silhouette of woman sitting, watching sun rise

Energy Therapy: Medicine of the Future

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You already have the keys to improved emotional, spiritual, mental and physical health benefits.

Many of my clients come for treatment because they are frustrated with how they are feeling physically or emotionally and even if they are being treated for a specific illness energy therapy is a fantastic modality to add to their treatment. 

One of my clients came to me after having several traumatic events happen in her life.  She was experiencing generalized pain, depression, anxiety and lack of energy and it was very obvious her energy was disrupted.  After explaining to her the connection between energy and the body and one Reiki treatment, she experienced an amazing transformation. Her energy levels increased, pain was gone and she stated that “I have my life back, I feel like the person I used to be.”  After continuing her treatments and learning other energy practices I have taught her, she finally has control of her life. Energy therapy and Reiki addressed her as an entire person, rather than a single health problem.

What is Energy Therapy?

A process by which you “recharge your batteries” energy therapy is an alternative medicine practice which has been around for thousands of years. You use the natural energy that exists in your body and the universe for specific health rewards. Not only can improving your energy flow impact your physical health, but it can also lead to benefits like improved spirituality and a more complete emotional existence.

Energy healing works because you are a natural energy creator. Everything in the universe is energy. Energy is everywhere, and everything in your environment works to either improve or negatively impact your life force energy.

We know this to be true because science has proven the process. Quantum physicians can show how any two energy sources automatically have some type of impact on each other. Think about the last time you were in an environment which made you feel uncomfortable or unhappy. You were fidgety, frustrated, possibly scared, and experienced multiple negative emotions. Now imagine when you were in a place where you were ensconced in positive energy, such as hanging around with your friends enjoying a positively memorable experience.

These are two simple examples which display how energy can affect you.

Energy therapy works on this belief. If you think revitalizing your natural energy is something that is new as far as health rewards are concerned, think again. In the Far East, energy healing practices have been going on since as early as 6,000 BC. Energy healing is still used today in Japan, China, India and other parts of the world for significant mental and physical health benefits. The scientifically proven health rewards you can receive from balancing your life force energy happen due to the way physical and metaphysical energy moves throughout your body.

The energy that flows throughout our bodies is known as Chi which is life force energy.  Chi flows within the body through pathways called chakras and meridians.

The energy meridians connect all your body parts, organs and internal processes. When these energy channels become blocked, your energy flow, blood flow and oxygen flow slow down. This can cause physical problems. Emotional disturbances are caused by hormonal imbalances linked to blocked energy meridians, and the same is true for mental health problems.

The flow of healthy chi creates well-being. When that flow of healthy chi is disrupted, it causes diminished functioning within one or more organs and tissues of the physical body. Chi is also affected by our thoughts and feelings.  When you have negative thoughts, our chi is diminished and you don’t feel good.  Every thought and the emotion it carries, produces changes in your physical body. This is not a surprise if you consider that when we feel sad our body produces tears or when you are embarrassed your face becomes red.

Techniques like Reiki and other energy practices make clogged energy pathways free again, so the life force energy which connects you to the universe can flow freely and naturally. This process also pushes out negative energy, leaving healing positive energy to positively influence overall health and well-being.

Take a Bite Out of Stress By Boosting Your Immune System

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Is Stress Making It Hard to Balance Life?

Are you a stressed-out workaholic burning the candle at both ends? If so you are probably feeling the effects in your body and energy level. In fact, you’ll learn there are 4 ways you are weakening your immune system everyday…and how to solve it.

Healthy Food to Eliminate Stress

4 Tips Relieve Stress & Boost Your Immune System

I was eating fast food, cereal for dinner, skipping breakfast and very quickly losing my energy and coffee wasn’t helping.

I thought I just needed to sleep more, maybe meditate or go on a short vacation to relax, although that is important, not all that I needed.

What I was missing didn’t have to do with just needing to relax it was many other pieces that were missing to relieve my stress.

My stress, lack of energy, brain fog, sleeplessness, and depression were not caused only by my life situations but from a poor immune system response due to a poor diet.  Hence the mind/body connection. I kept picking up every germ out there and was an angry person.

Use Color To Reduce Your Stress Levels

I finally figured out that stress relief required implementing many pieces and the piece missing for me was my diet. 

There was no color on my plate. OH, and can you relate to this scenario:  you are working and have only 15 minutes for a break and the break room is full of donuts, sweets, and lots of coffee, UGH. 

Sugar, preservatives, additives, processed foods in vending machines, irresistible, right? 

Especially if you are stressed and in a hurry to get back to work, and of course like me didn’t think to bring anything from home.  Soo! Now you are running on a sugar high and the Crash is coming.

We are what we eat, so a healthy diet can go a long way to preserving our health.

Many over the counter products, vitamins, and supplements claim to help improve your health.  The best strategy for boosting your immune system involves a number of simple strategies anyone can follow through in 4 easy steps.

1. Eat Breakfast to Relieve Stress

You are trying to get yourself and your family together so the last thing you think about is breakfast.  Then when you get to work and that break comes around, can you say Hangary?

You have basically fasted all night and your blood sugar is usually low in the morning.  Your brain needs glucose to function properly.  Skipping meals will cause your body to go into survival mode and you tend to crave unhealthy foods like those donuts in the break room.

According to the Huffington Post: 31 million people skip breakfast every day and that females are more likely to skip breakfast due to being busy or running late.

Check out these healthy Breakfast ideas

2. Reduce Stress by Planning Ahead

Planning ahead prevents you from going to that vending machine for chips and candy.  It really feels great when you open the lunch you packed and see a healthy balanced meal.

Pack your lunches the night before, so all you have to do is take it out of the refrigerator the next morning.

 Take time on the weekend to plan out your meals for the week. Place leftovers in the freezer for future lunches and meals.

Healthy soups with lots of vegetables and spices can be made ahead and frozen to pull out for lunches or dinners.

Check out these recipes:

3. Choose Food Wisely for Optimal Stress Levels

Make sure most of your diet includes nutrient-dense foods that let you accomplish more with less. Avoid sugar and empty calories and instead, focus on making sure each snack and meal packs as much punch as possible.

Remember, you’re going for fueling your body and mind so you can accomplish more.

Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables offers a range of nutrients and antioxidants as well, powerful disease-fighting properties are found in certain foods such as berries, legumes, and apples.

Eating a rainbow every day will help you achieve a balanced diet.

4. Stay Hydrated

According to Holtorfmed: 8 Ways to Weaken Your Immune System “Dehydration affects your energy levels.”

Skip that coffee first thing when you wake up and drink a glass of water.  You are dehydrated after 8 hours of sleep and coffee only causes more dehydration. 

Water flushes toxins and wastes from your body. Drink 50% of your body weight in ounces daily and you are on the right track.

Adopt these simple success strategies to boost your immune system and see how much lower your stress can go.

Blessings,

Bonnie

Stress with Busy Professionals

CALM ANXIETY: 3 WAYS TO INNER PEACE for Busy Professionals

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What does calming anxiety have to do with illness and immunity? 

Everything.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America:  Nearly 40 million people in the United States (18%) experience an anxiety disorder in any given year. 

As a busy professional chronic stress & ANXIETY can undermine your body and immune system and create or worsen many disease processes.

High Expectations & Anxiety Go Hand In Hand

I have been there struggling with the high expectations I placed on myself and a mountain of anxiety.  I wanted to excel in my nursing career, be a good parent, care for my parents when they needed help, and spend time with loved ones. 

Does this resonate with you?  

What I realized was that I needed to have a plan to calm my stress and care for myself, so I could enjoy being in the present with each world. 

I asked myself, why shouldn’t I take the time to learn how to calm my stress?

After all, as a nurse I should know better, right?  

As a health professional and business owner, I had to let go of the high expectations I placed on myself and the need to do it all.

These high expectations created negative feelings, which I was projecting onto my family and peers. I was exhausted, frustrated and physically ill.  

Maybe you have already experienced a physical health problem trying to navigate your professional and personal life.  When you are a busy professional trying to juggle these two worlds it is really difficult to turn off one and fall into another.   

Anxiety Comes from Long-Term Stress

Anxiety is caused by long-term stress which many of us experience daily with work deadlines, home responsibilities, and illness. Anxiety and stress keep you in a state of dis-ease you are not at peace living day-in and day-out with elevated stress hormones.

Many of the clients I serve have chronic health issues which create anxiety then they add responsibilities of work and family to their plate which is a recipe for disaster.

Here are 3 tips you can do now to calm your anxiety and the cycle of stress to reclaim inner peace.

3 Tips to Calm Your Anxiety

#1: Check in with yourself: Check out of Anxiety

Beauty Arises in the Stillness of Your Presence


Eckhart Tolle

When was the last time you took time to ask yourself, how am I doing?

As a Registered Nurse with a stressful job and also juggling a family, I knew when I was starting my day there would be many hats that I would be wearing. 

What I realized was that I needed to take a few minutes before starting my day just to check in with myself and really connect with how I am feeling.

Constant distractions and multitasking, UGH!

I was trying to juggle as if carrying a stack of plates waiting for them to come crashing down.

It caused me to struggle harder in my profession and personal life, so I learned to put the brakes on BEFORE starting my day.

Start your day off on the right foot by getting up in the morning and finding a quiet place to take 15 minutes to check in with yourself.  These moments enable you to connect with your intuition, get answers and seek relief.

#2: Mindful Breathing

According to Dr. Andrew Weil:

“Practicing a regular, mindful breathing exercise can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”
Andrew Weil, M.D.

This breathing exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it, but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. 

Many of my busy clients are dealing with serious medical issues along with trying to balance life and they are able to decrease their anxiety with mindful breathing.  This exercise sends a signal to the neurotransmitters in the brain and therefore calms the nervous system. The best part is you can do it anywhere anytime and you will be amazed at the results. When I feel stress and anxiety coming on I do this practice which gives my mind a total reset.

 Exhale completely through your mouth making a swooshing sound.  Close your mouth and inhale through your nose to a mental count of 4 then hold for a count of 7 and exhale through your mouth to a count of 8. Repeat 4 times and do it twice a day.

#3: Setting Limits    

According to the Mayo Clinic: Work-Life Balance: Tips to reclaim control

“You can’t manufacture time. If you don’t set limits, then work or other obligations can leave you with no time for the activities and relationships you enjoy.” Consider this one idea:

Learn to say no. Whether it’s a co-worker asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child’s teacher asking you to organize a class party, remember that it’s OK to respectfully say no. When you quit accepting tasks out of guilt or a false sense of obligation, you’ll have more time for activities that are meaningful to you.

Calming your anxiety will not only create inner peace but outer peace for you to navigate through the many hats you are wearing every day.

Let’s work together to develop your individualized plan to inner peace.

Blessings, Bonnie 

roller coaster - cancer patient

Cancer Patient: Integrative Wellness Opens Healing Doors

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Are You on the Cancer Patient Roller Coaster?

If you’re a cancer patient, I bet you’ve been through a roller coaster ride of healthcare processes, pills and painful transitions.

As a Nurse, I get what happens when you’re diagnosed, but it really hit home when my husband was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma.

He followed all of the conventional treatments, but I knew something was missing. There had to be a better way than just running from doctor to doctor hoping for pain relief, sleep relief and some way to keep his energy up in the midst of the chemo and other harsh medications.

I started searching for him, but I was also remembering the many hundreds of cancer patients and their families I worked with over the years. It’s funny how personal experience brings you a whole new perspective.

Bottom line: We felt powerless. We felt like we didn’t have any control. We felt dependent on everyone else, but they had so little time to help us navigate the emotions and confusion we were experiencing.

Can you relate?

My Husband Was a Cancer Patient

What would it feel like if you could stop sitting on the sidelines and learn how you can support your body, mind & spirit while being treated for cancer?

After taking care of my parents and their loss just a year before, I was emotionally and physically drained.

Who knows, maybe that’s why I was more open to integrative wellness methods, whereas before I only trusted medical treatments.

When I was depressed and exhausted, I found an integrative wellness method called Reiki. During my training to become a Certified Reiki Master Teacher, I watched my husband transform.

My husband had wonderful results from Reiki and we both became certified so that we could use it every day.

Unfortunately, I lost the love of my life, but through his journey, I witnessed the positive effects of using this practice. No nausea or vomiting. No pain and less anxiety.

See Dr. Axe’s article: What is Reiki?

You can also read additional research and evidence for Reiki and cancer treatment HERE.

reiki massage for cancer patient

I Teach Every Cancer Patient to Feel Better Now

When my husband passed I felt a passion to help other cancer patients experience the relief he did. I was led to branch out into a whole different type of medicine.

Two years after his passing, I became a Reiki Master Teacher so that I could teach cancer patients and their caregivers this practice and realize the benefits that it could bring to them.

But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to learn more. I then became a Holistic Cancer Coach.  My eyes really opened to the benefits that nutrition, exercise, and mind/body connections have in the treatment of cancer.

Despite all of the medical treatments available, there are too many gaps and pitfalls in knowledge, awareness, treatment and care. In order to integrate cancer care approaches, physicians, caregivers, and patients need to become more educated.

 Why Use Integrative Cancer Care?

  • Enhance quality of life
  • Reduce side-effects of treatments
  • Strengthen well-being
  • Feel Empowerment
  • Reduce anxiety
  • Enhance immune system
  • Promote coping
  • Provide a sense of control

All Cancer Patients Should be Treated as Whole People

My patient’s tell me that they feel as if they are sitting on the sidelines waiting to be told when to get into the game and be a part of the team.  You deserve to understand your treatments and to learn what you can do to help with your healing.

Cancer treatments are not just about the tumor, but the person behind the disease.  The medical community and patients are realizing that attacking the cancer is only one part of treatment.  Those affected by cancer require attention to body, mind and spirit. Patients are searching for other modalities to help them with the side-effects of treatment and to accelerate their recovery.

Integrative therapies are used in conjunction with conventional treatments but differ in that they support the patient as a whole.  Cancer affects your life on many different levels.  Research has shown that cancer and its treatments have the capacity to not just affect the physical well-being but virtually every other aspect of your life including psychologically, spiritually, socially and economically. All of these components interact and shape you as a person; there is no separation.

Your body is made up of organs, tissues, cells and other components but functions as one integrated system.  Cancer frequently results from an imbalance in that system.  Cancer treatments focus on the diagnosis and fall short of treating the whole body, the whole person, and wellness promoting strategies. That is where integrative care starts.

Your emotions, thoughts, beliefs and actions are connected and literally shape the functioning of your body.

According to Cancer Treatment Centers of America:

“Mind-body medicine uses psychosocial support or therapeutic relationships as an integral part of whole-person care that recognizes the powerful ways emotional, mental, social and behavioral factors can directly affect a cancer patient’s health.”

Reach out to me to discuss how you can get off the cancer patients roller-coaster and tap into the natural healing intelligence you were born with. Contact Me HERE.

 

Blessings,

Bonnie

Family Caregiver with Cancer Patient

Reduce Caregiver Stress & Empower Cancer Patients With Reiki

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Caregiver Stress is a Given When You’re Taking Care of Someone with Cancer.

Whether you’re a family member or professional, caregiver stress causes symptoms like these:

  • Depression
  • High anxiety and trouble focusing
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Frustration
  • Sleep Deprivation

I understand all of these feelings because I have been there, as a Registered Nurse and a long-term caregiver for my parents and husband.

My journey began in 2005 when my elderly parents were no longer able to live alone.  My mother was developing dementia and my father was no longer able to keep up with her care.  As the youngest child and an RN, the caregiver responsibilities fell upon me to take care of them. I felt like the poster child for caregiver stress.

So, I jumped in and took full responsibility along with my nursing job. Wow, what a task.

I experienced all of the symptoms of caregiver stress

In 2010 my parents passed at home with all of the love and family surrounding them. I had very little time to recover, as in that same year my husband was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma.  My cancer caregiver responsibilities continued for 5 more years. Then my beloved husband passed away in 2015.

I was suffering from severe caregiver stress & burnout and knew I could not handle it on my own. My saving grace was finding a wonderful method, I could use at anytime, anywhere on myself and also on my husband.

This method is Reiki, a Japanese technique for the relief of many of the emotional and physical symptoms you are dealing with when taking care of others. Through the use of Reiki, I was able to reduce caregiver stress, anxiety, and frustration in my personal and professional life and at the same time reduce the pain and side effects of chemo on my husband.

  1. Research shows that Reiki can help reduce depression and anxiety among people with chronic illnesses.
  2. Both hands on and distance Reiki were found to reduce depression significantly with the effects lasting up to 1-year post-treatment.
  3. Whether pain or some other issue caused agitation, Reiki can calm dementia patients and make dealing with them easier for all involved.
  4. Reiki can relieve caregiver burnout… 20% of family caregivers suffer from depression.
  5. Nurses are prone to burnout and compassion fatigue and therefore benefit from Reiki self-care to prevent and heal caregiver stress.

As for my cancer caregiver responsibilities…they continued for 5 more years. Then my beloved husband passed away in 2015, but his quality of life up until his last breath was extraordinary thanks to the healing power of Reiki.

Even if you’re not local to the Pittsburgh area to stop in for a treatment or to get reiki certified, did you know that Reiki can be done at a distance? Discover more by hopping over to my Distance Reiki page.

https://psychcentral.com/lib/reikis-use-in-dementia-patients-and-for-their-caregivers/

  1. Reiki is requested 25% of the time as a complementary therapy in the health-care setting for patients and families.
  2. As a healthcare professional, you can incorporate Reiki into your patient care. My patients and family caregivers LOVE receiving Reiki!

https://iarp.org/reiki-and-medicine/

Would you like to relieve your caregiver stress and also help the one you are caring for by learning this very simple method?

The answer is in your hands, you will never feel helpless again.

Contact me now to learn how you can reduce your caregiver stress today.

Blessings
Bonnie