You notice that you have gotten a paper cut or scraped your arm on something and torn the skin.  A cut can be a serious matter.  It creates an opening in your body where one shouldn’t be, which bacteria can use to make you sick.

When you get a cut, what do you do?  Most people head to their medicine cabinet or the store for something to heal the cut.  Before going there, consider a more natural remedy that could be around your house or as close as the neighborhood health store.

Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years to treat everything from cuts to digestive ailments.  Before there were proper manufactured medicines like we have today, there was the earth and the bounty it provided.  The earth is still here and the herbal remedies are just as useful today.  Herbal remedies have fewer side effects than some more modern products, and work for people with tons of allergies to medications.  Here are some common types:

1.  Tea tree oil ñ this essential oil has been called a quintessential treatment.  Tea tree oil stimulates the immune system by attacking bacteria, viruses and fungi that invade the body through all sorts of means.  It can be applied to a cut to encourage healing and scar tissue formation.  As soon as the wound has begun to heal, apply the oil directly to the area instead of using a bandage.  The wound can heal naturally and get air at the same time.

2.  Calendula  this is the name of a plant that is similar to marigolds.  The leaves and the petals have been used to heal wounds.  Calendula cream is sold over the counter as an anti-itch and anti-inflammatory for poison ivy.  Cuts can get dry as they heal and cause itching.  Inflammation makes a cut itchy and red also.  A salve can be applied to healing cuts to moisturize the skin and kill any bacteria still lingering.  Don’t apply calendula to infected or weeping wounds.

3.  Myrrh ñ this plant is mentioned in the Bible.  In ancient times it was used as a healing agent.  The sap from the tree is beneficial as an antibacterial agent.  Applying myrrh to a cut helps to speed healing in the body.

4.  Aloe Vera he aloe plant has long been a staple for healing.  It is great for burns but also for cuts.  As a cut heals it can also hurt.  Taking a piece of the succulent aloe plant and rubbing it on a cut encourages circulation and healing.  The juice of the plant also reduces inflammation and pain.

After you get a cut, decide how you will treat it to get the best and fastest healing possible.  Herbal remedies allow for healing in a natural way without extra ingredients and chemicals.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a healing therapy that works with modern medical techniques, hence the name “complementary”. Reiki uses hands-on techniques to channel energy from the Reiki master to the client and thus heal them.  With this form of healing, it is not only the energy of the receiver but also the energy and balance of the Reiki healer.

Reiki healing works to restore the energy flow or ki (pronounced chee) within the body.  Stress can obstruct the flow of energy throughout the body.  If there is disease going on in the body, energy flow or ki can be low and the body can still be out of balance.  The Reiki healer introduces energy from a limitless divine source into the body of the client to aid in healing the body.

This form of healing was originally started in Tibet.  A renewed form of the healing technique was developed by a Japanese Buddhist and named Reiki which means universal life force energy.

A Reiki master is familiar with the energy flow of the body and how they can tap into and change that energy with their own energy through the laying on of hands.  Through Reiki training, practitioners learn about how to channel that energy through intention. When this intention is strong, a Reiki healer can affect changes in the body of an individual even from far away without physical contact taking place.

Reiki masters use their training to benefit the body in many ways:

* Better sleep patterns
* Lower blood pressure
* Pain relief
* Boosting immune system function
* Emotional and spiritual growth
* Detoxification
* Unblocking ki energy