Flower Essences Support Thread - Page 2

[ian'smommaya]

very dog safe. i give 5 flowers to my anxiety prone dog. it helps so much. but i think the dogs might be affected differently i.e faster because they have a "closer" connection to nature and their feelings then we do as humans.

[Jojo F.]

This might be silly but, would FE's be negatively effected(is this the right one?) by a salt lamp?

[dfunk98]

i'm resurrecting this thread bc i have sooooo many questions...
i've taken rescue remedy before with some success-i can never tell if it actually works or it the idea of it working. anyway, i got some rescue remedy sleep for dd (4 1/2 yo) yesterday. she is a TERRIBLE sleeper, night wakings, won't go to bed, won't stay asleep, belligerent, the whole nine, plus she is also very "spirited".
so, i got her the sleep stuff, sprayed it on her temples and then gave her the homeopathic remedies chamomilla and coffea cruda. she actually slept until from 10:30-3:30am without waking!! then she went back to sleep until i woke her at 9:20am!! now, i can't say which one of those things it was that worked, but i'm doing them all again, tonight:
my question is this, upon reading the bach website, i've found a couple other flower essences that i think would work for her, like:
Aspen-Fears and worries of unknown origin. Night wakings, Nightmares
Cherry Plum-When the child/teenager are in deep despair and feel like you are going to "lose it." Tantrums, out of control, want to hurt self or others
Chicory-When the child is manipulating and controlling. Whining, demanding attention
Mimulus-Fear of known things. Such as, fear of being alone, fear of spiders, fear of flying or fear of the dark. Shyness is also a known fear. Seperation anxiety
Vervain-For the child/teenager who is strong-willed and highly strung with minds that race ahead of events. Hyper active
White Chestnut-When the child/teenager's mind is cluttered with thoughts or mental arguments. The child/teenager may be unable to sleep because of the thoughts.
so how do i "prepare" them? do i purchase them all separate (not that i can necessarily afford to do this!!) and give them when the need arises? do i make a blend and give it to her daily (she has always been high-need and most of these essences "treat" her most common attributes)? do i really need all of these, or are some of these things part and parcel of being a four-and-a-half year old? what do i tell her when i give her the remedy? i want her to be able to learn how to control her emotions instead of me saying "you're having a tantrum, you need some cherry plum", but there are times i know her emotions get the better of her and she cannot control them. kwim? it's really hard to say what's par or the course, bc she has always been so challenging. reading other moms' stories here on mdc, sounds as though alot of us are in the same boat, but then again, couldn't we all use a little help? aargh!! so confusing.
please, anyone, feel free to chime in here...

[WuWei]

Danielle, be careful, with the homeopathic pellets. You can not use them daily, like allopathic medication. Homeopathy is dose and frequency related and you can give 'too frequently', essentially, and cause a proving (worse symptoms).

With the Bach Flower remedies, I don't believe there is a "too much", basically. You can read more about selecting one or two remedies for different aspects. Check these remedy finder links to help you select which ones most speak to you. Then you could purchase just the ones which are most "right" for her. We purchase from Vitacost.com and I have a bunch. They run about $9 each. But, we use them individually and make mixtures regularly.

Another option, is to have a 'mixture' made up of just the ones you want. The mixture can last about a month or so, from my understanding, unless it has an alcohol base. Then, it will last much longer. The two drops of alcohol is safe and irrelevant, imo.

Another option is to have Panserbjørne to do a Flower Essence consult and she could send you a personal FE mixture. She has hundreds of different FEs and is very knowledgeable about the nuances between them. I'm not certain, but the consult is about $50 and the mixture about $15, I believe. It is cheaper than ordering a bunch of them that you'll only use a small amount of each!

http://www.ainsworths.com/remedy/default.aspx

http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/remedies.htm

http://www.bachflower.com/38_Essences.htm



Pat

[Panserbjorne]

Hi there!
The way I tend to do it is if there are ongoing complaints that have been present for a significant period of time I do make up a blend. During a consult we try to get to the bottom of things and determine what will be the most help right now. Then a blend is made which is given, generally daily. Results are most often seen immediately, but it can take some time to clear the patterns. It is not uncommon for deep patterns to be addressed over a period of months. All this means is that when you stop taking the flowers the issues might resurface, though in a gentler way. Then you simply take it again.

For acute things often taking them for 3-4 weeks is enough to clear things.

And as Pat said you can do a consult, or simply have the blend made up. IF too many essences apply and you are feeling confused then a consult can be helpful. If you are clear on what you want or even fell like you want to start with a few you've selected and see how that goes first then you can either get it made or purchase them individually yourself.

All I do is make up the blends in a one ounce bottle and add 5 or so drops of each essence to the bottle. I will add some alcohol if I know it is going to be used for a long period of time, but generally they are just in spring water. The only thing to note is if you are using RR as one of the essences in the blend you use twice as much. So 5 drops white chestnut, 5 drops chicory, 10 drops RR.

HTH!

[dfunk98]

thank you both for your responses. i am trying to decide what to do next. i scheduled an appointment with my naturopath, and we'll see what he has to say. he also recommended hypnosis as a way to possibly handle dd's bedtime anxiety. i'm going to keep researching fes, though and hopefully order some or a blend soon!!

[Jojo F.]

I have a question- I have taken the quizes online I get a million suggestions; basically I need just about everything. (great, now I sound like a nut!!) What happens when you need everything?

[WuWei]

Danielle, I'd look into allergies, environmental and food, and altered lifestyle issues, such as increased stressors or new caregivers/teachers/kids bullying... these can be associated with nightwakening, difficulty winding down, especially dairy (aggression and agitation) and wheat (restlessness and nightwakening).

Jojo, without looking at the remedies, select three or four words to describe what you are feeling and go from there. Or perhaps, post here for some guidance; or perhaps, consider a consult to have another perspective about the applicability of specific remedies for your situation.


Pat

[dfunk98]

pat,
thanks for all of the info. we've actually ruled out allergies/insensitivities, since dd has been like this since birth, only just more now that she's 4. thanks!!

[ian'smommaya]

wooohooo! a second teachers asked for the five flower essence i make at d.s. school!he said "what me? stressed nahhh."

wooohooo i just had to share with someone and KNEW you all would understan d my glee.

[Ackray]

How long does this take to work? I've been taking RR and I'm not really feeling different.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by Ackray

How long does this take to work? I've been taking RR and I'm not really feeling different.

It helps us immediately, like within a minute. For situations I anticipate are going to be stressful, we'll dose beforehand. Or add a couple of drops of remedy (and/or four drops of RR) to water or other liquid and sip on it in advance, during and afterwards. Like going to the dentist, sort of thing.

PB mentions using 3-4 times a day for 3-4 weeks and reassess if you need to continue, or just use as needed thereafter. She makes up personalized remedy mixtures for folks. Have you checked the remedy finder links to see if a different remedy or combination of remedies might suit your situation better? The RR has 5 remedies for general upsets. But there are different ones for grief, specific fears, lack of self-confidence, resentments, passivity, outspokenness, etc.

I love my Bach Flower remedies.


Pat

[Climbergirl]

Ok, so I got some RR in getting ready to go on my trip to Hawaii (traveling can be stressful for me - especially 5 hours on a plane with a 20 month old).

It seems like I really can't take some beforehand to see how it affects me. But I don't want to first take something on a plane to Hawaii! Any suggestions?

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by Climbergirl

It seems like I really can't take some beforehand to see how it affects me. But I don't want to first take something on a plane to Hawaii! Any suggestions?

RR is completely and utterly safe (unless you have an allergic reaction to even tiny amounts alcohol). If you take it and you don't "need" it it won't do anything to you good or bad. Worst case scenario is that you have an anxiety attack and it won't work because it isn't the right combination for you. My suggestion is to stop worrying about the RR and what effects it might have on you and look forward to your trip to Hawaii. (Lucky you!)

Just so you know my DH's company makes a specific flower essence combo for travel.

[Panserbjorne]

They work immediately and really IME if things haven't changed for you yet then it would be good to reassess and find the flowers that would address YOUR situation. You can take a look at pictures and pick intuitively to begin and see what you are drawn to.

As Pat said, for people who are needing the flowers I do recommend using them several times a day, but those people should still notice a difference right away. The prolonged use is for maintenance, but not to "build it up" in your system so to speak.

You can, as others have said take them before hand. It won't hurt anything! The most it will do is nothing (unless like uccomama said you have a reaction to the alcohol in it.) However since in stressful situations, or situation we perceive are going to be stressful we tend to get fired up before they even happen it would make sense if you are worrying about it to dose.

I'll also put a plug in for www.pegasusproducts.com This is uccomama's dh's business and I have been thrilled with the quality of essences and elixirs I have received from them. Truly some of the best out there. If you want something specific to travel I'd definitely take a look.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by Climbergirl

Ok, so I got some RR in getting ready to go on my trip to Hawaii (traveling can be stressful for me - especially 5 hours on a plane with a 20 month old).

It seems like I really can't take some beforehand to see how it affects me. But I don't want to first take something on a plane to Hawaii! Any suggestions?

My Junior Amateur homeopathy study group on Wednesday mentioned that homeopathic Gelsemium is terrific for "the anticipation or fear of any unusual ordeal, preparing for church, theatre, or to meet an engagement, flying on a plane, etc. " It was suggested to take it BEFORE the trip to help alleviate anxiety related to anticipating the event.


Pat (ducking so I don't get the professional homeopathic slap down)

[Panserbjorne]

::::::

It's true! It's one of several. Argentum nitricum also has anticipatory anxiety and works very well for those types of situations.

(the funny part is that I like to use remedies acutely and I always feel like I'm gonna get the smack down from you! It ain't classical, but by golly it works! I also think it's a great way to experience how powerful the remedies can be.)

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

:::::


(the funny part is that I like to use remedies acutely and I always feel like I'm gonna get the smack down from you! It ain't classical, but by golly it works! I also think it's a great way to experience how powerful the remedies can be.)

I feel very naughty learning about acute remedies. :

I was astonished at the apparent frequency these folks are self-dosing acute homeopathics!! But, then I'm sippin' my Bach Flower essences at the drop of a hat.

I do find that we don't get sick on the classical homeopathy. But, I have two tons of emotional baggage (and mercury) dulling my remedies, so I'm not immune to major stressors toward the end of the remedy's coverage. They were talking about a lot of acute illness issues and we just don't have that. But, I'm curious about the acute stuff. However, I don't believe my brain will hold all of that info (probably thyroid and adrenal fatigue, lol). I have a couple of 'cheat sheets'. The MM was exhaustive and overwhelming! Maybe we need an Acute Homeopathy Support Thread to sing the praises of homeopathy.

(I might create an alias to post there. )




Pat

[Panserbjorne]

Yes, I have nine MM that's I cross reference and that's a small number compared to many! Cheat sheets can be a good thing.

There are SO many ways to use homeopathy and honestly just about all have some validity and merit. Frequent dosing can be sketchy with homeopathics, but the difference in your case (as you know) is you aren't likely to prove a flower essence anytime soon!

I don't think you need an alias. There are times when different methods can be extremely helpful and it's downright fun to understand them. The reason there are so many ways to practice homeopathy is that they all work in different cases. I try to remember that there is no one "right way." Plus, my thought process is once you have experienced healing-arnica is a fabulous example-you are more likely to lend credence to the modality as a whole. So why NOT start with acutes? Same with RR. It's widely known and recognized, why not start with it? Heck, there is even floral acupuncture!

[FireWithin]

I was just about to start an acute homeopathy thread, especially since I've had some positives experiences recently, but I was worried it would be frowned upon. (embarassed smilie.)