September/October 1998
Articles on the theme "Health Consciousness"
A Matter of Life and Death
by Sylvia Jackson
The writer, who is dying of brain cancer,
gives some advice concerning prevention and medical exams.
Magic Tea Plus
by Constance Felos
How an attorney and her client created an adventurous new paradism of health
consciousness. The recipe for a special herbal tea.
Health-Minded Living
by Bob Gonzalez
Some tips from the manager of a health
food store how to achieve and maintain optimum physical health.
Miracle Consciousness
by JoAnne Gregory
Miracles, fake or real? What is it
that makes miracles possible?
How's Your Subconscious?
by Patrick Plaskett
Habits and their effect on our health.
Changing bad habits. Creating a different future.
True Health Consciousness
by Carol L. Roberts, MD
A doctor talks about what you can do
to avoid visits to the doctor.
Becoming Health Conscious
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
The importance of our words and thoughts.
Becoming food conscious. Our attitude to things, especially money. Counting
our blessings. Awareness of others and the environment.
A Simple Clay Bath!
by Lauana Lei
How the writer, suffering from heavy
chemical/metal poisoning, recovered her health by taking a clay bath.
A Healing Education
by Barbara Bedingfield
An account by a Waldorf teacher of
the basic educational requirements for maintaining the health of a child.
Our Spiritual Source
by Rev. Pat Cross
On connecting with our spiritual source
to realize a true health consciousness. Using our spiritual powers to heal
ourselves.
Other Feature Articles
2000 and Beyond!
by David Findlay
Natural Health Q&A
by Dr. Scott Rubin
Parasites and allergies -- some natural
remedies.
What is . . . A Course In Miracles?
by Mary Barbara
How "A Course In Miracles"
came to be and some of its basic teachings.
Mineral Kingdom
by Judy Power
Featured stones for September and October:
Labrodorite and Opalized Quartz
Magic Tea Plus
by Constance Felos
A high-powered attorney friend of mine called me a few months back to ask whether I had come across any magic cures for depression, hot flashes and joint pain. Cornelia knew about my avocation as a writer and presenter on spiritual, philosophical and health topics. She was interested in any research I might have found that could help her through what she felt was her "mid-life crisis".
For the many years I had known Cornelia she appeared to be self-assured, dynamic, active, creative and fun-loving. In addition, she could be over-bearing, aggressive and relentless in her role as a business lawyer. Now, she described herself as physically uncomfortable, emotionally depressed, mentally doubtful and spiritually confused. The medical treatment Cornelia faced dealt with alleviation of symptoms through drugs such as Prozac and estrogen replacement therapy. My friend did not want to disregard her "change of life" because she believes that by raising her health consciousness she can make changes now that will not only minimize the difficult symptoms but also set the stage for a joyful, fulfilling and healthy life as she gets older. Literature on the subject bears out Cornelia's point of view. It seems that in some cultures women experience little difficulty during and after menopause. The reason for this difference appears to be lifestyle, including nutrition, and societal attitude toward women and aging. Additionally, the more a woman feels that she is living a fulfilling life, the easier changes are permitted to occur.
Encouraged by the wealth of information available on the subject, I agreed to assist my friend in creating a prototype to enhance her life. We reviewed data, both scientific and anecdotal, and consulted experts in ayurveda, meditation, yoga, affirmative prayer, herb therapy, vitamin and mineral therapy, martial arts, intuition and pranic (energy) healing. After many months of investigation and experiments (on Cornelia) we created an adventurous new paradigm of health consciousness which included:
1. Personally expressive and fulfilling activities.
2. Daily meditation.
3. Affirmative prayer.
4. Physical exercise.
5. Diet modifications.
6. A combination of herbs taken in tea form that we named the Magic Tea.
This regimen has dramatically reduced the severity, duration and frequency of hot flashes, substantially minimized depression symptoms and completely alleviated the joint pain.
Magic Tea is brewed daily and approximately eight cups are consumed daily, either hot or cold. It is acceptable to add pure maple syrup if a sweeter beverage is desired. Magic Tea also tastes good with either lemon or milk. Remember, it is not a medical treatment or a drug. It is an herb tea and it tastes good. Making the Magic Tea each day becomes a ritualistic expression and embodiment of the spectacular changes that are being ushered in while worn-out concepts are being discarded.
You see, probably the most important factor contributing to the fantastic results was Cornelia's recognition that her true nature is expressive, artistic and creative. Whatever activities or work Cornelia does she is most effective and satisfied where she is using her artistic and demonstrative talents. Although she found some gratification in her profession, she felt emotionally and physically drained much of the time. As a teacher of a self-help course entitled Fulfill Your Soul's Purpose, based on the book by Naomi Stephan PhD, I suggested that Cornelia take a battery of tests, complete numerous exercises and devote the time and energy to identifying her strengths, resources and passions. She has been enthusiastic and faithful in her work to determine her life mission. Although not finished with her Life Mission course, she has made sensational progress. She decided to take an acting class and has appeared in a local theater. In addition, she has discovered that she has a talent for music and art. She is in the process of expanding her abilities by studying drawing and piano. As Cornelia is commencing discovery of her life mission, she is changing how she looks at her physical, mental and emotional health. She says that the Magic Tea is an element of a major shift in health consciousness spawned by taking personal responsibility for her life and health.
As previously noted, we also employed other lifestyle changes and added some vitamin and herb supplements. We found that meditating for at least 20 minutes, two times a day helped immensely. Also, affirmative prayer was instrumental in creating the mental framework to make the needed changes. Unlike the experiments I conducted as a "life sciences" major at the University of Toledo, our experiments were not done according to scientific method. Therefore, I won't be reporting them in a scientific journal. Rather, we were so pleased with the results of our efforts that we wanted to share them with others for the pure enjoyment of it, not to prove anything. You may want to experiment too, if so here's a list of the Magic Tea herbal ingredients:
1 part burdock root, yarrow and sheep sorrel
1/2 part wild yam, pau d'arco and valerian root
3/4 part rose petals and peppermint
1/4 part ginger root and lemon grass
Changing long-term patterns is not easy. For example, we discovered through our literature search and validated through Cornelia's experience, that drinking coffee sometimes increases hot flashes. Although it made sense to stop drinking coffee, it was quite difficult. Not only did she like the taste of coffee, her lifestyle promoted the use of this popular morning beverage. It is interesting to note that caffeine is instrumental in releasing glycogen from the liver causing stress on the liver, pancreas and kidneys. It also increases heart rate and stresses the adrenal glands. The Magic Tea herbs enhance the organs adversely affected by caffeine. The Magic Tea served as a refreshing, healthful substitute. Of course, Cornelia went through 10 days of headache immediately after ceasing caffeine imbibing. What a surprise to recognize an addiction. And, what a delight to "kick the habit". The ritual of morning Magic Tea steeping assisted greatly in the process. After about three weeks Cornelia was able to forget about the coffee drinking and begin to focus on creating other more healthy patterns of eating and drinking. She reports that she has much more energy and feels better than when she was drinking coffee every day.
What I find to be most exciting about this process is Cornelia's courage to take responsibility for her health. She has created an adventure where she explores her own health consciousness through her physical body, mind, emotions and spirit. This persistence and diligence has created a whole new paradigm, and IT WORKS.
Constance Felos is a speaker, writer, performer and lawyer. As a Science of Mind practitioner intern and certified Louise Hay teacher she creates performances, lectures, workshops and classes using New Thought philosophy. She practices law with her husband in Dunedin, FL. (727) 736-1402.