MirandaCastro's Xanga

Monday, August 25, 2008

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:14:39 GMT

Wet Through But Not Completely Washed Out!

UK 2008

I spent two weeks in England this month - I was going to say this summer, but it rained most days and the temperatures never went above 50 at night and 60 in the day. A whole 30 degrees colder than the steamy Florida summer I left behind. THIRTY degrees! The sun shone in weak little spurts here and there - just to let us know she hadn't completely forgotten about us. It is almost the wettest August on record and people were talking more about the weather than ever. In case you don't know the English really do talk incessantly about the weather. It's the first topic after any two people (even strangers) have said hello. There's always lots to say because it's so bloomin' capricious!

In spite of the weather I had a wonderful time with family and friends and an absolutely fabulous three days with The Travelling Homeopaths Collective in a (muddy) field somewhere between Bristol and Oxford!

Thank goodness for the rented GPS that came with the rented car that took me everywhere I wanted to go without any difficulty whatsoever. In the bad old days I would have gotten hopelessly lost. With a map! The GPS even gave me a warning beep before each and every the speed camera on the way! These are the bane of UK motorists' lives - spitting out 'tickets' automatically if people are even a few miles over the speed limit. It has meant that driving, especially on the freeways, is not quite as hellacious as it used to be when people could get away more easily with driving like maniacs. Here's something else that was riveting to me. Not only is it illegal to use a cell phone while driving in the UK, it is also an offense to eat or drink while driving IF eating or drinking causes the driver to lose control of their car. I wonder what British cops think of American drivers putting on their make up or even reading while driving - I have seen this on more than one occasion with my own eyes! Of course young people are having a lot of (crashing) problems when texting while driving which isn't so different from reading. Maybe worse actually.

The Travelling Homeopaths Collective (THC) have been taking homeopathy to the people at outdoor fairs and festivals around England for nearly 20 years. They are a dedicated, colorful group of homeopathic healers who treat thousands of people every year for a great variety of acute complaints - introducing homeopathy to many people who have never heard of it before - introducing more people to homeopathy at a grass roots level than any other group. Their mobile clinic is peopled exclusively by volunteers and provides fantastic opportunities for students to gain hands-on, acute and first-aid prescribing experiences.

The THC's First Homeopathic Camp was held at Watchfield Farm - a beautiful organic farm on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire borders, close to the 3000 year old Uffington White Horse.

I'm sure you will notice how well wrapped up we are most of the time - even in the sunny photos people have hats and boots on!!! Ahhh. Me hearties!!! There ain't nothin' like an English Summer!!!

The Crop Circle
Watchfield Farm is home to Westmill Wind Farm - five, huge, graceful wind turbines that provide thousands of local homes with energy.

It's a brilliant cooperative venture that I hope other progressive farms and 'landowners' the world over will copy.

In the middle of a wheat field under the 3rd turbine a crop circle appeared this summer. I have never seen a crop circle or walked in one before - it was a fascinating experience.

Fascinating mainly because of the precision and neatness with which the 'stalks' had been flattened. The center circle had small, precise tufts that acted as dots around edge - clearly visible on the photo above - here is a tuft below - see how beautifully neat all the stalks are!

On the way to the field one bold soul literally ran down the combine harvester that was about to mow that field and begged the farmer to stop. Not only did he stop and park up his monster machine, he caught up with us and sang and danced with us in the middle of the center circle.

Some of the children brought musical instruments and one of them led us in a sweet song and circle dance as the sun faded.

A glass of spring water was placed in the center of the middle circle and left there all night to 'collect' the moon's rays. It wasn't any old moon - it was a full moon (in Aquarius) and partially eclipsed to boot.

The glass was collected before dawn - before the sun was up and it will be made into a homeopathic remedy at Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy. It will be interesting to see it's healing potential when the proving is conducted.

The camp was a relaxing, friendly, homeopathic experience with as many children as adults present. There were tons of activities for the kids including circus and juggling skills in one big tent, face painting, kite and flag making in another, story-telling and singing around the camp fire and movies at night. The huge field, with it's stream and trees to climb and explore, provided more than enough interest to fill in the gaps.

The activities for the homeopaths were brilliant as well. Talks and workshops kept us all busy and thoughtful for days.

The camp's main tents and the cafe ran mostly on solar power - impressive because the sun was not on main beam most of the time.

The Camping

Nearly every shape and size of tent were represented!

And there were some wonderful 'RVs' as well

Here's a 'pop up' with it's own solar panel!!!

The Shower
A shower and sauna operated out of a cozy caravan providing limitless heat and hot water for the four days of the camp.

The Teachers!

Sam Aukland and Andy Kirk presented an experiential workshop on The Visible Face of Spirit in our Practices. It was just lovely to get away from the headiness of homeopathic learning and to do some guided inner and meditative work.

Angie Zajac (pictured here with Andy's wife Sue) talked all about LM potencies - 'everything you ever wanted to know but were
afraid to ask!'

Marcus Christo talked about how each event had its own unique energy which in turn attracted certain types of people who in turn tended to experience certain patterns of acute diseases.

Here I am in the 'teaching marquee' exploring a new proving of 'Mobile phone' and comparing it to some of the other 'radiation' remedies. Thanks to Ali for the photo of me!

Mike Bridger and Peter Fraser also gave homeopathic presentations and Surjit Singh Hassapuri gave an Indian Music Workshop.

The People
Marie, Stim and Simon cooked up a vegetarian storm from morn till well after midnight every day. Endless supplies of hot meals and drinks, home-made biscuits and yummy cakes. The Coconut Carrot Lime Drizzle Cake was particularly sublime!

Andy kept all sorts of things working smoothly - like the showers and sauna.

Here are Marcus (one of the founders of the THC) and Michael (the camp photographer!)

Jess

Petra

Sam

Madeleine telling stories around the camp fire.

The Kids
There were over 50 children - here are a few of their sweet faces! Thanks to Ali Culshaw for the photo above and some of the kids below!

The THC Kite which flew itself (there was so much wind!)

After two wet weeks in the UK I came home to Hurricane Fay and nothing but rain for over a week. The Florida drought turned overnight into a Florida flood. I am lucky not to have been flooded out of my home like some poor peeps - just fed up with the gray skies and enjoying the scraps of sun that are beginning to shine through.

Here wishing you all a dry rest of this summer of 2008!

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:13:03 GMT

I'm bringing Xanga back - drop a comment if you're with me!

Ireland - 2007

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:15:58 GMT

I started out my trip in beautiful Galway, in the West of Ireland, at the 14th Irish Society of Homeopaths Conference. This is the fourth time I have spoken at this conference and I always love it.

The Irish are a wild and friendly nation and even if the weather is bad - and it often is - the warmth of the people is just grand!*

The Irish conferences were established in 1994 by Nuala Eising of the Burren School of Homeopathy.
The Galway College of Homeopathy - founded in 2004 by Kate Chatfield and Clare Sheehan - are continuing a fine and fun tradition.

The homeopathy conferences are brilliant events: unique in that they are organized by students
- a fresh group of students each year who make all decisions, including who to invite to speak! They work incredibly hard to pull off events that are well-attended and great value. Over 300 students and practitioners attended from all over Ireland, England and Europe - and a smattering from the rest of the world.

The University of Galway (the conference venue) is just outside the city of Galway.

Between sessions, people and vendors galore hung out inside the light and airy building that was our
(conference) home for 3 days!

The auditorium was so well 'built' that speakers did not need microphones.
As usual most attendees are women - as are most homeopaths.

Here I am with two of the 'organizers/future homeopaths' - Helena and Breda.
My talk went well - I spoke about the key things that I had learnt in 25 years of homeopathic
practice.

Jayesh Shah came from India to talk about his work with Sankaran's 'sensations'.

Other speakers including Misha Norland (the Devon School of Homeopathy), Amy Rothenberg (who
spoke about her husband - Paul Herscu's Cycles and Segments), and Jurgen Becker (who spoke
about his inspirational work with the C4 diltutions.)

It is always lovely to see old friends at these conferences, especially Francis Treuherz from
London who is a friend and colleague for the past 30 years. He introduced me (for my presentation!),
telling a fun story about a box of chocolates he had given me one time as a birthday present.
The box was from Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy and inside the box were 6 bottles of tablets:
Chocolate 6C, 12C, 30C, 200C and 1M!!! Jeremy Sherr had just completed his proving of the remedy
(where a substance is 'tested' on a group of healthy people) and the remedies were newly available
at the pharmacy.

After the conference I stayed in Ireland for four glorious days, driving and walking and trying
to stay warm! It was in the low 50s for most of that time. Thank goodness the sun peeped
out for an hour or more some days!

Galway City

Galway is a small city on the west coast of Ireland at the mouht of the River Corrib which
runs into the Atlantic ocean. It's history dates back to 1124 when a fort was built - from
which a city grew. I had a great time walking eating fish and chips and visiting some of the
ancient sites. I loved St Nicholas' Collegiate Church - the largest medieval parish church in
Ireland which holds the remains of a Knigh Templar! The holy grail legends are alive and well
in Ireland that's for sure! Galway is the fastest growing city in Europe and it's heart is a
compact hub of delightful, winding streets full of life.

Click the little arrow icon to hear a Galway Fiddler I passed by walking through the City.
You can hear the people laughing and chatting outside the pubs as well!

The Burren

The Burren looks like a lunar landscape - it's name means 'rocky place'. It is starkly beautiful, with
gray limestone hills and valleys like giant rock gardens littered with dolmens, burial chambers and other
megalithic tombs up to 6000 years old - older than the pyramids!!

Apparently the spring is the time to visit the burren because Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants
are in full bloom in an amongst the stones.

Cliffs of Mohar

These breathtaking cliffs stand 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and are home to over 30,000 birds
with 29 species nesting there including Atlantic Puffins, hawks, gulls, guillemots, shags, ravens and
many more.

The visitor center is a spectacular, environmentally fascinating building carved out
of a limestone hill.

Knocknaree

Here are my friends Gerry and Angie who both work at the Irish School of Homeopathy
in Dublin. I stayed in their lovely cottage in Sligo to unwind after the conference. Sligo is
'Yeat's country and is full of the most beautiful countryside: I had many beautiful walks

by lakes, streams and valleys

Knocknarea is an isolated hill by the seaside marked by a huge stone cairn on its summit.
It took a good hour to get to the top and was well worth it in spite of the bitter winds up
there! Beautiful views abounded.

Tradition tells that is is the tomb of the redoutable 11th century warrior: Queen Maeve
of Connaught. Maeve is reputedly entombed in the Knocknarea cairn in an erect position,
in full battle regalia, facing northward towards her Ulster enemies. Some tombs are
dated to the Neolithic era, with evidence of the re-usage of such tombs in the Bronz and
Iron Ages!

Mute Swans

Here are some facts and trivia! (mainly from Wikepedia)

The Mute Swan is the national bird of the Kingdom of Denmark.
In the UK they are the property of the Queen and only the monarchy can kill/eat them.
It is one of the heaviest flying birds: males reach 30lbs or more. They fly up to speeds of 55 mph.
The swans in the moat at The Bishops Palace at Wells Cathedral, England have for centuries been
trained to ring bells for food. Two swans are still able to ring for lunch.
Swans are highly revered in by the ancient Celts. Some Celtic bird-goddesses took the form of swans.
Swans are also highly revered in Hinduism.
The sound of the wings during flight, which has been described as a musical throbbing or humming was
believed by both the Ancient Britons and the Anglo-Saxons to be a human voice.
Socrates' last words before being put to death in 399 AD: " You think I cannot see as far ahead as a
swan. You know that when swans feel the approach of death they sing, and they sing sweeter and
louder on the last days of their lives because they are going back to that God whom they serve."
(Plato)

Celtic Seaweed Baths in Sligo!

Thalassatherapy (seaweed-based therapy) has been popular for thousands of years. It is believed
that seawater and seaweed have therapeutic properties, because seawater is similar to body plasma.
So, soaking in warm seawater enables the body to absorb minerals and trace elements while at the
same time eliminating toxins and impurities. Seaweed contains minerals and trace elements including
iodine. It also contains natural oils which are released by warm water. Seaweed baths are known to
relieve conditions like psoriasis, eczema, rheumatism and arthritis.

The hot bath was wonderfully relaxing and my skin was super-silky afterwards but the
mucilaginous properties of the seaweed made me reluctant to lift an arm or leg out of the water.
Strings of slime are not appealing to me under any circumstance. Silly me!

Here's the beach by the baths.

Finally ... here are some panoramic photos that i 'stitched together'

Strandhill ... near Sligo - home of the Celtic Seaweed Baths!

A view from Knocknarea.

Inniscrone Beach ... Ireland's oldest 'seaside resort' with the finest, whitest of sand and the
softest of dunes in which to nap, sheltered from those Atlantic 'breezes'!

I have visited Ireland several times but this was my first time to really experience it and enjoy
more than a few days at a homeopathy conference! It was just grand. * I can't wait to go back!
I loved the way complete strangers would stop and talk for hours, the wicked irish sense of humor, the way the rain fell oh so gently, the creamy guinness (creamier than guinness anywhere else in
the world!), the dry stone walls in so many more shapes and patterns than I've seen anywhere
else, the fat and crispy chips (fries!), the sound of music and laughter in every pub ... and so
much more.

* Grand is the Irish 'adjectorial' equivalent to the Brit's 'brilliant'!

Japan - 2006

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:23:34 GMT

It's hard to believe that this time last week I was teaching homeopathy to 400 homeopathy students
and practitioners in Tokyo plus another couple of hundred in two other locations in Japan by
simultaneous video transmission.

Japan is a long, long way away. Twenty-four hours door to door (more on the way home),
including two flights (three on the way home). 14 hours on one flight is just too long. After about 8
hours I just wanted to get off or go for a walk. While most people slept I walked a circuit of the plane
- 100 steps each time around meant I did 1000 steps stretching all the way! That helped!!

My first impressions of Toyko were affected by the weather. It was dreadfully gray and wet - so gray
that the sky merged with the gray concrete of the skyscrapers and the streets and motorways all
around.

The view from my 22nd floor hotel room!

Looking down!!

ZEN Curry & Piano Cafe! What could that be?!

A soup kitchen - like so many restaurants, beautiful, organic design.

A peak into the restaurant.

My time in Japan passed in a blur of exhaustion and wonder. I never managed to catch up on my sleep
and after a few days I just stopped trying. Maybe it was the double jetlag, not having recovered from
my UK trip the week before, or maybe it was the extra hard beds! There was so much to wonder at ...
so much that was new or different. While I hate to travel I love to experience another culture -
meeting the people and eating the food is always fascinating.

My first impressions of Japan started at Narida Airport. There were lots of people but hardly any noise.
A reverential hush best describes the atmosphere - almost church-like. The airport itself gleamed and
sparkled like a new pin and the 'staff' were all very smiley and polite! Compare and contrast the shock
of Chicago on the return journey. A filthy, hellish experience. Masses of noisy people. Rude,
intimidating airport staff. What a shock this must be to Japanese people visiting the US for the first
time.

Then there was the food. It was out of this world. I was lucky to to eat with Japanese people - in
restaurants or their homes. The food was a far cry from the Japanese cuisine that I have eaten in
restaurants in England and America. It made me think of how different it is to eat Italian food in Italy.
Japanese food explodes with freshness and with taste and texture contrasts. There was so much new
to discover - some of it rather strange. A Japanese ice cream sundae with gray and green ice creams,
cubes of gray and sea green jelly (jello) and a dollop of cream and a red bean on top! The gray ice
cream that looked as if it had been made with the ashes from a coal fire. Dirty gray with dark gray
flecks. It was black sesame ice cream and absolutely delicious. Udon soup with a variety of gray,
brown and beige 'items' (not one of them a noodle) most of which were delicious but largely
unidentifiable. There was one rubbery item that resisted chopsticks - it squeaked against my teeth
when I chewed it and tasted of nothing. Everyone I asked about it said 'oh yes - no calories.' Another
day, another soup. We cooked this one at our table. It was full of vegetables zinging with freshness,
big slabs of soft tofu, glutens (rubbery lumps of various shapes and colors), and rolls of tofu skin. This
highly nutritious food stretched my culinary adventurousness to its limits and slightly beyond.

Here are just a couple of memorable meals - without smell-o-rama i'm afraid they aren't great.
The first is from the breakfast buffet at my fancy hotel. Scrunchy salads, steamed broccoli fish and an
umeboshi plum! Great way to start the day.

A lunch box! Always a hot towel. Always pickles and fresh fruit. So healthy and varied.
This box had rice and steamed vegetables, a selection of grilled and skewered meats and fishes, and
salads. On the saucer are pickled crysanthemums. I told my hostess I loved bitter foods and this was
the bitterest delicacy she could find. They were delicious.

Ah - sashimi! A work of art. The fish folded and placed just so. Fresh wasabi. A mound of minute,
fragrant, purple, sweet basil sprouts. A basil leaf behind which hides a pile of grated daikon raddish.

Pickles are required at every meal. They come in an unimaginable number of colors, shapes and sizes.
Here are just a few from the pickle booth at the covered market in Kyoto.

Did you want to know what a wasabi looked like?! In one restaurant the fresh, green root was served
with a special grater so you grate your own into the soup.

I loved the covered market: half a mile of booths selling all sorts of weird and wonderful foods.

And so to work!!!
I spoke for three days on using homeopathy during pregnancy, birth and the post natal period to
students and practitioners at the Japan Royal Academy of Homeopathy. The principal is Torako Yui - a
powerhouse of love and dedication for homeopathy. She trained in the UK and became Japan's first
homeopath in 1995. In just ten short years she has spread homeopathy throughout her land, with
schools, offices and clinics in three main locations. There are 600 graduates and 400 current
students. She has a pharmacy and has bought land to build a manufacturing facility. She has written
two books on homeopathy and translated a dozen more into Japanese. She is also president of the
Japanese Homeopathic Medical Association (which she inaugurated in 1998), the standard setting
organization for homeopaths in Japan. Her plans include many more translations (including my book,
Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth and Your Baby's First Years), and a hospital. Her school is a miracle
of technical sophistication with huge flat screen monitors absolutely everywhere, including at two
remote locations showing the seminar at the same time and allowing for students at those locations to
participate by asking questions.

Torako Yui

Homeopathy Japan's main pharmacy and clinic - a blend of beautiful old and new woods, custom
design, fresh flowers and friendly courtesy.

The school! What fun to see the Union Jack flying!

Just thinking about where all the shoes were going to go was deeply puzzling to me. It didn't occur to
me that the 'empty shelves' in the school shop were empty for precisely that reason!

One student looked beautiful in her kimono

The equipment!

The office - a hive of quiet efficiency.

A 'nursery' classroom housed the mothers and babies who also watched the whole seminar on a big
screen while, feeding, changing and playing with their babies.

I was full of trepidation at having to teach through an interpreter, but that trepidation all but melted
away as soon as I met Midori, the translator, a bright and vibrant woman who laughed happily when I
said she must feel free to make my jokes funnier if she liked. The last shreds of trepidation
disappeared after just a short while. Row upon row of attentive students who appeared to be
understanding my everyword made it hard for me to remember to stop after every sentence or so for
Midori to 'catch up'.

A professional photographer took photos which I taught the first morning - he must have taken
hundreds of photos if not more. It was so embarrassing I pretended he wasn't there. On the last day
one of the teachers at the school took more photos. I was over my embarrassment by then and
whipped out my own camera to take one of him photographing me!

On my last day I was presented with an album of photos showing 'me' in at least a hundred
expressions and stances. Rivetting. And what an interesting way to make a visiting lecturer feel
appreciated.

This building, around the corner from the school, houses the school's pharmacy and overspill classrooms.

The Kyoto Office, Clinic, Pharmacy and Classrooms!

Mount Fuji

Kyoto Temples - ancient buildings and gardens full of peaceful spirits

Five hundred year old trees

Balance everywhere

Finally - some quirky or beautiful sights in no particular order!

A tree trunk wrapped around a lamp-post. Yes how? but more importantly why?

This is the most beautiful bath plug I have ever seen.
It is a triumph of practical, beautiful design.

Changing trains we have to make our way from one platform to another - via
an archway that is 4 foot 6 inches high!!!

Hilarious plant. Solanum mammosum (solanaceae) originated in Brazil.
Due to the shape of its yellow fruit, this plant is known as Fox Face.
With Midori - my wonderful guide/companion in Kyoto

Hilarious traffic signals

Hilarious socks

I am so sorry these photos are out of focus. The dog has a matching helmet.

Mushrooms at $600 for a box (4 in a box). Wow.

The special stones at this shrine are wearing aprons.

Beautiful beautiful drain. So simple.

A bamboo fence merges effortlessly with nature.

One of the 'joys' of jetlag is being able to catch the sunrise!

Man Singing in Park on His Way to Work

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:20:09 GMT

I took this mini video early one morning during a walk in the park next to the hotel.

This video may take a while to upload depending on the speed of your connection.

Women's Temple

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:19:24 GMT

This even minier video is of one of the temples I visited in Kyoto.
Covering the ground is a velvet carpet of iridescent moss. All around are dark, dense bamboo forests.

This video may take a while to upload depending on the speed of your connection.

Atami Sunrise

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:18:22 GMT

Here is the first 'video' I took in Japan with my new camera!
It is of the sunrise at Atami. You can hear the dawn chorus & a train.

This video may take a while to upload depending on the speed of your connection.

Julian Winston

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 18:09:02 GMT

I’ve been back from the UK for a little over 2 months and my trip now feels very far away. I am fully ensconced in a South Florida summer – keeping as cool as I can – noticing that I’m setting the A/C a little bit lower each year. Three years ago I was perfectly happy with the A/C at 78 or even 80. This year I’m happier when it’s at 76 or 77!

The saddest thing that happened shortly after my return was the death of Julian Winston on the 12th of June. Julian was one of homeopathy’s fiercest proponents – a vociferous defender of classical homeopathy. He owned one of the world’s largest homeopathic collections (2000 volumes, 4000 vials of historical remedies and a huge collection of homeopathic ephemera). He became a unique repository of knowledge and wisdom – especially of the philosophy and history of homeopathy.

He was gloriously eccentric – a renaissance man, having an almost impossible range of lifelong passions including: racing cars, homeopathy and healing, shooting and guns, making and playing pedal steel guitars. He was at different times in his life an artist, industrial designer, musician, historian, author, professor, collector. He edited Homeopathy Today – the National Center for Homeopathy’s magazine for over 20 years.

He was a prolific communicator writing 100s of articles and many books including three on homeopathy and two on playing the pedal steel guitar.

I visited him in New Zealand in 2001 – here he is with 3 of his true loves: Gwyneth (he moved to NZ in 1994 from the US after his marriage), part of his homeopathy library and the pedal guitar he made himself.

The latest edition of Homeopathy Today (available any day now) is dedicated to Julian. His website is full of his spirit which shall live for always.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 17:40:05 GMT

2004 was an incredible year ... my second living in Florida with lots of travel and 4 hurricanes!

In March - I traveled to New York to teach at The School of Homeopathy, New York. I just love New York - having grown up in the middle of London the city is engrained in my soul. It is familiar to me. Home. I love the energetic vibrations - and of all the cities I have ever visited, New York is definitely the most energetic! I love being able to walk and walk and walk. I love the valiant efforts of city trees to break up the concrete.I love coming across islands of peace - parks and cafes in and amongst the dusty din.

In May I traveled to Portland, Oregon where I gave a writing workshop for homeopaths for the National Center for Homeopathy! Such fun!

In June I went to Wales and England - teaching at the Welsh School of Homeopathy Summer School and then Birmingham School of Homeopathy. Wales was beautiful - it was my first experience of teaching in a tent - a geodesic dome no less! Here's the view from the classroom!

The weather was heavenly, the food the best vegetarian I've ever had and the students full of vim and vigor. This Summer School must be the most unusual in the world - woven as it was with West Wales enchantment. There were magical rituals including candle-lit walks though the woods and sweat lodges, early morning swims and meditations. Here are the happy graduates.

I have to tell you about public footpaths. They criss cross the UK and may be found in cities and towns as well as the countryside. They have provided a legal right of way for people travel by foot or horseback for hundreds of years. There 140,000 miles of public footpaths in England and Wales and landowners are required to keep them clear of obstructions! They take you through some of the most beautiful countryside. I miss them tremendously. Here's a typical sign and a stile - making it possible for people to traverse fences but not animals.

The Ramblers Association is full of information about walking around England - and about walking ...

According to the Ramblers' Association there's no need to waste money on unused gym membership...simply measuring your daily tally of steps is a great way to assess and then maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Put on a pedometer when you get up in the morning and wear it until bedtime. It was a sobering experience for me. I am happily - or rather stupidly - sedentary and have to make special efforts to get up and about. The most steps I take in the course of a day are 6 to the printer and back to my desk and 36 to the bathroom and back. I know I'm not alone! When I had a dog morning and evening walks were easy. Now I have to build them into my daily routine - making sure I walk a good mile (at least 3500 steps) each time otherwise I'm in danger of literally falling apart at the seams!!!

Researchers tell us that healthy adults should aim to be in the Active or Highly Active category (i.e. 3-4 miles per day!) which means I have some ways to go since I think I'm doing really well if I've walked 2 miles!!!

Under 5,000 steps     Inactive / Sedentary
5,000 - 7,499 steps    Low Active
7,500 - 9,999 steps    Somewhat Active
Over 10,000             Active
Over 12,500             Highly Active

In October I flew to Los Angeles to teach at the American University of Complementary Medicine. It was fun to stay in Santa Monica, to walk along the beach and people watch. There were people of all ages - and I mean all ages - there were roller bladers in their 70s and probably older, artists galore, wrestling matches and fortune tellers.

In November I taught in Deland at the Florida Academy of Classical Homeopathy. Deland is one of the sweetest towns in Florida - it has tons of character - a real 'high street' with stores and cafes and lots of beautiful tree-lined streets. The Deland school is small and friendly, and its students hard-working and fun.

After all this travel and all these schools I am struck by how dedicated homeopathic students are the world over - how bright and lively they are. How much they love homeopathy - even when it's driving them to distraction!

Homeopathic Visitors

It's so surprising to me how many people are visiting now that I live in Florida! And pleasing! I had some great homeopathic friends including

Rob Barker who founded The Homeopathic Supply Company. He publishes my book on homeopathy for pregnancy, birth and babies in the UK.

John Morgan who founded Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy visited with his wife Maya and daughter Michaela. We went to Butterfly World- my very favorite local outing. A myriad butterflies in a beautiful tropical setting fluttering to classical music and trickling waters. The most spectacular must be the Moon Moth - at least 10" long ... the notice reads "I am alive but sleeping. I fly at night. Please do not wake me up. Thank you."

The hurricanes were really interesting. While it's great to be prepared for an impending disaster - living in fear and anxiety for whole weeks at a time were incredibly stressful. I lost a few trees but otherwise the neighborhood where I live did really well.

So ... now I am all caught up from last year ... watch out for my 2005 entries!!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 01:40:30 GMT

Are you worried about the Dreaded Flu this year? Don't be. There's lots of help to be had from the homeopathic treasure chests - to help prevent the flu, to treat it if you get sick and to help you recover.

I suggest you start with The National Center for Homeopathy's Flu Tracker - http://www.homeopathic.org/flu_home.html . You'll find a tremendous amount of information there including articles (some written by me!), a message board. a data collection page for those of you who use homeopathy to treat your flu and links to other informational sites:

One of the most useful links is to the CDC Influenza pages. Their US map (updated weekly) shows how and where the flu spreading. Or not! http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

Cold and Flu Treatment Kit

Make sure you have the most commonly needed remedies to hand with a homeopathic colds and flu kit. In spite of a legally required 'sell by date' on the labels, remedies made 100 years ago or more still work just fine!

The Natural Health Supply sell a kit that just has a great selection of 25 fluey remedies in 30C potency for just $69: 888 689 1608 or www.a2zhomeopathy.com (click on the kits link in the navigation bar and scroll right down to the third kit from the bottom of that page!)

Oscillococcinum

Two of the most popular remedies to prevent the flu are Oscillococcinum and Influenzinum. Take one or the other at the first sign of flu - or if you've been in contact with someone who has flu to prevent it from rearing its ugly head.

Washington Homeopathic Products sell both remedies: 800 336 1695 or http://www.homeopathyworks.com/ (click on the colds and flu link in the navigation bar)