If you are having trouble falling asleep at night, or waking up in the night and having trouble falling back asleep then this blog article is for you!

What will help you to fall asleep, my top tips:

1. Do a full body relaxation exercise
   
2. Pray the rosary
   
3. Stop drinking caffeine
   
4. Use homeopathic medicine
   

1) My favorite relaxation exercise is one that I learned in acting school when I was a teenager.

It is very potent.

This exercise was used by actors in order to relax before coming on stage, and over time, with this exercise, your body will learn how to relax faster and more completely.

Here are the basics (soon I hope to make this into a recording, but for now, here is what you can try):

First start with your breathing, slow it down, focus on it.

Then let the space between the out-breath and the in-breath increase (after the out breath, before your lungs fill with air again). Let it increase to one second for about ten breaths, then two seconds for ten breaths again.

At this point you should already be starting to relax.

Go through each part of your body from your forehead to your toes and let it relax during those two long seconds.

For example, relax you forehead. Then relax your left eye, then your right eye, then your left cheek, then your left jaw where the upper and lower parts of the jaw meet, then your ear, then do the same on the other side, then your upper lip, lower lip, mouth, then your scalp, especially where you head meets the pillow. Then relax you whole head together. Then move to your neck, start with the joint where your head meets your neck, then move slowly down your spine.

Are you bored yet? Tired? Falling asleep? :)

Relaxation techniques aren't for everyone.

If a relaxation like this make you more anxious then book a free chat with me.

2) Prayer may just be the best thing to do when you are feeling like you can't fall asleep.

Talk with God. Tell Him your struggles.

Often when we can't sleep we are thinking about stressful subjects.

Like Mother Theresa said when one of her nuns came to her in a panic because there wasn't enough bread that day to feed the poor, Have you told Jesus about it yet?
(In this case a whole truck of donated bread showed up shortly afterwards.)

The rosary is a nice repetitive prayer that can be very relaxing as you lie in bed.

You can count the rosary on your fingers at night if you don't have the beads with you already.

3) Yes, caffeine that you drank this morning can still be keeping you up at night.

I know, it's unfortunate, but it's true.

If you need help breaking the cycle of coffee and missed sleep, then consider working with me.

4) My favorite is homeopathic medicine!

If you want to change your lifestyle habits that you know are causing your lack of sleep, but you can't seem to do it, then homeopathy is for you!

Talk through what you are going through with a professional homeopath (me) and find the homeopathic remedy that will sooth you to sleep.

The role of iron in the body is to transport oxygen to all the cells of the body, so when you are low on iron it means that the distribution of oxygen is compromised, leaving you with symptoms such as:

• fatigue
• weakness
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• shortness of breath
• pale or yellowish skin
• desire to chew ice.

Sometimes women are diagnosed with low iron during pregnancy without any of these symptoms, but just due to the results of a blood test. In this case it can be fruitful to check if you are in fact suffering from anemia or if your iron tested low simply due to proper blood expansion. Please look to the following article on the official Brewer website for details.

Feeling one or more of those symptoms?

Then work with Emma Banks, homeopath to increase your health and resilience.

How to boost iron levels during pregnancy?

The first way to boost iron levels is through diet or nutrition.

Some dietary sources of iron are:

• pastured and organic animal (such as beef or chicken) liver
• pastured and organic blood pudding
• pastured and organic bone marrow
• a mixture of honey, roasted buckwheat and walnuts,
• organic black strap molasses
• red meat such as steak.

When you are eating iron rich foods for the purpose of increasing your blood iron levels make sure to avoid eating dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt etc) and caffeine (coffee, etc) for at least one hour before and one hour after your iron rich meal/snack.

You can also increase your absorption of iron by adding Vitamin C to the meal. Drink a small glass of orange juice or fresh squeezed lemonade or take a Vitamin C supplement (250mg) with your iron rich food.

If food is not enough?

Increase iron using supplementation:

• beef liver capsules
• beef blood capsules
• Floradix iron supplement (vegetarian).

The use of beef liver capsules is becoming popular and here are three brands that I recommend: MK Supplements, Ancestral Supplements and Perfect Supplements. These aren't affiliate links.

My personal story of boosting iron in pregnancy.

Personally, I saw great results with the beef blood capsules from Ancestral Supplements.

I was notified by my doctor as being on the edge of anemia after my first blood test in pregnancy. I was taking a gummy prenatal that didn't contain iron because I just didn't feel very good after taking one that did.

I knew the importance of adequate blood iron so I started to look for something that my body would agree with and I found the beef blood capsules. This form of iron made sense to me, as a homeopath, as supporting the health of my blood by using the blood of an animal.

I took the capsules throughout second and third trimester and by the time I had my blood checked again during labor before giving birth my levels were back to normal.

After giving birth, the doctor said that I didn't even need to get another blood test to check my iron levels (as is standard here in hospital after birth). I was good to go!

After birth I took beef liver capsules as for recovery and breastfeeding support.

Another option for those who are vegetarian is Floradix liquid (or tablets but the body absorbs liquid better and there is less risk of constipation).

I also used the cells salts:

Use homeopathy to maximize your iron absorption and utilization.
You can also use homeopathy to increase your uptake of iron and relieve your symptoms during pregnancy.

• cells salts
• classical homeopathic care

Cell salts are nano doses of certain minerals that help your body to uptake and utilize the essential bodily minerals.

To support your iron levels use the following cell salts: Ferrum Phos 6X, Natrum Phos 6X, and Kalium Phos 6X. These three cell salts can be taken together several times daily for months until symptoms improve. Take these as indicated on the bottle.

I love working with women during pregnancy.

I invite you to work with me if you are experiencing low iron, stress or emotional symptoms during pregnancy.

Increase your health and resilience with me, Emma Banks, homeopath.

I will support you with personalized health advice and unique homeopathic remedies to relive emotional, mental and physical symptoms associated with pregnancy and get you in shape for the birth and postpartum period.

Classical homeopathy is non-toxic and can be used alongside any other medications.

Thank you for reading my article. I hope it has helped. Feel free to comment below.

Make a free appointment with me here to see if homeopathic care is right for you.

I am in the midst of organizing my office for the reopening of my online homeopathic practice.

It feels so good to have all my good old homeopathic texts within reach again, the nursing books packed into tubs and tucked out of the way.

Almost finished nursing school before the announcement that students much show proof of Covid19 vaccination to do the internships at the hospital.

We will see where that goes...

For now I am getting ready to see new and existing clients.

I intend to do a specialization in recently emergent depression and symptoms relating to vaccination.

There are so many suggestions going around the internet these days for everything to do with the pandemic. I have been seeing clients one-to-one and teaching a fun, at-home homeopathy class.

Basically, my regular routine has stayed the same.

Not everyone is so lucky.

I wanted to write this post, both for those in lonely isolation and those in isolation with others.

These are some practical ways in which to nourish yourself and your immune system in times of uncertainty and panic.

1) See your homeopath.
Yes, we are seeing clients remotely.
If you are not feeling like yourself, if this time is bringing out hidden anxieties and fears, then it's really the perfect time to have a full case taking. Feel like yourself again.
I am not afraid of Covid19, you don't have to be either.
We can also suggest additional remedies and protocols to support your immune system, adrenal system, nervous system, etc.

2) Rescue Remedy
This little darling is available at most pharmacies and natural health food stores,
If you are feeling panicked, stressed and anxious, take it four times a day for several days. This will tide you over until you see your homeopath and get a personalized remedy for you.
You can also take it in addition to your core remedy.

3) Castor Oil Packs
Now is the time! It feels as relaxing as going to a spa or lying on the beach... and is especially helpful right before bed, so that you can have a deeper and more restful sleep.
Start with 10-20 minutes if you've never done one before. If you are sick, menstruating, or pregnant, check with your healthcare practitioner before use.
This is the brand I use. Instructions at the bottom. (St Francis Herb Farm)

4) Hug a tree
Yesterday I saw someone hugging a tree for ten minutes in the park beside my home. They walked away, gave the tree a little loving head nod/bow, and continued on their way. What a good idea if you can't hug a person right now!

5) Call a friend
If you are doing ok, busy at home with your family. Call a single friend! Don't give them any advice, just listen. They will appreciate knowing that you care.

It's just a stressful time all around. Isolation. Job loss. Illness.

Here are some suggestions.

Rescue Remedy (Bach Flower Essence mix) 4 x per day.
The repetition is important right now to get the full effect.
This is a gentle, pregnancy and breastfeeding friendly, flower essence mixture that can be found at most pharmacies and health food stores. It's in a yellow bottle, sometimes near the checkout.

HeartMath Relaxations
Your heart is in constant interface with the environment and the rest of you body. It plays a key role in adaptation and health. So support your heart health by using the easy HeartMath relaxations.

Homeopathy
Crisis situations bring our stresses and fears to the surface. It is the perfect time to have a holistic homeopathy consultation in order to express what is happening on the inside and to receive a remedy that will improve your overall health and immunity.

There is no natural or conventional health product that is specific to prevent or treat the corona virus. Please follow these Canadian directives to ensure health.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html

Here is a homeopathic take on it.

www.doctorbhatia.com/treatment/coronavirus-covid-19-symptoms-homeopathic-remedies-for-treatment-and-prophylaxis/?v=3e8d115eb4b3

Edited to Add: I know have changed my views on Chinese Medicine due to diving deeper into my Christian faith. I know longer look to it for answers, but straight to Christ our Lord and Savior!

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Happy Chinese New Year!

Lucky us, we get to celebrate the new year twice! So all those new year's resolutions have a second chance... haha.

I love Chinese medicine because it works with symbols.

This year is the year of the Golden Rat. According to Straight Bamboo:

2020 imagery of Yang (male)-Metal-Rat is like a ship in the ocean pushing against the strong wind. This combination shows signs of a storm!

Hmm, a storm of peace, I hope. Let's storm heaven with prayers?

Chinese medicine is thousands of years old. We have to listen to that wisdom. And that wisdom speaks in symbols. The rat is intelligent and inquisitive, metal is strong, like a sword. I don't believe in predicting the future, but I do believe in cycles and themes, so enjoy the ride in the strong ocean ship of 2020!

Happy New Year!

-Emma