IMMUNITY AND IMMUNE BUILDING
Energetic Responses During a Zone Session

I love learning myself! I simply can’t get enough of it on any topic at all . . . AND . . . I am, and have always been a teacher. (I began with my first class of 4-year-olds in a church setting when I was only an eleven-year-old myself! Shortly after that, I was asked to be the music leader in the weekly children’s meeting.) I love writing these newsletters and trying to share with you things that I have found useful in my own life and my years doing Foot Zones. And Butterfly Expressions, LLC is about sharing and educating!

This month’s topic and sale items for the general Butterfly Express, LLC Newsletter are “Immunity and Immune Building”. As Foot Zone therapists, I am making the assumption that each of you understands how critical an understanding of anatomy is to the work you do! I am also assuming that you have made your own study of anatomy and how the Immune System works, so as to enable you to better recognize and understand those things that the feet can reveal about the physical and emotional health of those people you work with.

I have been informed that the majority of you (Foot Zone Therapists) also receive the general Butterfly Express Newsletter. I have gone into quite a lot of detail about the Immune System in that newsletter, and I have also discussed some of the properties of this month’s ‘on sale’ Immune Building products at Butterfly Express, LLC there. I will not be taking the time or space to re-discuss those items here. If you do not get that newsletter sent to you and you are interested, the monthly general Newsletter may be accessed online at ButterflyExpressions.org.

Additional items, more specific and chosen by myself, based on my favorites for possible use during a Foot Zone treatment, will be the topics of this article. I will, however, be including a slightly shorter summation of the General Newsletter here along with a list of those ‘on sale’ items at the end of this article/newsletter. (The promised summary of the Butterfly Expressions General Newsletter can be found at the very end of this article, if you are interested in accessing it that way.)

The Zone, although very ‘energetic’ in nature, brings about real changes in the physical body. Of course, you have all seen both the physical and energetic balancing and healing that the Foot Zone treatment is capable of bringing about! As you can see from the title of this article/newsletter, I will be focusing on energetic responses during a Foot Zone session and how those responses may affect the body’s physical immune system.

‘Energetic’ Immune Response
(Sustaining ‘Self’ and Maintaining Boundaries)

We all know that we will be better off, enjoy life more, be more productive and happy if our ‘physical’ immune systems are healthy, strong, and vibrant. We also acknowledge that our immune systems can be weakened, thus becoming susceptible to all kinds of ailments. Of course, the same is true of our Mind/Body/Spirit complex!

Some people—or, perhaps, all people at some time—find their emotional/spiritual (energetic) defenses are not what they should be. As Foot Zone therapists, our own energetic selves must be strong and vibrant. We must be able to stand strong in our own energy no matter what is going on around us at the moment or what is going on in the lives and health of the client whose feet we are holding in our hands!

I would like to tell you, briefly, of my own early experiences as a Foot Zone Therapist. I do this primarily as a way of illustrating what I mean by the expression “Energetic Immune Response”, that I used above as a title for this part of today’s discussion.

I was quite young when I first became acquainted with the Foot Zone Technique. All of my children were still living—and being educated—at home. I already knew, from experiences throughout my childhood and teen years, that I was overly ‘energy sensitive’, although I was not acquainted with the word ‘energy’ as we use it today when referring to illness and healing. I was also a bit angry about my ‘strange and, at the time, exhausting gifts’. However, and somewhat oddly, I was at the same time denying that I had any such ‘gifts’! Confused about who I was. Yes!

In those early ‘zoning’ days, I quickly noticed—as did my husband and children—that if someone came to me with a sore throat, a cough, a backache, or absolutely anything else, they would usually leave our home symptom-free, or at the very least, feeling better. However, I would cough, or complain of a sore throat, or have developed a backache or something else depending on what that person had arrived complaining of. Migraines became a common part of my life after I began working with other people’s feet!

As you can imagine, if a client had multiple issues or I did several Foot Zones in a row on the same day, I could become quite debilitated and unable to function as a wife and a mother! These symptoms usually persisted throughout the night and, too often, into the next day and beyond! It was a miserable way to live!

Unfortunately, the ‘symptoms’ I was picking up on and making a part of myself were not always just physical. My husband once remarked that he hated to come home after I had just had sessions with a particular young couple. Their behavior in my home did not outwardly indicate resentment or discontent. But, according to my husband, my behavior for hours, or even days after they left, certainly did!

Have any of you experienced anything similar? People in several of my various ‘energy-based’ classes—not only Foot Zone classes—have told of similar experiences of their own. So, for today’s article, I would like to present a bit of what I have learned over the years, and offer a few suggestions as to how to work through these symptoms and/or, better yet, prevent this painful phenomenon altogether.

Susceptibility (Energy Sensitivity)

It is my firm belief, based on observation and personal experience, that negative emotions affect our ‘energy grids’ in destructive ways! I would like to include a few paragraphs from this month’s general Newsletter about emotions and the Immune System here for your consideration.

Emotions and the Immune System
A variety of emotional and spiritual factors have been shown to result in a compromised and weakened immune system. These emotions include chronic anger, fear, anxiety, bitterness, and resentment. Negative attitudes such as lack of forgiveness, desire for revenge, repressed rage, a poor self-image, inability to deal with a significant loss or trauma, and unrelieved stress around any issue. Such emotions, whether as storms or being part of our daily attitude, can set up conditions that stress our immune systems and may even be favorable to repeated illnesses and even the growth of cancer cells.

We have been given a certain amount of control over our immune systems by how we think, feel, and live. The molecular and cellular activities in our bodies may be chemical in nature, but much of the control of that chemistry is ultimately in the spiritual nature of our lifestyles. Because of the ability of essential oils to help us release emotions, they can be of great assistance in getting to whatever emotional or spiritual roots our diseases and discomforts have.

If there is nothing in the past which is burdening us with guilt, blame, or shame, we should probably analyze our feelings of worthiness to have our needs met and even ask ourselves if we feel that we are of sufficient value to be allowed to have needs at all. We might find some clues in our behavior. How do we spend our time? Do we spend our time helping others but refuse to spend any time on ourselves? Service is a good thing, no doubt about that. In fact, it is a very good thing for heart energy and, therefore, the immune system. There must, however, be a balance, and many of us, especially if we are female, tend to lose sight of this balance.

Other questions to ask ourselves might include considering whether or not there is someone or something in our lives that is wearing away our self-respect or chipping away at our self-esteem. Have we lost the ability to see clearly, living our own beliefs, or are we letting someone else influence too deeply what we think and feel and how we act?

Are similar states of mind, or other negative emotional states of mind in ourselves, making us susceptible to the ‘emotional battles’ going on in the lives of our clients? Are we allowing these ‘second-hand’ emotions, along with our own emotional struggles, to become part of what keeps us from optimal health and energy? If so, how do we avoid this and still be who we want to be for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our clients?

Invulnerability/Resistance

There are so many ways to facilitate the protection of our own energy selves! You likely know and utilize many of them every day! Below are two of the things that have, when I can manage them, been of great use to me! They are mentioned in the list below, but I consider them too important to possibly be able to mention too many times!

Gratitude/Appreciation: Cicero argued that gratitude is the parent of all other virtues. Alexis de Tocqueville described gratitude as a “habit of the heart”. An attitude of gratitude—an appreciative attitude toward God, other people, and the circumstances of our lives—is very much a matter of choice. And, I have learned, living in gratitude builds an almost bulletproof barrier around us that allows us to ‘feel’ the emotions of others without internalizing them. We can love and be of service without being adversely affected by other people’s ‘stuff’.

Non-judgment coupled with Compassion: To ‘stay out of judgment’ is, to me, a very basic way to don an ‘energy shield’! To really stay out of ‘judgment’, we must make a sincere effort to focus on the good qualities that can be found in nearly everyone. Sometimes, it may be necessary to focus on their good intentions, if that’s the best we can do, or just to admit that maybe we don’t really understand what their intentions really were.

When we see people without judgment, we can come closer to seeing them as their Lord and Savior sees them. We can love them as He loves them in a holier and much higher sense. Then, not only our hands, but ourselves, become a healing balm to our clients (and others, including family and neighbors).

Some Specific Suggestions for Protecting Ourselves

Before Beginning a Session (or meeting or class or whatever)

• Keep (or get) myself into the best “place of emotional and physical wellness” that I can: Put the events of the day and what is going on around me aside and focus, very intentionally, on the client.
• Address my own anxieties—performance and otherwise: Being stressed always weakens my own auric field and makes me more susceptible to the energy of those around me. This is particularly true of those on whom I am working, either Foot Zone or CranioSacral or whatever.
• Read but not Absorb: Explain to my energy self that I want to be able to “read” the energy but that I do not want to “absorb” the energy into my own body inappropriately.
• Today’s Agenda: Have a talk with myself and with Heaven that I will only ‘see’ or ‘feel’ energy when there is something that Heaven wants from me for that person in regard to that energy! Reading a client’s mind or any version of going where the client does not want you to go is always inappropriate, in my opinion!
• More is Right than is Wrong: Realize that all that I see/feel is not necessarily meant to be shared with them at this particular moment or even at this particular session. Telling a client every negative thing can be overwhelming to them. Make sure the client knows and feels that there is more ‘right’ with them than wrong with them!
• ”Zip Up”: Do the “Zip Up” techniques taught by Donna Eden and others. I love this one! It is simple, quick, easy, and effective! I place my hand at the bottom of the central meridian (the top edge of my pubic bone) and then run my hand up the centerline of my body to my bottom lip. This action, coupled with my intention, strengthens my energetic core, helping me to “stay in my own space” and keep others just outside but where I can give love, compassion, and understanding as needed and feel the things that I need to feel.
• Facilitator not Healer: Acknowledge in my own mind that all healing is done through Christ. Remember that I am only a tool, one asset of many, available to His person. Leave the outcome or any progress toward healing in the hands of He who loves them better and sees them more clearly than I possibly can.
• Not Connecting: If I am experiencing the opposite problem—that of not feeling connected to the client—I will place my bunched fingers over my Third Eye Chakra (just above the bridge of my nose) for a few seconds, or place a drop of an appropriate essential oil there. Appropriate Butterfly essential oils might include ^LeAmplify, ^LeBeloved, ^LeConnection, ^LeDiscernment, ^LeHeartSong, ^LeKindred Spirit, and ^LeTrust. There are also Flower essences that can be used to open (or close, if necessary) the Third Eye Chakra.

During the Session (or wherever)

• Read but not Absorb: Silently, but firmly, reestablish my intention to “read” but not “absorb” emotions and physical ailments.
• Ground and Stabilize: Place my feet more firmly on the floor as a reminder to myself to stay grounded in the healing and stabilizing energy of the earth. (Yes, you can ground to the earth through the floor and even through your shoes.)
• Essential Oils for Energy Protection: Place ^LeBenediction or ^LeGuardian oil on my Third Eye Chakra and/or on my body wherever the energy might find an avenue in. For me, on occasion, those places included my legs (just above where the client’s feet were on my legs), my wrists, and sometimes my shoulders.
• Flower Essence to Strengthen Auric Field: Make regular use of Flower Essence (Homeopathic/Blessed Water) remedies to strengthen my own auric field and stabilize my own energetic core.
• Hydration: Drink plenty of water all of the time, but pay particular attention to this just before a session. Hydrated bodies are more resilient to energy and to deep emotions.
• Compassion and Empathy: I expressly want to feel all the compassion and empathy of my heart but stay focused on the potential for healing rather than on the problems that I feel or even the ones that the client may express. Always find positive things to report on. Hold out to my client and myself as many hopeful possibilities for the future as I can.
• Bubble of Light: Some people report that building a bubble of light (with holes for their hands to reach through) along with the intention to receive whatever inspiration and information would be appropriate is an effective technique for them.
• Solar Plexus Radiating Light: However, I find that the visualization of my own Solar Plexus Chakra radiating light and warmth provides both a “safe and loving” atmosphere for the client and protects me very well at the same time. This is my version of expanding my entire aura or energy field to include my client. However, for me, if I am not mindful, this technique can result in “holes” in my auric shield through which the client’s energy may flow in.
• Releasing Energy Build-Up: If I feel energy building up in my hands, I take a moment to shake it off. If I feel energy building up inappropriately in my own body, I deal with it immediately! I simply take a deep breath with the intent to breathe out whatever is building up and breathe back in any appropriate knowledge or inspiration that would be useful at the moment. If necessary, I take a bit of a break. I may go to the bathroom, or I may fetch a drink of water for us both. Sometimes, I bring back a copy of my favorite book on what emotion might be manifesting in whatever part of the body I am working on at the moment.
• Client Journal: I always keep a notebook and pen handy. Having my client journal their impressions and emotions often helps to focus all of that energy into a productive activity (and away from me).
• An Energy ‘Receptacle’: Some therapists like to keep a crystal or something else handy into which they can send the energy. Be sure to cleanse (or empty out) the object at the close of each session.

I once thought of this technique as being more than a little bit weird until I saw it demonstrated one day in an energy class. The energy around the table where we were all sitting was feeling thick, oppressive, and even a bit destructive when my sister had everyone follow her as she imagined a pretty little basket. She described the outside of the basket in detail, described its size, shape, and color, and then had each of us place any uncomfortable sensations in our bodies or feelings we might be experiencing into the basket. The women willingly (and even joyfully­) played along with this imaginative instruction. When the basket was full, my sister, with a little smile, stepped to the door and emptied the basket outside. The feeling of lightness in the room as she walked away with the basket and dumped all the ‘energy’ outside was incredible! Although I was supposed to be the teacher, I certainly learned something that day! (As I teach, I often feel that I learn more than I teach, thank you all very much!)

• Stay Positive: I try very hard to stay positive during the zone session. I learned the hard way that allowing my client to ‘whine’ her way through each session did no good at all. In fact, it was almost always seriously destructive! Help your client concentrate on the good things in their lives and the times when they felt peace with a choice, a person, or a situation.
• Gratitude: Once again, a reminder to create an ‘attitude of gratitude.’ Help them bring to mind positive heart emotions like gratitude or compassion whenever you work with energy. The difference in effectiveness when you and the client do these things will astound you. Gratitude changes attitude!
• Breathing: Encourage them to breathe evenly and deeply. In every Eastern healing philosophy, the breath is considered to carry the bulk of subtle energy into the body. It is on the breath that we receive inspiration, new thoughts and ideas, courage, confidence, and focus. It is also the breath, leaving the body, that carries away old perceptions that are clouding our judgment and holding us back from accomplishing the things that we would like to.

After the Session (or when you have returned home from being in a crowd)

• Running Water Rinsing: If I am feeling any emotion that is not mine, I always rinse my hands and forearms in cold running water. I will even take a shower—warm, not cold—if I still feel that negative energy is clinging to me.
• Secure in My Own Person: Once the client has left and I am alone, I sometimes feel the need to remind myself that I am ‘me’ by talking to myself, saying such things as “My name is LaRee” or “I like such and so” or any other appropriate statement about myself until I feel very secure in my own person once again.
• Light of Heaven: Visualize the light of Heaven entering my body. I usually do this through the crown of my head or through my Solar Plexus or Heart Chakra, if I find it necessary. Looking up toward Heaven aligns the ‘third eye’ with both Heaven and the ground beneath our feet. I find this ancient Chinese technique very effective.
• Gratitude (again and always) and Prayer: A prayer of gratitude for my own blessings, the learning experienced, and the opportunity to be of service always brings me back into myself and lines me back up with Heaven’s agenda for me.

In conclusion, everything we do in a session starts with the vibrational energy of our own intentions. Our thoughts, our words, our actions, and the effects of the energy on both ourselves and our client are the direct result of our intentions. It is important that we keep our intentions pure and our ego out of our work at all times.

See the full list of topics.

In This Issue

Yarrow
Lavender
Mullein
Additional Featured items

Yarrow is available at Butterfly Express, LLC in a variety of Essential oils—Blue, Green, Yellow. It is also available as a herbal tincture or dry herb pack and as various Blessed Water remedies. As a Blessed Water remedy, Yarrow is available as various North American Essences (pink, white, golden) and as an ingredient in the Environmental Solution remedy. It can also be purchased as an Alaskan Flower Essence designated simply ‘Yarrow’.

Herbal and Essential Oil

In my book, Butterfly Miracles with Herbal Remedies, I take up an entire page to cover just a basic description of the benefits of Yarrow on the physical body! There is another page devoted to physical and emotional aspects of Yarrow in my book Butterfly Miracles with Essential Oils. I have always been skeptical of herbs that someone claims does everything imaginable. However, I have personally used Yarrow for something in every body system at one time or another, as well as for emotional stabilization and healing, as well! Fortunately, yarrow grows plentifully around me. I have even deliberately planted some in my personal herb garden!

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is referred to in “ancient medicine” as a remedy for ‘wounded warriors’. This designation applies to both the physical and emotional/spiritual aspects of this plant’s healing properties.

Physically, there is nothing like Yarrow for the closing of wounds or for providing the necessary nutrients for the healing of such wounds! Yarrow will staunch bleeding from a wound and, if it is a deep, clean cut, will pull the edges together and knit them there. Incredibly, I have never seen a wound closed with Yarrow (herb or essential oil) become infected! This feature is positively amazing and has to be seen to be believed! Personally, I have seen it many times! This ability is the same for crushed plant material placed against the wound as for the use of the essential oil.

Yarrow’s homeostatic and wound healing properties work both inside and outside of the body. Internally, Yarrow dries out the mucous membranes but also targets any area of internal bleeding. Yarrow shuts off the blood supply to growths such as fibroids, forcing them to either dissolve or pass from the body. I have used Yarrow for this purpose on myself and have seen others achieve similar results. A woman should always be prepared with remedies to stop uterine hemorrhage (Cayenne, Shepherd’s Purse, Chlorophyll, and Butterfly’s Salts Signal Complex Blessed Water/Homeopathic) should the breaking away of the fibroid create more bleeding than is wanted.

Yarrow, as an herb, contains all of the usual vitamins and minerals found in plants that are used medicinally, but it also contains Vitamin F. Vitamin F is an essential fatty acid that is necessary for the good health and integrity of all of the membranes throughout the body, including those which surround the brain and within the brain itself.

Vitamin F also contributes to the unique way that Yarrow acts as an astringent on each body system individually. Yarrow contracts and tightens membranes, making the retention of gallstones or kidney stones impossible, and Yarrow is good for any condition in which too much secretion (whether mucus, blood, or pus) is a problem. Yarrow also stimulates the production of bile, making it a digestive/gallbladder tonic.

Yarrow opens the pores and regulates the function of the liver while toning the mucous membranes of the stomach and bowels, and aiding the glandular system. The effects on the liver are so strong that Yarrow is listed as a primary remedy in working with a fatty liver. Yarrow is excellent for stomach and intestinal upsets. It is a drying herb and should be used for head colds and bronchitis to clear catarrh from the lungs and the nasal passages. Yarrow acts as a blood cleanser and opens the pores of the skin to aid in the elimination of toxins and the waste products of cells.

In Chinese folklore, the aroma of Yarrow is said to bring about the meeting of Heaven and Earth in our lives. With our head in the clouds, we have far-reaching vision and inspiration to guide us, but we have the stability and common sense of having our feet firmly planted on the ground.

Just as Yarrow oil pulls together the edges of a deep wound, Yarrow pulls together and heals the damaged places in our energy and psyche. Yarrow, emotionally, is for those times when we feel that there are important parts of ourselves that have become lost or fragmented. We feel the pain of loss, like the pain of a wound. Yarrow pulls the emotional and energetic edges together and allows us to heal. Folklore of several countries states that Yarrow is associated with love and fidelity.

I consider Yarrow to be one of the most powerful plant allies for the setting of energetic boundaries. Yarrow, in any form, is highly recommended for empaths and healers to prevent them from absorbing the heavy, draining energies of clients and others in their everyday environments. Yarrow helps stem the tide of sensory overload. This is especially true for those whose energetic boundaries have been torn by sexual, verbal, or physical abuse.

Lance-shaped, feathery, finely dissected leaves cut all the way to a distinct heavier midrib that holds the delicate leaves in place. This reminds us of Yarrow’s ability, emotionally and mentally, to cut through obfuscation (I love that word!) to the core of truth. There is no pretense of make-believe with Yarrow. The use of Yarrow holds to a standard of integrity we may not have known existed within us. Yarrow seems to almost compel us to see, think, and speak truth!

Sometimes people find themselves mired in addictive behaviors, having less-than-honest communication with themselves and others. Sometimes we foster relationships that are built on fantasy or lies told to us by others, or told to ourselves in our own minds and hearts. Yarrow brings a sort of insistent, but very loving, light illuminating these shadows of projection and fantasy that we have built around us.

Baths and Cleansing: Add dried Yarrow flowers or Yarrow essential oil (one or two drops only) to a bath to cleanse stagnant energy, purify your aura, protect your spiritual space, and heal minor skin irritations.

Caution: Yarrow, unless used with experience and great caution, should be avoided during pregnancy.

Blessed Waters

As a Blessed Water remedy, Yarrow is available as various North American Essences (pink, golden, and a remedy simply called Yarrow). It is also found as an ingredient in the Environmental Solution Blessed Water remedy. Butterfly also carries a Blessed Water remedy simply designated Millefolium achillea (the Latin designation for Yarrow).

Why these various Blessed Water Remedies? Wouldn’t just one be enough? In homeopathic theory, everything about the plant and the environment in which it has grown counts in the emotional and physical ailments that it treats! Alaskan Yarrow would be quite different, as a Blessed Water remedy, than one grown in my backyard. The differences in the plants and their healing capacities would be the result of differing weather conditions, and differing soil and amounts of light.

The color of the blossoms also matters. Yarrow blossoms in my area are typically white when growing in the wild (and in my garden). It is, however, possible to obtain Yarrow plants with pink, white, and golden colored blossoms. These varieties have each been made and studied as Blessed Water/Homeopathic remedies. They are similar in some ways, but slightly different in others.

Millefolium achillea (Yarrow)

This is a remedy for use with wounds that bleed profusely. I particularly like this one to stop nosebleeds that are very profuse and difficult to stop. I have been known to soak a cotton ball with the Blessed Water and insert it into the nose. It works! Every time! And quickly!

Other uses:

• Affects capillaries, particularly in the lungs.
• Reduces painful varicose veins during pregnancy.
• Aids in the dissolving of kidney stones and helps with the pain during and after the stones have passed.
• I find it very useful for finding and healing whatever is creating blood in the urine.
• A remedy for internal bleeding and other ill effects following operations.
• Relieves certain types of piercing thrusts of pain in the head.
• Reduces and speeds healing of even severe bruises from any cause.

This Blessed Water/homeopathic version of Yarrow should be used if an injury has not responded properly to the use of Arnica because of Yarrow’s abilities in stopping bleeding.

Emotionally: Meant for use with bouts of sadness that alternate with irritability. Would be useful even if the irritability has progressed to shades of violence as the emotional/energetic imbalance progresses and deepens. (However, logic and common sense dictate removing yourself from the situation while healing occurs!)

A Keynote of this remedy is a continued high temperature. This temperature is what sets this remedy apart from other somewhat similar remedies. Even with the emotional/energetic symptoms, there will usually be a tendency to high fevers when ill and feeling too warm in nearly every situation.

Blessed Water Remedies specific for use with energy modalities such as Foot Zone and/or CranioSacral sessions:

This next group of remedies, North American Flower Essence Remedies, as you will see from the brief descriptions below, are especially appropriate for those of us who work in the energy fields of others (Foot Zone, CranioSacral, etc!)

North American Flower Essence Remedies:
Pink Yarrow: Positive qualities include loving awareness of others while maintaining appropriate emotional boundaries. Patterns of imbalance seen would be such things as being unable to maintain proper emotional boundaries. Becoming a willing sponge for the negativity of others.

Golden Yarrow: Positive qualities include being open to others while still feeling inner protection and maintaining the boundaries one has set. Active social involvement. The overcoming of the desire to avoid the limelight. Patterns of imbalance: This remedy is especially for outgoing or overly sensitive people who become confused or fatigued by the demands made of them and by the people around them. Defensive, withdrawing into social isolation.

Yarrow (white): Positive qualities include having an inner radiance and strength of the personality that is reflected in the aura. When balanced, this person will be compassionate and aware of and sensitive to the needs of others. They will be calming and healing to be around. Patterns of imbalance: Feelings of extreme vulnerability to the negative emotions of other people and to the environment. The person who needs this remedy often finds that their energy is easily depleted. When in this state of energy depletion, they are often so negative themselves that they deplete the energies of others.

Directions for Use: One of the most common methods for setting energetic boundaries is to use the remedy above that is your closest match in the following way: Take a few drops 3 or 4 times a day (under the tongue) for three days. Take a day or two break and repeat the three-day cycle. This will create a “psychic shield,” allowing you to remain compassionate without feeling vulnerable or drained. Repeat the above instructions whenever you are feeling depleted and energy sensitive. (Do not keep taking the remedy every day forever! Please trust me on this and follow the instructions given here!)

Yarrow/Usnea – a combination tincture

The herb, Yarrow (discussed above), is found in a great many of the Butterfly Express, LLC combination tinctures. As you might remember, I stated above that Yarrow is one of my favorite herbs. Like Yarrow, Usnea has been one of my favorite herbs ever since I first became acquainted with it on an herb walk years ago.

This simple combination is an incredible healer, as Usnea is the perfect match for Yarrow in physical and emotional aspects of healing. First, the antibacterial properties of Usnea, combined with the astringent properties of Yarrow, dry the mucous membranes of the lungs and bronchial tubes when used in programs for treating pneumonia and bronchitis better than anything else I know of. In addition, Usnea is specific for strep and staph infections and is strongly anti-fungal.

As I mentioned, situations requiring Yarrow usually appear with fever. Usnea is recognized for its ‘cooling and drying’ energetic properties. Interestingly, Usnea cools the body physically as well as from such things as emotional irritability, anger, and frustration.

Because Usnea has a strong affinity for the respiratory system, it is thought (known by those of us experienced in the use of this herb) to aid in the processing of grief. Symbolically, emotionally, and physically, Usnea helps us “breathe easier” as we release heavy, congestive, and choking emotions.

Usnea is also a powerful immune system tonic. The use of it for such acute illnesses as described above also builds the immune system when dealing with the acute situation of the moment. In other words. Usnea always acts to build the immune system, making that important system more powerful over time.

In both Traditional Chinese Medicine and in Western herbalism tradition, Usnea is recognized for its ‘cooling and drying’ energetic properties. Usnea cools the body physically and from emotional irritability, anger, and frustration.

Herbal

The German Commission E (Health Commission) praised Lavender for treating insomnia, nervous stomach, and anxiety. The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia lists Lavender as a treatment for flatulence, colic, and depressive headaches. Many herbal practitioners worldwide use this herb to treat migraines that sometimes occur with menopause.

Essential Oils

The calming aroma of Lavender alone is often enough to soothe the respiratory system, and it is often suggested that Lavender be diffused—either the essential oil or even just the flowers—to calm coughs and colds. Lavender has natural antibacterial properties that seem very efficient at protecting those in their environment against airborne viruses and bacteria. (I can think of a lot of equally strong remedies but not too many that would smell as good!) Lavender is a gentle but effective sedative and nervine. It can bring relief from anxiety, panic, hysteria, emotional and mental fatigue, headaches and migraines, and insomnia.

One of the great emotional gifts of Lavender is the feeling of total and unchanging support around and within us. It leaves us with no room for doubt that we are loved and that we will be supported in life’s challenges and during the process of healing. Lavender promotes faith, even in the hard times. I love Lavender because the aroma brings with it feelings of faith and confidence, even in times of hardship or great unease and distress.

There is a point about Lavender and healing from abuse or serious depression that needs to be made. Please pay attention here. Yes, Lavender will bring a return to faith and confidence, but healing this deep is almost always a journey. If a woman (or a man or a child) responds badly to the aroma of Lavender, there is something very distressing being held very deep inside. Often so deep even the memory of the event or events is hidden! I have seen lavender, dramatically and heartbreakingly, trigger such memories! Yes, I have seen this personally working with family and clients and more than just a few times. A heads-up and a reason to be extra aware and attentive to that person for a time. But the healing is just as deep as the trauma was and is a beautiful thing to behold! The healing will include a returning to the kindness and generosity that was this person’s nature before the trauma! This kindness and generosity of spirit will be noticeable even if it was not a pronounced part of their personality before!

Physically, Lavender can be used for nearly all skin conditions. It can be applied to cuts, sunburns, burns, rashes, dermatitis, eczema, and insect bites. Consistent use of Lavender with burns and injuries minimizes scarring. Lavender, usually as part of a blend, is often used to prevent or remedy conditions of dandruff and hair loss. Lavender is antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, cytophylactic, and antispasmodic, making it effective for muscle strains and sprains, cramps, and wound healing.

Lavender clears excess waste products from the lymphatic system and is an aid to digestion. Lavender is sometimes all that is needed to prevent or alleviate nausea. Mildly diuretic, Lavender can be useful in alleviating edema and premenstrual water retention. Whether the root of the problem is emotional or physical, Lavender is often effective in stabilizing both high and low blood pressure and regulating the pulse. Lavender, or blends containing it, is used to lessen pain and promote restful sleep. Lavender is useful for babies with thrush.

Blessed Water

As a North American Flower Essence (and its Blessed Water counterpart), Lavandula is recognized for promoting spiritual sensitivity that is accompanied by both spiritual and physical health! This remedy is of special value for those of us who may sometimes become over-stimulated emotionally or mentally. An excellent remedy for insomnia and for calming everything from irritability to addictive cravings. Best of all, this remedy seems to ‘teach’ a highly-strung person how to moderate and regulate their own emotional energy and reactions to the energy of those around them.

As you might guess from the above description, Lavandula vera is an excellent choice for those of us who have difficulty sleeping!

Herbal

Mullein is another of my favorite and most often reached-for herbs! Mullein is a true multi-purpose herb, with many properties that are useful for many body systems in many ways. In reviewing my herbal notes, I found such references as “Mullein has a particular affinity for the respiratory organs,” and “Mullein is of particular use in pulmonary complaints,” and “Mullein is particularly useful to the urinary tract and the eliminative organs,” and “Mullein is particularly useful in calming and quieting inflamed and irritated nerves.” In other words, Mullein is useful in just about any circumstance and with just about any body system.

Mullein has the unique distinction of being both astringent (drying to tissues) when drying is needed, and demulcent (healing and soothing) when this is needed. (Please read that again!) Many herbs have this ability to return a system to what is referred to as ‘stasis’. However, Mullein is outstanding in this way! I have added Mullein to a great many formulas, especially kidney/bladder ones, as a protective agent and to guarantee that accidental overuse will not result in further irritation and possible damage. You never make a mistake when choosing Mullein. Mullein flowers and leaves are used to treat lymphatic congestion that results in earaches, toothaches, and even hemorrhoids. It will keep healing and bringing balance as long as you keep utilizing it!

There are some differences in the properties of the leaves and the flowers, according to the literature. However, picking those delicate little flowers off the stalk is a pain! I have tried scraping them off the stalk, and that works reasonably well. When in a pinch—not enough of one of the other forms—I have used them interchangeably with excellent results.

Butterfly Express has a Mullein Carrier Oil. This is my carrier oil of choice for anything to do with skin conditions. I have found it quite effective for dry skin and other scaly, itching skin issues all by itself!

Essential Oils

As far as I know, there are no Mullein essential oils on the market. I can’t imagine why not! Perhaps, my husband and I should try making some. We used to have equipment for doing that. I wonder if it is still around and still alive and well! The Mullein Carrier Oil carried by Butterfly Express, LLC is Mullein flowers and leaves soaked in Almond Oil.

Blessed Waters

In classical homeopathic Materia Medica, Verbascum Thapsus (commonly known as Great Mullein) primarily focuses on physical issues like trigeminal neuralgia, earaches, and respiratory spasms. While its mental-emotional benefits are generally considered secondary, it is also used to alleviate irritability, apathy, and mood swings. Note that both irritability and apathy are mentioned. This is so typical of alternative healing! Brings the body and spirit back into alignment (center) from either direction of disturbance.

As you might suppose from the last sentence of the previous paragraph, Verbascum thapsus homeopathic remedies are used to treat those persons who suffer from sudden mood shifts and up-and-down swings. This remedy has been used successfully to treat alternating states of moroseness followed by excessive, sudden gaiety or laughter. I would suggest that at least some skin irritation of some kind also be present as a ‘guiding light’ for use of this remedy instead of something else.

Homeopathic physicians historically noted it for use with states of distraction, weakness of memory, and dullness of mind. It is often for persons suffering from anxious dreams, especially of wars and dead bodies. Should be considered in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders.

This remedy is believed to help individuals overcome self-doubt, find their true voice, and confidently speak their inner truth. Useful during times of life transitions or emotional upheaval as it grounds erratic energies and behaviors, quiets fears, and fosters emotional resilience.

^LeBenediction Essential Oil

^LeBenediction was one of the first essential oil blend/combinations that I created. As you might have surmised from the story I told earlier about my ‘energy absorbing’ experiences as a beginner Foot Zone therapist, I desperately needed something—and I needed it now—to protect my own energy grid. ^LeBenediction certainly did that for me! And it seemed to also aid in teaching me how to protect myself without the aid of this incredible blend.

^LeBenediction, when applied or even just sniffed, seems to create a very useful “energy bubble’ allowing us to interact with others without compromising our ‘self.” This is true whether we are being drained by others or are at a low point ourselves and having a draining effect on those around us. ^LeBenediction is especially useful when working with other people’s energy fields during massage, Foot Zone, or any other type of ‘session’.

What are some of the other uses for ^LeBenediction?

1. Lend us courage in speaking up and expressing our own needs clearly but without blaming or whining.
2. Moderate any tendency we might have to judge others unkindly when we feel that they have created the mess they are in and we are justified (we’re probably not) in letting them figure out how to fix it.
3. Helps us focus on our blessings, acknowledging the role that blessings from above have played in our successes and achievements. Gratitude to Heaven (and to those around us) is a very healing emotion!
4. ^LeBenediction is also very effective after an illness for returning energy levels to normal and getting us back on our feet both physically and emotionally.
5. ^LeBenediction is often useful for tension headaches, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure where picking up on the energies of others is a contributing factor.
6. ^LeBenediction makes an effective deodorant.

^LeGuardian Essential Oil

^LeGuardian has a unique aroma that combines the dusty, crisp notes of sage with the sweet floral notes of Rose De Mai and the almost hypnotic, heady aroma of Daffodil. I must admit that this amazing blend is not one of my personal concoctions. Combining sage with rose simply never occurred to me! A ‘thank you’ has gone out from my heart to this very talented and energy-sensitive employee more than once over the years! I love this blend! And I use it often!

This blend “warms” on the skin with the high notes of the Rose deMai, Rose Geranium, Geranium, and Daffodil blooming more fully upon application. And, blended perfectly in the perfect proportion and in the perfect order, the Sage does not ‘stomp all over’ those delightful and emotionally-protecting flower essential oils!

^LeGuardian is excellent for use as an energy shield! It is also helpful in clearing negative emotional patterns—your own or those you may have picked up and taken on yourself when working with the energy fields of others. ^LeGuardian will promote the positive influence of intuition and help a person achieve the confidence to trust what they are feeling and to act on that inspiration.

Emotionally, this is a very stabilizing blend that will promote intuition and clear negative emotions. ^LeGuardian contains essential oils known for relieving anxiety and depression. ^LeGuardian was formulated to help you feel grounded, protected, and loved. ^LeGuardian helps clear and sharpen the mind. It will boost memory, concentration, and help retention.

This blend, physically, has an affinity for the skin and will soothe conditions like eczema and acne. The sage contained in this blend is considered a “master healer” due to its effects on the nervous system, lymphatic system, and pelvic organs. This blend has a rejuvenating effect on energy levels and helps soothe frayed nerves.

Triple Warmer Meridian Balance Blessed Water 

I love the study of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). TCM philosophy contains so much knowledge and wisdom about the energetic aspects of these wonderfully amazing, but complicated, bodies of ours!

Meridians, according to TCM philosophy, are energetic (electrical, if you will) pathways of communication between the various parts of the human body/mind/soul complex. These meridians channel an invisible nutritive energy known to the Chinese as ch’i. The ch’i energy enters the body through specific points and flows to deeper organ structures. Meridians bring life-giving nourishment of a gentle, subtle energetic nature. A strong and balanced flow of energy through the body’s meridians is important to optimal health. Blocked meridians create imbalanced energy flow to organs, which contributes to disease states within the body. Side note: Western medical devices have been able to ‘see’ and map these meridians for some years now!

The Triple Warmer Meridian is closely associated with the immune system and is active in protecting the body from external threats. Triple Warmer is an internal ‘safety gauge’ and internal warning system.

This amazing system immediately analyzes everything from the temperature of the room to the safety of the building we are entering or even standing in if something has changed. Additionally, Triple Warmer tells us if the emotional environment is safe and even when and if the physical and/or emotional environment is becoming unsafe.

Triple Warmer governs those feelings or inspirations that we receive but are not able to ‘mentally’ understand or explain the source of.

Physically, this meridian is also responsible in several ways for the distribution of water in the cells and tissues. It accomplishes this by nourishing and strengthening the kidneys.

Triple Warmer Meridian Balance: Protection of the physical body, lightness, hope.
Out of balance: Autoimmune disorders, allergies, heaviness, and depression.

Stone Circle Natural Forces Essence Blessed Water 

Perfect, naturally occurring circles of stones cover the ground in many parts of Alaska. This essence was prepared energetically, in such a naturally occurring circle of stones. Strangely, in other parts of the far north, stones arrange themselves in other striking patterns such as polygons, stripes, and even labyrinths. Over the years, scientists have proposed various explanations for these unusual patterns of stones and soil. There doesn’t seem to be a single explanation that accounts for the full range of unusual patterns. The fact that this remedy was prepared in a circle will, of course, have affected the properties of this remedy.

Mental and Emotional Strengths and Weaknesses: Such a circle often seems to represent the integrity of and the protection provided by our own aura, much like, but in a completely different way, than does the Solstice Sun remedy also in the natural forces set. It is not a matter of light, but of the protection of our own vital forces through relaxation and proper rest. This remedy should encourage one to relax, rest, and do those things that are helpful in replenishing one’s own vital forces.

Physical Susceptibilities and Strengths: The taking on of both physical and emotional symptoms of clients or of other people around you in a room or other environment is a pronounced weakness for some people. This can lead to a multitude of physical issues. For example, if the client comes with a cough, they leave without it, but the therapist coughs until she manages to process or step away from the energy brought into her surroundings by the client or being “put out” by others in the room. The possibilities are endless—and in their negative aspects, both uncomfortable and detrimental to mental and physical health.

Indications of Need: This remedy is of particular use to energy workers, massage personnel, or just about anyone else who is affected by the energy of others. (I am not sure there are people who are not so affected unless they have spent time strengthening the protective aspects of their own energetic resources.) This remedy acts to enable a person to maintain openness and sensitivity without absorbing or taking on the energy of the person on whom they are working or the people in their environment.

---

AURIC FIELDS AND ENERGY PROTECTION

In Chinese medical philosophies, the energy behind the various processes of our bodies is of great importance and has been the subject of study and analysis for many centuries. For the most part, the various philosophical groups list five such bodies— ‘subtle bodies’ is a term that is often used. Those who ‘see’ this energy sometimes refer to them as ‘auric fields’. I suppose that they can be described as ‘fields,’ but it should be remembered that these ‘fields’ make up only a portion of what can be seen when one observes the aura of a person. My favorite listing of these subtle bodies refers to them as the 1) etheric body, 2) the astral body, 3) the mental body, and 4) the spirit body.

Physical/Etheric layer (Red)

Comparing this list to the way they are listed for zoning purposes would put the etheric body as the energy blueprint for the physical body, as well as the energy driving specific aspects of the physical body. These aspects include the control of metabolism, growth, and reproduction—capacities that we share with the plant kingdom.

Does the energetic physical body point on the top of the foot impact other areas of the physical body? I believe that it does. This energetic layer is involved in the basic needs that we all have—the need for shelter, safety, security, and satisfaction with our lives and the contribution that we are making. This layer involves the physical senses and sensations, spatial awareness, sexual issues, and anything to do with money and abundance.

The etheric body (the energetic super-structure of the physical body) is also said to connect us to our ancestors and to our descendants. Here lies both the physical inheritances such as eye and hair color as well as the more energetic inheritances of stubbornness or perseverance that we may have inherited from those who went before us in our familial line. The meridians and chakras are considered part of the etheric body. Perhaps DNA functions here also.

Emotional/Astral layer (Orange)

The astral or emotional body is thought to be the bridge between the physical body and what is often referred to as the soul. The physical aspect allows us to be consciously aware of input from our five senses and also allows us to monitor the physical aspects of our internal environment and whether or not things are working as they should be. The soul component is responsible for our impulses, desires, and passions. The astral body is the connection between what we perceive with our senses and the control we have over our impulses, desires, and passions. You can see where weakness here—the inability to exercise control over the desires for “pleasing” things that our senses perceive—could lead us quickly into trouble.

This layer is very much about right and wrong choices and our responsibility for the choices that we make. Our core beliefs are based on our perceptions, be they accurate or slightly off kilter. These perceptions, interpreted for us by our emotional/astral energies, create the sympathy or antipathy that we instantly feel toward everything and everyone that we come into contact with.
Some eastern philosophies consider this body to be the “high-way” of communication between all of the aspects that make “us”. Because of the very nature of this emotion/astral body, we will all have our own unique point of view and experience with everything in the world around us and with everything that happens to us.

Health in this layer (lack of energetic and sometimes visible holes) produces sufficient maturity to transform the experiences of our lives into joyous opportunities instead of negative experiences.
When there are gaps in this boundary, we react to situations by freezing, fighting, or fleeing—sometimes all three in succession, creating some interesting reactions and scenarios. First we may freeze and say nothing to protect or explain ourselves. Then we may choose to fight back, appropriately or inappropriately, or we may run away to our own emotional safe place, walling ourselves off from others and avoiding—at all costs—the situation or person that we perceive has caused us this pain.

Mental layer (Yellow)

Through the mental body we think, generate concepts and ideas, and discover and sort the laws of nature, morality, and truth into our own personal life view. This layer enables us to think through the instinctive reactions of the emotional/astral body to things and people with the logical side of our minds. We can check our perceptions for accuracy and temper our emotions and perceptions with doses of reality.

This layer, working in tandem with the emotional body as described above, is how we arrive at our understanding of our own particular life’s purpose and mission. If we allow it—if we are a bit weak in this energy— other people’s opinions of us may punch further holes in this protective boundary, telling us that we are not important or that we have nothing to contribute to the world. Just as likely, and probably more common, is the destruction we cause in our own emotional protective layer by continually playing thoughts and scenarios in our minds that are destructive to us because they are critical of either ourselves or our nearest loved ones.

Research in the Western world over the last few years shows that each cell of our body contains the memory of all that has gone before in our lives. Alternative medicine people refer to this phenomenon as “cellular memory” and recognize that any permanent changes in our perceptions and our behavior must occur at this level. New discoveries are leading scientists to believe that the heart contains thinking mechanisms similar to the brain. Interesting! Scripture and the traditions of indigenous cultures have said so all along!

Where does disease begin? Certainly not in the physical body, where we too often finally come to recognize it and begin to deal with it. Even western medical thought now recognizes a “cancer personality”. What is a personality type? It is a composite of your thought patterns and choices and the ways in which they have disrupted your energy system.

Relational layer (Green)

As the name indicates, this signal is about our relationships with others, particularly those closest and dearest to us. This layer is not typically worked on the foot, although I often feel the need to ‘hug’ that area on my own foot when family relationships are suffering any type of stress. I have found, on my own foot, that a lump develops there when there is family stress going on, but only when I am allowing that stress to affect my faith in God’s ability to order my universe for my best good and for the good of my family.

Why do we not work that layer? I’m not sure. I know that I don’t feel the need to and don’t feel that it helps when I have worked it just to see what would happen. Perhaps it is because family relationships are eternal and must be worked out in other ways. I do believe that essential oils applied to the foot can improve my perspective and strengthen my faith in the future.

Spiritual layer (Blue)

There is so much that could be said about this layer. For now, at least, I think this layer may be about recognizing that we are not perfect and that we are in need, every moment of every day, of repentance and the atoning power of Jesus Christ. Having the atonement be a real power in our lives requires that we not demand perfection from others and that we allow them the time and the patience that they need in order to let the atonement work in their lives also.

It is from the spirit level that we obtain creative, intuitive ideas and inspirations. In fact, the word ‘inspire’ means to “bring in spirit”. This is the aspect of ourselves where our feelings and our faith reside.

Are these energetic bodies separate and distinct from each other? NO! Closely interwoven and dependent on each other, they are literally subtle aspects of ourselves. The holding of all four together, followed by an energy 8, connects these energies, keeping us from living too much in our heads or too much in our emotions. It allows us to bring the spiritual side of our natures into the other aspects of ourselves. This energy maneuver also seems to help calm the “ab reactions” that occur in the physical body as the result of emotional trauma and the traumatic memories held in the cellular structures of our bodies. The ‘all the way around the foot’ energy hold allows us to pull the relational layer into the energetic connection that we are trying to establish.

---

Promised Summary of the Butterfly Express, LLC. General Newsletter

Immune Building

Crucial Role of the Immune System

The immune system plays several vital roles in our achieving a state of good health and then maintaining it. Put simply, without an immune system, our bodies would have no way to fight back against the harmful things that enter our bodies from the outside every day. We would also be unable to fight back against harmful changes that might occur inside our bodies, such as cancer cells or the systemic and cellular degradation caused by disease, chronic stress, or aging.
The main functions of this incredible system include:

• Fighting disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi.
• Then removes these invaders from the body.
• Recognizing and neutralizing harmful substances from the environment.
• Fighting disease-causing changes in the body, such as cancer cells.
• Healing damage to our bodies that may have occurred within our bodies from any source whatsoever.
• Helps our bodies adapt to new challenges and threats.

As long as your immune system is running smoothly, you don’t notice that it’s there. But if it stops working properly—because it has become weak or is unable to fight particularly aggressive germs—the trouble and destruction can become critical very quickly!

Key Organs and Tissues of the Immune System

The immune system is divided into primary organs (the organs where immune cells are born and grow to maturity) and secondary organs (where immune cells actively attack and destroy invaders and rogue cells).

Primary Lymphoid Organs: Bone marrow—which acts as a factory producing blood cells, including white blood cells and stem cells. The thymus gland is absolutely crucial to the production of our important T-cells. These T-cells are, in turn, crucial in identifying what is foreign and harmful to our bodies and what is not.

Secondary Lymphoid Organs: These organs include lymph nodes, the spleen, tonsils and Adenoids, Skin and mucosa, Peyer’s Patches in the intestinal tract and in the appendix.

Primary sub-systems through which the Immune System works?

Innate Immune System: This is the general, fast-acting defense we are born with. This system is the first line of defense against germs entering from outside the body and acts as a physical barrier to the outside world.

Adaptive Immune System: A highly specialized, slower-response system that develops over your lifetime. It uses white blood cells—like T cells and B cells—to target specific pathogens. Crucially and beneficially, this system develops a “memory”. If it defeats a germ once, it recognizes it and destroys it quickly if it invades again.

Passive Immunity: Short-term protection gained by receiving antibodies from an outside source rather than producing them yourself. For example, a baby receives passive immunity from antibodies passed through their mother’s placenta and breast milk. (Medications and vaccinations, for the most part, if at all, do not provide passive immunity. This is according to a host of well-run trials by medically oriented studies!)

Signs and Indicators that the Immune System is failing to respond properly?

• Becoming increasingly and/or highly susceptible to infections and other illnesses
• Persistent fatigue
• Slow-healing of wounds
• Recurring digestive issues
• Chronic inflammation of any kind: Chronic diseases so very often­—nearly all the time, in fact— have serious inflammation as an underlying or accompanying part of their symptom picture.

Inflammation is NOT THE DISEASE—it is merely a symptom of whatever is really going on in the body. Inflammation is the result of the body closing the cells and tissues to further invasion by swelling up while leukocytes are rushed to the area. In the case of an autoimmune disorder, the leukocytes are rushing to isolate and destroy tissues of the body rather than outside invaders.

Giving the inflammation and its related symptoms a name such as arthritis or lupus, more often than not, does not lead to a cure. It merely gives us a very general list of symptoms. However, autoimmune disorders manifest differently in each individual, so the name of the disorder is not as helpful as might be supposed. and leads to the prescription of medications, too often dangerous in their own right, to suppress those symptoms.

• Allergies: Yes, allergies are a problem with the Immune System! Simply stated, allergies arise when the immune system becomes confused about what is a danger to the body and what is not! I speak from experience here and know that allergies—even as many and as extreme as I once suffered from—can be eliminated. My life is so much more pleasant, enjoyable, and safer with those allergies long gone!
• Cellular and gene mutations: Radiation and certain chemicals can alter DNA bonds, triggering errors that lead to cellular death or even cancer or another type of cancer.
• Nervous system damage (Neurotoxicity): Exposure to heavy metals, environmental toxins, and certain types of drugs can impair the brain and spinal cord in ways that alter nerve function and cognitive development. Nerve function can occur, and usually does, when even a slightly weakened immune system is failing to respond as it should.
• Autoimmune diseases: The system mistakenly attacks the body’s own healthy cells as dangerous.

Autoimmune Disorder or Disease

We are born with, and should continue to develop during our lifetimes, defensive responses to anything that is foreign to or destructive of our own bodies. Every autoimmune disease is one form or another of the body’s failure to distinguish properly between “us” and “them” and between “beneficial” and “destructive”. In an autoimmune disorder, healthy tissues of the body are being attacked by the body’s own immune system.

The various names of the diseases are an indication of what tissues are being attacked. The underlying cause—malfunction of the immune system—is the same for all autoimmune diseases. Since autoimmune disorders indicate a malfunctioning immune system, the presence of an autoimmune disease increases the chances of developing another simultaneous autoimmune disease! (Yes, I know I am repeating myself, but this is important to understand!)

Dr. Hyman’s Definition of Autoimmune Disorder
“An overzealous immune response to something (pathogen, environment, etc.) that results in systemic inflammation. Eventually, when the inflammation has become systemic enough, the body ends up attacking its own tissues to remove the multitude of inflamed cells”.

Please read the above definition again, focusing on the word ‘inflammation’! The only difference between one autoimmune disease and another, according to Dr. Hyman, is the location of the inflammation and the cells that are eventually targeted for destruction. Inflamed cells, useful and necessary ones, are being destroyed as the body attempts to cope with the inflammation.

Enhancing Your Health To Support Optimal Immune Function

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating nutritious foods, getting adequate sleep, and managing stress, can make a great difference in our health. Utilizing the nutritional and healing power of herbs, the healing power of essential oils, and the positive healing energy of Blessed Water/Homeopathic Remedies is something I would not want to be without.
Possible Solutions and Preventative Measures

1. Clean up the colon, small intestine, and liver. Support the flora there with proper dietary habits, probiotics, nutritional herbs, and essential oils such as ^LeInsideOut and ^LeJulia by Butterfly Express. Keep the digestive system in good working order. Repair and support the pancreas. Foot Zone therapy is good for the entire system.
2. Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse—but gradually and sensibly—from metal toxicity and other environmental poisons. In today’s world, this requires constant attention. Possible methods are discussed in my books Butterfly Miracles with Essential Oils and again in Butterfly Miracles with Herbal Remedies. No space here to repeat myself.
3. Use herbs and essential oils as a routine part of every day to eliminate hidden infections of any kind.
4. Eat as much for nutritional value as for pleasure. Eat the rainbow—something of as many colors every day as possible. Pay attention to getting a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and the right kinds of fat. Eating raw fruits on an empty stomach can provide much-needed enzymes to the digestive system. The vitamin C and folic acid contained in many vegetables and fruits are necessary for the uptake of iron and other minerals and vitamins. AVOID TRANS FATS like the plague that they are!
5. Pay attention to the entire glandular and endocrine systems. Support your endocrine system every way that you can.
6. And, of course, get lymph moving and make maintaining lymphatic health a conscientious priority. A healthy and functioning lymphatic system is absolutely essential in building and maintaining a healthy immune system!
7. Limit or learn effective ways to cope with stress. Stress puts the body into hyper-mode and seriously depletes vitamins and minerals.
8. Establish and maintain proper hormone balance.
9. Continually work on keeping your perspective clear and your emotions positive and supportive of your life and your good health.
10. Become familiar with homeopathy and have remedies available to you and your family! Of all the modalities that I know and work with every day, I am most grateful for homeopathic remedies.

Medical Treatment
According to Dr. Hyman, most doctors give immune suppressant medications to treat the symptoms of the body turning on itself (an autoimmune disorder). This is nothing more than temporary pain relief. The immune system is already struggling. Turning it off or shutting it down alleviates the symptoms that are presenting at the moment, but it also weakens the immune system even further. This, of course, leaves the person open to runaway infectious diseases and secondary autoimmune disorders and increases the risk for every type of cancer. Suppressing the immune system further is NOT a SOLUTION to a malfunctioning immune system.

Pain medications, another common prescription for autoimmune diseases, do nothing more than mask the pain of the symptoms—temporarily. Taking pain medication for an autoimmune disorder is about “as effective as taking aspirin while standing on a tack”, says Dr. Hyman. Finding a way to reset the immune system and restore proper functioning rather than ingesting substances with side effects such as intestinal bleeding, kidney failure, depression, psychosis, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and diabetes is the only way to win long-term.

---

List of Topics