Blog – Traditionally Empowered Healing LLC

The Wild-Card Theory

April 11, 2023April 17, 2023 Anat Shlagman Traditional Naturopath

We are all too familiar with seeing our friends and/or family members and/or ourselves becoming ill or suffering from a certain condition that every statistics you find about it are extremely gloomy, leaving everyone in a deep despair with no real hope to elevate yours or your loved ones’ spirits. Could there be a way to make things different? Could there be a way to bypass these dreadful statistics?

What if there was something that can be done? What if this something has no way to predict its results? What if this something was just a surreal idea such as The Wild-Card Theory?

According to Merrian-Webster dictionary, the definition of a wild card is an unknown or unpredictable factor. Britannica explains it as a person or a thing that could affect a situation in a way that cannot be foreseen. Dictionary.com offers that it is a card having its value decided by the wishes of the players.

Let’s see where all these definitions can take us:

The Wild-Card Theory is based on my assumption about the population who participates in the statistical studies (This is my own personal view and I do apologize ahead to anyone whom this may cause any discomfort). My assumption is that the majority of this population have lived a certain lifestyle and reached a certain outcome which requires now a medical care. As these people seek medical attention, they try their best to maintain their old lifestyle as much as possible within minimal changes, except of some adjustments to accommodate treatments, interventions and medications before or after work and through weekends or vacations. This way is convenient as it provides the comfort of something familiar and does not require any mental or physical or emotional efforts. Just requires following accepted rules and instructions, which eventually lead to a predicted promised outcome, registered as statistics.

But what if you want to do one thing that is different from what you have done before? You might find yourself becoming unpredictable as you deviate out of the predicted statistics. You might become a Wild-Card which can turn in any direction. This situation might not be so comfortable, as there are more unknown factors to it than known ones, and the fact, that any situation might not be worse than the gloomy prediction, is not too comforting as there is no way to scientifically prove it. This situation might also not be supported by those around you, as it is not familiar to anyone and might be perceived as unsafe. There are so many opportunities for discouragement, making this deviation pretty unwelcoming.

Also, Wild-Cards cannot be registered in any statistics since there are too many variants to consider. There is no such thing as “one change fits all”. Each person comes from a different background and has their own unique way of thinking. There are not enough similar features to compare, making this another opportunity for discouragement, as you will probably be on your own, without a solid scientific support.

But what if just for a moment, you allow yourself to imagine. What if just for a moment you allow yourself to imagine choosing to do one thing that you really want to do even though everyone around has convinced you that it is nonsense? What if just for a moment you allow yourself to imagine choosing to eat one different thing that you really like even though everyone around has convinced you that it will be too weird to eat it? What if just for a moment you allow yourself to imagine choosing to express one feeling that resonates with you even though everyone around has convinced you that it is better to suppress your feelings?

What if just for a moment you allow yourself to imagine choosing to spend your time only with the people who have the mental-emotional-physical capacity to walk by your side and unconditionally hold your hand through every decision you make?

What if you take another moment and you allow your imagination to go wild – imagining yourself daring to do two of these things. or three. or more… Would you dare to imagine that???

It might become truly astounding!!!!!!

Yes, Wild-Cards might be able to create miracles. But these miracles are not granted for free. These miracles are brought to life by a meticulous and persistent work. These miracles are brought to life by taking the time to do something different. These miracles are brought to life by taking the time to understand the reason for doing the things you do, and the way they serve you. These miracles are brought to life by taking the time to learn about different approaches in every area of life. And mainly, these miracles are brought to life by allowing yourself to listen to your own body and tend to its needs.

Some people might wonder if it’s too late to make a change. Every change requires an energy investment. While being physically & emotionally & mentally burdened, it might be more challenging to find the energy to make a change, as opposed to the ease of keeping your old habits. What if this is too late and the change will not really make a difference? Why even bother?
I find it hard to believe that a difference won’t be created. Every minor shift has an effect. While you might be hoping for a grand transformation, the shift might be manifested in one little thing only: the way you perceive or react to events. Shouldn’t that be enough? As you slowly start shifting how you view and approach any event that crosses your way, you may find that bigger changes begin to manifest, such as, your priorities might change, leading to different decisions or actions.

When would it be too late? My personal thinking is that as long as you are the one crying for your own problems, it is not too late to make any changes. However, when others cry for your problems and start calling you “the late” without even knowing what you are late for, then you might probably be too late…

So, if you are still reading my article up to this point, you are definitely not late;)

But why would you even bother to become a Wild-Card? Truth to be said, if you like what your statistics predict then you should follow the recommended regiment and be happy with it. If you don’t like the prediction – check within yourself how tirelessly and persistently are you willing to work in order to deviate from it. Once you are ready to do everything in your power in order to make a change, you are welcome to follow my thoughts how to get you started. Then, feel free to make any adjustments following your body’s needs (and you can find more elaboration in my article The Art of Healing Yourself).

First and foremost, your nervous system must relax. There is no way to get out of your automatic mode while your body is wired for survival. Once nervous system is relaxed, the allocation of your body’s energy “budget” will be different – there will be time and resources to detect and correct what’s needed. The best way I can offer would be castor oil packs. Of course, there are millions of other ways to do it, but the combination of touch and stillness brings astonishing results (along with many other benefits, for example, softening your diaphragm to allow more room for your lungs to expand, bringing more oxygen into your body).

Once your nervous system is relaxed, it might be the time to observe your nourishment. Nourishment means supplying your cells with the materials they need in order to function in their most efficient way. How can you nourish your body? By eating real food. Food that was not processed or changed by human hand. Food that existed here for thousands of years and is not new. Food that your grandparents will recognize when you take them shopping – ask them which foods they ate as kids and learn from them. These foods probably have been protecting them from what they are eating now. Real food is not about being vegetarian, or vegan, or paleo, or follow a certain diet. It is about eating a product that your cells recognize and can utilize, and not replacing it with something containing harmful ingredients. Some examples (but not limited to) of real food could be Fruits (preferably organic), vegetables (preferably organic), grass-fed / organic meats, Free range chicken /eggs / chicken soup/bone broth/roots soup, avocado, full fat grass-fed dairy / butter….

Now that your nervous system is relaxed and your body is nourished, it is time to nourish your soul by opening your heart and mind to find and follow your deepest desires. Is there anything you wish to learn, or to see, or to be, or to do? Is there anywhere you wish to be? You might find that you are limiting yourself due to material necessities – money, time, physical location. While these are real obstacles on your way to make your wishes come true, they should not stop you from dreaming. Because the only thing that can make your deepest wishes come true is finding the courage to dream or visualize them. And dreaming can take place only when your survival needs are met, meaning you are not in “war zone” anymore. If you’d like, you can read more about it in my article What Does it Take to Follow Our Dreams?

The Wild-Card Theory is not a quick magic solution to conditions which have been building in your body for many years. It is a process that requires your physical-mental-emotional commitment and is meant to bring awareness to a very basic rule: if you want to achieve different outcomes, you must do something different than what you did before. As simple of a statement this would be, it does require a strong will-power to carry it out. Finding your will-power depends on your intentions only:

Do you want to deviate from the statistics?
Are you willing to invest your time and energies to do something different?
Are you committed to reordering your whole world – emotionally, physically and mentally?

Becoming a Wild-Card would probably be one of the most challenging actions you would ever take in your life:

Dealing with uncertainty in a world that is already shaken.
Adjusting to changes that are not always comfortable or comforting.
Learning new habits which might not always be welcomed by your surroundings.
Accepting emotional expressions as part of your life, as embarrassing as they might be.
Supporting yourself by doing what feels right for you regardless to the responses of others.
Allowing yourself to dream and to hope while not allowing any perceived imperfections to limit your imagination.
Accepting the Feeling of loneliness until you find the courage to surround yourself only with the people who have the emotional-mental-physical capacity to walk by your side.
Discovering how the forgotten self-love and kindness-to-self allow you to prioritize what really matters, even when no-one around you can demonstrate it.

And the list goes on and on, completed by those who were and are Wild-Cards.

Is it worth it? It’s only for you to decide! You are the only one who is responsible for your actions and for the consequences of your actions. Every decision you make should be one that you whole heartedly can live by.

At any time, if you need my help, you know where to find me. My sessions and workshops are designed to fit each person’s individual situation, working to encourage minor (almost invisible) changes in one’s life, which have been showing an amazing long-lasting healing effect with many.

The highest forms of love are inevitably totally free choices and not acts of conformity.
M. Scott Peck, MD – The Road Less Traveled

Blog, Self Heal, Self Love

Would You Allow 2023 To Become The Year About You?

November 11, 2022December 9, 2022 Anat Shlagman Traditional Naturopath

The people who change the world around them – for themselves, their companies, communities, and families – rarely act from a sense of obligation. In fact, the people who act as leaders almost always act from a sense of incredible opportunity. They don’t interact with the world around them because they have to. They do so because they want to.
Mark Sanborn: You don’t need a title to be a leader

Once upon a time, there was nothing.

Then came covid..

Then, 2020 became the year about a pandemic. 2021 became the year about living with a pandemic. 2022 became the year about getting out of a pandemic. What if 2023 does not become part of this sequence? What if, in your own little world, 2023 does not become another year about a worldly intense event? What if, in your own little world, you allow 2023 to become the year about you? About your own internal process, about your own internal growth, about your own internal healing? Just in your own little world, regardless of any event happening in the universe?

Would you allow 2023 to become the year about you?

It is so easy to get distracted with a worldly disaster and become engaged with matters which are not really yours, staying away from your own internal heavier issues which await to be tended by you. Easy, but not very effective, as these issues will never disappear, and as they linger, they might create bigger problems. And yet, why would you bother with something that is not causing you too much trouble at this moment? Why would you get out of your comfort zone when you are not facing anything that is life threatening yet? Why would you tend to your own little world when so many other important things are happening in the universe?

The simple, but not always popular answer would be, because you have the choice to do so. You can choose to do what works for you. You can choose to allow or not to allow anything to enter or not to enter your life. But how can you know what is the thing that would promote your highest good? How can you know that what you’re doing now is or is not the best choice for you at this moment?

To gain this knowledge you might need to slow down and maybe take a little break…

Slowing down and taking a brake can provide an opportunity to allow yourself to make observations about how your life evolves. When observations are not accompanied by judgment, they become assessments.

What can you assess? Here are some examples as a starter:

Starting with the Physical aspect. Is everything ok here?

Do I have the energy for all the activities I want to do?
Do I feel any discomfort anywhere in my body?
Do I find time to move through the day?
Do I find time to relax through the day?
Do I feel nourished?

Continue with the Mental aspect. Is everything ok here?

Do I know why I am doing every activity I do?
Do I want to do all the activities I do?
Am I running in circles? Do I feel that everything will always be the same and nothing will ever change?
Do I feel that I am being heard? Do I want to be heard?
Do I listen to my own advice? Do I follow it?
Do I feel more committed to others than I am to myself?
Do I feel the need to be in control all the time?

Then, checking in with the Emotional aspect. Is everything ok here?

Do I like all the activities I do? How do I feel about them?
Do I make my decisions out of obligation to others, feeling that I might hurt others if I say no?
Do I feel that I am being led into a place that I don’t necessary want to be in?
Do I wake up in the morning eager to start my day?
Do I feel appreciated (by me, spouse, siblings, parents, friends…)?
Do I feel cared for (by me, spouse, siblings, parents, friends…)?
Do I feel fear or anxiety of what is beyond my control?

What if you discover that one or more of the issues you have assessed are not exactly to your liking? Would you be willing to do something to make the issue/s be different? If you would, then no major acts are needed. Starting with a minor shift in your thinking – appreciating the opportunity to set an intention to create a change. Then everything opens up – you will become aware that you have the choice to do whatever serves you best.

Now, where can you start this shift?

Starting with the most basic action – Breathing. There is no doubt in my mind that you are constantly breathing. However, is your breathing slow and deep, feeding your relaxed state of your central nervous system, or is it fast and shallow, feeding your survival mode? If you are not sure, you can take a glance at your lung reflex in your feet. The lung reflex is located on the balls of your feet and can be a great indicator to the state of your lungs:

Is the reflex small?
Your breathing might be shallow.
Is the reflex high – hogging the base of your toes?
Your lungs might be hogging your throat to a point you feel suffocating most of the time.
Is the reflex swollen?
Your lungs might be filled with unprocessed events which patiently wait for an opportunity to be processed.
Is the reflex tender?
Your lungs might be calling out for help.

So much information can be gathered from one little spot in your feet. If your lung reflex shows one or more of the above, you might want to check for tightness in your diaphragm, which is a primary muscle in your breathing. Put your fingers beneath your last rib, just above your belly, and feel what is happening there.

Is your diaphragm muscle tight? Is it tender?

Why would your diaphragm tighten?
Maybe as a result of a long habit of shallow breathing which leads to a minimal use of the muscle? Or maybe as a result of constant stress which keeps the muscle tight? Whatever the reason is, when your diaphragm is tight, your lungs may feel “caged” and may have a hard time expanding to their fullest capacity. Releasing the diaphragm will accommodate space for your lungs to expand, allowing your breathing to deepen and slow down.

How can you release your diaphragm?

Surprisingly enough, a Castor pack can do wonders. Applying the castor pack on your abdomen (see instructions here), conveniently touching your diaphragm (just below your ribs), the heat and the oil will soften the tissue. In addition, castor packs have the amazing power to bring your central nervous system to its relaxed state. This is explained in my article: “The real reason I love castor oil packs“.
Yes, a castor pack might be messy. Yes, it might be another chore in your busy day. And yes, it is probably outdated and not very popular. But IT WORKS!!!

My adventures with castor packs began in 2011, when we were forced by a school assignment at the naturopathic school to do them at home. No matter how much we read about the benefits of the castor packs or how many testimonials we heard, none of us was willing to try them! Who is crazy enough to go to sleep with a sticky oil on their belly, messing up all the sheets/cloths/floors? And thus, it turned into a graded assignment, to propel us to try the packs.

Feeling obligated, I reluctantly went to sleep with a castor pack. To my astonishment, the next morning I woke up feeling rested, happy, and ready to start the day!! Then I saw Amit slowly dragging himself down the stairs looking as if he did not sleep for a whole week. I asked him what happened, and he could not believe that I didn’t hear anything from the busy commotion of the kids through the night. We have 3 kids, and sure enough they were very young back then, but by his description, it sounded like we had 100 of them that night!!!

At that moment, my school assignment turned from an obligation into an incredible opportunity! The only thing I could think of was that I have to remember to put another castor oil pack that night!!!! Because this was the most accurate reflection of how we both looked and felt like every morning heading down the stairs. Grabbing this opportunity to witness the difference between a restful night sleep and a hectic one, I immediately ordered hot water bottles and oil for all of us, and peace came to our nights. Or so I think… As I keep doing the packs almost daily since, and do not hear a thing;)

Back to your breathing – When you slow and deepen your breath, your brain understands that “war is over” and that there is time now to breath. Then, your nervous system can shift to its parasympathetic state, where it can allocate resources to detect and correct what needs some adjustment in your body. Would a simple routine as a castor oil pack worth a try to enhance your breathing? It’s only for you to decide.

Now that you can breathe, you might want to assess how well-nourished you are. Nourishment means that every cell in your body gets the materials it needs for its most efficient function. Nourishment is not about a certain trendy diet. It is about eating real food, at least in one of your daily meals. Real food has not been processed or changed by human hand. Real food has been around for thousands of years and is not new. This type of food is familiar to your cells, and they know how to process and use it. Some examples of real food could be Fruits (preferably organic), vegetables (preferably organic), grass-fed / organic meats, Free range chicken /eggs, chicken soup/bone broth, pickles, sauerkraut, avocado, full fat grass-fed dairy / butter….

If you feel that today your plate does not include real foods – DO NOT ELIMINATE A THING! If you’d like, you can start ADDING nourishing foods – maybe a bone broth or a root vegetable soup – and eat it before you eat what you regularly eat. Allow your body to get accustomed again to the tastes of real foods, and soon enough, your body will not carve what you were used to eat.

When your body is nourished, it can release the need to be in survival mode. You will then feel relaxed and secured. You will not feel hungry, and cravings will lessen.

Once you can breathe and nourish your cells, you might want to take a walk outside. Walking in nature has a meditative effect on your brain. Studies show that walking in the nature can boost your immune system and lessen your anxieties and stress. As a physical activity it improves circulation and lymphatic functions. Being surrounded by nature activates all your senses and revives your creativity.

Maybe you can take another assessment while you walk. Maybe now you are able to contemplate the assessment questions with deeper answers. Maybe now you are able to remove yourself a bit further from your situation and get a wider view of what is happening in your own little world. Again, allow yourself to be just an observer. If you encounter the need for judgment – slow down again and check if there is a way you can turn any unliked event into an opportunity. Maybe now, that you have more insight into your internal world, you can set your intention to elevate this found opportunity for your own growth and healing.

If you cannot do it at this moment – it’s OK! The understanding that any obligation or unliked event has the potential to turn into an opportunity can create a major shift by itself. And this shift might inspire you to allow 2023 to be the year about you.

And if you need any help in your process, you are always invited for a session with me. In my Initial session you will receive a wide understanding about what is happening in your body – physically, emotionally and mentally – and most important, we will discuss what you can do at home to promote your own health and healing. Because it does not matter how big is the miracle that can be created in a one-hour session, as it is just a fraction of the miracles you can create in the rest of the twenty-three!

To a Happy, Healthy, Full of Opportunities New Year,
and Cheers to Allowing This New Year To Be All About You!!!

Blog, Self Heal

The Art of Healing Yourself

April 4, 2022April 5, 2022 Anat Shlagman Traditional Naturopath

Many of us seek for the answers to our health issues everywhere we can and constantly on the lookout for the ultimate healer who can fix us. But what if you discovered that there is only one person, in the whole world, that can heal you? What if you discovered that this person is in very close proximity to you? What if you discovered that this person is not me (too easy;), but it is you?

Why would this person be you? Because you are the only one who can bring your own body to meet its survival needs. And why would that be important? Because when body’s survival needs are met, our nervous system can shift into a deep relaxed state which will signal to every cell in our body that “War is over!”. And what would that do? When the body is in a state of peace, inflammation will no longer be needed. Thus, any condition, which was aggravated by the flux of inflammation, will get the opportunity to settle down, or in other words – heal.

What are these survival needs? Think about babies – what do they need? To sleep, to eat, to be touched, to be soothed, to be clean, to move and to learn how to coexist with others in the world. We may have grown out of our baby stage, but our needs have not changed. However, now, we are engaged with so many responsibilities which have become a priority over our basic needs.

Here begins our part as self healers, by tending to our basic needs and helping our body meet them. How can we do that? Simply by going back to basics – returning to all the actions that we usually skip through our busy life. These actions are also known as the pillars of Traditional Naturopathy: Nourishment, Bodywork, Rest/sleep, Energy work, Herbal medicine, Hydrotherapy, Education, and Movement.

Here is my understanding of these pillars and some thoughts of how to apply them into our busy lives:

What does it mean Nourishment?

Nourishment means supplying our cells with the materials they need in order to function in their most efficient way. How can we nourish our body? By eating real food. Food that was not processed or changed by human hand. Food that existed here for thousands of years and is not new. Food that your grandparents will recognize when you take them shopping – ask them which foods they ate as kids and learn from them. These foods probably have been protecting them from what they are eating now.

The word “Food” is not always a synonym to Nourishment. It does not matter how much we eat or how we look, but if our cells are not being nourished, we will always be hungry and always seek for something to eat. That’s why we want to look for Real food.

Real food is not about being vegetarian, or vegan, or paleo, or follow a certain diet. It is about eating a product that our cells recognize and not replacing it with something containing harmful ingredients. Some examples of real food could be Fruits (preferably organic), vegetables (preferably organic), grass-fed / organic meats, Free range chicken /eggs / chicken soup, pickles, sauerkraut, avocado, full fat grass-fed dairy / butter….

Nourishment is not a sophisticated philosophy. Nourishing food has become less socially acceptable since it takes more effort to make it or find it. Sometimes we might avoid eating nourishing foods out of embarrassment to be the only one doing so, or simply because we are too tired or too busy to make the effort. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment to cook my own meal?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I don’t have few minutes to sit down and eat nourishing foods to resolve my own issues?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What does it mean Bodywork?

Referring to the word “bodywork”, the most common association would be of someone applying touch on you. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an in-home-(any type of)-bodyworker working on you 24/7? Or, maybe having the resources to pay for daily sessions? Probably…
But since this would be just a fantasy for most of us, we might want to look into other creative solutions, or maybe slightly shift our thinking to an efficient route. Even if you are blessed with an in-home-(any type of)-bodyworker, or you are seeing someone periodically (weekly/monthly/yearly or anything in between) – these professionals will see you only for a limited time. So that would be it? What is happening in between these times? What if you don’t see anyone?

My belief is that touch is not exclusive as an external act only. Could touching our own tissue be regarded as bodywork? Of course!! A gentle touch is very nourishing to our nervous system. And the main benefit is that it is free and unlimited!

This kind of touch is not only physical. It is mostly emotional and mental, as we allow our cells to open. Everything we kept closed inside, suddenly has the permission to come to light: Every feeling that we buried, every thought that we concealed, and even memories that we dismissed without processing. Once these memories / thoughts / feelings start to flood us, we have the choice to hide them again or to accept them into our lives.

Any issue we are dealing with requires lots of energy from us. But hiding that issue (mainly from ourselves) requires much more energy, which eventually can deplete our vitality. The wiser (aka older) we grow, the more energy our body requires for daily functions, and we have less energy to spare for other purposes.
As we grow wiser, we may feel more exhausted and sense that our body is not servicing us as before. Physical check would be a great venue to take to see what is happening, but along with that, it is imperative to take a deeper look and watch for hidden burdens. Since we are so accustomed to keep moving through our routines, it is not very obvious to us that we may disregard our feelings. When we touch and feel what is happening in our body, we can learn to use our energy in the most efficient way so healing can rise.

Nourishing touch should be regarded as a practice, like yoga or meditation, in order for our body to start trusting and letting go. The more we nourish with touch, the healthier we get, and the closer we become to real things – real food, real touch, real outdoor activities, real relationships, real emotional expression, real/honest reactions – which will promote us to real healing. Nourishing our Emotional, Mental and Spiritual aspects is essential simply because Physical nourishment is not enough. And Touch will probably cover them all…

Sometimes, we might be too busy or too tired to apply touch on our own tissue. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment to apply touch on my own tissue?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I don’t have few minutes to understand what my own issues are simply by touching and feeling the differences in my tissue?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What does it mean Rest/Sleep?

Rest is not a synonym of laziness. According to Harvard university, sleep enhances memory, immune system, focus, improves mood and provides vitality for us to be productive. We can achieve much more of our goals in much shorter time when we are rested, rather than running constantly without stopping.

Over thinking, over worrying, and living with anxieties may prevent us from either falling asleep or getting a good night sleep to feel rested in the morning.
When we have sleeping issues – our nervous system needs some nourishing attention. We have to be mindful that when nervous system compromises, all other systems compromise as well (digestive, immune, hormonal, reproductive…).
There are many ways to calm the nervous system, but I will share here only one, aiding sleeping: Using Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) either as a tincture or as tea, is a very effective gentle way to calm the nervous system. I love the tea version as a great ending to a hectic day – sitting and enjoying a hot cup of tea. Yes, sitting is a huge part of enhancing relaxation… and with its great taste, even kids enjoy drinking Lemon balm tea. Lemon balm tea can be made with fresh or dried herb – simply pour boiling water onto the leaves (usually 1 tsp herbs for 1 cup of water, but you can always increase or decrease the amount of this herb).

The nice thing about lemon balm (and herbs in general) is that it is not causing you to be tired, but it shows you how tired you are, and actually forces you to take an action about it, trusting that taking breaks from our life missions will actually help us complete these tasks much faster and more efficiently.

Combining this tea with an application of a castor oil pack, when going to sleep, will bring the nervous system to a very deep state of relaxation, which will allow the whole body to recover through the night. It may take your nervous system few days to adjust and trust your nourishing efforts, and therefore, you may want to set a routine of daily drinking the tea and applying the castor pack for at least a week or two. Watch for minor changes. Don’t look for the extreme. Look for these little, subtle shifts, that may actually save your life in the long run. For example, watch your reactions to the events around you. watch your mood. watch your thoughts before you go to sleep. Has anything change? are you less reactive? are you happier? are you feeling lighter? are you more focused on your actions? are you thinking more clearly? Small steps, but what a difference they make!

Sometimes, we might be too worried or too busy to find time to take a nap or to sleep for a decent number of hours. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment for myself to take a short rest?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I cannot find few minutes to calm my worries which prevent me from having a good night sleep?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What does it mean Energy work?

Energy work is often linked to many modalities as Reiki, Therapeutic touch, Craniosacral therapy, EFT, Chakra balancing, Polarity and many others. Every offered energy modality is amazing and can manifest an enormous shift in all states of emotional, physical, mental and spiritual. However, none of them can give their great results without counting the personal intention of the person who offers the energy work.

The most special and purest environment for healing sets when we offer healing from our hearts, while setting our intention to the highest good of the receiver, without seeking benefits for ourselves. This is why we have to remember, when looking beyond all the offered modalities, that each one of us is made of energy. We are giving and receiving energy all the time. So, even just by our presence, without any knowledge of any particular modality, we are actually offering energy work. And this offering may be the most important of all, as we are engaged with it throughout the whole 24 hours of the day and not in just a specific hour of a session.

Our intention has an astonishingly important role in our healing process and understanding the importance of this role may have an great impact on the way we manage our lives. When we are mindful of our intentions, towards ourselves or others, we may shift the energies surrounding us and create the proper environment for our healing. Our attitude, our inner response, our thinking – all affect our energy.

As energy beings, we are more affected by the transmitted energy rather than said or written words. We understand messages from a much wider perspective, and this may cause physical response. When our energy is weak or depleted or wounded in a certain area, the physical organs or tissues or cells in that area may suffer as well. Donna Eden, a pioneer in the field of energy medicine, refers to energy as “body’s natural self-healing elixir, it’s natural medicine which feeds body and soul and attending to it restores natural vitality”. She explains that our bodies continually vibrating at a subtle level, moving energy and information through the connective tissues that encase us. Donna Eden mentions that we resonate with energies in our environment, matching our frequencies of the vibrations to the ones around us. Shifting an energy field can have an effect on body’s chemistry. While disturbed energy precedes illnesses in the physical body, Donna believes that it is possible to correct energy imbalances before they coagulate into illness. Maintaining a healthy energy field is a powerful strategy for maintaining health and preventing illness.

Healing resides within us. The energy we bring from within comes from our choice and is owned by us. The more conscious and mindful we are about our own energies, our own intentions, the more we can direct them towards our own healing and healing of our surroundings.

We can protect ourselves from outside energies by warming our own energy. When energy is cold, it is like ice – if something hits us, then we shatter and break. But when energy is warm, it is like fluid – if something hits us, it will flow with the stream and eventually move out of our body. We want to keep our selves flowing and not stagnant. A good way to warm our energy is by taking a moment to visualize heat wrapping us until we feel warm. Adding a physical heating source can be a great idea to help enhance this visualization. And yes, a castor oil pack can do wonders here as well.

Sometimes, we might be too entangled in our worries to find time to mind our attitude to ourselves or others. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment to be kind to myself?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I cannot take few minutes to shift my thinking and attitude to resolve my own issues?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What Does it mean Herbal medicine?

Plants have been used for nourishing and healing for thousands of years. And yet, in modern life, we grew farther from our natural surroundings, forfeiting earth’s offerings to us. Moreover, when Herbs are defined as weeds that we need to eradicate, we surround ourselves with chemicals that manipulate our nervous system. This manipulation is an insult to our nervous system which puts us in a fight-or-flight mode and prevents our body to reach a deep state of relaxation.

Would it be possible that the same herbs that we are trying to eradicate can be used to calm this response? Of course!! Simple teas as Mint, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Nettle, Calendula, or Oat straw can be amazingly restorative. Simple spices as Oregano, Turmeric, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Thyme added to our foods will revive the flavor along with boosting our Immune & Digestive systems.

The beauty with herbs is that they affect us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, no matter how you consume them: Walking in the woods and being surrounded by plants, watching them in your yard (or your neighbor’s yard), drinking a tea, taking a tincture, blending in cooking, taking them in a pill form, topically applying them on your body as an oil or a salve, using as a compress, or defusing their aromatic smells.

Sometimes, our overactive life might prevent us from taking a moment to look at the nature around us and to appreciate it. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment to make and drink a cup of tea?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I don’t have few minutes to sit in my garden or to walk in the woods and welcome nature’s offerings into my life?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What does it mean Hydrotherapy?

Hydrotherapy means healing with Water. What could be simpler than that?
Drinking, showering, bathing, soaking, hot water bottles/castor oil packs, hot/cold applications, teas, soups, sauna, hot tubs, and everything else you can think of.

Water has been used for healing for thousands of years, as it has many beneficial qualities, to name some: it’s reviving everything it touches; It can be astringent, tightening what’s needed, and at the same time it can be emollient, softening and soothing; it can be anti – antiseptic, antidemic (reduce swelling), antispasmodic, and at the same time it can be pro – stimulating, laxative, diuretic; It can constrict blood vessels (cold water), and at the same time it can dilate (hot water).

Sometimes, we are too burdened with our chores that we cannot find time to drink a cup of water or to enjoy a long Epsom bath. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment to fill up my water bottle and drink?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I don’t have few minutes to sit in an Epsom bath or to do a castor pack to resolve my own issues?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What does it mean Movement?

Finding any type of movement that is enjoyable to you and that you would want to continue doing it without feeling forced to do so is the key to movement. (And it can be even something that you invent and only you know how to do it….).

There is no need to go for an extreme movement, unless you really enjoy it – a simple act of walking in nature can be very restorative to our nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, and circulatory system.

Sometimes, since movement is time demanding, we might struggle to find time to commit to a movement activity. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot spare a moment to park my car further than I am used to and walk to where I need to go?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I cannot spare few minutes to commit to a movement activity (walk, yoga, swim, bike, dance, kayak…..) to resolve my own issues?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

What does it mean Education?

“We don’t need a title to lead. What we need is nothing more or nothing less than a burning desire to make a positive difference in our lives” Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE

Education is not about getting another certificate or degree. It is about the need to understand what is happening in our own body, without depending on others’ opinions and suggestions, which may not always be suitable to our unique situation. Taking the time to be in our body and research about our inward discoveries (by reading books/articles, watching informative movies…) can lower anxieties and fears from the unknown.

Sometimes, we are too overwhelmed with assignments which we need to accomplish daily, that we might not find the time to educate ourselves regarding our health. If this is the case, maybe you want to sow the following seeds of thought and see where it takes you:

Am I too busy working for others that I cannot find a moment to read a book or an article regarding my own condition?
Am I too busy running after everyone’s needs (my spouse, my kids, my cat, my dog, my friends, my neighbors, my, my, my, my, my…. Oh my) that I don’t have few minutes to process my researched information within listening to my own unique needs?
Am I too busy being busy that I cannot find a daily hour to heal myself?

Yes, it is an enormous mission to be the sole proprietor of your own body, but isn’t it a blessing to discover that you are also the sole proprietor of the greatest healer of your own body?

The art of healing yourself begins with sowing seeds and continues in the way you allow them to sprout and develop. Sowing the above-mentioned seeds might be plenty for today, but even this tiny action will always be much more than doing nothing.

Remembering that you are unique, and that your healing is your own personal journey, will help you seek out the professional healers that will teach you how to progress on your healing path and how to adjust their advice to your unique lifestyle. All this while keeping in mind that it doesn’t matter how big of a miracle the professional healer can do in one hour of their session, because there are no limits to the enormity of miracles that you can do in the rest of the twenty-three!

Blog

Can We Turn Self-Love Into an Active Noun?

October 10, 2021October 19, 2021 Anat Shlagman Traditional Naturopath

Love has been defined and understood in every possible way, many times referring towards others and not necessarily towards ourselves. M. Scott Peck, MD, in his wonderful book, “The Road Less Traveled”, defines love in a very unique way that also refers to one’s self:

“Definition of Love:
The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing
one’s own or another’s spiritual growth”.

By this definition, it seems like we need a will and an extension in order to make a proper love statement. While we are so used to offer this statement to another, how is it happening that we are not rushing to offer it to our own selves?
Thinking a little deeper – is it even possible to offer a will to extend ourselves to nurture another’s spiritual growth while not being able to offer the same will to nurture our own growth? Could it be that nurturing of one’s own spiritual growth should come prior to nurturing another’s growth? And if so – How can it be done? How can we turn Self-Love, a noun that is scarcely used in our daily life, into an active noun?

When I was in the naturopathic school we learned to make medicine- tinctures, flower essences, salves etc.. our homework was to make them at home and test them for a week or two. At the beginning, when I was testing my tinctures, I was always getting very tired. I was taking the tinctures in the morning and in the evening- the evening one would shoot me straight to bed. The morning one was less obvious, however, exactly at 12 pm I was forced to lay down wherever I was and close my eyes for 20 minutes.

Later on, I realized that my tinctures didn’t make me tired but only showed me how tired I was. But back then, I was getting pretty mad because I needed to change my whole schedule to accommodate my tinctures. Juggling between my studies and my efforts to keep my family of one husband and three young kids alive, it was a great struggle to add these two breaks into my daily routine. I had no time for this nonsense! It seemed an impossible mission for me and it made me very angry – what kind of homework are these that create such a havoc in my life? Homework should be about reading some books and answering some questions and not about forcing me to change my life! I had such great life finding my status quo to balance my energy (or probably to hide what didn’t fit the paradigm I lived by back then), and now what should I do? Making a change requires enormous amounts of energies! Where do I bring them from? (for sure I didn’t count my forced breaks as energizers by any means…)

And as a Taurus, I would find my ground and stand it. Only God could help those who tried to move me off my ground. But maybe this was God’s act, because I kept making my tinctures and kept testing them on myself (a commitment is a commitment! and since I wanted the certificate, I couldn’t spare more of my precious tightened time to complain..).

Many months later, the wisdom of these herbs awaken some wisdom in my head. I started to notice that I was watching my life as a movie, while not really taking part in it. The more I was forced to rest, the more I was astounded to see that the main actress in this movie is Me! I was shocked to discover that the person who runs all over town like a headless chicken is Me!! Needless to say that I didn’t like what I was discovering….. Needless to say that it saddened me very much to watch myself heading no where…

And yet, what a blessing have I received making my homework! The blessing of stopping me in my tracks and opening a space for me to think. And there came some thinking……

Going over my priority list, I understood what it is missing, or more accurately, who is missing in it – aka, Me. I realized that my own needs never appeared on my own list! How could this be happening? How could I be transparent for so many years and the earth kept spinning as if everything is ok?
And then I understood why this has been happening – it was happening because I had no idea what my needs were. I never took a moment of break to think about me! I never stopped what I was doing to find out if something is missing!
And then I knew why the earth never stopped spinning – it never stopped spinning because I never did! Why would anyone make an effort to do anything for me if I do not stop and make that effort to do it for own myself?

Blessed by these forced breaks, I was given a chance to connect with the main character in my own movie and see what she needs. Apparently, first and for most, she needed some resting…… Now, I could start re-arranging my priority list. Not an easy task in a world (that in my perception) sees a person who cares for themselves as selfish. No matter how wide my eyes and brain opened!

Beginning to understand why everyone else’s needs came before mine, I became more willing to extend myself for the purpose of nurturing my own spiritual growth. I started to welcome any breaks and changes of plans into my life and saw them as opportunities for me to rest instead of trying to fit another event in my schedule. And all of this while appreciating the fact that I need to feel the meaning of extending myself for my own self before I extend myself for others.

Going back to M. Scott Peck MD’s definition of love – how can I offer love to anyone without understanding what it means?
That’s why, in my own little world, I created a rule – No act will be regarded as selfish when eventually it will be teaching me how to apply it on others.
This rule allows me to activate my love towards my own self, without the fear of depriving anyone around me. This rule allows me to grow into the understanding that without a will to extend myself to nurture my own growth, I will never be able to effortlessly extend myself to nurture another person.

Love, by any definition we choose, should come effortlessly, without draining our energies. And only when we allow ourselves to turn self-love into an active noun (creating as many personal rules as we need to maintain our sanity), we can make the best use of our energies, and offer true heartfelt love to those around us.

ואהבת לרעך כמוך" ויקרא י"ט י"ח"
(“Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” Leviticus 19 18)

The topic of loving every person exactly as you love yourself came up in the Friday Zoom Services throughout the quarantine era in 2020 (led by Rabbi Avrohom Susskind director of Novi Northville Center for Jewish Life), raising this big question:

How can I love myself to a degree that I will be able
to extend the same love to every person?

With the intention to promote health and healing within our congregation, along with mutually contributing to our own community, I would like to offer my Trad-Em@ sessions once a month – PAY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN – all proceeds will be donated to Novi Northville Center for Jewish Life. 
Click here for available dates and details

Blog, Self Heal

What If Perfection Really Exists?

March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 Anat Shlagman Traditional Naturopath

“Nothing is perfect” has been a statement that we may have heard too often, maybe too many times to the extent it became an apologetic axiom. This statement has become so widely spread, that it has become a reasoning (or maybe an excuse?) for the times we feel that we may have not stood up to some perceived expectation or to some measured appreciated values. Then, as widely as it is used, this statement must be correct. Right?

But what if perfection is not an external comparison but an internal reflection of what we really want to do? What if perfection is not about our perceived expectations? What if perfection is a bridge between our deep heartfelt wishes and our actions? What if perfection is the true meaning of who we are? What if we can meet ourselves exactly at the place we are at this moment?

Soooo many “if”s… What if we find the courage to remove all the “if”s above and turn all these questions into powerful statements? It may not be an easy process, but it is likely to show us a different perspective on how we want to live our lives, perhaps even motivate us to make some changes….

Perfection is not an external comparison but an internal reflection of what we really want to do.
Thinking about perfection, comparison is always a companion. It is very hard to separate these two. When we are trying to be perfect, we are seeking to be better than some external idea which we perceive as worthy. It may seem as if we are chasing something that has no connection to ourselves, trying to measure up to it, while disregarding our basic material – our dreams, our hopes, our values. Then, we keep being disappointed for not achieving this perceived perfection, simply because these external ideas keep changing with no connection to our being.

Taking the time to touch and reconnect to our values, hopes and dreams can help us understand how we want our lives to be. Shifting internally, taking the time to learn and appreciate our unique thoughts, ambitions and aspirations require some investment, which, many times, includes what we try to avoid.

Doing Nothing was a major thing I tried to avoid, simply because I grew up with amazing parents who do not regard any work as hard, and I have been taught to be productive and proactive: there is always something to do or someone to help, and it is never too hard to do everything.
As I started to do NOTHING for a whole hour every morning, It was astonishing to notice how, by the end of the day, I managed to finish all my planned tasks much faster and much more efficient than I did before.
I became more focused. I started to understand priorities. I understood what really requires my attention and what is just noise. I also realized that only when I learned the art of doing NOTHING I discovered that I exist. Discovering that I exist allowed me to look inside and understand what I really want to do, and it had no connection to what others around me aspired to do with their own lives.

Finding the courage to be who we are and understanding that no one can be like us, or we cannot be like anyone else, is the first step to allow perfection into our lives.

Perfection is not about our perceived expectations.
Don’t we all have this perception about how our life should look like? and perhaps this perception creates expectations for how our day should be going?
On one of his beautiful zoom coffee meetings (THE best coffee in town! even for those like me, who usually like tea…), a dear friend and wise man, Rabbi Avrohom Susskind of Novi-Northville center for Jewish life, talked about what makes a day a good day. According to Rabbi Susskind, the definition of a good day is not necessary when everything works as we planned, because in reality, most days do not turn out exactly as we thought they would. A day becomes good when we successfully turn the events to be productive for us, especially when they didn’t follow our expectations.

Allowing ourselves to look beyond our perceived expectations, lifting ourselves up from anything that has not followed these expectations, and appreciating what comes our way while accepting it as part of our lives requires us to shift the way we view reality.
Our perceived expectations from our bodies are that our bodies should function properly all the time, regardless to any external or internal conditions. Our body has its own way to communicate with us, but many times we are too busy to listen. When these messages turn lauder, we then might experience a cold, a pain, an injury, or something worse, anything to make us listen and change what we do. However, probably too often that we should, we do not really listen, as we try to continue our same routine while overcoming a condition. These conditions serve as our teachers, coming to educate us with our individual needs. Perhaps teaching us that our perceived expectations may not always be according to our abilities, simply because we never took the time to discuss the matter with our own body.

Creating the space and the opportunity to listen to our body and respecting its abilities will help us adopt real expectations that match our needs, without feeling disappointed by not achieving the perceived ones. And yes, a castor pack would be an awesome helper in this process.

Perfection is a bridge between our deep heartfelt wishes and our actions.
How many times do we find ourselves miserable because we are doing something that we didn’t really want to do, but “kind of” were forced into doing it? A dear friend and brilliant Oncology Naturopath, Dr. Jen Green ND, FABNO, mentioned a powerful statement – “when I say NO to others, I say YES to me”.
The ability to say “NO” is an acquired art, which requires plenty of practice. With every action we do, we face a choice, even when we are not always aware of it. Unless we are in a position that someone is actually pointing a gun to our heads, we are the ones who decide if we want to do or not to do what’s ahead of us.
It may not always be clear to us, but our job and responsibilities do not include rescuing the whole world. No one needs to be saved by us, even when we absolutely believe that we are the only ones who can help.

Taking ourselves out of the loop of being needed and allowing ourselves to ease peacefully in the awareness of what we really want to do requires work. Starting with small choices – for example asking ourselves simple questions as “what do I want to eat for breakfast?” and following our deep wish to eat exactly what we want. Practicing further with other small choices and growing from there – “Do I want to wear red shirt or green one?”, “Do I want to return this phone call?”, “Do I want to offer my help?”, “Do I want to meet this person today (or ever)?” – while mindfully being honest with ourselves and following our deepest wishes, without fearing the responses of others.

When I learned to say “NO”, I felt very concerned that the other persons would not be able to find another help and obviously they will be angry with me. To my astonishment, nothing happened. The earth kept circling around the sun, and these people moved on and found solutions. Whoa!
Repeating situations like these brought me to a wider thinking about the people I want to surround myself with. It was a slow and painful process realizing that our hearts work in both ways, which have to be balanced all the time: Our hearts send out blood and then receive blood back, and it cannot function properly if it would manifest only one of these tasks. Yes, we give from our hearts, and yes, we have to allow ourselves to receive into our hearts. No matter what relationships we are involved with – each relationship has to be balanced with both giving and receiving aspects. Each giving/receiving depends on the ability of the persons involved, and no matter how big or small the gesture is (a deep gratitude or a deep willingness to be there for us when we need is perfectly awesome), but it needs to exist.

And as Dr. Green mentioned, learning to say “NO” to situations that are not balanced means that we are honoring our own deepest wishes and heartfully saying “YES” to turn them into actions.

Perfection is the true meaning of who we are.
We are all different from each other in so many ways – the way we look, the way we think, the way we move… There is no way for us to be exactly like someone else. No matter how hard we try.

I recently read a quote, attributed to Albert Einstein: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

Intuition is a very deep unique component within us, which offers us a direction in life, many times without a reasonable explanation. Following our intuition requires trust, that this irrational action, which we have no way to explain or reason with, is the best way for us to act upon.

Finding the courage to trust our intuition rises up from a commitment to an internal communication, since our intuition is not actually manifesting in words. Becoming aware of the sights our eyes choose to see, of the sounds our ears choose to hear, or of the direction our legs choose to move (or stand still) is the first sign of grasping our intuitive mind. Trust will follow as we allow ourselves to move further from the state of fight-or-flight which became a constant in our modern life, and relax into a calmer state. Castor packs? For sure! and any other way that can help us slow down to a peaceful state of mind.

Learning to trust our intuition and follow it, regardless to how our actions are perceived by others or how others decide to act, will help us connect internally with who we are and who we aspire to be.

We can meet ourselves exactly at the place we are at this moment.
As we tend to compare ourselves to others around us, we might try to match our pace and lifestyle to theirs, even if many times we are not fully capable of doing so at that moment. A dear friend and inspiring yoga teacher, Julie Stulberg, used to mention in her pre-Covid classes at the gym, that every yoga class is a practice. Each day, each hour, each moment is different than the ones prior to them, and we may not be able to do the same things as we did before – we might be able to do more or less, depending on our state at that particular moment. Forcing our bodies into something that is beyond their abilities at this moment might result in an injury.
Taking this statement out of the yoga room into our real life may help us meet ourselves exactly at the place we are at this moment.

Meeting ourselves at the place we are at the moment may even allow us to feel and express deep gratitude and appreciation to everything we are able to do at every moment of our lives.

Removing the final “if” out of the title question of this article and turning this question into a powerful statement reveals that perfection really exists. My definition would be completely different than the common one, yet, this definition is the perfect one for me. Our perfection has no dependency on anyone around us. Setting our minds to act from our own deepest intentions and not as a response to other’s actions will help us be as perfect as we can be. Statements like “Nothing is perfect” will become irrelevant since each and every one of us is perfect in their own way, and we cannot regard everyone under the same profile.

Taking the time to create an internal dialogue between us and our bodies, will allow us to appreciate our uniqueness and to understand that this is the only perfection we should be seeking. Only then, we can find the courage to take the “if”s out of our lives, and can clearly see that everyone around us is neither more nor less perfect than we are. And that vision by itself makes us the most perfect we can ever be.