Flower Essence Journal - Vibration Magazine
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Readers Write, Vibration Answers

By the Editors of Vibration Magazine
Reaction to Alcohol or a Healing Reaction?
gasp! what a butterfly!I am very interested in the Bach Flower Remedies. I just had a question maybe you can help me with. I took a class in the Bach Flowers Remedies and started taking them. I have been taking them for a few weeks. I am now finding that my face is breaking out around the mouth and nose.

I have had this reaction before to herbal tinctures (in alcohol). I was wondering if you knew if the alcohol is causing a problem and that the essences are harmless. I have been taking a dosage bottle, drops under my tongue of several remedies and Rescue Remedy in water. Is there a way to get away from using the alcohol or have you had any others with this experience? I love the remedies and what they do and really don't want to give them up. Any solutions?

Thank you - Cindy

Vibration Magazine answersDear Cindy:
A few companys' essences do not contain alcohol (the Whole Energy Essences are among them), but most do. In large part, this is because some consumers have a negative reaction to alcohol, though yours is not the one they usually have. However, people vary greatly and anything is possible.

It seems to me instead of a reaction to the alcohol, you might be having a healing reaction (also called a healing crisis, retracing, or aggravation). You might want to read my article on this subject to see if you think that might be why you are having this skin reaction.

It is possible if you keep up with the essences, this reaction will pass. Or, you may be responding to the essences more strongly than you need to. There's no use stirring the pot too hard and provoking too strong a reaction or one that is more than you can adequately absorb all at once. If you do think what you are having is a healing reaction and maybe overdoing the essences a bit, you might want to try one of the below options:

  1. Stop the essences awhile and see if you are doing well enough without them; change may continue without re-dosing;

  2. Or, take the essences less frequently, using them only as often as you need to keep your progress moving foward.
If you still feel it is a reaction to the alcohol, try putting the essences in freshly boiled water. While this will not drive off all the alcohol, it may reduce it a bit. Or, you can switch to some of the few essences made by companies which offer them not preserved in alcohol.

Good luck -- Deborah Bier, M.Ed

How Do You Make a Dosage Bottle? What Essences for Arthritis
And now an orange one!I can find the Bach Flowers where I live in Portugal, but I would like to know if it is possible to make a treatment bottle for my husband who has arthritis. Can I keep it for a long term period (about 2 years) because he is always travelling and I want to make it easier for him? I read I can use brandy, but I donīt know how.

I hope you could indicate to me which flowers I should use to make a treatment bottle for 1 or 2 years, how many drops of the flowers, how much water and brandy to use. Thank you in advance for your help.

Best regards - Francisca

Vibration Magazine answersDear Francisca,
There are two issues here: One is how to mix the remedies into a dosage (treatment) bottle. You get a one-ounce bottle, say from a pharmacy or remedy supplier, fill it with spring water (e.g., Evian) and one teaspoonful of brandy. Then add four drops of each of the Bach remedies you have chosen, shake them very well (perhaps 100 times) so that the remedies are completely dispersed into the water. Your husband would take a dropperful of the resulting mixture several times a day, four if possible with his schedule. Such mixtures do not keep forever, but between trips you could keep it in the refrigerator. (The original remedies that you buy -- the concentrates -- will keep for years). When you need to refill the treatment bottle you can simply sterilize it or just get another, as they are fairly inexpensive.

The other issue is which remedies to include. That I cannot tell you. There is no remedy, for instance, specifically for arthritis, as the flower remedies tend to work more on emotional and mental patterns or attitudes, some of which no doubt contribute to bad spells of arthritis (e.g. rigidity of thinking, stress, or driving himself too hard.) So, while the remedies, unlike herbal or homeopathic remedies, are not specifically designed for physical problems, there is often relief from physical problems as some of the emotional or mental attitudes change.

To choose remedies for such patterns, you would want to consult a practitioner and/or buy some books about the remedies. (see our booklist). You might especially be interested this one by Daniele Lo Rito called Bach Flower Massage.

If you are just learning about essences, you might want to check out our Frequently Asked Questions section. I hope this answers your question.

Regards - Donna Cunningham, MSW

I Can't Print Your Articles!
gorgeous blue one!I love your magazine!! I do have a question though!!! I can NEVER print out any articles. Have you ever thought about doing a paper magazine? If there is any such paper copy...I would love to subscribe to it. I am a Bach Flower Essence practitioner. I LOVE the flower essences. They all work so wonderfully and I have some fascinating case studies. I really would be interested in a paper copy......Thank you ahead of time!

Sincerely - Carol

Vibration Magazine answersDear Carol,
So glad you're enjoying the ezine!

Is the printing problem you have have to do with articles with light-colored text? Some printers convert light-colored text to grey or black automatically. We recommend you copy the text you want onto a word processing or email document and print it from there as it will be the right color.

If that is not the problem, check on your print menu and see if you can select "print to fit on page" and your output should fit the paper nicely.

We're sorry, but we do not at this time offer a paper magazine.

Best - Deborah Bier

ART CREDITS: Stamp image courtesy of FlowerStamps.com, which offers Vibration readers a 10% discount (when order, use the code vibration - LOWER CASE ONLY). Photos courtesy of ArtToday.

The World Wide Essence Society does not mean to imply any recommendation of nor give certification to any individuals or companies above. This article is provided purely for informational purposes. We ask consumers to make their own determination as to quality of the services and products offered above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.
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