Natural Alternatives

Rescue Remedy | Natural Stress Relief
By Trish Barbara - Rescue Remedy
April 1, 2008
"Man is a child of the universe no less than the trees and stars" Southern Cross Station, Melbourne Southern Cross Station, Melbourne Available from Health Food Stores, Some Pharmacies & selected outlets Rescue Remedy Rescue Remedy

RESCUE REMEDY 

 

This natural preparation provides for me mental, emotional and physical relief within a short period of time and that time may vary according to my level of stress. 

I have been using this remedy for pain and stress relief for many years now and I feel that my body grows more and more responsive to it the more I use it.  Rescue Remedy is the first thing I reach for in any stressful situation. The itch of eczema is not only stressful on the body, but also stressful on the mind and emotions.  There are of cours e many antihistamines on the market which will block the itch; sadly, these drugs also have toxic side effects and for me, rather than calm my body and mind, they simply make me numb.  You'll find further information o n these drugs at a later stage on this website.

...Back to the good stuff 

After taking a dose of Rescue Remedy the first thing I notice is a sense of calm that flows through my emotional & mental being.  My state of emotion relaxes and my mind - that is my thought processes - (which can become manic) quieten down.  As my mental and emotional state quiets, that same relief flows throughout my physical body and a settling of my itching and other physical symptoms occurs.

The Bach Flower Remedies are a simple and natural method of healing and stress relief through the use of certain wild flowers.  The remedies treat the personality disorders of the patient rather than the individual physical condition.  They were discovered by Dr Edward Bach.  After many years of practice in modern medicine as well as Homeopathy, Edward Bach was led to the realisation that what characterised the physical disorders of different people were not so much the many categories of disease, but the psychological conditions that generate them.   Over a period of years he was able to recognise these psychological conditions and find, in each case, an appropriate remedy.  The remedies were found in the flowers of the field and the trees of the countryside - in natures healing power. The 38 remedies were discovered by Bach by a combination of intuition and suffering.  He was an extraordinarily sensitive man and having once recognised the condition that he sought to heal he was able to sense the appropriate remedy.  Many of the states (for which he later found an antidote) he experienced in himself as an intense suffering both mental and physical. 

Bach found the remedies by searching the countryside for those plants which he instinctively knew were suitable to help specific psychological states.  The classification of these states was arrived at by careful observation of human nature and more especially by observation of the way that different people react when suffering from an illness or when under stress.

Man has always made use of medicinal herbs and until recent years all pharmaceutical preparations relied upon the use of natural substances.  The Bach remedies however, do not use the physical material of the plant (as with aromatherapy) but rather the essential energy that is found within the flower.  This healing energy is extracted in a precise way and stored in a preserving liquid such as brandy or grape alcohol solution.  This subtle substance is used to treat the cause of illness at the subtle level.  While most medicine treats the physical complaint with a physical material, the Bach remedies treat the unseen or psychological cause with an unseen energy.  It is summed up in his dictum, "Treat the Patient, not the disease" for no matter what the patient is suffering in the physical body - be it asthma or athletes' foot - the prime cause of that condition can be eradicated if we ascertain and counteract the imbalance that is in the psyche of the patient. 

Man is "a chil d of the universe no less than the trees and stars" and yet we live in daily conflict with the rest of the natural world.  Much of the disease to which we are prey at this time is generated by this conflict, in particular the nervous conditions that are so prevalent in urban life.

Homeopathy has similar basis and the remedies used include not only plant, but animal and mineral as well.  In the field of what is popularly called ‘alternative medicine' there are forms of healing that are more or less in sympathy with Dr Bach's discoveries. 

It is well to stress that no one form of healing has the privilege of being the best or the most effective; everything is appropriate in its own way.  One of the most striking features of this form of healing is that it is entirely benign.  It involves no physical discomfort and is associated only with the most pure and beautiful elements in nature.

 

Information on the Bach Flower Remedies was sourced from ‘A Guide To The Bach Flower Remedies'

by Julian Barnard, CW Daniel Co. Ltd., England.

 

Rescue Remedy is a combination remedy consisting of five of the Bach Flower Remedies:  Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum, Rock Rose and Clematis.  The characteristics and essence (personality) of each flower is described as follows:-

For Despondency and Despair - Star of Bethlehem:  for shock, grief, distress, for those who need consolation and comfort, for bad news, an accident, fright, a narrow escape, for delayed shock, to neutralize effects of any shock past or present, even the shock of birth.

For Loneliness - Impatiens:  for those impatient people who dislike restraint, preferring to work alone at their own speed, they like haste in all things, are critical of others' shortcomings, irritable, impulsive, impetuous, active and intelligent though prone to nervous tension, overexertion and accidents.  Symptoms may include sudden pains, cramps, tension in back, neck, jaws, hands, shoulders, indigestion.  Children may be irritable and demanding.  Body often slopes forward, they lead, going ahead and act quickly, will finish a sentence for other people who think more slowly and are given to outbursts of temper though it quickly subsides.

For Fear - Cherry Plum:  for desperation, fear of insanity, loss of control, an uncontrollable impulse, nervous breakdown, suicidal, obsessive fear, delusions.  Symptoms usually build up over a period of time; pallor, staring eyes, agitation, sometimes nervous talk or obsessive questioning, imminent mild insanity.  It is like mental gangrene, very offensive to the self.

For Fear - Rock Rose:  For emergencies, sudden illness or accident, for very great fear, terror, panic, hysteria, when life is despaired of, for the horror and dread of nightmares, when there has been a close encounter with evil.   Symptoms may include paralysis, unconsciousness, sudden dumb/deaf, icy coldness, trembling, and loss of control.

For Insufficient Interest in Present Circumstances - Clematis:  clematis people are dreamers, absent minded, lack concentration and vitality, quiet people without proper interest in the present, absorbed in thoughts and fantasy, sleepy and unobservant, romantic, imaginative, unrealistic.  Symptoms may include drowsiness, constant inclination to sleep, drifting feeling, marked pallor, slowness, sensitivity to noise, numbness, faintness, indifference, make little effort to get well and may even welcome prospect of death, often stumbling, drop things through inattention, ‘float off' in conversation, lackadaisical (unenthusiastic) air.

The combination of these five flowers is described in short as thus, Cherry Plum for loss of control, Clematis for unconsciousness, Impatiens for stress, Rock Rose for terror and Star of Bethlehem for shock.  

Rescue Remedy is so useful for any situation major or minor that it is wise to have it prepared and on hand for emergencies.  If it is taken immediately when an accident or incident occurs, upon receipt of bad news, when in any distress, even if just a headache, it is very beneficial.  Countless cases have been cited when Rescue Remedy has been used to overcome all manner of conditions.  It is also prepared as an ointment and may be applied to bruises and any damaged or inflamed skin condition.  Dr Bach first used this combination when going to the aid of two men shipwrecked off the Cromer coast.  The men were quickly recovered from their ordeal.  

Using Rescue Remedy as a part of your stress management regime in the treatment of eczema ie. The itch attacks, when running a fever, the skin pain, when you are sad and even the loneliness you may feel with this condition; it is a gentle and effective anti-itch and anti-stress application.  Rescue  Remedy is now widely available through Health Food Shops, some supermarkets and other boutique or specialty shops supporting natural healing.  Ask around while you are shopping and always keep your eyes open for shops offering items on sale at reduced prices.

In preparing Rescue Remedy for use, it can be taken several ways. 

For some 2 - 3 drops from the stock bottle, under the tongue and washed down with a glass of water;

Similarly, 2-3 drops from the stock bottle can be added to a glass of bottle of water and sipped on all day;

or a diluted preparation can be made - in a 12-15ml dropper bottle fill up to ¾ with a 50/50 solution of brandy and purified water and then add 7 drops from the stock bottle: Use orally, when necessary, by squirting a dropper-full in your mouth;  

I tend to squirt about half a pippette of stock (which is about 6-7 drops) into a small glass of water and drink it straight down.  Experiment a little with it and you will find a dosage to suit your condition.

 

YOGA - another alternative form of Stress Relief.  Exercise is well known as being necessary for maintaining good health and for enabling stress relief through the expenditure of energy.   I have found Yoga to be an effective alternative not just for stress relief, but also in keeping with a healthy excercise program.  Check out the article on this website.