Arnica is a flowering plant native to the mountains in Europe and Siberia and is now cultivated in North America.

The Europeans and Native Americans have used Arnica for medicinal purposes since the 1500’s. The popularity of Arnica in the US continues to grow and is widely used by athletes.

Arnica Montana is used to soothe sore muscles, bruises, heal wounds, sprains, and other conditions caused by overexertion and trauma. Arnica also reduces inflammation and is used with rheumatic pain, swelling due to fractures and even inflammation from insect bites.

The other day, my son was out playing roller hockey in the street and fell on his elbow. He came in and I could already see the swelling beginning. The first thing I reached for was Arnica Montana.

If you are having any type of surgery, take Arnica before and after surgery to help with inflammation.

The uses for Arnica are endless, from a bug bite to a major surgery.

Arnica is sold in stores that sell herbs and natural/alternative remedies. The Vitamin Shoppe and Whole Foods are two examples of stores that have Arnica however it is becoming so widely used it would not surprise me to see it in any grocery store and maybe even Target as an ointment. If you can’t find it locally, there are thousands of sites online that sell Arnica.

An allergic reaction happens when the body interprets a substance as a “foreign enemy” and goes into attack mode. If the immune system is not strong enough to disable the antigens in a substance (dust, mold, pollen) then the immune system has an overaggressive response which looks like runny nose, watery eyes, fatigue, etc.

To key to allergy relief is a strong, healthy immune system.

These are my favorite supplements that boost immune system function:

1. Vitamin C-3000 mg/day taken throughout the day. Excellent for reducing histamine levels in the blood. Also Vitamin C strengthens and detoxifies the immune system. (I love Nature’s Plus Vitamin C-they are chewable, taste great and kids love them too!)

2. Grape Seed Extract-100mg/1-3 X per day. This is a natural antihistamine. Also, its flavonoids inhibit allergic reactions that can cause eczema.

3. Quercetin-Builds mast cell membrane strength. These membranes are carriers of histamine. Quercetin keeps the membrane walls strong to prevent ruptures that leak histamine freely into the body, thereby causing allergic responses.

4. Bromelain-1000mg/day. Bromelain is an enzyme that comes from the juice and stem of the pineapple. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory that strengthens the immune system and clears mucous from the respiratory system. (Can also be used post surgery or anytime an anti-inflammatory agent is needed-has similar effects to ibuprofen).

5. MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)-1000mg/1-3X per day. MSM contains sulfur which is an important nutrient for healthy body functions. MSM keeps the immune system strong and supports the respiratory system. MSM also improves allergies, skin problems, asthma and headaches.

There are many homeopathic remedies on the market that also can be taken with or without supplements. My favorite brand is bioAllers. It’s a liquid homeopathic. They have specific remedies for Tree, Grass, Pollen, Hayfever or a combination Pollen/Hayfever. Homeopathic remedies are great for children that can’t swallow pills. I use this one for my son in addition to the supplements.

It is not necessary but could benefit greatly to begin taking the supplements and homeopathic remedies before the symptoms appear. This will build the immune system gradually and the body will be ready when the pollen hits. However, if pollen has begun in your area and allergies are upon you, no better time than now to build immune strength.

Lastly, we all can agree that stress plays a role in immune health. Relaxation techniques, meditation and any enjoyable activity will help with immune strength. Relax, take supplements and enjoy an allergy free season!

After our last meal of the day is taken in and digested, our bodies delight in the relaxation of our innards. What actually happens while sleeping is our bodies fall into a mini fast where our digestive tract can relax and our bodies shift into detoxification mode. During this time of “digestive rest,” our body intuitively directs our energy to “clean house” of every organ, muscle and even our blood.

This is the reason the first thing that goes into our bodies is crucial. Warm (not hot) water with lemon moves the detoxified waste out of our systems with ease. The lemon grabs the waste and uses the water to flush our system and eliminate.

Another benefit of lemon water is it is alkalizing for our bodies. When we have an alkaline body versus acidic, it creates an environment in the body which illness cannot exist. Acidic tissue is a breeding ground for illness.

To aide with the alkalinity of the body throughout the day, don’t stop with the morning lemon water cocktail; enjoy this beneficial drink throughout the day.

Many people say they don’t want to run to the bathroom all day drinking so much water. If this is happening, it’s a sign that the body is not absorbing water, it is dehydrated and is more than likely acidic. Drinking lemon water versus straight water, aids with the absorption of the water into your system.

Show your body how much you love it and try this for 30 days, we have nothing to lose but dehydration issues, acidic tissue and detoxified waste.

This video is on  Jill Bolte Taylor and her experience of having a stroke which shut down the left hemisphere of  her brain. This forced her to live completely from the right hemisphere of the brain and she lives to tell about her miraculous experiences.

Living from the “right brain” exclusively, merges us into the oneness, there is no separation, it’s living completely from a heart place.

Click HERE to watch video

Whether you have children or not, getting a diagnosis like this is a scary one. It was a true test for my husband and me to stay present moment. I also had to make the decision of who to tell about this diagnosis. It could turn out to be nothing or it could turn out to be something, we would not know until the results were in from the MRI. The MOST important thing for me was to stay positive, not in denial but to take each moment and think not only positively but to send my son and specifically his neck loving thoughts and healing words. For this reason I decided to only tell a select few people that would be able to keep my son in loving, healing hands and send him tremendous healing light.

What many of us don’t realize is the power of our words. Everything in our world is energy, the grass, the table you eat breakfast on, the human body, each thought we have and each word we speak. Energy vibrates at different speeds depending on what it is. Positive thoughts vibrate higher (or faster) and negative thoughts or words carry a much lower (slower) vibration. This is why when we feel sad, our bodies feel heavier, slower vibrations feel heavy.

When people hear of someone that is sick, or worse in the hospital, they typically say, “I am so worried!” Worry is fear and when you have a thought that is from fear about someone it does not help them in the least bit, in fact it could add to their illness. There have been countless studies done on the power of prayer and the positive effect it has. Behind a prayer or positive thinking is a thought that carries a higher/healing vibration. When you are thinking of a sick person while in this higher vibrational state you are actually sending them healing energy.

Unfortunately I have had 2 friends that have lost their children to cancer. For one of them, the road was a long one, her son was sick for many years. There were times during  his illness when we would rally a group of  people to send her son light or healing thoughts and she would notice on her end healing shifts that her son would make during the time of our thoughts and prayers. One time I recall he had a terrible infection and it was creating a rash all over his chest, the doctors had tried numerous medications and nothing was working. We had decided to rally a large group to send him light and healing at precisely 3pm. My friend called me shortly thereafter saying that they could see the rash/infection shrinking before their eyes. The doctors had no medical reason for it and considered it a miracle.

Getting back to my son, there was a 24 hour period between the x-rays and the MRI. In that 24 hour period my son was sent tremendous loving /healing thoughts by a choice group of people.  His headaches stopped that day. The MRI we done and results were read to us the next day. There was nothing on the scans. They had no explanation of the previous spots on his neck from the x-rays and wanted to send him to a neurologist for further evaluation and migraine medication.

My husband and I left the office with huge smiles on our faces and thanked God for this gift we had received.  We realized what had happened and knew there would be no neurologist in our son’s future. We felt extremely grateful for the gifts that we had received from our friends and their powerful thoughts, visualizations and words. My son has not had a headache since and when I asked him yesterday how he was doing and if he had a headache his comment was, “No mom, please stop asking me…it’s done.” And I knew it was.

The power of words.

When we get tripped up and fall into a bad day one idea to get us back into balance is food. Before we go on an eating binge, hang on, there are certain types of foods to help us back to happiness.

Let’s take a look at the nuts and bolts behind this theory. There are two ideas to examine:

1.  Negative thoughts and emotions carry an energetic vibration that is very low (feels heavy), versus happy thoughts and emotions which carry a much higher vibration (feels lighter).

2. The law of attraction teaches us that “like attracts like.”

So we can conclude that when we are feeling down, we crave something that has a similar vibrational match to our mood, like the vibration of candy bars, potato chips, ice cream or something similar.

One solution to help lift us out of our sadness is to choose foods with a higher vibration. If we are eating foods with a higher vibration then (because of law of attraction) we could begin to feel better.

Foods with the highest vibration are “live” (or uncooked) like raw fruits and vegetables.

Sometimes when we feel the need to be comforted, an alternative choice are foods that are warm like soups, stews or steamed vegetables. These foods are cooked but still hold a higher vibration (because of the vegetables) than fried or sugary sweets.

So the next time you feel you need an emotional boost, eat your fruits and veggies. They help to your energy to vibrate higher, in your heart, the same place happiness resides.