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FLOWER ESSENCES TO THE
RESCUE
Article by herbalist Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
Wholistic
health encompasses the concept of us being of physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual bodies.
When it comes to dealing with health imbalances, all areas
must be assessed. Many times our
emotional nature is an indicator of deeper underlying
issues that either reflect or are the cause of our
discomfort. Over the course of many
years, I have witnessed how emotions can be a definitive
factor in a person getting well again.
This article will be about remedies called flower essences,
particularly the Bach Flower Essences.
The person
behind the flower essences is Dr. Edward Bach, an English
medical doctor, bacteriologist and immunologist.
In the early 1930’s, he gave up his medical practice
to study the causes of human illness; and he developed his
system of remedies based on his observations of his
patients whose physical illnesses seemed to be predisposed
by negative psychological or emotional states, such as
fear, anxiety, insecurity, jealousy, shyness, poor self
image, anger and resentment. Dr. Bach
stated, “Behind all disease lies fears, our anxieties, our
greed, our likes and dislikes.” He
further stated that, “True healing involves treating the
very base of the cause of the suffering.
Therefore, no effort directed to the body alone can
do more than to repair damage. Treat
people for their emotional unhappiness, allow them to be
happy, and they will become well.”
When Dr. Bach
began to understand how flowers could alter the emotional
nature in a person, it took many years and sensitivity on
his part to experience each emotional state before he found
the proper flower that would treat the emotion.
This became his life’s work.
Over the course of his life, he developed 38 remedies based
on seven areas of negative emotional states.
They are:
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Fear
-
Uncertainty
-
Insufficient interest in present circumstances
-
Loneliness
-
Over-sensitivity to the influences and ideas of others
-
Despondency
and despair
-
Overly
concerned with the welfare of others
The 38 remedies
fall under these seven emotional states.
The remedies
are prepared homeopathically, which makes them non-toxic,
without side effects, and they can be taken by young and
old, with or without medications. Even
taking the wrong remedy will do no harm.
Another motto of Dr. Bach’s was, “Think of the
patient, not the disease. The main
reason for the failure of modern medicine is that it is
dealing with results, not causes.” A
new field of research that has emerged over the last few
years is called psychoneuroimmunology.
This is based on the mechanisms that represent the
link between mind/body therapies.
Clinical studies have confirmed that mental and emotional
states of a person affect many of the body processes, such
as stimulating or suppressing immune cell activity, adrenal
hormones, and neurotransmitters. Bach
remedies work to transform the negative attitudes
associated with disease into positive ones thus allowing
the body to respond in a healing manner.
The flower
essences do not need to be taken only when one feels sick.
They are intended for use in times of stress and
fatigue or when life seems to be getting you down.
They have a preventative effect.
Dr. Bach’s only formula that he developed (which is the
best selling remedy today) is called Rescue Remedy.
It is an emergency stress formula containing the
essences of five flowers. They are
cherry plum, clematis, impatiens, rock rose and Star of
Bethlehem. Rescue Remedy
has been shown to be effective to calm and reassure in
times of serious upset, trauma, startling experiences,
bemused states of mind, hysteria, panic attacks, and much
more. I will not travel without
Rescue Remedy. I have had
numerous occasions to offer this remedy to others in times
of need and have seen immediate results.
One such situation was with our 10-month old son.
During teething and when he was overly tired and
fussy, a few drops of Rescue Remedy yielded
the desired results. Anyone familiar
with Rescue Remedy will have stories to tell.
Because the
remedies are safe, a person does not have to consult with a
practitioner before using the essences.
There are trained professionals that refer to them, but the
manufacturer of Bach flower essences provides a complete
questionnaire that will help you determine your remedy.
The remedies are still manufactured in
England
the same way Dr. Bach instructed.
Tehre are training courses
available for those interested in further study.
Dr. Bach wrote
two books called Heal Thyself and The Twelve
Healers. They contain the scope of
belief of Dr. Bach and fall right in line with what we call
wholistic health today.
I find it encouraging that even in the early part of
the last century,
wholistic thinking was a major
player for many medical professionals.
Anyone
interested can call toll free the Bach educational hotline
at 1-800-314-BACH. I encourage you to
experiment with the remedies and let your own intuition
guide you on your path to good health.
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