How to choose the flower essence that's right for you, your child, or your pet

When Dr. Bach formulated his 38 flower essences, each had a specific function.

Some will help with personality traits that could be holding you back from true happiness, while others will help you overcome anxieties and fears. Some work best in combination, which is why we offer general remedies such as Feel Bach's Feel5ive, our sleep formulas, our ADHD remedy, the stop smoking formula, etc..

FeelBach! offers two ways for you to choose the flower essence or the combination that's right for you.

If you wish to choose for yourself, start by reading the short overview of each essence at FeelBach! Then visit www.bachflower.org for more in-depth information about the essences you believe might be right for you.

The other is to let our experts choose for you. Simply visit FeelBach! and fill out the questionnaire. As you'll see, there are separate questionnaires for adults, for children, and for your pets.

From your answers to the questionnaire, our experts will determine which essences are needed to re-balance your energies and bring you back to a state of well being.

Once you've gotten your formula, you can go back to www.bachflower.org to read about the essences that were chosen based on your questionnaire answers. You just might gain some added insight into your subconscious!

And yes! Pets CAN be helped with Dr. Bach's remedies. We even have specific formulas for some of their most common problems:

• Stress or sorrow due to the loss of a loved one, a move, a new baby in the house, etc.
• Fear of noise (from thunderstorms or fireworks)
• Separation anxiety 

Life is supposed to be good - so if yours is giving you trouble, let Dr. Bach and his flower essences help. Visit FeelBach! today. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all who read this blog, all who visit our Bach Flower Reference Guide to learn more about Bach Flower Essences, and of course all who visit FeelBach! to fill out our questionnaires and purchase Bach Flower Remedies.

We appreciate having the honor of helping you realign your energies to get the most health and happiness from life.

Thanks also to all who write us to tell of their success with Bach Flower Essences - we love hearing how Dr. Bach's research and discoveries all those years ago are still helping people live better in today's fast-paced, modern world.

We firmly believe that in spite of medical and scientific discoveries, our soul energies and our mental states play the largest role in our overall health.

Here's to your health, happiness, and joy...

Love and Thanks from the FeelBach! Team

When Emotional Turmoil Manifests as Physical Pain

Bach Flower Remedies work by re-balancing energies. Their purpose is to re-connect body and spirit. And yet, they relieve pain. How can that be?

It can be because the connection between mind, spirit, and body is closer than many doctors would have you believe. Mental and emotional anguish can and do cause physical pain, and sometimes the person being affected doesn’t even realize the source of that physical pain.

That’s why the flower essence Sweet Chestnut can often relieve chronic pain.

Sweet Chestnut is a Bach Flower Essence used when a person has given up hope. When they feel that nothing can resolve their problems, and they have nothing good to look forward to.

This can be an outward, all-encompassing state, or it can relate to a specific situation that the sufferer may have buried deep in their subconscious.

Dr Edward Bach said that Sweet Chestnut was…"For those moments which happen to some people when the anguish is so great as to seem to be unbearable. When the mind or body feels as if it had borne to the uttermost limit of its endurance, and that now it must give way. When it seems there is nothing but destruction and annihilation left to face."

For many, that anguish manifests itself in physical pain – and that may be good news for some. When medical doctors can’t find and cure the cause of chronic pain, Bach Flower Essences offer new hope in the form of Sweet Chestnut.

When pain is caused by a spiritual or emotional turmoil, Sweet Chestnut can be taken internally or used in Floral Acupuncture – applied directly to the painful area.

If you aren't sure which Bach Flower Essences are right for you, visit FeelBach! and take the questionnaire.

Update on Floral Acupuncture Book

The book, Floral Acupuncture, finally arrived a couple of days ago, so thought I’d give you an update. One thing I can say about ordering from Amazon – it sure takes a while for the order to arrive. But… it’s still better than driving from one bookstore to another in search of something.

The first pages of this book are a bit technical…explaining the progressive stages of healing with flower essences, then going into the ability of water to record a substance and the nature of meridians and acupuncture points.

I thought perhaps the whole thing would be “over my head” – especially when it got into the Five-element theory of acupuncture. I was afraid I might need a few courses in order to understand what I was reading. These first chapters would probably make perfect sense to an acupuncturist or a Bach Flower Essences practitioner.

But then… it got to the acupuncture points to use for each of the 38 Bach Flower Essences. This part I can understand easily. Each essence is introduced with a paragraph or two about what the essence is used for and the description of the flower and the plant.

After that it explains why the essence is used on a particular meridian, and each explanation is accompanied by a photograph showing the proper application point.

The next thing – and perhaps this is in the book and I haven’t gotten there yet – is to determine how the different Bach Flower essences work to heal physical ailments. According to this book, people have been cured of some serious diseases – just by using Bach Flower Essences to re-balance their energies and bring their bodies into harmony.

Using Bach Flower Essences Externally

We generally think of Bach Flower Remedies as something we take internally to help re-balance our energies.

However, these healing essences can also be used externally. Hornbeam, for instance, can help soothe tired eyes when used as a compress. It can also help relieve varicose veins.

Lately, I’ve been reading about Bach Flower Essences used like acupuncture. Instead of needles, practitioners simply apply a few drops of the flower essence to the correct point on a meridian. Then the patient rests for about 45 minutes.

According to the testimonials I’ve read, relief can come quickly. For instance, a teacher who was mentally exhausted from a conflict with another teacher used Hornbeam to regain her cheerful outlook and enthusiasm.

Another reader said she was having trouble with thoughts going round and round… so used White Chestnut on acupressure points for several days and re-patterned her thought process.

Yet another reader reported that this method of using Centaury helped her to set boundaries in her life – and stop being a “yes-person.” She used Centaury when faced with a specific situation.

Since I’m a fan of acupuncture, I’m going to send for the book: Floral Acupuncture – Applying the Flower Essences of Dr. Bach to Acupuncture Sites.

According to the advertisement, this book gives instructions for lay-people to apply the Bach Flower Essences to the correct meridians.

I’ll report back after I’ve read the book.

If You're Plagued by Indecision...

Do you suffer when you have to make a decision – because you don’t trust your own judgment and you don’t know which of your friends or relatives has given you the right answer?

If so, you’re in a negative Cerato state.

This negative state occurs when you’ve lost belief in your higher self. It causes you to mistrust your inner voice and seek guidance from others, sometimes to your detriment.

It also causes friends and family to become annoyed with you. How many times does anyone want to tell someone else that they should wear the white shirt or the blue shirt, or that they should choose this movie or that one?

Worse, most of us really don't want to be responsible for telling people what to decide about major life changes. But the negative Cerato personality will persist in asking - and asking again.

The interesting part of this is that you probably do know the right answer to your question or solution to your problem. You just don’t trust that it’s right. So, you ask opinions of everyone. Naturally, those opinions will differ, so you’re left with a new decision – whose advice should you take?

Once back in a positive Cerato state, your inner voice grows stronger. So instead of agonizing over every decision, you’ll have an air of quiet certainty. What a relief!

Doctor Bach classified Cerato as one of the “Twelve Healers” in his collection of 38 flower essences. These twelve he described as key to transforming root personality imbalances, which he believed were associated with physical illness as well as mental and emotional distress.

If you're suffering from indecision, order your bottle of Cerato from Feel Bach today... so you can start trusting your higher self once again.

Allowing yourself to be well

When "The Secret" came out the idea that was promoted was that manifesting good things into your life was a secret that had been hidden from us.

But if you think about it, and think about all the Law of Attraction books and information we have today - and then read about Dr. Edward Bach - you'll see that these ideas aren't so new, or so secret. It's just that more of us are now ready to listen, and to be willing to take personal steps toward our own wellness.

While the Law of Attraction says that you can be well by aligning your vibrations with wellness, Dr. Bach believed that disease could not be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort.

He was, in fact, disdainful of modern medical science because it dealt with results instead of causes. Dr. Bach's mission was to cure the cause of disease.

His research was personal. He was expected to die of cancer in 1917 - and the fact that he lived until 1936 speaks volumes for his success.

I shudder to think what he would have to say about the pharmaceuticals being advertised each day on television - he'd probably label them poison!

I think we all owe it to ourselves to live in the most favorable mental and emotional state possible. Thankfully, Bach Flower Essences can help us do that.

The first step is recognizing the emotions and thoughts that are blocking our well-being, and the second is to bring them into harmony.

So if you aren't living in joy and contentment, read the descriptions of the states that can be altered with Bach Flowers. Then think about yourself and the states that you'd like to alter in your life.

And then... order your personal remedy and aim your sights for emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

Is ADHD a Physical or Emotional Problem?

With so much written about ADD and ADHD, it's hard to decide.

We know that some children react adversely to sugars and other foods. And my own belief is that the chemicals used for preservatives and flavor enhancements in pre-packaged prepared foods have a negative effect on all of us. How many people do you know who can't eat food with MSG?

But is food the only reason why there seems to be an epidemic of ADHD?

Is there also a tie-in with the way children are raised? Does it have to do with not getting outside to run and play - and help with the work? Does it have to do with children not having any work beyond their schoolwork? Does it have to do with the over-stimulation of television and video games? Does it have to do with both mom and dad needing to work outside the home, so they're both tired and stressed at the end of the day?

As with all things, the answer probably lies in a combination of things, but it's safe to assume that emotions play a large part in the ADHD epidemic.

If that were not so, Bach Flower Remedies wouldn't have the positive effect that they do have.

And they do have a positive effect. Feel Bach's Attention Deficit blend has helped both children and adults settle down and concentrate.

And it's not just for those who have been diagnosed.

The Attention Deficit blend is also helpful when life's events suddenly become overwhelming - so that your mind flits from one thing to another, preventing you from focusing long enough to get anything accomplished.

I think we've all been in that state once or twice - when there are just so many things going on around us, and so many tasks we need to perform, and so many people wanting our attention that we just "short out."

That's the time to reach for the Attention Deficit blend and find relief.

What is the Cause of Illness?

What is the cause of illness? Is it something we cannot escape in a world filled with stresses and toxins?

Dr.Edward Bach did not believe so. He believed that the source of illness or wellness lies within us, and that health “Depends on being in harmony with our souls.” That’s why the solutions offered by modern scientific medicine are so often temporary. The symptoms have been treated, but the cause has not been removed.

Dr. Bach wrote that to treat an illness – no matter what the ailment – the doctor should look first to the outlook on life of the person in distress.

Thus, in addition to the Bach Flower Essences, Dr. Bach promoted exercise, meditation, and study. He wrote that only by creating harmony between soul and mind could we free ourselves from disease.

And what do the flower essences have to do with it? If you study each of the flowers, you’ll notice that they have specific qualities of strength or fragility. And according to Dr. Bach, each carries specific information which can amplify our inner voices and assist us in regaining harmony. Our desire for harmony works with the flower essences to create the desired wellness in mind, spirit, or body.

Interestingly, books such as “The Secret” and the “Law of Attraction” bring much the same message. Doctor Bach said we must free ourselves from the "disease complex of fear" and put ourselves in harmony with our souls. “Law of Attraction” says we must put ourselves in vibrational harmony with our higher selves, and thereby with that which we desire. We must cease staying in harmony with that which we do not want.

Our natural condition is to live in health and abundance and joy, and when we stay in harmony with ourselves, we experience that natural condition. Bach Flower Essences can help us return to that harmony.

Feel5ive Does it Again

What would we do without Feel5ive? I can't even imagine.

This week was one of upheaval and confusion, because our good neighbor had to go out of town for a few days and we were appointed to babysit his 2 year old dog.

This was the first time since she came to live with him as a baby that he had left her for more than 3 or 4 hours, so she was confused and upset. On top of that, our own 3 dogs and 2 cats were experiencing worries of their own. Of course they were jealous, but they were also annoyed, because this little girl can be a bit over-enthusiastic about wanting to play.

She's always been what some would label hyperactive - bouncing off the walls looking for something interesting to do.

The cats were hissing or hiding. One of my dogs was either growling or hiding while another was openly snarling and another went into a blue funk over the attention my husband was giving to our guest.

And, since I had work to do that requires quiet time for thinking, I was a little upset myself.

That was the first afternoon. Then I remembered the Feel5ive. (Sometimes I'm a little slow.)

Since then I've added a dropperful to the water dish each time I filled it, and took a few drops for myself every time things got a little too noisy.

By the time our guest went home this evening all was well. She was a calm dog, snoozing by his feet while he told us about his trip. And earlier today, she and the others had been playing happily - with no growling or snarling.

And I was fine too - all because I remembered that little brown bottle.

Once again, I give thanks that Dr Bach gave us the gift of Bach Flower Essences.

A Feel5ive Week...

This was a stressful week around here. We discovered a tumor on our dog and there was no choice but to have it removed. That meant facing the danger of him being anesthetized...

Feel5ive helped us humans get through the day while Ralphie was with the vet. We were very relieved when he came through the surgery and woke up again. And then relieved to learn that the tumor was localized - it had no little "feet" attaching it to other tissues in his body.

So we were fine - until it came time to administer the medications. He needed antibiotics to ward off infections, and they prescribed some pretty strong pain medications as well.

Much as I don't like to use those things, we fed them to him at first. After being "fooled" into eating the pills the first time, he was having none of it by the next morning. Manhandling him to get the pills in upset all of us, so we all had a little Feel5ive, then began the search for hiding places in food he would swallow without question. It's been fun.

Meanwhile, the pain pills turned our poor old pup into a zombie. And so, since I looked up the side effects and decided we needed to try to get along without them, we stopped giving them.

After about 24 hours he was in great distress and started biting at his stitches. We couldn't risk him tearing them out, so gave him a half dose of pain medication and a dose of Feel5ive, and sat with him until he fell asleep.

Now I'm sticking with the Feel5ive and one pain pill before bed. And our darling Ralphie is acting like himself again.

I've never tried to count the times that Feel5ive has helped me get through a rough situation - but I know I'm grateful to have that bottle nearby!

Thank you Dr. Bach, for making your wonderful discovery about the power of flower essences!

Staying Happy When the Kids Go Off to College

Maybe your son or daughter went off to college in the fall, or maybe they're beginning their college career mid-year.

Either way, the extra time you probably spent together over the holidays makes it even harder to face their absence now. If you're missing them so much that it interferes with your own enjoyment of life, it's time to do something about it!

The cure for rebalancing your emotions and ridding yourself of those blues, or that “lost” feeling depends upon the reason why their leaving has put you out of sorts.

Perhaps you just aren’t comfortable with change of any kind. You like the same predictable routine, with the same people in your life every day. If so, you certainly aren’t alone. Especially when life is pleasant, we all have a tendency to want to keep things just the way they are.

Unfortunately, life and growth mean change, and change always creates stress – even when it’s a happy and much-anticipated change.

Walnut is the Bach Flower Essence that will help you move forward. Dr. Bach called The Walnut Flower Remedy the “breaker of spells” because of its ability to untie our bonds with the past.

Perhaps it’s fear for your child that prevents you from enjoying this new step forward in their lives. Maybe for you “out of sight” means “out of my protection.” This state is a huge anxiety producer, and the sooner you can shake it, the better you’ll be both mentally and physically.

Red Chestnut is the Bach Flower Remedy that can free you from this anxious state.

Follow the flower essence links above to read more about each, the visit Feel Bach! to order a blend made just for you.

At this exciting time in your child’s life, he or she needs you as a supporter and a cheerleader – not as a parent sinking into depression because of his or her absence.

Plan Ahead for Happy Pets this Holiday Season

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and all the other holidays can be stressful times for your pets.

You're busier than ever, possibly not giving them the attention they crave. You're also likely to be a little bit wound up from the extra tasks you've assigned yourself. Since pets do pick up on their human's anxieties, they may be upset just because you're becoming frazzled.

On top of that, two other stressful events can upset their lives:

*Too many strangers in the house, some of whom aren't very smart around pets, and

*Being displaced from home to either accompany you on a holiday visit or to be left in a kennel.

To get ready for these events, now is a good time to make sure you have two important pet remedies on your shelf: "Feel5ive for Pets," and "Home Alone."

The Feel5ive will help them remain calm while they deal with strangers and the hubub that occurs when the house is filled with extra people. It will also help them stay calm in the car while you're traveling.

To alleviate depression and anxiety if you're leaving your pets in a kennel, you need Home Alone. Start giving it a day or two before you leave, and give the kennel operators specific instructions to put it in your pet's water dish every day until you return.

Home Alone is also good to use if shopping and visiting are keeping you away from home for longer periods than normal during the day or evening. (If you have a dog or cat who always suffers from separation anxiety, this should be a part of his or her routine every day.)

FeelBach's other pet product - Thunder Storms - may also be needed, depending upon where you live. Some communities do like to shoot fireworks, especially for New Year's Eve. If your dog will panic when that happens, plan ahead with this Bach Flower Essence blend in the water dish all day.

At only $7.95 each, these products can assure your pets of a happy holiday season - and if you're a pet lover, you know what that's worth to you, as well as to them.

One more thing - don't forget about yourself!

Thanks to Dr. Bach, there's no reason for you to go through this holiday season under stress. Feel5ive may be all you need to stay calm, but if you have other old issues that mar the holidays, do take the FeelBach! questionnaire and get help.

If you suffer from total exhaustion...

The Olive Bach Flower Essence can bring back your energy...

The olive tree, olives, and olive oil have played an important role in history, going back to Biblical times. Along with its use as a healing agent, the olive tree symbolizes a wish for peace. We've all heard the term: "Extending the olive branch" with regard to someone who wishes to reconcile with another.

Medical properties of olive oil were reported by many ancient Greek writers and philosophers, and are still reported today. Experts claim that Olive oil used in cooking or on salads can improve digestion, lower blood pressure, stop muscle aching, and even cancel out the effects of alcohol. Its antioxidant properties and its beneficial effects as a skin softening lotion and healing salve are also well documented.

The Olive tree also symbolizes health and long life, as the trees are said to grow for hundreds of years. Greek mythology records that Athena, the Goddess of wisdom and peace, struck her magic spear into the Earth, and it turned into an olive tree. The location where the olive tree appeared and grew was named Athens, Greece, in honor of the Goddess, Athena. Local legend says that tree is still living.

Mythology aside, considering the healing properties of the olive and its oil, it's no wonder that Dr. Bach included the flower essence of the Olive blossom in his research and testing.

Today, the Olive flower essence brings peace, regeneration, and restored balance to those who have become completely exhausted at the physical, emotional, and psychological levels.

The negative Olive state can bring about physical illness because the disturbed energy flow affects a person's entire system. Thus treatment with this Bach flower essence and the resultant return to a healthy energy flow can help bring about wellness. Olive is extremely helpful to individuals recovering from serious physical ailments, including alcoholism.

Read more about this Bach Flower essence plus the other 37 at our new Bach Flowers Reference Guide site. Then visit FeelBach! to order your flower essences.

Feel5ive - My Lifeline

FEAR.

That's the only word for it when I even contemplate going to the dentist. And this week I had to go. I'm the person who has probably canceled more dental appointments in her lifetime than anyone you've ever met. I'm terrified.

My kids laugh at me and tell me it's no big deal, but that doesn't help at all.

So, by about 2 days before I had to go I had a terrible headache - just stress. Then I remembered that I had Feel5ive and started taking it. I took a couple of drops every time I walked into my bathroom. Then before bed I put a few drops in the water I keep at my bedside.

And you know what? I still didn't want to go, but I was actually able to breathe on the way there and the whole time I was in that dreaded office.

I'm giving thanks to Dr. Bach for creating this formula - and more thanks for the fact that I had Feel5ive handy when I needed it.

Sometimes too much love is damaging

Do you love your friends and family so much that you could be harming them? If so, you need Red Chestnut.

Red Chestnut is the Bach Flower Essence for those who worry unnecessarily about the health and well being of their loved ones. For instance, the Father who can't go to sleep at night until his children are safely home in bed, the Mother who walks the floor until her adult child, or anyone else she loves, calls to say they have safely made it to a destination, and the Grandmother who tries to discourage her grandchildren from participating in sports because she fears for their safety.

Unfortunately the person needing red chestnut is not the only one who suffers. While the concern is based in love, the over-protectiveness and hovering can be stifling and even emotionally damaging to those they worry about.

Dr. Bach even told about the reactions of his friends when he had suffered an accident - he said he felt their worry as an acute physical pain in his own body.

Visit FeelBach! today and learn how Bach Flower Essences can help you release the fears that keep you from enjoying having people to love.

Resolve to Feel Good in 2009

Do you have little nagging anxieties left over from last year? Are you paralyzed by worry over the state of the economy? Are you suffering from personality traits that you know are causing you either social or professional harm?

Are these worries causing you to miss out on the joy in life, or to lay awake at night?

If so, you aren't alone. And those feelings aren't new. If they had been, Dr. Bach would not have been compelled to study flower essences.

The fact is, we humans have been getting our energies out of balance for as long as we've had energies.

The good news is, thanks to Dr. Bach and his dedicated study, we can do something about it - and we don't need to take drugs or spend years with a therapist.

If you aren't as happy as you deserve to be, visit Feel Bach! today. Read the descriptions of each of the essences and their use.

If you recognize yourself and your feelings, you need that flower essence. However, if you're like most people, you have a combination of negative feelings bringing you down, so keep reading. You may be best off having a blend created from the Bach flowers you choose.

If you're not quite sure, then take the questionaire and let our experts create the blend for you. Either way, the sooner you get started, the sooner you'll begin to enjoy 2009.

This year may be a challenge, but many will come through it happier, healthier, and more financially prosperous than ever before. You deserve to be one of them.

Here's to a wonderful year!

Choosing the correct Bach Flower Remedy

With 38 different Bach flower essences to choose from,you may feel confused about which is right for you. Most of us carry a combination of emotional stumbling blocks that can keep us from enjoying life to the fullest - and choosing which is most important can be difficult.

Remember that your personal blend can combine up to 6 flower essences so you can find balance in more than one aspect of your emotional life. In order to make it easier for you to choose, Feel Bach! has produced an informative brochure that explains each of the flower essences and its use. If you haven't received a copy, just go to the Feel Bach! contact page, scroll down, and click to request it.

You probably know that Feel Bach! offers a questionnaire to help you create the perfect blend, but you may feel shy about being completely honest with it. If that's the case, read the brochure and be completely honest with yourself about what you really need to change in your life. Then simply go to "Build your personal remedy," and check up to 6 essences. Your personal remedy will be in your hands within days.

Which ever method you choose, Dr. Bach's essences will help you get your life going in the direction you want - free of emotional roadblocks.

Here's to feeling good!
Marte

Is your career stalled? Let Bach flowers help

Often the reasons for a stalled career come from within - and that's good news. It means you have the ability to change the situation.

Here are just a few reasons why people don't advance in the workplace:

Not a team player
Poor "people skills"
Not open to new methods / ideas
Doesn't contribute new ideas
Lets others take all the credit

Can you see that two completely different personality traits could be causing you to behave in ways that are holding you back?

One set of problems suggests a person who may be unable to recognize other people's contribution, who needs to dominate, or who needs to be right.

The other set indicates a lack of self confidence, thus a fear of change, a fear of being ridiculed, and probably a fear of losing employment altogether. This person may try so hard to blend into the background at work that no one even notices them, but if they do, they will recognize the fear.

Luckily, there's a Bach Flower remedy to alleviate each of those problems, no matter what energy imbalance has caused them.

We may tend to believe that our energy imbalances are the result of today's high pressure world, and that they're something new. But its been almost 75 years since Doctor Bach realized that energy imbalance was at the root of most personality problems. When he perfected his method of capturing the Bach flower essences, he used them to treat the same personality traits that hold us back today.

Unlike modern pharmaceuticals that seem to operate on a "one size fits all" theory, Bach Flowers go right to the root of each specific problem. Better yet, they do it without dangerous side effects.

Bach flowers can't help if your boss is determined to promote his or her nephew instead of you, but if you know it's your own personality traits that are holding you back, now is the best time to get started on change.

Feel Good! Feel Bach!