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Natural Medicine or naturopathy, is based on the principle that the body has power to heal itself. This is also the underlying theme for our company, Compass Concepts. If you give the body what it needs and it will heal itself. If you cut your arm, the body will work to heal it, unless there is a deficiency and your body cannot heal itself. In that case natural medicine would stimulate the body to correct the imbalance so that the body could heal the wound. We use many modalities and approaches to help and to create balance and strengthen the body. Naturopathic medicine emphasizes the treatment of disease through the stimulation, enhancement, and support of the inherent healing capacity of the person. Appropriate treatment methods are selected to work with the individual.
Consumer demand is getting higher and higher for natural medicine and aromatherapy. Futurists and scholars predict that in a few years alternative medicine will become mainstream. Almost anywhere you go, you can find some form of alternative care products. With such an influx of products come many questions:
I am constantly being asked questions like these and many more. Almost daily I find people who have made bad purchasing decisions and are not getting the results they could with natural medicines. As with any product available, there are those that promote more than they provide. No - ‘natural‘ does not mean safe. You should get a little knowledge and consult with your doctor or qualified health care practitioner before changing your health protocol. Many physicians are now more open about natural remedies and are getting more information themselves.
There are many sources where you can go for information. The book "Botanical Medicine, A Reference Guide to Wellness" by Debbie M. Loakim is a good place to start.
Here at Compass Concepts we have many paths to take on the journey to wellness and wholeness. Our creedo is that good health and vitality are achieved through balance in all aspects of life.
Dietary Supplements
We offer a wide variety of dietary supplements. Some of our favorites are:
Immunotec - For more information, and to order, please click here.
Juice Plus - For more information, and to order please click here.
Earthrise Spirulina - An excellent spirulina supplement.
Jade Chlorella - We just found this supplement, and we love it. Excellent for detoxing as well.
Norway's Purest Fish Oil - An excellent omega-3 supplement, that is lemon flavored.
Green Foods - Barley juice supplements and beyond!
LifeLine Technique
Check back soon for more information about the LifeLine technique, a new and life changing approach to healing and life. In the mean time, take a look at the book The Power of Infinite Love and Gratitude by Dr. Darren Weissman, developer of the LifeLine Technique.
For the LifeLine LifeEssnece Spagyrics, click here. LifeEssence Spagyrics are wonderful tools to detox the body and feed the various organs and meridians.
Ear Candles
Ear candles are used to pull toxins and trash out of the ears. Made from natural paraffin wax, you light one end, with the other end placed in someone's ear, who is laying on their side. The low pressure from the burning of the ear candle, pulls out the toxins and other unwanted gunk. You can find them here.
Aromatherapy
For our current selection of oils, click here.
Diffusers and replacement pads
One aspect of naturopathy is aromatherapy: the study of scent. It is the controlled and skilled use of essential oils to promote physical, emotional and therapeutic well-being. There are many books available to help you. Some of my favorites are: "Essential Oils, Your Guide to Essential Oils, Minerals and Nutrition". by Bevonne Birch, "Aromatherapy, A Lifetime Guide to Healing with Essential Oils" by Valerie Genari Cooksley and "The Aromatherapy Companion" by Victoria H. Edwards. These are many products available in the marketplace right now. One needs to be careful. For therapeutic use you want to ensure that you are using medicinal grade, high quality oils. If you simply want something that smells good - with no application to the body then you have more choices. However, even diffusing some of the chemical versions can be harmful. Many oils come adulterated, meaning they have been combined with cheaper oils or carrier oils to make then less expensive to manufacture. Melissa Oil for instance is often combined with other products and rarely sold by itself neat. Neat is what we call a pure essential oil with no carrier oils added. Rose Oil is another that is adulterated because of the high cost to produce. With careful examination you would soon smell a difference. It only takes 1 drop of unadulterated Rose Oil in most uses and it goes a long way.
Essential oils can relax the system, stimulate, regulate, reduce inflammation, balance the emotions and give relief to wounds. They are really quite versatile. When I started my study of aromatherapy - I was so amazed with all they could do. My mother actually got me interested and had given me some essential oils already diluted in a carrier oil and ready for use. I asked myself, "how is something that smells so good going to help me with my health?" So I put them aside and forgot I had them. Then I became ill with the flu and was very sick. My immune system was not fighting the virus. I had been in bed for three weeks and literally felt like I wanted to die - like a truck had hit me. Well, my mother talked with my husband and said to try the oils. She had him spray the Purify Spray around the house and put Zerelda and Spice Traders on me and the kids. I finally started to turn around and get better and no one else in my family (7 of us at the time) got sick at all. I was amazed at the oils‘ ability to work. My herbs had not helped this time. I still know the power of herbs and use them constantly - but I‘m finding they work so much better when combined with essential oils.
I can‘t just take anything at face value and so I started researching. Aromatherapy has been around for a long time. There is even reference to essential oils in the Bible. When you smell something, the molecules have traveled through the nasal passage to the olfactory bulb which is at the base of the brain where the limbic system resides. This has both a physical effect and an emotional effect. Everything in the universe has an electrical frequency including essential oils. This frequency is part of the reason they can have such a profound effect on the body. Rose for instance has the highest frequency and as such is very healing.
There are aromatherapy recipes available from a variety of sources. With the purchase of your own essential oils, you will enjoy preparing your own recipes for yourself and as thoughtful gifts for others. We will post recipes from time to time on our web site and we hope to have contributions from you as well.
Manufacturing Essential Oils
True essential oils are collected by steam distillation. A byproduct of this steam distillation is a hydrosol or hydrolat such as the Rose Water we offer. These still have some of the therapeutic value of the essential oil. We use them in our skin toner products. There are other methods of distillation like the one used to manufacture Jasmine absolute - this product is not steam distilled, it is a solvent extraction. Citrus is often a pressed oil. Other methods of collection may be less expensive and have found a place in popular aromatherapy.
True aromatherapy candles will be more expensive that adulterated versions. We offer a few and hope to be able to expand our line. They should be made with natural beeswax. Other candles may be fine and smell good - but will not be therapeutic. You need to decide what results you are looking for.
Synthetic oils or oils combined with synthetic materials have no place in holistic aromatherapy. The may smell pleasant, but they are a dead product. They should never be used fro healing as they can actually do more harm than good. They may cause allergic reactions and tax your immune system. Of course anyone can be sensitive to pure essentials - but it is not as common as reactions to synthetics. Synthetics lack the vital energy - or chi that is responsible for the positive, healing effect of pure essential oils. Price is often the reason for this adulteration and the use of synthetics. Synthetic Jasmine can be anywhere from $10 to $60 per quart and a quart of pure jasmine would cost around $2500. The adulterated or synthetic oils are available anywhere. You will have a harder time finding the pure high quality oils such as those we offer.
My Experience
My research led me to purchase some different oils. Many of my first purchases I ended up throwing away. They started out nice, but the more I learned the more I recognized good quality. The cheaper oils did not have the therapeutic effects I was looking for. When I started to find quality oils and saw how they worked so well - I was hooked. I began buying all I could afford, wanting to try more. I ended up in a very serious depression for 3 days after I tried about 8 different oils and synergies at the same time. I eventually pulled out of it with a grounding oil. So more is not better and quality oils should be used with caution. I was having so much success with the oils that my friends wanted to use what I was using, especially one essential oil many now call the "miracle oil". It was a synergy called Bear with Me and may be used to treat PMS, cramps, fears and so on. Most found instant relief from their PMS symptoms. Lavender was another requested item - it is generally safe to use and has a balancing effects on the body. It also worked great on sunburns. German Chamomile was a highly requested oil for its ability to relieve a toothache until dental care could take care of the product. Geranium is another well known essential oil that is often used for PMS and skin problems as well as many others. Eucalyptus is one that is quite abundant in the marketplace. I like to use the Eucalyptus radiata. It may be helpful for colds, exhaustion and fungus infections.
Colloidal Silver
Colloidal Silver is a popular item at our store. There are many varieties in the marketplace and plenty of controversial information to go with it. There are two things to look for when purchasing Colloidal Silver:
- The parts per million (PPM). It doesn‘t take a lot for it to have therapeutic value. Most reputable companies sell colloidal silver with a PPM of 10 to 20. You don‘t need more than that.
- Particle Size. For a quick and easy test, put your colloidal silver in a clear glass and shine a light through it - if it reflects, the particles are too big. You want your colloidal silver to be clear with no color to it. If the particle sizes are too big - the silver may not flush out of the system.
That is why I started producing my own silver - to get the quality I wanted. Colloidal Silver should not replace competent care by your doctor should you be seriously ill. But we have had much success with it in treating infections, colds, strep, cold sores, rashes, athlete‘s foot, candida infections and warts. The list goes on.
Australian Bush Flower
We have a great selection of Australian Bush Flower remedies. These wonderful remedies are gentle and effective, quite similar to homeopathic remedies. Our combinations can treat everything from hormone imbalance and jet lag to lack of energy. Again, these work with the frequencies of the body to help bring the body into balance. We also offer some wonderful homeopathic ointments that are very gentle. Homeopathics work on the principle of ‘like cures like‘. A very diluted amount of a substance can have a profound effect. For instance, Alium cepa (onion) in a homeopathic form will treat the same symptoms you get when you cut an onion. They work on a subtle yet powerful electromagnetic level, gently acting to strengthen the body‘s healing and immune response. The Australian Bush Flowers are also very diluted and their effect is very subtle and gentle.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine is another area of concern for many. It has many questions that go with it. It is the first choice of medicine in many countries around the world yet today. Many cultures shun our practice here in the West of utilizing so many chemical based drugs. While our western medicine is wonderful in its ability to treat emergency situations - there may be better options for simple ailments. For instance a nurse from Germany reported to me that in German hospitals if you can‘t sleep, you would get Chamomile Tea before you would ever get a prescription medication. My husband, while traveling abroad in Europe, became ill with a stomach condition. The doctor gave him some herbal tea and off he went feeling much better within hours.
Be careful in your purchase of herbal or botanical products. Cheaper does not always mean good. There are many variables in producing herbal products such as: the maturity of the plant when harvested, the soil conditions and season the plant was grown, where it was grown, the drying process of the herb and most important the length of time the herb has been stored. These may be hard to tell from reading the label so be sure to purchase from reputable companies. We are offering a few products and as the demand grows we will be offering more products. One company I highly recommend and sell is Nature‘s Sunshine. You can purchase these products from us or enter our account number and sign up to receive wholesale prices direct to you. Their products are fresh and their website contains volumes of useful information. Nature‘s Sunshine is a company designed for those who don‘t know a lot about herbal products. There are other companies out there - be selective, ask and look for quality products. Many people can tell just by taking a product if it is working, because you begin to feel better. But, beware of clever marketing. I had a client buying some prepackaged herbal products for $100 every month. She said she thought she felt better, but wasn‘t sure (I think it was hope). It was a terrible product and she was wasting her money. Other herbal products contain ginseng and other stimulating herbs. They help you feel better because the give you more energy. This is a false feeling of energy. Many don‘t have a good blend of vitamins and you should not be taking these stimulating herbs on a daily basis. Many plant substances are powerful medicines and can address a wide variety of problems. Botanicals, by their organic nature, are compatible with the body‘s own chemistry; thus working with the body better than some conventional remedies and have fewer side effects.
Our essential oils and other products make wonderful gifts. We‘ve put together some kits to help people get started. Our kits are very popular as gifts for a variety of occasions ranging from anniversaries to baby showers. Essential oils provide the ultimate pampering.
So that is how my hobby became our family business (you can read more about that on our About Us page). We invite you to learn everything you can about the wonderful world of natural medicine and aromatherapy. We are happy to help in anyway and to share with you the health and enjoyment we have found.
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