Holistic Wellness Solutions Blog

Book Reviews

Gloria Charlier RN/BSN — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 10:35:47 EST

I would like to tell you about two new books that I recommend you check out for different reasons.

The first book is The Peaceable Classroom by Sandy Bothmer. This book gives tips and information to help parents and teachers. I am very pleased to announce that Sandy refers readers to my web site for information on aromatherapy and diffusers.

The next book I recommend for summer reading fun and to learn about the "Old Ways" of healing is Juilette de Bairacli Levy's book Summer in Galilee. Summer in Galilee includes an herbal index by Susun Weed, photos from Juliette's archives, and stories that will stay with you forever.

Order Juliette’s book and Susun will also offer you a coupon for ten percent discount on any order at www.wisewomanbookshop.com – on anything in the bookshop excluding registrations for events at Wise Woman Center.

Join Juliette de Bairacli Levy – Gypsy herbal veterinarian and mother of two toddlers – as she spends an eventful summer swimming in the waters, and the history, of the Sea of Galilee, in the modern state of Israel.

Juliette trains her observant eyes, and lovely descriptive prose, on the people, places, plants and animals around her.

You will hold your breath as Juliette dares to traverse the forbidden militarized zone around the Jordan River in pursuit of a personal communion with this holiest of lands. You’ll thrill as she and her children discover ancient treasure, be fascinated as she visits the tombs of Jewish mystics, and, perhaps, scream in terror as she is visited in the dark of night by an enormous snake – only to breathe a sigh of relief when she is saved by her faithful Afghan hound.

Juliette de Bairacli Levy is a world renowned herbalist, author, breeder of Afghan hounds, friend of the Gypsies, traveller in search of herbal wisdom, and the pioneer of holistic veterinary medicine.

Juliette has a long record of spectacular cures to her credit and the books she has written have been a vital inspiration for the present day herbal renaissance.

In this book,Juliette trains her observant eyes and lovely descriptive prose on the people, places, plants
and animals around her. You will hold your breath as Juliette dares to traverse the forbidden militarized zone around the Jordan River in pursuit of a personal communion with this holiest of lands.

tags: Juilette de Bairacli Levy, Susan Bother, Susun Weed, herbal wisdom, herbs, diffusers, aromatherapy, holistic, gypsy

Compassion

Gloria Charlier RN/BSN — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:51:24 EST

With all the loss and suffering in the world I have found myself pondering the fine Art of Compassion. Some people just seem to have a gene for compassion while others have a great need to develop it. As a matter of fact I was in the book store yesterday and happened to buy a book with "Compassion" in the title and pulled a DVD out and guess what, it had the word "Compassion" in it. My son and his girl friend rescued a pregnant kitty,she delivered kittens yesterday, 4 cute little balls of fur, a trip to the Vet this week to make sure everyone is OK, more evidence of Compassion.

Sadly at the same time all this evidence of compassion was happening around me someone was having the opposite experience. This is a store that is closing, a victim of the economy and the new electronic versions of the hard back no doubt. When I got up to the check out I asked the nice clerk at the cash register if he knew when the actual closing day was set to be and I said, "This must be very hard for all of you." He thanked me for my kindness and said sadly, "Most of the people who are coming in here are angry and treating us with little regard, yelling, complaining and taking out their frustrations on us. We are hurting here. This is so hard." He must have really been having a terrible day. I said something like, "Some people don't know how to handle their own feelings when things like this happen. " And I was thinking, " Why do people have to be so mean? Why do we humans behave so rudely?"

A closing book store is a loss for the community and it's really an indication that our way of life is in a great upheaval, as if we need any reminders. When some people see others hurting they seem to go on the attack due to their own discomfort and inablity to handle their own emotions when they see others in pain. So, they make matters worse by inflicting more pain on those who are already hurting. Those are the same people who probably have little compassion for themselves. This is where our ability to forgive comes in handy. "There but for the Grace of God go I."

I thanked the young man and told him that I too have gone through such times in my life, very recently as a matter of fact. And now I am in a much better place than I could have dreamed a year ago! Doors close but windows open. I wish all the best for him and his co-workers.

We all have Grand Compassion for those who are suffering in Japan and the people in the Middle East but let us remember that the little kindnesses and expressions of compassion toward others in our day to day lives is just as important and maybe even more so. It becomes a way of life not a call to service in great need.

Awareness of our impact on others is so imortant now. There is so much chaos all over the world and we are not immune to it here. So, let's all have more compassion for oursleves as well as others. We need to get through this together. And if you would like a little help along the way try some Rose Essential Oil (Rose Otto or Rose Absolute) or Joyful Wellness Blend (it has Rose essential oil as well as other essential oils for healing the Spirit!). It's the flower of Compassion, it can touch the deepest despair to help heal emotional wounds. It brings warmth and comfort to the Soul and bind the heart-strings of the Mind according to Gabriel Mojay in his book, "Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit".

tags: Compassion, bookstore, closing, rose, rose otto, rose essential oil

Essential Oil Kits

Gloria Charlier — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 11:35:32 EST

I have developed Essential Oil Kits that revolve around specific issues or themes. The first two are on the web site. One is for Stress Reduction, another is for Meditation. The oils in each kit are selected to give you an opportunity to try various oils in smaller amounts so that you can try them without spending a lot of money. This way you can decide which is your favorite and purchase individual bottles in the future. Each kit contains 4 bottles. One bottle is a larger 5 ml bottle of what I refer to as a "Featured Oil". Then the 3 other bottles are the 3.75 ml bottles of 3 other oils. The featured Oil in the Stress Reducton Kit is Rosewood awonderful oil with the sent of rose and wood. The Featured Oil in the Meditation Kit is Frankincense, one of the most important oils for ritual and meditation. Each kit also contains cards that describe each oil in some detail as well as a card for some suggested ways to use the oils and another card for Safety issues related to using essential oils. I hope you enjoy these kits. If you have suggestions on Kits that you would like me to develop feel free to send me an email. Of course please email me with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you!

tags: Frankincense, Rosewood, Essential oil kits, Stress, Meditation

What brings comfort to your Heart & Soul?

Gloria Charlier RN, BSN, CCHt — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:34:31 EST

"Little Andy" was my sons favorite toy when he was a baby. He took "Little Andy" every where he went, much like the security blanket that some children carry. I loved making these Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls. As I think about about it the dolls were made in the true raggedy tradition. I used old (mashine washed) nylons to stuff the bodies and bits of fabric from old pants and socks with the clothes made of fabric remnants that were on sale at the local Jamesway (which, by the way, is no longer in existence). As my son got older I started making Raggedy Ann & Andy for fund raisers at his school and for other organizations as the years went by.

Now that autumn is upon us and I have been taking walks in the leave covered trails I've been thinking of the holidays, the cooler "hot spiced apple cider" weather, "Little Andy" and what brings comfort to the Heart and Soul.

As one of those synchronistic events would have it, I was looking for something else rummaging through the cedar chest and came across "Little Andy" and his sister "Annie". Here they are in all their glory some 38 years later. I am wondering what it is that you love and what brings comfort to your Heart and Soul.

I'd like to hear from you! In the mean time take a look at some of the dolls that have evolved from that original pattern. Pass this on to friends or family. I would like to hear from you!

tags: Raggedy Ann and Andy, Rag dolls, cloth dolls, black rag dolls, black cloth dolls, Handcrafted dolls

Gloria Charlier RN, BSN, CCHt — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:28:44 EST

Ravensara It is known to relieve stress and anxiety, nervous fatigue, depression and aids in the treatment of insomnia and overall nervous fatigue.

Ravensara aromatica is an immune stimulant and is used to alleviate flu symptoms and bronchitis. When applied externally in a carrier oil it is effective in for cuts, wounds and shingles. It is highly anti-infectious, antiseptic, antibacterial and antiviral. It is helpful for Epstein Barr syndrome, chronic fatigue, chicken pox and mononucleosis. Diffused in the air it is helpful for asthma, laryngitis and respiratory congestion.

Rubbed on tired muscles in a carriier oil ravensara is helpful with muscular fatigue, joint pain and symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis.

Ravensara has a spicy, herbal scent. It was used extensively in France and has recently become available in the United States.

Ravensara aromatica is a tall laurel-like evergreen tree that is native to madagascar but cultivated in France. The leaves are clove scented and often the Ravensara aromatica tree is referred to as clove nutmeg. The essential oil is made from distilling the leaves, fruit and bark. It is considered strongly antiviral and antibacterial. In her book, Aromatherapy for Helath Professionals, Shirley Price states that there are no known contraindications for the use of Ravensara aromatica, that is is tolerated well on the skin and that it is relaxing when massaged over the vertebral column.

Remember that when you apply essential oils to the body as for massage or other reasons you must first dilute the essential oils by putting a few drops in a lotion or carrier oil. Then you can massage the mixture of lotion and essential oils to the skin. Some recommended carrier oils are Jojoba, Grapeseed, Aprocot kernel, Wheatgerm and Coconut oils. These are nice for the skin and are not heavy. The purpose of a carrier oil is to help the skin absorb the essential oil and distribute it evenly over the body's surface.

Ravensara has a spicy, herbal scent. It was used extensively in France and has recently become available in the United States.

In conclusion, Ravensara aromatica is a potent antibacterial and antiviral helpful in the cold and flu season especially suited for the respiratory system. It is helpful for people who suffer from insomnia especially as it relates to stress, anxiety and nervous fatigue.

Ravensara It is known to relieve stress and anxiety, nervous fatigue, depression and aids in the treatment of insomnia and overall nervous fatigue.

Ravensara aromatica is an immune stimulant and is used to alleviate flu symptoms and bronchitis. When applied externally in a carrier oil it is effective in for cuts, wounds and shingles. It is highly anti-infectious, antiseptic, antibacterial and antiviral. It is helpful for Epstein Barr syndrome, chronic fatigue, chicken pox and mononucleosis. Diffused in the air it is helpful for asthma, laryngitis and respiratory congestion.

Rubbed on tired muscles in a carriier oil ravensara is helpful with muscular fatigue, joint pain and symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis.

Ravensara has a spicy, herbal scent. It was used extensively in France and has recently become available in the United States.

In conclusion, Ravensara aromatica is a potent antibacterial and antiviral helpful in the cold and flu season especially suited for the respiratory system. It is helpful for people who suffer from insomnia especially as it relates to stress, anxiety and nervous fatigue.

tags: Stress, anxiety, ravensara, respiratory, nervous fatigue, essential oil, Epstein Barr, muscle fatigue.depression, colds, flu, antiviral, antibacterial