REGAINING BALANCE & HEALTH, Kaaren Whitney
Homoeopathy encourages the body to heal itself by using the principle of 'like curing like'. The symptoms a person expresses when experiencing distress or dis-ease can be matched to a homoeopathic remedy which exhibits similar qualities. When the two match it is as if there is a boost of energy to help the body do what it is already trying to do: regain balance and health.
Remedies are made mostly from the vegetable kingdom but also from animal and mineral substances. These are potentized or made more powerful to give encouragement to the healing that needs to happen.
A very simple example is my daughter who had a very high temperature as a child. Her face was bright red, her eyes glazed. She was hot, fretful and not with it. I gave her Belladonna which is known to have those properties and her fever went up even higher! – for 12 minutes. Then it went back to normal and she returned to the happy active little girl I knew and loved.
Her body was trying to rid itself of toxins with the fever. By giving the homoeopathic remedy that matched her symptoms, in this particular case Belladonna, her body was able to increase its intention and quickly heal itself (12 minutes).
This simple example illustrates the action of homoeopathy. Of course many of the illnesses to which we subject ourselves are more complex and will need greater work, understanding and more than 12 minutes. There may also be contributing factors which need to be addressed such as food and habits. Arthritis and eczema most often need a course of treatment. Other things like hay fever are best treated well before the season approaches.
Body, mind and spirit all want the same thing: balance and health. Homoeopathy is one tool to help achieve that which is already desired- it helps the body to help itself.
Kaaren Whitney, RSHom, has been a professional homoeopath for over 30 years and practices in Carlton, near Saxmundham as well as teaching in the UK, USA and Ireland.
CHILDHOOD REFLEXES, Mark Church
What are the childhood reflexes and how do they affect learning and development ?
The primitive and postural reflexes start to develop in utero and should be integrated by around the age of 4- 5 years old. The primitive reflexes serve to protect us when in the womb and for a short period after birth. One or two of them are stimulated and help with the natural birthing process, which can be missed in caesarean births. The natural movements babies make before and after birth stimulate the essential neural pathways of the brain and help to make the connections from the cerebellum at the back of the brain to the prefrontal cortex at the front. As the neural connections are made with movement over the first few months, the primitive reflexes should become integrated and allow the postural reflexes to start developing, strengthening muscle tone that allows the baby to be able to turn over, sit up, crawl and eventually stand and walk.
Today’s lifestyle has become more sedentary for various reasons. Babies and young children don’t get enough stimulation in the way the different areas of the brain needs to develop and connect and by the time they go to school, the brain is not ready to take on specific tasks in learning. This can carry on through life if not picked up. Vision, Auditory and / or Kinaesthetic difficulties will show. This creates stress, frustration and can show as poor behaviour and ADHD. Some children and adults do finds ways to compensate but will require them to put a lot more effort to do and complete tasks. Others fall behind and fail the system. This is sad and unnecessary and can be quite easily rectified using Rhythmic Movements and Brain Gym at any age and for any difficulty and disability.
How can you tell if the reflexes have not developed sufficiently ? Some of the milestones expected at certain ages are not being reached and adults and children can be termed “neural developmentally delayed”. This is when there has not been enough stimulation and the nerve pathways have not developed enough to integrate the primitive reflexes to allow the postural reflexes to develop. A few examples in children and adults –
• Can’t read / write • Below reading / writing /comprehension age
• Poor phonological and speech skills • Late to walk or talk
• Anxious, fearful, angry • Letter and number reversals
• Lack concentration / attention / ADHD • Can’t sit still
• Various dyslexic difficulties • Dyspraxia, Autism
• Thought as “Lazy” • Poor listening and memory skills
• Poor coordination and balance • Poor social skills
• Lack muscle tone / poor posture • Cannot cross the midline of the body • Sensitive to light / sound / touch
• Lack confidence
Can anything be done to help children and adults ? Most definitely yes. The Rhythmic Movements are specific movements that help to integrate the reflexes so helping to make the essential connections between back and front brain. Simple tests, asking the person to do the movements and through observation, clearly shows whether integration has taken place. If any of the reflexes are still active, these movements will make profound changes to the ability of the person and improve natural learning and performance at any age, considerably reducing, if not clearing, any stress and difficulty successfully and quickly in most cases.
Mark Church is an Educational Kinesiologist, Brain Gym Instructor and Rhythmic Movement Consultant specialising in adults and children with Stress, Dyslexia and Special Needs in schools, business and sport.