AmyBuckley.com

Welcome

November 2007, two weeks after giving birth to my third child I got vertigo.  This began my journey as a patient  - ignored by MDs/western medicine, recurring odd symptoms,  finding my own way to "Alternative" medicine.   And now, over 3 years later, my journey to heal myself has unfurled onto a path to become a Naturopathic Medical Doctor.  Please join me on my adventures!

Beans in a Rice Cooker?!

    This is absolutely the best kept secret about beans!  Cooking beans in a rice cooker is faster, easier and more delicious than cooking them in a pan (or getting them from a can).  

    Since beans are one of the 5 foods I can eat right now and cost $1.70 a can I was trying to find a way to lower that cost.   Not to mention the salt, preservatives, and all that metal that needs to be recycled when you consume 3 cans a day!  Dry beans cost about $1.70 per pound dry - or about 3 cans worth!  I tried cooking via the stove and the beans kept turning out dry inside.  This method makes pinto and reds firm on the outside and creamy on the inside.  White and navy get a bit destroyed - and almost tastes like soup! 

    How to Cook them:  

                1. Follow pre-soak directions on the package.

                2. Caution! - some beans give off poisonous gases/substances that can make you sick, if they are not properly pre-soaked (ie. boiled for at least 10minutes).  Red and kidney beans are two examples.  Slow cooking these beans has lead to food poisoning.

                3. Rinse and place in rice cooker, cover with water (less than 1" past the bean level), press cook.

                4. When done, cover again with water and press cook a second time.

                5. Rinse, drain, and eat your perfectly cooked beans.

                6. Tip - I make so many at once that I put some in the freezer.

For Best Results:  

- Use small beans (white, navy, pinto, red, etc.).  

- Adding too much water will cause a lot of excess to spill out of the rice cooker during cooking - that can be a mess.  

- Put a few wash clothes around to catch the excess water your first few trys.  

- I have cooked up to 6 cups of beans in my 8 cup rice cooker.

- I pre-soak overnight in the rice cooker too.

Enjoy!

CHAKRAS

I have found the ideas behind the Chakra system to be helpful in understanding what's going on with my body physically, mentally, and spiritually.  This one page of notes I took long ago has served me very well on my healing journey.  There are seven Chakras or 'energy centers' that correspond to different aspects of the body as noted below.  

My notes from the book, Chakra Healing, by Rosalyn L. Bruyere  1990

1.  RED - Physical Body Sense

Chakra Location:  at the perineium.

Prime body part: Pelvis.

All nerve endings connect to here.  Survival needs, pleasure, and pain are all located here.

Psychological growth stage:  4 years old - self separate from others.

 

2. ORANGE - Emotional Body

Chakra Location:  below the belly button.

Prime body part: Intestines.

Where all feelings are processed.

Psychological growth stage:  7 years old - want others to feel as they feel.

 

3. YELLOW - Mental Body

Chakra Location:  above the belly button and below the V in the rib cage.

Prime body part:  Spleen, stomach, kidneys, adrenals.

Where all thoughts, opinions, and judgements originate and are controlled.

Psychological growth stage:  12 years old - digesting data.

 

4. GREEN - Astral Body

Chakra Location:  to the right of the actual heart.

Prime body part:  Thymus, Auto-immunity.

Bridges real world and the spirit/dream world.

Psychological growth stage:18 years old - consider other before selves, make no decision without considering higher ideals and dreams.

 

5. BLUE - Eupheric Body

Chakra Location:  over the throat.

Prime body part:    Thyroid (controls growth and metabolism).

Controls time and speech.

Beginning of god-like abilities.  "Knowing the right time for things".

Psychological growth stage:28-35 years old - idealistic especially in regards to justice and truth, concept of perfection.

 

6. INDIGO/VIOLET - Celestial Body

Chakra Location:  on forehead, between the eyes and slightly above them.

Prime body part: Pinneal Gland (a light sensitive neurotransmitter).

Holds your individual future and is our access to understanding the future.

Realm of light that allows us to "see the Light" from a clairvoyance perspective.  Home of insight, inspiration, intuition, psychic phenomena, visualization. "The Third Eye".

Psychological growth stage:  45-50 years old - wiser self.

 

7. WHITE (Rainbow, all colors) - Catheric Body

Chakra Location: on the crown of the head; ie. on top of head even with the ears.

Prime body part:  N/A.

The record of your whole spiritual life is here.  Oneness with God is here.

Psychological growth stage::  Ageless - higherself, most like god we can be at this time.

 

NCNM Admissions Interview

I recently spoke with an NCNM hopeful, Victoria, about her admissions interview.  Here is what I learned:

Which program?   ND and MAc (Masters of Acupuncture),  Dual Degree Program.

Who interviewed her?    1 ND faculty member who is an ND/MD; 1 Admissions Counselor; and 1 Chinese Medicine faculty member.

Interview situation:  All 3 NCNM representatives and her in a conference room at NCNM.

Length of interview:  1 hour.

Questions she was asked:        

• What will you do if you don't get into NCNM?
• What would you do if . . . quite a few of these types of questions.   One example is: What would you do as a practicing ND if one of your patients is blaming you for a side effect of a medication or supplement?
• Personal background questions.
• General Resume type of questions.

After the interview:  Within 2 weeks she received a phone call from the Admissions Counselor confirming her 'conditional acceptance' to the ND program.  This was followed with a formal letter, instructions, and paperwork.  Her acceptance was "conditonal" because she still needed to finish and pass two more of the required pre-requisite courses for entry to the program.  She was given a deadline to confirm her acceptance and send in a monetary deposit.

Her advice on interviews:  Know yourself and where you stand on healthcare issues, naturopathic medicine, and morality-type scenerios.  Don't be worried - it was a friendly atmosphere.  Take your time to think of your answer before starting to speak, silence is ok.  Try to be calm so that the real you comes through.

Her Background:  She is 45 years old.  She is an introvert.  She currently lives and has lived most of her life in Portland, OR. Since she was 2 years old she wanted to be a Medical Doctor (MD).  Her father was in the Biochemistry field and her mother was very into Natural Health methods when she was young.  In college she married and had children and so she ended up as a Registered Nurse (instead of an MD).  She is now divorced and her children are living on their own, so three years ago she set out to get her Bachelors degree in Nursing (a first step towards a doctorate).

Why Natural Medicine?:   After 15 years working in healthcare (a lot of it with mentally ill patients) she became disillusioned with the current healthcare system.  She witnessed time and again how medications were prescribed to people and it did not help them, often made them worse, and did not get at the root cause of their illness.  She was determined to be a different kind of MD.

    Then, one year before finishing her bachelors degree, she heard an ND speak at a Martial Arts Camp she was attending.  She spoke to him afterwards and learned about NCNM.  She knew immediately that becoming an ND instead of an MD was the route she wanted to take.

Experience with Natural Medicine?:  Introduction to it as a child from her mother.  Currently she sees an ND/LAc (Licensed Acupuncturist) and another ND.

How Big is a Blood Cell?

This is a must-see interactive "slide" for any one with blood cells - that means you!. . . it takes you from the size of 12 point font down to a picometer (that's 1/trillionth of a meter)!  And along the way you pass by a blood cell, e. coli bacteria, the flu virus, an anti-body, etc.!  (Hint: move the tab below the picture).

I'm in love with this creation:    Cell Size and Scale

Thank you University of Utah!

Great Quote

"The cell is a machine driven by energy.  It can thus be approaced by studying matter, or studying energy.  In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy."

-Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel Laureate in Medicine

Flower Essences

What are they?

  I was introduced to flower essences because one came up on the bioresonance machine as being the #1 item I needed to improve my health!  In short, each flower brings about different thoughts or feelings in you and can cause changes around you as well (changes in your life).  Sounds crazy if you haven't ever heard of them or tried them but they work!

  They are SUPER SUBTLE, not like drugs or medicine in any way, shape or form.  And, in my experience, they are SUPER Effective.  Also, they only give you as much as you can handle at one time, no worrying about being overwhelmed.

  This is an ancient practice of several native cultures.   Ancient wisdom reclaimed!

 

How are they made?

  They are made by taking a bunch of the same flower and placing them in a bowl of purified water and leaving it out in the sun to "bake" for several hours.  Then they take the water and package it with alcohol (as a preservative), usually brandy, in a bottle.

  You should be able to take them with any medications but ask your doctor for sure.  In the meantime, or alternatively, they work  just as well if you just wear the liquid around all day.  Why? Because it works on the energy level not the molecular level (which is why you should be able to take it with medicines).

 

How do I know which one to use?

  Several websites have guides on how to choose one.  In general, read through the descriptions and see which one seems the most true for you.  If you know someone that can do muscle testing or bioresonce for you that's the best route.  The worst that can happen is nothing.  If your body can not use the essence then nothing happens.  All aspects of the description do not have to fit for you to take the essence.

 

What's an example of an essence?

Brand: Living Essences of Australia   Flower:  Golden Waitsia

Description (from Healing Waters website):

The essence of re-igniting carefree feelings, to heal all aspects of anxiety linked to perfectionism. Helpful for those who worry about details, allowing the mind to become bright and inquisitive, positive in outlook, and allows the mind to free itself from the small, tight framework.  For people who are continually caught in over-attention to details—the perspective they have increases a negative and hopeless state where problems can never be solved because there is always another detail to consider.  For those caught in small details which can create low energy states, depressed states, anxious states and totally frustrated states of mind. When the person is freed from the small perspective, problems can often dissolve because it was the unnecessary focus that was making the problem in the first place.  For those needing to accept their present imperfect state of health and wellbeing while convalescing from illness or trauma, Golden Waitsia can be applied to the soles of the feet every few hours.

 

How do I use it?

To wear it around, you should put 20-30 drops in a very small glass, spill proof, container (perfume sample vials are good)....something that fits in your pocket with out attracting attention.  Put in a pants pocket or vest, jacket pocket - as close to your bear skin as you can get.  And then at night put it in your pillow case so that you are sleeping on it.  It's very important to sleep on it.  Lots of thoughts and feelings go through our brain while asleep and we are sleeping for 6-8hours!  In the mornig take it out of your pillow case and put it in your pocket.  Simple!  I've seen little glass containers you wear as necklaces or bracelets, that would be great too. 

  If you want to ingest it, I can tell you I've always taken 7 drops first thing in the morning and 7 drops right before going to sleep at night (prescribed to me by the bioresonance machine).  Some flower essence instructions say to take much less than that (perhaps the results will be more subtle).  Use your best judgement for your individual circumstances.  Hold the drops in your mouth, under your tongue if you can get it there, for at least 30seconds (and up to 10 minutes) before swallowing.  Results may start to happen immediately (within 24hours) or it may take several weeks.  6 weeks is a great length of time to allow it to work fully.  This will require probably 1oz. of essence.  That is why wearing it is handy too - you don't use it up and you don't have to buy any more.

  If you are taking or wearing it and don't think it is doing what it is supposed to do, stop taking it.  After a few days do you notice a difference?  With such subtle supplements it is sometimes hard to recognize their positive effects until they are gone.

 

Where can I get one?

  The best website I have found in the USA is:  essencesonline.com   The owner/operator Mindy calls her webstore 'Healing Waters' and stocks a vast amount of the essences she shows on the website.  If she doesn't have it she will order it right away.  I have used some of the Living Essences of Australia from  her site.

  One other type of essence I have found that works exactly as their descriptions:  najmaessences.com  The creators have many decades of healthcare experience.  The product is not sold in the USA right now so I order it from helios.co.uk .  They ship so quickly and my items arrive so fast that they seem domestic, really!  I have used 3 of these essences and they work exactly as it's described, incredible given the complexity of what they do.

 

How to Medicate Kids

    Once you've actually decided that a "medicine" (herb, supplement, food, etc.)  is best for your child the next hurdle is how you are going to get them to take it.  You may luck out and find that your 5 year old can swallow pills of any size and tries to impress you by doing it without a drink, like my oldest.  But more likely you'll need to try to get liquids or kids formulations of products and disguise the taste.  

    I've found that 100% purple grape juice is the BEST liquid to put chinese herb tinctures, liquid medicines, homeopathics, herb tinctures, etc. into.  I don't even have to worry about 'boiling off' the alcohol content of tinctures, they don't seem to be able to taste it in grape juice.  Prune/Plum juice is also great - before you say "Yuck"!  You should give it a try - it's so sweet I need to add water to it when I drink it.  It's so healthy (fiber, nutrient content) that it deserves a second chance in your life.  Prune juice has gotten an undeserved bad reputation.  Try mixing prune juice with other juices; grape, apple, pear, cherry, etc. to get your kids to drink it.  

     Making drinking the 'medicine' fun has it's advantages as well.  Forcing medicine down kids throat is messy and unproductive.  Better to have them know they are taking medicine and why.  Get their buy-in.  Chinese herbs are best taken at mealtimes so I used to mix the kids' medicine in their regular juice cups (shown at left the green 8oz. cup with straw).  But this only worked if they drank the whole thing at one sitting or I didn't fill the cup the whole way.  I found it much more effective to have a mini-cup used only for administering medicine.       That would be the clear 2oz. Tupperware^TM cups shown with blue lids.  The center circle on the lid is the perfect size, when cut out, to fit a standard sippy cup straw into it.  And 2oz. of juice is plenty to hide the taste of most medicines.  (There is a clear ballpoint pen with purple cap laying in front of the cups to show scale).  I found I could give this to my child anywhere in the house and they could drink it quickly.  Since it is only used for medicine I always knew if they had taken their medicine or not.  The younger kids always want medicine when an older child is taking some - a sure sign that you've made taking medicine fun.

     For medicines/pro-biotics, etc. that are powders after about 2 years old my kids refused to drink it in their juice.  I found it better to stir it into yogurt or applesauce.  Still, tell the kids it is in there and why because they can still feel the different texture, see the color difference, and/or taste the difference.

When to Medicate Kids

    To intervene or not to intervene?  My husband and I have different views on this topic so when it comes to our children we've talked a lot about it.  Of course Natural medicine is about prevention - so you never get sick.  But while you are on your way to getting healthy or if you get out of balance, then Natural medicines work best at the first sign of imbalance/illness.  When it comes to young children it is often hard to know when an imbalance is first approaching, further complicating the decision to medicate.  

    Here are the 3 rules of thumb I came up with to know when to automatically give the kids some extra immune system help (rather than letting them 'fight it out'):   

    1.   If they are in Pain.

    2.  If they are having trouble breathing (stuffy nose, etc.)

    3.  If they are having trouble sleeping.

    For fevers I try to let it continue and monitor their temperature closely.  Since a fever is the body's way of killing off microorganisms, suppressing it should not be your automatic reaction. Keep a log of their temperature in a notebook or on a calendar.   And note how it correlates with bowel movements, foods, drink, sleep, etc.

    Pain often manifests itself in children as a bad attitude, An increase in violent or aggressive behavior, or incessant/repetitive bouts of crying.  Basically a dramatic shift away from their normal personality.   Since they often won't or can't tell you when something hurts you'll have to watch for these clues and patterns....a notebook comes in handy for that!(see below).

    Breathing is so important I'm sure you can tell why it's on the list.  

    Sleeping:  trouble sleeping and breathing often go together.  If your child can't sleep they aren't going to get better.

    As with all things there are other times to medicate too.  You have to follow your instincts first and foremost.  And if you choose natural medicines then erring on the side of giving a 'medicine' too early won't do the child any harm (and just might keep them from getting 'sick').  

    Keep a Journal.  You are too busy to try to remember when you started a medicine or how the child's symptoms are progressing/ebbing.  Grab a blank school notebook write the day/month/year in the left margin and put down some notes each day or several times a day.                                                  

                                                      
You can look for patterns and clues over several days or months this way (and years too...does your child get pink eye every April?  Then you can start to figure out why and work to eliminate the problem).  With multiple children tracking key health information is a must and often gives you advance warning of the next child's pre-symptoms of a cold/flu/etc.  I keep my journal on the kitchen counter.  Here is a sample of ours (we have 3 kids, First letter of their names are at the top of the page, in birth order to make it simple).   It doesn't have to look pretty, as my journal shows you.

Banana Bread/Muffins

I just found Bob's Red Mill 100% Bean Flour at my local grocery store!  I have not been able to eat a bread-like product for over 3 years.  But I immediately adapted my Banana bread recipe and I'm in heaven!  My kids even like the results, so it must be good to a normal palate as well.  We all like the Carob addition but you can just leave it out if you don't want the chocolate-like flavor.  Give them a try - they are quick to cook - b/c nothing really needs to 'cook'.  And since there are no raw eggs, everyone can eat the batter without fear of getting sick.     The middle part of my 4" round did not get done all the way so it's very thick and rich and decadent - very heavenly.

"Chocolate" Banana Bread/Muffins                                by Amy Buckley

(No wheat, no gluten, no egg, no dairy, no corn, no rice, no soy, no potato, no chocolate, no sugar)

If using Carob and/or Coconut oil, melt them first.

I put the Carob in the applesauce and heat it and then stir it.

Note:  T = Tablespoon   t = teaspoon

 

1. Cream together the following in mixing bowl:

1/2 Cup Agave 

1/4 Cup Applesauce

1/4 Cup Coconut oil

 4 T Carob Powder 

 

 2. Add the following and mix all together until smooth:

2 Brown skinned bananas, mashed with a fork & mixed to soup consistency

2 t  Baking Soda

1 t  Vanilla

2 Cups Garbanzo and Fava Bean Flour

1.5 T Chia seeds pre-soaked in 4.5 T Water (egg substitute)

1 t  Ground Cinnamon

 

Grease pan w/coconut oil (even non-stick pan)

Bake @ 350 F

Makes 24 mini-muffins(pictured):  10 minutes

And one 4" round:  15 minutes

Other sizes I have not tried yet.  They 'cook' fast!

 

Cholesterol Tip

Dan Richard, one of the owners of the NOW Food/Vitamin Brand, describes in his book Beating the odds, how he lowered his Total cholesterol by 89 points in 3 months by taking only 4 supplements per day (pg. 98). No other lifestyle modifications!  And his LDL dropped 82 points from 195 to 113! He tried this regime because of all the letters he was getting from customers on how well it reduced their cholesterol.  I trust his products and him, so I'll pass this along so you can discuss with your healthcare practioner if you should try it:

1. NOW Red Yeast Rice Extract (includes Milk Thistle, ALA, and CoQ10) 2 caps/day
2. NOW Policosanol  1/day
3. NOW Pantethine  1/day

Caution!:  

• (Bad) Some people have negative reactions to Red Yeast Rice Extract (rash, etc.)
• (Potential Problem) Red yeast rice extract acts like a natural statin (drug)
• (Good) Your liver will improve as well due to the extras in the Extract; his liver tests of GGT, AST, ALT all improved

Where to get it:

• NOW Brands is so inexpensive and doesn't allow large mark-ups on their products so many major chains do not carry it.
•  New Season's Organic Grocery Store chain (only in Oregon!)
• iHerb.com . . . great reviews and search feature, LOTS of products offered, good shipping prices, fair speed on order fulfillment, prices higher than Allstarhealth.com:
• Allstarhealth.com . . . fastest shipping, one price shipping, where I go to first with my orders

If you try it, write a comment here so we know how it worked for you - Thanks!