CHANGE

Change. We hear the call to Change all around us, from the campaign of our newly inaugurated President, to the cars we drive, to the shoes we wear. Everyone seems to be crying for change. And change would be a great thing in a world full of war, lies, racism, pollution, and paranoia. Have we promoted change by the way the majority voted three months ago? Is our new President going to make change, and will that change be for the better? What about the economy? Change, however, comes with a price for most people: stress.

At Amelia’s Garden, I have noticed an increasing number of customers coming in looking for supplements that will help them to calm down and to sleep. There has been a marked increase in the number of people who admit to depression and scattered concentration. People with digestive problems are surfacing more and more. When we used to assist people once or twice a week with such concerns, now we are speaking to several people in a day about them. Stress can be the cause of all three of these groups of symptoms.

If you are feeling the stress that comes with Change, there are several things you can do to battle it. A healthful diet is always a most important choice. Eating foods that actually contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes will goes a long way toward getting you back on an even keel. Organically grown foods are far more likely to contain adequate amounts of all of the above. Drinking lots of water is absolutely vital to beating stress.

Be sure to take a good food based vitamin-mineral complex; take an additional Complete B supplement, as the B vitamins are the first thing your body turns to under any kind of stressful conditions. The proper balance of calcium and magnesium might be all you need to get a good night’s sleep, feel happier, or digest your food well. Supermarket vitamins are not a good choice. Please go to a good health food shop or an alternative health therapist for advice on food and supplements.

Endorphins, neurotransmitters released by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, reduce pain and the negative effects of stress. Strange as it might seem, putting our bodies’ under the physical stress of athletics or climax, can reduce the effects of mental stress. A brisk walk in a pretty area, or a jaunt with a loved one can relieve some of the crushing effects of the worries we all face right now. Keeping our senses of humour, and remembering to laugh, or watching an old horror movie also releases endorphins. Eating chocolate and chili peppers (together or apart) has the same effect. Giving or receiving a massage also releases endorphins.

Beyond that, there are herbs, essential oils, amino acids, and other preparations that can assist to calm you down, cheer you up, or help you digest your food. Every body is different and reacts differently to remedies, so be prepared to experiment a little. Usually, you can find something that will keep you off the dangerous path to an addiction to a chemical compound. As one of our customers said the other day, “I am tired of taking prescription drugs, just to need another prescription drug to counteract the problems that the first one created.”

Finally, remember to breathe. Remember to see the beauty all around us. And what of this world full of wars, lies, racism, pollution, and paranoia? Don’t forget it is also a world that contains great beauty, joy, vision, and, all important, small kindnesses. And that is a world worth changing to save. Namaste.