QuestionQUESTION: I have chronic pancreatic and Asthma requiring oxygen. My last hospitalization (freq. hosp with pancreatitis) revealed low total protein and serum albumin. I started taking whey protein supplement to increase my protein intake to a minimum of 70 gm daily to promote tissue healing and decrease the inflammitory process of the asthma. I also take multivitamin supplements. I am an RN but by no means an expert. Is there something else I should be doing?
ANSWER: Dear Patricia,
I am currently researching your question which I seem to have taken a particular interest in. The combination of asthma and pancreatitis from an Anthroposophic point of view is an interesting combination, providing many clues and raising many questions, if you permit me such an insensitive comment on a condition I am sure makes life very hard, indeed, for you, most of the time. I admire your courage and strength.
These clues, however, all point to something beyond the field of what a RN might be used to. Before I embark on further conclusions and advice from this alternative angle (of which you are fully aware from my profile is all I have to offer but also, possibly, why you asked me in the first place) I need to rest assured you are open to looking at a larger picture. For me it is also a fairly intensive question.
I will need to ask you a few more questions, too.
Like: Do you get raised temperatures? If so, when?
Do you have bad dreams about physical conditions?
Have you ever had proteinuria?
What was your regular diet? (vegetarian or not, healthy or just normal etc).
Has the pathological cause of your pancreatitis been ascertained? (Any information on your trypsin activity?)
Is your asthma from birth? Is there more asthma or eczma in your family that you know of?
I also need your age, indication of under- or over-weight, race and whether you have had children or not. This information covers a basic sense of the condition of your physical, etheric, astral, ego body for me, considering your medical condition, with the purpose of finding you a possible beneficial diet.
Not that I can even promise you I will come up with a concrete plan, but I might be able to gather some complementary ideas that might trigger new ideas for you on where to go next.
If you are not interested in pursuing this line of investigation, please do not feel any need whatsoever to respond and I just send you my warmest wishes and pray you may find comfort and all the kindness you need elsewhere.
Love Evelyn.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: My asthma was adult onsetat age 34. (Triad Asthma which is chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps and aspirin sensitivity). I am now 59 y.o.. I do run low grade temps at times but there is no special time of day. Never had proteinuria My regular diet was to high in carbohydrates and too low on protein otherwise just a regular diet.There is other cases of asthma and emphysema in the family and one case of cystic fibrosis that I'm still thinking I may have an adult onset type especially now with the pancreatic problem. No bad dreams about physical conditions however I keep having dreams of chasing something all the time and never finding it. No idea what my trypsin activity is??? As far as eczma I had an aunt with psorriasis. I am overweight by 50 pounds. I have had 4 children without problems. I am 3rd generation Italian American and 2nd generation Irish American. I look forward to your findings,and thank you.
AnswerDear Patricia,
It has been a very long time since you first put your question to me, but I have far from forgotten you! On the contrary, you have inspired me to refreshen and expand my knowledge and your medical problems have (how ever unintentionally) guided me through many channels which have enriched me much. I hope it may not seem too peculiar, if for this I extend my heart-felt thanks to you.
Forgive me, now, if I have trouble breaking down all I have gleaned and intuited into bite sized chunks of practical tips. I constantly felt your situation to be calling out for a holistic approach. In the end, I saw no recourse but to address multiple aspects and offer different ideas. This, also, needs me, however, to be specific regards a few Anthroposophical terms. Naturally, I far from wish to promote this medical approach and cannot persuade you that a cure lies in alternative medicine, but I cannot deny my own gut feelings. So, in order for me to present you with some options with the most objectivity, I need to explain how, in Anthroposophy, man is considered a four-fold being, with three organisations ruling his organism.
There is a physical body, which is a manifestation of your soul (termed "astral body" in Anthroposophy, to connote the star/cosmic influences), as created by the life-force body (called "ether body", an Ancient Greek term relating to the solar sphere that gives life on earth). Governing your destiny and overseeing your life here, and hereafter, is your spirit body (or I-Organisation, sometimes referred to as a Higher Self, that which makes you a unique individual and holds noble potential).
All the esotericism aside, for now, this organisation is scientifically understood by observing the bio-chemical processes, morphology, anatomy, and etiology of our organism. An Anthroposophic doctor starts off with exactly the same knowledge as a conventional one. The fork lies in how an Anthroposophic doctor looks at the underlying causes of symptoms in large but intricate processes, including intangible and subtle factors, and finds treatments that appeal to your self-healing potential, working more like sign-posts and blueprints, rather than props and substitutes..
The three main systems operating our organism roughly divide us into an upper, lower and middle region: respectively head, metabolic, and cardio-respiratory areas. Governing these regions are the nerve-sense, metabolic-limb, and rhythmic system; each more dominant in one of the three fields. .
We can find four-foldness in many aspects pertaining to our life. Think of the four elements (used widely in homeopathy; slightly adapted into five by the Taoists). The physical body is linked to earth, an assembly of building blocks; the I-body is linked to fire (connoting a type of divine spark) and can only work in a warm environment (bloodprocesses). Most important for you to know is that the life body (ether body) works through the element of water and dominates the metabolic system (think of all the fluids in your glands, liver, gut. mucous etc); the astral body is a formative force, typical of the nerve-sense system and uses air as its medium. The ins and outs of this are more complicated, but you must see clearly that in the rhythmic organisation the upper and lower pole, also seats of thinking and willing, must meet in balance, in a dance of in and out, give and take. This middle region is a place of meeting and parting, where all must be in rhythmic flow. The astral and etheric body must intertwine but briefly. With you there is but an astral knot. Tangled thoughts or bad diet very quickly disrupt the balance of the middle field. In your case the peaceful stupa of your heart centre has become a battle field of mineralising and spasmodic forces.
The lungs serve as a portal for your soul to incarnate: think of the first breath that bears you down into life. And the last breath as the final exit. This soul, does not lodge itself 100% on earth during life, but spends 50% of its time "back home" in the heavens, by leaving during sleep, and connecting in relaxed and meditative, or loving and devoted, creative and inspired moments. The whole purpose of religion (which means to re-connect) is to ensure this coming and going is natural, neither imbalanced towards a too earth-bound, materialistic state; or too ungrounded and labile. . Diet and therapy is a kind of religion in that sense, if you PRACTISE it with devotion and reverence. Surrender and commitment are qualities that also are required, yet often sorely misunderstood. Also, to extend the metaphor, there are many false prophets and untrustworthy priests out there!
From the information you gave me, I have taken bronchial asthma of an allergic type as my guideline. In any case, the sinustitus and pancreatitis, combined with the asthma left me little choice in my leaning towards one type of diet. But I have not found it easy, because it contradicts the advice you have been given so far. Interestingly, your own self-diagnosis of CF which would link the pancreas and the lung condition would be very readily supported by an Anthroposophical analysis of the underlying imbalance in asthma. An inability to form protein fits this profile too. The albumin levels seldom give classical medics any idea of the cause of protein deficiency. Understanding how protein is made forces me to find the error in quality of diet not quantity of proteins. More below.
Also interesting and of importance is how both conventional medicine and Anthroposophy feature the kidney in the total picture of asthma, as no small player, on an etiological level. Together with the bladder, they are a sucking and exudative system, inspiring the breathing of the lung. Embryology and morphology explain more. Even if you are not suffering from any kidney problems, you may exhibit indecisiveness and changeability, or break off mid-sentence. What is important is to recognise signs of a disharmonious underlying system: in this case the astral body, of which the formative forces inspire the formulation of thought and define mood. It also rules catabolic and glandular processes, like the lipase production in the pancreas.
A holistic medical approach will not sort out deficiencies at a supplement level, but rather, address the productive processes. Treatment involves removing blockages, barring interference/reducing foreign influences, and enhancing regeneration: unburden, protect, stimulate. Healing is about making whole, which requires all your parts to be re-membered, reintegrated and considered as a microcosmos.
The protein building process is first catabolic, a break down of substance into a soup of neutral matter: the dead plant or animal matter is divested of its OWN structure and ultimately nature. Then an even more subtle and mysterious process transsubstantiates this into human process. It is this assimilation of food into the bloodstream that is not working optimally when protein levels show up as too low. There are subtle forces required for this task. In the lower pole the astral and etheric bodies must work in harmony, too. The I-body too, plays a significant role, but let me keep it simple.
A bad diet cannot directly cause this displacement of forces; but it cannot encourage restoration of them, either. If we assume your lungs were predisposed to disease (by genetics), during a time of (physical, psychic, or environmental) stress they became too burdened, unprotected and did not receive sufficient regenerative forces. In women the period when adult onset diseases become fully-fledged is usually during/after a pregnancy or at menopause. As you well realise, every pregnancy takes an enormous amount of physical and life force out of a woman. Besides this there is the factor of change, which effects one deeply (on a soul level). From a physical aspect, alone, if you have multiple pregnancies - let alone conceive within two years after a birth - you are looking at an accumulative tax-system. On top of that, if diet and recuperation periods are insufficient, or there are additional stress factors, the latent disease can no longer be compenstated for by postitive attitude and sprightly life-force and will become manifest.
An important consideration with asthma is that its sufferer is usually hyper-sensitive. The trigger of an attack is sometimes physical sometimes psychic, or a combination of the two, but always ALSO related to the soul - the bridge between your Higher Self and the rest of the universe. Studying the triggers can be valuable and tell you what you need to prioratise first and foremost. In general, the soul of an asthma sufferer tends to hold on and force change rather than let go, and accept change. They are also more susceptible to external influences, be they "vibes" or allergenics. Creating personal, inner space is a pivotal requirement for curative measures to be effective.
The pancreas condition, also shows, with its inflammation an overintensified situation. This organ is the Head Quarters of all the energies in your body, all the systems gather here to receive their missions and be dispatched appropriately.
To quote from an Anthroposophic doctor: ":the pancreas is the organ through which the human being expresses his way of facing food, and thus the world in general.
"It makes incarnation in the metabolism possible. For this reason pancreatic diseases frequently have a psychic component."
Inflammation is the attempt of the I-organisation to rebalance an underperforming or overexerted organ. A sluggish diet (WRONG carbohydrates) would not have had the force to pull your astral body down from the upper pole. It would get stuck in the boggy area of your lung. This would have compromised your fatmetabolism first and foremost. Later impaired your protein building force.
CARBOHYDRATES in themselves cannot lead to a protein deficiency in a healthy person. It is true that not everybody fares well on a vegetarian diet, and fish and fowl is often made into soups for the infirm and elderly to give them light fare. Plant matter (for the cellulose/fibre and lack of astral force) demands a lot of personal effort. On the other hand, they are "neutral" to start with, with no OWN character, unlike animals (who have astrality). Processing on your own efforts can train up your own astral body and create general good health and promote spiritual growth in anyone with a robust metabolic system. It is why vegetarian diets and pacific religions are often linked. Naturally, we in the west must not try to eat ourselves into enlightenment!
In any case, my sources inform me that, generally your pancreatic and lung disorders demand a very LOW-PROTEIN diet - to the point you might like to follow a kidney patient diet, see www.kidney.org for some food lists, low on protein; especially since this diet also requires you to have a minimal salt intake. You also need to cut out all added salt (snacks, tins, pre-processed food) and only use a high-quality (unrefined) sundried sea salt or mineral rich rocksalt (e.g. Himalaya) if really indispensible. Preferably use a herb salt (more flavour, less salt). The pancreas wants you to cut out meat anyway, as well as fat. Salt is a mineral, with pre-formed structure that is not going to traing up your formative forces from scratch. Salt boosts astrality, while you need to slowly reintroduce it first. Root vegetables, but also honey and sugars (in fruit) have "salt processes" in them. You need to focus on processes not end produts. More on this later.
In general, one can derive all the complete-proteins necessary from carbohydrates. The trick is to combine them, but more importantly, the quality of your foodstuffs needs to be high. You are looking for uncontaminated sources which can carry the cosmic nutritional stream. Bio-dynamic food has imponderable qualities. Dynamic capillary tests can show how this impacts on crystal formation in laboratories. Genetically modified, artificially fertilised, chemically treated, pre-processed, prematurely picked, frozen, artificially preserved, over-heated (deep fried) all ruin the solar/life force of food - leaving you with nothing but physical matter. This does not inspire processes.
This is why wholefoods are important and you have to stay away from refined products (salt, sugar, flour, etc). Eat "brown"rice (but not brown bread: this is not the same as wholwheat!). Check all you buy for sneaky sugar and artificial flavouring. Try to steer clear of added soy and palm oil. For sweetning use grain syrups (barley is best, rice is sweetest), apple or maple syrup, or raw cane sugar - all in moderation. Use honey as a medicine, more later.
You have to see how your protein deficiency is not down to you eating too little protein, but quite possibly, to you eating poor quality carbohydrates. An orthomolecular dietician can analyse your blood meticulously for deficiencies. I am no fan of multivitamins - they can only tie you over in acute and temporary situations. Again, they are physical elements, uninspiring to the processing systems. Vitamins are actually carriers of cosmic qualities like warmth, light, chemical- and structuring principles (respectively Vit. A, B, C, D - to start with). Packaged in the right foods they can be unpacked with those properties permeating your organisations.
Protein is the vehicle of life. Once you understand that the protein you ingest cannot ever directly translate into human protein, you will start to survey your processing systems more carefully, and give them what they need. In any case begin by sparing them what they do not need. Without reprogramming, debugging, defragmentation, and proper support systems you will remain as susceptible to malfunction as before, if you permit me a computer analysis.
Asthma requires a n alkaline diet. Animal protein is acidifying.This would fuel inflammation. Dairy is acidifying too, but cow milk is a very nurturing life-force product, ONLY if it is organic and fresh. Non-homogonised milk is better digested, but it, too, should be consumed in moderation (semi-skimmed). Better stick to sour milk products, for a better intestinal flora. Whey and curds are excellent sources of protein, but can only form one small part of your whole diet.
The kidney is the organ of inner light. Human protein production requires this. When you have become too dull or dim within, though grief, anger, disappointment, some kind of deprevation, you need to introduce this from without all the more. We can then turn to the healing properties of plants, and find spices and herbs inbetween food and medicine. They are vehicles of cosmic light (by virtue of their own processes). Each plant family has a different emphasis and inspires a different process. As so often, there are four categories (corresponding to the four elements etc.)
To reharmonise the soul, and get the astral forces involved in the transubstantiation of your food, you need to use "concentrating" herbs, like lovage, savory, caraway, which have a salt-processes
at their core. They inspire formative forces and involve the astral body better in yourlower pole activities. Nuts, almonds, and olives also do this. They have a "fatty"quality your astral body needs, while your pancreas demands you eat very lean food. This actually does not mean a 100% fat-free, diet (and never choose artificial fat-substitutes). The point is to choose fats that are very easy to digest. Hydrogenated fats are definite no-nos! Animal fat is also no good, but butter may be the best tolerated (in baking at least). I cannot recommend margerine or mayonaise (unless freshly made, one tiny dollop once in a very blue moon). Vegetable oils are safest, but no roasted seasme oil (too much heat). Cold pressed oils only.
Fresh eggs have lots of life force, so one a week IF you can obtain cackling-fresh ones, would be ok, but boil or poach to keep fat free. The cooking method is of influence on the food: frying introduces too much high heat. You need to focus on gently warmed foods (not too cool, like too much raw veg, since your digestive system is too weak to tackle that). Quiche and pizza are not good, already for the fact that they are greasy, too rich in dairy and baked in hot oven. Cheese is something you need to minimise. Cottage cheese is great though. Goat and sheep cheese is better digested, but still contain too much fat for regular use.
Wholewheat bread is wholesome, buy fresh, try spelt and kamut as more easily digested wheat types. Muesli will be too heavy for you, unless you soak it overnight - in yoghurt, or better still water (add a dollop of yoghurt for taste in the morning). Porridge is better. Good quality ASSORTED grains should be the staple for you. Especially barley, and rye, and oats. Grits are easiest to digest. Buckwheat and millet are also good, the latter the most neutral and calming on the system. Quinoa and amaranth are specifically high in protein. Rice must be brown and eaten only twice a week max - long grain and not the stodgy type. Pasta/macaroni/noodles must be wholewheat, and restricted to once a week. Try Japanese noodles, soba, with buckwheat or barley to help you vary with grains. Healthfood shops offer a variety of pastas made of kamut or spelt, millet and quinoa even. True enough, all this requires a period of adaptation for the taste buds. A one-sided diet of wheat can be bad and ruin your protein processing after prolongued unvaried use. Above all try barley (rich in regenerating silica). Not too much pumpernickle, especially during too much mucous building.
Go easy on pulses, though a typical source of protein in the vegetarian diet, they are heavy and could put your astral body right off joining in, again. No kidney beans, and opt for lentil soup/dahl or hummus (chick-pea mousse). Go very easy on soy products. Seitan (a wheat protein product) is better. No mushroom derivative proteins products. You need to introduce light into that darkened lower system of yours. You need to tap a root, but then push up above ground, to spread like a fanning tree - no webs of fungi under ground! Eat plenty of bean sprouts, alfalfa and garden cress.
The family of herbs that are calming and stimulating on the assimilating process are the labiatae: mint, lemonbalm, thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, basil. Their aromatic, warm properties accompany the substances through the intenstinal wall in the protein building process. They strengthen the I-oranism, which needs warmth to work and strengthen your self. This way you will have a gentle, sunny "fire in your belly" which will strenghten your will-power and help you know, who you really are and what you really want. The cramp in your lungs can appeal to the umbelliferae family: caraway, anise and fennel tea especially; also lovage and angelica.
For the rest this cramp is asking you to prioratise a calmer more holistic lifestyle The challenge is to practise introspection in an honest, serious but gentle way. Experiencing the answers, rather than fabricating them from some presumed ideal or attacking them with strident self-criticism.
Diet offers such an experience. No longer just eating to survive, or munching out of habit, a diet intends to raise awareness. Animals only have diets, in the sense that they eat highly specific foods that sustain them on very functional levels. They don't need herbs and spices. We season our food for the sake of taste: this is a very important sense which mediates directly between inner and outer worlds. You need to stimulate your taste buds for this reason. If the head region is related to thinking, and the metabolic-limb pole to will-power (as identified in "a hands-on situation", or the steps we take etc), then the rhythmic middle, with its heart and pulse is the centre of our feeling. You need to raise awareness in this field: moving from sensation and sentiment to common sense and sensibility, to progress from there into intuition and inspiration. Exercises in objective perception (drawing), memory exercises, and showing interest without judgement can be helpful.
Listening to certain pieces of music can also unlock some doors. Suggestions upon request.
Finally, a hotch-potch of some related thoughts regards diet and therapies, in the hope some will appeal to you or spark off healing ideas of your own.
A cup of lemonbalm tea with honey before going to bed helps loosen your astrality and induces sleep better. Drinking freshly squeezed lemon with maple syrup, or fresh orange juice in the morning jump starts the astral body in its physical vehicle, after its nightly sojourn in the Higher Worlds. Citrus fruits, with their thick rinds, help define boundaries, which all allergy sufferers need. Fresh oranges, limes, mandarines, grapefruits.
Sloeberry elixer is a must have for you. It's little blue-black berry (makes a blue-magenta juice) is a gem of life-force. It is jam-packed with etheric power (for the way it ripens on its hardy tree). Take continuously for six weeks then a two week break, then start again. Combats all exhaustion.
Duneberry elixer is fantastic too, especially rich in vit.C: so lots of light there. Its vibrant orange colour is truly invigorating. Drink it and meditate on an orange calcite (placed on navel) to see if you can centre more energy in your belly, warming it there, reducing the heat in your pancreas and the spasmodic tendency in your lungs..
In general, eat lots of ripe fruits (get seasonal, local and organic where possible); fruuit is full of light and warmth, and is good for the blood. Good blood helps flow, and eases cramp. Choose mainly citrus and straw-, rasp-, blackberries, and grapes. Try cran-, blue-, redberries, elderberry, quince, apple, pear as second choices; also lung fruit are: cucumber and melon (eat on its own! not combined in a fruit salad).
Find more vit C. in rosehips (acerola cherries are less suitable for you).
If mead be the drink of the gods, honey is a gift from the gods to man on earth. Bees have more to tell us about the relationship between man and the cosmos than I can go into here. Use only the finest (raw) organic kind. Use from flowers mentioned above or wild flowers or mountain honey. It stimulates your I-organisation with its warm quality. Taken in warm milk it makes a soothing drink. If you have to take any sugar make sure it is raw CANE sugar (no the same as beet). Avoid all added sugar. (If there is beet sugar in an elixer, choose the sugar free version if possible and add your own optionally). Never use artificial sweetners, golden syrup, treacle or dextrose (paralyses your I-organisation). Already mentioned grain syrup, or otherwise datesyrup, agave, or apple concentrate in baking.
Leaves are like lungs: eat plenty of them (chard, paksoi, spinach, cabbage, salad greens, especially in spring watercress and purslane, ruccola). Steam most of them, eat salads but be sparing with other raw veg (requires a lot from your digestive system).
Root veg, especially carrot and beetroot are good for calming the head, and warming the bellywith their sun-inspired colours. They do not burden your head region. But potato does. It gives you the WRONG type of carbohydrate. As a member of the deadly nightshade family it has its OWN story to tell. Its toxic fruit indicates an atypical astrality in a plant. It serves a function, but as with other members of its family, you need a very robust system to cope with this aspect. The fruit (tomato, peppers, aubergine) of this family have more astrality (their reddish colour already a give-away) full of rampant energy, which can demand a lot of your astral formative force in one go. Let's say, you are better off not to nuture a preponderance for tomato soup or sauce, for example. Tomato ketchup, as you may have gathered by now may end up in the bin for more reasons than this.
All delicate flowers are very gentle and comforting for you. As foods (teas) they are beneficial for the digestive system and exudative functions (friends of the kidney). Think of roses and marigolds, chamomile and lavender, but also yarrow, mallow, cornflower, delicious limeblossom - all good night teas contain such flowers. They are full of catabolic powers (as their wilting shows). They inspire your own breaking-down of foodstuffs and pamper your astral body with a light cosmic massage. When buying flowers, don't choose bulbs especially: they are too loosely rooted to inspire your grounding. Hug a tree whenever you can! Try drawing them: this would be a luxurious exercise for your lungs.
Burning essential oils in a vaporiser (water over a tea light) can influence the astrality around you (thereby changing mood and atmosphere). Inhaling chamomile tea in a steam bath is very good for your lungs. Add pine, mint or eucalyptus when the water has cooled down (great for sinustitus). Make sure you have warm feet always (take rosemary foot baths if you need to stimulate this).
Orange, lemon, bergamot, and tangerine dispersed in a room are animators and lavender, rose or neroli (both very expensive but so worth it!) are emotional healers. Curative massage would do wonders for you! Woody scents can be grounding when you are too scatter-brained and fragmented. Try juniper and sandalwood.
Make sure your iron levels are ok. Iron is the metal of incarnation. Do not reach for iron-tablets! Any deficiency is due to a process which is much too complex and subtle for a supplement. Drinking copious amounts of strong nettle tea daily can help. Strawberries are superb too. Choose whole fruit over smoothies and juice. A herbal elixer could help too (Floradix is available in Europe, I don't know about the States). .
If you want to give your kidney a very mild cleanse use equisitum (horsetail) elixer or less strong: tea. Very bitter: but useful in helping you to adjust to a new diet. Otherwise know the kidney is related to copper, and thereby also sensitive to the planetary conjunctions of Venus. The lungs are related to Mercury, and likewise sensitive to plants which are particularly influenced by this planet.
Related to this, again, is the colour green-blue. It can bring much relief to asthma sufferers. It is the colour which expands (you want to head for cobalt blue and ultramarine). Crystal therapy can offer you much, too. For example, a chrysocolla is a powerful stone for you, in that it is both very rich in copper - which supports the kidneys and for its colour and structure also uncramps your lungs when hung between heart and throat. Also the milky white magnesite is also great for for uncramping. Turquoise is very calming on the nerves and aides deeper meditation. Apophylite is maybe not so easy to get hold of, but comes recommended. It can be held to one's chest during an asthma attack. Naturally, crystals, do not work as "instantly" as a drug, they trigger harmonising processes and their effect is supported by your conscious efforts.
Meditation is one way of strenghtening your centre. Art therapay another. A tiger-eye placed near a door wards off too many outer influences (do not wear upon your person: too strong for you, at present). Quartz (rose, mountain, citrine, aquamarine) support regeneration, bring clarity to your mind. Rose quartz is the softest of all quartzes, and a lovely crystal to place in the home. Don't do too much with clear mountain crystals, since it is very powerful on a mental level, and too cutting and can leave you feeling cold (anything too sharp and piercing will scare your soul off). Opaque soft stones are better for now. You don't really need more (thinner) air, but more space to breath.
The German language literally describes asthma as "having your head in your chest" and that is not where is should be. To understand your predisposition can be part of the cure - this is another chapter. In the meantime a very effective instant relief can be obtained during a (mild) asthma attack by veil painting. One takes a highly diluted cobalt blue paint (water colours), and a large piece of paper (chest size), set at a moderate incline (stretched onto a board). Then using a very broad, flat, soft brush, you painting from left to right in VERY slow, stretching strokes. It's not meant to become an interesting master piece! It is a breathing exercise, creating space, room and rhythm. This type of painting therapy establishes a profound interaction between soul-body-spirit. I have a great affinity with it so ask me more regards the precise details of this technique if you need to.
Washing with rosemary (bath milk or hydrolate essence) in the morning also wakes up the astral body and gets it collaborating with the life force. Drawn to the skin and senses (smells great), the astral cannot nestle its way back down, straight off into the lungs. New routines will demand new attentions from your astral, and may distract it somewhat. Make sure you feel in control of what you are doing and attempt these new things with joy and an open mind. Or your astral will cramp up before it even starts. A citrus bath (Weleda or Hauschka) can also help cool you down during an inflammed period. Rose oil, or lavender oil are essential: oil is warming and protective: your skin needs that and can lead excess heat away from your inflammed areas when used on your limbs and lower back (kidney region). Shower in the evening if you've had a mentally busy day, use the oil then for a protective blanket around you or otherwise a more cooling body lotion with flower scents.
Diet can point you in the right direction, reactivating processes and mediating between inner and outer worlds. But it is no quick fix as you may well appreciate. There can also be little success in cutting corners. To begin with it is quite serious, solemn and demanding business. The rewards, however, can be considerable. Cures are not brought about by diet, but treatments can be supported by them. On the whole, if we must look at statistics, complementary medicine (Anthroposophy combines homeopathy with other urgent direct methods of relief) books no less success than modern treatment currently does regards many types of asthma. Most importantly, the main difference in treatment lies in how holistic medicine deals with the cause. Classical medicine is more apt to patch up the symptoms as you go along. This is what can swiftly expand one's medicine chest.
Please do not hesitate to ask me to clarify some obscurity or if you feel extra information could help me be more specific. Inspite of all the details already mentioned, I have taken but a pinch from a very broad spectrum. That you might just get a general sense or possibly find a speck of inspiration somewhere.
Wishing you all the very best for this new year, my support remains with you.
Evelyn
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