RASTA MEDICINE

The Rastas use herbs, barks, roots and natural local organic fruits and vegetables as their medicine. There is a large overlap between ital food and rasta medicine as food is the medicine. Prevention is better than cure and it is well known now that a primarily alkaline diet of fruits, including roots and bark, vegetables and herbs keeps the body healthy and vital.

The Rastafarian livity originated in Jamaica and Jamaica is abundant in delicious exotic medicinal fruits and spice trees, a large selection of tropical vegetables, coconuts and plant herbal medicine. The Jamaican natural healing and herbology has a rich history, beginning with the Arawak Indians and continuing on through to the introduction of African Plant Medicines later in history. Jamaican natural medicine was also influenced by the Indian peoples, the Chinese, the Syrians and the Europeans.

Rastas have a natural affinity with nature, a keen intellect and a vast legacy from their forefathers and with this they developed their own treatments for common ailments. Tonics for strength, libido, cold and stomach aches, toothaches and infections. Maroon medicine is legendary and if they couldn’t treat themselves they died. They utilized nature’s resources around them and they were masters of that. The basic principle here is utilizing preventative medicine through eating local fresh organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, and also by accessing local plants and local knowledge about those plants growing around you, so they can be used to treat common everyday human illnesses and states of mind. An example of this is if you have no energy, you are likely to feel down.

Every place on the planet has it’s own herbal plant pharmacy growing in the ground. Jamaica has it’s own set of very strong powerful local plants, just as Australia has. The Australian Aborigines has been utilizing their bush medicines for many thousands of years and the elders know instinctively which root bark or leaf can be used for a particular problem. The same goes for all other indigenous people of their lands.

Rasta is a way of life and in this mad modern world we live in with new illness springing up everyday and many more people, it is vital that people access their own rasta medicine growing around them. Some of these plants are more well known like Ginger root Coconut and living Aloe vera. Others not so well known like Kola nut, Periwinkle and Bitter Gourd. Hospital treatment and pharmaceutical drugs are an absolute last resort. The average person can prevent illness and treat common everyday problems themselves if they only know the secrets locked up in the plants around them.


With the threat of stronger and stronger strains of influenza and infectious bacteria, it is more important than ever to have access to some of your own plants for healing. They are cheap and quick and easy to access in a hurry. Build your immune system, keep your blood clean your system will remain strong and well.

Picking herbs...

MARLEY AND I WENT ON A LOVELY HIKE WITH TATI JOJO AND PICKED SOME WONDERFUL HERBS TO MAKE TINCTURES AND SALVES. ITS AMAZING THE HERBS YOU CAN FIND WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET. THE PLANTAIN WAS PICKED ON VENICE NEAR THE LIBRARY AND THE PASSIONFLOWER AT A FRIENDS HOUSE WITH A WONDERFUL PASSIONFLOWER PLANT! THERE ARE SO MANY MEDICINAL PROPERTIES IN THE PLANTS ALL AROUND YOU!!!! THEY ARE MAGIC

Home Made Hand Sanitizer

SO many of the hand sanitizer available leave your hands dry and are full of chemicals that we dont need!!!!!!

Here is a simple recipes to make your own!!!


It's quick and easy to make your own natural, waterless hand sanitizer.

Gather Your Ingredients

1 cup aloe vera gel
1 tsp rubbing alcohol
2 tsp vegetable glycerin
8-10 drops tea tree essential oil or lavender essential oil

Simply blend all of the ingredients together and store.

Decide Where You are Going to Store Your Sanitizer

Be creative! You can recycle old liquid soap or hand sanitizer dispensers. You can also purchase a beautiful glass jar with a pump top to store and display your sanitizer. Think out of the box. If you find some nice glass jars and then add your own label, you can give home made sanitizers as gifts to family and friends!

Choose Essential Oils Carefully

The original recipe calls for tea tree or lavender oil, but you can be creative and use other types of essential oils as well. I like to pull out a list of oils that have antibacterial AND antiviral properties and make a blend that suits the season. Look at the properties of citrus oils, especially. Use oils that suit your likes as far as scents are concerned but will still add the cleansing properties appropriate for a hand sanitizer.

Use Sparingly

Your home made hand sanitizer will not dissolve into your hands as quickly or effectively as the commercial hand sanitizers you buy in the store. It is better to err on the side of too little than to end up wiping excess sanitizer off of your hands later. Waste not - want not!

WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING A DOULA?

This is a question I'm often asked when people find out what I do for a living. one of the many things I do for a living :)
Since becoming a birth doula, my life has become unpredictable, ever-changing, exhausting and full of wonder and miracles.
As a doula, personal freedom is a thing of the past. I carry a cell phone wherever I go.


When the phone rings in the middle of the night, I have to wake up alert and cheerful, and not become resentful if it's a nervous soon-to-be mom or dad with a question. If it's a mom in labor, I need to be wide awake, fully alert, showered, with my teeth brushed, birth bag packed, birth ball inflated in a matter of minutes. I have to be on the road, having eaten a meal that will sustain me for a while, kissed my family good-bye, made arrangements for my next day's appointments to be canceled or changed, and notified my back-up.

When I attend a birth, I'm on my feet for an average of 24 hours, my hands, arms and back aching from massaging and applying counter pressure to a laboring woman's lower back. I've been thrown up on, bled on, punched, pinched, bitten (twice), yelled at and sworn at. I've missed birthdays, anniversaries, movies, dinners, parties, time with my son and sleep -- lots of sleep!

I've met so many incredible women and have been privileged to witness them as they discovered a strength inside themselves that they never knew they had, and that they will have forever. I've witnessed the first breath, first sight, first cry, first taste of nourishment from mother's breast for so many amazing newborns. I've seen couples bond in a way that even they didn't know was possible. I've seen men cry for the first time in their adult lives.

I've helped partners become totally involved in the birth of their child, much to the surprise and delight of the laboring woman, who thought she had hired me because she wouldn't get any support from her partner. I encourage the partner's participation and help empower the couple so that by the time the baby is born, they are strong and bonded, working together to nurture their new baby.

I've heard doctors and nurses admit that a client of mine would have had a cesarean delivery if I hadn't been there, and that they (the medical staff) had never seen a natural birth in their entire careers ... and that I've changed forever their perspective on birth.

The first time a nurse said she was amazed by the completely natural, unmedicated birth she'd just witnessed -- her first in several years of being an OB/GYN nurse, I would have thought she joking if she hadn't been so obviously awestruck. The second time I heard it, I was even more surprised because I could no longer believe the first instance had been a fluke. And when a doctor said it, I knew that I was not only being a doula to my client, but to all the women these nurses and doctor would work with in the future. These medical personnel now believed that a woman could give birth, without any medical intervention, and that belief, in itself, would help more women believe in themselves.

So, what's it like to be a doula? It's the best job I've ever had, and I've had plenty, from dog walker to waitress to massage therapist to nanny! If you've given birth, that will help, but it's not a requirement. What you need is a calm and gentle presence, an innate belief in a woman's ability to give birth and a willingness to support another woman's goals for her birth, even if they don't match your own goals. You'll need to be able to temporarily suspend your own life and the concerns that go with it while you totally focus on a woman who is working so hard to bring a new life into the world - and you are rewarded by getting to be there as a witness to this miracle!

Being a birth doula is an honor and a privilege. I feel so lucky to be allowed to become a part of another family, however briefly, during this most intimate and loving time in their lives.

Herbal Healing

These days more and more people are turning towards herbal medicines for healing different health problems. Herbal remedy involves the use of natural health products which can help to keep your body as healthy as you possibly can. They come in various forms; natural health products and medicines both for internal as well as external use. Herbal remedy is the use of natural herbs for many medicinal purposes. These herbs include everything from roots, flowers, branches, bark and fruits. It is believed to be the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind. Herbs had been used by all cultures throughout history.

Benefits:

Herbal remedies are very beneficial as they not only to heal the sickness but also treats the root cause of the disease. Even chronic diseases can be healed such as respiratory problem, gastrointestinal disorder, and immune system deficiency by making your body strong and helping in recovery. Herbal medicines are given to heal pain syndromes, neurological disorders, stress related syndromes, heart problems, sexual dysfunction, allergies and immune system deficiencies. They can be given in place of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

The best thing about these herbal remedies is that they have very less chances of side effects as compared to pharmaceutical medicines. Now people are even opting herbal medicines to treatments such as chemotherapy as they help to reduce the side effects caused by chemotherapy. As everything used is natural; they are safe. Even small treatment such as taking antibiotics can weaken your immune system so herbal medicines can help strengthen your system.

Crystal Healing

Crystal therapy or crystal healing is a form of vibrational medicine. Crystal therapy involves the application of crystals or gemstones to facilitate healing.

Gemstones house spiritual and healing properties that can be tapped into a variety of ways. Crystals can be carried or worn on the person, or placed in a location where their healing vibrations can be felt by whomever is nearby. Healers also place stones on their clients' reclined bodies to balance the chakras and aura.

Each type of stone has its own unique talent. Gemstone colors, shapes, and textures all have special meanings. Crystal elixirs can be made by soaking crystals for a few hours in a glass of water. Healing crystals are used for divination and meditation purposes. You can intuitively choose which crystals to use by noticing which stones you are attracted to. Keep your heart and hands open and allow the appropriate healing crystals to find their way to you.

Pregnancy Massage

Massage during pregnancy offers undeniable physical benefits. stimulate your lymphatic system, increasing immunity and the removal of excess toxins, while also stabilizing hormonal levels and balancing the glandular system. Hormonal changes can cause depression and anxiety during pregnancy, which is why many expecting mothers can find relief.

My specialties

Trigger point work is specifically designed to alleviate the source of the pain through cycles of isolated pressure and release. In this type of massage the recipient actively participates through deep breathing as well as identifying the exact location and intensity of the discomfort.Trigger point work is specifically designed to alleviate the source of the pain through cycles of isolated pressure and release. In this type of massage the recipient actively participates through deep breathing as well as identifying the exact location and intensity of the discomfort.Trigger point work is specifically designed to alleviate the source of the pain through cycles of isolated pressure and release. In this type of massage the recipient actively participates through deep breathing as well as identifying the exact location and intensity of the discomfort.


Swedish massage is exceptional for increasing the level of oxygen in the blood, decreasing muscle toxins, improving circulation and flexibility while easing tension.

Deep tissue massage is similar to Swedish massage but is used to target knots and release chronic muscle tension. Other benefits include reducing inflammation and helping to eliminate scar tissue. The focus is on the deepest layers of muscle tissue, tendons, and fascia (the protective layer surrounding muscles, bones and joints).

Deep tissue massage uses strokes across the grain of the muscles, not with the grain as in Swedish massage. The more intense movements and techniques such as deep finger pressure may be slightly uncomfortable and cause soreness that lasts a couple of days before resulting in the desired relaxation and pain relief.