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HERBS USED FOR INCENSE
Historically, sick rooms were once cleansed using the smoke from burning sage and rosemary. A fragrant wood, Cedar is known to have expectorant, antifungal, antiviral and lymphatic cleansing properties. The needles from Pine, Spruce and Fir trees contain the main ingredient in Tamiflu (a medicine used to treat the bird flu) called shikimic acid. Respiratory ailments have been helped with the application of incense made with Frankincense. Other similarly beneficial herbs are Eucalyptus leaves and Mullein.
The slow burning of plant materials release essential oils into the smoke which – when inhaled – are then carried into the lungs. Bronchial inflammation can be relieved by beneficial herbal properties that are directly applied to the tissue using this method.
I know of one instance of a woman that was left struggling for air, choking and vomiting from a strong cytokine response during the flu. The man of the house closed the damper on the wood stove and placed cedar in the fire box, which produced a cleansing smoke. The cytokine storm stopped right away. Twenty minutes later, she had no more mucus and was relieved of her flu symptoms. Since that time, they have used this same remedy on other family members to good effect (of course, they air the house out afterwards).
Native Americans often used the smoke of Cedar to cleanse their homes. Smoke can be used in rustic conditions as a cleanser to rid a person, bedding, clothing or shelter of vermin, viruses and harmful bacteria. The last part of Leviticus 14 records that priests were instructed to cleanse a house of the plague using Cedar.
HOW TO USE HERBS FOR INCENSE
Carefully place a hot ember or coal from a hardwood fire (use tongs) onto a heat resistant surface. Assemble the herbs around and onto the ember and watch for smoke. Allow the smoke to waft over you and inhale. Be careful that the plant material does not burst into flames but only smokes. The smoldering is accomplished by using hot coals rather than an open fire; you can also tie your herbs or wood into tight bundles.
Herbs tightly bundled for incense are called smudge sticks. In some cases, leaves and stems can be tightly braided. If you only have dry leaves, these can be tightly wrapped in unbleached paper and tied with cotton thread. To use smudge sticks, light one of the ends. Extinguish the flame by gently blowing on it, leaving the smudge stick to smoking. These smudge sticks make it easier to direct the smoke and they tend to smoke longer than loose plant material.
WARNING
Never inhale or come near the smoke of a plant to which you are allergic. The purpose of this article is for information only. Persons utilizing these methods assume all liability and are encouraged to use safety guidelines. This article is not a substitute for the care of a trained health professional.
MAKE CHANGE & LEARNING FUN
When learning occurs in a safe environment, you can increase the intensity (fun or excitement) of a lesson, repeat the information and discover new ways to take hold of the student’s attention span over extended periods of time. Effective instructors look for ways to use all of these methods in order to stimulate learning.
Classrooms aren’t always able to incorporate these items. Yet, students of human nature and advertisers are happy to use what works. Recently, a large car company sponsored a contest to find the best invention that would make a task fun and change behavior. Creating a sense of fun rewards the desired behavior and encourages people to repeat that activity. The projects were designed to change encourage positive changes in behavior.
What value does this have to you? It is due to the fact that these things can be used to enhance your learning experiences as you gain new skills. Whether you are trying to become proficient at primitive life skills, herbal medicine or plant identification it is very important to be knowledgeable and prepared. Your education will be difficult if you are full of fear instead of happy adventure. Few are motivated to practice skills that they view with overwhelm and dread.
Make time in your schedule for your family to enjoy some fun adventures together. Develop a family hobby. Together you can discover the beauty and wonder of nature in your area. How can you use the plants growing near you? Plan educational outings. Offer assistance to other that are working on educational projects. Consider starting your own class and inviting friends. Enjoy the social aspect of learning. Choose a specific skill and invite others to a friendly competition or workshop. Your family will be drawn closer by the memories and fun you create while gaining valuable information that may prove useful in times to come. With a creative approach, the joy of learning can be yours.
HERE ARE THREE OF THE EXAMPLES OF THE FUN THEORY PROJECTS:
In this first example, the goal was to increase the use of trash receptacles by members of the public. Watch to see how they found a way to make using a trash can so much fun that a boy is seen looking for more trash to place inside the bin.
Here, the object was to increase bottles placed into the recycling bin. A few flashing lights later, a crowd gathered to cheer on their fellow recyclers.
We all know that taking the stairs is better for us than taking the escalator. In this video watch the time elapsed footage that shows a dramatic shift in use of the stairs when the steps are creatively covered.
SOOTHING PAINFUL INFLAMMATION
If you have experienced inflammatory pain, you know that it hinders activity. Your muscles tighten. It is possible for you to lose several days to bed rest, fighting nausea and popping pain pills. Pain relief isn't always found with medication. I'm not a medical professional, but I suspect that many pain medications only serve to quiet the patient and not to reduce the pain.
There is a more natural treatment that will help with pain and inflammation. The treatment is the alternate application of hot and cold compresses.
By using cold and then hot applications, a pumping action is created. Blood is pushed away from the area by the cold. The area is then flooded with fresh blood with the application of heat. The inflammation in the blood stream is reduced as a result of the increased circulation. Down time is reduced as mobility is increased with the decrease in inflammation and pain.
Hot & Cold treatment can be done two ways.
ONE METHOD -- WHILE SHOWERING.
Direct your shower stream at the painful area. Adjust the water to the coolest setting you can stand and keep it there for 15 seconds. Next adjust the water temperature back to the hottest setting you can tolerate. Yell if you need to, but try to keep this up for around 20 minutes.
ANOTHER METHOD, WITH HELP
Wet two cloth towels and then squeeze the excess liquid from them. Put one of the towels into a paper bag and fold shut. Warm your oven to its lowest temperature, somewhere between 100 and 170 degrees. Making sure to not touch any of the heating elements, set the closed paper bag into the oven. Place the second towel into another paper bag. Place the second bag into the freezer.
START & END WITH COLD
After a quarter of an hour, set a timer for 15 minutes, remove the cool towel from the freezer, place it onto the sore area and let it rest for 15 minutes. When the timer rings, take the oven towel, and replace the cool towel with it. Move the cool cloth back into the freezer and repeat this procedure until there is pain relief. This is a slow, methodical relay of hot for cold towels.
You may need to keep a cloth between the towel and your skin. Insulate the hot/cold towel with another thick dry towel placed on top. If the towels become too dry, wet them again. Your last session should use the cold towel.
By taking naps, I've managed to continue this through the night. One night's loss of sleep was worth it to know I'd be up and about the next day.
If you're roughing it, use a campfire to heat dry rocks which you can then wrap in damp towels. Don't use wet rocks because they will explode when heated on a fire. The warm compress will consist of the heated rocks wrapped in damp towels. The cool compress will be towels moistened in fresh water. Utilize a cooling breeze (or create a fan) across the damp compress. This will cause some of the moisture to evaporate and cause it to be even cooler. Every person is important in a survival situation. It's to your advantage to have someone recover quickly. An inflamed injury can cause someone to lose mobility. Using the hot/cold compress can help you get valuable members of your party back onto their feet.
This article is for the information of the reader. The reader assumes all risk and is encouraged to utilize these suggestions with discretion.
HOW TO SURVIVE A WILD DOG ATTACK
A REASON TO BE CONCERNED
Wild dogs recently killed a 65-year-old woman and her 77-year-old husband. The event did not happen in the outback or the wilds of Africa. This happened in the United States in a quiet neighborhood in Georgia.
Feral (wild) dogs are animals that haven't received human socialization. Pets that are released (or run away) and then reproduce are the common source of feral animals. The pet dog population in the United States is larger than any other country.
DVM Magazine's February 2009 issue stated that the ASPCA projects that a million household pets could become homeless in the United States due to economic concerns. Rather than euthanize a family pet, some owners prefer to set their pets free to fend for themselves, thinking this a kinder option.
PBS produced a documentary (Dogs and More Dogs, 2004) that showed wild foxes bred selectively could produce domestic puppies by the 2nd or 3rd generation. Canines that must secure their own shelter and food will choose to mate with animals which are also skilled in this area. In turn, they produce litters that inherit these traits.
In one year's time a single pet dog can transform into a skilled hunter adding numbers of wild animals to a pack. It is surprising that these horrifying deaths don't occur more often considering these statistics.
USE YOUR OWN JUDGMENT:
Understand that this information is designed to help you either avoid a wild dog attack or survive an attack. The recommendations to use lethal force is in the defense of human life, but that may not protect you from legal actions. The focus of this article is to provide you with tools to escape alive.
HAVE A PLAN
Before you are ever in the circumstance, you can take measures to help insure your survival. A dog communicates his meaning with body language; in turn he will read your body language. Make yourself an undesirable target with your body language.
Take a repellent with you when you take a walk. You can usually repel dogs with a mixture of ammonia and hot sauce in a pistol-grip spray bottle; set your sprayer half-way between mist and stream. Get your best results by aiming for the mouth, eyes and nostrils.
Carry something with which to defend yourself. You can choose from a wide range of implements: knives, bats, golf clubs, knives, sticks, etc. Think outside the box. Whatever you find that you can place between yourself and an advancing dog is a good choice.
Don't let your guard down when a strange dog advances. You may think a breed is harmless, but you can't know for certain about this one particular animal. A dog that approaches with his head held level, not high and not low, is showing signs of aggression. A dog is a threat if he is moving evenly towards you at a steady run; this is much different than a friendly, loping gait.
AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF A THREAT
Looking into the eyes of the dog is a mistake. This is a challenge to the dog. Direct your eyes elsewhere. DON'T gaze into the animal's eyes.
Don't try to appear friendly with a smile. Exposing your teeth to a dog is a challenge to him, a sign of aggression. The wild dog will meet this challenge by attacking.
Rather than face the animal, turn your side slightly towards the approaching dog. Point the your weaker, less dominant, side towards the animal, keeping him within your peripheral line of sight. Offering the dog your side signals that you are not a threat; a face-forward stance positions you to attack him (in dog language).
DON'T PUT WEAKNESS OR FEAR ON DISPLAY
Don't turn around, exposing your back to the dog. This is just the opening an aggressive dog will use to lunge at you, because it perceives you to be weak.
Don't ever run from a dog. Your running will excite the dog to chase you.
Maintain your composure and be still. Don't shift positions. If you don't display signs of fear, the dog may lose interest. Your panic could threaten the dog or make him more aggressive in his attack.
Use a voice with authority if you speak. With a lowered vocal tone command the dog to "STOP!" "Go HOME" or "Go AWAY!" Squealing for help sounds like submissive puppy language to an aggressive dog; don't use that tone.
FIND COVER
In order to protect your hands, fold your arms tightly if you can slowly do so. Should the dog get more agitated, keep your arms lowered and your hands closed in fists to protect your fingers. It is inviting a bite to offer your arm or hand to the dog.
Place an object between the dog and your body. Whether the object is a book bag, a hat, an umbrella or a stick, an excited dog will zoom in on the object and bite it instead of you. It is best to remember that even if a dog does bite your arm, this still leaves you two legs and an arm with which to defend yourself.
Remembering to never turn your back to a dog, slowly back away and try to put something between yourself and the animal. Scan the landscape for a car, tree, or some other elevated object that you can climb onto, beyond the reach of the dog. Once you've reached this relatively safe position, shout for someone to help you.
IF YOUR PET IS ATTACKED
Don't yank the leash. By pulling on your pet, you will cause his injuries to become worse by tearing. Your dog can't defend itself if you are pulling it in the opposite direction. Release your hold on the dog leash. Study your situation. Use a weapon (if you have one) to kill the wild dog. If you aren't dealing with a pack of dogs and the one that has your animal is small enough, you may be able to beat him off with a stick. Should these things be questionable, I think you would do well to get to safety. Remaining alive is how I think you would best honor the sacrifice of your pet.
HOW TO RESCUE A CHILD OR OTHER PERSON BEING ATTACKED
End the attack using any lethal weapon or deadly force available to you.
Concentrate FIRST on getting the aggressive dog to stop. Don't make the mistake of trying to snatch the victim from the dog. The dog will increase his grip and begin to rip and tear at the victim. Force your fisted hand and arm into the dog's mouth. By prying the dog's mouth open with your own arm, you can release the victim's limb without causing further injury. Jam your fist downward into the dog's throat to reduce your potential injuries. A sharpened, walking stick can also be used to jam down the dog's throat.
Should there be a pack of dogs attacking the child, shield the child's body with your own. Position yourself face down with the child beneath you, knees bent, hands behind your neck, arms covering your face and ears. By becoming a rock, you use your body to shield the child from more harm.
WHEN A DOG ATTACKS
If you have the ability or weaponry, use them to kill the dog.
Use any object to place between the dog and yourself. Whether it's a purse, bicycle, stick, hat, jacket -- use ANYTHING that you find. Use your jacket to cover your weaker arm and offer this to the dog. Your other arm and both of your legs are then left free to affect an escape. By offering the dog your arm, he won't be pulling your legs to get you onto the ground or trying to leap at your throat.
If bitten, hold your arm so that the teeth clamp down on the sides of your forearm and wrist, protecting the soft flesh to the inside of the arm. There could be arterial damage to the wrist and forearm if the teeth hit the soft, flat flesh. Protect your fingers by keeping your hand balled into a fist.
Ward off attempts by the dogs to get you on the ground. Remain upright.
If possible, utilize a stick to deflect the attack. Thrust the stick down the throat of the dog if that doesn't work. It is possible that the dog will let go of your arm (if he has it) when you try this.
In the absence of a stick, thrust your arm into the dog's throat and push down hard. In this way, you will shut off the dog's oxygen and cause him to gag. Pulling back from a dog while your arm is in his mouth will cause greater damage to your arm.
While the dog is busy with your arm, use your other hand to dig out his eye with your thumb or slam into his throat with a sharp, decisive blow. The dog can be made to choke and pass out by shoving one arm well down the throat while placing the other arm behind the head. Use the second arm as a lever while you pull the snout up and backwards until the neck breaks. You can grab a back leg with your good arm and lift it upwards. The dog will then be forced into a submissive posture on its back. Don't release the leg, but use it to drag the dog along the ground until you are at a safer location. Take care with this tactic that you don't get knocked to the ground.
If you find yourself on the ground, be still and calm, unless the attack resumes. Should the dog continue to advance, flip onto your belly, draw your knees up to protect your throat and cover your ears with your arms. Lock your hands together across the back of your neck to protect this area. This passive posture may stop the attack.
WHEN THE ATTACK STOPS
Repeat to yourself the dog's coloring, gender, size and breed.
After washing the wounds with soap and warm water, wrap in a clean cloth and apply pressure to staunch the blood flow. Keep your wounds clean and bandaged; have your injuries examined
Warn neighbors about the danger paying particular attention to those who are elderly or who have small children. Notify authorities that there has been an attack.
FYI
I have a pet dog. She is trained and a beloved member of our household. I take good care of her with respect to her created nature. An abandoned dog will endeavor to survive by its inborn instincts. Safety lies in respecting and understanding this design.
Preparing Yourself for Dog Encounters from Hector Hernandez on Vimeo.
ONE DAY OFFER – FREE COPIES OF THE VISION WITH EACH AMAZON PURCHASE!
GREAT NEWS! Shoppers who purchase Debi Pearl’s newest book THE VISION on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 will qualify for free gifts!
The publisher is offering to send two additional copies of THE VISION to those who purchase this book from Amazon.com on Tuesday, July 21. Additionally, a coupon for a 25% discount off of your next Bulk Herb Store internet order will be offered to those with qualifying proof of purchase. Act quickly to place your order for THE VISION!
Ensure your free gifts by following these easy steps:
1. Order your copy(ies) of THE VISION from Amazon on Tuesday, July 21, 2009. Click on this link to place your order.
2. Once your order has been placed, send your receipt from Amazon to Pearl Books at melcohen@hughes.net. Or you may fax it to 931.593.2494. Make sure that you’ve remembered to include your shipping address and email address with your receipt.
3. For every copy of THE VISION you purchase from Amazon, Pearl Books will send you two extra copies free. Qualifying customers will receive an additional 25% discount code that is applicable towards any Bulk Herb Store internet order placed July 22-31, 2009.
4. Offer valid only for purchases of THE VISION made July 21, 2009 on Amazon.com. No receipts will be accepted after July 31, 2009. This offer is void where prohibited and expires midnight August 1, 2009.
GOOD FOR ONE DAY ONLY! Be part of the July 21st Amazon blitz for THE VISION! Then, take advantage of your 25% online discount at Bulk Herb Store July 22-31!
