Natural Healing and Music for Autism

For parents who have autistic children, there is no type of therapy left unexplored.  If it is even suggested that a particular form of therapy could be beneficial to their child, most parents will try it to see for themselves.  Natural healing is one of the ways many parents attempt to enhance their autistic child’s learning.  This can include diet, speech therapy, play therapy, sensory therapy and music therapy.  It is commonly believed that a combination of different remedies will best help the child in coping with autism and allow them to learn at a faster pace.  While many different therapies are effective, music therapy seems to cross many boundaries and assist in all aspects of other learning.  Even if it si not the main source, it can enhance other forms of therapy.

In people without autism, music can be soothing, inspiring and incite the senses.  Because autistic children are often sensitive to sound and seem to be attuned to music, the benefits most people find in music can be especially helpful with autism.  It is a non verbal and non threatening way to enhance situations and to calm the child.  It can also be used as a tool to increase the ability to learn.  It can be used in conjunction with speech therapy in order to speed up the understanding of vocabulary and language patterns.

Social situations, commonly difficult for autistic children, are much easier with the assistance of music in the classroom.  For example, you can use music to encourage autistic children to sit together and interact.  You can even encourage eye contact with the use of clapping in time to the music or using cymbals.  Silly songs and fun beats can often incite smiles in laughter in otherwise stoic children.  For those who have difficulty following the rules, making rules to music can be highly successful. 

Music also soothes the senses and can make a stressful situation seem calmer.  This can help the autistic child in a number of ways across of number of learning opportunities.  Motor skills can be enhanced by practicing physical activities to a beat.  Musical ability is also often displayed in those who have autism.  While not every child is the same, many autistic children are sensitive to musicality.  Some have good singing voices, others can mimic sounds, some may have perfect pitch and others may be able to play an instrument easily by ear.  Regardless, theses skills can all b used to enhance other areas of learning.

Speech problems are typical in autistic children but with the use of music, they can learn vocabulary and sentence structure.  It is common for autistic children to speak in monosyllabic tones but this can gradually dissipate with the use of music therapy as a natural healing remedy.  Children will often understand how to structure a question as opposed to a statement or use an exclamation appropriately when initially taught via music. 

Therapists who use music as a tool to enhance the teaching process to autistic children report a high rate of success.  Parents and teachers alike should try music therapy as a means to enhance their autistic child’s learning ability. It is also highly successful as a natural healing remedy to soothe when in a stressful situation. 

Aromatherapy Essential Oils for Everyday Use

In today’s busy and hectic pace of life, aromatherapy is becoming a popular complimentary therapy which can be used at work, home or by going to a professional therapist and can help to combat the stresses and strains that are encountered by everyone on a daily basis.

Whilst aromatherapy is a comprehensive subject which does take a while to learn about, it is relatively easy to collate an aromatherapy essential oils home care kit. Once the basic do’s and don’ts have been understood, it is useful to have some key essential oils on standby.

Start by choosing the oils which you are naturally drawn to either by trying the scent or by reading up and learning about their properties, this is dependant on whether the oils are for specific conditions or perhaps household accidents such as minor abrasions or burns for example.

Only select the pure essential oils as there are those which could do more harm than good when applied, so be sure to double check first. The shelf life of the pure oils can be 2-3 years providing they are stored in dark glass bottles and kept away from artificial and natural light. Be aware that citrus oils have a lesser shelf life than others. If you are seriously looking at building up a comprehensive home care kit, then invest in a box to store them in.

Learning about aromatherapy essential oils can be a seriously addictive practice, especially as with just a little knowledge, you realize how beneficial they can be. Just remember to avoid putting oils directly onto the skin, always mix with a good carrier oil such as sweet almond oil or grape seed oil and as aromatherapy essential oils are so concentrated, just a few drops are needed when mixed with the carrier oil.
Lavender and tea-tree oil are the only exclusions to this rule.

Lavender oil is an essential oil to have in your homecare kit. It is an anti-depressant, useful for tension, headaches, for insomnia, indigestion and is both soothing and pain-relieving.

Sweet Marjoram is a sedative, aids digestion and useful in times of anxiety, headaches, colds and muscular pain

Tea Tree oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, useful in respiratory infections, can be used for insect bites, spots or cuts.

Peppermint oil can be used as an insect repellent, antiseptic, decongestant, breath freshener, to ease asthma symptoms, digestive problems and for headaches

Rosemary oil is an anti-depressant, useful in digestion problems, fatigue, flu, oily skin, burns and for poor circulation

Neroli oil can be used for headaches, depression and flatulence, also for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, panic-attacks and stress.

Aromatherapy essential oils can benefit the whole family and once everyone becomes aware of their vast properties, will be used more and more as time goes by. Just remember that whilst they promote natural good health and well-being, they should be treated with respect.

Homeopathy Acne

Acne, perhaps the most common health condition, can affect people for their entire life. A skin disorder, it affects eight out of every ten teenagers. Acne happens when the sebaceous glands or oil secreting glands in the skin of the face, chest and back become over sensitive to normal levels of androgen. Adults can also experience acne. Though it often clears up after several years, even without treatment, it may leave scars. Various types of acne are: Pimples (blackheads, whiteheads); Papules, Pustules, Nodules and Cysts.

Acne may occur for many reasons.

• Poor hygiene may cause dirt and grease to accumulate and block skin pores.
• Hormonal changes can cause teenagers and young adults to be more prone to acne.
• Dandruff can fall on the face and back and cause acne.
• Hair follicles may not get rid of dead cells fast enough and clog the pores.
• The sebaceous gland may produce too much, providing a breeding ground for bacteria and causing acne.
• Stress can affect hormone levels and account for some adult acne.
• Occupational exposure to chemicals, grease, oil and toxins.

Often embarrassed by their appearance, patients with acne may have a lower self esteem and experience depression and anxiety. Consumption of excessive oily foods, sweets, chocolate, improper diet and food habits, over exposure to the sun, smoking, lack of exercise, constipation, drugs, alcohol, cosmetics and insufficient rest may all aggravate the condition.

HOMEOPATHY ACNE

Patients suffering from acne are offered a natural, effective remedy through homeopathy acne remedies. They will notice a drying up of the affected areas and a reduction in the number of existing acne. The symptoms of pain, burning and itching, are reduced and often disappear after using homeopathy acne remedies. Many times the skin texture will also improve.

The homeopathy acne remedy is approached in a different way than conventional medicines. It is treated holistically from within the body, and not superficially, by using ointments and creams since the outer skin eruption is a reflection of the internal disorder of the body. The symptoms are a direct manifestation of the body’s attempt to heal itself and the homeopathy acne remedy acts as a trigger to stimulate the body’s own healing forces.

When taking a homeopathy acne remedy, the following procedures are recommended to enhance the results:
• Avoid sugar, white flour products, soft drinks, refined foods, chocolate, cheese, meat, butter and iodized salt.
• Avoid wearing heavy makeup which may clog pores and cause acne.
• Avoid picking at the affected areas. This increases the chance of spreading bacteria and scarring.
• Exercise on a regular basis to manage your stress. Regular exercise is important for overall health and can flush impurities from the skin through perspiration.
• Minimize oiliness with an astringent, such as witch hazel. Apply to a cotton ball and gently wipe skin.
• Try supplements and herbs that support healthy skin.

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