News for the soul
How essential oils help hayfever
Posted by Jo Harris on
We endure the long grey winter, just holding out for sunnier days. Then as soon as the blossoms appear our hearts start to soar as warmer weather is finally near. But for some people, spring is not joyous at all and is a time of suffering. This is called hayfever (allergic rhinitis) which is when a person is exposed to an allergen and the immune system reacts by producing antibodies which signal the brain to release extra histamine which provokes an inflammatory response.
How to get rid of head lice naturally
Posted by Jo Harris on
The latest visitor in our house has been a most unwelcome one. This particular visitor (actually plural) hitched a ride home on my daughter’s hair. Yep it is that most unwelcome intrusion into many parent’s life. Head lice. Shudder. It is not that I shudder at the idea of head lice per se, it is more the knowledge that now I have to spend hours nitpicking through my daughter’s long hair and then washing every single little thing that might have head contact with her hair or head every time we find more lice.
The supermoon & the March equinox coincide
Posted by Jo Harris on
Oh the moon, the splendid moon. When I was a kid, I had the fortune to grow up on a farm in the country, far from lights. On balmy summer nights, (yes this was before the invention of electronic devices), my brother and I used to lay under the stars and the moon. Being in the country, the stars were magnificent, so many, so distinct in the sky. Then there was the moon and the nights of the full moon. We used to think it was made out of cheese and how we loved cheese. We used to make up stories of going up in our space ship just to be able to eat unlimited amounts of cheese.
How to beat jet lag forever
Posted by Jo Harris on
Now that plane travel has become much cheaper than it used to be, many people like to fly across the other side of the world for their holidays or to see family or to secure business deals. Because I have to do a twice yearly flight crossing time zones adding up to an 8 to 10 hour difference, I am very familiar with the suffering caused by jet lag and the different responses I have had to it depending on direction and the season in the arrival destination. So I have done much reading about jet lag in order to understand it, but mainly to alleviate my week long suffering.
Reflections on 2018
Posted by Jo Harris on
One thing I love to make time for at the end of every year is to reflect on the year that has been in order to prepare myself for the next year. Sometimes it means being grateful for what has been wonderful in that year, sometimes it means compassionately recognising that I need to let go of something or a habit or even someone as I move into the new year in order to make space for what I actually want. So I am going to share a series of questions that I always ask myself, hoping that you will find them useful too. Sit down with a notebook and a nice cup of something and reflect.