Heidi DuPree

Monday, January 11, 2016

How to Use a Wet Cloth to Heal Inflammation

"Not only does water have a profound role in supporting life; it may well be the most natural, effective, and affordable therapy available." ~ Dian Dincin Bushman, PhD, The Complete Book of Water Healing

If you have read this post, you probably already know that I don't use anti-inflammatory medication. So what are the alternatives for an inflamed tendon? There's therapeutic ultrasound, diet, herbs, energy work, essential oils, etc. But one alternative that I have tried with success was made famous by Vincent Priessnitz in the 19th century - hydrotherapy.

When I began studying naturopathy, I was amazed by the stories of people healed with wet sheet packs. With nothing but wet bandages, people were healed during epidemic outbreaks and from significant bodily injury before modern Western medicine. These stories seemed too good to be true. But when I tried it myself -- it worked... and its simple.

Here is my personal technique: *

Cut a yard of flannel-type cotton fabric into strips.
Soak one strip in ice water, wring it out, and wrap it around the inflamed area
Cover the wet bandage with several layers of dry fabric strips.
When the bottom layer of wet fabric became warm or dried out, I soaked it in ice water again, wrung it out, and repeated the process, covering with dry strips.
I cut enough strips so that I had enough to rotate through the dryer as the covering strips became damp.

In my own experience, acute tendinitis was relieved repeating this technique several times over a day or two. For chronic tendinitis I had to continue for longer.

How It Works

Hydrotherapy, also known as the "water cure," is the use of water for pain relief and treatment. Cold water creates a healing action. More about that HERE.

The water in the bandages restores energy flow
Restored energy flow increases oxygenation and blood circulation
Enhances oxygenation and blood circulation reduces inflammation and enhancing healing.

Sometimes simple is all that's needed.

* This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical care.

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Sunday, January 10, 2016

How Energy Healing Can Relieve Headaches

"Most of the tension that occurs in your brain comes from negative thoughts that.... lead to tension headaches..." ~ Ron W. Rathbun, The Way is Within

Everyone has experienced a headache at one time or another. But for some they can be debilitating, and scary... because sometimes headaches can have serious causes. Although these are uncommon, it should be noted that headaches can be caused by hypothyroidism, stroke, AV malformation, arteritis, brain tumors, high blood pressure, meningitis and aneurysm.

Much more commonly headaches are attributed to "stress" - an umbrella term used to define our response to anything perceived as a threat to our well-being. But the question is - why do we respond to everyday situations as threats to our well-being? And how does stress cause a headache?

In Western medicine, stress is believed to cause headaches through muscle tension and a disturbance in blood flow. But what causes the disturbance in blood flow and the muscle tension?

Energy Healing for Headaches

For over 20 years I've worked with many clients in my energy healing practice with headaches and have suffered from them myself. This is what I have discovered causes the stress, tension and disruption in blood flow:

Tight Membranes. Headaches can be caused by a restriction in the membranes and the flow of cerebral spinal fluid through the craniosacral system from some known or unknown trauma, which can be alleviated with light touch craniosacral therapy.
Energetic Congestion. Headaches can also be caused by the congestion of being "all in your head." This happens when we create an imbalance by putting too much emphasis on the mental body. You can bring yourself back into balance by focusing on your physical body, especially your legs and feet. Take some deep breaths, focusing on your breathing while you wiggle your toes and feel the sensation of your feet on the floor. You can also relieve the congestion and pain using this hydrotherapy water technique. Earthing practices can also relieve this energy congestion through grounding to the Earth.
Negative Belief Systems. In my experience, however, I have found the most common cause of headaches are negative belief systems. The energy of our thought-beliefs disrupt the flow of energy in the body-mind, which initiates the physiological response that produces a headache. The belief that every day situations are threats to our well-being has a direct affect on energy flow.

Many individuals I have worked with were shocked to experience sudden pain in their head at the exact moment we are discussing an issue. It’s a signal that we've just hit on a core issue. And once the thought-energy block is released, the headache is gone in an instant.

The next time you get a sudden headache, pay attention to what you were thinking about at the time it started or just before. This will give you a clue as to the cause. Then shine a light on what you were thinking about by talking about it, writing it down in a journal, or using EFT to tap on the issue. The most important thing is to not judge yourself for whatever this thought-belief is. Judging it keeps it hidden where it creates a headache. Bringing it out into the open and accepting yourself unconditionally releases the tension.

Headaches can also be caused by:

Dehydration. Try drinking a glass of water. Be sure you are drinking at least 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day until your urine is straw-colored. (some supplements can temporarily darken urine)
Fatigue. Headaches can be a sign that you need to rest. A drop of peppermint essential oil on the back of the neck or forehead, listening to meditation music, or closing your eyes and taking some deep breaths can relieve a fatigue headache if you are unable to rest at the time.
Ascension. Headaches can also be associated with ascension symptoms. If you would like to learn more about that means, click HERE.

How to Release Fear

"Everything you want is on the other side of fear." ~ Jack Canfield, The Success Principles

With so many changes taking place in the world, many people are frightened. My clients are doing their best to stay out of fear by thinking positive, but underneath - the fear is still there. "How do I get rid of it?" they ask me. My answer - let the big dog out!

The harder you try to keep the big dog of fear quiet and in the closet, the more he tries to bark and claw his way out. What you end up with is a positive thought on top of a pile of barking, snarling fear- which is not very positive at all.

How do you let the big dog out?

Let yourself feel the fear.
For the moment, let it get even bigger.
Move with it.
Breathe with it.
Open your mouth and make noise with it.

Let that big dog of fear run as far and as fast and make as much noise as he wants for as long as he wants. Trust me, he can't do it forever. Eventually he'll tire out and flop on his side on the ground in peaceful surrender. No more barking, snarling, or clawing. Just peace and quiet. Now that feels more positive.

How to Heal Fear

"That's the thing about fear. Death will kill you once, but fear kills you over and over and over, if you let it." ~ Marcus Allen, Astrology for the New Age

When I was a teenager, a stray dog showed up at our property and appointed himself our watchdog. He patrolled the wrought iron fence and barked at anyone who walked by. He had decided he was our dog, and we agreed, naming him Red after his golden-red coat of fur. His breed? We could only guess – Golden Retriever? A bit of Collie?

Red was friendly and sociable, but he would yelp in panic and dive under furniture at the sound of a car backfiring or a gun firing on TV. He had arrived at our house with a streak of singed fur along his temple and we made up a backstory that he had been grazed by a bullet that passed near his head. Since he already knew how to sit, stay, roll over and shake paws, we concluded his previous owners had taught him tricks. But when we tried to brush him, he cowered and winced at the sight of the brush, as if he had been abused.

In my active imagination, I pictured Red escaping from his abusers in a dramatic scene that included gunfire. I envisioned him wandering in a daze for many miles, until he came upon our house and decided we needed him. Whatever the real story, I was grateful for the angel dog that had come out of nowhere at a time when I desperately needed protection and unconditional love.

Red died over 30 years ago, not long after I left home and got married. The way he died is too awful to recount here, but let it suffice to say that it was fear that killed him. It was his fear of loud noises that caused him to panic and try to escape his enclosure – inadvertently ending his life in the process.

Fear may not kill us as swiftly as it did Red. But fear can kill us slowly. It robs us of happiness and joy. It destroys our courage and blocks our growth. It eats away at our health. But fear is not something we can escape. Rather, fear can be transformed. How? Through compassion, unconditional love, and self-acceptance.

Here is an affirmation to help you heal fear:

Even though I am in fear, I love, accept and forgive myself completely and deeply. Every part of me is acceptable and worthy of love, even the part of me that is in fear.

RIP my dear friend Red.