October 28th 2020
Dear Patients!
Well, hello again!
Ater 6 months! I hope you are all doing well? What a time it has been! And so many issues are building and coming to a head in the next few months.
Issues of health and Autumn/Winter viruses.
What is really happening “out there”, when it is so difficult to know; and who or what to believe?
I have just returned from 5 weeks in the mountains of Portugal. And am now in 2 weeks quarantine in Dorset. It was literally a “breath of fresh air”.
People there are wearing masks in shops; but on the fairly isolated farms and “Quintas” people didn’t really bother.
We had some cool, slightly rainy, Autumnal weather: but also, between about 12 and 5, even on less beautiful days, the sun was hot and we could swim and sunbathe.
So, I am feeling well and rested.
I shall go straight to Kent, from here, to see my sister who is in her 80s and not very well.
I expect to be back in Steyning by around Wednesday 5th November. So please feel free to contact me from the following Monday.
The same advice,from my previous blog in April, still holds.
Try to nourish your immune system with plenty of rest and exercise in fresh air, and sumshine wherever possible.A SAD lamp might also help; Healthy House does a 1 month trial for around £20, which they will take off the purchase price if you want to keep it.
Make sure you are eating as much good quality food as possible; organic, pasture -fed meat, if you eat it, and organic vegetables whenever you can.
Remember that dairy, even organic, tends to promote mucus and damp in the body.Which you don’t want with Colds and Flu.
Take supplements of Vitamin D, C, and Zinc, and a good quality Pro-biotic.
And you can use my herbal, or homeopathic, Cold and Flu remedies. Plus essential oils, for the immune system.
The main aim is to stop and rest; treat and prevent any virus which you may get at this time of year, from progressing, going down onto the chest and becoming more serious.
Consult your own health practitioner, or homeopath if you are unsure what to do or which remedies to use at any stage.
And I would really recommend, if you are not working, having a daily routine for yourself, which includes time for meditation, to counter depressiona and negative thought patterns.
Do not listen to the mainstream news regularly, as that can be very depressing. Just check in occasionally to find out what the Government is saying and doing.
Listen to and watch things that are uplifting and that you love.
There are many alternative versions of what is going on, online, and many new platforms to counter the censorship that is happening on all the main platforms.
It is healthy to get a whole range of opinions.
This is a time of huge paradigm shifts in our understanding of our world and universe. And, it feels to me, that this Time is asking us to dig deep and try to understand who we are , and what we ourselves believe, and how we wish to live. In fear and anxiety: or in hope and love.
Some of my recommendations would be;
David Attenborough"s latest film, on Netflix/Prime. he calls it his Witness Statement. It is very moving and ultimately hopeful.
“Kiss the Earth "is another film on Netflix which gives a planetary overview and real answers and cause for hope.
And there is a beautiful movie called “My Octopus Teacher” ,
which is wonderful. I would challenge anyone who has watched it to ever eat Octopus again!
Much love and wishes for your health and happiness over this Autumn/Winter. I look forward to seeing some of you.
xx Janine
April 27th 2020
Dear Patients!
How are you all doing?
Staying well and coping with these difficult and extraordinary times, I hope.
I have heard from a few of you, which is great; please feel free to contact me if you wish, for a chat or more herbs or acupressure/massage advice.
I have been able to show certain specific points for individuals to massage for problems, such as insomnia and anxiety. And also for a urinary infection, together with herbs and supplement advice.
It is already over a month since my last Blog!
I am now living in Brighton, with my son and his family, after we all self-isolated for at least 3 weeks after the schools closed and we all stopped working out there!
I miss my flat and Steyning : but I am enjoying more human contact and hugs with my family and especially the 2 grand daughters. I am a lot more busy, because I am doing things with the girls while their parents work from home, as they are fortunate enough to be able to do so.
However, I am making sure that I get my time, in the mornings, to continue with my healthy routine of meditation and Pilates and smoothies for breakfast, after a gap of 15/16 hours from supper the night before. This semi-fasting is believed by many functional medicine doctors to be very beneficial for the organs and immune system.
To be honest, I find it quite easy to do. I do have a cup of hot water and lemon, followed by a cup of tea first thing.
I also have time in the late afternoon and evening to do some study and listen to things that I find helpful and uplifting, including a regular group call with a few friends, and individual ones with friends and family members.
I do think having some kind of routine at this time, is very helpful.
I am fortunate to have applied for and been given a half allotment in Steyning; so that we are all planning and preparing for what we can grow there over the next few months.
I have not been a gardener in my life, until now… like many others, I feel that this time is an opportunity to change that a little and learn something new and connected to calmer, more natural lifestyle.
I have been participating in on-line seminars for Acupuncture and Nutrition and Homeopathy, around the Coronavirus and Covid 19 and wish to communicate some of what has inspired and
connected with my own experience of health and healing with Chinese medicine over the last 35 years.
As some of you know, I am also a keen student of Astrology and have listened to Astologers that I trust about the energy of this time.
What I have taken from them, first of all, is that this is not a short situation. It seems as though things will improve, in the next month or two, but planetary patterns suggest that there will be other surges of difficulties in the Autumn and well into next year. They may be more illnesses, with possibly mutating viruses, or they will almost certainly be economic difficulties and crises after what has been happening.
This could be predicted even without Astology perhaps, but I find the way what is happening with the planets express quite clearly what we seem to be experiencing, very helpful.
I would reccomend on Youtube, www.pamgregory.com for any who are interested.
March 2020
Dear patients!
I thought it might be good to stay in touch this way, while I cannot treat you. I hope you are all well and coping with these strange times of isolating and self-distancing.
I am writing this from my flat in Steyning, which I have only recently moved back to. Being here is not as I had imagined; joining a few groups and activities, and getting to know people!
However, I have had a lot of opportunity to explore the many beautiful walks and footpaths near my home and enjoyed some walks and sunbathing on Shoreham beach.
The sky is so much clearer and blue at the moment, no trails of any kind to speak of.
Spring is definitely appearing with flowers and Blackthorn blossom and Magnolia trees. I am really noticing all the birds and birdsong.
I am having to manage my time around the light in my flat. It is rather dark inside in the mornings, so I take myself out for my walks and fresh air at that time. I am happier to stay inside and do work and admin when the sun comes round in the afternoon. I do my meditation and Pilates first thing, however, followed by making a healthy smoothie with fruit and avocado, berries and green powders.
I am including a very helpful Qi Gong practice to strengthen the Lungs, put on YouTube by Peter Deadman from Brighton, an experienced and knowledgeable Acupuncturist and Qi Gong practitioner.
I know I gave the recipe for Thieves Oil to many of you when I saw you last, but if you didn’t get it, the recipe is below.
Thieves oil is called such because, apparently, it was used by people in the Black Death, who robbed the corpses of victims and who, apparently did not get sick in the same numbers as the general population.
40 drops of Clove Bud essential oil
35 drops of Lemon essential oil
20 drops of Cinnamon bark essential oil
15 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops of Rosemary essential oil
Added to a bland good quality carrier oil, such as fractionated (liquid) coconut oil, or sweet almond oil. It smells good, and the properties of these oils are traditionally for the immune and respiratory systems.
It is a good blend for a diffuser in your room. It may also be massaged around your neck, face and neck glands, and possibly also the glands in the groin.
I put some into my moisturizer to use everyday. And it may also be added to water in a spray bottle, which I spray around my neck and head before I go outside. I also put a little just inside my nose and in my ears, with clean fingers.
I have used a couple of these oils, on cotton wool tucked in my bra, when I have taken a flight in the past, because of the recycled air and germs.
These are not an alternative to frequent hand-washing and Dettol wipes for surfaces, door handles, hands etc — after going outside or for anything coming in to the home. But they are definitely worth doing to help your health and immunity.
Another thing that I am doing is gargling regularly with salt water and doing steam inhalation with oregano, rosemary or eucalyptus oil. This, done carefully and gently, helps take the vapour of the oils into the sinuses and throat and chest.
There has been advice about drinking a lot of warm fluids, which dilute and take the virus into the digestive system and then through the body. There is also a recommendation to eat warm soups and broths. The news says that there is no “scientific evidence” for this.
However, it does make sense, in terms of Chinese medicine, since these foods are much easier for the body to digest. Traditionally we have always used soups for people who are ill or recovering from illness.
You can use your Cold and Flu herbs, if you have them, prophylactically and at first sign of any symptoms, as usual. If you do get symptoms, there are some really effective Homeopathic remedies which you may know of. Or, because Helios is very very busy at this time, you may wish to consult a Homeopath; your own, or I can recommend the two below, who do telephone or Skype consultations:
Sohani Gonzalez: 01258 839 043 or sohani.gonzalez@gmail.com
Pema Sanders: 07969 491 061 or pemasanders@hotmail.com
If any of you need herbs that you have taken from me, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Love and hugs (if only!),
Janine