Articles
Flower Essence articles, interviews, information, stories & anecdotes
from Creature Comforters®, the English Flower Essence Company
from Creature Comforters®, the English Flower Essence Company
Articles
Dr Edward Bach
by Alice Digby and Jane Stevenson (2009)
An overview of the man who discovered the Bach Flower Remedies
An overview of the man who discovered the Bach Flower Remedies
Dr Bach's Blue Plaque
Speech transcript written by Alice Digby and Viv Williamson
A video of Jane Stevenson unveiling a Blue Plaque for Dr Bach in Cromer
A video of Jane Stevenson unveiling a Blue Plaque for Dr Bach in Cromer
Bach's Cromer Town
by Alice Digby and Jane Stevenson (2010)
An article about Dr Edward Bach's time when discovering the Remedies whilst living in Cromer, Norfolk
An article about Dr Edward Bach's time when discovering the Remedies whilst living in Cromer, Norfolk
The Birth of Rescue Remedy™
by Alice Digby (2010)
How a dramatic and legendary 1933 sea rescue in Cromer witnessed the birth of Rescue Remedy™
How a dramatic and legendary 1933 sea rescue in Cromer witnessed the birth of Rescue Remedy™
Experiences of an Animal Practitioner
by Jane Stevenson and Alice Digby (2013)
An insight into Jane Stevenson's 35 years as a Practitioner
An insight into Jane Stevenson's 35 years as a Practitioner
Edward Bach - a fascinating insight
by Jane Stevenson and Alice Digby (1988 and 2011)
A fascinating insight into Edward Bach's personality and interests from Jane's interview with Bach's friend Archie
A fascinating insight into Edward Bach's personality and interests from Jane's interview with Bach's friend Archie
Animals Have Feelings Too
by Jane Stevenson (2005)
Jane describes how Flower Essences can help address the emotional and behavioural problems of animals
Jane describes how Flower Essences can help address the emotional and behavioural problems of animals
Flower Power!
by Alice Digby (2006)
An interview with Advanced Practitioner for people and animals - Jane Stevenson
An interview with Advanced Practitioner for people and animals - Jane Stevenson
An Epiphany!
by Jane Stevenson (c1983 / 2007)
A set of circumstances that led Jane to becoming a Practitioner and of ultimately forming Creature Comforters®
A set of circumstances that led Jane to becoming a Practitioner and of ultimately forming Creature Comforters®
Dowsing - The Art of Divining
by Jane Stevenson (2007)
Using the pendulum dowsing technique to select Flower Essences
Using the pendulum dowsing technique to select Flower Essences
Water Memory
by various
A selection of articles describing the phenomena of how water is said to 'hold memories'
A selection of articles describing the phenomena of how water is said to 'hold memories'
The Power of Flowers
by Alice Digby and Jane Stevenson (2008)
An article written for the Blue Skies newsletter describing the uses and benefits of Flower Essences
An article written for the Blue Skies newsletter describing the uses and benefits of Flower Essences
Choosing the right family pet
Key considerations for making the perfect pick
By Jessica Brody of 'Best Friends''
Dr Bach's Blue Plaque, Cromer
Unveiled by Jane Stevenson and Jo Turner
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UNVEILING SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Dr Edward Bach (or ‘Bark’, as some pronounce his name) lived here in Cromer from 1930 - 1934. He lived in two Cromer residences: one in St Mary’s Road, the other here in this house. This was his favourite because it overlooked the sea. He was born of Welsh parentage in the Midlands in 1886. We understand that he must have visited Cromer in his earlier years as we know that he had a very great affection for this seaside town. Dr Bach was a respected medical Doctor, Homeopath and surgeon who became disheartened with some of the poor results of medicine at the time. After much observation and research he concluded that a patient’s mental state was very important to their ultimate recovery. Therefore, he set himself the challenge of finding a natural method to help make people calm and happy as, in this way, he believed it would aid a faster and more sustained recovery. Looking to his great love of nature and the outdoors he found a number of wild flowers that he felt could be used for emotional healing. Thus he developed a new method to utilize the healing properties of these flowers and created 38 gentle healing preparations - The Bach Flower Remedies. Dr Bach is famed internationally for his Flower Remedies. Many people have heard of Rescue Remedy™ – one of Dr Bach’s most popular and famous Remedies – used for helping to calm stress and anxiety. In many countries around the world the Bach Flower Remedies are now the natural medicine of choice, for treating emotional issues in people and animals, as they are gentle, effective and affordable. Dr Bach did much of his groundbreaking work during those 4 years that he lived here in Cromer. It’s understood at least nine, of the 38 Bach Flower Remedies, were made in the surrounding countryside, some of which he made from wild flowers growing on what is now the golf course in West Runton. From this house, where he lived, he had a good vantage point overlooking the sea and the lifeboat station. He greatly admired the bravery of the lifeboat men as they tackled the rough seas – risking their lives, saving others. On one famous occasion, in December 1933, Dr Bach witnessed the heroic rescue by the legendary Henry Blogg, and his crew, of two men who - for 2 hours - had been clinging to the wreckage of the Sepoy. Apparently Dr Bach went to his kitchen, here, and quickly blended a mixture of his Remedies. Then, as the first sailor was brought ashore, he rushed down the gangway and gave the half-drowned man some of his newly created remedy. It is said that, after taking this, the sailor made a quick recovery. I have always wondered if that’s why Dr Bach called his mixture “RESCUE” Remedy – as it was used in that sea rescue! In 2006 – on what would have been his 100th birthday - the Bach International Conference was held here in Cromer, at the pavilion theatre. It was attended by speakers and delegates from 32 different countries around the world. Dr Edward Bach is clearly an important figure in the history of Cromer and we are pleased to report that 87 years on, from his time in this town, his Flower Remedies remain as popular as ever. Jo and I have been working in this field for many years so it is a privilege to be asked here today to have this wonderful opportunity to honour his life and work. We unveil this plaque and, in so doing, remember his legacy – the vast number of people and animals that have been gratefully helped worldwide … and the many who will continue to be helped in years to come… Written by Vivien Williamson and Alice Digby © 25th February 2017 |
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Dr Edward Bach M.B., B.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.H.P. (Camb.)
The man who discovered the Flower Remedies
By Alice Digby and Jane Stevenson
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Flower Remedies/Essences are a simple and natural method of healing through the personality, by means of the essence of wild flowers. This method was discovered in the 1930s by Edward Bach (correctly pronounced 'batch' or, idiomatically, 'baych'). Dr Bach is now perhaps most famous for his Rescue Remedy™. This method of treatment and the thirty-eight remedies which comprise its pharmacopoeia were discovered by Bach, a renowned physician, who practiced for over twenty years in London as a Harley Street consultant and bacteriologist.
He studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London, where he was a surgeon. Despite the success of his work with orthodox medicine he felt dissatisfied with the way doctors were expected to concentrate on diseases and ignore the people who were suffering them. He was inspired by his work with homeopathy but wanted to find remedies that would be simpler and solely to treat emotional states. So in 1930 he gave up his lucrative Harley Street practice and left London, determined to devote the rest of his life to the new system of medicine that he was sure could be found in nature. Abandoning the scientific methods he had previously used, he relied instead on his natural gifts as a healer, and used his intuition to guide him through the meadows and lanes of the British countryside including Wales, Oxfordshire and Cromer in Norfolk. He would suffer the emotional state that he needed to cure and then try various plants and flowers until he found the one single plant that could help him. One by one he found the remedies he wanted, each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion. He found that when he treated the personalities and feelings of his patients their unhappiness and physical distress would be alleviated as the natural healing potential in their bodies was unblocked and allowed to work once more. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work. Dr Bach spent much of his time studying the Flower Remedies whilst living in the English seaside town of Cromer in Norfolk, where he discovered many of his remedies on the Cromer cliffs. (Cromer is also the home town of the English Flower Essence Company Creature Comforters). Dr Bach's wish was that everyone, whether medically trained or not, would have the means to use his healing system of Flower Remedies. He was also keen to develop a straightforward pharmacopoeia and simple method of production so that they could actually be made by anyone too (by following his precise instructions). Therefore, it is well known, by Dr Bach literarys, that he would have commended - nay celebrated, the situation we have now, over seventy years after his death, where there are dozens of small, independent Flower Essence Companies, all over the world, making and selling the remedies ~ just like Creature Comforters UK. This is said to have been precisely Dr Bach's wish. Dr Bach passed away on the evening of November 27th, 1936. He was only 50 years old, but has left behind him a lifetime's experience and dedication, and a highly respected system of medicine that is now used all over the world. He also gave us the, now famous, Rescue Remedy™ which is used by many throughout the world including actors, musicians, politicians, 'celebrities', the military, doctors, vets, Olympic sports men and women and members of the Royal family! © Creature Comforters 2009 References 1. P. Chancellor (1971) The Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. Hillman Printers 2. Bach Directory (2004) |
Cromer, where Dr Bach resided in the 1930s and the hometown of Creature Comforters UK. Photo: © Alice D Riverhaze
September 24, 1936. Dr Bach's Wallingford lecture
Dr Edward Bach's gravestone
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Bach's Cromer Town
By Alice Digby and Jane Stevenson
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By a steep, cobbled slipway that leads to the beach, sits a row of tall Victorian terraces inhabited by artists, holidaymakers and fishermen. Nestled amid the row is an unremarkable dwelling with a dark green, iron door. There seems nothing extraordinary about this house except that, unknown to most, it was once, between 1930-1934, the residence of a very special man. A man who has influenced thousands worldwide; someone who has inspired hundreds of books, written in many different languages, and myriad websites, articles, leaflets, brochures and journals. An inspirational, some say visionary, doctor, homeopath and surgeon who - through great personal sacrifice and dedication - pioneered a new, alternative system of treatment that went-on to be revered around the world by those seeking a different, natural way to heal emotional problems.
His name was and is Edward Bach and, whilst living here in the Norfolk coastal town of Cromer, he began his ‘journey of research’ into what became known as The Bach Flower Remedies. 
Having used, made and prescribed Flower Remedies, for the larger part of my life, I feel extremely privileged to live just a 15-minute walk from Dr Bach’s former residence and in the town he inhabited when discovering many of his Remedies. A quaint, traditional seaside town; to the casual observer there’s nothing particularly remarkable about Cromer. It has the obligatory pier, a modest promenade and a few (formerly) grand hotels. In wintertime it’s quiet, sleepy and windswept (or gale-swept), in the summer it’s all ice cream, windbreaks and holidaying families, probably just as it was in the 1930s when Bach lived here.
There are some fine places to be found in and around this town, on the wild, sandy cliffs and grassy green hills. Places that Dr Bach himself walked whilst looking for plants and flowers to add to his growing range of remedies. I’d like to take you to one of those places, a special one, just over the way from my home... The delightfully named ‘Happy Valley’ is an area of mown park and wild scrubland, watched-over by an elegant lighthouse and bordered by the open sea to one side and woodland to the other. A favourite place for dog-walkers, it’s where I take my dog, Simba, early each morning. If you climb the steep ridge, out of the valley, you’ll be met by a wonderful view overlooking a wide expanse of sea. Sometimes the sea is bluey green – tropical looking, other times it’s dark, rough and angry. But it is here, during the late summer, that the cliffs are blanketed in a profusion of Gorse, as far as you can see. There’s a nicely positioned bench nearby and a perilous long, windy path, cut out of the cliffs, leading to the beach. So, although this is a public place, this little patch still feels secret and special – the flowers positively inviting you to make a remedy from them. It is well documented that Bach made at least nine of the 38 Bach Flower Remedies in and around Cromer and that his Clematis Remedy was made from the flowers on these banks, but could this be the precise spot? Perhaps, back in the 1930s, this is where the first ever Clematis Flower Remedy was made? Perhaps those very plants I use to make my Clematis are the descendents of those that Bach himself used? It’s impossible to know, but it’s nice to wonder or even daydream; as those requiring Clematis are prone! On Januray 8th 1930 Dr Bach began his 4-year association with Cromer where he lived in his house on the slipway by the beach for much of the time. In August 1930 he discovered Agrimony, Centaury, Chicory, Cerato, and Vervain here. In Septemeber he discovered Scleranthus. Later in 1933 he discovered Oak in Cromer. This otherwise fairly ordinary town of Cromer is a place that inspires me like it inspired Edward. A place where many of the first discoveries were made, and the sequence of unplanned events happened, that helped enable Edward Bach to create something very special – a gift to the world. © Copyright 2010 A Digby and J Stevenson |
Dr Edward Bach
(1886-1936)
4 Brunswick Terrace, Cromer, England.
The dwelling to the right of the cream coloured house was Dr Bach’s residence in the 1930s 
Happy Valley, Cromer
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Bach’s Cromer.
Clockwise from left: 1. The Red Lion, where Bach would drink ale; 2. Brunswick Terrace; 3. The view from Bach’s house; 4. Cromer pier; 5. Number 4 - Bach’s home |
Cromer today
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See Bach's house here on google maps. See that not much has changed since the time he lived here!
The Birth of Bach's Rescue Remedy™
by Alice Digby
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One of Dr Edward Bach's homes, whilst he lived for four years in the seaside town of Cromer, was at Brunswick Terrace, on the slipway. The view from house had a good vantage point overlooking the sea and lifeboat station and from here he, like his neighbours, would often have seen the boat going out to rescue those in peril.
On one famous occasion, during a ferocious storm in December 1933, Dr Bach witnessed the heroic rescue by the legendary Henry Blogg, and his RNLI crew, of two men who, for two hours, had been clinging to the wreckage of the sailing barge - The Sepoy. When the half-drowned sailors were brought ashore they were "delirious, foaming at the mouth, almost frozen, their life despaired of". Upon witnessing this dramatic rescue it is said that Edward went to his kitchen and quickly mixed a concoction of his flower remedies. He then rushed down the gangway and gave the first rescued man some of his newly created remedy. Before the man had been stripped of his clothing and wrapped in warm blankets he was "sitting up, in his right mind, and asking for a cigarette". Was that seemingly impromptu concoction the birth of the now famous Rescue Remedy - a blend of Star of Bethlehem, Clematis, Cherry Plum, Impatiens and Rock Rose. I have always wondered if that's why Dr Bach called his mixture 'Rescue' Remedy - as it was used in that famous sea rescue. © 2010 Alice Digby (revised 2017) |
Dr Bach's Cromer home, Brunswick Terrace, and the view of the lifeboat station from the 1st floor window.
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Photo credit: The RNLI Henry Blogg Museum
Footnotes:
1. J Stevenson and A Digby (interview with Bach's friend Archie Wright), Edward Bach - a Fascinating Insight (1988 / 2010), www.creaturecomforters.org/articles--dr-bach.html#INSIGHT
2. The Rescue of the Sepoy (posted 25/4/2013) https://thesepoy.wordpress.com/category/henry-blogg/
1. J Stevenson and A Digby (interview with Bach's friend Archie Wright), Edward Bach - a Fascinating Insight (1988 / 2010), www.creaturecomforters.org/articles--dr-bach.html#INSIGHT
2. The Rescue of the Sepoy (posted 25/4/2013) https://thesepoy.wordpress.com/category/henry-blogg/
Our Comforter Essence is made using the same five Essence ingredients that Dr Bach used to make his Rescue Remedy™, as described above.
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The photo of a field of flowers, on the front of the bottle, was taken by Alice in a field that's a 2 minutes walk from Dr Bach's former home - here in Cromer, Norfolk, England.
Made the way Dr Bach intended |
Pictured: The Cromer storms of 2013, showing the pier surviving through the waves. © Alice Digby
Edward Bach - a fascinating insightby Jane Stevenson and Alice Digby
 The most famous image of Dr Bach
We’re all familiar with the famous sepia photograph of Dr Bach posed at a slightly oblique angle, in a crisp white shirt looking rather ‘smart’, both intellectually and sartorially. That he was a well educated, cerebral man is without question, but what about his lifestyle, habits, reputation and appearance outside of his professional job as a physician? Those who knew him paint a portrait that somehow belies that famous photo, a fascinating insight into the real Edward Bach.
Back in 1988 I was interviewed for small local magazine North Folk about my experiences as a Flower Essence Practitioner. Following its publication a local man called Archie Wright contacted me to say he had known Dr Bach when he lived in Cromer, North Norfolk. It turned out that Archie lived at Thwaite Common just a few miles from my home at the time in Ingworth. I arranged a meeting with Archie and asked along my friend and business partner Viv. I didn’t know what to expect, how well he knew Bach or even if he’d be able to recall those days - 50 years earlier - with any clarity, but I was exited at the opportunity to spend some time with someone who actually knew Edward Bach. We arrived at a little cottage at the foot of a loke, near the Common, which I knew well as I’d lived there myself, previously, for several years (but I’d had no idea that, all that time, a friend of Bach’s had lived just a short walk from my house!) Archie welcomed us in, he was an elderly Norfolk man, must have been in his 80s, and was warm, friendly and clearly couldn’t wait to tell us about his dear friend Dr Bach. For him, I believe, it was nice to have another chance to reminisce about ‘the good ol days’, and to two people who really, really wanted to hear his stories. Viv set the tape to ‘record’ and I took some sketchy notes which is just as well because, when we got home, we found the tape hadn’t recorded. And so this account is taken from those (often barely legible) notes and from memories of that meeting with Archie, over 22 years ago.
Bach would happily spend time with “poor people” including making friendships with the Romany gypsy community, in Archie’s words: “Real gypsies”. He told of how Bach would meet the travelling gypsies at the Belle Vue pub, which Archie ran. “He would sit with them in the bar and they would exchange knowledge on herbal remedies and natural cures, "He was extremely knowledgeable, with a very active mind, yet associated with the poor.” When the gypsies passed though they would always ask ‘Has the doctor been in recently?’ One of them was a character caller Jimmy Milton who lived in a horsebox and who Bach would visit. Archie did think this amusing and a bit unusual and I suppose he had a point. When you think about it, it’s unusual for someone of Bach’s stature, a doctor - nay a Harley Street surgeon - to regularly socialise with people of a ‘lower class’, let-alone build close friendships with them. It seems, at this time in his life, Bach sought acquaintances that were mostly about friendship and the pursuit of knowledge and never about social convention or ‘what was expected’. “He didn’t like hierarchy at all,” said Archie, “when he had money he’d give it to down-and-outs or spend it right away.”
Now, with the knowledge of his prestige as a surgeon and when we look at that formal sepia photo, it’s hard to imagine that, certainly during his time in Cromer, he is said to have looked more than a little dishevelled. Indeed in Archie’s own words he “Looked like a tramp.” With “very fair – blonde, un-groomed hair” (which Nora used to cut; “he never went to the barbers”); open shirts; flannels; tatty tennis shoes - always worn without socks; and a big old Mac “that he would sleep in”, he probably fitted in very well with Cromer’s artists, gypsies and local hobos! Archie, his friends and, it seems, much of Cromer, were clearly fascinated by this prestigious London doctor known as ‘Teddy’, evidently he was pretty hard to ignore. People in Archie’s posh saloon bar used to say (either disparagingly or affectionately, you decide): “That old doc, look at him; looking like a shambles.” A doctor wasn’t supposed to look like that, especially in those days. They were ‘pillars of the community’ expected to be suited and booted. "That old doc, look at him, looking like a shambles"
Archie burst into laughter when he told the peculiar story of how Bach made a pair of trousers for himself. Apparently, rather than buying a pair of trousers, like most people from his class (actually most would probably have them specially tailored), Bach decided to make his own. Fair enough, you might say, nothing particularly odd about that. Except that Bach elected not to use a standard pattern of a mans’ trousers, nor to copy the pattern of some of his own trousers. No he made a pattern from Miss Tabor’s fashionable slacks! Retelling this story had Archie and me in, excuse the pun, ‘stitches’. After all, women’s trousers in the 1930s, of the very few who wore them, looked very different to men’s. It does indeed show another intriguing aspect to Bach’s character. A bit rebellious? A bit of a maverick? An eccentric? Or perhaps - being someone so able to tune into his feelings (something essential to discovering and analysing the emotional effects of the Remedies) - also meant that he was unusually in-touch with his feminine side!
Archie said that Bach ate healthily and that, yes, he enjoyed his pipe and pint (he was known by some as ‘Tobacco Ted’), but that he was also known for his watercress sandwiches and enthusiasm for foraging in hedgerows for berries, herbs and nettles to eat. Archie also said: “Teddy and Mary were thought of as queer because they were vegetarians!” Bach clearly had a strong constitution and Archie was amazed at how he was never ill “not even so much as a mild cold” and this is despite the fact that he wore those old tennis shoes, without socks – “even in the snow. Teddy’s chest was red raw from the elements in the winter months, but still didn’t get ill.” The fact that Bach was never ill was something Archie returned to throughout our conversation. Amused yet mildly worried looks were exchanged at this depiction of Bach - with his unconventional habits and ‘tramp-like’ appearance. Might it suggest to some (particularly sceptics) that he had ‘lost his way’, or worse, ‘lost his mind’? In my opinion no. But there are countless artists, philosophers and scientists throughout history whose ‘genius’ could be said to be on the edges of madness, (or if not that then many were certainly accused of this at the time, by people unable to appreciate the vision). Such visionaries have enriched the world and taught the world. And Bach himself gave birth to a new system of healing that has helped thousands, probably millions, of people and animals throughout the world so, in a sense, does it matter how it came about? But I reiterate – all accounts of Bach, both personal and literary, confirm that he was of sound mind if, on occasion, eccentric. Perhaps it’s as simple as this: Bach was able to express himself in the relative freedom of a Norfolk town, liberated from the stifling conventions, restraints and responsibilities of London life as a surgeon. This is all speculation of course but 1930s Britain should be put into context: this was a time, between the Wars, when a few progressives were experimenting with new ideas. I say ‘new’, but their ideas were often about looking back and re-learning old customs such as herbalism. Following widespread mechanization in the Industrial Revolution plus the recent horrors of WWI (for which Bach was a casualty medical officer at UCH) for some it was often about a deep-seated craving to ‘get back to nature’. So although some of Bach’s behaviour seemed and seems a bit wacky compared to much of the population at the time (and certainly compared to his professional peers) it certainly wasn’t abnormal. In some ways those 1930s ‘radicals’, like Bach, were the first hippies. You could say, for Bach, it wasn’t ‘flowers in the hair’ – it was flowers in the bottle! Never mind the peace, love and revolution of the 60s, that handful of special folks, in the 30s, had planted the seeds thirty years earlier. Their ideas were effectively put on hold for WWII but, thankfully, grew again, and bigger, in the 50s, 60s and to this day. Another solid indicator that Bach was of sound mind is the fact that, despite the unconventionality, he was rational, reliable and responsible; this is confirmed throughout the conversation with Archie. Though of a logical scientific background he was experimenting with other therapies, as all pioneers must. And his dedicated research into this brand new medium, Flower Remedies, inevitably meant that he lived unconventionally and looked unconventional - total immersion was absolutely necessary. In keeping with his love of nature, Archie told me how Bach would make pieces of furniture out of found pieces of wood. He would collect fallen boughs and branches to make small tables, chairs and simple ornaments (some of which are now on display at Mount Vernon – the place Bach lived after his time in Cromer). Clearly someone with a working knowledge of woodcraft, he also showed Archie how to make a wheel for a wheelbarrow. But Bach’s aesthetic interests weren’t just limited to the traditional; “He was interested in new architecture” … “A man of his time.” Bach also owned a small cottage, outside Cromer, for which he drew up plans for “an unusual chimney stack” which he asked Archie to build for him. Unfortunately I didn’t get the details of that cottage from Archie, but I would have loved to see that chimneystack to see what made it so unusual. Bach still had, or made, time for recreation and, from Archie’s account, he certainly knew how to enjoy himself. Whether it be in the pub, or enjoying time in his ‘permanent hire’ beach hut which, after leaving Cromer, he would return to for several months each year, or in the ostensibly conformist aspect to Bach’s life - his membership of the Masons. Unsurprisingly, given the secretive nature of the Masons, information on this area of Bach’s life is limited. But Archie did say that Bach was given the Masonic moniker ‘Royal Ancient Order Of Buffalos’ and that he was a founder member of Bath Lodge by the pier in Cromer, “A poor man’s Masonic!” Bach would attend meetings there and it seems his presence and influence was important as ‘Bath Lodge’ was jokingly called ‘Bach Lodge’ (for Bath to rhyme with Bach one assumes his name was incorrectly pronounced as in Johan Sebastian’s and not as it should be, as in - batch). According to Archie most Masonic Lodges weren’t the mysterious, sometimes slightly menacing places often portrayed: “Nearly every other village had a lodge in those days”. It seems they were more like glorified pubs. At Bath Lodge: “More often than not they were used as a place to get-together for ale drinking and a sing song … Teddy, especially, used to enjoy that – he was fond of a drink, although,” he insists, “I only saw him properly drunk once.” It’s because of the Masons that Archie and Bach first met. In 1922 Archie had been in service at 93 Harley Street in London. His main job was as a footman but whenever there were Masonic meetings, held at that address, Archie was employed to welcome members and serve drinks. From what we’ve learnt it seems apposite that Bach should befriend a ‘mere’ footman. Archie fondly remembers how they met again, years later, when Bach walked into the Belle Vue pub in Cromer to find Archie behind the bar: “It was wonderful to see him ... we reminisced about our past together in London.” Bach did eventually give up the Masons but Archie didn’t say why and there didn’t seem any controversy. Who knows, perhaps he needed all his focus for the Remedies he was discovering. "Doctors said he was 100 years ahead of his time"
Throughout our conversation some uncanny personal connections with Edward Bach kept coming to light. It is well known that Bach found many of his first Flower Remedies in the banks and meadows in and around Cromer, Archie explained how Bach would make-up his remedies in his Cromer home of Brunswick Terrace. He also told of how Bach looked for Gorse on Thwaite Common and discovered Water Violet at Scarrow Beck. I hadn’t been aware of this before and was personally moved to hear it as, years previously, I’d made Remedies there. Scarrow Beck is a little brook, just 7½ miles long, that takes in a spring just outside of Cromer, runs through the Blickling Hall estate (where I make several Remedies), and ends in the village of Ingworth (my former home). Also, in the 70s, I had lived in a remote little commune of cottages called The Lowlands. We would walk to nearby Scarrow Beck to swim at a clearing and the only access is via the long lane that runs through The Lowlands – a route Bach himself may well have taken. Archie also told of Nora Weeks would go looking for remedies on her loop-framed bicycle, just as I had done (it was our only form of transport!) Unknowingly I’d made my Bach Flower Remedies in some of the same spots she and Bach made theirs. It occurs to me that, quite by accident, I have lived in three places that were in some way or other important to Edward Bach: Thwaite Common, Scarrow Beck, and now Cromer. I must admit that gives me a slight shiver down my spine. A nice shiver mind!
Bach would use his remedies and preparations on his friends including once when Archie had an eye infection. “The ordinary doctors couldn’t do anything for my eye, so I asked Teddy if he could help ... he gave me some drops and they cured it.” He continued: “Teddy could see how someone was, and what was wrong with them, just by looking at them – it was almost as if he could X-RAY people!” Archie and his friends weren’t the only ones full of praise for Bach’s abilities, or ‘gifts’, as Archie exclaimed: “Other doctors said he was 100 years ahead of his time.” As we were coming to the end of our fascinating conversation Archie movingly described the impact that Edward Bach had made on him: “I’ve met many, many people in my time, I’ve been half way round the world, but I’ve never met a man like Teddy.” "I've never met a man like Teddy"
I had always intended to arrange another meeting with Archie but as the years passed it sadly never happened. I have always regretted that. However, what I learnt from Archie that day, back on the 16th of January 1989 was not at all what I’d expected. It revealed Edward Bach, Teddy, as someone with charisma and charm, blessed and burdened with visionary gifts and eccentricities. But it also exposed someone with foibles and passions that, somehow reassuringly, meant he wasn’t just the almost saintly figure he’s often portrayed, no in many ways he was just a regular man.
© Copyright 2011 Jane Stevenson and Alice Digby |
Animals have feelings too!
Article by Jane Stevenson
Studies have shown that caring for a pet can reduce stress levels. The owners can be happier, healthier and even live longer than people without an animal companion. In my own experience, as someone passionate about animals, I have found that there are few better ways to start your day than with an invigorating walk with your dog who, wide awake, and staring at you with those pleading eyes, is raring to go!
Our pets are entirely reliant on us for their well being. We readily take care of their physical needs, but what if they are unhappy? It is easy to forget that we are also responsible for their emotional care.
Studies have shown that caring for a pet can reduce stress levels. The owners can be happier, healthier and even live longer than people without an animal companion. In my own experience, as someone passionate about animals, I have found that there are few better ways to start your day than with an invigorating walk with your dog who, wide awake, and staring at you with those pleading eyes, is raring to go!
Our pets are entirely reliant on us for their well being. We readily take care of their physical needs, but what if they are unhappy? It is easy to forget that we are also responsible for their emotional care.
Bramble, Ester, Meg and Rupert
Animals are thought to experience the same breadth of emotions as humans, including the negative ones. Unable to express how they feel or to understand what is happening to them, the animals reaction to difficulties may be communicated through antisocial behavior, such as fear, destructiveness or aggression. Unfortunately the true reason for this behavior often goes unrecognised. Until recently this area of animals welfare was generally overlooked, as conventional treatments often do not cater for emotional problems. However, I have been helping animals with flower essences for over 35 years, and have found them to be a very effective and safe answer to this area of caring for our pets. These essences are used to calm the emotions, lift spirits and bring out the animals full potential. Animals seem to respond remarkably quickly to their therapeutic effects. Perhaps this is because they are innately free of complicated human thought processes and so the placebo effect is not an issue. Experience has shown that in certain situations essences may need to be used in conjunction with sensible training or other treatments. However, we must understand that each animal has a unique personality; they are free spirits and a certain amount of instinctive behaviour is normal.
Flower essences have been quietly helping animals for years, and are only now becoming mainstream. They offer immeasurable benefits to our animal friends who, like us, are living with the challenging side-effects of life in the 21st Century.
© Copyright 2005 Jane Stevenson and A Digby
Flower essences have been quietly helping animals for years, and are only now becoming mainstream. They offer immeasurable benefits to our animal friends who, like us, are living with the challenging side-effects of life in the 21st Century.
© Copyright 2005 Jane Stevenson and A Digby
Experiences of an Animal Practitionerby Jane Stevenson, founding owner of Creature Comforters UK and Advanced Practitioner
with contributions from A. Digby, dog trainer and deputy manager of Creature Comforters UK Published in the BFVEA ESSENCE JOURNAL - Autumn 2013
It is well known within the essence community that flower essences can help address the emotional and behavioural problems of animals in much the same way as they do people. And now a growing number of vets and trainers endorse them as a way of gently helping a wide range of problems, by this natural, non-chemical means.
But in what way, if any, does the application of this therapy differ between people and animals, for example, when selecting essences, should one consider an animal’s display of emotion, such as jealously, as equivalent to that of a jealous person? As a Flower Essence Practitioner specialising in the care of animals for over twenty years, I find a different approach is required when providing consultations for animals. Of course one needs first to understand that animals are sentient beings that do actually have ‘emotions’ and not just that they display ‘behaviours’ (that their responses are purely instinctive - without the need for contemplation). Zoologists, such as Aubrey Manning, assert that there are two main aspects to animal behaviour, the physiological and the psychological[i] and both should be considered and defined. Naturalist Charles Darwin wrote in his book The Descent of Man[ii] of the differences between the emotions of humans and animals, that they are ‘only in degree and not in kind’. From my experience in practice I have also found this to be true. Therefore, yes an animal can feel the primeval emotion of jealousy (as every pet owner knows!) but can your average pet feel the more complex variant - envy, which entails feelings of resentment and sometimes malevolence? And can our pets experience more sophisticated and perhaps less instinctive emotions like compassion and empathy? That classic chewed-slipper situation!
Let’s take this familiar scenario with your pet dog:
You return home to find your dog has chewed your slippers. She has that ‘guilty look on her face’… but is that actual ‘guilt’? Is she feeling a sense of regret for what she has done? Is she concerned about how her actions may have upset you and how her chewing your best pair of slippers made you feel? Can she empathise – does she feel compassion? Yes she may be feeling worried. Worried about what punishment she may receive. She may be aware – from your actions – that you are cross with her. She may fear how your mood will affect her, and she’ll fear how her actions will affect your actions but, in my opinion, she won’t be concerned with how her actions have made you feel. Therefore, a flower essence such as Pine (which is for feelings of guilt) would not be applicable in this nor any scenario related to animals because, to feel guilty, you have to be capable of feeling compassion for another. This dog is more likely to need an essence like Aspen, Rock Rose or Mimulus (ones for fear), and perhaps even a dose of Chestnut Bud, to help her learn from her mistakes. My personal detective
What’s a typical essence and what’s not?
In my experience, when dowsing, there are a small group of essences that are frequently indicated for animals for a range of problems. These are mainly ones for fear (Mimulus, Rock Rose), traumas (Star of Bethlehem), and nervous aggression/energy (Impatiens, Vervain, and Cherry Plum). Equally, however, there are other essences that, in twenty years, have never come-up when I’m dowsing for animals. These include some which, to me, seem evident including Beech, Hornbeam, White Chestnut, Pine, Willow and Cerato, and some which are less obvious like Centaury, Red Chestnut and Sweet Chestnut. It appears that the essences which are virtually never applicable to animals are ones where a degree of self-analysis or self-awareness is experienced by the patient. Self-analysis is a skill to which most animals are incapable. We have already discussed Pine essence, and why I believe it is not applicable to animals, but let’s consider some of these other examples.
There are anomalies, however, where essences which - from their description - don’t quite seem applicable to animals but which are indicated as applicable in my dowsing. Heather is one such essence and is described for people who are prone to brood over their own problems and talk incessantly about them. This is an essence which comes up surprisingly often when I’m dowsing for animals. I had puzzled over this and, after poring over the case studies where Heather has been used, I have come to realise that when used for animals Heather is primarily for obsessive behaviour where an animal becomes fixated over objects or irritations.
Understanding the emotions of animals and the function of flower essences
So being a Flower Essence Practitioner has not only enhanced my understanding of the various nuances of the function of each essence, as in the case of Heather above, but it has also been an education in the differences between the emotions of people and animals. Having, in my own way, studied animal behaviour over the years, I have concluded that, yes, they are capable of a surprisingly wide range of emotions, but by no means are animals able to feel the complete spectrum of human emotions (the only exception to this may be animals with large brains and more sophisticated survival strategies such as apes). This viewpoint could be seen as controversial, either that ‘of course, animals can feel every emotion’, or conversely, ‘animals only work on instinct’. Neither is true, in my opinion. To believe one or the other is, excuse the pun, barking up the wrong tree! Your average pet is incapable of emotions requiring self-analysis, deliberation and contemplation such as revenge, envy or compassion, but they are capable of feeling the more primeval emotions of rage, jealousy, devotion and fear. Perhaps their emotional scope is simpler in relation to their level of intelligence or perhaps it is because animals have different motivations to us - ones to do with hunting and procreation, in other words – survival. But there’s more than that; to survive, or to make survival worthwhile they, and we, also seek the emotions of love from companionship, and of joy from play. Darwin observed that even ants play ‘like puppies’. One might ask, what is the point of an ant ‘playing’, what is the purpose? The answer might come: to make life worth living. Even insects, it seems, like to have fun!
Not only do we have anecdotal evidence that animals can and do feel conscious emotion but also, when writing of cats in 1992, veterinarian Bruce Fogle[iii] wrote ‘both humans and cats have identical neurochemical regions in the brain responsible for emotions’ as evidence that animals must feel actual emotions and not that they just display instinctive, physiological reflex behaviours. In conclusion, I believe our emotional responses are comparable to those of animals but not always equivalent. If chosen carefully and with consideration of the differences between us, select flower essences can be a wonderful healing tool for the emotions of all creatures that inhabit the Earth. By Jane Stevenson I am a BFVEA Advanced Flower Essence Practitioner and the owner of a Flower Essence Company, ‘Creature Comforters UK’. All essences referred to in this article are made by Creature Comforters to the precise, natural and traditional instructions of Dr Bach. References: [[i]] Manning, A (1979). An Introduction to Animal Behaviour. London: Edward Arnold [[ii]] Darwin, C. (2004). The Descent of Man. London: Penguin Classics [[iii]] Fogle, B. (1992). If Your Cat Could Talk. London: Doring Kindersley © COPYRIGHT 2013 |
Choosing the right family pet
Key considerations for making the perfect pick
Article by Jessica Brody from Our Best Friends
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Pet ownership is a major commitment and there is a lot to consider before taking the leap for the first time. It is important to pick the right kind of pet for your family so that everybody enjoys the experience, as a bad fit becomes a problem for both the animal and the people involved. How do you know what kind of pet will work best for your family?
Will your lifestyle accommodate a pet? Before you pick a specific type of pet, think about your lifestyle. For example, do you have a big, fenced-in yard or are you in a high-rise rental apartment? Do you have a predictable schedule where you are home regularly or are you out of town and on the go constantly? Do you want an active pet or one that is more mellow and snuggly? Are there any family allergies to consider? All animals need time with their owners, but some types of pets need more than others. For example, Best Friends explains that puppies take a serious time investment in those early months so they are housebroken and socialized properly. Cats may be somewhat lower-maintenance, but they do still need attention. Rabbits, birds, and ferrets are other popular pet choices, but they also involve a fair amount of work. Choose a pet that suits your family's needs Your family may want to ease into pet ownership with something fairly low cost and low maintenance. Mint suggests that hermit crabs, hamsters, guinea pigs, and betta fish all make good starter pets for families. As you consider different kinds of pets, do some research into their typical lifespan and upkeep so you know what kind of commitment is needed. Working around family allergies can complicate a pet search. Many dogs and cats shed a lot, causing issues for allergy sufferers and added work in keeping the house clean. However, there are dog and cat breeds work well for families with animal allergies. Portuguese Water Dogs, Bichon Frise, and poodles are dogs worth considering as are Sphynx, Balinese, and Cornish Rex or Devon Rex cats. If you have young children, you may want to avoid puppies and kittens and go for older pets who have a history of getting along well with little ones, explains Better Homes & Gardens. No one breed is guaranteed to be entirely kid-friendly, but golden retrievers, beagles, labrador retrievers, and bulldogs are often a good fit with the proper training. Get prepared and plan for fun Once your family has chosen a pet, there are some preparations that need to be done before they join the family. Training and exercise are essential for dogs in particular and every type of pet will need regular care. Discuss who will be responsible for each pet care task and stock up on supplies like pet food, litter boxes, or crates for dog training. In most cases, it will not take long for your family's new pet to be ready to play. Cats love to banter with toys and many enjoy chasing a laser pointer light. Dogs will thrive on getting outside regularly for walks and many will be thrilled to play fetch or tug-of-war. If you have a busy schedule and don’t think you’ll able to give your dog adequate exercise or if you just want to be sure they’re getting enough exercise while you’re at work, you might want to look into hiring a dog walker who can come by regularly to take them for a stroll. Choosing the right pet can be time consuming, but it is important to find a good fit for your family since some types of pets are more labor-intensive to own than others. Take the time to evaluate your options, as careful consideration during the pet selection process can lead to years of companionship once you've welcomed your new family member into your home. |
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FLOWER POWER!
The natural way to ease stress
Interview with Jane Stevenson
founder of the English Flower Essence company Creature Comforters® and co-founder of Sun Essences
by Alice Digby, June 2006
founder of the English Flower Essence company Creature Comforters® and co-founder of Sun Essences
by Alice Digby, June 2006
Photo: © Alice D Riverhaze
Flower essences were first discovered in the 1930s by respected Harley Street doctor Edward Bach (of the Bach Flower Remedies). They are liquid herbal products which are used to address transient emotional problems; a complementary therapy which work on a psychological level rather than a physical one, and can be safely used alongside other forms of treatment. Over the past 25 years this alternative therapy has become a more accepted and familiar form of healing for both humans and animals. Veterinary clinics, equine clubs, rescue homes and the RSPCA have found the essences especially useful as a gentle and natural alternative for helping animals with various problems such as ‘separation anxiety’, misbehaviour or stress. Essentially, flower essences are used to help promote calm, balanced and well adjusted behaviour. Dr Bach discovered 38 different remedies/essences which he used as a natural way to help people who were suffering emotionally. He used the ‘energy signature’ of flowers such as Aspen for anxiety, Larch for under-confidence or Holly for anger. Since the 1930’s several new essences have also been discovered, many of which are particularly suited to the unique emotional or behavioural problems experienced by animals, such as Bluebell and Chamomile, which have been shown to help pacify highly-strung animals who are spooked, nervous or scatty.
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So why use flower essences for animals?
Anyone who has a pet or works with animals knows that they can suffer with emotional as well as behavioural problems. They can experience a similar range of responses as us: fear, rage, stress, sadness, bereavement, jealousy etc. However, there is little in the way of conventional help for animals experiencing such emotional problems. Traditional allopathic treatments used to support nervous animals (for instance) can sometimes present them with the unwanted side effects of drowsiness or lethargy. This is where flower essences are different because they can gently soothe an animal, without masking their true nature. Qualified practitioner Jane Stevenson has over 26 years experience using flower essences to help people. She began in the 1980’s by providing individual consultations for people with emotional problems, and found this pure and natural remedial method to be extremely effective and rewarding. She is a founding partner of ‘Sun Essences’ who make a range of essences including the Bach Flower Remedies. The company has built into one of the principle English flower essence companies in the UK. However, over recent years, Jane found that she was treating more and more animals with flower essences and so the flower essence company: ‘Creature Comforters’ was born (formerly: Sun Essences for Animals). Her love of flowers and affinity with animals culminated in the development of a unique collection of flower essence blends, designed to alleviate the key emotional and behavioural problems experienced by animals. Jane is now dedicated to helping animals: working closely with vets, trainers, animal sanctuaries and the RSPCA. ‘Creature Comforters ’ is based in Cromer, Norfolk, where Dr Bach lived and worked during the 1930’s, and Jane feels privileged to continue this important work so close to its original roots. She says: “I formed ‘Creature Comforters’ because I found that many animals were suffering simply from surviving in the unnatural environment of 21 century living, and I wanted to provide some help for them. “We have developed six unique flower essence blends designed to alleviate the key emotional and behavioural problems experienced by animal s.” Through many years experience as a practitioner and using analysis of case studies (using various essences on different animal behaviour traits) Jane has developed the optimal combination of ingredients for each blend. Firstly there are the ‘constitutional’ blends of, Courage, Balance and Mellow. These are blends which are for ‘personality’ types, or for an animal’s innate temperament. For example, an uncourageous cat may be intrinsically timid, submissive, nervous or insecure, and may be apprehensive in the company of strangers. |
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This blend can enable them to face the world with bravery, confidence and courage. A disobedient dog may be highly strung, overly boisterous, scatty and excitable, and may be difficult to train. Using the Balance blend can help to calm down unmanageable behaviour so that the animal is more disciplined and compliant. You may need to pacify a dominant horse who may be stubborn, stroppy and impulsive, or they may be generally bad tempered. The Mellow blend can help them to harness their naturally domineering temperament to replace bossiness and aggression with natural leadership and restraint.
The Vigour Blend effectively has a dual-purpose. The first use is to help lift the spirits of an animal who may be down in the dumps, miserable and has lost its sparkle, as it can help to release a pet from a despondent and melancholic disposition. The second use is as a support during convalescence or tired old age. Used for when he/she is lethargic or apathetic with no get-up-and-go, Vigour Blend has also been found to help an animal to regain its appetite following illness or trauma. This is a common problem which, if left untreated, can quickly lead to deterioration of health.
The fifth blend in the range is the Comfort Blend which is especially useful for the many pets who pine when left ‘home alone’ for hours on end while their owner is at work. This can be very distressing for domesticated pets whose natural environment is to be part of ‘pack’, and fundamentally need companionship. Such animals often suffer from ‘separation anxiety’, which can show itself in all manner of ways, such as, destructive behaviour (nibbling furniture), or showing signs of deep anguish (frantic barking/howling). Using this blend can help to break ‘angst driven’ repetitive patterns, and can enable them cope with feelings of isolation.
It can also act as a soothing comforter for bereaved and lonely pets who are pining the loss of an animal companion or owner.
The Comfort Blend is primarily used for helping animals to cope with circumstances where they are separated from their loved ones or are adjusting to new situations, such as: rescue animals, moving to a new home or being placed in kennel accommodation. Sadly, far too many animals spend a life time being moved from pillar to post, especially horses whose owners often out-grow them or they can no longer afford to keep them. Each time these animals have to adjust to new surroundings, new owners, new companions and new rules. This blend contains many essences which can really help with such changes, for example Bach’s ‘Walnut’ (used for adjusting to new situations).
The most universal and popular blend in the range is the Relax Blend which is used like a ‘first aid’ for alarming or distressing events such as accidents, fireworks ‘show nerves’ or traveling. It can also be particularly helpful for the many pets who quiver and quake on a visit to the ‘dreaded’ groomers or vets! For example it recently helped a feral cat called Lucy (rescued by a Cornish animal sanctuary), who used to be petrified at the vets. Lucy’s carers administered the ‘spray’ version of Relax Blend into her carrier on the way to vets to have her stitches removed. The staff of the animal sanctuary said that they were absolutely amazed, and delighted with the results because Lucy was: “Unbelievably relaxed, and didn't flinch at all while having her stitches removed.”
There are also some fantastic results when using the Relax Blend for animals who are terrified of fireworks. Jane says: “My clients have reported ‘huge improvements’ in their pet’s anxiety levels when using this blend in conjunction with other techniques, such as turning up the TV/radio and closing the curtains. For best results I advise that this blend is administered for up to two weeks leading up to any distressing event such as Bonfire night or New Years Eve.”
The Vigour Blend effectively has a dual-purpose. The first use is to help lift the spirits of an animal who may be down in the dumps, miserable and has lost its sparkle, as it can help to release a pet from a despondent and melancholic disposition. The second use is as a support during convalescence or tired old age. Used for when he/she is lethargic or apathetic with no get-up-and-go, Vigour Blend has also been found to help an animal to regain its appetite following illness or trauma. This is a common problem which, if left untreated, can quickly lead to deterioration of health.
The fifth blend in the range is the Comfort Blend which is especially useful for the many pets who pine when left ‘home alone’ for hours on end while their owner is at work. This can be very distressing for domesticated pets whose natural environment is to be part of ‘pack’, and fundamentally need companionship. Such animals often suffer from ‘separation anxiety’, which can show itself in all manner of ways, such as, destructive behaviour (nibbling furniture), or showing signs of deep anguish (frantic barking/howling). Using this blend can help to break ‘angst driven’ repetitive patterns, and can enable them cope with feelings of isolation.
It can also act as a soothing comforter for bereaved and lonely pets who are pining the loss of an animal companion or owner.
The Comfort Blend is primarily used for helping animals to cope with circumstances where they are separated from their loved ones or are adjusting to new situations, such as: rescue animals, moving to a new home or being placed in kennel accommodation. Sadly, far too many animals spend a life time being moved from pillar to post, especially horses whose owners often out-grow them or they can no longer afford to keep them. Each time these animals have to adjust to new surroundings, new owners, new companions and new rules. This blend contains many essences which can really help with such changes, for example Bach’s ‘Walnut’ (used for adjusting to new situations).
The most universal and popular blend in the range is the Relax Blend which is used like a ‘first aid’ for alarming or distressing events such as accidents, fireworks ‘show nerves’ or traveling. It can also be particularly helpful for the many pets who quiver and quake on a visit to the ‘dreaded’ groomers or vets! For example it recently helped a feral cat called Lucy (rescued by a Cornish animal sanctuary), who used to be petrified at the vets. Lucy’s carers administered the ‘spray’ version of Relax Blend into her carrier on the way to vets to have her stitches removed. The staff of the animal sanctuary said that they were absolutely amazed, and delighted with the results because Lucy was: “Unbelievably relaxed, and didn't flinch at all while having her stitches removed.”
There are also some fantastic results when using the Relax Blend for animals who are terrified of fireworks. Jane says: “My clients have reported ‘huge improvements’ in their pet’s anxiety levels when using this blend in conjunction with other techniques, such as turning up the TV/radio and closing the curtains. For best results I advise that this blend is administered for up to two weeks leading up to any distressing event such as Bonfire night or New Years Eve.”
Horses and Flower Essences
Jane explains the unique problems faced by horses: “They are rehomed, sold-on or exchanged more than almost any other domesticated animal, and so they are particularly susceptible to the unique problems this can cause. Intrinsically herd animals, horses are predisposed to conditions such as ‘separation anxiety’ when parted from their loved ones, horse companions or when sold-on to new owners. “I have also observed that some rehomed horses present unexplained behavioural problems which may be a consequence of unsuitable handling/training employed by former owners.”
Animals are often prevented from following their natural instincts, they are frequently forced to suppress any innate urges or are expected to ‘perform’ on demand, in some cases this can cause anything from fearful to disruptive behaviour.
Jane adds: “I use the flower essences for animals in the same way as for people; to help gently address short and long-term negative personality, temperament and behaviour traits."
A recent example of how flower essences helped a distressed animal is with ‘Misty’ a young palomino pony. She was a rescue mare who had been neglected to the point of near death from starvation and so was extremely exhausted and traumatized. Her new owners lovingly nursed her back to good health and she received all the necessary veterinary treatment for her various physical problems. She was now the picture of physical health. However, her new owners couldn't find a way to ease Misty’s anxiety, distress and subsequent ill discipline. She would become stroppy and ‘mare-ish’ whilst having her girth tightened and baulked at having her rug on. She was also very anxious and uncontrollable while out on a ride. The vet checked her over and didn't find any physical problems, so it was deduced that her misbehaviour must be related to her previous traumatic experiences. Her owners decided to try flower essence therapy in the form of a ‘Personalised Blend’ of essences formulated to help address her past traumatic experiences. Within a few weeks of taking the blend she started to improve, becoming much calmer and less jumpy. There were no longer any problems tightening the girth, and she behaved impeccably while out on a ride. Misty was also given the Distress Blend, for her fear of fireworks, and on Bonfire night she just calmly stood in her stable and watched the fireworks going off! Her owners put this dramatic improvement solely down to the use of flower essences.
Clearly there are times when an animal may misbehave or be distressed because of a physical weakness or discomfort and so if the root of disobedience is unknown then they should always be seen by a vet in the first instance. Jane explains: “A horse may buck when ridden (for example) because they have a back injury which is causing discomfort, and not because they are just being obstinate. If the animal is still disruptive or nervous after seeing the vet (and any physical weakness has been ruled out) I have found that flower essences can very effectively address such challenging behaviour and my clients have reported some remarkable results using this therapy .”
Although flower essences do not specifically treat physical ailments, they can stimulate an animal’s own natural healing mechanism which can, in turn, help to re-establish their enthusiasm and vitality, and to aid natural ‘emotional’ healing. Jane says: “In some instances it can be beneficial to use training techniques in conjunction with flower essences and, of course, always loving care.”
Like homeopathy, it is not yet understood precisely how or why flower essences work. Jane says: “Despite the absence of a scientific explanation I have found flower essences to be a gentle yet powerful tool on countless occasions. It never ceases to amaze me how these delicate little flowers have the ability to stimulate our in-built healing mechanisms. “Also, the placebo effect is wholly extraneous with regard to animals and so I consider this to be further evidence that flower essences really do work.”
Flower essences have been used with confidence worldwide for over 75 years and their recognition and popularity continues to grow.
© Copyright 2006 A. Digby
Animals are often prevented from following their natural instincts, they are frequently forced to suppress any innate urges or are expected to ‘perform’ on demand, in some cases this can cause anything from fearful to disruptive behaviour.
Jane adds: “I use the flower essences for animals in the same way as for people; to help gently address short and long-term negative personality, temperament and behaviour traits."
A recent example of how flower essences helped a distressed animal is with ‘Misty’ a young palomino pony. She was a rescue mare who had been neglected to the point of near death from starvation and so was extremely exhausted and traumatized. Her new owners lovingly nursed her back to good health and she received all the necessary veterinary treatment for her various physical problems. She was now the picture of physical health. However, her new owners couldn't find a way to ease Misty’s anxiety, distress and subsequent ill discipline. She would become stroppy and ‘mare-ish’ whilst having her girth tightened and baulked at having her rug on. She was also very anxious and uncontrollable while out on a ride. The vet checked her over and didn't find any physical problems, so it was deduced that her misbehaviour must be related to her previous traumatic experiences. Her owners decided to try flower essence therapy in the form of a ‘Personalised Blend’ of essences formulated to help address her past traumatic experiences. Within a few weeks of taking the blend she started to improve, becoming much calmer and less jumpy. There were no longer any problems tightening the girth, and she behaved impeccably while out on a ride. Misty was also given the Distress Blend, for her fear of fireworks, and on Bonfire night she just calmly stood in her stable and watched the fireworks going off! Her owners put this dramatic improvement solely down to the use of flower essences.
Clearly there are times when an animal may misbehave or be distressed because of a physical weakness or discomfort and so if the root of disobedience is unknown then they should always be seen by a vet in the first instance. Jane explains: “A horse may buck when ridden (for example) because they have a back injury which is causing discomfort, and not because they are just being obstinate. If the animal is still disruptive or nervous after seeing the vet (and any physical weakness has been ruled out) I have found that flower essences can very effectively address such challenging behaviour and my clients have reported some remarkable results using this therapy .”
Although flower essences do not specifically treat physical ailments, they can stimulate an animal’s own natural healing mechanism which can, in turn, help to re-establish their enthusiasm and vitality, and to aid natural ‘emotional’ healing. Jane says: “In some instances it can be beneficial to use training techniques in conjunction with flower essences and, of course, always loving care.”
Like homeopathy, it is not yet understood precisely how or why flower essences work. Jane says: “Despite the absence of a scientific explanation I have found flower essences to be a gentle yet powerful tool on countless occasions. It never ceases to amaze me how these delicate little flowers have the ability to stimulate our in-built healing mechanisms. “Also, the placebo effect is wholly extraneous with regard to animals and so I consider this to be further evidence that flower essences really do work.”
Flower essences have been used with confidence worldwide for over 75 years and their recognition and popularity continues to grow.
© Copyright 2006 A. Digby
An epiphany!
By Jane Stevenson of Creature Comforters
By the early 1980’s I had many years experience as a Flower Essence Practitioner and was well-used to the remarkable healing properties of the remedies when used on people. However, at that point, I had little experience of using the remedies to help animals. One day my 6 year old daughter Hannah came rushing into my kitchen shouting anxiously: “Mummy, there’s a hurt bird outside”. I rushed outside to find a robin who was motionless and barely breathing. I held the poor little bird in my hands and we both watched, helplessly, it was lifeless with its neck bent and head on one side - it looked like it had a broken neck, it was barely breathing. Hannah was really upset and I felt sad that I had no means to help the bird. Then I remembered the ‘Rescue Remedy'. It was worth a try, so I put a couple of drops onto its beak. Hannah and I waited for a couple of seconds and then watched in astonishment as the bird twitched, opened its eyes, lifted its head and went "cheep" "cheep"! So we put it in a box with some hay and gave it several more doses of Rescue Remedy over the next few hours. Hannah and her sister Tara dug up some worms from the garden. Over the next week week kept it warm in the box in our sitting room and gave it food, water and Rescue Remedy every day.
I am convinced that was the same robin whom we nursed back to health. Magical!
Living deep in the Norfolk countryside we would find injured wild animals (birds, rabbits, pheasants etc) in the fields and on the lanes. And my neighbours would bring me any injured animals they found to use my ‘magic remedy’. From that day on I would always use my version of the ‘Rescue RemedyTM’; ‘Comforter Essence’ to try to help revive these animals, and, depending on the severity of the injury, it usually worked. Remarkable! Looking back I now realise that that experience with the robin was important: it made me appreciate how powerful the remedies are for helping animals, and this inspired me to specialise in flower essence therapy for animals, and some years later I formed my own company for this purpose: Creature Comforters. © Copyright 2007 |
DowsingThe art of divining
Dowsing was traditionally used to locate underground water, minerals, gemstones and hidden objects by means of a divining rod (a Y shaped twig) or pendulum that either ‘moves’ or ‘swings’ at the appropriate point. To this day dowsing is widely used by water companies as an optional way of locating underground springs, and building firms use 'dowsing rods' to locate underground water pipes.
Despite thousands of years of (as yet, scientifically unexplained) efficacy using this technique, this dowsing method still has its skeptics. Such skeptics believe the dowsing apparatus has no special powers but simply amplifies small but otherwise imperceptible movements of the hands, which has long been established to be the ideomotor effect. However, supporters of this technique say the dowser has a subliminal sensitivity to the environment, perhaps via electroception, magnetoception, or telluric currents. Whatever the explanation, I have found dowsing to be an extremely accurate way of prescribing the correct combination of flower essences for my patients, be they humans or animals. This method is especially useful for diagnosing the correct remedies for animals as they are, of course, unable to tell us how they feel. Using a sample of fur, mane or feathers from the animal in need, I first dowse over the sample to gather the animal’s ‘energy’ (from the time the sample was collected). By an unknown means this somehow ‘collects’ a memory of the emotional state of the animal. I then suspend my pendulum over my entire range of ‘Mother’ flower essence bottles (over 75 in total). I make sure that I don't subliminally influence the dowsing process in any way, instead I use natural electroception, magnetoception, or telluric currents for diagnosis. When my pendulum dangles over the correct remedy it vigorously swings in a clockwise direction which indicates this remedy is needed by the animal. For instance, it may swing over the Honeysuckle bottle, which is used for people who yearn nostalgically for the past and have little interest in the present. Alternatively ‘Honeysuckle’ is used for animals who are either pining the loss of an animal/human companion, or are unable to overcome a past emotional trauma. I always keep a record of the remedies each of my patients have had and in hundreds of case studies, with animals and people, my human patients and pet owners have, on countless occasions, said that my ‘diagnosis’ is remarkably accurate. I can’t, however, take full credit for this as it is the extraordinary and ‘mystical’ technique of dowsing that is the real hero! Jane Stevenson © Copyright 2007 |
Water Memory articles
From:
1. The Institute of Science in Society
2. New Scientist journal
3. Wikepedia
1. The Institute of Science in Society
2. New Scientist journal
3. Wikepedia
Dr Emote exposed music, spoken words, typed words, pictures and videos to water.
The water was then crystallized.
The water's response was truly remarkable, watch this video...
The water was then crystallized.
The water's response was truly remarkable, watch this video...
Water Remembers? Homeopathy Explained?
New research suggests water remembers what has been dissolved in it, even after dilution beyond the point where no molecule of the original substances could remain. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho reports.
For more than a century, practitioners of homeopathy have used highly diluted solutions of medicinal substances to treat diseases. Some substances are diluted way beyond the point at which no trace of the original substances could remain. It is as though the water has retained memory of the departed molecules. This has aroused a great deal of scepticism within the conventional medical and scientific community. To this day, ‘homeopathic’ is used as a term of derision, to indicate something imagined that has no reality.
But a series of recent discoveries in the conventional scientific community is making people think again.
First, there were the South Korean chemists who discovered two years ago that molecules dissolved in water clump together as they get more diluted (see SiS 15), which was totally unexpected; and further more, the size of the clumps depends on the history of dilution, making a mockery of the ‘laws of chemistry’.
Now, physicist Louis Rey in Lausanne, Switzerland, has published a paper in the mainstream journal, Physica A, describing experiments that suggest water does have a memory of molecules that have been diluted away, as can be demonstrated by a relatively new physical technique that measures thermoluminescence.
In this technique, the material is ‘activated’ by irradiation at low temperature, with UV, X-rays, electron beams, or other high-energy sub-atomic particles. This causes electrons to come loose from the atoms and molecules, creating ‘electron-hole pairs’ that become separated and trapped at different energy levels.
Then, when the irradiated material is warmed up, it releases the absorbed energy and the trapped electrons and holes come together and recombine. This causes the release of a characteristic glow of light, peaking at different temperatures depending on the magnitude of the separation between electron and hole.
Photo: © Alice D Riverhaze
As a general rule, the phenomenon is observed in crystals with an ordered arrangement of atoms and molecules, but it is also seen in disordered materials such as glasses. In this mechanism, imperfections in the atomic/molecular lattice are considered to be the sites at which luminescence appears.
Rey decided to use the technique to investigate water, starting with heavy water or deuterium oxide that’s been frozen into ice at a temperature of 77K. The absolute temperature scale (degree K, after Lord Kelvin) is used in science. (The zero degree K is equivalent to –273 C, and deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen which is twice as heavy as hydrogen).
As the ice warms up, a first peak of luminescence appears near 120K, and a second peak near 166 K. Heavy water gives a much stronger signal than water. In both cases, samples that were not irradiated gave no signals at all.
For both water and heavy water, the relative intensity of the thermoluminescence depends on the irradiation dose. There has been a suggestion that peak 2 comes from the hydrogen-bonded network within ice, whereas peak 1 comes from the individual molecules. This was confirmed by looking at a totally different material that is known to present strong hydrogen bonds, which showed a similar glow in the peak 2 region, but nothing in peak 1.
Rey then investigated what would happen when he dissolved some chemicals in the water and diluted it in steps of one hundred fold with vigorous stirring (as in the preparation of homeopathic remedies), until he reached a concentration of 10 to the power -30 g per centilitre, and compare that to the control that has not had any chemical dissolved in it and diluted in the same way.
The samples were frozen and activated with irradiation as usual.
Much to his surprise, when lithium chloride, LiCl, a chemical that would be expected to break hydrogen bonds between water molecules was added, and then diluted away, the thermoluminescent glow became reduced, but the reduction of peak 2 was greater relative to peak 1. Sodium chloride, NaCl, had the same effect albeit to a lesser degree.
It appears, therefore, that substances like LiCl and NaCl can modify the hydrogen-bonded network of water, and that this modification remains even when the molecules have been diluted away.
The fact that this ‘memory’ remains, in spite of, or because of vigorous stirring or shaking at successive dilutions, indicates that the ‘memory’ is by no means static, but depends on a dynamic process, perhaps a collective quantum excitation of water molecules that has a high degree of stability (see "The strangeness of water and homeopathic memory", SiS 15).
Rey decided to use the technique to investigate water, starting with heavy water or deuterium oxide that’s been frozen into ice at a temperature of 77K. The absolute temperature scale (degree K, after Lord Kelvin) is used in science. (The zero degree K is equivalent to –273 C, and deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen which is twice as heavy as hydrogen).
As the ice warms up, a first peak of luminescence appears near 120K, and a second peak near 166 K. Heavy water gives a much stronger signal than water. In both cases, samples that were not irradiated gave no signals at all.
For both water and heavy water, the relative intensity of the thermoluminescence depends on the irradiation dose. There has been a suggestion that peak 2 comes from the hydrogen-bonded network within ice, whereas peak 1 comes from the individual molecules. This was confirmed by looking at a totally different material that is known to present strong hydrogen bonds, which showed a similar glow in the peak 2 region, but nothing in peak 1.
Rey then investigated what would happen when he dissolved some chemicals in the water and diluted it in steps of one hundred fold with vigorous stirring (as in the preparation of homeopathic remedies), until he reached a concentration of 10 to the power -30 g per centilitre, and compare that to the control that has not had any chemical dissolved in it and diluted in the same way.
The samples were frozen and activated with irradiation as usual.
Much to his surprise, when lithium chloride, LiCl, a chemical that would be expected to break hydrogen bonds between water molecules was added, and then diluted away, the thermoluminescent glow became reduced, but the reduction of peak 2 was greater relative to peak 1. Sodium chloride, NaCl, had the same effect albeit to a lesser degree.
It appears, therefore, that substances like LiCl and NaCl can modify the hydrogen-bonded network of water, and that this modification remains even when the molecules have been diluted away.
The fact that this ‘memory’ remains, in spite of, or because of vigorous stirring or shaking at successive dilutions, indicates that the ‘memory’ is by no means static, but depends on a dynamic process, perhaps a collective quantum excitation of water molecules that has a high degree of stability (see "The strangeness of water and homeopathic memory", SiS 15).
From the Institute of Science in Society
3. The Strangeness of Water & Homeopathic ‘Memory’
Is there any reason for homeopathic remedies to work? Does the strangeness of water hold the key? Dr. Mae-Wan Ho describes recent ideas on how the quantum electrodynamic properties of water could provide the basis of homeopathic ‘memory’ and how one might investigate them.
Water is the most abundant substance on the surface of the earth and is the main constituent of all living organisms. The human body is about 65 percent water by weight, with some tissues such as the brain and the lung containing nearly 80 percent. The water in our body is almost completely tied up with proteins, DNA and other macromolecules in a liquid crystalline matrix that enables our body to work in a remarkably coherent and co-ordinated way (see "To science with love", this issue).
Although water is the most familiar of liquids, it is also the most mysterious. Water is densest at 4 C and expands on freezing at 0 C, which is why ice floats, fortunately for fish and other aquatic creatures.
The water molecule consists of an oxygen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms (H2O). The water molecule has the shape of a tetrahedron, a three-dimensional triangle. The oxygen atom sits in the heart of the tetrahedron, the hydrogen atoms point at two of the four corners and two electron clouds point to the remaining opposite corners. The clouds of negative charge result from the atomic structures of oxygen and hydrogen and the way they combine in the water molecule.
Oxygen has eight negatively charged electrons disposed around its positively charged nucleus rather like layers of the onion, two in the inner shell and six in an outer shell. The inner shell’s capacity is filled, but the outer shell can hold as many as eight. Hydrogen has only one electron, so oxygen, by combining with two hydrogen atoms, completes its outer electron shell. The hydrogen’s electron is slightly more attracted to the oxygen nucleus than its own nucleus, which makes the water molecule polar, and it ends up with two clouds of slightly negative charge around the oxygen atom, and its two hydrogen atoms are left with slightly positive charges.
The positively charged hydrogen of each water molecule can attract the negatively charged oxygen of another, giving rise to a hydrogen-bond (H-bond) between molecules. Each molecule of water can form four H-bonds, two between the hydrogen atoms and the oxygen atoms of two other molecules, and two between its oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms of other molecules. Ice is usually composed of a lattice of water molecules arranged with perfect tetrahedral geometry. In liquid water, however, the structure can be quite random and irregular. The actual number of H-bonds per liquid water molecule ranges from three to six, with an average of about 4.5. At ordinary temperatures, liquid water consists of dynamic clusters of 50 to 100 water molecules, in which the H-bonds are constantly making and breaking (or flickering). The tetrahedral H-bonded molecule also gives water a loosely packed structure compared with that of most other liquids, such as oils or liquid nitrogen.
Water offers eternal fascination for physicists and physical chemists, not the least of the reasons being that it enables DNA and all proteins to function properly in the living organism (see Box).
Water is the real medium of life
The importance of water to living processes derives not only from its ability to form hydrogen bonds with other water molecules, but especially from its capacity to interact with various types of biological molecules. Because of its polar nature, water readily interacts with other polar and charged molecules such as acids, salts, sugars and various regions of proteins and DNA. As a result of these interactions, water can dissolve those substances, which are consequently described as hydrophilic (water loving). In contrast water does not interact well with nonpolar molecules such as fats, oil and water don’t mix. Nonpolar molecules are hydrophobic (water-fearing).
Hydrophobic interactions in water are very important for protein folding, because the chain folds so as to keep the hydrophobic parts inside, and expose the hydrophilic parts on the surfaces next to water. Proteins only work when they are folded properly and when there is water around, when they become ‘plasticised’ or flexible.
The properties of water and its interactions with proteins and DNA have been extensively studied using molecular dynamic simulations. These computer simulations follow the motions of populations of molecules according to interactions between atoms within the molecules and between molecules.
Molecular dynamic simulations show that while polar molecules such as urea form hydrogen bonds with water and dissolve in it, water molecules either don’t mix at all with nonpolar substances such as fat and oil, or tend to form a cage around the molecules.
These simulations also show that water is integral to the structure and function of all macromolecules. Early attempts to create molecular dynamics of models of DNA failed because repulsive forces between the negatively charged phosphate groups in the DNA backbone cause the molecule to break up after only 50 picoseconds. (The 50 picoseconds are in terms of real time as experienced by the DNA, and would have taken hours, if not days of computer time.) In the late 1980s, Levitt and Miriam Hirshberg showed that when water molecules were included, the DNA double-helical structure was stabilised by the water molecules forming hydrogen bonds with the phosphate groups. Subsequent simulations showed that water interacts with nearly every part of the DNA’s double helix, including the base pairs.
In contrast, water does not penetrate deeply into the structures of proteins, whose hydrophobic regions are tucked within. So, protein-water simulations have focused on the protein surface, which is much less tightly packed than the protein interior. From experiments, we know that heat causes the alpha-helices (a predominant structural feature of proteins) to uncurl, but in early simulations without water, the helix remained intact. Only by adding water were Levitt and Valerie Daggett able to mimic an alpha helix’s actual behaviour.
Recent investigations in our own Institute are showing that water is integral to the liquid crystalline structure of living organisms. The liquid crystalline structure of organisms holds the key to rapid intercommunication within the organism and the perfect co-ordination of living processes.
While most physicists and biochemists are still trying to understand the interactions of water molecules in terms of classical mechanics, a number of physicists have begun to think of the quantum properties of water.
Conventionally, quantum properties are thought to belong to elementary particles of less than 10-10m, while the macroscopic world of our everyday life is ‘classical’, in that things in it behave according to Newton’s laws of motion. Between the macroscopic classical world and the microscopic quantum world is the mesoscopic domain, where the distinction is getting increasingly blurred. Indeed, physicists are discovering quantum properties in large collections of atoms and molecules in the nano-metre to micro-metre range, particularly when the molecules are packed closely together in the liquid phase.
Recently, chemists have made the surprising discovery that molecules form clusters that increase in size with dilution. These clusters measure several micro-metres in diameter. The increase in size occurs nonlinearly with dilution and it depends on history, flying in the face of classical chemistry (see "Molecules clump on dilution", this issue). Indeed, there is as yet no explanation for the phenomenon. It may well be another reflection of the strangeness of water that depends on its quantum properties.
In the mid-1990s, quantum physicists Del Giudice and Preparata and other colleagues in University of Milan, in Italy, argued that quantum coherent domains measuring 100nm in diameter could arise in pure water. They show how the collective vibrations of the water molecules in the coherent domain eventually become phase-locked to the fluctuations of the global electromagnetic field. In this way, long-lasting, stable oscillations could be maintained in the water.
One way in which ‘memory’ might be stored in water is through the excitation of long-lasting coherent oscillations specific to the substances in the homeopathic remedy dissolved in water. Interaction of water molecules with other molecules changes the collective structure of water, which would in turn determine the specific coherent oscillations that will develop. If these become stabilised and maintained by phase coupling between the global field and the excited molecules, then, even when the dissolved substances are diluted away, the water may still carry the coherent oscillations that can ‘seed’ other volumes of water on dilution.
The discovery that dissolved substances form increasingly large clusters is compatible with the existence of a coherent field in water that can transmit attractive resonance between the molecules when the oscillations are in phase, leading to clumping in dilute solutions. As the cluster of molecules increases in size, its electromagnetic signature is correspondingly amplified, reinforcing the coherent oscillations carried by the water.
But then, one should expect changes in some physical properties in the water that could be detectable.
Unfortunately, all attempts to detect such coherent oscillations by usual spectroscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance methods have yielded ambiguous results. This is not surprising, in view of the finding that cluster size of the dissolved molecules depends on the precise history of dilution rather than on concentration of the molecules (see "Molecules clump on dilution", this issue).
It is possible that despite variations in the cluster-size of the dissolved molecules and detailed microscopic structure of the water, a specificity of coherent oscillations may nonetheless exist. The failure of the usual detection methods is because they depend on measuring the microscopic properties of individual molecules, or of small aggregates. Instead, what is needed is a method for detecting collective global properties over many, many molecules. Some obvious possibilities that suggest themselves are measurements of freezing points and boiling points, viscosity, density, diffusivity, and magnetic properties.
One intriguing possibility for detecting changes in collective global properties of water that is not so obvious is by means of crystallisation. Crystals are formed from macroscopic collections of molecules. Like other measurements that depend on global properties, crystals amplify the subtle changes in individual molecules that would have been undetectable otherwise (see next article).
3. The Strangeness of Water & Homeopathic ‘Memory’
Is there any reason for homeopathic remedies to work? Does the strangeness of water hold the key? Dr. Mae-Wan Ho describes recent ideas on how the quantum electrodynamic properties of water could provide the basis of homeopathic ‘memory’ and how one might investigate them.
Water is the most abundant substance on the surface of the earth and is the main constituent of all living organisms. The human body is about 65 percent water by weight, with some tissues such as the brain and the lung containing nearly 80 percent. The water in our body is almost completely tied up with proteins, DNA and other macromolecules in a liquid crystalline matrix that enables our body to work in a remarkably coherent and co-ordinated way (see "To science with love", this issue).
Although water is the most familiar of liquids, it is also the most mysterious. Water is densest at 4 C and expands on freezing at 0 C, which is why ice floats, fortunately for fish and other aquatic creatures.
The water molecule consists of an oxygen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms (H2O). The water molecule has the shape of a tetrahedron, a three-dimensional triangle. The oxygen atom sits in the heart of the tetrahedron, the hydrogen atoms point at two of the four corners and two electron clouds point to the remaining opposite corners. The clouds of negative charge result from the atomic structures of oxygen and hydrogen and the way they combine in the water molecule.
Oxygen has eight negatively charged electrons disposed around its positively charged nucleus rather like layers of the onion, two in the inner shell and six in an outer shell. The inner shell’s capacity is filled, but the outer shell can hold as many as eight. Hydrogen has only one electron, so oxygen, by combining with two hydrogen atoms, completes its outer electron shell. The hydrogen’s electron is slightly more attracted to the oxygen nucleus than its own nucleus, which makes the water molecule polar, and it ends up with two clouds of slightly negative charge around the oxygen atom, and its two hydrogen atoms are left with slightly positive charges.
The positively charged hydrogen of each water molecule can attract the negatively charged oxygen of another, giving rise to a hydrogen-bond (H-bond) between molecules. Each molecule of water can form four H-bonds, two between the hydrogen atoms and the oxygen atoms of two other molecules, and two between its oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms of other molecules. Ice is usually composed of a lattice of water molecules arranged with perfect tetrahedral geometry. In liquid water, however, the structure can be quite random and irregular. The actual number of H-bonds per liquid water molecule ranges from three to six, with an average of about 4.5. At ordinary temperatures, liquid water consists of dynamic clusters of 50 to 100 water molecules, in which the H-bonds are constantly making and breaking (or flickering). The tetrahedral H-bonded molecule also gives water a loosely packed structure compared with that of most other liquids, such as oils or liquid nitrogen.
Water offers eternal fascination for physicists and physical chemists, not the least of the reasons being that it enables DNA and all proteins to function properly in the living organism (see Box).
Water is the real medium of life
The importance of water to living processes derives not only from its ability to form hydrogen bonds with other water molecules, but especially from its capacity to interact with various types of biological molecules. Because of its polar nature, water readily interacts with other polar and charged molecules such as acids, salts, sugars and various regions of proteins and DNA. As a result of these interactions, water can dissolve those substances, which are consequently described as hydrophilic (water loving). In contrast water does not interact well with nonpolar molecules such as fats, oil and water don’t mix. Nonpolar molecules are hydrophobic (water-fearing).
Hydrophobic interactions in water are very important for protein folding, because the chain folds so as to keep the hydrophobic parts inside, and expose the hydrophilic parts on the surfaces next to water. Proteins only work when they are folded properly and when there is water around, when they become ‘plasticised’ or flexible.
The properties of water and its interactions with proteins and DNA have been extensively studied using molecular dynamic simulations. These computer simulations follow the motions of populations of molecules according to interactions between atoms within the molecules and between molecules.
Molecular dynamic simulations show that while polar molecules such as urea form hydrogen bonds with water and dissolve in it, water molecules either don’t mix at all with nonpolar substances such as fat and oil, or tend to form a cage around the molecules.
These simulations also show that water is integral to the structure and function of all macromolecules. Early attempts to create molecular dynamics of models of DNA failed because repulsive forces between the negatively charged phosphate groups in the DNA backbone cause the molecule to break up after only 50 picoseconds. (The 50 picoseconds are in terms of real time as experienced by the DNA, and would have taken hours, if not days of computer time.) In the late 1980s, Levitt and Miriam Hirshberg showed that when water molecules were included, the DNA double-helical structure was stabilised by the water molecules forming hydrogen bonds with the phosphate groups. Subsequent simulations showed that water interacts with nearly every part of the DNA’s double helix, including the base pairs.
In contrast, water does not penetrate deeply into the structures of proteins, whose hydrophobic regions are tucked within. So, protein-water simulations have focused on the protein surface, which is much less tightly packed than the protein interior. From experiments, we know that heat causes the alpha-helices (a predominant structural feature of proteins) to uncurl, but in early simulations without water, the helix remained intact. Only by adding water were Levitt and Valerie Daggett able to mimic an alpha helix’s actual behaviour.
Recent investigations in our own Institute are showing that water is integral to the liquid crystalline structure of living organisms. The liquid crystalline structure of organisms holds the key to rapid intercommunication within the organism and the perfect co-ordination of living processes.
While most physicists and biochemists are still trying to understand the interactions of water molecules in terms of classical mechanics, a number of physicists have begun to think of the quantum properties of water.
Conventionally, quantum properties are thought to belong to elementary particles of less than 10-10m, while the macroscopic world of our everyday life is ‘classical’, in that things in it behave according to Newton’s laws of motion. Between the macroscopic classical world and the microscopic quantum world is the mesoscopic domain, where the distinction is getting increasingly blurred. Indeed, physicists are discovering quantum properties in large collections of atoms and molecules in the nano-metre to micro-metre range, particularly when the molecules are packed closely together in the liquid phase.
Recently, chemists have made the surprising discovery that molecules form clusters that increase in size with dilution. These clusters measure several micro-metres in diameter. The increase in size occurs nonlinearly with dilution and it depends on history, flying in the face of classical chemistry (see "Molecules clump on dilution", this issue). Indeed, there is as yet no explanation for the phenomenon. It may well be another reflection of the strangeness of water that depends on its quantum properties.
In the mid-1990s, quantum physicists Del Giudice and Preparata and other colleagues in University of Milan, in Italy, argued that quantum coherent domains measuring 100nm in diameter could arise in pure water. They show how the collective vibrations of the water molecules in the coherent domain eventually become phase-locked to the fluctuations of the global electromagnetic field. In this way, long-lasting, stable oscillations could be maintained in the water.
One way in which ‘memory’ might be stored in water is through the excitation of long-lasting coherent oscillations specific to the substances in the homeopathic remedy dissolved in water. Interaction of water molecules with other molecules changes the collective structure of water, which would in turn determine the specific coherent oscillations that will develop. If these become stabilised and maintained by phase coupling between the global field and the excited molecules, then, even when the dissolved substances are diluted away, the water may still carry the coherent oscillations that can ‘seed’ other volumes of water on dilution.
The discovery that dissolved substances form increasingly large clusters is compatible with the existence of a coherent field in water that can transmit attractive resonance between the molecules when the oscillations are in phase, leading to clumping in dilute solutions. As the cluster of molecules increases in size, its electromagnetic signature is correspondingly amplified, reinforcing the coherent oscillations carried by the water.
But then, one should expect changes in some physical properties in the water that could be detectable.
Unfortunately, all attempts to detect such coherent oscillations by usual spectroscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance methods have yielded ambiguous results. This is not surprising, in view of the finding that cluster size of the dissolved molecules depends on the precise history of dilution rather than on concentration of the molecules (see "Molecules clump on dilution", this issue).
It is possible that despite variations in the cluster-size of the dissolved molecules and detailed microscopic structure of the water, a specificity of coherent oscillations may nonetheless exist. The failure of the usual detection methods is because they depend on measuring the microscopic properties of individual molecules, or of small aggregates. Instead, what is needed is a method for detecting collective global properties over many, many molecules. Some obvious possibilities that suggest themselves are measurements of freezing points and boiling points, viscosity, density, diffusivity, and magnetic properties.
One intriguing possibility for detecting changes in collective global properties of water that is not so obvious is by means of crystallisation. Crystals are formed from macroscopic collections of molecules. Like other measurements that depend on global properties, crystals amplify the subtle changes in individual molecules that would have been undetectable otherwise (see next article).
Photo: © Alice D Riverhaze
From the New Scientist
Icy claim that water has memory
19:00 11 June 2003
New Scientist Print Edition.
Claims do not come much more controversial than the idea that water might retain a memory of substances once dissolved in it. The notion is central to homeopathy, which treats patients with samples so dilute they are unlikely to contain a single molecule of the active compound, but it is generally ridiculed by scientists.
Holding such a heretical view famously cost one of France's top allergy researchers, Jacques Benveniste, his funding, labs and reputation after his findings were discredited in 1988.
Yet a paper is about to be published in the reputable journal Physica A claiming to show that even though they should be identical, the structure of hydrogen bonds in pure water is very different from that in homeopathic dilutions of salt solutions. Could it be time to take the "memory" of water seriously?
The paper's author, Swiss chemist Louis Rey, is using thermoluminescence to study the structure of solids. The technique involves bathing a chilled sample with radiation. When the sample is warmed up, the stored energy is released as light in a pattern that reflects the atomic structure of the sample.
Twin peaks
When Rey used the method on ice he saw two peaks of light, at temperatures of around 120 K and 170 K. Rey wanted to test the idea, suggested by other researchers, that the 170 K peak reflects the pattern of hydrogen bonds within the ice. In his experiments he used heavy water (which contains the heavy hydrogen isotope deuterium), because it has stronger hydrogen bonds than normal water.
Aware of homeopaths' claims that patterns of hydrogen bonds can survive successive dilutions, Rey decided to test samples that had been diluted down to a notional 10-30 grams per cubic centimetre - way beyond the point when any ions of the original substance could remain. "We thought it would be of interest to challenge the theory," he says.
Each dilution was made according to a strict protocol, and vigorously stirred at each stage, as homeopaths do. When Rey compared the ultra-dilute lithium and sodium chloride solutions with pure water that had been through the same process, the difference in their thermoluminescence peaks compared with pure water was still there (see graph).
"Much to our surprise, the thermoluminescence glows of the three systems were substantially different," he says. He believes the result proves that the networks of hydrogen bonds in the samples were different.
Phase transition
Martin Chaplin from London's South Bank University, an expert on water and hydrogen bonding, is not so sure. "Rey's rationale for water memory seems most unlikely," he says. "Most hydrogen bonding in liquid water rearranges when it freezes."
He points out that the two thermoluminescence peaks Rey observed occur around the temperatures where ice is known to undergo transitions between different phases. He suggests that tiny amounts of impurities in the samples, perhaps due to inefficient mixing, could be getting concentrated at the boundaries between different phases in the ice and causing the changes in thermoluminescence.
But thermoluminescence expert Raphael Visocekas from the Denis Diderot University of Paris, who watched Rey carry out some of his experiments, says he is convinced. "The experiments showed a very nice reproducibility," he told New Scientist. "It is trustworthy physics." He see no reason why patterns of hydrogen bonds in the liquid samples should not survive freezing and affect the molecular arrangement of the ice.
After his own experience, Benveniste advises caution. "This is interesting work, but Rey's experiments were not blinded and although he says the work is reproducible, he doesn't say how many experiments he did," he says. "As I know to my cost, this is such a controversial field, it is mandatory to be as foolproof as possible."
Icy claim that water has memory
19:00 11 June 2003
New Scientist Print Edition.
Claims do not come much more controversial than the idea that water might retain a memory of substances once dissolved in it. The notion is central to homeopathy, which treats patients with samples so dilute they are unlikely to contain a single molecule of the active compound, but it is generally ridiculed by scientists.
Holding such a heretical view famously cost one of France's top allergy researchers, Jacques Benveniste, his funding, labs and reputation after his findings were discredited in 1988.
Yet a paper is about to be published in the reputable journal Physica A claiming to show that even though they should be identical, the structure of hydrogen bonds in pure water is very different from that in homeopathic dilutions of salt solutions. Could it be time to take the "memory" of water seriously?
The paper's author, Swiss chemist Louis Rey, is using thermoluminescence to study the structure of solids. The technique involves bathing a chilled sample with radiation. When the sample is warmed up, the stored energy is released as light in a pattern that reflects the atomic structure of the sample.
Twin peaks
When Rey used the method on ice he saw two peaks of light, at temperatures of around 120 K and 170 K. Rey wanted to test the idea, suggested by other researchers, that the 170 K peak reflects the pattern of hydrogen bonds within the ice. In his experiments he used heavy water (which contains the heavy hydrogen isotope deuterium), because it has stronger hydrogen bonds than normal water.
Aware of homeopaths' claims that patterns of hydrogen bonds can survive successive dilutions, Rey decided to test samples that had been diluted down to a notional 10-30 grams per cubic centimetre - way beyond the point when any ions of the original substance could remain. "We thought it would be of interest to challenge the theory," he says.
Each dilution was made according to a strict protocol, and vigorously stirred at each stage, as homeopaths do. When Rey compared the ultra-dilute lithium and sodium chloride solutions with pure water that had been through the same process, the difference in their thermoluminescence peaks compared with pure water was still there (see graph).
"Much to our surprise, the thermoluminescence glows of the three systems were substantially different," he says. He believes the result proves that the networks of hydrogen bonds in the samples were different.
Phase transition
Martin Chaplin from London's South Bank University, an expert on water and hydrogen bonding, is not so sure. "Rey's rationale for water memory seems most unlikely," he says. "Most hydrogen bonding in liquid water rearranges when it freezes."
He points out that the two thermoluminescence peaks Rey observed occur around the temperatures where ice is known to undergo transitions between different phases. He suggests that tiny amounts of impurities in the samples, perhaps due to inefficient mixing, could be getting concentrated at the boundaries between different phases in the ice and causing the changes in thermoluminescence.
But thermoluminescence expert Raphael Visocekas from the Denis Diderot University of Paris, who watched Rey carry out some of his experiments, says he is convinced. "The experiments showed a very nice reproducibility," he told New Scientist. "It is trustworthy physics." He see no reason why patterns of hydrogen bonds in the liquid samples should not survive freezing and affect the molecular arrangement of the ice.
After his own experience, Benveniste advises caution. "This is interesting work, but Rey's experiments were not blinded and although he says the work is reproducible, he doesn't say how many experiments he did," he says. "As I know to my cost, this is such a controversial field, it is mandatory to be as foolproof as possible."
Jacques Benveniste
Benveniste was a French immunologist (March 12, 1935 - October 3, 2004). In 1979 he published in the French Compte rendus de l'Académie des Sciences a well-known paper where he contributes to the description of the structure of the platelet-activating factor and its relationships with histamine. He was head of INSERM's Unit 200 directed at "Immunology, allergy and inflammation". He was at the center of a major international controversy in 1988 when he published a paper in the prestigious scientific journal Nature reporting on the action of very high dilutions of anti-immunoglobulin E on the degranulation of human basophils, a kind of white blood cell. Biologists were puzzled by these results as only molecules of water, and no molecules of the initial substance (anti-IgE) are expected to be found in these high dilutions. These results seem to indicate that the configuration of molecules in water may be biologically active. A journalist coined the term water memory for this hypothesis.
As a condition for publication, Nature asked for the results to be replicated by independent laboraties, which was done. The article was then published. A follow-up investigation of Benveniste's laboratory by a team including Nature editor Dr. John Maddox and "professional pseudo-science debunker" James Randi, with the cooperation of Benveniste's own team, failed to replicate the results. Subsequent investigations have yielded mixed results. Benveniste's reputation was damaged, but he refused to retract his controversial article. He began to fund his research himself as his external sources of funding were withdrawn, and in 1997 he founded the company DigiBio to further his research:: "The principal mission of DigiBio is to develop and commercialise applications of Digital Biology."
Benveniste died in Paris at the age of 69 after heart surgery. He was twice married and had five children.
Benveniste was a French immunologist (March 12, 1935 - October 3, 2004). In 1979 he published in the French Compte rendus de l'Académie des Sciences a well-known paper where he contributes to the description of the structure of the platelet-activating factor and its relationships with histamine. He was head of INSERM's Unit 200 directed at "Immunology, allergy and inflammation". He was at the center of a major international controversy in 1988 when he published a paper in the prestigious scientific journal Nature reporting on the action of very high dilutions of anti-immunoglobulin E on the degranulation of human basophils, a kind of white blood cell. Biologists were puzzled by these results as only molecules of water, and no molecules of the initial substance (anti-IgE) are expected to be found in these high dilutions. These results seem to indicate that the configuration of molecules in water may be biologically active. A journalist coined the term water memory for this hypothesis.
As a condition for publication, Nature asked for the results to be replicated by independent laboraties, which was done. The article was then published. A follow-up investigation of Benveniste's laboratory by a team including Nature editor Dr. John Maddox and "professional pseudo-science debunker" James Randi, with the cooperation of Benveniste's own team, failed to replicate the results. Subsequent investigations have yielded mixed results. Benveniste's reputation was damaged, but he refused to retract his controversial article. He began to fund his research himself as his external sources of funding were withdrawn, and in 1997 he founded the company DigiBio to further his research:: "The principal mission of DigiBio is to develop and commercialise applications of Digital Biology."
Benveniste died in Paris at the age of 69 after heart surgery. He was twice married and had five children.
The Power of Flowers
Article by J Stevenson and A Digby
For Blue Skies Newsletter, September 2008
For Blue Skies Newsletter, September 2008
Flower Remedies were first discovered in the 1930s by consultant surgeon and bacteriologist Dr Edward Bach. He studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London, and progressed to Harley Street where he presided over a successful practice for over 25 years. However, despite the success of his work with orthodox medicine, Bach felt dissatisfied with the way doctors were expected to concentrate solely on the diseases that people suffered whist ignoring the people who were suffering them. Inspired by his work with homeopathy he looked to find a simpler remedial method that would focus on the emotional catalysts and consequences of illness rather than the illness itself. He once said: “Take no notice of the disease; think only of the outlook on life of the one in distress.” So in 1930: he abandoned the scientific methods he had previously used; he gave up his lucrative Harley Street practice; he left London and moved to the countryside and he went on a ‘voyage of discovery’. Dr Bach dedicated the rest of his life to finding and developing a new system of medicine that he was sure could be found in nature.
Dr Bach would travel the length and breadth of the meadows and lanes of the United Kingdom (specifically Oxfordshire, Wales and Norfolk) and, using his natural gifts as a healer and his intuition as a guide, he would select individual flowers that he believed could help various negative emotional states. Once he found himself experiencing the negative emotional state that he needed to cure, he would then try various plants until he found the one single plant that could help him overcome that emotion. One-by-one he found the remedies he wanted, each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion ~ he discovered thirty eight in all. Dr Bach found that, when he treated the personalities and feelings of his patients, their unhappiness and physical distress would be alleviated as the natural healing potential in their bodies was unblocked and allowed to work once more. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work.
Dr Bach would travel the length and breadth of the meadows and lanes of the United Kingdom (specifically Oxfordshire, Wales and Norfolk) and, using his natural gifts as a healer and his intuition as a guide, he would select individual flowers that he believed could help various negative emotional states. Once he found himself experiencing the negative emotional state that he needed to cure, he would then try various plants until he found the one single plant that could help him overcome that emotion. One-by-one he found the remedies he wanted, each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion ~ he discovered thirty eight in all. Dr Bach found that, when he treated the personalities and feelings of his patients, their unhappiness and physical distress would be alleviated as the natural healing potential in their bodies was unblocked and allowed to work once more. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work.
Dr Bach's wish was that everyone, whether medically trained or not, would have the means to use his healing system of Flower Remedies. It was also said he was also keen to develop a straightforward pharmacopoeia and simple method of production so that they could actually be made by others too (by following his precise instructions). Therefore, it is well known, by Dr Bach literarys, that he would have commended - nay celebrated, the situation we have now, over seventy years after his death, where there are hundreds of small, independent Flower Essence Companies, all over the world, making and selling the remedies ~ just like Creature Comforters UK. This was precisely Dr Bach's wish.
Dr Bach passed away on the evening of November 27th, 1936. He was only 50 years old, but has left behind him a lifetime's experience and dedication, and a highly respected system of medicine that is now used all over the world. He also gave us the, now famous, Rescue Remedy™ which is used by millions throughout the world including actors, musicians, politicians, 'celebrities', the military, doctors, vets, Olympic sports men and women and members of the Royal family!
What are Flower Remedies?
They are a complementary therapy in liquid~herbal form made from the ‘flowering’ organs of a select variety of wild plants ~ of their flowers, catkins and tree buds. Flower Remedies are a natural and gentle therapy that, as literature suggests, can be used alongside other treatments without affecting other medicines or therapies, they also have no known side effects. Each remedy bottle usually contains roughly 50% spring water, 50% Brandy (used as a ‘natural’ preservative) and the ‘energy signature’ of a particular plant. [Stock bottles are preserved in 100% brandy]. Taken internally, the remedies are used to help gently address transient emotional and behavioural problems ~ naturally. For example; a person may have suffered a bereavement or loss and therefore may be finding it difficult to ‘move on’ and look to the future with hope and enthusiasm. In this instance they may be prescribed a course of Honeysuckle and Walnut which, as Dr Bach found, can help to alleviate feelings of grief, regret or wistfulness, e.g. ‘longing for times past’.
How do they work?
Although Homeopathic Medicine is different to Flower Remedy Therapy, they both use the stored ‘vibration’ or, what’s commonly known as; ‘energy signature’ of a specified plant to unlock the healing potential of that living material. With Flower Remedies this is done by means of a phenomenon called ‘Water Memory’. The rationale for proponents of this phenomenon is that water is capable of retaining a memory of the vibration of particles or flowers that have been placed into it for a specified period of time and by a specified means (to learn more about this process read additional Water Memory articles below).
Therefore the ‘source material’ could, for example, be a Verbena officinalis flower that, using Dr Bach’s traditional method, is first submerged into fresh spring water and is then left in the sunlight for a few hours to ‘infuse’. Once the water has collected the memory of Verbena officinalis its’ unique ‘energy signature’ will be stored forever within that spring water. The next step is for the infused spring water to be preserved (usually using brandy) and thus it becomes a Flower Remedy that is used for the unique emotional or behavioural problems that Verbena officinalis is understood to address; in this case – fanaticism or intensity.
The notion of water having the capacity to retain a ‘memory’ has proven to be a controversial one amongst many members of the scientific community (and often an inconceivable one to the layman!). However, recent studies by some eminent scientists have shown that, although still not fully understood, there is some validity to this ‘concept’. When studying the water that it has been placed into: each flower (for instance) imparts a unique ‘fingerprint of energy’ into the water – these subtle, yet distinct changes can be observed through a powerful microscope, and, when frozen, can be seen as thousands of beautiful and identical geometric crystals (similar to magnified snow flakes); all totally unique to that particular plant. And therefore, as one would expect, microscopic photographs have also shown that the molecular structure of water changes when infused with particular particles, however, much more significant is the fact that these changes can still be observed after the water has been diluted so extensively (by thousands of percent of the original concentration) that logic and science would predict that there would be no trace whatsoever of the added particle. In such studies the water behaves in a way that is not fully understood and is apparently in contradiction to the laws of known science. However, despite any conclusive scientific explanation, many, many people who have used the Remedies over the past 75 years have reported positive effects from taking them. Some may say that this could simply be the ‘placebo effect’ (in other words: a sense of benefit felt by the patient that arises solely from the knowledge that treatment has been given), however, many practitioners and pet owners have also reported some amazing results when the Remedies are given to animals, so there can be no question of the placebo effect being at work in those cases. Therefore, we don’t really know how they work but we know that they do!
© Jane Stevenson and A. Digby
Dr Bach passed away on the evening of November 27th, 1936. He was only 50 years old, but has left behind him a lifetime's experience and dedication, and a highly respected system of medicine that is now used all over the world. He also gave us the, now famous, Rescue Remedy™ which is used by millions throughout the world including actors, musicians, politicians, 'celebrities', the military, doctors, vets, Olympic sports men and women and members of the Royal family!
What are Flower Remedies?
They are a complementary therapy in liquid~herbal form made from the ‘flowering’ organs of a select variety of wild plants ~ of their flowers, catkins and tree buds. Flower Remedies are a natural and gentle therapy that, as literature suggests, can be used alongside other treatments without affecting other medicines or therapies, they also have no known side effects. Each remedy bottle usually contains roughly 50% spring water, 50% Brandy (used as a ‘natural’ preservative) and the ‘energy signature’ of a particular plant. [Stock bottles are preserved in 100% brandy]. Taken internally, the remedies are used to help gently address transient emotional and behavioural problems ~ naturally. For example; a person may have suffered a bereavement or loss and therefore may be finding it difficult to ‘move on’ and look to the future with hope and enthusiasm. In this instance they may be prescribed a course of Honeysuckle and Walnut which, as Dr Bach found, can help to alleviate feelings of grief, regret or wistfulness, e.g. ‘longing for times past’.
How do they work?
Although Homeopathic Medicine is different to Flower Remedy Therapy, they both use the stored ‘vibration’ or, what’s commonly known as; ‘energy signature’ of a specified plant to unlock the healing potential of that living material. With Flower Remedies this is done by means of a phenomenon called ‘Water Memory’. The rationale for proponents of this phenomenon is that water is capable of retaining a memory of the vibration of particles or flowers that have been placed into it for a specified period of time and by a specified means (to learn more about this process read additional Water Memory articles below).
Therefore the ‘source material’ could, for example, be a Verbena officinalis flower that, using Dr Bach’s traditional method, is first submerged into fresh spring water and is then left in the sunlight for a few hours to ‘infuse’. Once the water has collected the memory of Verbena officinalis its’ unique ‘energy signature’ will be stored forever within that spring water. The next step is for the infused spring water to be preserved (usually using brandy) and thus it becomes a Flower Remedy that is used for the unique emotional or behavioural problems that Verbena officinalis is understood to address; in this case – fanaticism or intensity.
The notion of water having the capacity to retain a ‘memory’ has proven to be a controversial one amongst many members of the scientific community (and often an inconceivable one to the layman!). However, recent studies by some eminent scientists have shown that, although still not fully understood, there is some validity to this ‘concept’. When studying the water that it has been placed into: each flower (for instance) imparts a unique ‘fingerprint of energy’ into the water – these subtle, yet distinct changes can be observed through a powerful microscope, and, when frozen, can be seen as thousands of beautiful and identical geometric crystals (similar to magnified snow flakes); all totally unique to that particular plant. And therefore, as one would expect, microscopic photographs have also shown that the molecular structure of water changes when infused with particular particles, however, much more significant is the fact that these changes can still be observed after the water has been diluted so extensively (by thousands of percent of the original concentration) that logic and science would predict that there would be no trace whatsoever of the added particle. In such studies the water behaves in a way that is not fully understood and is apparently in contradiction to the laws of known science. However, despite any conclusive scientific explanation, many, many people who have used the Remedies over the past 75 years have reported positive effects from taking them. Some may say that this could simply be the ‘placebo effect’ (in other words: a sense of benefit felt by the patient that arises solely from the knowledge that treatment has been given), however, many practitioners and pet owners have also reported some amazing results when the Remedies are given to animals, so there can be no question of the placebo effect being at work in those cases. Therefore, we don’t really know how they work but we know that they do!
© Jane Stevenson and A. Digby
Dr Bach quotes:
"Treat the person, not the disease"
"Let not the simplicity of this method deter you from its use, for you will find the further your researches advance, the greater you will realise the simplicity of all Creation"
"Take no notice of the disease; think only of the outlook on life of the one in distress"
"Final and complete healing will come from within, from the Soul itself, which by His beneficence radiates harmony throughout the personality when allowed to do so"
Dr Edward Bach
"Let not the simplicity of this method deter you from its use, for you will find the further your researches advance, the greater you will realise the simplicity of all Creation"
"Take no notice of the disease; think only of the outlook on life of the one in distress"
"Final and complete healing will come from within, from the Soul itself, which by His beneficence radiates harmony throughout the personality when allowed to do so"
Dr Edward Bach
Browse our Bach Flower Remedy PagesOne page for each of the 38 Bach Flower Essences
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References
1 ^ a b Anonymous [John Maddox] (1988). "When to believe the unbelievable". Nature 333 (6176): 787. doi:10.1038/333787a0.
2 ^ See Mole (unit) and Homeopathy for more detailed information on how we can calculate the original number of molecules.
3 ^ a b E. Dayenas; F. Beauvais, J. Amara , M. Oberbaum, B. Robinzon, A. Miadonna, A. Tedeschit, B. Pomeranz, P. Fortner, P. Belon, J. Sainte-Laudy, B. Poitevin and J. Benveniste (30 June 1988). "Human basophil degranulization triggered by very dilute antiserum against IgE". Nature 333: 816-818. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
4 ^ a b Poitevin, Bernard (2005). "Jacques Benveniste: a personal tribute". Homeopathy 94 (2): 138-139. doi:10.1016/j.homp.2005.02.004.
5 ^ P. Ball, Here lies one whose name is writ in water. Nature. 8 August 2007, doi:10.1038/news070806-6. [1]
6 ^ a b c John Langone (8 August 1988). "The Water That Lost Its Memory". Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
7 ^ J. Maddox; J. Randi, W. W. Stewart (28 July 1988). ""High-dilution" experiments a delusion". Nature 334: 287-290. doi:10.1038/334287a0. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
8 ^ J. Benveniste (28 July 1988). "Dr Jacques Benveniste replies". Nature 334: 291. doi:10.1038/334291a0. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
9 ^ P. Coles (28 July 1988). "Benveniste controversy rages on in the French press". Nature 334: 372. doi:10.1038/334372a0.
10 ^ Homeopathy breakthrough
11 ^ Memory of water and blinding, Francis Beauvais, Homeopathy, 97(1):41-42, January 2008.
12 ^ Hirst S. J.; Hayes N. A., Burridge J., Pearce FL, Foreman JC. (December 9, 1993). "Human basophil degranulation is not triggered by very dilute antiserum against human IgE". Nature 366 (5): 525-527. doi:10.1038/366525a0. PMID 2455231.
13 ^ Ovelgonne, J. H.; Bol, A. W., Hop, W. C., van Wijk, R (May 15, 1992). "Mechanical agitation of very dilute antiserum against IgE has no effect on basophil staining properties". Experientia 48 (5): 504-508. Birkhäuser Verlag.
14 ^ P. Belon; J. Cumps, M. Ennis, P. F. Mannaioni, J. Sainte-Laudy, M. Roberfroid, F. A. C. Wiegant (April 1999). "Inhibition of human basophil degranulation by successive histamine dilutions: Results of a European multi-centre trial". Inflammation Research 48 (Supplement 1): 17-18. doi:10.1007/s000110050376.
15 ^ Homeopathy: The test. (2003-11-26). Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
16 ^ Stossel, John. "Homeopathic Remedies - Can Water Really Remember?", 20/20, ABC News. Retrieved on 2008-01-22. (English)
17 ^ J. Benveniste; P. Jurgens, W. Hsueh and J. Aissa (February 21-26, 1997). "Transatlantic Transfer of Digitized Antigen Signal by Telephone Link". Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
18 ^ J. Benveniste; Aissa, J., Guillonnet. "The molecular signal is not functional in the absence of "informed water"". Medical Hypotheses 54 (A163 (abstr.)).
19 ^ J. Benveniste; Thomas Y, Schiff M, Belkadi L, Jurgens P, Kahhak L. "Activation of human neutrophils by electronically transmitted phorbol-myristate acetate". FASEB Journal 13 (1): 33-39. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
20 ^ Jonas, Wayne B.; John A. Ives, Florence Rollwagen, Daniel W. Denman, Kenneth Hintz, Mitchell Hammer, Cindy Crawford, and Kurt Henry (January 2006). "Can specific biological signals be digitized?". FASEB Journal 20 (1): 23-28. doi:10.1096/fj.05-3815hyp. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
21 ^ Cowan ML, Bruner BD, Huse N, et al (2005). "Ultrafast memory loss and energy redistribution in the hydrogen bond network of liquid H2O". Nature 434 (7030): 199–202. doi:10.1038/nature03383. PMID 15758995.
1 ^ a b Anonymous [John Maddox] (1988). "When to believe the unbelievable". Nature 333 (6176): 787. doi:10.1038/333787a0.
2 ^ See Mole (unit) and Homeopathy for more detailed information on how we can calculate the original number of molecules.
3 ^ a b E. Dayenas; F. Beauvais, J. Amara , M. Oberbaum, B. Robinzon, A. Miadonna, A. Tedeschit, B. Pomeranz, P. Fortner, P. Belon, J. Sainte-Laudy, B. Poitevin and J. Benveniste (30 June 1988). "Human basophil degranulization triggered by very dilute antiserum against IgE". Nature 333: 816-818. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
4 ^ a b Poitevin, Bernard (2005). "Jacques Benveniste: a personal tribute". Homeopathy 94 (2): 138-139. doi:10.1016/j.homp.2005.02.004.
5 ^ P. Ball, Here lies one whose name is writ in water. Nature. 8 August 2007, doi:10.1038/news070806-6. [1]
6 ^ a b c John Langone (8 August 1988). "The Water That Lost Its Memory". Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
7 ^ J. Maddox; J. Randi, W. W. Stewart (28 July 1988). ""High-dilution" experiments a delusion". Nature 334: 287-290. doi:10.1038/334287a0. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
8 ^ J. Benveniste (28 July 1988). "Dr Jacques Benveniste replies". Nature 334: 291. doi:10.1038/334291a0. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
9 ^ P. Coles (28 July 1988). "Benveniste controversy rages on in the French press". Nature 334: 372. doi:10.1038/334372a0.
10 ^ Homeopathy breakthrough
11 ^ Memory of water and blinding, Francis Beauvais, Homeopathy, 97(1):41-42, January 2008.
12 ^ Hirst S. J.; Hayes N. A., Burridge J., Pearce FL, Foreman JC. (December 9, 1993). "Human basophil degranulation is not triggered by very dilute antiserum against human IgE". Nature 366 (5): 525-527. doi:10.1038/366525a0. PMID 2455231.
13 ^ Ovelgonne, J. H.; Bol, A. W., Hop, W. C., van Wijk, R (May 15, 1992). "Mechanical agitation of very dilute antiserum against IgE has no effect on basophil staining properties". Experientia 48 (5): 504-508. Birkhäuser Verlag.
14 ^ P. Belon; J. Cumps, M. Ennis, P. F. Mannaioni, J. Sainte-Laudy, M. Roberfroid, F. A. C. Wiegant (April 1999). "Inhibition of human basophil degranulation by successive histamine dilutions: Results of a European multi-centre trial". Inflammation Research 48 (Supplement 1): 17-18. doi:10.1007/s000110050376.
15 ^ Homeopathy: The test. (2003-11-26). Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
16 ^ Stossel, John. "Homeopathic Remedies - Can Water Really Remember?", 20/20, ABC News. Retrieved on 2008-01-22. (English)
17 ^ J. Benveniste; P. Jurgens, W. Hsueh and J. Aissa (February 21-26, 1997). "Transatlantic Transfer of Digitized Antigen Signal by Telephone Link". Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
18 ^ J. Benveniste; Aissa, J., Guillonnet. "The molecular signal is not functional in the absence of "informed water"". Medical Hypotheses 54 (A163 (abstr.)).
19 ^ J. Benveniste; Thomas Y, Schiff M, Belkadi L, Jurgens P, Kahhak L. "Activation of human neutrophils by electronically transmitted phorbol-myristate acetate". FASEB Journal 13 (1): 33-39. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
20 ^ Jonas, Wayne B.; John A. Ives, Florence Rollwagen, Daniel W. Denman, Kenneth Hintz, Mitchell Hammer, Cindy Crawford, and Kurt Henry (January 2006). "Can specific biological signals be digitized?". FASEB Journal 20 (1): 23-28. doi:10.1096/fj.05-3815hyp. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
21 ^ Cowan ML, Bruner BD, Huse N, et al (2005). "Ultrafast memory loss and energy redistribution in the hydrogen bond network of liquid H2O". Nature 434 (7030): 199–202. doi:10.1038/nature03383. PMID 15758995.
