing about this chakra.

I feel it is important to nourish this center to aid in banishing feelings of exclusion and loneliness. Many emotional issues can arise from this feeling of isolation. Whether it is pure meditation or meditation with prayer recitation, the crown chakra is activated to foster a feeling of connectivity. This connectivity helps us with our feelings of belonging and knowing. This knowing is when we realize that although we are each a separate person, we are a part of the whole of creation. In order for the crown chakra to be open, we must be evolved enough to realize this and be at peace with the concept. This then manifests as joy, serenity, and deep peace about life.

With the election in my country being just a couple short days away, I feel it must be emphasized that we are all one – whether we like it or not; whether we all realize it or not. There are some who are at the level to realize this and accept it, and many who argue to the contrary. This difference in evolutionary levels causes dissonance on a grand scheme and is painful for all. On a personal level each individual who evolves begins to live with trust, gratitude and faith. These are quite the accomplishments.

This energy center is represented by the thousand petal lotus. In this energy center our selves are unleashed to merge with the greater consciousness as well as being firmly grounded in our individual selves, simultaneously.

The pineal is the associated gland. The pineal gland has been greatly misunderstood throughout history. It is just relatively recently that medical science has understood a few of its functions, including the perception of light & dark and then secrete hormones’ like melatonin. The pineal gland tends to harden into adulthood. It was once thought to be useless.

Some research indicates high levels of fluoride and heavy metals lead to the hardening of the pineal. Herbs like Chaga, milk thistle, Gotu kola, algae, ginkgo, moringa, schizandra, aloe, turmeric, reishi, noni, and others are said to help “decalcify” the pineal. Iodine rich herbs like black walnut, Irish moss may help, as well. Cilantro has been shown to help purge heavy metals from the body. Myrrh is the essential oil most often associated with this energy center.

https://www.naturessunshine.com/product/myrrh-wild-authentic-essential-oils/?sponsor=653034

Some affirmations to assist:

-I honor the Divine within me

-I am part of the Divine

-I trust my intuition

-I am one in the Spirit

-I move with Grace

Many of us are aware of the effects of catnip upon felines, but what about its usefulness to humans?

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a common herb throughout Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. It has been naturalized in North America, New Zealand, and northern Europe. It has a history of being used as a relaxant and a stomachic. I have found relief of minor digestive discomfort using catnip tea and glycerin based extracts of this plant.

Check out more in this video.

If you’d like to try out The Herbchick LLC ‘s homegrown Catnip, click HERE.

Catnip is often found in products such as these.

Find out more about this Catnip & Fennel Blend**. Click on the this LINK.

**Any products purchased via affiliate links does help to add to my income. Your purchases are appreciated.

My second son recently moved out on his own. I have mixed feelings on that. I miss having my older boys home, but there comes a time when they have to be on their own. It was time for him to move out. Now number two is a very independent and introverted kind of guy. It surprised me when he started following me on social media.

Then one day he stopped over at my house. He wasted no time in asking, “why do you post so much crap about herb stuff?” I’m sure some other people in my life wonder, too.

I post about it because it works for me. When I was in high school I was sick A LOT. I was a frequent flyer at the local emergency room. My family doctor didn’t even require I make appointments anymore – I could walk in as needed. It got to the point where he told me and my mother I needed to go to a health food store because I needed to build myself up. I found out, through trial and error, herbs and natural approaches work for me.

Just one, more visible, example is the management of the cold sores which sometimes appear on my face. Those started when I was approximately 16.

I fell off the wagon last week. Three days after taking no supplements, I broke out in a cold sores. This picture is a week after the initial blister. 

I would get them so severely the sores would stretch almost to my chin. They left scars. Let me tell you, that was not what a 16 year old me needed for my self-esteem.  I found that by supporting myself with herbal supplements I could keep them at bay. Even now, if I slack and stop taking my supplements for more than three days, I break out with these HSV-1 caused sores.

Cold sores are just one of the things I deal with. I use it as an example because they are very visual.  There are other discomforts I experience and herbal & complementary therapies eleviate them.

I post about these things because it’s my business.  I post about these things because I can’t possibly be the only person who experiences these things. I post because maybe it will help someone else.

Next Level CBD

Everyone is jumping on the CBD train, right? Its everywhere – the grocery store, the gas station, the video store. There are super expensive brands and dirt cheap brands on Amazon.  But which ones actually work? Which ones do what they say they’re going to do?

Enter QEMP

Qemp is made by a dietary supplement industry leader: Nature’s Sunshine Products.  NSP is notorious for their strict quality control. Qemp is no different. It is CO2 extracted (the best extraction method for CBD). It contains no artificial colors nor sweeteners.  It retains the benefits of the hemp seed oil. They offer different strengths and blends.

Why use CBD?

Turns out the body has something called a cannabinoid system. This is a complex system of neurotransmitters and receivers already present in the body which control certain factors like pain, mood, etc. Researchers are unclear on which factors contribute to defects in a body’s ability to manufacture it’s own CBD. Its thought to be a combination of many factors including genetics, diet, lifestyle, shock and traum . One thing that has been clear is the responses to supplement forms of CBD have been great!

WANT TO TRY QEMP?

CONTACT ME

I’ve got a preference for certain herbal supplement manufacturers.  I’ve never tried to conceal that. Now my favorite manufacturer has finally released their CBD! I’m so excited!

 

One of the biggest problems I have when going about my business is dealing with my own insecurities when it comes to suggestions. I deal with perfectionism issues. Because I am not currently thin, I often feel I shouldn’t talk about weight loss. Because I find myself often stressed, I often feel I shouldn’t discuss stress management tools. Because I have a son who has behavior issues, I often feel I shouldn’t discuss natural things that may help that issue.

You see, in my mind, people who write about these things should be successful in dealing with them. My perfectionist leanings keep me feeling inadequate if I have not achieved perfection in an area I might speak or write about. I then worry those who like to disparage my efforts  (that is referring to those who trash-talk me behind my back) will use any imperfections as ammunition against me.

But…today…I don’t care. I’m setting my fears aside to share some small victories and discuss the other goals our household has been working on with my youngest son.

My youngest son is 8 years old right now. He is my fourth. I gave birth to him via cesarean section when I was 37 years old. He was a generally happy baby. I nursed him for about 3 1/2 months until I could no longer keep up due to the long work hours and stress of finishing my bachelor’s degree. Around the age of two, we noticed he wasn’t speaking much. He talked, but not as much as his older brother. We figured he would pick up with more speech once the brother who was two and a half years older, went to pre-school. At the time, I worked full-time outside the home, in addition to running my consultation based business and belly dancing. My husband worked part time and was home more often. Due to income constraints, our third son was in a home-visitor based preschool program. So we never did get the youngest on his own until kindergarten came around. By that time, number four was three. Number three was having issues with his behavior at school, so number four kind of was stuck on the back burner.  Since I worked third shifts, he spent a lot of days curled up with me watching cartoons while I desperately tried to capture a little bit of sleep so that my husband could work part time from home doing tech support.

This would be when I really started to notice his speech delays. He also showed no interest in coloring or writing his name. He refused to wear clothes most of the time. He was very food obsessed. I sought help.

I turned to the county educational system for help. Number four was enrolled in a preschool program where he got to interact with other kids. Some aspects of his speech improved. He saw therapists who got him to color, draw, write his name. His behavior was another issue. He regularly threw fits. I am talking all-out temper tantrums and being physcially aggressive with the other kids. He also displayed a short attention span – like even shorter than other kids of the same age.

I wanted to avoid prescription medications as much as possible. This led us to get him lined up behavior modification systems at pre-school and kindergarten via his I.E.P.
(individualized education program). While there were some small progress, we still struggled with his attention span and his behavior. We even caved and tried a popular prescription ADHD medication at the end of first grade. This did not have the desired effects and instead exacerabted his behaviors. We were so conflicted. How could this be happening? It was not my first rodeo. I have other children and ALL of them were boys. So what were we going to do?!?

About this time, I found myself in a major career shift. I now had time to really dive into researching what could be going on with my kid. I consulted with educators who specialized in “problem” kids and medical docs who incorporated natural and alternative methods in their practices. There had to be some sort of options to try.

Here’s what we tried:

— I found some research hinting that children with gluten sensitivities and assorted food allergies can display A.D.D. and/or A.D.H.D. behaviors (https://www.verywellmind.com/gluten-and-adhd-562627, accessed 1/16/2020). This made sense to me. In 2007, I was diagnosed by a medical doctor as being gluten intolerant. It only made sense to me that this could be handed down to my kid, either by genetics or being in the same environment, etc. So we ditched the gluten, ASAP!

— I incorporated supplements shown to enhance brain function. This meant adding Omega 3 Fatty Acids * to his day, every single day, via supplements.

— I knew, from previous classes I had taken, that B complex deficiencies may be caused by prescription medications, like the one we tried him on. I also had read research indicating B Complex* could increase one’s ability to focus. That was added to his day – every single day.

— I happend to notice his emotional outbursts at home seemed to follow certain outward signs of anxiety. Since I did study psychology in college, I looked up these symtpoms and behaviors. Sure enough, they sounded like him, I had taken classes where the safety of a certain blended supplement being used for adults as well as children was discussed. It was added, too! AnxiousLess* is the one we use.

— I took him to see an consultant, a former educator, who sees problem kids. We incorporated the assorted eye exercises, etc she suggested. Her name is Ann Anzalone (annanzalone.com). Oddly enough, I remember some of those very same exercises being used in my household growing up. I asked and it turns out my mother used a lot of them for one of my brothers. These are similar to what can be found in the BrainGym program(s). She also recommended the adition of magnesium to his regimen to soothe and relax his nervous system.

— I use lavender *and vanilla essential oils on him topically and also diffused at bedtime. These have been shown in studies to help people relax. Since he has always been a tough kid to get to sleep, any help getting him to relax for sleep improves his demeaner and ability to stay attentive the next day.

And we saw results!

Within just a week, we saw my son come out of his shell a bit. He was smiling more. He actually was showing affection toward us again and interacting in a more civil manner.

A long way to go…

I want to stress that this is what works for my kid. It may not work for other kids. I also do not profess discontinuing your child’s medications. That is a decision you must make with your doctors, etc. I just know that it just exacerbated MY son’s behavior. We are no where perfect. He still has rough days. He still is on a behavior plan at school and at home. We have just gone a step further with more allergy testing with a doctor to find out if there is more we can do on that end of things. But we have seen results. If you want more information, please do not hesitate to reach out. I understand the struggle – good days and bad.

* If you click on the product links in this blog post, they will lead you to the exact products we use. I do not claim any scientific research using these exact products. If you purchase using the links, I do earn a small commission. This is what helps make moeny to support my business, and subsequently, my family. I thank you.

It’s the garden harvest season in Ohio. I’ve been canning and baking and cooking all kinds of goodies from this year’s harvest – including peaches.

Peaches are considered a “stone fruit.” Cherries, plums and nectarines are also stone fruit. I guess when you think about it, it’s not difficult to figure out why they’re called stone fruit. Their pits kind of look and feel like tiny stones.

The last few years the word “super food” or “functional food” have been very popular. However, all foods have function, don’t they? Peaches, and other stone fruit, have a function.

In addition to the common nutritional aspects of stone fruit, research now shows stone fruit can help to kill off cancer cells. In vitro (lab) studies show certain phenols (organic chemicals) in these stone fruit actually kill cancer cells

This is great info for herbalists and medical doctors. While these phenols kill certain kinds of breast cancer (see links below), they leave normal body cells alone. This is HUGE! The current medical treatments, including various chemotherapy options, generally kills and/or damages all cells coming in contact with the substance. These studies on the phenols of stone fruits – specifically types of peaches and plums – are exciting and promising research.

Check out the studies & info here:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602111145.htm

And

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf900259m

The energy center located between the eyebrows is Ajna. It is thought this sixth chakra is concerned with an individual’s perception, reality, intuition, and ability to manifest. In short, this center has to do with a person’s ability to see, both inner sight (insight) and outer sight.

The pineal and pituitary glands have both been associated with ajna.

The Pineal

The pineal is about the size of a Lima bean or so and sits right behead the skull at this brow location. It was misunderstood for a very long time and research in recent years is just beginning to scratch the surface of its function. We do know it produces melatonin and is very receptive to light. This is one reason experts suggest avoiding blue light emitting screens, etc at bed time.

The pineal is thought by some to be the true third eye.  Some believe the nuerotransmitters made by the pineal gland are the key to transcending the physical plane. We do know the nuerotransmitters it produces seem to be helpful in the management of pain. Unfortunately,  certain minerals and compounds, like flouride, can cause the pineal to harden and diminish in function.

The Pituitary

The pituitary gland is considered to be the “master gland.” It sits about center of the brain and us approximately the size of a large pea. It produces hormones which trigger the release of other hormones from other glands – almost acting as the conductor of an orchestra. From alternative practitioner’s perspective I can say both glands associated with ajna seem to be highly reactive to various alternatives including herbals and essential oils. 

Essential oils for the third eye chakra

Sandalwood essential oil is considered beneficial for the sixth chakra, as well as frankincense essential oil. Isn’t it wonderful that these two are the base scents in much of the incense used in religious temples and churches throughout the world! They calm the mind and are used to spur contemplation through meditation. 

Herbs for ajna

Gotu kola is very nourishing for the brain. It has been studied extensively for its promise in aiding or boosting the memory. This is due to its ability to boost oxygen supplies to the brain. A common name for it, Brahmi, indicates its godlike nature.  

Ginkgo also has been studied for similar features. The law of signatures is often sited due to the gingko leaves looking like the lobes of a brain. 

 

 

 

Both of these herbs can be found as single supplements or in blends. I like to suggest Nature’s Sunshine’s Gotu Kola,  available in the shop, here on this site. You can find a time released Gingko in my shop as well.  The blend Master Gland also supplies many nutrients and trace minerals blended with herbs often used to support the glandular system.

**purchasing items from the shop section of this site does help to supply me with an income and keeps the information coming. I appreciate all those who decide to become a customer.

Meditation

The third eye is associated with meditation. Since it is the chakra associated with self reflection, it is only fitting to suggest taking a moment each and every day to reflect on the inner self as well as the outer self. There are many YouTube videos supplying tonal wavelengths thought to enhance the experience.