Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet

Most of you know about the alarming rise in prescription drug use among teens and young adults, especially the rampant use of pain killers and sedatives: Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet, Demerol, as well as cough and cold medicines with and without codeine. But did you know that these prescription drugs are easy to get on the streets and relatively cheap? If used or mixed in quantity, they can have lethal effects: note that in the widely publicized deaths of Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson, they both had a high-level combination of prescribed prescription pain killers and sedatives in their systems.

Our teenagers are falling in the same trap. According to the 2009-10 California Healthy Kids Survey:

• 8 percent of ninth graders and 12 percent of 11th graders reported using prescription drugs to get high


• 15 percent of ninth graders and 12 percent of 11th graders reported using cough medicines to get high


• 4 percent of ninth graders and 6 percent of 11th graders reported using Ritalin or Adderall to get high.

The problem is only getting worse. One way to combat it is by lessening the easy supply. Look into your medicine cabinet and remove old pain killers and sedatives or sleeping aids. Not only are these the most popular drugs among teens, they are also often the most lethal when mixed with alcohol or other drugs or when taken over the dosage suggestions.

You can drop these unused or expired medicines at dozens of pharmacies and health clinics across Marin. For more information: http://marinhhs.com/rxdropoff

Irritable Bowel

For those who know me, you know I have had irritable bowel since I was in college, possible before, as I was prone to stomach flu since I was young. I know now that it was actually caused by the stress inherent in a disfunctional family unit and how that stresses the large intestine meridian as well as the related imbalances in the stomach and small intestine meridian.
How I have found a way around it has been an interesting journey.
When I first began having sharp cramps and nausea, I thought I was having appendix problems and went to the doctor several times to find that sometimes my white cells were elevated, but usually there was nothing to be detected.
My doctor then decided I had an ulcer and prescribed drinking a lot of milk. When that didn't work, he thought I had a milk allergy and said no dairy.
I started tracking my "episodes" and found they were linked several things: my monthly cycle, stress, excessive caffeine, alcohol, or sugar intake, too little sleep, or excessive exercise. In other words , if several factors happened that stressed my system when I was going to have my period, than my intestines would start cramping up, gas and bloating from caffeine or excessive alcohol or sugar would occur and then the pain would build until I was in pain all night. Before I got a handle on why this was happening, the "Episodes" built until I was not only in pain that night, all night, but the next day as well.
One time when I was in Israel on a business trip, I missed my daughter's first day of kindergarden. was so stressed out and had cramps so severe I had to miss a business dinner and I was completely freaked out and calling home to get comfort. Talk about making the wrong choices!
So here is what I do now. At night in bed before I go to sleep, I breath deeply into my abdomen. I think about breathing all the way into my hips. I feel my breath in my large intestine.
I feel my small intestine, giving it a mini massage: feeling where it is sore, holding it there and breathing into that spot until the tension releases.
I repeat this in the morning when I need to.
I think of releasing the tension or holding in my hips and stomach (holding your stomach in is a common issue for women). You need to be able to relax your stomach and surround pelvic area.
It is my belief that irritable bowel is caused by excessive and long term tension in the abdomen and pelvic area. It is further tightened and irritated by monthly cycles and digestive issues. The way to relive this is by concentrating on relaxation techniques through breath and exercise.
I have found that drinking Zrii, an Ayrevedic drink of herbs and fruit juices alleviates many of the symptoms as well. Between those two, I can drink coffee again, and while I still have soreness, I rarely have any dehabilitating attacks. Thank goodness.
Antonia

How to Conserve Your Energy

I have noticed in several client sessions lately that people are putting out a lot of energy: whether it is for their kids or a sick loved one, an animal, or a problem with the earth. I fully applaud people giving. However, there is a time when you may be giving too much. It is important to conserve your body's energy to facilitate your own internal and external needs. Because if you don't take care of your energy, who will? And then who will take care of the others in your life that you feel need help?
That's why it's important to take care of yourself. In our Bioenergy Balancing practice, we work with Chi - the energy within the body. We work with the meridians, which are basically the energy circulation system in the body and the chakras, which are focussed energetic portals. These are located along the central line in your body crown to root.
Chakras can take in or give out energy such as with loving bonds or manipulative cords with another person. They can also be portals to send energy to another person who you believe is in need. Unfortunately, at times, this can be done unconsciously. If it continues over a period of time, it can be dehabilitating to your health.
Many years ago I had a dear friend whose father was having severe heart problems. I was driving in my car feeling exhausted and thinking of them. I didn't understand why I was tired and knew there was nothing I could do to help my friend who lived half way around the globe. I brought my hand to my heart and felt a physical jolt. I knew instantly that there was lots of energy flowing out to my friend and that was why I was exhausted. I kept my hand on my heart and said to myself "I save my energy for my body so that I can help people in a way that is helpful for everyone."
Strange as it seems, I felt an immediate flood of energy and joy into my body.
Try that for yourself and let me know how it feels. We help clients identify those floodgates and restore their personal energy to new levels.

Just for Starters

Hello all,
Welcome to my new blog. This is where we can discuss different ways to take care of yourself: mind, body and spirit. I do an energetic healing work called bioenergy balancing and integrate other healing methods such as breathing therapy, Just Letting Go, Non Violent Communication, nutritional therapy, and lots of other fantastic approaches into my work.

Every person is different and no two bodies react in the same way. We all have our own unique healing needs. As time goes on, I hope that you will find something in this blog that positively changes your health and well being.

Just for starters, Bioenergy Balancing is a healing method that helps you communicate with your body and all its wisdom. Using applied kinesiology (muscle testing) we get yes and no answers from your body and then we can trace the meridians to clear blockages, work with the chakras, or find out what nutrition help you might need. It works wonderfully to clear allergies, lessen migraines, and aid sleep. And what's more its fun because the body is often witty and sly, with a great sense of humor.

That's all for now, but hope you come again!