Elementalities: Natural Remedies Newsletter

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Elementalities Natural Remedies Newsletter
www.elementalities.com
May 16, 2005 Volume 1: Issue 2
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In This Issue:
* Natural Remedies Q&A
* Share the Wealth: Call for client stories
* Featured Article: You Are Getting Sleepy: Natural Remedies for Insomnia
* The Element Mentality: This week's tip for simplifying your life naturally
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WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER!

Our newsletter is sent out 2-4 times monthly and is designed to inform our
friends about :
* alternative, all natural remedies
* nutrition, body care, and health
* simple and environmentally friendly ways to make your life easier.

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and/or post the entire newsletter. Thank you for helping us keep our messages
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NATURAL REMEDIES QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Let us do your research for you! If you have a question about natural or
alternative remedies, reply to this newsletter or email us at:
questions@elementalities.com
We'll look into it and reply by email and/or in a future newsletter.
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SHARE THE WEALTH

If you have a story or a tip you'd like to share with the readers of our
newsletter, reply to this newsletter or email us at:
questions@elementalities.com
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FEATURED ARTICLE: You Are Getting Sleepy: Natural Remedies for Insomnia
by Denise Kennedy, a member of the Elementalities family

Virtually everyone experiences mild sleep problems at some time
during their life. But if you have difficulty falling asleep or
staying asleep, if you wake up too early in the morning, or have
unrefreshing sleep for longer than two or three weeks you probably
have insomnia. Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours you
sleep every night as the amount of sleep you need varies from person
to person, but by the quality of sleep you experience–that is, how
refreshing your sleep is.

The two types of insomnia are called primary insomnia and
secondary insomnia and insomnia can be intermittent, short-term (acute), or
chronic. Primary insomnia is not associated with any other health
conditions or problem and can be caused by an event such as a
significant life stress and environmental factors such as noise or
light. Secondary insomnia occurs because of something else such as a
health condition like depression, heartburn, cancer, asthma,
arthritis, pain, or from a substance like medication, alcohol,
caffeine, or even nicotine. A person with insomnia may also have
another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless
leg syndrome.

It is estimated that 1 out of every 2 people will experience some
type of sleep problem and if you are a woman over 40 you have a 40%
chance of experiencing insomnia because of the hormonal changes that
precede menopause. Another reason insomnia goes hand in hand with
aging is that older people have decreased levels of melatonin, a
hormone that helps regulate sleep. But before you rush out for
melatonin supplements check with your health care provider as
melatonin is not regulated by the food and drug administration and
should be taken with a doctor's supervision.

Here are some safe and natural ways to reclaim some sound sleep.
* Listen to soothing music before bedtime.
* Take an early morning walk at dawn to adjust your body's inner
alarm clock.
* A good way to increase your body's natural melatonin is to keep
your bedroom as dark as possible at night as it is the darkness, not
sleepiness, that increases melatonin production in the brain.
* Lower the temperature in your bedroom. Most people sleep better
in a cool room.
* Avoid naps.
* Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine late in the day.
* Check your medication as many drugs can interfere with sleep.
* Wind down with pleasant rituals such as yoga, a hot bath, sex,
light reading, massage, or meditation.
* Get enough exercise during the day.
* Acupressure. Use the index finger and the ring fingers of one
hand to apply pressure to the indentation on the back of the
head at the base of the skull for several minutes. This area is among
the 26 'safety energy locks' used in the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu.
* Aromatherapy. For occasional sleeplessness try adding 6-10
drops of lavender, marjoram, or ylang ylang essential oil to
your bath water before going to bed. Or put 4 drops of lavender,
marjoram or chamomile essential oil on your pillow as you go to bed.
* Herbal Therapy. Try one (or more) of the most commonly studied
herbs for insomnia:
-Valerian. Typical dosage (taken 30 to 40 minutes before
bedtime): one 150-300 milligram capsule standardized to 0.8 percent
valeric acid; or 300-400 milligrams in nonstandard capsules, or 1⁄2 to 1
teaspoon of tincture in a glass of water. Caution: Although valerian
is not addictive you can develop a psychological dependence. For a
very small percentage of people, valerian produces a stimulating
rather than a sedating effect.
-California Poppy. Higher doses of California Poppy are
sedating; lower doses reduce anxiety. Typical dosage: up to 4 cups of
tea per day (steep 1 teaspoon of dried plant in 1 cup of hot water for
10 minutes); or 30-40 drops of tincture in a glass of water two to
three times per day. Caution: Do not use if you are pregnant.
-Lemon Balm. If your insomnia comes with a fever, a viral
illness, digestive problems, or a headache lemon balm is a good
choice. Typical dosage: 1-2 cups of tea ( steep 2 teaspoons of dried
leaf in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes); or one to two 300 to 400
milligram capsules before bedtime.
-Passion Flower. If your sleep is disrupted from worry or and
over active mind, passion flower is a good choice. Typical dosage: 1
cup of tea before bedtime (steep 1⁄2 teaspoon of the dried plant in 1
cup of hot water for 10 minutes); or 20 to 40 drops of tincture in a
glass of water before bedtime. Caution: Do not take passion flower if
you are taking a manoamine oxidase inhibiting (MAO) antidepressant.
-Vitamin and Mineral Therapy. Try daily intakes of between
800-1400 milligrams of calcium, and 400 international units of Vitamin
D, along with a B-Complex supplement that contains the RDA of the 6
important B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin
B12, and Pantothenic acid.)

For more information check out the following links & research centers:

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) (NHLBI)
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep

American Academy of Sleep Medicine
http://aasmnet.org

National Sleep Foundation
http://sleepfoundation.org

Sleep Disorder Center, Reno, Nevada

Mountain Medical Sleep Disorders Center, Carson City, Nevada

Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic

Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in Cambridge
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THE ELEMENT MENTALITY
This week's tip for simplifying your life naturally:
"Becoming the Person You Want to Be"
by Misty Davies, a member of the Elementalities family

It’s all to easy to focus on behaviors we want to change. For example,
it is easy to say to yourself, “Okay, this week I’m going to work out 30
minutes every day.” Sometimes, though, the problem is that we haven’t
identified ourselves as that sort of person. Living simply and well is a
habit and a lifestyle.

It can be much more effective to start saying to yourself: “I am a person
who takes care of myself.” By changing your goals to focus on your
identity instead of your behaviors, it can be easier to create long-lasting
change.

“Life is either a series of adventures, or it is nothing.”
--Helen Keller
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Thanks from the Elementalities Family!
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