Archives for August 2013

Wild Rosemary Ledum Palustre and Homeopathy

This is a post sponsored by The Vitamin Shoppe and written by our friend Debby Bruck.

The homeopathic remedy of wild rosemary or marsh tea, called Ledum palustre in the Ericaceae family, has been used to deter disease transmission, act as a relief agent or a protective spray in the garden or as a pet flea repellent for hundreds of years. The Vitamin Shoppe carries the form of Ledum, which has gone through a dilution and potentization process transforming it to a powerful immune stimulant.

herbsWobbley Picklet reminds us not to confuse Ledum with our common garden rosemary plant, as Ledum palustre falls into a species of rhododendron and John Henry Clarke tells us the proper part of plant to make the mother stock comes from “tincture of dried small twigs and leaves collected after flowering begins or tincture of whole fresh plant.” Homeopathic Ledum has been documented to heal puncture wounds, sores from dental injections, vaccine site inflammation, skin injuries, surgical sutures, splinters, punctures from stepping on a nail, infections from scratches and other trauma to the skin.

Documentation reveals that Ledum has been given to protect against tetanus when toxins enter the skin through a puncture wound and get trapped in a warm moist environment. Consider Ledum for spider bites and even scorpion sting.

Animals easily accept a spritz of Ledum out of a spray bottle, giving some relief from itchy fleabites and sensitive skin; an application to bedding areas and carpet might be helpful.

Mosquito and other insect bites resemble a toxic puncture wound. For persons living in the northeast and upper Midwest region of the United States, the vector borne Lyme disease may seriously cause havoc with a person’s ability to function.

Dressing with proper attire to cover areas to protect against insect exposure, checking the body and hair thoroughly, and carefully removing ticks will lessen the likelihood for Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick borne infections. Don’t forget to check pets and yard for infestation, as well.

Potentially, a blood titer level can be checked before and after giving Ledum to show efficacy against Lyme disease.

As Lyme disease progresses through its stages, from inflammation, arthritic stiffness, neurological headaches, heart and breathing difficulty, we can see a more complete picture of symptoms that Ledum may cover. Other treatments or homeopathic remedies may be required after infection. Please check with your physician.

For acute issues, The Vitamin Shoppe carries a few brands of Ledum palustre. When a person has a chronic or hereditary condition, like arthritis, a person needs to contact a professional homeopath experienced in finding an appropriate matching energy remedy based upon the founding principles. The homeopath will provide instructions and education on posology to understand the “minimum” dose. The homeopath will take a full case, including family propensity to organ weakness and disease. Just a small stimulus from the correct homeopathic remedy will last a longtime for self-healing to begin. A person will notice symptoms coming out either in more intensity for a short period of time, or possibly a return of symptoms from previous trauma points in life.

If you find that after a puncture wound, there is little bleeding, but noticeable pain, puffiness and the area feels cold, turns pale in color think of ledum. Coldness in general is a good clue; coldness to touch, cold feeling in the body, and cold extremities with a hot head.  We might see throbbing similar to belladonna. Even though a pale color may present, with the infection, comes bloating, edema, and purple color running down the legs. Strangely, even though feeling cold the only relief comes from plunging limbs into icy cold water. Compare the symptom picture of ledum to Hypericum, which includes nerve damage, to arnica for tissue bruising, to calendula for laceration wounds, to Pulsatilla that also gets relief from icy water, and to Formica rufa for gouty knees. Surprisingly, Ledum has claims to relieve the effects of alcoholism with a desire for whiskey. Therefore, you may see the broad coverage of this homeopathic remedy, Ledum palustre.

Debby Bruck, homeopath, educator and founder of HomeopathyWorldCommunity.com social network for homeopaths envisions the day when everyone will have knowledge about homeopathy. She hosts weekly BlogTalkRadio shows and the Health Inn live interview video internet show with alternative health experts. Everyone is welcome to join FaceBook Homeopathy World Community to learn more. This is a post sponsored by BlogDash.

Happiness book in large print

Large print happiness book coverGood news for those who require large print to read comfortably.  My happiness book is now available in large print through DoctorZed Publishing.  You can get your copy of 9 Habits of Happiness (Large Print) here.

The regular edition of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: The 9 habits of maximum happiness can still be purchased on Amazon.  Here is the description posted there…

Its a manual: Yes, this is a manual for making your life happier. It offers step-by-step instructions for building a happier life through nine important habits.Its a science class: Here you’ll find all the science of happiness you can use and more.Its a story book: Chock full of entertaining stories, you’ll actually enjoy reading this book. In fact, you may get so lost in the stories that you don’t realize how much you learn.Its a fortune cookie: Its a very BIG fortune cookie, sprinkled with tidbits of wisdom handed down through the ages and some invented just for the occasion. It’s Super Book: Where else can you find such a blend of self-improvement, psychological science, and entertainment, all wrapped up in a giant fortune cookie?

Or you can pick up an autographed copy through me directly (not the large print version, though). Here’s the page.

Montreal Review of Books loves this book:

"His nine habits are achievable. All this is delivered with pop quizzes, stories and quotable quotes. A great spring pick-me-up."

Hotel California – how The Eagles defined innovation

Hotel California was a watershed album, not just because it was immensely popular or because the title track was controversial. Here we look at how this album was one of the most innovative ever released by a mainstream band.

I recall a few years back, an online friend whose opinion I usually respect and who has a fondness for nostalgia, referred to Hotel California as the least innovative album ever (I think he used stronger words).  This totally shocked me at the time.

Just recently the Eagles came to town with their latest show, and of course all the radio stations played Eagles music for several days and there were reviews of the concert on the airwaves for a couple days after (and in the newspapers, too). The reports were that Joe Walsh stole the show, and you’ll find out in a moment why that’s relevant to this blog post. I missed the show due to prior commitments, but…

You might still be able to catch the Eagles
as they visit your town:
http://www.ticketstub.com/events/the-eagles/
 

After hearing so many of their songs played over the past few weeks, I thought it was high time I published a rebuttal to my respected (but incorrect) friend.  In fact, of all the albums I know recorded by mainstream bands, Hotel California is the most innovative, and here is why:

Very rarely does a mainstream, popular band have the guts to change its colors midstream.  But the Eagles did just that.  Take a look at their 1976 Greatest Hits album, which is essentially all their popular stuff before Hotel California, and you’ll see that it’s all country music: “Lyin’ Eyes”, “Best of My Love”, “Take it Easy”, “Desperado”, “Tequila Sunrise”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, etc.  Only “Witchy Woman” could be considered to be more rocky.

But along comes Hotel California, a rock album.  Featuring a new band member, Joe Walsh (“I live in hotels, tear up the walls.  I have accountants pay for it all.”) with his electric rock guitar.  One could compare Joe Walsh more with George Thoroughgood or Ted Nugent than with Willy Nelson or Alan Jackson.

So that alone makes Hotel California an incredibly innovative album.  Now let’s look at what’s on the album. Of the eight songs, five are neither sappy love songs nor heartbreak songs, unlike 90 percent of popular songs.

 

The title track was one of the most talked-about hits of all time.  It is a ghost story of sorts, where the weary traveler checks into an alluring hotel only to find that he cannot leave.  The song is an allegory of hedonism, of modern materialism – and anything but conventional.

But what really makes “Hotel California” stand out as a unique song is the music.  Not only does it follow the most unconventional structure of:

  • instrumental verse
  • verse
  • refrain
  • verse
  • refrain
  • verse
  • instrumental verse

…but the first instrumental verse is acoustic, representing the bands country roots, and the final instrumental verse is electric, representing where the band is heading.  So the transition from acoustic to electric guitars in the song “Hotel California” is a metaphor for the change from country to rock that the album Hotel California brings to the band.  Brilliant!

The other really interesting song on the album is “The Last Resort”, which is the one I could talk about all day.  Epic in both music and lyrics, it tells the story of how the west was “won”…and how it was lost – how we destroy the very things we call paradise.  The song turns that also into an allegory for the hereafter, how we long for Heaven while destroying our chances of getting there.  The song explores our destructive nature and our hypocritical nature, and is a thinly veiled environmental theme song. Here is what Glen Frey had to say about the song.

“I have to give all the credit for “The Last Resort” to (Don) Henley. It was the first time that Don, on his own, took it upon himself to write an epic story. We were very much at that time, concerned about the environment and doing anti-nuclear benefit (concerts). It seemed the perfect way to wrap up all of the different topics we had explored on the Hotel California album. Don found himself as a lyricist with that song, kind of outdid himself…We’re constantly screwing up paradise and that was the point of the song and that at some point there is going to be no more new frontiers. I mean we’re putting junk, er, garbage into space now. There’s enough crap floating around the planet that we can’t even use so it just seems to be our way. It’s unfortunate but that is sort of what happens”.

The Eagles in Ottawa“Life in the Fast Lane” is a hard-rock, Joe Walsh style song that caries on the theme of the pitfalls of materialism and hedonism.  That three songs on the album explore meaningful life issues, not just affairs of the heart, speaks volumes about the relevance and innovation of the album.

The other single, besides “Hotel California” and “Life in the Fast Lane”, was “New Kid in Town”, a dreamy tune that explores the passing fashions and whims of people in this materialistic world.  Popularity comes and popularity goes:

“You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you.

They will never forget you ’til somebody new comes along.”

And so the theme continues.

But feel free to see for yourself.  There is no music like live music, and the Eagles were not shy to improvise at their recent show.  In “Life’s been Good”, Joe Walsh sings “They send me emails”…and of course emails did not exist when he first wrote the song.