My friend and colleague Kimm Woodward has written a fantastic e-book called “The Herbal A-Z”. Kimm is a herbalist and an acupuncturist so is trained in both both Western and Chinese naturopathic philosophy and combines both of these in her book.

Kimm had a successful clinic in SE Queensland, Australia, for many years, and now that she has become an “Elder”, she decided to write down what she knows so it can pass into the hands of the next generation. Wanting her wisdom to be accessible to as many people as possible, she asked me to turn the raw material into an e-book and use my knowledge of the internet to “Get it Out There”.

The Herbal A to Z provides herbalists with an A-Z list of common ailments and the herbs traditionally used in their treatment.

It is a user friendly ready reference for practitioners and the curious. This apparently simple collection of information is  the summary of hundreds of years of research, experimentation, observation and learning by well known herbalists and writers who collected the information originally.  Kimm has collated and condensed it.

Even experienced herbalists will benefit from having this book in their clinic, because we all use herbs  differently and there is always more to learn. Those newer to this calling will find it especially invaluable.

Many of my friends are herbalists, which means we often end up talking herbs when we get together and swap information. It has always been so with those of us drawn to this calling! I love learning new ways to use my favourite herbs.

I trained with arguably the best herbalist in Australia, Dorothy Hall, towards the end of her career when she had been practising for over 55 years and teaching for over 40 years. I have now been in clinical practice for  over 10 years myself. In addition to this, I’ve been personally mentored by Ian White, founder of Australian Bush Flower Essences and Annie Meredith, an acuncturist, for my training as Senior Lecturer with Bush Essences. This work has brought me in contact with amazing healers and world class herbalists from all over Australia, the USA and Canada.

Even so, I learnt a lot when I read The Herbal A – Z. Not that this came as a surprise, I believe there is always lots more to learn about herbal medicine. One of the things I love about it is that I will never know more than a fraction of what there is to know. One can never be bored.

I immediately printed off a copy for my clinic and have been referring to it ever since.

My point is that this is a very practical and easy to use reference guide to have on your desk and you will use it daily.

Also included are additional pages:

• Common Herbs Listed According to Their Function and
• Vitamins in Food and Herbs

It is one thing to get a person well – but they need to keep themselves that way and so ‘food as medicine’ is valuable information for you to be able to share with your clients.

If you think the day may come when this knowledge may be lost buy this book.

If you are curious about herbal medicines that may have been used to treat an illness in the past, this is the book for you.

This book could also be of interest to the innovative medical researcher of the future.

To order click here

After payment, you will immediately be provided with an electronic version of the book to save to your computer and print off.

Please come back here and share your thoughts on the book with me and others.

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by Jo Hunter,

Homebirth Australia

Women and their families are travelling from all over the country to attend the MOTHER of all birth rallies on Monday September 7th, 2009.

The rally is to take place outside Parliament House at 1130am. We are expecting a HUGE turn out and plenty of media attention.

We have been contacted by many women who have been told by QANTAS that they will need to reschedule their flights as they have booked too many babies on their flights to Canberra over the 3 days surrounding the rally.

This has apparently never happened before.

If you are booked to travel by plane to Canberra it may be worth ringing the airline to check as some women have been told that they could be turned away at the airport because by law they are only allowed to have 8 babies per flight.

UNABLE TO ATTEND THE RALLY?

If you can’t be with us on September 7, please purchase a virtual rally ticket. Send us your headshot and message (please make this less than 25 words as it will need to be scribed) and we will create a cut-out to place in the ground outside Parliament House. Your pledge will go towards the printing and assembly of your ‘cut-out’ and will enable HBA to subsidise the travel and accommodation of those who may not otherwise be able to attend. To purchase a virtual rally ticket please click here.

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Canberra.

For more information on Home Birth Australia, visit their website by clicking here.

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by Justine Caines.

Homebirth Australia

Homebirth Australia (HBA) has played a pivotal role in the campaign to keep the option of private homebirth alive.

HBA successfully lobbied for the ‘Medicare related’ legislation to be examined within a Senate Committee. The Community Affairs (Legislation) Committee is currently looking at the 3 related bills. We believe 2000 submissions have been received, this is an unprecedented response. Thank you to so many who took the time to write.

We have now gained support across the Senate, The Coalition, Greens, Family First and Independent Senator Nick Xenophon have all expressed support to enable women to make important choices about their bodies and healthcare.

The Greens have announced that they will draft an amendment to include homebirth in any funding and indemnity insurance support developed for midwives accessing Medicare.

Minister Nicola Roxon has expressed concern regarding the availability of indemnity insurance for homebirth in the short term. Whilst we believe the Minister is supportive of finding a solution, and this has been confirmed in recent media click here.

We are less convinced that the Department of Health and Ageing are. It would seem that women choosing homebirth have been diminished and are now considered as ‘collateral damage’. Our understanding is that not one current homebirth midwife or consumer has been called upon to brief the Indemnity branch of the Department of Health or the insurance industry. Poor Nicola; how can anyone expect those who have no understanding of homebirth to make decisions about it, while they receive nothing from those with knowledge but rather a raft of ’spin’ from those with deep vested interest in medicalised childbirth.

A feminist academic, and coincidentially a homebirth mother, Monica Dux argued most eloquently that this struggle was simply not about homebirth, but more so that of a fundamental right for women. Her opinion piece appeared in The Age on 17 July:

The assumption…that minority rights are unimportant and can be casually overridden – is both offensive and antithetical to the fundamental values of a liberal society… It is not only the rights of the minority who undertake home birth that are at stake here. This is an issue that impacts on all women.

In the past century we have seen a profound shift in the status of women, from being virtual chattels owned by husbands or fathers, to the attainment of full citizenship and (supposedly) equal rights with men. This hard-won legislative and cultural change has allowed women greater freedoms, but it has also given rise to an expectation of physical dignity, and of ownership over our own bodies, as epitomised in liberal abortion provisions and stricter sexual assault laws.

The legislative squeezing-out of home birth represents a serious regression in this reform process. Given that the new laws will effectively make private midwife-assisted home birth illegal, the Federal Government is acting to deprive most women of the ability to make a fundamental choice about their own bodies; the choice to birth in a non-medicalised environment.

Home Birth Ausralia has just learnt that the Bills will be debated next week in Parliament (how can the Senate committee work through 2000 submissions in such a short space of time?).

Around 6 months ago I made a joke late at night on Facebook that I felt like a Suffragette, I feel like one 24/7 now! I look forward to a fantastic rally in Canberra on September 7. We are looking forward to a very BIG turnout. Women are coming with bellies and babies in tow to give a very clear message to the Rudd Government. ndividual women will decide where and with whom they share the intimacy of birth NOT politicians and bureaucrats.

It has also been confirmed today that Homebirth Australia has been invited to provide oral evidence before the Senate Committee on August 6.

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Bruises respond well to topical applications of herbs, but for bid or deep bruises, internal herbs are also recommended.

Soak a cotton pad with Witchazel Lotion or 1stAde solution and apply as a compress to the affected area for between 15 and 60 minutes, depending upon the severity of the bruise. Repeat one to two times daily until all soreness, swelling and discolouration is completely gone.

You can also apply take homeopathic Arnica:

After the compress, apply Herbal Healer to the bruise several times daily.

Like all herbal medicines, the sooner you start the remedy, the faster and better the result. If it was not possible to apply these healing herbs immediately after the injury, start as soon as possible – better late than never. I

If you have a very old bruise that still feels hard and / or a little tender even months or years later, apply one of these herbs at least once a day until the area feels normal once again; this may take many months but it is important that it be done.

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Breasts are full of lymphatic tissue and are designed to move around. Bras prevent your breasts from doing this and so stop this all important self cleansing mechanism.

This is why it feels good to take off your bra at the end of the day – it should be the first thing you do when you walk in that door – let your breasts breathe. Those push up bras make our boobs look fabulous, there is no doubt about it, but save them for special occasions. Around the house, go braless.

Especially, never wear a bra to bed. And avoid bras with underwire – they cut off the circulation of blood and lymph – if you don’t believe me have a look at the big red mark under your breasts after you take off an underwire bra.

Go to the lingerie section and have your bras fitted – most department stores have staff trained in this and its free – a well fitting bra does much less damage than an ill fitting one. Most women are wearing badly fitting bras – that’s why it feels so good when you take it off. You need to be resized for a bra when you are pregnant, breastfeeding, weaning or when you have gained or lost 5kg or more of weight. Breasts are fatty deposits and when you gain or lose weight you’ll notice it on your breasts almost immediately.

Many fibrocystic lumps disappear altogether if you don’t wear a bra for six months.

An effective, free way to assist with breast health is to lightly stroke your fingers from sternum (breastbone) to armpit for several minutes a day. This helps by promote lymphatic drainage of your breasts.

Fenugreek Tea has traditionally been used to help cleanse the lymphatics also.

Bush Iris from Australian Bush Flower Essences energetically balances the lymphatics. Much more information on Bush Iris is shared during the Level 1 Australian Bush Flower Essences Workshop.

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