Baby Boomer Guide - Things Grandparents Know

Baby boomers seem gifted with perpetual youth. But they are also people of passion. From the moment this generation arrived on this earth, they seemed to be bringing a mission and a different vision for society than had existed before. This sense of knowledge and of vision accounts for the incredible drive baby boomers have shown throughout their adult lives which have resulted in changes to society so profound that life in America today only faintly resembles how we lived in the 50s and 60s.

Each era of life has brought its own challenges to baby boomers. As parents, baby boomers were committed to having a different kind of relationship with their children. They are more hands on, participatory and interactive with children in a much greater way than generations before. In a very real way, baby boomers parents sought to be both parent and best friends to their children. The outcome has not always been positive but you do see a sense of family unity and emulation of parents in children of boomers that is even more committed than the family model of the past because baby boomers viewed parenting as a mission and job one of their lives.

As baby boomers move out of the parenting role, at least in terms of having youngsters at home, they now have an opportunity to define in their own terms what it means to be a grandparent. Becoming grandma and grandpa may be a bit difficult for a generation that has always fought the coming of aging and resisted even adulthood much less old age. But if baby boomers embrace the concept of being the kindly and wise old grandparent and filling that role in the lives of their children and grandchildren, they can have an influence on another generation beyond them to pass along their insights and guidance in ways that only grandparents can do.
Children see grandma and grandpa in a different light. Naturally they love them and love the opportunity to visit their grandparents if for no other reason than grandma always has cookies for them. But sitting on granddads knee and hearing his stories or just enjoying his love and teasing is part of growing up that children cherish long into their adult years. And it is a time that even baby boomers can embrace and thoroughly enjoy.

There was a great book out not long ago named “If I knew being a grandparent was this much fun, I would have done it first.” This amusing concept reflects that the joy of being grandpa and grandma to your children’s children is fulfilling in ways that even surpass the important role baby boomers had as parents. Children listen to their grandparents because they are wise and old and it gives them a sense of security to see that it’s possible to go through life successfully and still be full of life and fun even when old age is upon us. That is why children intuitively know that there are things grandparents know that they want to learn while on granddads lap and they cherish the lessons they are taught from a revered elder.

It’s good when baby boomers embrace this new role. Just as when boomers embraced parenthood, they threw themselves into the challenge with a passion that changed the definition of parenting for the better. So too, baby boomers can bring their passion, their sense of deep commitment and their love of family to the role of grandparent and give their grandchildren the gift of a wonderful grandma and grandpa who not only always had love and fun for them but also always seemed to know the right answer.

Look to your time with your grandkids as a time to pass along the wisdom that 50-60 years of life has given you. While children need the guidance and knowledge of their parents, the role of teacher, disciplinarian and rules maker sometimes clouds the parent relationship. That is why grandchildren are open to hearing what grandma or grandpa has to say because the relationship is more clear cut and they see their grandparents as fountains of wisdom always given in love.

Baby Boomer Health Guide - The Joys of Gardening

If you are not a gardener, you may wonder why this hobby has become so popular even with city people who have the resources to go to the grocery and get food with much less effort. Perhaps much of the joy that comes from gardening originated in our baby boomer values that came from those golden “hippie” days of the 1960s. Part of the ethical and moral system of that time in our cultural history was the “back to the land” movement to get back to our roots and away from the alleged sins of modern society.

From this same movement we got the increased interest in vegetarianism, yoga, natural eating and the environmental movement. So, while we look back with a bit of chagrin on the idealism and sometimes radical values that this era of baby boomer history represents, there are some very good lifestyle choices that came from that era of our shared lives. And the love of gardening is one of the good things we kept from that time.

Gardening is a hobby that is unique among pastimes because virtually nothing bad can come of it. Even if you are a total failure at gardening and don’t produce a single morsel of food from your garden, just the act of working with the earth and making something grow is so therapeutic that it’s worth the effort even if you only grow weeds.

One reason gardening is a wonderful hobby is that it’s simple. But you can get as sophisticated and scientific at it as you please. Gardening is like fishing in the way that even if you are terrible at it, it’s entirely worth doing just for the joy of the time you are out there. There really is nothing comparable in therapy for going out in the garden in the evening after a stressful time at your job. Working with the soil and spending sometime nurturing and pouring your tender loving care into the garden can make those worries and anxieties of the office melt away. Then when you come in after an hour of gardening, those cares take on their proper perspective so you can deal with them.

Gardening in creativity for the uncreative. When you till your garden and prepare your soil, that is like a master painter preparing his paints to produce that masterpiece. But when you finally open the packages of seeds and have that joy of placing them just so in that carefully prepared soil, there is a sensation of making something happen that is new life and wouldn’t have happened because of you that refreshes even the most cynical baby boomer and puts them in touch with themselves and with nature in a way that is hard to match in any other pastime.
Even the simple act of watering the soil has almost a mystical regenerative power for you which is so refreshing that you will look forward to your time with your garden as much as any other part of your day. But when that day comes that you rush out to your garden after work and see those young sprouts come up that you so carefully planted and cared for, it’s a little moment of parenting that can bring real joy to your heart.

We know that we did not create the seed and that we are no more than caregivers in helping that plant sprout and then grow into a healthy fruit, herb or vegetable plant. By becoming part of the cycle of nature when you care for the plants in your garden, it gives you a feeling of completion and connection to God and his creation that could not even be replicated in the best of church services. Even the most hardened atheist will feel that connection to the eternal by simply spending time with the simple plants of the earth and letting them become part of the life he lives.

So don’t be afraid to put together a small plot of land and begin planning your little garden. Even if you are an apartment dweller, you can organize a garden with planter boxes and grow lights and get many of the same joys from your little garden that the master garden with acres of crops can get.

Baby Boomer Health Guide - The Fountain of Youth

If there ever was a generation who would put every resource known to man against the challenge of defeating aging, it would be the baby boomer generation. Of course the deeply rooted desire in mankind to stop or turn back the aging process is as old as time itself. We have ample evidence of that in literature. From The Fountain to Youth to Peter Pan, there have been many efforts to just stubbornly say “I wont grow up” as though stamping ones foot and refusing to participate can actually keep us from growing older.

Baby boomers have always had a love affair with youth. It is no doubt deeply rooted in their explosive teen and twenties years in which this generation became virtually the center of the universe as youth culture dominated the country if not the world in the sixties and seventies. That kind of thing can convince you that you are the generation that would never grow old.
But, of course, the baby boomer generation has grown old. But the interest in staying vibrant and active has resulted in the explosive growth of the exercise and diet industries. Because if baby boomers can’t stop aging from happening, they can at least not LOOK old or act like it either.

From a medical stand point, of course, there has never been an anti aging medicine or pill. Medical science has seen phenomenal changes and had breakthroughs in many areas of research and study. Boomers were fully prepared to fund any medical work being done that might result in the elimination of aging or at least in slowing its relentless onset. But medical science has not found any magic potion that could cause aging to stop or to reverse its effects.

Even if aging could be stopped at some level on the physical level, you have to wonder if that would be practical in light of aging that affects the whole of what a person is. We know that we don’t just age in body, we age in attitudes, in maturity and in our ambition and how we view our goals in life. This has as much to do with the cycles of life from youth to parenthood to middle age and then to retirement as it does with physical changes in our bodies.

For many, the question might be, “If science could make it possible for you to never age or die, would you even want that?” There is an intuitive knowledge in our hearts that we have a season to live on this earth and then its time to pass the torch to the next generation. Everything works on that cycle. You are defined by your place in life. So if you are in your forties, being a parent or a spouse is considered the appropriate place to be. So too, at 70 or 80, we are expected to be wise old grandma and granddad. Our behavior in society, what we value and what we look for from others is expected to be driven by our age in life which is a subset of the aging process.

If aging was somehow defeated entirely, that entire cycle of life would have to be completely re-evaluated. If you knew you would live 200 years rather than 80 or 90 years, how would you plan your family, your career and your finances?

Thankfully, perhaps, aging remains a constant. The good news is while baby boomers fight aging with a passion, they are also capable of growing into their senior years with a lot to give back to society. So just as boomers have been had a huge impact on society through every other decade, when they accept that they are going to be part of that aging process, they will be a great generation of grandmas and grandpas as well.

Baby Boomer Health Guide - Pampering Your Skin

The quest to stay young looking has become a virtual passion especially as baby boomers move through middle age. You can see it in commercials, particularly for women, who maintain that the effects of age can be defeated so the skin can remain smooth, soft and wrinkle free. While it’s easy to discount this quest for great looking skin as vanity, there is truth to the idea that taking good care of our skin is a worthwhile ambition for baby boomers as they approach their retirement years.

Often we don’t think a lot about our skin. It seems so self sufficient and self healing that we take for granted that it will just get better when it suffers mild abrasions or cuts or other ailments. Few of us take the time to appreciate the fact that the skin is one of vital organs (the largest one) and that we should take care of it with as much concern as we do for our heart and lungs.
Maintaining robust health is a goal for baby boomers who have always been driven to fight the effects of aging and stay youthful. So just as we all have worked together to become aware of the risks for heart disease, cancer and other endemic problems as we age, we should also become well informed on lifestyle choices that can affect the ability of our skin to stay healthy and able to take good care of us well into our golden years.

There is no other body organ that is so exposed to damage and so rugged in resisting the wear and tear of the world than the skin. But the elements and even things we do can cause wear and tear on the skin and cause it to become dry, wrinkled and eventually more susceptible to disease. Some of the things we can do from a lifestyle point of view to give our skin a head start on staying healthy throughout our lives are…

· Protect the skin from the extremes of temperature such as harsh wind and cold. These elements will dry the sin and lead to preliminary aging if we don’t take care earlier in life.

· Similarly being sensible about exposing our skins to the sun just makes sense. The quest for a good tan, while attractive in the short term, is not good skin care long term.

· It doesn’t pay to wash the skin in harsh soaps or to scrub it too harshly. While it is good to maintain a clean lifestyle and clean the skin regularly, we have to remember that harsh soaps and being too aggressive with the skin can wear it down and remove natural lubrication and cleansing agents that the skin generates to take care of itself.

· Some habits such as smoking which we already identified for other health risks, are also hard on the skin. All you have to do is to look at the face of a lifelong smoker to see the deep lines and the deterioration of the skin caused by that habit to make you want to throw your smokes out the window.

Good skin care like tooth care and care of other part so your body require regular attention, good life style habits and common sense. Just as over attention to brushing the teeth can be as harmful as good, excessive washing and obsession about the skin is just as damaging as neglecting it.

There are proactive things we can do from a lifestyle point of view to give the skin the care it needs to do it’s job of keeping us healthy. Routine use of coconut oil each night helps the skin remain smooth and healthy and is a pleasant nightly ritual for you. Good diet with an emphasis on Vitamin A and including generous portions of fruit, vegetables and carrot juice can keep your skin healthy and robust well into those sunset years. And as baby boomers move into that stage of their lives, they will benefit from a lifestyle of good skin care that started early and continued throughout life.

Baby Boomer Health Guide - Now is the Time to Quit Smoking

We can only hope that the baby boomer generation will be the last one who grew up in a culture where smoking was cool and acceptable. The health passion of baby boomers that comes out of their dislike of anything that accelerates the aging process is one of the reasons the anti smoking movement has gained strength in the last decade. The reasons for quitting smoke are well known to anyone who has paid attention to the issue at all.

. Smoking reduces the life span. For the baby boomer generation, living a long and healthy life is a way of staying young. Smoking not only shortens the life span but it is a plague to your health in every era of life.

. Smoking destroys quality of life. Simple pleasures like breathing and enjoying a fine meal are damaged because smoking dominates the lungs and taste buds. The pleasures that make life worthwhile are rendered neutral by smoking.

. Smoking hurts the innocent. Secondary smoke hurts the ones you love and it plants in children the desire to smoke in their adult lives.

. Smoking brings on dire diseases such as cancer and lung disease. These diseases are deadly and they can make life in your retirement years miserable.

. Smoking makes you ugly. This may be the worst crime there is to a baby boomer. Smoking causes wrinkles and dries the skin making you look decades older than you really are.
The good news is that even for baby boomers who may have been smoking for decades, it’s always possible to quit. Sometimes it’s easy to decide you can never beat this addiction. You may have tried the patches and pills and even hypnotism and the desire for the nicotine poison lingers on. But it is possible to do it. There are some steps to getting it done which will take a while but they are proven to work.

. Get plenty of support. Get your family on your side and educate them on your program. If you commit to them you are going to do it, they can love that habit out of your system.

. Catalog your smoking. Make a precise journal of exactly how many cigarettes you have every day, when you have them and even who you are with when you have them.

. Stabilize your usage. Now select the 10 or 20 times each day you will have a cigarette and only let yourself have one at those allotted times. Do this for about 2 weeks. If you want a cigarette at another time, just promise yourself you will wait for it.

. Starting with week one of the quit smoking campaign, eliminate one cigarette from your routine. Pick the easiest time not to have one. Pick the time that is least social so you feel less pressure to go ahead and light up. So where you may have smoked 20 cigarettes a day before, now you smoke 19 a day. Do that for 2 weeks. If you want a cigarette during that eliminated time, just promise yourself you can have one at the next allowed smoke break.

. Eliminate one cigarette from your schedule every do weeks. 18 cigarettes a day for 2 weeks, then 17, then 16 and on and on. Keep notes. Go from easiest time to quit to hardest.

. With each successful phase, have a little celebration with your friends and family.

. Finally you will down to one a day. You will have scaled your dependency down to this one tiny smoke break. You will come to that moment when you say, “Oh what’s the point of having the one?” Then you can crumple up your last pack and throw it way.

The great thing about this approach is its free and you just slowly reduce your dependence by promising yourself that cigarette at the next allowed smoke time. Stay with the same brand so your level of nicotine remains constant. And by staying at each level for a couple of weeks, you give your body a chance to slowly get used to each reduced level until you have weaned yourself off of the dreaded weed entirely. And when you throw that final pack away, its time for a big party. Congratulate yourself because you have quit smoking and just added years of fun and happiness and joy with your family to your life.

Baby Boomer Health Guide - Meditation for a Richer Life

Meditation became part of the vernacular of lifestyle choices and a source of a lot of conversation as far back as the 60s for baby boomers when there was a big interest in eastern religions and things that were exotic and new. But while many of the flash in the pan interests in exotic religions during that time frame faded away in the life style of baby boomers, meditation has endured and become a common practice and resource that has benefited this generation in every decade of their lives.

There is a good reason meditation has endured and even grown in popularity far beyond any religious context. Meditation has tremendous benefits for virtually every aspect of life and those who integrate it into their daily lifestyles can experience those benefits virtually as soon as they start. You don’t have to be a guru at meditation to realize benefits from the very first time to give it a try. Some of those benefits include…

. Meditation is calming. Because the act of meditation calls for you to bring your thoughts into captivity and to still your mind and focus it, that sense of your soul being in turmoil eases and you are able to address the cause of your anxiety and see a solution more clearly because your emotions are not clouding the issue.

. Meditation helps you focus and concentrate. The great thing about meditation is that the effects of meditation continue past those few moments when you are meditating. Those few moments of calm create an atmosphere of focus and clarity of thought that goes on throughout your day helping you focus your mind and more easily concentrate when you need to.

. Meditation reduces stress and mental anxiety. So often the stress that comes out of problems and difficulties is dominated by emotional reactions even more than by the problem itself. Meditation clears away the effects of the stress making it easier for you to solve the problem itself.

. Meditation helps reduce physical anxiety. The process of meditation involves extended periods of quiet deep breathing. This simple action floods the brain with oxygen and energizes blood flow throughout the body which refreshes tired muscles and causes your entire physical system to relax and release pent up anxiety.

. Meditation helps you sleep and digest your food. The refreshed blood flow, rich in oxygen that comes from the session of meditation, takes action immediately on the digestive system often reducing or eliminating digestive problems and even easing the symptoms of ulcers. Because the mind is relaxed and well supplied with vital oxygen and blood flow, sleep comes more easily and is more recuperative.

Some successful role models in all walks of life that come out of the baby boomer generation credit meditation to why they are able to accomplish such great things. In addition to all of these benefits, meditation is easy to integrate into your lifestyle and you can go at your own pace learning to become better at meditation and grow in your ability to use it.

Meditation is profoundly easy to do. The image of a meditation practitioner in painful “lotus position” going into a virtual trance is the extreme of the discipline. Because meditation has been adapted so that any of us can benefit from the health benefits it brings, you can begin meditating immediately and see the benefits from the very first session.

Small wonder many baby boomers have continued down through the decades to be enthusiastic proponents of meditation. And there is no reason baby boomers cannot continue to enjoy the tremendous benefits as they move into their late middle age and retirement years as well.

Baby Boomer Health Guide - Looking Young and Feeling Young

Baby boomers may not have a corner on the market for an urgent desire to stay youthful but they certainly have set a high standard for creating a virtual avalanche of products and services to attend to that need. The quest to look young in baby boomers has resulted in an explosion of profits in the cosmetic and plastic surgery markets. It’s easy to criticize the desire of baby boomers to want to see themselves as youthful as simple vanity. But it goes a lot deeper than that.

It doesn’t take a lot of research or analysis to see that baby boomers grounded their identities in the youth movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Before the boomer generation erupted like a generational volcano, there really was no youth movement. But in the 1960s, when youth culture virtually took over American and indeed world culture, everything changed for baby boomers and that change was never really reversed.

The culture of that time that now seems very long ago, was one of the adoration of youth. That desire to put age on a pedestal and worship everything about being young has permeated the culture even as the boomer generation moved into middle age and now is on the verge of creating the largest retirement generation ever.

Not all of the youth worship that is easy to document in baby boomers is just about looking sexy and dreading the physical changes of growing older. Some of what boomer’s love about the concept of youth has to do with the idealism and the commitment to causes that is common in young people. The desire to change the world and to be a force to make mankind better was part of what made the new youth culture in the 1960s so unique. And because those values are laudable, we really can’t completely condemn the desire by baby boomers to stay youthful.
So the quest to stay young often manifests itself in cosmetic attempts to look young. You can almost understand the appeal. We all like to look good. But the real source of youth is not a tight butt and abs and smooth, wrinkle free skin. The phrase “you are as young as you feel” is often scoffed at by baby boomers as a cheap cop out. And it can be used to have an excuse to behave younger than you are and perhaps want to socialize with younger people in an inappropriate way. But it can also reflect that an inner youthfulness which is fueled by a youthful outlook on life and a basic policy of good health and exercise will keep anyone spy and vital well into their senior years.

It is when baby boomers combine those elements of “inner youthfulness’ with their cosmetic efforts to stay young that they really do retain much of their youth beyond what their years would report. We all have met an elderly man or woman who is so full of life and fun that they leave you feeling older than they are. The sparkle in the eye, the curiosity about everything life has to offer and that optimism and idealism that you ordinarily associate with teenagers is truly inspiring when it is being expressed by a senior citizen.

This is the real youth movement that the baby boomer generation is pioneering. It is more than dying the hair or using Botox and wrinkle creams. It is about being strong role models to the youth coming up that they don’t have to give up on their dreams and that their idealism and excitement in living can thrive no matter what age they are. And if that is the legacy of the baby boomer generation, it’s a fine ethic for them to leave behind for future generations to enjoy.

Skeptics view on Reiki

Many believe Reiki to be a pseudoscience. Many medical personnel think it is a waste of time. Doctors express concern when people with serious diseases such as heart problems, stroke, and cancer choose Reiki over conventional treatment. The practitioners are playing on the patient's fear and just stealing their money, doing nothing in the process.

Reiki practitioners maintain that while you should still get the treatment your doctor has planned, you can use Reiki as a complement to that therapy. The Reiki community would never advocate causing harm to anyone.

There are also many controversies about the different Reiki schools and how they differ. Some use different symbols. Some use energy healing instead of laying in of hands. Some go through each degree in one year, whereas others can take up to ten years to get to Master.

The churches have issues with Reiki as well. The Catholics believe it opens the door to evil. Some religions don't even recognize it as a healing force. They believe that there is no way that a universal force could flow through one person at any given time.

The best way to help these skeptical people understand Reiki is for them to have one treatment before they claim it as bunk. They would find that they are very wrong. Treatments are very relaxing and very gentle with soft music playing in the background. They would lay on the table while the practitioner makes a circle of their entire body with the Reiki force. They would start at the patient's head chakra and go all the way down to the root chakra opening any that have closed. The they do each knee chakra. Then you flip over, and they work on your back chakras. After that, they give you an affirmation and anchor it in with a symbol and you are done. It takes about an hour to go through the whole process.

Rules for Reiki

Be mindful of everything going on in your life. Whether you are walking the dog or driving somewhere, become aware of everything that is going on around you. Live in this moment, the present one. Don't worry about the next. This way, we are following Mikao Usui's principles of life to not worry and not anger.

To keep up your own practice for other people, you must do Reiki to yourself daily. This keeps the energy flowing and helps keep you unblocked as a practitioner. After all, if your chakras are blocked, there is no way you can help someone else open theirs. You will become a better channel of the Universal Life Force and the Reiki energy.

When giving a treatment, don't worry about doing it just right. Listen to your intuition and go where you feel you are shown. If you spend a minute on the heart chakra and ten on the throat, that is fine. Likewise, in another person, if you spent only three on the throat. Different people will need different chakras open. When you feel a cold or closed chakra, you know this is where you need to work.

Make sure you have a specific routine for doing the treatment. Follow it every time you give a Reiki treatment. Start at the head and go down through all the chakras. Do both elbow and knee chakra. There is a rule that what you do to one side must be done to the other as well. So ensure you have given attention to left and right and back and front. After you finish, anchor in their affirmation and help them up.

Don't ever work on someone when you are angry or upset. The Reiki will not flow. Reiki is a Universal Life Force that is only used with good intent. If you have bad feelings when you are trying to give a treatment, it will not work. Always be in a good frame of mind when giving treatments, otherwise it would behoove you to cancel.


You must learn to trust yourself when you start your practice of Reiki. Use your intuition to help you know where to go on the body and what you need to do. Don't question what you are doing, know that you are being guided by what is best for the patient. It doesn't have to make sense, you just need to do what feels appropriate and comfortable t you.

There are many books out there that cover hand positions and symbols and have many strict rules in them. Reiki doesn't have to be strict in its approach. It is the intent of the practitioner that controls the Reiki. Most practitioners only want to help the patient feel better. The different hand positions are useful but sometimes are not needed when we are in the moment and being guided by our own intuition. If something feels right, then it probably is. There is no wrong way to use Reiki.

Commit yourself to your practice and keep up with your daily self healing sessions. As with most things, whatever you put into Reiki is what you will get out of it. So practice everyday to keep the energy flowing abundantly. After a couple of weeks, if you miss a treatment, you will find yourself missing the free flowing energy.

Some practitioners take right off and seem to get everything and do everything right. Some have t try a little harder. Just don't try too hard. In many sessions, even when you are feeling like there is no Reiki and nothing is happening, the patient will speak up and tell you that they feel where you have been. Trust your abilites. If you start second guessing and worrying, the Reiki will get blocked. So do what comes natural, even if you don't feel anything and see how the patient perceives it instead.

Incorporate Some Color Into Your Life

Incorporating color into our lives is really easy to do. We can find colors everywhere in the food we eat, in nature, and in the cars we drive. You only have to look at the world that surrounds you to see the vibrant shades of colors everywhere. Colors helps our moods and energy levels. It can bring out that creative part of our minds and brighten our day. There is no end to what you can use different colors for every day.

Here are some suggestions about how to get some more color into your life:


Paint with rich vibrant colors.

Use a colored lampshade or colored light bulbs.

Visualize your favorite colors in your mind.

Use shades that are harmonious and complement each other.

Meditate at a church where you can view the beautiful stained glass windows.

Go to a museum and take in all the artwork and the colors used in each piece.

Look around for natural colors. Notice the blue sky, the blue green ocean, white moon, and the green grass.

Choose your favorite colors for things around the house. Choose the shade of clothes you wear, the car you drive, the shoes on your feet, the scarves or mittens, and the sheets on your bed. Go ahead and dress your husband in that pink shirt, he will feel much happier afterwards.

You have a choice in everything you do to pick colors that best suit you and your family's moods and preferences. There are always hundreds of shades to pick. Painting a baby's room is a project in itself. Do you pick the pink or blue? How many shades are there of these two? Do you pick a neutral yellow which can go from Sunrise to Goldenrod and everything in between. Have fun and enjoy the color schemes you have picked.

Color Therapy - Colors and Healing

BLUE:

The Throat chakra is powered by blue energy. Blue represents spirituality and is a great healing power. It can help you calm you mind, help you sleep, help with a fever or when you have a major shock in your life. Its calm nature is to keep us connected with the universe.

RED:

The Root chakra is governed by this color. It represents our ties to the earth and always shows a positive outlook. Red gives strong qualities of courage, security and self-confidence. It stimulates and energizes the wearer. It can help when you are tired, are anemic, need courage, or just need some renewed energy.

YELLOW:

The Solar Plexus chakra is under this color. It is often referred to as the brain of the nervous system. When the chakra is balanced, we shouldn't have any abdominal problems. It helps to cleanse the pores in the skin and stimulates the brain. Yellow is compared to joy and brightness. It may help when you are tired, depressed, have skin or weight problems, or suffer from ulcers.

ORANGE:

The Sacral chakra is governed by this color. Orange is stimulating and helps us in times of depression and lonliness. Orange also has the love from red and the wisdom from yellow mixed into it. This color will help the wearer to increase their appetite, help with nerves, asthma, and allergies. It also helps when you lack the energy to do the work you need to get done.

GREEN:

Th Heart chakra is ruled by this color. Green is a harmonizing energy and helps with balancing. It has a very strong tie to nature and can help the wearer become peaceful and have more harmony in life. Green can also help you calm your nerves, when you have migraines, have a need for peace and tranquility, and need positive and happy feelings.

History of Color Therapy

Therapy by color is a way to help restore the imbalance by applying certain colors on the body. Some 2500 years ago, Pythagoras used the light of colors and color halls were all over ancient Egypt and China for healing. The very first wheel of color was created by Sir Isaac Newton.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe started studying the effect of colors on the psyche about one hundred years after Newton made his wheel. Goethe also divided the colors into two different groups – the plus group and the minus group. The Plus group had red, orange, and yellow. The Minus group had green, blue, indigo, and violet. The plus group caused excitement and brightness. The minus group caused depression and sadness.

Modern color therapy was pioneered by Neils Finsen of Denmark. In 1877, he discovered the bactericidal action of energy from solar ultra-violet rays. Finsen also studied how wounds healed somewhat faster when hit with visible light.

Edward Babbitt was the founder of the principles of color therapy. He treated a variety of illnesses and ailments from burns to colds. He found that by placing a jar of water in the sun, the water would become medicated by the seven color rays. His principles of Rainbow Healing are followed by some people who drink the colored, solarized water o stay healthy and fit.

In 1897, Dinshah Ghadiali, MD, saved a woman from intractable dysentery by shining indigo light on her body. By the third day, she was out of the bed walking. By 1920, Dinshah invented the Spectro-Chrome. He deduced certain physiological aspects of each color and how they led certain behaviors.

In 1932, two Californian psychologists, Gerrard and Hessay, established that red has a stimulating effect, while blue is calming.

In 1985, Darius Dinshaw concluded everything on earth contains some form of color. These colors arehighly beneficial to keep people healthy and for healing purposes.

Color Therapy - Healing with Colors Daily

Each day of the week has different vibrations and energies. These include herbal, color, symbolic, and planetary energies. These are the tools of the Light Worker, the Mystic, the Psychic, and the soul who continually seeks more knowledge.

Sunday is a great day for working on confidence and gaining insight. Sunday is, of course, ruled by the sun and its color is Yellow. The herbs used are Cinnamon and Clove. Work on the Solar Plexus chakra here.

Monday is for purification and repelling negativity. Monday is governed by the Moon and Cancer and its color is Violet and Blue. Herbs to be used are Eucalyptus and Jasmine. Work on the Throat chakra here.

Tuesday is a day of personal power. Tuesday is ruled by Mars and Scorpio and its color is Red. The herbs used are Peppermint, Ginger, and Cedar. This day is for working on the Root chakra.

Wednesday is the day we build on our energy. Wednesday is governed by Mercury and Virgo and its color is Orange. Herbs you can use include Lemon oil and Lavender. Work on the Sacral chakra.

Thursday is the day of expansion. Thursday is ruled by Jupiter and Sagittarius and its many colors are Purple, Indigo, and Blue. Herbs to help on this day are Nutmeg, Sandalwood, and Lime. Work on the Crown, Brow, and Throat chakras.

Friday is the day of love. Friday is governed by Venus and Taurus and its color is Green. Herbs to use on this day are Thyme, Sage, and Strawberry. Work on the Heart chakra.

Saturday is a day of transformation and a day that absorbs negativity. Saturday is ruled by Saturn and Capricorn and its color is Brown. Patchouli is the only recommended herb to use. Work on all chakras as Saturday is the day that will absorb all the bad stuff.

Origins of Reiki

This ancient practice has been around since the early twentieth century in Japan. A practitioner named Mikao Usui said that he had been blessed with the ability to heal without depleting his own energy. He went to Mount Kurama and meditated for three weeks. Afterwards, he went back to his village and began teaching others about this healing technique and the symbols that needed to be used in each treatment.

Usui used initiations called Reiji-ho to enhance people's access to the healing energy. These later became known as attunements. Attunements also gave the student a clearer ability to channel the Reiki as well.

Included in the Reiki teachings were five tenets that give us a simpler way to live our lives. Usui was a reader of the works of Emperor Meiji. In the process of developing his Reiki techniques, Usui borrowed some of Meiji's teachings. These tenets are to be said twice a day at morning and at night. The five tenets are as follows: Just for today I will not worry, Just for today I will not anger, Just for today I will honor all life, Just for today I will earn my living honestly, and Just for today I will give thanks for everything.

Some of Usui's student preferred to actually touch the patient and find out where the trouble spots were. Usui practiced a technique called scanning. He used scanning to find imbalances and closed chakras. He had always thought that the laying on of hands was only for beginners.

After treating the beggars and homeless of his village many times, Usui saw that they did not want to help themselves no matter how he tried to help them. He came up with the idea of an energy exchange between the practitioner and the patient. Usui would share his Reiki energy in exchange for some type of monetary payment.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a system of breathing, stretching exercises, and meditation that helps the individual join with the Universal Self. Yoga is widely accepted as a relaxing and healthy practice. Studies have shown that it lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and will help to suppress other body functions so that you can achieve a state total relaxation.

Yoga means to yoke or unite. Anyone seeking to promote or get their health back to the best state are welcome to try a class. It is said that yoga helps to strengthen and cleanse the body while allowing the mind to focus on connecting with the Universal Self. It is not a creed and does not oppose any world religion.

Yoga is, however, does associate with Buddhism. It predates the religion by several centuries. Ancient seals have been found that depict the gods doing the poses from yoga. These were found in the Indus Valley which is one of the first known civilizations here on Earth. The area is located where Pakistan and India are now. The seals suggest that yoga was around before 3000 BC.

Meditation is a necessity of yoga. To really get all you can out of the exercises , you need to quiet your mind and focus on uniting the body, spirit, and mind. Yoga is a common activity and you get out of it what you put into it. So do your exercises and deep breathing, the results will sow themselves off.

Much of yoga was taken from ancient tests called Hatha (the physical body). There were many philosophers that enjoyed the activity and a variety of styles you could choose. Although yoga is practiced for practical purposes, it can also help to relieve stress and help you relax after a busy day. Yoga can be done by anyone. You can sit in a chair or on the floor. The stretching really helps the stiff muscles and the breathing helps to calm.

Reiki FAQ

What is Reiki energy? Reiki energy is known as the Universal Life Force. It is also know as Ki, Qi, or Chi in different parts of China. It is taught to us by the Reki Masters. We learn how to channel it after being attuned. Then we go forth and share it with other people.

What does the Reiki energy feel like? For different people, it will feel like different things. Some have a spinning experience, some see bright colors, some have beautiful visions, and some feel nothing at all. They may also experience a warmth or a tingle depending on where the practitioner is.

How does a Reiki treatment work? The practitioner starts the treatment at the crown chakra and go all the way down to the root chakra, opening any chakras that are blocked. Then they do each elbow and knee and them you flip over and they work on your back chakras. After they have opened all of these, you will flip one more time onto your back while they anchor in your affirmation and give thanks to you for letting them treat you.

How does Reiki energy know where to go? If you have a specific pain, the practitioner will still treat the entire body. If the Reiki is needed in one certain place, it will flow to that area. Your higher self knows where it needs healing and will direct the Reiki to go there. If the higher self decides it doesn't want the Reiki, it will block it from entering the body.

When is Reiki effective? Reiki is good for almost any injury. While you are waiting for the ambulance, give the person some Reiki. Before they go into surgery and when they come out, give some. There are many instances where Reiki from the beginning of an injury or illness can really cut down on how much time it may take to heal. But, even if start Reiki in the middle, the energy knows where it is needed and goes to work in that area.

Rules for Reiki

Be mindful of everything going on in your life. Whether you are walking the dog or driving somewhere, become aware of everything that is going on around you. Live in this moment, the present one. Don't worry about the next. This way, we are following Mikao Usui's principles of life to not worry and not anger.

To keep up your own practice for other people, you must do Reiki to yourself daily. This keeps the energy flowing and helps keep you unblocked as a practitioner. After all, if your chakras are blocked, there is no way you can help someone else open theirs. You will become a better channel of the Universal Life Force and the Reiki energy.

When giving a treatment, don't worry about doing it just right. Listen to your intuition and go where you feel you are shown. If you spend a minute on the heart chakra and ten on the throat, that is fine. Likewise, in another person, if you spent only three on the throat. Different people will need different chakras open. When you feel a cold or closed chakra, you know this is where you need to work.

Make sure you have a specific routine for doing the treatment. Follow it every time you give a Reiki treatment. Start at the head and go down through all the chakras. Do both elbow and knee chakra. There is a rule that what you do to one side must be done to the other as well. So ensure you have given attention to left and right and back and front. After you finish, anchor in their affirmation and help them up.

Don't ever work on someone when you are angry or upset. The Reiki will not flow. Reiki is a Universal Life Force that is only used with good intent. If you have bad feelings when you are trying to give a treatment, it will not work. Always be in a good frame of mind when giving treatments, otherwise it would behoove you to cancel.

Reiki and Brain Waves

Brain wave patterns, when controlled, can allow you access to advanced states of consciousness. These include psychic advancement, spiritual growth, astral travel, and Reiki healing. You need only to open yourself up to learning to control these patterns and enter into them at will. Reiki is very beneficial to anyone who is trying to advance their conscious mind and awareness.

The first is the Beta wave. This is the conscious mind. Here we suffer from stress, worry, and fears. It is imperative that we start to raise and function on the higher waves that follow.

The second is the Alpha wave. This is the dreaming or unconscious mind. It also helps control our extrasensory perception, subliminal suggestions, and can take us to higher states of awareness. This is only a very minimal state – the first stage. We can access hidden memories, visions of the future, or even past lives. Sometimes we even problem solve something that has been bothering us for weeks and wake up knowing the answer.

The third is the Theta wave. This unlocks the subconscious mind. This wave is even deeper in extrasensory perception and can be the start of psychokinesis. It is the level that can help you stop pain and reach higher hypnosis levels. When you are meditating, this is the level you want to reach.

The fourth is the Delta wave. This leads us to the super-conscious mind. This wave is found during levels of deep sleep. At this level is where your spiritual power, wisdom, and experience become available to you. You can contact your spirit guides, see past lives, travel astrally, and connect to your higher mind.

As you practice self Reiki each day, take some time to feel the energy flowing in and around you. You will soon become aware of the different brain waves and begin to figure out which one you have accessed.

How to Heal Yourself

Healing for most people requires a lot of energy use. You will need to have a clear mind free of any worries or problems that are going on in your life. You can use meditation or visual imagery to help you relax.

Breathing is always the best way to help you relax. Have a steady rhythmical breathing. On the inhale, imagine a pure white light coming into your body. On the exhale, visualize all negativity leaving your body. Send this negative energy into the ground so it can be neutralized.

Washing your hands and visualizing negative energy going down the drain helps. You can also use bells or chimes to help cleanse the auric field. Many other ways to clean an aura are burning incense, ask for protection and cleansing, rub Frankincense on your hands and wipe it around the auric field, and call for the Universal Energy to help you.

You can use these suggestions or in your practice, you may find something else that works equally well. Use that. There is no wrong in Reiki. If you follow your intuition, that is all you need.

No matter how much you want to help someone else, always take care of yourself first. Empathic people use their own energies and end up feeling drained and weak afterwards. This also makes you vulnerable to illness and any negative energies that are floating around out there.

Direct the Reiki with your mind an use your hands as vessels to carry the energy to the other person. Let your intent be to help heal the person or to take away some of their pain. Intent is the most important thing in Reiki. Always have good intentions concerning yourself or your patients. Most importantly, practice the Reiki daily to keep yourself strong so you can help others.

Reiki for Animal

If it is possible, animals love Reiki more than people. It is a relaxing exchange of energy between the animal and the practitioner. Some animals instinctively know you are trying to help them and will stand still and let the Reiki envelope them. Some animals are givers as well and know how to send Reiki back to the practitioner as well. This is a wonderful way to bond with your animal friend.

Animals hold their troubles under the belly or down the spine. Make sure to hit these areas when you are treating them. Most practitioners will start at the animal's head and work their way down the spine. You will sense some “hot” spots and know where you need to go. Talk to the animal as you do the treatment. Let them know you love and care for them and want them to be around a long, long time. Three times a week should be sufficient to start. After a week or so, the spots should be worked out, and the animal will heal more easily in the future.

Sometimes, it is something simple bothering the animal. Maybe the turmoil in your family or maybe you are under stress at work and you are bringing it home. Like children, the animal can pick up on this and it can lead to stress for both of you. The animal may start to feel run down or get violently ill. Try to keep your emotions in check and not take it out on the family. Your children and animals will thank you for it.

These are unconditional bundles of love that you can't buy anywhere else. The pets in our lives give us so much, and we should at least try to give them some healing in return. Most dogs, cats, horses, birds, lizards, and turtles love to receive Reiki.

How to Cope as a Parent of an Autistic Child?

Having an Autistic child can be very hard, and rewarding at the same time. Some days will go according to plan, and others will make you want to climb back in bed. You will need a way to cope to stay strong for you child. Here are some ways of coping when you have a child with Autism.

Support Group
Find a local support group in your area for parents with Autistic children. They will understand what you are going through. They have been there or are going through the same things you are. Sometimes having someone to talk to that understands can make a huge difference. They may have suggestions that can help in your daily routines. Sometimes it is just nice to have someone to talk to other than a doctor or therapist.

Journals
Writing in a journal can be a great coping mechanism. It allows you to express your feelings and thoughts. This journal can be a place to let out all of your frustrations as a parent of an autistic child. No one else has to read the journal. It can be a private place to vent. Sometimes just writing can help relieve stress and anxiety you might be feeling. Your journal can also be a place to keep track of behaviors your child has on a day to day basis.

Get away
Everyone needs time to their self. This is true whether you are dealing with an Autistic child, or any other medical problem. Find a qualified care giver for your child and get out. Have a date night with your spouse, or just get away for some alone time. Go watch that movie you wanted to see. Run some errands that are hard to take your child along too. Just give your self some away time. If you cannot leave the house make some time after your child has gone to bed for a relaxing bath. Just give yourself some time to unwind. It will make things better for you and your child.

Ask for help
Every mom tries to be a super mom. They do not want to ask for help because that means they cannot do it alone. Forget this attitude. Having a child with Autism requires help. If you are becoming stressed and overwhelmed it is not good for you or your child. Sometimes we all need help. If you are trying a treatment and it is not improving things with your Autistic child ask the doctor for another way. Ask someone such as your spouse to help with the errands. Sometimes it is too hard to take your Autistic child out without some sort of struggle. Getting someone to do simple tasks for you can save time and frustrations. If you need help ask. No one can read your mind, you have to tell them you need help.

Having an Autistic child is a hard job. Having ways to cope will make your job easier. It will also make things better for your child by having you calm and stress free.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

How Autism is Treated?

Once you find out your child is Autistic you will then want to begin some type of treatment plan. There are many different treatments for Autism. Many worry that they will have to use medications that can be dangerous to their child. This is not the case. While some children need medication not all children do. There are a lot of other treatments available to the Autistic child besides prescription medication.Some people will go with the standard type of treatment plan, while others will try an alternative, natural plan. We will look at some different types of treatment for Autism.

Medication
There are many types of medications used in treating Autism. These medications can be for different problems associated with Autism. Some are used to help with anxiety that is often found in Autistic children. Autistic children sometimes have problems with falling asleep. Medication can be used to help with this. Antipsychotic drugs are often used in children dealing with behavioral problems. These medications will not cure the Autism. Medications can have terrible side effects. The child needs to be monitored closely while on any medication.

Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy helps to teach the Autistic child to be independent. They learn daily skills they need like dressing, or taking a bath. They will work on fine motor skills. They also teach the child to use any devices they may have to help them function in daily life. They will be taught safety measures. This could be safety when outside, or dangers in the house.

Physical Therapy
Many Autistic children require physical therapy. This type of therapy can help children with low muscle tone. They also work with young children on basic motor skills. This can include walking, standing, and rolling. Many Autistic children can have other health problems. These problems can benefit from physical therapy too.

Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy will concentrate on teaching the Autistic child appropriate behaviors. Usually this will include some form of a reward system. They are taught how to act in social settings. This therapy is often done in the child's home setting. The parents are taught ways to deal with the child's unwanted behaviors. Usually an Autistic child will learn they will be rewarded for good behaviors, and they will stop some of the bad behavior.

Speech Therapy
Autistic children often have a hard time communicating. They have problems understanding non verbal cues. Some Autistic children do not speak at all, so they have to be taught ways to communicate with others. Children with Autism need to be taught about body language. Some children with Autism that do not speak are taught to communicate by signing, or with the use of pictures. The speech therapist will work on getting a non verbal child to speak.

These are just a few of the many treatments available to a child with Autism. Not all children will require all of the treatments. The most important factor is to find a treatment plan that works for your child. With proper treatment your Autistic child can thrive.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

How Autism is Diagnosed?

The signs and levels of Autism vary in each child. This can make getting a diagnosis difficult. Children on the higher level of the Autism spectrum may go years without being diagnosed. There are may factors that go into an Autism diagnosis. We will go over some of the criteria being used to diagnose a child with Autism.

Doctors have a checklist that must be met before the possibility of Autism is suspected. Some of the signs on the checklist include, poor relationships with friends, focusing on one thing for very long periods of time, poor communications skills, and insisting on certain routines, or rituals. When these signs are shown in a child the doctor will want to evaluate the child further. The doctor will question the child's parents, or any other people that have close contact with the child. They may send home a form for you and the child's teacher to fill out. Once the doctor has the forms back they will compare the forms and look for similar results. If the results all are pointing to something being wrong further testing will be considered.

Children also develop at their own rate. So a parent having concerns about their child not reaching developmental milestones on time may question the doctor for further testing. The doctor will ask a series of questions to the parent. If the answers match the criteria for Autism the doctor will order further evaluations to be completed. Remember each child grows and matures at their own rate so they may just be a late bloomer.

There is not one test that can say definitely the child has Autism. It will require several appointments with different health professionals to rule out other conditions that could be causing the problems in your child. Often a child who is late to talk is suspected of having a hearing issue first. After this is checked then the doctor can move onto evaluating for Autism. Several health conditions can mimic the symptoms of Autism. Children always need to be evaluated for any other medical conditions that could cause the same symptoms as Autism first.
To receive an Autism diagnosis the child will be evaluated by a team of medical professionals. They will include the doctor, a psychologist, a speech therapist, a neurologist, and a psychiatrist. Once the child is evaluated by the team they will meet and compare their findings. Then they will have a meeting with the parents to discuss their findings . If the diagnosis of Autism is made a treatment plan will be set in place.

Each child will show different symptoms of Autism, and the levels they experience it will be different. So it may take longer to get a diagnoses of Autism in some children. Once you have the diagnoses the most important thing is to start a treatment plan. The treatment plan will help make the life of your Autistic child better. While there is no cure for Autism, the treatments available can help to lesson the symptoms.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

Gluten Free Diet for Autistic Children

The Gluten free diet consists of removing any foods from your Autistic child's diet that contain Gluten. This can seem hard at first because so many foods do have Gluten in them. Gluten is found in most prepared foods. Foods containing wheat, barley ,oats, or rye need to be eliminated from the diet. Gluten can also be found in some vinegars and sauces. Artificial flavorings often contain Gluten.

When using the Gluten free diet you have to be careful and read all labels on foods. Gluten can be in foods you would not think of, like spices. The theory behind removing Gluten from an Autistic child's diet is that when the child eats a food with Gluten it causes their body to react differently than a child without Autism.

The Gluten free diet can be expensive to follow. Most Gluten free products are sold in specialty, or health stores. These stores usually charge a much higher price. Some major grocery stores are now carrying Gluten free products. You can find Gluten free flour, pancake mix, waffles, cookies, snacks, and many other foods. Most parents find out it is cheaper to make their own Gluten free food. Recipes can be found on the internet, or in Gluten free cookbooks. Some parents go together with another family following the Gluten free diet and buy in bulk. Then they share the foods. This can help lower the costs of the Gluten free items.

Autistic children following a Gluten free diet can eat meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nut, eggs, and products made with gluten free ingredients. It can be hard to keep a child from eating their favorite snacks, and treats. Some of these can be made by using Gluten free products. Muffins and cookies can be made from Gluten free flour. It just takes some getting used to the new way of eating.

Often people following a Gluten free diet will remove all dairy (Casein) products from their diet as well. You can find out if your Autistic child has an allergy to a certain food by having allergy testing done. The doctor can arrange for this testing.

If you are going to try the Gluten free diet with your child you have to be prepared to follow it for several months to tell if it is going to make any difference. Gluten remains in the body for a long time. Most people do not give the diet a long enough chance to work. Trying it for a week or two will not give the body enough time to remove any remaining Gluten from its system. Some people do however see improvements right away in their Autistic child.

If you want to find more information about Gluten free dieting there are several books available. Visit your local library, or book store to find one. To find Gluten free recipes try searching online using your favorite search engine. The Gluten free diet will not work with every autistic child. The majority of the children that show improvement had a sensitivity to the gluten to begin with.

The Gluten free diet is not a cure for Autism. It is used to help lesson the symptoms of Autism.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

Dairy Free Diet to Treat Autism

Parents are turning to their child's diet to when treating Autism. Some believe that Autistic children have a food sensitivity. They believe dairy, also known as Casein, is one of the foods to cause problems with Autistic children. Removing all dairy from your child's diet can at first seem very difficult to do. Most kids love cheese and ice cream.

Most people following a dairy free diet also remove Gluten from the diet. The ingredient in dairy that it thought to cause problems is Casein. Casein is a protein found in dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, and some hotdogs. It is very important to read all labels on food the child will be eating.

If you are going to try the dairy free diet with your child you will need to make sure they are getting enough calcium. This can be done with vitamin supplements, or milk substitutes. Many types of food are including calcium.

It is thought that the Casein reacts in the Autistic child's body causing the unwanted behaviors. They think if the dairy products are removed some of the behaviors will leave. It should take a few months to know if the diet is working for your child. If you are considering removing Gluten from the diet too it is advised to try removing dairy first. The dairy is removed from the body much faster than the Gluten. Gluten can take ten months or more to be completely removed from the body.

Following a Casein free diet can be expensive. Most milk replacements cost double the price of regular milk. Not all stores will carry the dairy free products. They can usually be found at specialty, or health food stores. You can find Casein free products on the internet for mail order. There are also lots of Casein free recipes available online. To save on the cost of Casein free foods some families find another family in their area using the same diet, and share the cost of ingredients by buying in bulk. They then split the foods.

If you choose to try a Casein (dairy) free diet with your Autistic child remember to allow enough time to see if the diet is helping. It can be helpful to keep a journal while trying the diet. Keep a record of behaviors your Autistic child has. Then you can see if the number of behaviors is dropping. If you have not removed Gluten from your child's diet you may want to consider this if your child is not improving from the dairy free diet.

To find out if your Autistic child has a sensitivity to dairy (Casein) have them allergy tested. This will tell you if you should remove any other foods from the diet. If you are wanting more information about Casein free diets visit your local library. You can find many books that deal with dairy free living. The internet is also a great source of information.

A Casein free diet might be helpful in treating your child's Autism. It is not a cure for Autism though. It will only help treat some of the symptoms.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

Can Autism be Cured?

This is a question that every parent of an Autistic child will ask at some point. The answer is no. There is no cure for Autism. While you may see ads for books, or products that promise a cure for Autism, they are misleading you. Autism has no cure. There are lots of treatments that can make living with Autism easier.Here are some of the treatments that help with Autism.

Therapies
There are several types of therapies that can help with the treatment of Autism. Occupational, physical, behavioral, speech, music, sensory, drug, play, and many other types of therapy can make a big difference in the life of an Autistic child. The therapies will not cure your child's Autism. They will just help teach them different ways of coping with it.

Alternative Treatments for Austim
Natural and alternative treatments are on the rise. These can include the use of herbs instead of prescription medications. The herbs do not have the side effects found in traditional medicines. Vitamin and mineral supplements are being found to help in treating Autism. Always notify the doctor of any natural products you are using with your child. Some herbs can have interactions with prescription medications. Remember again these herbs and vitamins are not cures. They are just to help with some of the symptoms of Autism.

Nutritional Methods
Some people turn to the diet when treating Autism. They eliminate certain foods that could cause sensitivities. Some of the foods the remove from the diet are Gluten, dairy, and artificial dyes. The idea behind this method is that removing the foods that cause sensitivities will remove the behavior problems. You can have your child tested for food allergies. Ask your child's doctor about allergy testing. This will let you know if your child could be having behaviors due to a food allergy. It will also give you an idea of which foods to eliminate from their diet.

There is no cure for Autism, but there are lots of treatments that can help with some of the symptoms. When trying a new treatment only try one at a time. This will let you know if it is helping or not. Allow enough time for the treatment to work. Usually two or three months is enough time to tell if a new treatment is working. There will be no miracle treatments that give immediate results. If you are using a herbal or vitamin treatment inform the doctor. They need to be aware of the things you are trying. Herbs and vitamins can cause reactions with other medicines. It is important that the treatment team be kept informed and on the same page. This will make your child's outcome a more positive one.

Do not waste your money on products that claim to cure Autism. If there was a cure available it would be told to you by your doctor, instead of some guy on a late night infomercial. Continue to help your child by treating the symptoms of Autism. This will help your child have a better life.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

Autistic Children Need Schedules

Schedules are an important part of every child's life. This is especially true when dealing with a child of special needs like Autism. Having a schedule will help the Autistic child feel a sense of structure. Children with Autism often have anxiety issue they are dealing with. Having a schedule helps the levels of anxiety to drop. They know what to expect on a daily basis. They know at a certain time of the day what they will be doing.

If there is no schedule or structure in an Autistic child's daily life things will be very hectic. An Autistic child has lots of doctors and therapist appointments. Sometimes there will be more than one appointment a day. Keeping a schedule can help you and your child to make sure they do not miss any appointments.

Some Autistic children have trouble with reading. You can use a visual schedule. Have pictures for all the daily activities. This allows them to see what is coming next. Having a schedule for your Autistic child will help avoid some breakdowns. Keep the schedule posted where your child can see it. If you have to change the schedule explain the changes to your child. Autistic children like routines, and a change could throw their whole day out of whack.

Schedules can be a help when trying to get the child to do something they do not want to do. Simply show them that after they do this they will get to move onto something else. Tell them they cannot move on until this activity is completed.

There will always be things that come up. Try to stick to the schedule as much as possible. When things come up try to get back on schedule as soon as you can. This includes weekends . If your child is used to getting up at seven in the morning continue to do so. Keep their bedtimes close to the same time each night. Your Autistic child will be happier when they have had enough sleep.
Schedules will make life much easier you and your Autistic child. Keep them posted for your child to see, and stick to the schedule the best you can. An example of a schedule you can use if found below.

7 AM Wake up, get dressed and ready for the day

8 AM Breakfast

9 AM Therapy Appointment at home

11 AM Free time/ Play time

12 PM Lunch1 PM Outdoor Play

2 PM Arts and Crafts

3 PM Free Time

5 PM Dinner

6 PM TV time

7 PM Bath time

8 PM Bed Time

This allows the child to know what is going on during the day. Include doctors, or therapy appointments on the schedule. An older child can still benefit from a schedule. It has to be adjusted for school time, and any extra curricular activities. You can include homework time, and chores into the chart. Once you start using a chart for your Autistic child you will see a improvement in the flow of your day. This also leaves little time for boredom. There is always something planned to do.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

Autism and the School System

Autistic children will have special needs when it comes to schooling. Many children with Autism go to public school and do just fine with some special modifications. There are laws pertaining to kids with disabilities. Here are some of the things you will need to know about Autism and school.

The Individuals With Disabilities Act
The Individuals with Disabilities act was passed to make sure all children receive a free and appropriate public education that meets their needs. The act requires children with special needs to have special education service as long as they meet the requirements. Autism meets that requirement.

Free and Appropriate Education
This is an education that meets the special needs of your child. It is one that allows them to make progress learning.

Least Restrictive Learning Environment
This means that your child will be placed in an educational setting that is right for their special needs while allowing them to socialize with kids that do not have a disability. The school will do what it can to meet the needs of your Autistic child while keeping them in regular classrooms.
To figure out what special needs your child will need the school will evaluate your child. This evaluation can be requested by the school or the parent. If you think there is a problem write a letter to the school asking them to evaluate your child. They will send a paper home for you to sign that gives permission for the evaluation to take place. During the evaluation your child will be tested for learning disabilities along with any mental, or behavioral problems. After the evaluation is complete the school will have a meeting with you to discuss their findings, and what can be done to help your child.

IEP
An IEP is used when a child has a need for special education services. The group that evaluated the child will be part of the team that creates the IEP. The parents will also have a say in what is included in the IEP. An IEP will state the needs the child has to get an appropriate education. They will also list the services the child is going to receive in the IEP. The IEP can be evaluated at any time if the services are not working for the child. An example of some services that might be included in an IEP are extra time when completing class work, have tests read aloud to the child, or an aide is provided for the child. Each IEP will be different for each child. The IEP will be evaluated on a yearly basis unless the parents request it sooner. The parents have the right to be at every IEP meeting held.

You are your child's best advocate when dealing with the school system. Some schools will try to give you the run around. They will do whatever they can to keep your child from having any special services in school. You have to be the one to stand up for your child. You are their voice. If you do not feel comfortable dealing with the school alone there are lawyers and advocates that are there to help.



More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD

Accepting the Diagnosis of Autism

Receiving a diagnosis of Autism can seem overwhelming. You may be left with a lot of unanswered questions about the diagnosis. You might be thinking the diagnosis is wrong. This cannot be happening to your child. There are different feelings and emotions you will experience when dealing with a diagnosis of Autism. Here are some of the ways you might be feeling, and ways to come to terms with the diagnosis.

Denial
Denial is a common feeling when dealing with any medical problem. Sometimes it is easier to deny that there is even a problem. Some parents do not want to consider that there could be something wrong with their child. So they pretend like there is nothing wrong. The doctor was wrong, their child is perfectly normal. Being in denial about the diagnosis will not help anything. The sooner that you accept that your child is Autistic the better both of you will be. The condition will not go away if you ignore it. Accepting the diagnosis and moving on will be a huge step for you as a parent to take. The quicker this is done the sooner you can start looking into treatment options.

Anger
Anger is one of the emotions you might feel when you get a diagnosis of Autism. You might be angry with yourself, or angry with God. Why is your child Autistic. You might be angry with other parents that have healthy children. This is a normal feeling to experience. Remember while you are feeling angry to think of all the great things about your child. Share your feelings with others. Keeping anger bottled up can be a bad thing.

Grief
Sometimes when a parent gets a diagnosis of Autism they go though a grieving period. They are sad that their child has something wrong with them. They may be feeling sad that the dreams they had for their child may have to change. They might be sad over the way the world will treat their child, and the hardships they will face. Grief is a normal emotion to go through. The key is to get through the grief, and on to the acceptance. Try not to look at the things that are wrong. There will have to be some adjustments made to your plans for your child's future. That is what life is all about , change. If you find yourself unable to move past the grieving stage you might need to talk to someone. It might help having a few therapy sessions to deal with the feelings you are experiencing.

Acceptance
Finally coming to terms with the diagnosis of Autism can take awhile. Some people are just glad to have an answer to what is wrong with their child. Others have a hard time accepting their child is different from other kids. Eventually you will accept that your child is different, and that is okay. Once you have accepted the diagnosis of Autism you can start to help your child. Do all the research you can on Autism. Think about how hard it is for your child. They need you to be behind them in their treatments one hundred percent. The first step to doing this is acceptance.

More Tips & Guide for Autism

Most Popular Autism Ebook
Autism - Essential Guide to finally Understanding Autism
Click Here to DOWNLOAD