Would you give someone your last Rolo?

They say charity begins at home, but what does that mean? They say that looking after your loved ones at home is more important than anything. I believe that most people want to do something additional to improve the world. However are we scared? Do we not have enough knowledge? Do we think that our little amount would make no difference? Are we ashamed to just give a little amount? Are we too busy? Are we saving up for something so we cannot share? Or, do we think that the situation would never happen to us so think it is irrelevant? They say that every penny helps. In mid 2012, the estimated UK population was 63.7 million (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--england-and-wales--scotland-and-northern-ireland/mid-2011-and-mid-2012/index.htmIdiot

If we were all to give a penny, that would be a significant starting point. Now imagine just five pounds. There are so many wonderful and amazing charities. There are supporting charities ranging from: health, elderly, animals, refugee's, hospice's, over seas, people in the services, people who are homeless, education, culture and heritage, sexuality, human rights and religion. These are only a handful of them.

My aim is to support charities where their mission makes me passionate to help their worthy cause. The main charities I support are: The british kidney patient association which helps improve life for kidney patients (www.britishkidney-pa.co.uk), SSAFA which supports forces and their families (www.ssafa.org.uk), Mind which helps people with mental health (www.mind.org.uk), Alzheimer's society which fights against dementia (www.alzheimers.org.uk), Breakthrough Generations which is a study into breast cancer (www.breakthrough.org.uk) and Cancer Research whose mission is to beat cancer soon (www.cancerresearchuk.org). There are so many more worthy charities all needing our help, but I can't financially afford to support them all and neither have the time to volunteer for them all.

Is charity all about money? My Godfather gives up the whole Christmas period by serving food to the homeless in a soup kitchen. He's never told me his reason for doing it, but whatever the reason he does it year in year out. I can remember my R.E teacher at school telling me that she had seen someone begging on the streets. She went into a nearby coffee shop and came out of the shop carrying a coffee. She was concerned that giving him money was not the best option as she did not know whether the money would have been spent on alcohol or drugs. Instead she gave him her coffee. I know this is more of an usual occurrence but I remember being told as a child a story from the newspaper. A man had been begging outside a well known department store for most of the day. He was seen leaving with the money he had collected and getting into a brand new sports car. Do stories like this make us more wary? I'm ashamed to say that I am far more cautious as a result of hearing that story.

Why do we do things or give money to charity? Whilst I think we all like to think that is a good, supporting and caring act, is that the real reason? When we give someone a present we gain a sense of well being and satisfaction and if we know that the person likes the present, it makes us feel good and rewarded knowing we have made that person happy. I do wonder whether this subconscious feeling is why we choose to give to charity in one way or another.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am hoping to volunteer at a cancer centre in the new year using my complementary therapies. Why am I wanting to do it? If I'm honest i don't know why. I suppose it's my way of helping to make a very small difference or provide a small amount of comfort to someone's life. I do not want anything in return although may be it is that subconscious feeling which provides me with a feeling and rewarding buzz of satisfaction. I like to feel that it isn't that, but who is to know.

Live life to the full and cherish each day

At the start of the new year, as well as setting up my business I am wanting to do some volunteering. Yesterday I was invited to have a look around a centre specifically for cancer patients.

During a sort of pre-interview, one of the questions was "how do you cope with death?" What a question. I immediately thought of my Grandparents as well as my aunt who died very young and tried to remember what I was like and how I felt at the time. The answer is that I was in bad way and the grieving process was very long particularly with my young aunt who could have been saved by doctors if they hadn't made so many errors. However aren't those symptoms of grief the same for everyone? I didn't know how to answer the lady's question, so the woman said to me "however hard you try not to, you do become attached to some of the patients and when you have been helping a patient and the following day you arrive at the hospital to find that you are greeted by an empty bed because they have died overnight or even if they die whilst you are helping them, how would you deal with it?" I wished that I had answered the first question as this question was even harder to answer. I was also told that most therapists did not want to work on the actual wards partly due to this. However that is the role I would most like to undertake. How is it that most of the patients are inspirational and relatively happy despite the fact that they have been given an approximate date in which they will die? Why are people without life limiting  conditions so scared of death? Is it because we feel that we have the rest of our long life to do things whilst someone who is dying wants to make the best of the time they have left and try to fit in as much as they can?

Whatever our religion, beliefs and race, there is one thing that we can all agree which is that there are two main stages in life, birth and death. They are natural processes. At some point we will all die. As a result of recent circumstances I am not afraid of death, the unknown or even whether there is any possibility of life after death.

Having read this post, you are probably thinking what a gloomy and somber post I have written. Someone once said to me 'live each day as though it is your last, embracing every moment as if it were your last'. If you were to follow that quote, what would you do?

Day two of being an Ayurveda massage model

I almost finished my modelling career by leaving my car headlights on overnight, but luckily the battery still had some juice this morning much to my relief. It seemed to be one of those mornings for us all. When I arrived at the place the tutor told me that she and her student had only just got into the house. I was a bit confused as to what she was saying, but she then told me that one of her whippet dogs had locked them out of the house by pushing the front door shut. To cut a long story short, the student (who luckily was very slim) had climbed through a window which was no no bigger than 25cm in height. I don't know how she managed it! I probably would have made the process very comical by getting stuck halfway through the window! If it were me, I think I would have chickened out of it by calling a locksmith!

As for the Ayurveda treatment, some of the theory seemed to be a bit bizarre to me and yet left me feeling quite curious. Being scientifically minded I like proof, facts, verification and yet at the same time I like debating things even in my own head (does that make me sound crazy?!). I was struggling with the concept of some of the beliefs and ideas. This could well be that I was struggling to comprehend and question things too much. The tutor produced a Ayurveda recipe book which seemed quite cumbersome and hefty as you have to choose a recipe according to which dosha you are i.e kapha, pitta or vata...don't worry if you are already lost as I will do my best to explain it in another blog post!

As for the actual treatment, I enjoyed it far more than I did yesterday and even found most of it quite relaxing. We finished the day with a little bit of yoga and a meditation and I was very kindly given as a thank you present a homemade soap and two homemade tea light candles, all with essential oils in and smelling so nice that I could almost eat them!

Do I want to train in Ayurveda Massage? I'm not sure to be honest. I will only practice what I preach and with that in mind, I want to go away and study the subject in depth before making a decision. Who knows, one day I might be a Ayurveda doctor!

Well, that's the end of my modelling career for now until in a couple of weeks time!

Modelling on the catwalk....or not

I was asked a little while ago if I would be a model. I then discovered that I would not be walking down a catwalk but lying on a bed with nothing but my knickers on in front of students. There went my one chance of being a famous supermodel! Perhaps I should explain....I was asked by a tutor of complementary medicine if I could be a guinea-pig for her students during a course. The course is in 'Ayurveda massage', something I have never experienced before. The theory, whilst interesting, is very complicated, making it quite difficult to remember. The tutor started off by performing the massage on me and then the student attempted to have a go. The treatment involved using quite a lot of oil and by the time I had had several applications of oil, my hair looked as though I hadn't washed it for months (actually I haven't got around to washing it yet if I'm honest and it was a good thing it was dark when I left!....I just hope the door bell doesn't ring now!)! At one point during the therapy, oil was poured (on purpose) into my tummy button. Let me tell you, it was a very strange sensation! I can't say that the process is the slightest bit relaxing rather more stimulating, but it felt more of a treatment than what I would consider to be your average therapy. How do I feel now? Wide awake and oily! I'll let you know my thoughts after day two tomorrow!

Colonic Irrigation

I know I am a practitioner of many holistic therapies, but the thought of colonic irrigation makes me squirm. I first heard of the treatment several years ago whilst watching Gillian McKeith's programmes who is a huge believer in colonic irrigation. I was intrigued by the procedure particularly when hearing the claims about weight loss, helping Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers, fewer headaches, improvement of the immune system, helping skin complaints, is a great detoxification for the body and many other complaints.

According to Body & Soul Zone (http://www.bodyandsoulzone.co.uk/colonic.htm)  "it has been said that the United Kingdom is one of the most constipated nation in the world, where one in three people consulting their GP's have a bowel problem". The treatment goes as far back as Ancient Egypt and it is said that is was used in hospitals at some point. Many celebrities and other well know people (I believe this included Princess Diana) have had colonic irrigation.

During a colonic irrigation, a tube about the size of a pencil is partly inserted into the rectum and up to 60 litres of water is inserted through the tube where the contents of the colon are then flushed out of the body. The colonic association.....state that "there is virtually no danger with a colonic". Virtually no danger?....sorry but that's not good enough for me. I appreciate that with conventional medicine there are risks with taking medicines or having surgery etc, but these things are normally necessary as opposed to choosing a procedure with potential risks. Some researchers and certain newspapers i.e. The Independent and The Guardian

(http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-truth-about-colonic-irrigation-it-doesnt-work-2329681.html, 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/01/colonic-irrigation-dangero claim that it is not safe.

Whilst many people claim it has helped them, I still have not changed my mind about me having the procedure and it is not something I am planning on training in either!

Evening Primrose Oil

The wildflowers of the evening primrose plant open in the evening, hence its name 'evening' primrose. The leaves of the plant were traditionally used by the Native Americans on wounds, haemorrhoids and to help bruising. Evening primrose oil comes from the seeds of the plant. It contains a fatty acid often referred to as GLA which is then turned into the hormone like product prostaglandins.

I developed eczema at six months old. I was prescribed the usual aqueous cream, topical steroids, steroid tablets, antihistamines, antibiotics, special soaps and the list went on. When I was nine years old I was prescribed 'Epogam'. Epogam's main ingredient was evening primrose oil. After a while the terrible itching went and my eczema completely vanished. Unfortunately the manufacturers stopped making Epogam and my eczema returned. I won't repeat the language a GP used, but he made it clear to me that it was the worst case of eczema he had ever seen. Now I get little flare ups occasionally, but I have successfully treated them using holistic therapies and evening primrose oil.

In the past there was some proof that evening primrose oil helped mastalgia (breast pain) as well as eczema. It is also thought that it could help arthritis, high cholesterol, PMS, some menopausal symptoms (such as hot flushes), acne, ADHD and some heart conditions. Whilst there is a possibility that evening primrose oil could aid some of the symptoms of these conditions, there are no current proven studies (that I know of) that claim to cure these symptoms. Evening primrose oil is not suitable for everyone and there can be side effects such as diarrhoea and nausea. 

Some say that it could have anti-ageing benefits....I think I will go and bulk buy some now!

Are pets good therapy?

My parents were told that they shouldn't have pets when I was little due to my terrible eczema. I went out with my mother one day and we came home with three fish...Pookie, Poppy and Patch. We had them for a long time but their lifespan still wasn't great. So along came the hamsters Cheeky and Chubby. My sister took to the hamsters more than I did as I got fed up of being bitten. I must admit that they looked very sweet and when the vet had to put one of them to sleep she came out of the building crying. 

My sister finally managed to persuade my parents to have a rabbit each, which was by no means an easy task! My sister had a sweet black dwarf rabbit called Twitch and I called my huge grey bunny Snuggles. They had such characters and I loved Snuggles so much that I was distraught when she died. I even had to have the day off college and cuddled the dead rabbit for most of the day!

So then came the task of persuading my parents to have a dog. As I'm sure you can imagine, my parents weren't in agreement with me having a dog. I heard every excuse and reason under the sun including "think of your eczema" or "we haven't got room for a dog" or "they're too expensive to keep" or "who is going to look after it and walk it?" or "you're not well enough to look after a dog" and so the list went on. My sister wasn't fussed about having a dog so it was down to me to do the persuading and where was I to start? I tried to think of one of the smallest dogs I found appealing and settled on Yorkshire terriers as I knew that due to its size it wouldn't be noticed as much by my parents. I knew that Yorkshire terriers were one of my Grandmas favourite dogs so I also thought I might be able to get around my parents that way, but no they weren't falling for any of it. I changed my Dads computer screensaver to a photo of a Yorkshire terrier, I left photos of Yorkshire terriers in their shoes, by their pillows and anywhere else I could think of that they would notice. My mother spoke to a really old friend of theirs on the phone one evening and mum had evidently told her about me wanting a dog. She told my mother that a dog would help me to get better. I had been very unwell for a while and as a result I had lost all my hair and was wheelchair bound. I will never know exactly what this friend said to my Mum, but it worked and I am so grateful to her.

So, along came Bertie. There was me thinking that a little dog would be quiet and less noticeable!  Bertie was full of beans and such a little character. I asked the vet if she could recommend a good trainer and she looked at me and laughed! "You'll never be able to train him, he's far too intelligent" she said! We went to puppy training classes which was a joke as he would only do something if he felt like it and if convenient to him! He has lived in two boarding school houses where I worked and loved being with the children. He is also lovely with elderly people. I had the idea earlier that Bertie and I could volunteer for the 'Pets As Therapy' charity (petsastherapy.org) so that we could help others just as he had helped me. I went on their website this evening and looked through their pages. There was one section that discussed the main reasons dogs are deferred at an assessment. I went through the list: "jumping up" (whoops), "pawing, or putting paws up" (yay, innocent), "pulling on the lead" (ok, we still haven't mastered this), "reluctance/backing away when being fussed" (fine, no problem), "vocalisations such as barking or growling" (this is debatable as he can sometimes 'talk' to me, but he never barked at the children), "mouthing" (we occasionally play fight but he's never bitten anyone), "licking" (he never licks, he just gives me kisses and happens to give me quite a few), "taking food greedily" (never if it's cucumber or lettuce, but......). It seems that I have to admit to the fact that we don't seem to be up for the job (also known as failure before application!)!

So Bertie can't share his love, loyalty and comfort to others in volunteering settings, but he has given me the extra love, affection and therapy I needed. I suppose really he is my best friend. By the way the wheelchair has gone and the hair is back....thank you for the few words from a friend and of course, thank you Bertie!

From this:

To this:

Does hypnotherapy work for pain relief?

The first time I saw a hypnotherapist was when I was about 12 years old. She had been recommended to me by a doctor. From the moment I walked through her door, I knew that this set-up was not going to work for me. There was an overpowering smell of incense which hit me when I walked in. I looked around and there were so many fairy items; ornaments, pictures, dolls and books. She wore a hippy style top, a long skirt, white ankle socks and shoes which I think were meant to resemble something along the lines of trainers. Being 12 I did find her choice of fashion amusing but i was not there to judge her. The woman asked my mother to wait in the next room whilst i had the session. She told me about the diner party she had just hosted for her ghost friends and relatives. She then proceeded to tell me about witchcraft. I was expecting her to produce her cauldron at this point. She gave me a piece of paper with a fairy ring scrawl on it. I must assure you that i try to respect the beliefs of others providing that these beliefs are not forced upon me.  I only had one more appointment with her.

So my introduction to hypnosis wasn't the best, but could it really work? A friend of one of my teachers was studying hypnosis and suggested me as her case study. I went along for my appointment expecting cauldrons, broom sticks, pointy hats and a black cat. Ok, so she did have a black cat but she seemed very 'normal'. During the hypnosis process I was fighting myself not to go to sleep as I knew snoring was not part of the treatment. I had ten free sessions with this lovely lady (and her black cat!) but I wasn't reaching the hypnotic trance everyone was going on about.

A leaflet was put up at the gym I am meant to attend(!) about a lady offering a free taster session in hypnotherapy. I was not impressed on going, but my family asked me what there was to lose in having a free appointment. I turned up extremely sceptical about the whole thing. I soon found out from the lady that where I was going wrong was not allowing my subconscious mind to take over and if that meant going to sleep then that is part of the process. She told me that she didn't mind snoring and dribbling in her sessions! At the end of the session I had already booked five further sessions. The feeling of relaxation was wonderful.

I went to the gym today to see this hypnotist (I think it was my 14th appointment with her). We were discussing pain management and she tried a technique called 'glove anaesthesia'. By the end of the appointment I couldn't notice any difference in pain. My Grandmother gave birth to my mother under hypnosis. Everyone around her was rushing around trying to give her gas and air etc. her doctor said "she won't be needing any of that". My Grandmother kept opening and closing her hands as she had been taught to do and with no struggle or pain she gave birth to a healthy baby. This was during the 1950's which makes the story even more unbelievable.

As for me? I am a bit sceptical that it will work for my chronic pain, but I will keep practicing!

Introduction

Well here I am writing my first introductory blog....who would believe it?! I have wanted to write a blog for several years now, but I never knew what to write about and what was the point of writing one if no one read it anyway?

Having been strongly encouraged, I gave up on my excuses and joined the world of Twitter yesterday. I have only one follower who happens to be my dear friend who was advising me that I would love Twitter, however my nearest and dearest have yet to agree to follow me! I am still to be convinced that Twitter is better than Facebook. I decided today that if I can manage Twitter, I could also manage a blog...I mean how hard can it be?!